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Volume: 121 No.60, February 16, 2024

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MEN KILLED BY POLICE ‘HAD FIRED AT CROWD’ Officer testifies men shot at them near bar then fled in car

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net AN officer testified yesterday that police opened fire on two men killed in a chase on Tonique WilliamsDarling Highway in 2017 after they allegedly fired a gun at a crowd outside a bar.

Richard “Buddy” Bastian and Harold “Kevin” Brown were killed on

All smiles over $500m project

Tonique Williams-Darling Highway around 1am on December 2, 2017. Bastian was pronounced dead at the scene. Brown later died in hospital.

The Coroner’s Court inquest into the matter continued yesterday.

Chief Superintendent Theodore Campbell told the jury that he was part of a police operation to

SANDS BLASTS Greenslade’s IMMIGRATION APPOINTMENT

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net DR Duane Sands condemned the Davis administration yesterday for overlooking qualified civil servants to make former Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade permanent secretary in the Ministry of

SEE PAGE FOUR

SEE PAGE THREE

PM says he ‘resPects the Media’ AS HE DEFENDS PRIOR COMMENTS

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he respects the press and would not try to dictate what the media should do.

His comment yesterday came after he suggested the press should not print murders on the front pages, saying it harms the

country. He claimed other newspapers in the region do not publish murders on their front pages despite numerous examples to the contrary.

His comment drew criticism from many, including Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard, who noted that Mr Davis was the chief defender of SEE PAGE THREE

POLICE PROBE TEN CHILDREN FALLING ILL AT LOCAL SCHOOL

PRIME Minister Phili ‘Brave’ Davis reviewed Brickell Groups $510m project with the company’s chairman Sebas Bastian at Venetian West Residential Office yesterday. The project includes a shopping centre, condos and residences. See PAGE SEVEN for story.

Photo: Moise Amisial

POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding 10 students who mysteriously became ill at Achievers Academy off Tonique Williams-Darling Highway.

Police said around 12.15pm yesterday, the students started experiencing SEE PAGE THREE

OFFICER HEARD SCREAMS - THEN HELPED GIVE BIRTH

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net WHEN police constable LePetra Sands heard screams for help at Princess Margaret Hospital last month, she sprang into action and unexpectedly helped deliver a woman’s baby in a car across the street.

PC Sands said she ran toward the car after no

PC LEPETRA SANDS one else responded to a woman’s plea. Outside, she

found the woman trying to conceal another woman from people trying to record the event.

When she asked what happened, the woman told her: “I can’t say it. I need you to see it.”

That’s when she walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle and “saw the baby’s head.”

She said when the young

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SEE PAGE TWO

SIX-MEMBER TEAM BAHAMAS NAMED FOR WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SEE SPORTS

PAGE 2, Friday, February 16, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

Officer heard screams - then helps give birth from page one mother sat up, baby Amanii entered the world by slowly sliding onto the seat.

The boy’s mother, Reshae Bowe, was not due until March, but after experiencing pain, she drove herself to the hospital and parked across the street.

“It only could be God because of how the baby was situated,” PC Sands said. “How she was situated in the seat, the baby was actually supposed to drop on the floor, because she was so close to the end of the driver’s seat. But when she went up, he just laid right on the driver’s seat.”

PC Sands said watching movies about childbirth helped her respond to the situation. She also received tips from the police control room.

She said after ensuring the umbilical cord was not wrapped around the baby’s neck, she wrapped the child up and quickly took him to PMH. “All I kept saying, God, please keep him alive,” she said, “because at the end of the day, we don’t know what he could become in life.”

The experience was emotional for the officer because of her own recent childbirth experience.

“I cried because I know the feeling when something unexpected like that happens, and you don’t know the outcome of the situation, and it wasn’t like the female had persons around to say, okay, they’re going to make sure she’s okay,” she said.

“I said I have to be selfless in this situation because if it were me, I would want somebody to assist me, and I tried my best to make sure the baby was good.”

She said she still checks on the baby, praying for a bright future for him.

She wants to educate herself more about delivering babies in case something similar happens again.

As for the child, Ms Bowe said he is doing well and should be discharged from the hospital this week.

“It was a breath of relief when they came because he actually came out in the sun,” she said.

POLICE constable LePetra Sands says she heard screams for help at Princess Margaret Hospital last month, leading her to spring into action,unexpectedly deliver Reshae Bowe’s baby in a car across the street.

Photos: RBPF

Pilot national apprenticeship programme for high-demand fields set for September launch

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net LABOUR and Public Services Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said a pilot National Apprenticeship Programme involving paid training and development opportunities in high-demand fields will be launched in September.

“We believe that the National Apprenticeship Programme is desperately needed to better prepare our young people, our youth to be productive citizens leading positive and peaceful lives in our economy and in a labour market that will not just make room for them, but assist them in launching meaningful careers,” she said during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

She said apprentices will receive life skills and soft skills training, numeracy and literacy skills development, mental health support, and technical and

on-the-job skills.

She said a pilot programme will last six months to a year.

A bill related to the programme was tabled in the House of Assembly on Wednesday.

According to the bill, apprentices must be 16 and over. They must be a Bahamian citizen, a permanent resident with the right to work, or a person born here with Belonger’s Rights.

Under the bill, an employer must show they have the necessary skills and can monitor the apprentice and ensure they do what they are supposed to do.

Employers will receive incentives to participate in the programme.

Employers who do not comply with the legal provisions will be kicked out, according to Joan Dilworth, the legal counsel for the government.

Various apprenticeship programmes could be registered under the impending legal regime, helping the

government understand what is happening.

“Once you’re out of this apprenticeship programme, every employer, anyone who wants to hire any of these people, would know that it is at a particular standard, and then you could take your certification, and you could present that, and there ought to be no discussion about how qualified that person should be,” Ms Dilworth said.

Under the bill, there would be a National Apprenticeship Board of 13 members. One board role would be setting up the institutional framework for a quality apprenticeship system.

A National Apprenticeship Unit would also be established.

Its role would include registering apprenticeship agreements and enterprises that apply to take on apprentices.

The unit would also monitor apprenticeship programmes.

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis alongside Nassau Village MP Jamahl Strachan toured the progress of the Nassau Village Community Centre, before walking about in the Nassau Village community, visiting residents. Mr Davis said the community centre will be an urban sanctuary that serves as a small but significant step in the right direction. He said he intends to visit different communities throughout New Providence to demonstrate his administration’s commitment to building stronger and safer neighborhoods.

Photo: Lynaire Munnings

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Friday, February 16, 2024, PAGE 3

PM says he ‘respects the media’ as he defends prior comments from page one the Progressive Liberal Party’s decision to erect billboards around New Providence highlighting the murder rate under the last Ingraham administration.

“I’m not trying to censor the media,” Mr Davis told reporters yesterday after a walkabout in Nassau Village.

“I’m not a dictator. I believe all of you who are in the free press appreciate that I have the highest respect for the press and its involvement in the dissemination of information.”

“Any view that I may be trying to dictate to, you all were present, and I would have expected those who were present when I made that statement to be able to say the context in which I said it.

“I did say specifically, this is not to dictate to you what you ought to do, but I want you to consider how you go about reporting these things.

“I asked you to take a look at how it is done around the world and see whether or not it is as prominent a feature in a newspaper as it is in our newspapers.”

PRIME MINISTER PHILIP ‘BRAVE’ DAVIS

Sands blasts Greenslade’s Immigration appointment from page one Immigration.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told reporters yesterday that Mr Greenslade was recommended for the post because the government believes he would be a good fit for the role given his law enforcement background.

The position, he added, will take effect as soon as the Public Service Commission confirms it.

Dr Sands said the appointment would be another example of the Davis administration doing whatever it wants “without any regard to convention or the implications.”

He said such appointments, which come with various perks and allowances to people who already receive a pension, are costly.

“There is something called civil service, and the civil service is intended to be staffed by persons who are permanent, and they provide a counterbalance, a measure of sanity to the fiats of the politicians who come and go,” he said.

“Now this PLP administration has decided to do whatever they want to do, whatever buck up goes, and so they started by bringing back a whole number of retired civil servants and gave them consultancies.

“I don’t even know if you could call him a permanent secretary if he’s not permanent.”

“You have a permanent

FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands secretary on a contract, which is an oxymoron, a non sequitur, whatever you want to call it, but again, this is a PLP. The rules, the laws don’t apply to them.”

Dr Sands said hiring retirees for such senior roles deflates morale in the civil service.

“It horribly inflates the

POLICE PROBE TEN CHILDREN FALLING ILL AT LOCAL SCHOOL from page one dizziness, vomiting, and faintness while participating in physical education activities.

The students were taken to the hospital and were under observation up to press time.

An uncle of one of the students told ZNS his niece could barely move her legs.

“She told me that some missionaries from Ireland came to the school and they

gave them some bands, some black string bands with some beads on them, and then they prayed for them,” said Tevin Ferguson.

“A few minutes later, students started complaining about chest pains, shortness of breath, and headaches and started to vomit.”

Mr Ferguson said he wants answers about the people on campus. He said doctors are conducting tests to determine what happened to the students.

compensation packages of the pensioned retirees,” he said. “The greater drain on the public purse is the demoralizing impact across the hundreds of senior servants who see opportunities for advancement slip away. Many then reduce their productivity to a minimum.”

Mr Greenslade recently served as the High Commissioner of The Bahamas to The United Kingdom.

Before that, he was the police commissioner for about eight years.

He joins other retirees whom the government rehired for permanent secretary roles, including

Luther Smith in the Ministry of Works and Colin Higgs in the Ministry of Health.

Reacting to the impending appointment yesterday, President of the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union Deron Brooks said he is hoping for the best.

“I’m hoping that he brings some insight and him having a maybe 40 years experience in law enforcement, of course, he would have some compassion for the staff in immigration, and he would act on some things on our behalf, so I think that’s a plus,” he said.

Men killed by police ‘had fired at crowd’

PAGE 4, Friday, February 16, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

CSP Campbell disagreed with K Melvin Munroe, the attorney for the officers, who suggested that the driver fired at the crowd. He said he saw the passenger fire at the crowd and police. from page one prevent crime on the night of the shooting.

He recalled that around 12.58am, his squad was alerted to shots being fired at King’s Bar on Robinson Road and Washington Street and that the suspects fled the scene in a silver car.

CSP Campbell said when officers proceeded to Tonique Williams-Darling Highway, he heard a gunshot in the area of Pressure Point Bar. By the time he arrived, he saw officers firing on a silver Honda Civic as it tried to speed away from the scene.

He said one of the occupants of the car fired one or two shots at police with a type of gun he couldn’t remember, resulting in several officers returning fire from 15 feet away.

CSP Campbell said he was one of the last officers to arrive at the site where the suspects’ vehicle collided with the fence of Ron’s Auto just off the highway.

He recalled seeing the bodies of two men on the ground near the vehicle, suffering various injuries.

CSP Campbell identified Phillipian Brown in court as the leading officer on the night of the shooting.

He then read the report of Superintendent Mark Barrett, the officer in charge of that night’s

operation.

The report said officers went to King’s Bar in marked police vehicles after shots were reported.

It said there was a crowd outside Pressure Point Bar later that night arguing with two men in a vehicle, shortly before police observed one man fire into the crowd.

According to that report, police identified themselves and ordered the deceased to surrender before a gunfight ensued.

CSP Campbell disagreed with K Melvin Munroe, the attorney for the officers, who suggested that the driver fired at the crowd.

He said he saw the passenger fire at the crowd and police.

However, he could not recall if it was a right or left-hand drive vehicle.

Although CSP Campbell claimed police received information on a silver or grey vehicle that night after a shooting, he could not definitively tell David Cash, the attorney for the estates, if the vehicle that crashed was the same one spotted on Washington Street.

He also could not recall the exact number of people outside the Pressure Point Bar. He confirmed that he only saw the firearm reportedly used against police after the crash. He identified it as a shotgun. He

could not tell Mr Cash if it was a pump action shotgun.

He further could not recall if any other weapon was recovered from the crashed vehicle.

While CSP Campbell told Mr Cash that seven police vehicles responded to the incident, he could not say the exact number of police there.

He also could not say if any officer or bar patron received treatment for gunshot injuries.

Mr Cash suggested no police officer was hit by gunfire. CSP Campbell didn’t contradict him.

He confirmed to the attorney that there were 17 spent 9mm round casings on the scene near the crash and one fired 9mm bullet.

He also said there were five unfired shotgun rounds in the car, along with one spent shotgun shell.

Mr Cash suggested there should have been a third fired shotgun shell recovered from the incident to match the number of shots the deceased allegedly fired.

CSP Campbell responded that he’s not a firearm expert. He disagreed with Mr Cash’s suggestion that it would be impossible for someone to simultaneously drive and operate a pump action shotgun like the one allegedly pulled from the deceased’s car.

Family members of the slain scoffed at his

response.

CSP Campbell said that he did not witness the crash firsthand and only arrived after the bodies were already lying on the ground.

He told Mr Cash that he never saw an officer pull either man out of the vehicle and shoot them.

He said officers are trained to protect. He highlighted the bar patrons fleeing the scene in security footage of the incident played in court. He said officers acted in the interest of the public’s safety.

Mr Cash questioned why officers would run after the fleeing vehicle.

Although he could not recall if the officers had body armour, CSP Campbell doubled down on his statement that police were trained to protect the public and that they were returning fire at the fleeing vehicle.

Sergent Munroe, the initial investigator on the night of the shooting, testified that he did not get the license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle from dispatch.

Sgt Munroe agreed with Mr Cash that other Honda Civics could have matched the description police were given.

He also said there was no report of police vehicles being damaged or officers receiving injuries that night.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, THORN TERRELL NOUGUEZ of Monastery Park in the Eastern District of New Providence, Bahamas, P. O. Box EE15689, intend to change my name to TERRELLL GILLES NOUGUEZ-DEAL. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, The Bahamas no later than Thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

Sgt Munroe said Brown’s ambulance had already taken him to hospital by the time he arrived at the scene.

He said he watched as police cleared the pump action shotgun in Brown’s car. He also said he did not speak to civilian witnesses that night.

When a juror asked why the second spent shotgun shell he mentioned

in his report was not photographed with the other shotgun ammunition, he said the photo could have been taken before the vehicle was fully processed and that the spent shell may have been recovered.

A photo of five unfired shotgun rounds and one fired shotgun shell was previously exhibited in court.

Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence.

ONE-MONTH SENTENCE FOR MAN ADMITTING TO DRUG POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was sentenced to one month in prison after admitting to having drugs downtown earlier this week.

Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Samuel Stevens, 34, with possession of dangerous drugs.

Stevens was found with one gram of cocaine on Bay Street on February 13.

Stevens was also ordered to serve a three-month prison term after his latest offence breached the conditions of a prior threat of death charge.

Stevens was allowed a moment with relatives in court before being taken to remand.

MAN ON 12 MONTHS PROBATION AFTER STEALING TWO MANNEQUINS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was placed on 12 months probation after admitting to trying to steal $566 worth of property from a department store earlier this week, including two mannequins.

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged Tanario McKenzie, 34, with attempted stealing.

McKenzie reportedly tried to steal a male and female mannequins and an assortment of clothes from Muck-A-Mucks clothing store on Baillou Hill Road

on February 13. The items in this botched theft have a total value of $566.

Following his guilty plea to the charge, McKenzie admitted to being intoxicated at the time and apologized for his actions.

Magistrate Whyms placed him on a 12-month probation, during which he is expected to reimburse the store for the attempted theft. Defaulting would result in a four-month prison term.

McKenzie is also expected to attend alcohol counselling for three months or risk a six-month prison term.

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that PATRICIA BALLENTINE-THURSTON of #13 Walrus Ave. Stapleton Gardens, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 9th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that EDMON BIEN-AIME of East Street South, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 9th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that HURAYIA SWANN of Dennis Court East, Yellow Elder, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 9th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

Ankle monitoring company sent a show cause letter from govt THE TRIBUNE

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of National Security has sent a show cause letter to the company responsible for electronically monitoring people on bail, giving it 30 days to explain and remedy the problems associated with its work.

Press secretary Keishla Adderley said during a press briefing yesterday that the government will issue a Request for Proposals and get another company to do the job if it decides the current one cannot do it properly.

She said the police force would contact the company, Metro Security Solutions, to understand the problems and ensure they are corrected.

“The monitoring of accused persons is a very important part of the whole crime-fighting strategy,” she said. “We want to keep an eye on those persons who are on bail.”

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said last

Friday, February 16, 2024, PAGE 5

month that the company electronically monitoring people on bail was under review because of reports that its system was failing.

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said people on bail for serious crimes had removed their ankle bracelets easily with just a paper clip.

Last year, Orin Bethell, president of Metro Security Solution, said the company’s system automatically sends SMS messages to officers when someone breaches their bail.

He said sometimes police fail to respond to notifications, citing the example of George Seymour, who was killed in August.

“I remember the names because these are people who could have been alive if somebody could care enough to go do something,” he said. “We had sent a report to the police on August 17 to say that George Seymour was breaking curfew. They did not take action. Three days later, he was killed at Charms nightclub, breaking curfew again.”

AN ANKLE monitor in use (illustrative).

Photo: Associated Press

SUSPECT REMANDED OVER Tourism minister tours Bay Street and Woodes Rogers Walk 283 BREACHES OF HIS BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN who allegedly breached his bail 283 times over two years was remanded to prison yesterday.

Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged Larry Burrows, 38, with 283 counts of violating bail conditions. Burrows was also charged with causing damage.

Burrows also allegedly broke his monitoring device and fled to the United States in 2022.

He was on bail after being charged with 15 counts of conspiracy to import a firearm. He and others allegedly planned to import firearms into the country between November 2017 and September 2020.

Burrows was reportedly extradited to The Bahamas last Friday DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper did a walkabout downtown, today, greeting vendors and visitors on Bay Street and Woodes Rogers Walk.

Photos: Kemuel Stubbs/AP

after he was arrested for illegal entry in Miami in September 2022.

Burrows allegedly failed to sign in at the Quakoo Street Police Station and breached his residential curfew 283 times between May 18, 2022 and February 5, 2024.

He also allegedly broke his grey smart tag and strap monitoring device on May 19, 2022. Police reportedly found the damaged monitoring device in the bushes off Queen’s Highway in Andros after they were alerted that it was tampered with.

After pleading not guilty to all charges, he was denied bail.

He will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his bail breach trial on March 6. His firearm trial begins on March 26.

Joel Seymour represented the accused.

PAGE 6, Friday, February 16, 2024

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Recession strikes - but US keeps defying expectations AS some of the world’s biggest economies stumble into recession, the United States keeps chugging along.

Both Japan and the United Kingdom said Thursday their economies likely weakened during the final three months of 2023. For each, it would be the second straight quarter that’s happened, which fits one lay definition for a recession.

Yet in the United States, the economy motored ahead in last year’s fourth quarter for a sixth straight quarter of growth. It’s blown past many predictions coming into last year that a recession seemed inevitable because of high interest rates meant to slow the economy and inflation.

Give much of the credit to US households, who have continued to spend at a solid rate despite many challenges.

Their spending makes up the majority of the US economy. Government stimulus helped households weather the initial stages of the pandemic and a jump in inflation, and now pay raises are helping them catch up to high prices for the goods and services they need.

On Thursday, a report showed that fewer US workers filed for unemployment benefits last week. It’s the latest signal of a remarkably solid job market, even though a litany of layoff announcements has grabbed attention recently.

Continued strength there should help prop up the economy.

Of course, risks still loom, and economists say a recession can’t be ruled out.

Inflation could reaccelerate. Worries about heavy borrowing by the US government could upset financial markets, ultimately making loans to buy cars and other things more expensive. Growing losses tied to commercial real estate could mean big pain for the financial system.

But, for now, the outlook continues to appear better for the United States than many other big economies. The mood on Wall Street is so positive that the main measure of the U.S. stock market, the S&P 500 index, topped the 5,000 level last week for the first time.

“First and foremost, it’s important to emphasise that the market’s performance is more a reflection of a thriving economy rather than unwarranted ‘animal spirits’ from investors,” according to Solita Marcelli, chief investment officer, Americas, at UBS Global Wealth Management.

When it upgraded its forecast for global growth in 2024 a couple weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund cited greater-than-expected resilience in the US economy as a major reason.

Several unique characteristics of the US economy have sheltered it from recessionary storms, analysts say. The US government provided about $5 trillion in pandemic aid in 2020-2021, far more than overseas counterparts, which left most households in much better financial shape and supported consumer spending well into 2023.

The Biden administration has also subsidized more construction of manufacturing plants and infrastructure through additional legislation passed in 2021 and 2022 that was still having an impact last year. About one quarter of the US economy’s solid 2.5% growth in 2023 was made up of government spending. Republican critics, however, charge that the extended spending contributed to higher inflation.

“We had some policies that I do think helped us a lot,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. “But also the structure of our economy is so much different.”

Americans have been better protected from rising rates than U.K.

counterparts, for example, because most US homeowners with mortgages have long, 30-year fixed rates. As a result, the Federal Reserve’s rapid rate hikes of the past two years - which have lifted mortgage rates from around 3% to about 6.7% - have had little effect on many US homeowners.

Yet their British counterparts carry mortgages that have to be renewed every two to five years. They’ve struggled with rapidly rising mortgage rates as the Bank of England has lifted borrowing costs to combat inflation.

Catherine Mann, a member of the Bank of England’s interest-rate setting committee, said Thursday that the UK economy’s slowdown should be temporary. There are already signs in business surveys that the economy is picking back up, she added.

“The data we have today is rear-view mirror,” she said on the sidelines of an economic conference in Washington.

Forward-looking reports “are all looking good.” Like the Fed, the Bank of England is considering reducing its benchmark rate once it is confident inflation is under control.

Another benefit for the United States is that it experienced a surge in immigration in recent years, which has made it easier for businesses to fill jobs, potentially expand their operations, and has led to more people earning wages - and then spending those earnings.

Japan, by contrast, is rapidly aging and has seen its population shrink for years, as it is less open to foreign labor.

A declining population can act as a powerful drag on economic growth.

In Europe, consumer sentiment is weak among consumers who are still feeling the effects of higher energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine.

Even China, whose economy is growing faster than the United States’, is under heavy pressure. Its stock markets have been among the world’s worst recently due to worries about a sluggish economic recovery and troubles in the property sector.

The US economy faces its own challenges. Its growth is forecast to cool this year as big hikes to interest rates by the Federal Reserve make their way fully through the system.

A report on Thursday may have given a nod to that. Sales at US retailers slumped by more in January from December than economists expected.

Some pillars of support for consumer spending may be weakening. Student loan repayments have resumed, consumers have largely spent their pandemic stimulus money and credit-card balances are high.

Perhaps most frustrating is the fact that prices for things at the market are still much higher than they were before the pandemic. Lower inflation means prices are rising less quickly from here, not that they’re falling back to where they used to be.

Coping with inflation remains US consumers’ top concern, except for those making more than $150,000, according to a recent survey by Morgan Stanley.

When McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski discussed his company’s latest quarterly results, he said he’s not seeing much change in behavior among middle- and upper-income customers. But “where you see the pressure with the US consumer is that low-income consumer, so call it $45,000 and under. That consumer is pressured.”

By STAN CHOE and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Business Writers

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MARRIT Steenbergen of the Netherlands competes in the women’s 100-meter freestyle heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, yesterday.

Photo: Lee Jin-man/AP

PM’s press comments concerning EDITOR, The Tribune.

PLEASE permit me to express my opinion here.

I see the Prime Minister has stated that the print media should not place stories of murders on the front page. He is citing that other countries media don’t do the same. I don’t think that is correct. First of all, you have to look at size.

If you have a country with millions of people, a single murder cannot be a front page story as it isn’t significant to be a national event.

For a small country as ours, it is.

To suggest to the media where to place a story seems like he’s venturing into censorship. Today,

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net he’s saying where to place it. Tomorrow, it’s an issue of the content of the article. The day after, it is the banning of the article all together.

If we look at the tourism impact that was mentioned.

Does it matter where in the paper the article is? Are we to assume the United States, the French, the UK, the Canadian governments, etc, will not know we have a crime problem if the local papers put it somewhere else other than the front

page? That’s funny! I guess they only will know what we tell them, aye?

The focus should be on what to do to address the issue. If the focus is on where the media is placing a crime article, we have a big problem. It means the government has no answer and they’re trying to distract in any way they can from that fact.

Let’s hope they do something fast. Please don’t start a college fund for want to be gang members or do daily prayer vigils in Rawson Square.

A CONCERNED CITIZEN Nassau, February 13, 2024.

AFTER Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis criticised local press coverage of the crime rate, readers posted their reactions on tribune242.com. hj said: “And this is coming from the same people that few years back erected billboards all over Nassau about the number of murders. I suppose they were more interested in getting power than the good of their country back then.

And then we wonder why our country is at its present state.”

AnObserver asked: “How about you do your job as a government and enforce law and order? Is censorship really the best way to deal with societal problems?”

Birdiestrachan said: “Bad news is big news it will stop when murders stop.

What Mr Davis did might have seemed right at the time, but time has shown it to be wrong – crime is not FNM or PLP.” John posted this comment: “The fact that The Tribune is unashamedly attempting to misconstrue what the PM said confirms they have no good intentions for this country. And the PM and the government should retaliate and yank the government’s lucrative gazette from the Tribune/Guardian Dynasty/ Monopoly until they agree to do more responsible and fair journalism, even if the government have to set up an online government notice portal until another more reputable print media can get the contract. Encourage Our News to get into the print media . . . The PM was not asking the media to hide or bury any news, but simply desist or tune down the sensational and yellow journalism.

And it is now convincing by their behaviour that their clear intent is not for the best interest of this country.”

The_Oracle had this to say: “So not concerned about Bahamians being killed by Bahamians, only tourists and the optics of crime . . .”

BONEFISH also raised the issue of the billboards: “Oh the irony. This is the same person who had no problem erecting billboards broadcasting the high levels of murder under the FNM. The shoe is now on the other foot.” trueBahamian said: “This is interesting! A lot of countries don’t place crimes on the front page of their newspapers because an incident isn’t relevant in the context of their population. If you have 250 million people a handful of murders on a given day does not move the needle to be a major event to capture the front page of a paper. But, when you have a similar amount of murders happening in a very small country it is a major event that will warrant a front page coverage.”

Don’t miss your chance to join the conversation on tribune242.com.

$510m project to bring more than 3,000 jobs THE TRIBUNE

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net BRICKELL Management Group is planning a $510m development in western New Providence, with its chairman Sebas Bastian encouraging locals and foreigners to invest in the venture.

The project is expected to provide 3,290 jobs and be completed over the next couple of years, according to Mr Bastian.

Each phase of the project is projected to have close to 100 employees or more.

Mr Bastian welcomed Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and the press to his company’s Venetian West Residential Office for a presentation on projects.

He referred to various projects, including modern vacation rentals, luxurious rental units, premier office space on University Drive, a shopping centre, a sports club, waterside family homes, a beachside condo

Friday, February 16, 2024, PAGE 7

hotel, a 224-room condo, and more.

“I was one of those individuals that used to say that they give everything to foreigners, and they don’t give nothing to Bahamians,” Mr Bastian said.

“And I had to correct myself because I could only say that if I had asked and I was told no.

So I hired a consultant to study the previous concessions given to the hotels in the past.”

Mr Davis commended the entrepreneur’s efforts to provide affordable homes for Bahamians.

“The perception that government will not do for Bahamians as which they do for the foreigners, I think this is evidence that is not true,” he said. “We just need to know, and you need to ask. If you don’t ask, you will not get. And once you ask, it should be given. Now, what is given may not be as what you asked, but something would be given.”

CHAIRMAN of Brickell Management Group Sabas Bastian yesterday shared his planned $510m development project with hopes of attracting local and foreign investors.

Photos: Moise Amisial

Memorial Service For

Sidney Ramon Burrows, 63 affectionately known as “Ramon”

a resident of Shirlea, who passed on February 10, 2024 will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m. at Grace Community Church, Grace Avenue. Officiating will be Elder Emeritus Greg Williams and Elder Damian Sands.

PAGE 8, Friday, February 16, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

Educational tourism: A sustainable and transformative niche IN an era where travel is increasingly driven by unique experiences and personal enrichment, niche tourism, particularly Educational Tourism, is emerging as a transformative force not only for travelers but also for small local economies and social development.

Unlike traditional mass tourism, which often overwhelms destinations with transient visitors, niche tourism offers a more immersive and sustainable approach, fostering deeper connections between travelers and the communities they visit. This specialised form of travel not only provides invaluable opportunities for learning and cultural exchange but also serves as a catalyst for economic growth and social empowerment in oftenoverlooked regions and destinations.

At One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF), we have always looked at educational tourism through this lens.

OEF’s founders envisioned Eleuthera becoming a “laboratory” for research and innovation, a space where the brightest minds in The Bahamas could converge to explore and incubate solutions to some of the nation’s biggest challenges.

They dreamed of creating experiences where leading practitioners from around the hemisphere would gather to debate, study and collaborate while enjoying Eleuthera’s idyllic beauty and culture.

Like other recently popular niche tourism concepts (eco-tourism, agri-tourism, spiritual tourism, avitourism, etc), educational tourism is typically viewed as another avenue to entice visitors to travel and spend money. While the popular metrics for measuring the “success” of educational tourism focus on the number of people, the number of days in the country, and the amount of money spent, the true impact and success can be traced far beyond this upfront value.

Benefit #1: Far-reaching economic impact The most recent institution that partnered with OEF and its training partner, the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI), was the Wake Forest University (WFU) School of Entrepreneurship. Led by Dr Dan Cohen, twelve WFU students were paired with twelve of the most promising graduates of the CTI-Harbour Island Trade School (CTI-HITS). The students worked together in a weeklong business intensive focused on strengthening their entrepreneurial skills.

While the short-term economic impact from this team of thirteen was helpful to the island, the long-term economic impact of this training for the Bahamian students and the island will be generational. “The impact of our work will be significant and, with ripple effects, hard to measure,” noted Dr Cohen. “Rather than

By Lane Glaze

of One Eleuthera Foundation

Eleuthera is central to my teaching strategy at Clemson,” Dr Nassar noted.

“OEF has helped me provide meaningful, real-world learning experiences for my students who, in turn, have been able to produce creative Landscape Architecture design solutions that address community resiliency, sustainable tourism and ecological restoration.”

LANE G LAZE, president of OEF-US being an hourly employee with no hopes of generating value beyond an hourly wage, we have helped these students become business owners capable of creating immense economic and societal value.” Additionally, based on their experience, many of the WFU students indicated that they hoped to return in the near future to enjoy more of the island with family and friends.

Benefit #2: Beneficial longterm partnerships OEF’s two oldest educational partnerships are with Emory University and Clemson University.

Over the last two decades, dozens of groups representing 700+ participants with ties to these schools have spent a week or more on Eleuthera. Key leaders of these groups - including Professors Corrine Abraham and Caroline Coburn with Emory and Professor Janice Lanham and retired educator Lynn Dobson with Clemson - continue to meet monthly to strategize about how best to support the many health professionals doing heroic work on the island.

“We have established and maintained relationships with community members and leaders through offering community-based programs along with professional development for the healthcare teams on Eleuthera and in Nassau,” noted Professor Abraham.

“Students and faculty alike are consistently inspired by the nurses’ commitment to the health of the community and resourcefulness in adapting to variable resources.” This spring, a team of Emory Nursing faculty and students will once again visit the island.

In mid-May, a team of Landscape Architecture and Tourism students led by Clemson professors Dr Hala Nassar and Dr Matt Brownlee, respectively, will visit the island. While this will be Dr Brownlee’s first trip, Dr Nassar has been doing work on Eleuthera for more than a dozen years.

“My relationship with OEF and the people of

Benefit #3: Empowering underserved sectors through education While for-profit businesses are the backbone of the Bahamian economy and national and local governments have vital roles to play, OEF believes that many community challenges are best addressed by nonprofits/NGOs. Therefore, central to OEF’s larger mission is to grow and strengthen the nonprofit or Third Sector.

Educational tourism presents an opportunity to attract and host industry

A G ROUP of visiting students from Prairie View A & M University volunteer on the Farm at the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) where they learn sustainable farming techniques. professor at the University of North Georgia, has sought to expose Bahamian high school students to the fields of astronomy, physics, electronics, and robotics. “Our hope is that these activities will expose students to new career options and inspire them to pursue a career in STEM,” Dr Bunton noted.

Professor Val Pintard (Flax) of the University of the Bahamas (UB) has worked closely with OEF since 2017. Over the years, the partnership has led to a series of research projects

authentic Bahamian culture is not only something to be preserved, it is also something to be “exported”.

Team after team visiting Eleuthera basically say the same thing: “our time on Eleuthera has changed us forever…for the better”.

University of Kentucky professor Dr Elena Sesma conducted much of her PhD fieldwork in South Eleuthera. Like dozens of other visiting scholars, Dr. Sesma has forever been shaped by the island’s heritage and culture. “Over

STUDENT Nurses From Emory University take a break from duties at the clinic to visit with local high school students and provide health talks. leaders who can provide a wealth of knowledge and shared experiences to underserved sectors.

In the past, OEF has partnered with Professor Dan Pater of Drury University for a series of workshops and classes designed to better equip nonprofit professionals, administrators and Boards.

Benefit #4: Expansion of learning opportunities for Bahamian students When drafting its MOUs, OEF seeks to ensure that these special educational partnerships will benefit Bahamian students as well and expand their horizons.

Dr Patrick Bunton, a

for Professor Pintard’s students focused on master planning, historic preservation, and affordable housing.

“The intention of these ‘beyond the classroom’ projects is to inspire students to have a positive impact on their community and the greater world,” she reflected.

“It has been a great opportunity for UB faculty and students to see first-hand the impact that OEF is having on the island of Eleuthera. I’ve been thanked many times by students for offering these enriching experiences.”

Benefit #5: “Exporting” Bahamian culture and values Lastly, OEF believes that

the many years I have visited, I have gotten to know the island, its beautiful landscape, and wonderful people,” she remarked. “I was especially lucky to get to know Eleuthera and parts of The Bahamas outside of the resort and cruise tourist destination that many visitors see. I am so grateful for the local community members who welcomed me into their lives with friendship and hospitality.”

Dr Sarah Gardner with Williams College has been bringing Environmental Studies students to the island since 2005. While her research has focused primarily on food and energy systems, Dr. Gardner has

continued to visit the island because of its gracious people. “My students and I have been enriched from our interactions with the people of Eleuthera,” she notes.

“We have met with countless people who have deep knowledge of Eleuthera’s history, culture, environment, farming and fishing.

Residents have always been warm, welcoming and generous with their time. Our goal has been to repay their kindness with solutions-based research that could improve conditions for Eleutherans.”

Educational tourism - and the long-term, mutually-beneficial and fruitful partnerships birthed - have been key ingredients in OEF’s community development model and have enhanced Eleuthera and The Bahamas significantly.

The profound impact on local economies and societal progress extends far beyond what can be measured by traditional metrics and shines a light on how educational tourism can be a pivotal component in shaping the future landscape of global travel and family island tourism.

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OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR WANTED! Must be proficient in QuickBooks for data entry, filing, must have organizational skills, able to work independently.

CASHIERS NEEDED To work in fast pace environment.

Please send resumes to

applicantemail2024@gmail.com

DR. HALA NASSAR, Professor of Landscape Architecture at Clemson University, is flanked by a group of undergraduate students who will visit Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera, in May to present their sustainable design concepts for the waterfront’s development to the local community.

THE TRIBUNE

It’s our problem.

We’re the solution

Friday, February 16, 2024, PAGE 9

Safe Bahamas made us all part of the picture, no one escaped responsibility

CRIME is not someone else’s problem. It is ours. All of us.

And if it is our problem, it is up to us to find the solutions. Together.

That was the message of Safe Bahamas, the notfor-profit that in the earlier 2000’s brought a commonsense approach to the vicissitudes of crime by making all of us part of the picture.

Organized by a group of corporate and civic leaders first united by a call from the then Minister of National Security, the Hon. Frank Watson, and working alongside Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson, we began meeting weekly.

Those of us who donated our time, energy and knowhow, whatever that was, were proud to do so and we did not hesitate to call on others and ask for their time and resources. No one was paid. Everyone gave, not from their wallet, but from their heart, gave their time, their talent, their knowledge, for the love of country.

There were a few differences between then and now, but not so many as you might think.

There were fewer guns, fewer gang members.

Ammunition was far less powerful. Those who carried, packed pistols. It was before semi-automatics and AR-15s became the weapons of choice and a murder for hire cost less than a good night at the movies with popcorn.

There were similarities.

It was a gnawing sense of creeping lawlessness that startled the then Commissioner of Police Farquharson and later Ellison Greenslade and the public into action.

Law enforcement knew, we all knew if we were going to get a handle on this before gangs and fear drove us further behind locked doors, windows and gated communities, we could not do it alone. It had to be a national effort. We coalesced and brought in folks representing more than 100 organizations.

No segment or sector was immune to the call -- neighbourhood associations, religious leaders and congregations, unions, hotel executives and tourism promotion boards, business leaders, youth groups and halfway houses, volunteers, musicians, entertainers and Junkanoo groups.

Every individual on the board was assigned a compatible role that best suited him or her in the fight against what we could all feel was the mounting fear of crime. We created a blueprint mapping out assigned roles of responsibility including Legislation, Neighbourhoods, Criminal Justice, Courts & the Judicial System, Victims, Prison and Rehabilitation, Enforcement, White Collar Crime, Public Awareness, Family Education and Planning, Youth. There were conveners and steering committee liaisons.

It was an org chart where everyone knew what he or she was responsible for and there have probably been small countries organized with less detail and forethought.

I repeat – no one got off lightly.

That’s the message Tourism tried to deliver this week in a rework of the campaign, Tourism is Everybody’s Business.

The truth is Crime is Everybody’s Business. A poor education system that turns out some incredible successes but fails to prepare thousands for a productive life is Everybdy’s Business. A neighbourhood that doesn’t watch out for each other is Everybody’s Business. Dirt and grime and oil polluting the earth

By Diane Phillips from the spread of bush mechanics is Everybody’s Business.

Homelessness and ruthlessness and poverty and hunger is, every one of them, Everybody’s Business.

We got ourselves into this mess and now we have to dig ourselves out. There can be no more kicking the can down the street or too many young people will kick the bucket before they have had a chance to live.

Do you know what helped make Safe Bahamas so successful? We called on everyone, the best in their businesses or professions and we made them responsible for the solution. We didn’t wait for the police to handle it or blame it on this government or that.

We said WE have a problem and WE have to fix it.

We persuaded them to provide services without charge.

Legal advisors, Alexiou & Knowles, overall support Nassau Tourism & Development Board, financial advisors, KPMG Corporate Finance, Colina Financial Advisors, Fidelity Merchant Bank & Trust, Auditors, KPMG, Bankers, Commonwealth Bank, Public Relations, Diane Phillips & Associates, Design and & Marketing Services, AdWorks, Consolidated Media, The Counsellors Ltd., Thyme Design, The Fine Print, Bahamas B2B, Basil Smith, The Sign Man, Phillips Sailmakers.

KPMG graciously lent free meeting space and hospitality in its new Montagu foreshore top floor suite for more than one year.

Every single media house came onboard and ran messaging for free.

You could hardly pick up a paper without seeing the truth staring you in the face, b&w ads with pictures like an elderly woman, white hair, glasses and wrinkles, and the lines: The rapist got 7 years. She got life.

Or the full-page ad with an older teen staring, and the words: 1/3 of our high school students are performing below the minimum level. If they can’t make the grade, how will they make a living?

Or the toddler, his large, liquid eyes staring into yours, looking for an answer and

the lines: Mummy’s not there. Daddy don’t care.

Guess Junior’s on his own.

Every ad contained more detailed information and a pledge card, saying I want to be a part of the solution. Safe Bahamas. It’s our problem.

We’re the solution.

By the end of year two, Safe Bahamas was sufficiently organized, and trusted to raise funds to support an office, a director, the young Marlon Johnson, and most importantly, to provide support for social programmess.

We had funding to support gaps or expansion of existing programs with a proven track record and reward positive initiatives.

What happened to Safe Bahamas? First, we were in a weekly meeting when the World Trade Tower was hit and Marlon’s wife came running in with the news as all of our cell phones started ringing. Airports closed, tourism died. The world changed and then months later, the government changed.

But for more than two years, we had an answer and we made a difference and it did feel safer in The Bahamas. Because we knew the truth. We were all part of the problem and we all had to be part of the solution.

ABOVE and bottom left: Samples of ads previously run in daily newspapers by SafeBahahamas (board shown below) which is no longer in operation. It appears it’s time for all of us to come together again and be the difference we need to see. It’s our problem. We’re the solution.

PAGE 10, Friday, February 16, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

BAHAMAS GIRL GUIDES ASSOCIATION The Bahamas Girl Guides Association Annual Guide Week Schedule: February 18-24 Theme: “Our world, our Bahamas, our thriving future.”

February 18 - Church service at Church of God of Prophecy, East Street and Lily of the Valley Corner at 3pm.

March for Sunflowers, Brownies, Guides, Rangers, and Leaders will begin at 2.15pm from Columbus Primary School, Collins Avenue.

February 19-24 - Morning Devotions led by Guides from around The Bahamas on ZNS Radio 1540 and 104.5 at 6am.

February 19 - Sunflower Frolic at Camp Discovery 3.30-5pm.

February 20 - Eastern Division Brownie Revels at Camp Discovery, 3.30-5pm.

February 21 - Western Division Brownie Revels at Camp Discovery, 3.30-5pm.

February 22 - World Thinking Day Ceremony at Nassau Christian Schools, Soldier Road at 6.30pm. All are invited to attend.

February 23 - Girl Guides Gathering at Camp Discovery, 4pm.

February 24 - CIBC/ BGGA Delaney Leadership Seminar for Girls.

Xavier’s Lower School, 9.30am. Registration for participants, opening ceremony and keynote address

by Dr Jacqui Bend, managing director, CIBC International, 10.00am.

Council members, heads of sponsoring bodies, parents, former Brownies, Guides and Rangers, and the public are all invited to attend the Church Service, and World Thinking Day Ceremony. Council members are invited to attend the Opening Ceremony for the Leadership Seminar.

Donations would be appreciated to assist with the completion of the new headquarters building. Payment can be made to: Girl Guides Building Fund, Commonwealth Bank acc No 7033236054.

Thank you for your generous support.

CANCER SOCIETY OF THE BAHAMAS THE society will hold a free clinic in San Salvador tomorrow, from noon to 5pm, at Cockburn Town Community Clinic.

For women, there will be pap smear and breast examinations, and for men there will be PSA blood testing and digital examination.

For details, visit www. cancersocietybahamas. org or call 323-4441 or 323-4492.

• Love is in the air, and for those who’ll be in South Andros next weekend, there’ll be no better way to celebrate it than grooving at the South Andros Branch of the Cancer Society’s “Love By The Sea Part 2”, one of the most romantic events of the year!

Scheduled for Saturday, February 17, at 7pm, this event invites lovers and singles to don their best white outfits at the Pointe Resort and Marina in Johnson’s Bay, where they can enjoy beautiful seaside views as they step in the name of love and dine on appetizers, desserts, wine, cider, and non-alcoholic cocktails, all of which the ticket cost includes.

Tickets are $75 each,

JOIN THE CLUB OUR Clubs and Societies page is a chance for you to share your group’s activities with our readers.

To feature on our Clubs and Societies page, submit your report to clubs@tribunemedia.net, with “Clubs Page” written in the subject line.

For more information about the page, contact Stephen Hunt on 826-2242.

ROTARY Club of East Nassau: Pictured are the some of the donors who closed the $18,000 gap with the Million Dollar Dinner Committee and Rotary dignitaries. and at the end of the night, there’ll be a raffle for a mystery prize.

For more information, contact 421-6331, 471-0981, or 554-1880.

ROTARY CLUB OF EAST NASSAU THE thrill of anticipation hung in the air as the final tally (and the measure of a successful event) was announced at the Million Dollar Dinner by Jennifer Jones, Immediate Past President of Rotary International — the amount raised was $18,000 short.

IPRIP Jennifer then called on those present to consider giving $1,000 to get to the finish line.

Rotarians and their guests rose to the challenge and in less than ten minutes the million dollar goal was achieved for The Rotary Foundation.

The event that was hosted by the Rotary Club of East Nassau last Saturday was attended by Rotarian and friends from The Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Canada and the US. The funds raised will be used by Rotary here and around the world for projects that bring disaster relief, build peace in communities, promote maternal health; education; economic development; have environmental impact, water and sanitation and disease prevention.

ROTARY CLUB OF NASSAU The aroma of fellowship, warmth and fun captivated the atmosphere at Bahamas National Trust on January 26. Rotarians and friends gathered together to Sip the delicious drinks made available by Caribbean Wines and Spirits and Create candles.

The candles ‘lit’ up the moment and also provided a savory smell that put one in the atmosphere of tranquility and therapeutic flare.

The purpose of the event was to provide Rotarians and friends with an outlet to unwind and fellowship, however, most importantly to raise funds to assist with Rotary’s efforts in aiding with service needs to the community.

Friend of Rotary Rennae Sweeting - CEO of Born Again Naturals - used her vocation of candle making to volunteer her time and efforts to assist the participants with the process and encouraged them all along their journey to candle making delights.

Sixty patrons were engaged in the hands-on activity of making candles to their own specifications of size, colour and fragrance. The naming of the candles were inspired by individual’s life experience or favorite colors etc. The specialty candle entitled Deep Enchantment was inspired by the patron’s love of the ocean.

As Rennae walked through the candle making

ROTARY Club of Nassau: Guests taking part in a Sip ‘n Create event. Bottom left are Rennae Sweeting and host Samita Ferguson. instructions, the guests were entertained by the evening’s host Rotarian Samita Ferguson.

There was raffle prizes, on-thespot games and give away prizes. Guests also dined

on an assortment of fine wines, with cold cuts, fruits, crackers and cheeses sponsored by PRPIC Sheila.

RCN members, and friends and family of RCN were definitely together as

displayed through the great camaraderie and laughter during the Sip n’ Create social and fundraiser.

Thanks to Born Again Naturals, Caribbean Wines & Spirits, Bahamas

Power & Light (BPL), Lowe’s Wholesale, The Bahamas National Trust (BNT), and members of RCN for making the occasion and a grand one to remember.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, February 16, 2024, PAGE 11

Russia has obtained a ‘troubling’ anti-satellite weapon, says US govt WASHINGTON Associated Press

THE White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging antisatellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said US intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability but that such a weapon is not currently operational. US officials are analysing the information they have on the emerging technology and have consulted with allies and partners on the matter.

“First this is not an active capability that’s been deployed and though Russia’s pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone’s safety,” Kirby said.

“We’re not talking about a weapon that can be used to used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth.’’

The White House confirmed its intelligence after a vague warning Wednesday from the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee, Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, urged the Biden administration

WHITE House national security communications adviser John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday.

Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat.

Kirby said that the process of reviewing and declassifying aspects of the Russian capability was underway when Turner “regrettably” released his statement.

“We have been very careful and deliberate about what we decide to declassify downgrade and share with the public,” he added.

Russia has downplayed

the US concern about the capability.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the claims about a new Russian military capability as a ruse intended to make the US Congress support aid for Ukraine.

“It’s obvious that Washington is trying to force Congress to vote on the aid bill by hook or by crook,” Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. “Let’s see what ruse the White

House will use.”

Kirby said the capability is space based and would violate the international Outer Space Treaty, to which more than 130 countries have signed onto, including Russia. He declined to comment on whether the weapon is nuclear capable. The treaty prohibits the deployment of “nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction” in orbit or “station weapons in outer space in any other

manner.”

The White House said it would look to engage the Russians directly on the concerns. Even as the White House sought to assure Americans, Kirby acknowledged it was a serious matter.

“I don’t want to minimize the potential here for disruption,” Kirby said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan was scheduled to brief lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill on the Russian threat.

The White House did not hide its frustration with how Turner went about sharing concerns about the threat.

“We make decisions about how and when to publicly disclose intelligence in a careful deliberate and strategic way, in a way that we choose,” Kirby said.

“We’re not going to be knocked off that process, regardless of what, in this particular case has found its way into the public domain,” he added. “I can assure you that we will continue to keep members of Congress as well as our international partners and all of you and the American people as fully informed as possible.”

White House officials said US intelligence officials have concerns about a broad declassification of

the intelligence. The US has been aware of Russia’s pursuit of anti-satellite capability going back at least months, if not a few years. Biden has been regularly briefed by his national security team on the issue, including on Thursday.

The US has frequently downgraded and unveiled intelligence findings about Moscow’s plans and operations over the course of its nearly two-year war with Ukraine.

Such efforts have been focused on highlighting plans for Russian misinformation operations or to throw attention on Moscow’s difficulties in prosecuting its war against Ukraine as well as its coordination with Iran and North Korea to supply it with badly-needed weaponry.

Intelligence officials assessed that starting with private engagement on the Russian anti-satellite threat could have been a more effective approach, Kirby said.

“We agree with that, which is consistent, of course, with the manner in which we have conducted downgrades of inflammation in the past,” Kirby said. “This administration has put a lot of focus on doing that in a strategic way, a deliberate way. And in particular, when it comes to Russia.”

Haiti says it is working on an agreement with Kenya to secure long-awaited police deployment SAN JUAN Associated Press HAITI’S government announced Wednesday that it is working on an official agreement with Kenyan officials to secure the longawaited deployment of a police force from the east African country.

High-ranking officials from both countries met in the US for three days this week to draft a memorandum of understanding and set a deadline for the arrival of Kenyan police forces.

The closed-door meetings included top US officials and were held weeks after a court in Kenya blocked the UNbacked deployment of police

to help Haiti fight a surge in gang violence, saying it is unconstitutional.

It was not immediately clear if or how a memorandum of understanding could circumvent the court’s ruling, which the president of Kenya has said he would appeal.

Haiti’s government said in a statement that there were “intense discussions” to bring a memorandum of understanding into compliance with legislation of both countries.

“A final decision on the text should come early next week as well as its signature by both parties,” Haiti’s government said.

It said the talks also focused on the mission’s operations,

logistics and compliance, as well as surveillance, required equipment and human rights issues.

The deployment was requested by Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in October 2022 and approved by the UN Security Council a year later. But it has since encountered multiple legal obstacles as gang warfare in Haiti’s capital and beyond continues to rise.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk recently noted that more than 800 people were killed, injured or kidnapped across Haiti in January, more than three times the number compared with the same month in 2023.

WOMEN and children gather outside a police station after fleeing their homes in Cite Soleil due to gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday.

Photo:Odelyn Joseph/AP

Fani Willis takes the witness stand to fight an effort to disqualify her from Trump’s election case ATLANTA Associated Press FULTON County District Attorney Fani Willis took the witness stand Thursday to defend herself from efforts to remove her from Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case, angrily pushing back against what she described as “lies” about her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor.

In an extraordinary moment in a hearing that could lead to her disqualification from the case, a fiery Willis agreed to testify after a previous witness said the relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade began earlier than they had claimed. Willis and Wade both testified that they began dating in 2022, after he was hired as special prosecutor.

Willis’ attorneys had originally fought to keep her off the witness stand, but Willis said she was eager to set the record straight, saying “it’s highly offensive when someone lies on you.”

“Do you think I’m on trial? These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial,” Willis said under questioning by defence attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who is seeking to have Willis and her office removed from the case.

Robin Yeartie, a former friend and co-worker of Willis, testified earlier Thursday that Willis’ relationship with Wade began before he was hired

as special prosecutor in November 2021. During personal and uncomfortable testimony that spanned hours, Wade also admitted to having sex with Willis during his separation from his estranged wife.

That admission and Yeartie’s testimony together threaten to undermine the prosecutors’ credibility and upend the case against Trump and others who are charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

Trump and his co-defendants have argued that the relationship presents a conflict of interest that should force Willis off the case.

Wade sought to downplay the matter, casting himself and Willis as “private people.”

“There is nothing secret or salacious about having a private life,” he said.

“Nothing.”

Wade said the relationship ended last summer, but that he remains good friends with Willis. He added that they were “probably closer than ever because of these attacks.”

But the hours of probing questions for Wade underscored the extent to which the prosecutors who pledged to hold Trump accountable are themselves now under a public microscope, with revelations about their personal lives diverting attention away from Trump’s own conduct and threatening to derail one of the four prosecutions he confronts as he vies to reclaim the White House.

If Willis were disqualified,

a council that supports prosecuting attorneys in Georgia would find a new attorney to take over who could either proceed with the charges against Trump and 14 others or drop the case altogether.

Merchant alleges that Willis personally profited from the case, paying Wade more than $650,000 for his work and then benefiting when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took together.

Wade, who took the stand after the judge refused to quash a subpoena for his testimony, testified that he and Willis travelled together to Belize, Aruba and California and took cruises together, but said Willis paid him back in cash for some travel expenses that he had charged to his credit card.

“She was very emphatic and adamant about this independent, strong woman thing so she demanded that she paid her own way,” Wade said.

Wade was pressed by defence attorneys to answer uncomfortable questions about his relationship with Willis, prompting objections from the district attorney’s office. The hearing began with lengthy sparring between lawyers over who must answer questions. It is expected to stretch into Friday.

Willis’ removal would be a stunning development.

Even if a new lawyer went forward with the case, it would very likely not go to trial before November, when Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee

FULTON County District Attorney Fani Willis appears during a hearing regarding defendant Harrison Floyd, a leader in the organization Black Voices for Trump, as part of the Georgia election indictments, Nov. 21, 2023, in Atlanta. A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of her election interference case against former President Donald Trump set a hearing yesterday that is expected to focus on details of Willis’ personal relationship with a special prosecutor she hired.

Photo: Dennis Byron/Hip Hop Enquirer/AP for president. At a separate hearing in New York on Thursday, a judge ruled that Trump’s hush-money criminal case will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting on March 25.

In a court filing earlier this month, Willis’ office insisted that she has no financial or personal conflict of interest and that there are no grounds to dismiss the case or to remove her from the prosecution.

Her filing called the allegations “salacious” and said they were designed to generate headlines.

Since the allegations of an inappropriate relationship

surfaced, Trump has used them to try to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Willis’ case against him. Other Republicans have cited them in calling for investigations into Willis, a Democrat who’s up for reelection this year.

Roman’s lawyer, Merchant, subpoenaed Willis, Wade, seven other employees of the district attorney’s office and others, including Wade’s former business partner, Terrence Bradley.

Bradley took the witness stand earlier Thursday but refused to answer questions from Merchant, citing attorney-client privilege.

McAfee said during a hearing Monday that Willis could be disqualified “if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”

He said the issues he wants to explore at the hearing are “whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or nonromantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues.”

Those questions are only relevant, he said, “in combination with the question of the existence and extent of any personal benefit conveyed as a result of the relationship.”

PAGE 12, Friday, February 16, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

SPORTS CALENDAR FROM PAGE 16

A NUMBER of stakeholders in the Ministry of Education’s 30th GSSSA Track and Field Championships can be seen at yesterday’s press conference.

30TH GSSSA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS SLATED FOR FEBRUARY 28 TO MARCH 1 FROM PAGE 16 Education, as we speak, we are restructuring to develop our sporting programmes in the schools, which will develop and fine tune the physical and mental aspects of our students.”

Coming off watching the thrilling completion of the basketball competition, in which she presented trophies to the various champions including CV Bethel and CH Reeves, represented at the press conference by Harcourt McCoy and Varel Davis, Hanna-Martin said she’s eager to see who will be crowned the track and field champions.

Jevon Williams, representing the National Sports Authority, said that because of renovations at the new Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, they are making sure that the old stadium will be well

prepared for the staging of the event.

“We wish you nothing but success,” he stated.

McCoy, who also serves as the president of the Principals Association, said he’s pleased to be a part of a high-powered committee responsible for putting on the 30th edition of the championships.

“Athletics has been one of the staples of Bahamian athletes,” McCoy said. “No doubt, this is going to be one of the most exciting events.

“I think this year is going to be one of the most keenly contested events as we continue to showcase the junior and senior high schools, who will be the first set of athletes seen for the nationals, CARIFTA and representing our country.”

McCoy said they are encouraging the general public to come out and watch the thrill of victory

and even the agony of defeat, but they want them to do it in a manner that is conducive to everyone.

Students coming out to view the competition are urged to wear their school shirts and jeans and bring along their identification if they have them. Students, however, will not be allowed to bring in any bags, except for girls with their small purses, and cell phones will not be allowed.

“This is a family-friendly event,” McCoy said. “We want to say that we are discouraging those persons who would seek to test the full arm of the Royal Bahamas Police Force that will be monitoring certain behaviours of our students.

So please caution your students, please caution your children about their behaviour in representing their schools.”

Davis, the president of the GSSSA, said they are excited about this year’s

championships and noted that their students are preparing to make their presence felt.

“The question is who is going to win this year,” she asked. “I hear the noise, but we will wait and see.

We are asking everyone to come out and support us.”

She noted that the principals are more excited about the coaches ensuring that their schools come out on top, which means that a lot of emphasis is being placed on making the event a grand one.

Clara Storr, the education officer for high schools, said she feels the excitement in the air coming off the basketball championships and that the schools are prepared for the track and field championships.

She said the GSSSA is par excellent and they are a step above the rest, so they are excited about the level of athleticism in the country and

they invite everyone to come out and support the student-athletes.

Fritz Grant, who is in charge of scheduling for the event, said they have made sure that this year they have reinstructed the under-17 division, which will be added to the under13, under-15 and under-20 divisions.

“We are looking forward to some highly competitive competition in this 30th year anniversary,” Grant said.

And the million-dollar question, according to assistant director of education Julian Anderson, is who will win the titles in the junior and high school divisions.

He congratulated the GSSSA on their 30th anniversary because he remembers how he was once a teacher and coach in the system. He wished all of the athletes the very best.

LOFTUS-CHEEK LIFTS MILAN PAST RENNES, LUKAKU SCORES IN ROMA’S DRAW WITH FEYENOORD IN EUROPA LEAGUE

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press RUBEN Loftus-Cheek scored two goals as AC Milan eased to 3-0 victory over Rennes in the first leg of the playoff for the Europa League’s round of 16 on Thursday.

The former Chelsea midfielder headed in the opener in the 32nd minute in front of over 69,000 spectators at the San Siro, with the ball bouncing in off the post.

He doubled the advantage by heading in the rebound from close range following a corner three minutes after halftime, before Rafael Leão finished the scoring for the dominant hosts.

Loftus-Cheek has now scored five goals in his last five games for Milan, a seven-time European Cup champion that has never won the second-tier Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. In the early kickoffs, Romelu Lukaku also kept up his hot scoring form by netting the equalizer to give Roma a 1-1 draw at Feyenoord.

Brazilian winger Igor Paixão put the hosts ahead with a header in the firsthalf injury time before Lukaku nodded home in the 67th after a meeting

a cross into the box. It was Lukaku’s sixth goal of this season’s Europa League and he now has 21 in his last 18 games in the competition.

It is the third time in three years that the two teams are playing each other in Europe, including the 2022 Europa Conference League final which Roma won 1-0 to give Jose Mourinho another major trophy.

This was the first European game in charge for former Roma captain Daniele De Rossi, who replaced the fired Mourinho as coach last month.

The eight runners-up in the Europa League group stage are playing the eight third-place teams from the Champions League group stage in the playoffs.

The return matches are scheduled for Feb. 22. The eight winners will then take on the Europa League’s group winners, who qualified directly for the round of 16.

They include Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton from the Premier League, as well Leverkusen, Atalanta, Villarreal, Rangers and Slavia Prague.

In a tense finish in Hamburg, Marseille substitute Iliman Ndiaye’s 90th-minute goal put his team ahead 2-1 ahead before Shakhtar

AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal against Rennes yesterday.

(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Donetsk’s Eguinaldo sal- minutes after Galatasaray vaged a 2-2 draw in a game defender Victor Nelsson played in Germany due received a red card. Sparta to Russia’s invasion of midfielder Matej Ryneš Ukraine. was later sent off for his Earlier, Marseille striker second yellow.

Pierre-Emerick AubameyAbdellah Zoubir’s ang netted his 30th career double and Juninho’s goal in the Europa League second half-goal lifted to equal the competition Qarabag to a 4-2 upset record before Mykola Mat- victory at Braga. Braga’s viyenko equalized for the Simon Banza had canceled out Marko Jankovic’s hosts.

Veteran Ángel Di María opener from the spot converted two penalties in before halftime.

Also, Sporting Lisbon the second half, with the second coming in stop- earned a 3-1 away win at page time, as two-time Young Boys.

EUROPA European Cup champion CONFERENCE Benfica beat 10-man TouLEAGUE louse 2-1 in Lisbon.

In the third-tier Europa Freiburg held Lens to a 0-0 Conference League, Ajax draw in Lens.

Mauro Icardi scored a scored twice in stoppage late winner in stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 home time with a low shot from draw against Norway’s the edge of the area for Bodø/Glimt, which had just Galatasaray to edge Sparta gone down to 10 men.

Odin Bjørtuft was sent Prague 3-2 after both teams were reduced to 10 men. off in the 90th minute for Jan Kuchta had scored for a foul in the area, and Ajax Sparta to make it 2-2 just substitute Branco van den

Boomen converted the ensuing penalty. Steven Berghuis then equalized in the seventh minute of stoppage time for the hosts.

Maccabi Haifa defeated Gent 1-0 in a game played at the Bozsik Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, due to the Israel-Hamas war.

Belgian league leader Union Saint-Gilloise came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 home draw against Eintracht Frankfurt despite having a player sent off in the 78th.

Forward Mika Biereth scored the opening goal early on for Sturm Graz in a 4-1 victory over 10-man Slovan Bratislava.

Fredrik Gulbradsen struck twice within seven minutes early in the game to lead Molde to a 3-2 win over Legia Warsaw in the Norwegian team’s first competitive game of the year.

Dinamo Zagreb stunned Real Betis 1-0 in Sevilla, Olympiacos beat Ferencvaros 1-0 and Ludogorets held Servette 0-0.

The competition’s playoffs features the runner-up teams from the group stage facing the third-place finishers in the Europa League group stage. The eight group winners, including Aston Villa and Fiorentina, have advanced to the last 16.

visiting James River Rugby Football Club at noon at the Winton rugby field. Food and drinks will be on sale.

TRACK FINAL WALK WITH ‘HAWK’ THE general public is being asked to take a final walk with ‘Hawk’ as family and friends pay a special tribute to the late Alpheus ‘Hawk’ Finlayson.

The public is invited to join a special celebration of the life and legacy of Finlayson on Thursday, February 29 from 7-10pm at the Crypto Isle (formerly Luciano’s) on East Bay Street.

For more information, persons are asked to contact Stanley Mitchell at 816-6619 or Quinton Curry at 565-1178.

FAST TRACK INVITATIONAL FAST Track Athletics announced that its third annual Spring Invitational will take place over the weekend of May 10 and May 11 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex.

The entry fee will be $10 for adults and $5 for children.

For more information, persons are asked to contact 242-727-6826 or fasttrackmanagamentoo@gmail.com BAHAMAS BAPTIST SPORTS FEDERATION RUN/WALK IN their relaunch of the Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation, formerly the Bahamas Sports Council, a Family Fun Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, February 17 at the William Thompson Auditorium on Jean Street.

The event, to be held in honour of the Rev Dr Philip McPhee - the 11th president of the Bahamas Baptist Missionary and Educational Conventional - is scheduled to begin at 6am.

ASSA BASKETBALL RESULTS Abaco Schools Sports Association (ASSA) Results from Day 2 of the ASSA basketball best-ofthree championship series Game One #1 Agape defeated #3 Patrick J Bethel 62-41 in junior boys play. The Eagles won the series 2-0 and captured this year’s championship.

Valdez Johnson 17pts ACS Joshua Cornish 12pts ACS Dereck Williams 17pts PJB Valdez Johnson was named MVP. Game Two #1 Agape defeated #3 Patrick J Bethel 37-14 in senior girls action. The Eagles swept the series 2-0 to capture this year’s title.

Creshell Green 21pts ACS Charity Williams 11pts ACS Ashley Woodside 10pts PJB Creshell Green was named MVP Game Three #1 Agape defeated #2 Patrick J Bethel 94-82 in the senior boys division.

The Eagles won the series 2-0 to take home bragging rights.

Ivan Mertil 37pts ACS Canaan Davis 20pts ACS Tavon Robinson 35pts PJB Ivan Mertil was named MVP

CHAMPIONSHIP PARADES LIKELY TO CHANGE IN WAKE OF SHOOTING AT SUPER BOWL CELEBRATION

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — With back-to-back Super Bowl victories for the hometown Chiefs, Kansas City football fans gathered for another championship parade and a second celebratory pep rally in a row.

Don’t expect there to be a third.

Not because the Chiefs, with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes still just 28 years old, can’t win another NFL title.

But even if they do, officials are unlikely to allow so many fans in one place to cheer them on, security experts said in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting just after the rally had ended. “They have to

think twice about having these parades,” said former Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans, who in 38 years with the department worked 12 championship parades and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

“When you have that many people hanging around in one place, nothing good’s going to happen.”

As many as one million fans turned out to cheer on the Chiefs on Wednesday, three days after their 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58. The event included a parade down Grand Boulevard, followed by a rally in front of Union Station.

The celebratory music was still playing when

gunfire broke out in the crowd. A mother of two was killed and 22 others were injured — half of them under the age of 16.

Two teens were in custody, Police Chief Stacey Graves said.

The Kansas City violence is part of a troubling trend in which sports celebrations turn deadly, with alcohol often the fuel and guns the spark that ignite violence.

Just in the last year at least 10 people were wounded when gunfire broke out in downtown Denver amid fans celebrating the Nuggets’ NBA title.

Two people were arrested – but no one was hurt – when one person fired his gun in the air during a fight over parking lot etiquette after the Texas

Rangers World Series parade. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city would continue to celebrate its victories — and next month’s St. Patrick’s Day parade would go on as scheduled.

But he conceded it might be time to rethink how championship celebrations are drawn up.

“If we’re blessed enough to win a Super Bowl again, do we do this again? Or do we all just say, ‘Go to Arrowhead Stadium.

Walk through metal detectors. Have a very secured, vastly smaller event,’” he told local television station KMBC. “I think a lot of us, particularly those of us who are thinking about bringing our children somewhere,

may ask, at least for a little while, ‘Is this the sort of thing that we want to risk?’” he said. “It’s a shame that this is what we’ve come to today in America and in our city.”

Security at sporting events was mostly in the background until the Sept.

11 attacks heightened fears that terrorists would make one of the high-profile public gatherings a target.

The Super Bowl the following February was designated a “National Security Special Event” managed by the U.S. Secret Service, and fans passed through metal detectors to enter the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans; a similar plan secured the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City later that month.

But for the typical regular-season baseball game, it was still usually the same police working crowd control and warning fans, “If you see something, say something.”

“They might have checked you more for alcohol,” Evans said. “But I don’t think anyone was worried about guns or explosives.”

That changed after the Boston Marathon bombing, when two exploding pressure cookers killed three people and wounded hundreds more near the finish line of the world’s most prestigious road race.

Metal detectors went up at ballparks and stadiums across the country, and only small, see-through bags were allowed.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, February 16, 2024, PAGE 13

Teenagers shine at World Aquatics Championships as China’s Pan, American Curzan take golds DOHA, Qatar (AP) — China’s Pan Zhanle backed up his world record in the relays with a victory all his own Thursday, while American Claire Curzan became the first swimmer to claim two individual gold medals on a starring night for teenagers at the World Aquatics Championships.

The 19-year-old Pan won the men’s 100-meter freestyle at Aspire Dome, four days after swimming the fastest two laps in history with a time of 46.80 seconds in the lead-off leg of China’s gold medal-winning 4x100 free relay team.

He didn’t go quite as fast the second time around, but it was good enough for gold. Pan touched in 47.53 to stamp himself as one of the top contenders heading to the Paris Olympics.

“This was very hard,” Pan said. “This is my first (individual) world championship title. I know it’s only the beginning. I will keep moving forward and let’s meet in Paris.”

Curzan, also 19, used a blistering start to claim gold in the women’s 50 backstroke, adding to her victory in the 100 back. She picked up a third gold as part of the winning 4x100 mixed medley relay team.

“I can’t really remember that last time I did a 50 back,” said Curzan, who competes for the University of Virginia. “I’ve had a lot of fun doing it this year. I think it’s great to spread my wings a bit.”

Both Pan and Curzan took advantage of many big stars skipping the Doha championships to focus on the Olympics.

The 100 free Olympic champion, American Caeleb Dressel, and 2023 world champion Kyle Chalmers of Australia are not at these worlds.

Ditto for Australia’s Kaylee McKeown and American Regan Smith, who went 1-2 in all three women’s backstroke events at last summer’s championships in Fukuoka.

Finishing behind Pan, Alessandro Miressi of Italy (47.72) took the silver and Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth (47.78) claimed the bronze.

In the 50 back, a nonOlympic event, the silver went to Australia’s Iona Anderson (27.45) and Canada’s Ingrid Wilm (27.61) earned the bronze. That the same order as the top three in the 100 back.

China claimed its second gold of the night in the final event, winning the women’s 4x200 free relay in 7 minutes, 47.26 seconds with the team of Ai Yanhan, Gong Zhenqi, Li Bingjie and Yang Peiqi. Britain claimed the silver at 7:50.90, with the bronze going to Australia in 7:51.41.

China now has four swimming gold medals and 20 victories overall at the World Aquatics Championships, more than double any other country.

Also Thursday, Britain’s Laura Stephens won

THE TEAM from China celebrates after winning in the women’s 4x200m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.

(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

the women’s 200 butterfly, going out strong and gutting it out at the end to touch in 2:07.35.

Helena Rosendahl Bach of Denmark settled for silver in 2:07.44 and 18-yearold Lana Pudar grabbed the bronze from lane eight in 2:07.92 — the first world medal ever for Bosnia and Herzegovina. She edged American Rachel Klinker for the last spot on the podium by 0.27.

“All I was thinking about the last 50 was just holding on to technique,” Stephens said. “I guess it worked.”

Finlay Knox gave the makeshift Canadian team its first gold medal of the championships in the men’s 200 individual medley, finishing with a strong freestyle lap to touch ahead of everyone else in 1:56.64.

Carson Foster of the United States took the silver in 1:56.97, with the bronze going to Alberto Razzetti at 1:57.42. The Italian had already taken a silver in the 200 butterfly.

“Historically, I’m pretty slow in the backstroke, and as I’ve gotten older the breaststroke has been a little bit of a struggle as well,” Knox said. “So just making sure I’m strong through that, and then the last 50 everyone knows you just have to dig deep and go for it.”

In the morning preliminaries, world-record holder Sarah Sjöström withdrew from the 100 free, a decision that was not surprising

since the 30-year-old Swede has said she doesn’t plan to compete in the event at the Paris Olympics.

HIGH DIVING With a huge final dive, Britain’s Aidan Heslop claimed the men’s title off the 27-meter tower at Doha Old Port.

He finished with 422.95 points in the non-Olympic sport, beating France’s Gary Hunt (413.25) as Romania’s Catalin-Petru Preda claimed the bronze (410.20). James Lichtenstein of the United States was fourth.

Heslop sealed the victory with a forward four somersaults with 3 1/2 twists in the pike position, a dive that has the highest degree of difficulty (6.2) ever completed at worlds. He received 8.0s and 8.5s from the judges. “When you’ve got the big dives, that’s all you need to be on the top of the podium,” Heslop said.

“Being at the forefront of some of the biggest dives that people are doing nowadays is fun. It’s risky, but it’s fun.”

WATER POLO Croatia advanced to the Saturday championship in men’s water polo with a 17-16 semifinal victory over France on penalties.

The French rallied from three goals down in the final quarter to tie the score at 11, but Croatia made all six of its penalties to survive. Italy claimed the other spot in the final with an 8-6 victory over Spain.

CLARK Gavin McKinney, 70, SETS NCAA to attempt ‘sail-a-thon’ WOMEN’S CAREER from Exuma to Nassau SCORING RECORD

FROM PAGE 16 for children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue his dreams and aspirations as an amateur sailor.

“A year ago, I decided to look at doing this saila-thon,” he pointed out.

“Everybody said yeah, it’s a good idea, but no one really paid attention. In about November, I said if we’re going to do this, we better get sailing now.”

Since then, McKinney said he’s been encouraging his friends to donate and now they are aiming at corporate Bahamas to come on board and to make a contribution as well.

“Weather depending, the ideal breeze would be about 15-18 miles per hour,” he said as he tried to explain the logistics of the event. “We will have a main boat and then several support boats to follow and we will sail from Exuma to Nassau.”

The journey is expected to begin somewhere near Highborne Cay in the Exumas and travel to Montagu Beach in Nassau adjacent to the Nassau Yacht Club, which along with the Nassau Sailing Club, share in the national youth sailing programme.

Although he’s known as a filmmaker, McKinney said his heart has always been in sailing and there’s no better way to merge the two to develop an excellent script made directly for television.

“We will be sailing between 37-40 miles, depending on where we start from and where we start from will be determined by the wind direction,” McKinney revealed.

“We will leave early in the morning, hopefully, and get here before dark.”

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press

GAVIN McKinney displaying one of the laser boats at the Nassau Yacht Club.

In all of his lifetime, McKinney said he’s never heard of any Bahamian to attempt to take on such a venture, although Jeremy Knowles was daring as a swimmer to swim from Exuma to Nassau a few years ago. “I’ve never done it, but I’ve spent a whole day in a boat. This will be a little more strenuous, but that’s why I want to do it while I’m 70 and not 80,” he quipped.

As a supporter of the Bahamas National Sailing Club, working with the children from the government schools in particular,

McKinney said the funds raised will be used for the future development of the programme, including a vibrant “Learn to Sail” summer programme and maintenance of the equipment that they use.

“They need to be a part of the whole programme, learning how to sail the boats and to take care of them and not abuse them,” he stated.

In preparation for this venture, McKinney said he’s swimming a lot, trying to keep his upper body in tip-top shape and because he’s been sailing for such

a long time, he hopes to utilise the skills he has developed to accomplish the feat.

Despite his age, McKinney said retirement isn’t something that he will announce, but when it does happen, he will probably be deceased because he’s still actively involved in regattas, both locally and internationally.

An active sailor, competing in at least four regattas a year, McKinney said the highlight of his career would have taken place in 2017 when he and two crew members won the

World Championships in a three-man boat in Bénodet, France.

McKinney will return to France later this year for another appearance at the World Championships.

He’s not sure if he will have the same crew, but he hopes to be a force to reckon with.

But, in the meantime, McKinney said the emphasis is on making his contribution to the Bahamas National Sailing Club by raising some $70,000 as a 70-year-old sailing from Exuma to Nassau in a few weeks time.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark became the NCAA women’s career scoring leader and set Iowa’s single-game scoring mark with 49 points, leading the No. 4 Hawkeyes to a 106-89 win over Michigan on Thursday night.

Clark added 13 assists for her 58th career double-double. Clark, who moved past Kelsey Plum’s total of 3,527, now has 3,569 career points.

She shot 16 of 31 from the field, including 9 of 18 from 3-point range in the 12th 40-point game of her career.

Clark eclipsed the singlegame scoring mark of 48 points set by Megan Gustafson in 2018.

“I don’t know if you can script it any better,” Clark said. “I thought we played really well tonight.”

Still, she found a flaw.

“I thought our defense could be a little better,” Clark said.

Kate Martin scored 20 points and Hannah Stuelke had 13 for the Hawkeyes (23-3, 12-2 Big Ten), who remained in a tie for second place tie in the Big Ten with Indiana, one game behind leader Ohio State.

Iowa needed a win after Sunday’s 82-79 loss at Nebraska knocked the Hawkeyes out of a tie with the Buckeyes for first place. Iowa couldn’t handle Nebraska’s box-andone defense in the fourth quarter of that game, but when the Wolverines tried to do the same thing, the Hawkeyes responded.

UP NEXT Michigan: Hosts Michigan State on Sunday.

Iowa: At Indiana on February 22.

PAGE 14, Friday, February 16, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

Six member Team Bahamas named for World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow March 1-3 FROM PAGE 16 sprinter opened up her season with a world-leading time of 7.21 seconds in the women’s 60m at the Track and Field Complex in Qazaqstan, Astana, Kazakhstan.

Mullings started 2024 on a high note, surpassing his previous national record in the men’s indoor heptathlon.

At the Illini Challenge in Champaign, he bested his former national record of

5,933 points and replaced it with 6,340 points in late January.

Cash said the expectations are high for the team ahead of the World Indoors in early March.

“The expectations are very high because we have the world record holder in the 60m hurdles and I think based on her achieving that, the team is very excited to know that someone who they can touch, feel and really be around has the world indoor

record. I think that it will infuse a lot of positive energy into the team,” said the team manager.

As previously mentioned, the qualification period ends this Sunday

but members can be added based on their rankings.

Veteran Donald Thomas is in the mix of those athletes that can potentially join the other six members.

“If added to the team, he brings that veteran leadership.

For Ken Mullings this is his second World Indoors and he is number one in the world and is a rising star too so he [Donald] can provide good veteran leadership to guide those persons on how to channel

their energy when it is a major competition,” Cash said.

He is hopeful that everyone will step up to a high level in Glasgow and offered a special thanks to the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) for having confidence in the team. The 19th World Indoor Championships will host over 700 competitors from more than 130 countries to compete in 26 events March 1-3.

PRO BOXER CARL HIELD: ‘IT FEELS GOOD TO BE 5-0-0 WITH FIVE KNOCKOUTS’ FROM PAGE 16 to The Bahamas,” Hield said. The more experienced Julio came out the gates with heavy blows in the direction of his opponent in the opening rounds.

However, Hield was prepared for the game plan of the Colombian pro boxer and avoided the punches thrown while waiting on the perfect opportunity to land his final blow.

“My execution was the same as always but in this fight I had to turn it up a notch because this opponent was very experienced.

I was just keeping him at bay and using my jab. He was a heavy hitter so he kept coming with the hooks so I was just stepping back, throwing my straight left and pushing him off with the right hook. At the end of the fifth round, I caught him with a straight left to the body, a hook to the top and straight left to the body again and he dropped and didn’t get back up,” Hield said.

For some, being unbeaten can be a gift and a curse but for Hield it is the former. Since transitioning from the amateur level last October, he has enjoyed fighting on a more consistent basis and winning is just an added plus.

“I keep myself motivated because at the amateur level I was not getting a lot of competition and I was fighting every 8-9 months.

I am keeping myself motivated now because I know I want to become a world champion and fights are gonna be back-to-back and 2-3 weeks apart.

“It just gives me motivation to know I am going to be active a lot so it keeps me training hard, preparing and striving for one goal,” he said.

The goal may be achieved sooner than later as Hield is expecting his next big match in the upcoming months.

He can sense that he is one step closer to handling business in that regard and wants to prove that he

UNDEFEATED: Professional boxer Carl Hield has picked up his fifth straight win to improve to a 5-0-0 (win/loss/draw record) after defeating Colombia’s Emilio Julio over the weekend. belongs in an elite category of Bahamian boxers.

“Knowing and seeing guys I have beaten before in the amateurs as world champions or have already fought for a world title really shows me that I belong in the elite level of

this profession too. I just have to wait about two or three more fights until I have an opportunity to show it,” he said.

Until then, Hield remains locked in with intense training. Details for his next bout will be

released in the following weeks. Hield also thanked Rollin’ Tyre Imports (Trinidad and Tobago), Jet Wave, J-Tech Windows, SO Management, the Bahamas Boxing Federation and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

KLAY THOMPSON SCORES 35, LEADS WARRIORS OVER JAZZ SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season to knock down seven 3-pointers and score a season-high 35 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 140-137 victory over the Utah Jazz last night.

Thompson was a reserve for the first time since March 11, 2012. Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski replaced him in the starting lineup and finished with 13 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.

Draymond Green chipped in a season-high 23 points for the Warriors.

Andrew Wiggins added 19 points and seven rebounds.

Stephen Curry had 16 points and 10 assists.

Thompson scored 17 points in the Warriors’ 84-point first half, but they needed a missed 3-pointer

by Collin Sexton to hold on for their eighth win in 10 games.

Sexton led the Jazz with 35 points and nine assists.

Rookie Keyonte George added a career-high 33 points while making a career-high nine 3-pointers.

Lauri Markkanen finished with 20 points while John Collins tallied 18. They had 13 rebounds apiece.

GRIZZLIES 113, BUCKS 110 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ziaire Williams and GG Jackson scored 27 points apiece, and Memphis held on to beat Milwaukee in the last game for both teams before the All-Star break.

Vince Williams added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis. Ziaire Williams’ points were a career high.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 35 points and 12 assists, his 43rd double-double of the season.

Damian Lillard finished with 24 points and seven assists.

Bobby Portis added 15 points and Brook Lopez had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Memphis held a ninepoint lead with 49 seconds left, but consecutive 3-pointers from Malik Beasley brought the Bucks within 113-110 with 29.2 left.

ALL-STAR WEEKEND ARRIVES IN INDIANAPOLIS, A 1ST-TIME EVENT FOR SOME, A 21ST-TIME EVENT FOR LEBRON JAMES

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Welcome back, LeBron James. Welcome for the first time, Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey.

All-Star weekend in Indianapolis is here, with some familiar names, some new faces, a nod to nostalgia and a bit of unwinding for everyone before the stretch run of the season.

Most of the 54 players who will be part of the weekend’s on-court festivities — and quite a few more are coming as well — began arriving yesterday.

The rundown of events, and there are dozens, officially opened last night with a tip-off party.

Indiana All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton showed up in the ultimate Hoosier State style, in an IndyCar — the state may be hoopscrazy, but auto racing is pretty big here as well — driven by Indiana native Conor Daly, a two-time top-10 finisher at the Indianapolis 500.

Haliburton shared the stage with another legend of basketball in Indiana — Larry Bird, who handed Haliburton a ceremonial golden basketball.

“The fans are excited. I’m excited,” Haliburton said.

“It’s a chance to showcase our city.”

LOS Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 9 in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Yannick Peterhans) For James, it’s his 21st name on the back of the All-Star weekend in his 21 jersey, that’s very imporNBA seasons. He didn’t tant to me when it comes make the All-Star Game to acknowledgement and as a rookie; he made the accolades and things of weekend as part of the that nature — and also the rookie game. He’s made fans, who’ve been down every All-Star Game since, with me for the last two now the first player to be decades-plus.” picked for the showcase There is something for in 20 different seasons. everyone. There are all the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traditional NBA on-court a 19-time selection. events — the Rising Stars “I’m humbled and very and celebrity games on blessed, obviously,” James Friday; the dunk contest, said. “I don’t take it for 3-point shootout and skills granted, being an All-Star. competition on Saturday; The fact that I still get to then the All-Star Game represent this franchise, itself on Sunday. Added one, my family — which is to the slate for Saturday: most important, my family a 3-point contest between

ORLANDO Magic forward Paolo Banchero dunks in front of New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa during the first half of an NBA basketball game on February 14 in Orlando, Florida.

(AP Photo/Phelan M Ebenhack) NBA shooting king Ste- can try virtual reality headphen Curry and WNBA sets, test out the latest from Jordan 3-point contest record- offerings Brand, play with an airholder Sabrina Ionescu.

There’s a game between less basketball, even get a pair of Historically Black a haircut while playing Colleges and Universities, video games. And there’s as the NBA continues to a brunch honouring icons give HBCU institutions part of the game on Sunday, an of the All-Star spotlight. event that’s almost as tough This year, the game is a ticket to get as the game Virginia Union against itself.

Winston-Salem State on “Honestly, it’s just amazSaturday afternoon. This ing to be an All-Star,” weekend, a glass LED court Banchero said. is set to be part of the show The Orlando forward was today and Saturday. at All-Star weekend last There’s even a fan event year for rookie and skills called NBA Crossover, set events — this year, he’s got up in a 350,000-square-foot events on Friday, Saturday space where ticketholders and Sunday, having made

the big game for the first time.

Banchero is one of four first-time All-Stars, joining New York’s Brunson, Philadelphia’s Maxey and Toronto’s Barnes. Plenty of other players are part of the weekend for the first time; that’s what events like the Rising Stars games are about, to give the league’s top promising players a chance to get a feel for the big stage.

“I’m excited to get there, excited to let it all sink in,” said San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft who has the Rising Stars games and the skills competition on his on-court calendar this weekend.

Above all else, it’s a weekend for the fans.

The All-Stars who’ll play Sunday combined to get more than 60 million votes from fans around the world.

The game will be shown in more than 210 countries and territories, broadcast in 60 languages, and fans from at least 34 different nations have bought tickets to come to Indianapolis this weekend.

They probably don’t care who wins. They just want to see a show.

“I try to do it for them,” James said. “They’ve been along this journey for so long. It’s pretty cool to still be able to do it and do it at this level.”

SPORTS PAGE 16

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Team Bahamas named

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

T

he Bahamas will have a six-member team to represent the island nation at the World Athletics Indoor Championships to be hosted in Glasgow, Scotland, March 1-3.

The team members include the world indoor record holder in the women’s 60m hurdles Devynne Charlton, top sprinter Anthonique Strachan, heptathlon national record holder Ken Mullings, triple jump (indoor) national record holder Charisma Taylor, three-time national champion Laquan Nairn and Olympic bronze medallist Alonzo Russell.

CHARLTON

MULLINGS

The formidable team featuring a mixture of veteran athletes and rising performers has great potential, according to the team’s manager Demarius Cash.

“The team is very strong.

On paper, I see us picking up a few medals. This is a team where persons can be added with the likes of Donald Thomas. It is a mixture of team members

STRACHAN

where we have jumps, hurdles and sprints and we have some upcoming rising stars on the team.

I feel that once they put themselves in a position to compete at a high level, I think that the sky’s the limit,” Cash said.

The qualification period for the World Indoors opened in January of last year and is scheduled to end on February 18.

NAIRN

TAYLOR

Additional members can be added to the team based on their world rank.

During the qualification periods, all six qualifiers have turned in top performances.

Most recently, Charlton has solidified herself as the world indoor record holder for the women’s 60m hurdles event. She took down a 16-year-old record of 7.68 seconds with her time of

RUSSELL

7.67 seconds at the Millrose Games in New York.

Before this latest feat she had already posted a new national record of 7.75 seconds in January.

Strachan had a phenomenal 2023, qualifying for her first global final at the 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The veteran

SEE PAGE 14

40TH HUGH CAMPBELL CLASSIC BEGINS TODAY

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net ONE of the most highlyanticipated high school basketball tournaments in The Bahamas returns today at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

The 40th edition of the Hugh Campbell Classic will begin today and a champion will be crowned next week Thursday, February 22.

The high school teams were separated into four pools with all hoping to hoist the trophy and take home bragging rights for the tourney’s fourth decade in existence.

Pool one includes Government High School, Greenville, Kingsway Academy, St George’s, Blazer Elite and last year’s

DARING FEAT: 70-year-old Gavin to attempt sail-a-thon from Exuma to Nassau GSSSA TRACK SEE PAGE 15

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net HE has sailed around the world in so many regattas, but Gavin McKinney has decided to try something that he has never done before and that is to sail from Exuma to Nassau in a 14-foot Laser boat.

His daring feat at the age of 70 will be attempted either at the end of the month or the early part of March in a bid to raise more than $70,000 for the Bahamas National Sailing Club.

When asked why he has decided to take on this voyage, which is expected to last about six hours, McKinney simply stated: “The kids. It’s all about raising the funds to assist the kids.”

McKinney said the idea came up while he was indulging in some “alcohol” with his friends at the Nassau Yacht Club, but he felt he could attract attention to raise the awareness

SEE PAGE 13

BID TO RAISE MORE THAN $70,000 ‘FOR THE KIDS’ IN BAHAMAS NATIONAL SAILING CLUB

& FIELD SET FOR FEB .28

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE excitement is brewing in the air for the 30th edition of the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association Track & Field Championships and the Ministry of Education is more than enthused about putting it on from February 28 to March 1 at the original Thomas A Robinson stadium.

“This particular event,” according to Minister Glennys Hanna-Martin, “has had the participation of athletes who eventually became Olympians from our schools within the public system.

“We invite you to stay tuned for what we anticipate will be fierce competition and a spectacle of excellence in this nation. In the Ministry of

SEE PAGE 12

ON THE HIGH SEAS: Sailor Gavin McKinney and crew in action.

SPORTS CALENDAR

Feb. 2024

PRO BOXER CARL HIELD: ‘IT FEELS GOOD TO BE 5-0-0 WITH FIVE KNOCKOUTS’

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

BASKETBALL BATTLE OF AGENCY THE Battle of the Agency held its championship game on Wednesday night at the Anatol Rodgers Gymnasium. Super Value won the title 69-55 over Coca-Cola. Shama Easy was the top scorer for the winners with a game high 24 points to earn the most valuable player award. Lvante Roberts scored 20 points in a losing effort. The top rebounder for the tournament was Dave Davis with 28 rebounds. Christian Johnson won the most assists and steals.

Shaquille Fernander had the most blocks.

BASKETBALL NEX-GEN CAMP THE JRC Basketball Academy will stage its third annual Nex-Gen Camp Elite Training which will take place June 24 to July 13 at the Hope Center Basketball Courts each day from 9am

to noon. The camp is open to boys and girls who will be placed in groups from ages 6-9, 10-13 and 14-18.

The camp will be conducted by coach JR Cadet, owner of JRC Basketball Academy and an experienced 10-year FIBA pro basketball player, who played on the Bahamas men’s team that played in the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament.

The special guest at this year’s camp will be coach Dalton Reitmeier, the head coach at Rabun Gap School USA; a four-year NCAA athlete and owner of Get Reit Stay Reit and a former player at IMG Academy.

RUGBY MATCH DAY THE Bahamas Rugby Union is inviting the public to come out and watch its match day on Sunday when the Bahamas Renegades are set to take on the

SEE PAGE 12

BAHAMIAN pro boxer Carl Hield stepped into the ring for a fifth straight bout in the professional ranks and was successful once again to remain undefeated.

Hield handed Colombia’s Emilio Julio his 19th loss in 53 bouts in Santa Marta, Colombia, over the weekend in the super welterweight division. He defeated his opponent via knockout in the fifth round at the Coliseo de Pescaito David Ruiz Ureche.

The victory improved his win/loss/draw record to 5-0-0 while Julio dropped to 32-19-2.

The undefeated boxer has gotten used to hoisting his hands in celebration as of late but remains humble on his quest to a world title

UNDEFEATED: Professional boxer Carl Hield has picked up his fifth straight win to improve to a 5-0-0 (win/loss/draw record) after defeating Colombia’s Emilio Julio over the weekend. opportunity. “I want to thank God for giving me the strength and knowledge to be able to keep performing at a high level.

It feels good to be 5-0-0 with five knockouts but now it is on to the next.

We are trying to get a title eliminator in March or April so that is the objective from now to keep racking up the wins and trying to bring a world title

SEE PAGE 14