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VOLUME:117 No.76, MARCH 11TH, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

ALICIA WALLACE: WHY WE MUST KEEP A DREAM ALIVE CH Reeves on lockdown yesterday after two suspects evading police drove on to the school property.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

LOCKDOWN

Police chase ends in shootout with suspects at school

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net TWO public schools were put on lockdown yesterday after two suspects evading police drove onto CH Reeves Junior High School’s campus and shot at officers.

Police reported that, shortly after noon, officers were alerted to reports of gunshots in the Englerston community.

Officers, acting on information, checked the area of Palm Beach Street, off Robinson Road, where they tried to stop a white

Toyota Progress occupied by two men.

At the scene, Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash said when officers engaged the vehicle, the suspects sped off.

“As they engaged the vehicle, the vehicle sped off south along Palm Beach Street and went through several streets and eventually crossed over Minnie Street over Robinson Road into Ethel Street and they entered the compound here at CH Reeves throughout the school,” CSP Cash said.

SEE PAGE FIVE

FAMILIES FILE LAWSUITS OVER DORIAN INSURANCE PAYOUTS

CENSUS TO RECRUIT 1,700 STAFF

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

LAWSUITS have been filed against insurance companies in Freeport over their alleged failure to make proper payment for insurance claims filed over property damage associated with Hurricane Dorian.

Attorney Beryn Duncanson, of Bahamas Claims Assistants Co Ltd, filed writs in the Supreme Court on behalf of four clients against JS Johnson & Company Ltd/Island Heritage Insurance Company Ltd, and Star General Insurance

THE AFTERMATH of Dorian Agents and Brokers/ Royal Star Assurance Ltd and Safeguard Insurance Brokers.

The plaintiffs are Annrine Johnson, Samantha Gibson, Shimron and Delerease Rolle, and Sean

and Shana Simmons, who are claiming that their insurers negligently failed to offer them the proper amounts due to them for loss and damage suffered.

Mr Duncanson claims that the insurance providers have also refused requests to make interim payments to his clients, therefore causing them “willful emotional distress and inconvenience”.

The attorney believes that the insurers’ actions are “exerting considerable pressure on the clients to accept an offer that is at undervalue.”

SEE PAGE SEVEN

FURY OVER ILLEGAL CEMETERY ROADS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A NASSAU cemetery’s expansion plans have been hit with a governmentimposed “stop order” following a furious backlash from residents of neighbouring communities.

Adrian White, the Town Planning Committee’s chairman, yesterday confirmed to Tribune Business that no approvals had either

been given or were pending for the construction-type activities by Woodlawn Gardens Cemetery that have alarmed persons living in Danottage Estates and Village Estates.

Residents, many of whom have signed a 200-strong petition in opposition, told this newspaper that their quality of life is under threat after Woodlawn Gardens opened up their previously “dead end” streets (cul de sacs) to

funeral traffic attending burials at the cemetery.

This action appears designed to give vehicles access to a perimeter road that Woodlawn Gardens has constructed around the border of its property, in what Danottage Estates and Village Estates inhabitants believe is an attempt to open up the cemetery’s northern section after its southern portion became overcrowded.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

THE 2020 national census is set to begin this September at a cost of at least $3m and involve hiring 1,700 data collectors.

This census is different in that it will use a completely digital platform, veering away from the time consuming and tedious method of data collection using paper and pencil.

Officials have also taken into account challenges that may be encountered in Abaco and Grand Bahama, SEE PAGE SIX

TECHNOLOGY

GM SHOWS OFF ITS ELECTRIC VEHICLE STABLE

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, March 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Massive blaze as cars catch fire

A HUGE fire sent smoke billowing into the air yesterday afternoon.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net OVER 200 cars and several boats were caught in a blaze that erupted near the Royal Bahamas Police Force Training College off University Drive yesterday, fire chief Walter Evans said.

The vehicles were all inoperable, he said.

He said up to press time, police were still battling the blaze, which began before 1pm, though they had gotten it under control. The fire occurred at the RBPF’s vehicle and vessel compound.

The billowing smoke threatened the health of people in the community. Stapledon resident Margaret Nawakeno, 59, couldn’t stop coughing as she spoke to The Tribune.

“I was in the front room sitting down and someone said they smell smoke, then I look outside, the thickness of the smoke blanketed the area, look like night falling. Explosions were going on as well.”

When she spoke to The Tribune, she said the intense smoke had billowed for more than an hour, prompting her plan to evacuate the area. “I only could see two houses outside from me,” she said. “I closed all my windows but the smoke still leaking in. I concerned about getting out of here before the smoke really get in here.”

Another resident, who identified herself as Ms Henfield, said she visited her house in the Stapledon area but could not stay because it was “stink with smoke.”

A part-owner of the Big O Seafood Market, she said she could smell the smoke from inside her business.

Fire strikes in GB - Page 6

THE TRIBUNE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE government’s finance experts don’t know exactly how the country’s economy will react to global fall out from the coronavirus, but officials are working on several internal models taking into account worst-case scenarios.

According to Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson yesterday, these “what if” scenarios include minimal to drastic changes in the tourism sector.

His comments came after the Central Bank advised Bahamian families to be financially prudent until the uncertainty of the impact of COVID-19 subsides.

“From the Ministry of Finance’s perspective what I can say is that we are doing a number of internal modelling,” Mr Johnson told The Tribune yesterday.

“We are looking at all of the potential scenarios: What happens if there is a total sort of collapse in the tourism trade? What happens if there is a partial (collapse)? What happens if the effects are just modest?

“What we are doing is a series of ‘what if’ scenarios to help give the policy makers some perspective as to what could be lost in terms of tourism

Wednesday, March 11, 2020, PAGE 3

Finance experts unsure how economy will react to impact of coronavirus dollars inflows and in terms of revenue loss and from that then form the basis of the sort of policy response.

“If it’s mild then the measures you take would be modest. If it gets more significant then it requires a little bit more significant intervention.

“But as to what we will do? That will be something that will come from the policymakers themselves.”

Asked if officials could speculate what the tourism fall out could be, he said they were sure there would be “some impact”.

“We’re looking at it.

We’re looking at the modelling. We know that there will be some impact as has been said.

“Persons are reassessing whether they travel. One of

the things we are looking to do in our modelling that I think is important to highlight is that our anticipation is that whatever happens we’re looking at in a matter of months as opposed to prolonged over a number of years.

“I think what we have seen is at least from China and some of the other places is that you see a real sharp peak and then you see a fall off in new cases as it subsides. So as in any sort of viral epidemic, our hope is that it’s short-term and not long-term.

“If it’s a matter of months, I think we will see some contraction in the economy but then I think we will round off as all of the projects that are in the pipeline come on stream.

So that’s our hope. We are

building around an anticipation if it’s short-term.

“Now when we model we also have to model that it’s not short-term, that it is long-term, that it has a long tail as we say and then so we have to take some modelling after that and then that will inform the policy response.”

He said before the COVID-19 outbreak, officials here had forecast some contraction in the economy, but they were still unsure if the virus would exacerbate this shrinkage.

“The truth is that we don’t know. We really don’t know right now. What has been forecasted is a flat or slight contraction in the economy. That’s what the deputy prime minister would have mentioned in

MARLON JOHNSON his midterm budget speech.

“But for us in our modelling we have to anticipate that given the impact of the coronavirus and given the fact that it may lead to a significant slow down in tourism that we may see an even deeper contraction

and so those are the models that we are doing.

“But the truth is we simply don’t know right now. The tourism numbers are remaining healthy for the time being but we have to anticipate that if the coronavirus comes on shore or certainly if it gets worse in Florida and along the eastern seaboard, we could see potential significant contraction. Our hope though again is because it is a viral infection; given the way these things work on a cycle that it will be short-term. It will be months as opposed to a matter of years and I think that’s the best-case scenario that we could hope for,” Mr Johnson said.

New York sends in National Guard - Page 10

TENTS stand on a wharf near the Grand Princess at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California as passengers leave the ship and head into quarantine

IN Oakland, California, thousands of passengers who have been stuck aboard a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus waited their turn to get off the vessel and go to US military bases or back to their home countries for two weeks of quarantine.

After being forced to idle for days off the California coast, the ship docked on Monday in Oakland with about 3,500 passengers and

crew, including at least 21 who tested positive for the virus. Authorities said foreign passengers would be flown home, while Americans would be flown or bused to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom tested positive for the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded.

‘We might have to use state-arranged isolation’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net CHIEF Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan said either self-isolation or state-arranged isolation measures could be used for people in The Bahamas who contract COVID-19 but are not ill.

Which method is used would be determined on a case-by-case basis, she said when contacted yesterday. People told to self-isolate would make their own arrangements for staying out of contact with other people as opposed to remaining somewhere established and monitored by the government.

Up to press time, there were no reported or suspected cases of COVID-19 locally, however the Associated Press reported yesterday that one of two

Utah residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus travelled to The Bahamas recently and to Florida and Nevada.

Jamaica also reported its first positive case yesterday.

“It depends on the individual,” Dr McMillan said, “how well informed they are and how likely they are to do the isolation we are requiring. Self-isolation would be considered if you have a really informed populace. Of course there are risks with that. To implement mandatory isolation, that has a little more benefit but both have merits.”

The question of which method to use would be especially important if there is an outbreak that strains resources, she said.

American media reported last week that the first coronavirus patient in New Hampshire defied instructions from public

health officials to stay home and away from other people, prompting the state to issue “an official order of isolation to the first patient.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday that people who feel sick should stay home.

“We would prefer if people not well would stay home unless they are so seriously ill that they have no choice (but to seek medical attention),” he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting. “So if you are sick, if your children are sick but you don’t feel so ill, you’re not short of breath, then we would prefer you not spread whatever illness you have to the community.”

A 24-hour hotline for people with respiratory symptoms and fever is expected to be operational soon.

Asked about the Utah resident who travelled to this country, Dr Sands, citing a surveillance representative, said: “If she is a confirmed case with having symptoms during her stay here, there would be official notification from the USA (IHR/CDC) via an email with general information regarding the persons travel history, place of stay etc, so that investigations can commence.”

Jamaica’s first case of COVID-19 is a woman who had travelled to the United Kingdom.

As for this country’s readiness for dealing with COVID-19 cases, Dr Sands said: “We have designed and have started the process of building out an onsite, special unit for managing patients that could possibly have acute onset respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. That will be a six-bedded unit

on PMH and we have also agreed a design for a unit at the defence force base, which will be a 20-bed unit inclusive of intensive care space and that process is moving as rapidly as possible. Bear in mind that in The Bahamas we have to deal with the reality of hurricanes so as we build we have to build in a resilient way.”

Dr Sands could not say how many ventilators are

available in this country.

He said there are now just under 400 coronavirus test kits available locally.

“Understand,” he said, “that there are offers for rapid testing which have not yet been validated and that has the potential to create all kinds of issues so I would caution people to avoid going on the Internet and purchasing unvalidated tests that are being sold.”

PAGE 4, Wednesday, March 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Casting doubt on the value of insurance IN the wake of Hurricane Dorian, the government announced its plans for financial assistance for people whose uninsured homes had been damaged by the storm. But for those affected, this was no pay day – the sums being paid out were such that they were a little help in the pocket, not a chance to rebuild completely.

There was $2,500 for those with minimal damage, $5,000 for medium damage, $7,500 for major and $10,000 if your house was totally destroyed. If your home has been wiped out, then of course $10,000 wasn’t going to go very far in helping you back on your feet.

Then again, this was a compensation to help those without insurance. After all, if the government covered the whole cost of repairs, that would be a large burden on the taxpayer and it would put the insurance companies out of business, right?

So for those who did pay out regular premiums to insurance companies, they could expect a significantly better payout as recompense for the damage their homes suffered. After all, they’ve paid their money to cover for these situations.

That might be the case elsewhere – but as the story on the front page of today’s Tribune reveals, not everyone feels they are being treated fairly.

Lawsuits are being filed on behalf of

four clients – one of whom was reportedly offered just $6,067.46 for damage estimated at $39,000. Another case sees an offer of just 16.67 percent of the insured amount – a payout of $15,000.

The court will of course rule on such matters – the case is to be heard on Friday – but if this is a numbers game, payouts of $6,000 or $15,000 for those who have paid out money for insurance aren’t that different from payouts of $5,000 or $10,000 for those without.

Where is the incentive to buy insurance if you aren’t going to get a payout when you need it?

Obviously this is just a snapshot of these disputed cases, but it’s only last month that one insurer made the call for all homes and businesses to have mandatory insurance. Imagine being in the position where you’re compelled to pay extra for insurance but still not having value delivered from it when you get a payout.

Insurers have to get the balance right.

We don’t know the details of these cases – that’s for the courts to decide - but they need to be careful to make sure the payouts are appropriate.

The government safety net is there to catch people who haven’t been able to make provision otherwise – it shouldn’t be close enough to insurance payouts that people start to depend on it rather than making their own arrangements.

Cemetery planning mess HOW has this mess at Woodlawn Gardens Cemetery come about?

Without any approvals given – or even pending – the cul de sacs around it have been opened up to allow funeral traffic to attend burials at the site.

Woodlawn has seemingly built a perimeter road around its border and the other roads are being opened up to give access.

Local residents are understandably angry at this going ahead without planning approval, Minister of Works Desmond Bannister has pledged to “act as quickly as possible” in response and says the government won’t allow the cul de sacs to be opened up. While the Town Planning Committee is going to hold a hearing to allow each site to state their

cases? Each side? If there’s no planning approval, what side does the cemetery have except for apologising, promising not to do it again and hoping they don’t get prosecuted?

The opened-up roads need to be closed off again promptly, and funeral traffic needs to stop being directed to use streets to park in that shouldn’t have access without approval.

It doesn’t matter who has carried out this action – if construction or changing of road access is allowed without approval, anyone can go right ahead and build what they like without consequence.

This needs to be put right now – before the courts order the cemetery to put it right.

Trimming off the fat READERS have been commenting on the stories making the news on tribune242.com.

After private sector executives said the coronavirus was casting “a pall over everything” amid hopes that the substantial fall in global oil prices will cushion the impact for the Bahamian economy, John had this to say: “This Co-vid19 may be a correcting mechanism to the markets that have spent years trying to artificially inflate the price of oil.

And in a matter of days all the fat has been trimmed off the price. And the world’s dependence on China for everything has been exposed and will be stripped even more in the coming weeks as a shortage of essential supplies and goods become more visible.

Prices on the other hand will escalate while prices on airline tickets, cruises, dining and sporting events may tumble, at least in the short term. And, of course, persons who panic and go

into a selling frenzy will lose big time and investors who gobble up these deeply discounted stocks and investment paper will benefit tenfold.”

Bahamas Customs has warned its officers they cannot moonlight as “de facto brokers” because of the fraud and corruption risks this practice presents.

That prompted this comment from Porcupine: “The entire system is fraught with moral pitfalls. From unfair and un-Christian regressive taxation, to the temptation on both sides to engage in fraud. Any employer recognises that it is important to keep temptation away from your employees. I do not blame the individuals as much as the entire system. It is one of the worst ways to raise

revenue for the country.

Too much slackness. We need to shift to progressive taxation. The billionaires who call The Bahamas home could certainly bear a bit more of the taxation burden, instead of placing the lion’s share of taxation on the poor and working class. We are already stretched beyond being able to make ends meet, even if we are responsible and hard working.”

And after a “shortage” of National Insurance Board (NIB) smart cards compounded South Andros’ challenges in switching to Customs’ new Electronic Single Window system, ThisIsOurs said: “But I taut NIB just said a week ago the rumour about card shortages was false. They just realised the expired cards were in great condition so they just added a renewal sticker onto them.

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

Why women should show support for this decade of action EDITOR, The Tribune

I JOIN people of goodwill from all over the world in acknowledging and celebrating International Women’s Day (“IWD”).

The theme of IWD 2020 is: “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka called 2020 a “massive year for gender equality”, and said 2020 is all about “Generation Equality”.

2020 is the year of “mobilizing to realize women’s rights, and to mark 25 years of implementing the Beijing Platform for Action” – the historic and landmark gender equality plan drawn up in the Chinese capital. General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said gender equality is “a necessity in upholding human rights”.

The 2020s is called the Decade of Action to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). President Muhammad-Bande urged that SDG5 – Gender Equality, should be included in all of the SDGs, thereby, ensuring that “women and girls have the opportunity to participate equally in all decisions”.

We, in The Bahamas, have much to celebrate. I pay homage to the Bahamian Suffragettes, including Mesdames Eugenia Lockhart, Mary Ingraham and Georgiana Symonette (my Grandmother) and Dames Bertha Isaacs and Doris Johnson whose efforts, together with thousands of others, led to women’s suffrage and universal suffrage. I also salute the scores of women in academia, sports, the arts,

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net economics and all other areas of our country’s life, who have paved and continue to pave the unfinished road to generation equality.

A UN news release dated 8 December 1995, reminds us that The Bahamas was a co-sponsor to the resolution introduced by Masood Khan (Pakistan), on the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Although we have come a long way, there is still much land to be possessed.

I propose the following actions, each of which is in the power of the legislature and should attract rational and dispassionate debate, especially through the prism that all people are created equal and in the image of God: 1. pending any constitutional amendment, pass a law enabling spouses and children of Bahamian women to become citizens on the same terms as spouses and children of Bahamian men; 2. pass and Equal pay Act so that, by law, Bahamian women must obtain equal pay for equal work; 3. pass specific legislation, with strong penalties, to deal with sexual harassment; 4. acknowledge that a married woman can be raped by her husband and pass legislation penalizing marital rape; 5. implement the Family Court so that family resolution of family matters may be resolved through a prism of enquiry and mediation rather than the destructive adversarial approach and conquest;

6. promote easy access to justice by implementing and enforcing a system of online payments and salary, or other income deductions, to support court orders made in family matters; and 7. implement a system of appointments at all government clinics, in the same way that appointments are given in private clinics. Women are generally the primary caregivers for children and aging parents. Taking a parent or child to the government clinic often means that a day must be taken off from work. This causes economic hardship. An appointment system will eliminate the need to take a day off.

Finally, we have to examine at least 2 further concepts to advance gender equality: 1. whether the time has come for legally binding quotas for women’s representation in the legislature.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka pointed out that 80 countries have “successfully” passed such law and many have gender balanced cabinets; and, 2. how to promote gender equality on Boards in in C Suites.

If we agree that women’s rights are human rights and that women and men are equal, both created in the image of God and both charged with the care and management of God’s creation, these ideas and so much more can be accomplished over the next 12 months.

Happy IWD 2020.#EachforEqual ALLYSON MAYNARD GIBSON, QC Nassau March 8, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net A MAN yesterday described the moment he was shot in the face and shoulder while awaiting Junkanoo results at Freedom Park during the 2013 Fox Hill mass shooting.

Taking the witness stand before Justice Deborah Fraser yesterday, Chino Davis told the court how his face “suddenly” went numb after gunmen opened fire on him, his family and friends during the 2013 shooting.

“What I remember is that around 6 or so (on December 27, 2013), shots were fired. I was standing in front of the Junkanoo shack (in Fox Hill), waiting on the results. All of a sudden, I feel my face get numb,” he said. Davis said he was also shot in his shoulder.

“It was like a movie. It was like, is this real?”

Moments later, Mr Davis

Wednesday, March 11, 2020, PAGE 5

Man tells jury how he was shot in his face said he watched his brother, Claudezino Davis, and his sister-in-law fall.

“I didn’t know my brother (had) died,” he told the court yesterday. As it relates to his sister-in-law, Mr Davis said he thought she had fainted. “..Then I found out later, couple others got shoot when I was in the hospital,” he continued.

Mr Davis’ recollection of the incident came during the trial of Peter Rolle, Jermaine Curry and Justin Williams concerning the December 27, 2013

shooting, just over six years after the incident took place.

According to initial reports, around 6pm on the day in question, occupants of a small, dark vehicle opened fire in the area just behind the basketball court where several people were gathered.

Williams, Rolle and Curry are accused of murdering four people: Claudezino Davis, Shaquille Demeritte, Eric “Bonafide” Morrison and Shenique Sands on that date. They are also charged with attempting to murder

Janet Davis, Samuel Ferguson, Chino Davis, John Davis, Jermaine Pratt and Leroy Taylor.

While testifying yesterday, Mr Davis maintained he did not know the reason why he was shot.

“I couldn’t tell you who was shooting because I couldn’t see,” he said. “I didn’t look in the direction the shots were coming from…The way I was turned, it sounds like it was coming from my left.”

Mr Davis said after he was shot, he was taken to the hospital.

“I couldn’t breathe. I cut my tongue”, he said. “They put me through something where you lay down and then they took me to this room and put me on drip.

I couldn’t eat. I could only drink.”

While being cross-examined by defence attorney Sonia Timothy, Mr Davis was asked how he was taken to the hospital. To this, he replied: “On the back of the truck.”

Mr Davis, in response to a follow-up question by Ms Timothy, said he was able to walk to the truck, which

later transported him to the hospital.

Mr Davis was one the ten victims who were taken to hospital following the incident.

Demeritte, Morrison and Sands later died in hospital of their injuries while Davis’ brother, Claudezino Davis, was pronounced dead on the scene.

The case continues today.

Curry is represented by lawyer Murrio Ducille, while Rolle is represented

by Ms Timothy. Williams is represented by Geoffrey Farquharson.

Police chase ends in shootout at school from page one

“The officers reported that during the pursuit, persons from that vehicle fired on them on several of the streets, eventually the vehicle collided with one of the police vehicles here at the school, officers again engaged with both suspects who were arrested.”

An officer was injured as a result of the collision and taken to hospital. No one at the school was hurt.

After the chase, officers were seen searching the campus for discarded contraband. CSP Cash could not say how the suspects were able to enter the school grounds.

The Ministry of Education put out a press statement yesterday, however, stating that the ministry was advised that the incident happened after 11am when the suspects entered C H Reeves to evade the police. It resulted in a shoot-out.

The statement noted: “Subsequently, the suspects were cornered by the police, which resulted in an exchange of gunfire between the police and the assailants. A short time later, the suspects were apprehended by the police and taken into custody.

“As a precautionary measure, the school was placed on lockdown to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those on campus.

Due to proximity, the neighbouring R M Bailey Senior High School was also placed on lockdown.”

An eighth grader at the school told The Tribune the incident was terrifying.

She said: “It was a really scary moment because we had to be locked up in the classroom and we had no air actually, it was hot for one and for two we had to use the bathroom. . .I was actually heading to the bathroom and I saw the men and he was like shooting and I fall down.”

The girl’s father, Travis Clarke, arrived at the

school around 1pm. He was met with yellow police tape around the school and said he saw a man with his head bandaged. He and many other parents were visibly concerned as they waited outside the school, trying to get information about what happened.

According to the parents, neither police nor the school gave updates on the situation. Many of them learned of the incident through social media.

“Well, I’m used to the violence of the school, but it wasn’t like this in my days,” Mr Clarke said. “Now with the lack of information or transparency of the information, if something like this occurs in the States we would have had an Amber Alert or an alert sent to every parent…to let you know a situation going on.

You wouldn’t have to find out through Facebook.”

A woman who was waiting for her sister to emerge from the school

CH Reeves Junior School was placed on lockdown yesterday afternoon after two suspects evading police drove on to the school’s property. Inset, top right, is Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

said her mother tried calling the school’s office without results. She was also frustrated by the lack of information.

Meanwhile, the ministry said the Department

of Education mobilised its counseling services for both staff and students “to make them aware of the situation, and to avoid any adverse affects of trauma.”

“The ministry reiterates

the fact that the disheartening events were not schoolrelated; and wishes to assure the public that it is doing all in its power to ensure the safety and well-being of its staff and students.”

After police ended the lockdown at the school, chaos soon erupted as a crowd of parents demanded answers from officials over lack of transparency, poor security, and not allowing their children to leave.

A school representative came outside and tried to calm down the angry group explaining that students were getting lunch and would be dismissed at an appropriate time. Parents responded in anger, asking why the school’s front gate was left open, allowing the suspects’ access.

One mother argued: “At all times, this gate supposed to be locked. No other school in Nassau have no parents driving no car in this gate. Any parents supposed to come in this gate for a child or come to visit somebody, the side gate is right there. Not through this gate here with no car driving in and out.”

Students were able to leave the campus around 2.30pm, but the general public was not allowed in.

The unrest continued as a fight broke out between students resulting in one of the boys throwing glass at another student. As a result one student was put in the back of a police car.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, March 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A MASSIVE brush fire in Grand Bahama was fuelled by high winds and hurricane debris, posing a serious concern for firefighters and some residents.

The blaze ripped through the pine forest in the Freeport Ridge Estates area and threatened several residential properties on Monday.

Inspector Elie Ariscar, of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Services, said that dry, and extremely windy conditions, along with heaps of debris, posed a major challenge to firefighters in their efforts to contain the fire, which started around 10am on Monday. Up to press time, the fire was still burning but was contained, according to police. “The fire is still burning, and we are still experiencing very windy conditions today,” he said yesterday, during an official update at the Fire Station Complex in Freeport.

According to Inspector Ariscar, the cause of the fire is still under investigation but is suspected to have resulted from “indiscriminate lighting” of garbage by unknown persons. “We are appealing to residents to refrain from burning trash on their property as it is an offence,” he warned.

The fire inspector reported that the main challenge was the amount of debris due to the storm, as well as from homeowners who had dumped debris in the area.

“That presented an issue for us and we encountered difficulty moving our trucks in certain areas to tackle the fire,” he explained. “We are asking persons to get debris removed by Sanitation Station which would help us tremendously in doing our jobs as the forest is still burning,” he said.

According to reports, fire officials responded to a call around 10am on Monday in Freeport Ridge Estates.

THE BLAZE ripped through the pine forest in the Freeport Ridge Estates area and threatened several residential properties

Grand Bahama brush fire fuelled by winds Upon arrival, they observed a large blaze and had to call for additional resources.

Inspector Ariscar said two additional units were dispatched to the area to battle the blaze that was moving rapidly towards the east. “There were multiple areas burning at the same time, and the fire was moving towards the east due to high winds, so we had to strategically place our trucks throughout different areas in the forests to contain the fire,” he explained.

The official reported that because homes are sparsely located throughout the area, they had to work as quickly as possible to protect those properties.

There was minor damage to two shacks, reported Inspector Ariscar, who noted many derelict vehicles were also destroyed.

“At this time, the fire is still under active investigations, but we suspect it was someone doing some indiscriminate lighting of something in the back there,” he said.

Inspector Ariscar said brush fire season runs from December to March, and sometimes into late April.

“Around this time is usually windy, and dry because we don’t get that much rain and so we tend to get fires during this time.”

He is advising residents to clear a boundary of

about 50ft around their property to prevent the fire from encroaching on their homes. They should also clear any debris from around their property and home, he said.

Concerned resident Brian Seymour, of Royal Palm Bay Subdivision, said that the massive debris accumulation in that area is a very big concern for him and other residents.

He noted that Royal Palm Bay is a “tinder box” due to heaps of dry forest debris and boats that have accumulated in the area in the six months since the storm.

The area was among those hardest hit by

Dorian.

Many homes were destroyed, but some residents have and are beginning to return to rebuild.

“Fire is a concern and with all the debris still in the area and we are in the dry season,” Mr Seymour said.

In January, Mr Seymour raised concerns about boats that were blocking road access, downed power lines and poles, and debris removal, calling on those responsible to clean up the area.

Mr Seymour recently criticised area representative K Peter Turnquest, the MP for East Grand Bahama, whom he feels is not doing

anything to facilitate the removal of debris from that area.

“The Honorable Kevin Peter Turnquest, deputy prime minister, and minister of finance and MP EGB, lives approximately 2.2 miles south of Royal Palm Bay Subdivision, one of the areas he represents and has contemptuously neglected,” he claimed.

“Turnquest has been derelict in his duties as an MP. His response to the people of RPB in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian has demonstrated to us all that he is not a servant leader: but a politician.”

Mr Turnquest could not be reached for comment.

2020 census to cost $3m and will need 1,700 staff from page one

as the islands remain destroyed following Hurricane Dorian.

However, they have assured that no matter the issues that may arise, data will be collected from the hurricane affected areas. There have also been some extra questions added to the census to accommodate shifts that came about because of the deadly hurricane.

Kim Saunders, chief census officer, said as enumerators use tablets to collect information with

real time data uploading, the process is expected to be cut from two years to a matter of months before the first set of preliminary information is released.

However, before the exercise begins, 50 enumerators have gone into constituencies in New Providence and Grand Bahama to test the system. The data collected in this pretesting phase will not be used for any purpose except for a trial of the new platform.

On its own, that digital system cost $150,000.

The census will be conducted in September, October and

November with 1,700 workers hired to collect information.

“We have looked at how long it took us to produce the census data based on when we used paper and pencil,” Mrs Saunders told The Tribune yesterday at a press conference at the Department of Statistics. “The census will be conducted during the months of September, October and November.

So by the end of December we could have some kind of preliminary data.

“Thereafter, every month or between every month and two months we intend

Memorial Service

in Celebration of the life of Janet Dahlia Frazer, 46

July 1- 1973 to February 28, 2020

A resident of Sir Lynden Pindling Estates and formally of Jamaica, died at May Pen Hospital, Jamaica on February 28, 2020. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, March 12th, 6:30 p.m. at Myles E. Munroe Diplomat Center, Richard Pinder Drive, Carmichael Road. Officiating will be Pastor Kersch Darville.

Mrs. Frazer is survived by her husband, Dwayne Frazer; Children: Sashanna Beckett, Jessica & Justin Frazer; Parents: Samuel & Iona Campbell of May Pen, Jamaica; Brothers: Noel and Maverick Campbell; Sisters: Jackie Mitchell, Marcia Campbell, Ionie Halstead and Valarie Cooper; Brothersin-law: Perry, Nat, Marcus, Darren, Duran, Durrell & Desmond Frazer; Malcus Adderley and Christopher Cooper; Sisters-in-law: Linda Adderley, Nikita Rolle, Wendy, Muriel, Susanne, Damarra & Demetria Frazer.

Numerous nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends including: Donald & Anniska Johnson; Carlos & Elmetta Colebrooke; Ingrid Thompson, Dereck and Tyrez Sturrup; Brenda Allen Cleopatra Flowers of Atlanta, Georgia; Bahamas Faith Ministries; Pastor J. Simms and the Christian Life Church; the staff of Royal Kids Academy, and Bahamas Christian Fellowship Center.

to release data. I think within six to eight months our aim is to have a full report on the census data.

“When we used paper, the census was in May of 2010 (and) our first release came out in October of 2012 so approximately about two years.”

The exercise will cost “less than $10m”, according to an official.

“I think we probably will end up spending probably close to $3m to $3.5m for the census exercise,” Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson also said yesterday.

Asked about protecting enumerators from crime and exposure to the novel coronavirus, officials said yesterday necessary steps would be taken to safeguard workers as they go into every inhabited area of the country. There have

been no reported or confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to date.

“In terms of the crime, we will alert the police commissioner and the police stations of which areas we are surveying and also we instruct the field supervisor to make contact with the station in their area and so if they feel particularly in danger, then they would ask the police would come and help. What we found with our labour force survey is that if it’s a particular area they would increase the surveillance of the area. We know that is a challenge particularly in New Providence,” said Leona Wilson, Department of Statistics’ director.

The new system will also feature data encryption among its security measures to safeguard individuals’ data.

Lecily Hunter, Statistics Canada technical consultant to the Department of Statistics, said this means there is also protection on each tablet when it comes to login access, adding the servers themselves are locked down so that only authorised users can access the data.

The Department of Statistics has been conducting the census since 1970; it is conducted every ten years.

The information provided for the census is used for important planning and policy decisions in government and in the private sector.

Census data helps to determine school zones, the location of housing developments, and helps the government to make decisions about the allocation of public resources.

NOTICE TO: MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WORKERS’ CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT UNION LIMITED A Special-Call Meeting will be held on FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH, 2020, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the BAHAMAS PUBLIC SERVICES’ UNION (BPSU)HALL, East Street south (across from Esso gas station); for the sole purpose of electing a NOMINATION COMMITTEE re: the upcoming 40th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (scheduled for Friday, May 22nd, 2020).

All ELIGIBLE members are invited to attend!!

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 11, 2020, PAGE 7

Families file lawsuits over Dorian insurance payouts from page one In the case of Ms Johnson, a quantity surveyor estimated she had more than $39,000 worth of hurricane damage to her home in Yeoman Wood Subdivision. She was insured by JS Johnson/ Island Heritage Insurance.

According to the writ, the defendants negligently placed the loss at just 6.66 percent or $12,000 (before deductible and claimed under-insurance) yielding only $6,067.46, which was offered to Ms Johnson, who has refused the offer.

In the case of Ms Gibson, a resident of Heritage Subdivision, her property sustained damage estimated

at a coverage value of $100,000. She made an insurance claim for the full amount to repair her home.

According to the writ, the defendants through their loss adjuster agents are accused of negligently placing loss at just 60 percent, or $64,924.25, which Ms Gibson has refused with no answer from the defendant.

The Rolles, who reside at the Gardens at Sunrise Subdivision, sustained damage estimated at a total loss of $79,760.32. The couple made a claim for the damage with Safeguard Insurance Brokers/Royal Assurance, which instead placed the loss and damage at 16.67 percent of the insured amount, or $15,000.

The couple refused the

offer, and defendants subsequently offered $24,000 as a last and final offer.

Sean and Shana Simmons, of Santa Maria Drive, Freeport, sustained catastrophic damage suffering a total loss of $533,900 as a covered amount. The couple made a claim with Star General Insurance Agents and Brokers/Royal Assurance Ltd. According to the writ, the defendants or their employees, agents or brokers subsequently offered $523,222 on the basis as a total loss, less 2 percent excess deductible.

The Simmons accepted the offer in full and as a final settlement. However, it is claimed that the defendants, in breach of the

THE DEVASTATION caused by Hurricane Dorian

WOMAN ACCUSED OF FRAUD OVER CITIZENSHIP BID

HAITIAN ON UNDERAGE SEX CHARGE

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A HAITIAN man was remanded to prison yesterday over allegations he had sex with underage girls.

Leslie Petit-Frere appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse.

It is alleged that PetitFrere raped an 11-year-old girl in 2018.

It is further alleged that sometime between February 1, 2018, and March 31, 2018, he had unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Petit-Frere was also accused of having unlawful sex sometime between July 1, 2018, and July 10, 2018, with a 15-year-old girl.

Due to the nature of the charges, he was not required to enter a plea and the case was adjourned to June 16 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) in the interim. He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

agreement, abandoned the initial offer agreement and instead offered the plaintiffs $337,000, which they have declined to accept.

The defendants then offered the plaintiffs a cheque for the initial amount of $523,222 conditional upon the building being bulldozed. The Simmons refused to accept any interim payment or cheque put them on the basis of that offer.

Mr Duncanson said he has served statutory demands on Royal Assurance about interim payments they should have allegedly made.

The matter will be heard in court on Friday.

Editorial View - Page 4

WIDLINE Francoeur outside court yesterday

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

A HAITIAN woman was charged in Magistrates Court yesterday with attempting to fraudulently obtain Bahamian citizenship.

Widline Francoeur, 28, appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with attempted fraud by false pretences, three counts of fraud by false pretences and two counts each of possession of a false document and uttering the same.

Francoeur was also charged with four counts of possession of a forged document.

The defendant denied all of the charges and the case was adjourned to June 16.

It is alleged Francoeur obtained a passport from the Bahamas Passport Office on December 18, 2018, under false pretences.

It is also alleged she obtained a driver’s licende from the Road Traffic Department on August 29, 2019, by means of false pretences.

Francoeur is further charged with obtaining a smart card from the National Insurance Board on May 7, 2019, with the intent to defraud.

The defendant was also accused of being found in possession of a fake Bahamian passport on May 7, 2019, and uttering the false document on the same day.

It is alleged that Francoeur also possessed a Bahamian birth certificate in the name of Widline Francoeur on March 6, 2020, after reporting the same to be genuine.

Francoeur was denied bail and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. She has the right to apply for bail in the Supreme Court.

NIGERIAN DENIES USING FAKE DOCUMENTS TO ENTER COUNTRY

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A NIGERIAN man appeared in court yesterday accused of attempting to enter the country with a fake visa.

Oluwaseun Akinkunmi, 25, appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with being found in possession of a forged document and unlawful use of a forged document.

Akinkunmi denied both charges and the case was adjourned to March 24.

According to immigration prosecutor Avia Beckford, Akinkunmi went

to an immigration officer at booth six at Lynden Pindling International Airport on March 4, after entering the country from Havana, Cuba.

Upon inspection of his Nigerian passport, the immigration officer discovered a Bahamian visa on the ninth page.

The prosecutor said the immigration officer became suspicious and took Akinkunmi’s passport to a superior for further inspection.

A call was then made to the Bahamas Consulate Office to verify the authenticity of the visa and it was

revealed the document was forged. The defendant was then cautioned, arrested and taken into custody for further processing.

When given an opportunity to speak, Akinkunmi said he did not know that the document was forged.

Because of this, Magistrate Forbes told Akinkunmi he would record two not guilty pleas since the defendant indicated he was not aware the visa was fraudulent.

Akinkunmi was denied bail and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial.

CONSTRUCTION WORKER FALLS TO HIS DEATH

MAN ‘SERIOUS’ AFTER HE IS SHOT OUTSIDE CLUB

A CONSTRUCTION worker died at Albany after he fell off a building’s roof.

According to a police report, the accident occurred shortly before 8pm on Monday. Paramedics were called but the man died at the scene.

An investigation is ongoing.

A MAN is in hospital after he was shot while standing outside a nightclub on Monday night.

Police said the shooting happened after 10pm, outside a nightclub on Price Street in Nassau Village.

The victim was approached by an armed man who shot him before running

away. The injured man was taken to hospital and is listed in serious but stable condition.

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

Memorial Service For Stephanie Yvonne Johnson, 66 of Market Street will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, 12th March, 2020 at Zion Baptist Church, East & Shirley Street. Pastor, T. G. Morrison will officiate, Assisted by Rev. Ulrick Smith ll.

Cremation was done.

She was predeceased by her husband Vincent and Daughter Marva Wood.

She is survived by her Daughters: Sian (Rochielle) Bevans, Meredith and Mallory Johnson; Grandchildren: Paul Thompson, Tariq, Aliyah and Alycia Bevans; Great Grand Daughter: Zhuri Thompson, Sisters: Deidre Butler and Marlene (Nelson) Brown; Brother: Ian Major, StepChildren: Cassandra (John) Curry, Kristen Johnson, Kayla (Richard) Darville, Vincent Edward and Vincent Tony (Opal) Johnson; Sister-in-law: Brennetta Johnson; Nieces: Tameka and Shereka Brown, Paulette and Angelic Butler.

Nephews: Lakinto Hinsey, Brandon Woodside, Daylon Major, Gervin Hewitt; She is also survived by Cousins: Rosetta D’Angelo & Dominique Ash; Michael and Barry Hepburn, Chet Comacho, Allison and Nyoka Stevens, Sheryl Turner, Brenda Moree, Carla Curtis, Karen Mortimer, Sonja Morris, Sharece Murray, Stephen Francis and Family. Other family and friends: including the Wood Family, The Bevans Family, Management and staff of Nassau Airport Development Company, Human Resources Department of Nassau Airport Development Company, Management and Staff of Impressions Dental, Pastor TG Morrison, Associate Rev. Anthony Sampson, Rev. Ulric Smith ll, The Zion Baptist Church Family, Dr. Theodore Turnquest and The Oncology Clinic of Princess Margaret Hospital.

Viewing will be held on Wednesday, 11th March, 2020 in the “Jasper Suite” Rock of Ages Funeral Chapel, Wulff Road and Pinedale from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and The Memorial Service will be held on Thursday at the above Church.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, March 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

A little disappointment shouldn’t kill the dream

SCENES from the Women’s Day march at the weekend.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

LAST week was quite busy as I worked with the all-volunteer team of Equality Bahamas to plan and execute our annual International Women’s Day events. Every year, this process leads me to think about a range of issues, circumstances, gaps and solutions.

From people – primarily young women – adding to their regular workloads as volunteers with non-governmental organisations to the response of the public to initiatives designed for and by women, there is no shortage of necessary discussions.

After the march and expo, I came across a Facebook post by someone I’ve known since elementary school. This is not a person I spend time with nor have intimate knowledge of, but I know basic facts such as her name, profession, close friends and other bits and pieces anyone can glean from shares on social media.

I did not know anything about her position on political or social issues. Then I saw a days-old post about the (then) upcoming march I organised with a team of dedicated, enthusiastic young women. The post basically said she would definitely not be marching after being duped by We March which proved to be something other than the organiser had suggested.

There were three main commenters, two of whom completely agreed with the post. One person noted it was an unreasonable position to take, unfair to paint women organisers with the brush of a reckless person, and important to properly use non-violent forms of protest.

I struggle to find a word for the way I felt when I read this thread. “Disappointed” is not quite it. I know better than to expect everyone – or even most people – to get on board.

I have come to expect naysayers and fingerpointers. I know people find it easy to call other people’s work garbage – and this is a euphemism for the word used - than to do the work themselves.

Still, it is almost as though I expected more from this particular person. Why? Because I “know” her?

Because she has never

The

Alicia Wallace column shown any signs of being against the expansion of women’s rights? Because she is a young woman and business owner who has surely experienced misogyny and sexism, and has definitely been disadvantaged by the systemic issues we have yet to properly address? Because I think she should care?

In reflecting on this experience, I have been reminded of two important lessons I have learned over the past few years. The first is that it is important to take conversations about rights, justice and feminism outside of the comfortable spaces. The Equality Bahamas team can talk about national issues and what needs to be done to tackle them all day, every day, but it would not change anything. We have to take our critique, our ideas and our plans of action outside of our own space, engage others in the conversation and convince them to take action with us.

To be clear, we do this regularly, but the reminder helps push us to think more about where we have not gone yet and what we need to do to get there.

The second is that our greatest opponents in the fight for equality are systems and social constructs – not people. People – including some we know - embody those systems and constructs and they act in the ways that are dictated by those systems and constructs. For many, those systems and constructs are all there is. They have not had the chance to think about a world without them.

The day-to-day hustle to get to and from work, figure out how to pay the bills and keep groceries in the house and take care of the unexpected does not leave us much room for imagination. All some of us have is the memory of what has

already taken place and the heaviness of the current situation. Reality does not encourage us to dream. If we never take the time to think beyond what we have, to envision what we do not yet see, we are doomed to a future that looks exactly like the present. To get beyond this point, we have to identify and deconstruct the systems that find homes within people and we have to create opportunities for people to imagine, create and realise more.

Leaders of organisations, movements and people have a responsibility to the people under the sound of their voices. They have to be more than charismatic. They have to be honest. Loyal. Communicative. Accessible. They have to be able to answer questions about where they want us to go, why and how we will get there.

They have to be willing to go the distance, to train, mentor and elevate others to take the position they must eventually vacate. They have to do what they said they would do. They have to prove themselves worthy of the trust and support they receive. When they fail to be and do all of this, and without apology, we end up where we are now. We find ourselves surrounded by people who are disappointed, hurt and unwilling to act.

No one fighting for a cause can hope for another’s downfall. The failures, missteps, compromises and disappointments of one can negatively impact others, even when they seem completely unrelated. How can we reactivate imaginations that have been dormant for so long? This may be the challenge of this generation of changemakers – to reactive imaginations so we can see something better, then believe we can make it happen.

WHY WHISTLES DON’T GET TO THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE WHEN Philip “Brave” Davis suggested the government provide women and children with whistles, there was no way to keep it out of the headlines. Yes, he made other recommendations, but this one deserved a response. The knee-jerk reaction grazed the surface, but did not quite go deep enough to explain what is really wrong with the suggestion.

The whistle is not a new idea. Many of us are familiar with the “rape whistle”. We are expected to be equipped with these whistles and, should we feel unsafe, we are to blow the whistle.

The first issue is that the answer to an issue is not in the response of the person on the receiving end. Genderbased violence is a systemic issue. Gender is a social construct that prescribes ways of being for people based on the social and cultural expectations of each gender.

Gender-based violence is the name for harm caused that is directly related to understandings of gender and how it controls us.

The man who attempts to harm a woman because she is seen as weaker and meant to be submissive is not likely to be scared off by the sound of whistle for various reasons. The whistle has to be accessible enough for the woman

PLP leader Philip Davis to blow it. If is it around her neck, it can become a weapon for strangulation.

If it is loose, held in her hand, it can be knocked out. If she gets it to her mouth, she risks more physical injury because she could be caused to choke, or she may be struck. If she manages to use the whistle to make noise, this could aggravate the man and lead to further harm.

The second issue is the uncertainty about its effectiveness. Do we know what to do when we hear a whistle being blown in a parking lot? Is a Junkanoo group on the way?

Is someone practising for sports day? Did a child get a new toy? What are we, as citizens, supposed to do when we hear a whistle.

Do we know when it is a distress signal as opposed to something else, and do we know how to intervene

if we determine it is a distress signal? On Saturday, we distributed whistles and one of the women decided to blow it in a public space when approached by a man she knew. Luckily, she was in no danger, but she noted no one paid any attention at all.

Women and girls are always told what to do and what not to do in order to prevent acts of violence against us, especially rape.

Nowhere near as much effort is put into teaching consent, making a distinction between sex and rape and engaging men and boys in conversations about gender-based violence prevention. We need to get to the root of the issue. The problem is not that women and girls are not scared enough, vigilant enough, or bombarded with enough products – like mobile apps to indicate to friends that we’re in distress, pepper spray, and date rape drugdetecting nail polish – to prevent violence against us.

The problem is that all the focus is on us and ways we can make sure the less prepared women or girl is the victim instead of us. We do not want to make someone else the statistic. We want to change the statistics. To do that, we need to start at the root, and not create another path to stress and further harm.

THE TRIBUNE

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — General Motors, trying to refashion itself as a futuristic company with technology to compete against Tesla, rolled out plans last week for 13 new electric vehicles during the next five years.

The company touted an exclusive new battery technology that could propel some of the vehicles as far as 400 miles (644 kilometres) on a single charge as it tries to capture electric vehicle enthusiasm that has brought wild growth to rival Tesla’s share price.

At an event for investors, dealers and analysts at its sprawling technical center in the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan, GM executives said the new vehicles would be built using modular chassis and drive systems for manufacturing simplicity.

GM will be able to build trucks, cars, SUVs and even an autonomous shuttle based on the new systems, the company said. The global vehicles will include affordable transportation, work trucks, luxury SUVs and performance vehicles. CEO Mary Barra said GM will be able to build at a large scale, similar to its profitable full-size truck business.

“We want to put everyone in an EV, and we have what it takes to do it,” she said at a presentation for investors.

Some of the new vehicles will be able to go from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometres per hour) in as little as three seconds — performance that rivals electric vehicle sales leader Tesla Inc. New all-electric models will come from the Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick brands starting this year, beginning with the Cadillac Lyriq luxury SUV to be unveiled in April.

A new Chevrolet Bolt small SUV comes in the summer of 2021. There’s also the GMC Hummer EV

Wednesday, March 11, 2020, PAGE 9

TECHTALK

GM SHOWS 13 ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS IT TRIES TO RUN WITH TESLA

IN this image taken from NASA video, NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir use the International Space Station’s robot arm to capture the Dragon capsule Monday. (NASA via AP)

THIS photo provided by General Motors shows GM’s all-new modular platform and battery system, Ultium, at the Design Dome on the GM Tech Center campus in Warren, Mich., last week. GM rolled out plans for 13 new electric vehicles during the next five years as it trying to refashion itself as a futuristic company with technology to compete against Tesla. Last week, the company touted an exclusive new battery technology that could propel some of the vehicles as far as 400 miles on a single charge.

(Steve Fecht/General Motors via AP) pickup coming to dealers in the fall of 2021.

GM also has plans for three more Cadillac SUVs, a midsize Chevrolet SUV, two Buick SUVs, a GMC Hummer SUV, a Chevrolet full-size pickup with 400 miles of range, a luxury Cadillac car and the Cruise Origin, an autonomous electric shuttle.

With fewer parts than petroleum-powered vehicles, electric vehicles will be much cheaper and simpler to build, reducing manufacturing costs, GM said. The company plans 19 different battery and electric motor and transmission combinations, compared with 550 internal combustion powertrain combinations available today.

The company said a joint venture with Korean battery

maker LG Chem will use a low-cobalt chemistry to drive down battery costs to below $100 per kilowatt hour.

Executives told the group that the next generation of GM’s electric vehicles will be profitable.

Barra said the new vehicles can increase sales and market share, and the batteries and drive units could be licensed to other companies to bring in more revenue.

She said the company plans to sell more than 1 million electric vehicles in North America and China by the middle of the decade. To get there, GM will spend more than $20 billion developing the vehicles through 2025, she said.

Electric vehicle sales will have to grow substantially

both worldwide and in the U.S. for GM to meet its targets. Last year manufacturers sold just over 236,000 fully electric vehicles in the U.S., about 1.4% of total new vehicle sales, according to Autodata Corp.

GM is making a huge investment ahead of consumer demand, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of the consulting firm LMC Automotive.

“They’re going to need to weather that, not only with investors, but just from an overall financial standpoint,” he said.

The announcement also comes at a time when the global economy is slowing, in part due to the coronavirus outbreak. LMC olast Wednesday reduced its

2020 U.S. new vehicle sales forecast from 16.8 million to 16.5 million, according to Schuster.

LMC expects automakers to sell 17 million fully electric vehicles by 2030, or about 16% of worldwide demand. It will be 25% to 30% of the market in Europe, 20% in China and 8% in the U.S., LMC estimated. Those numbers are smaller than what GM is predicting, but Schuster said sales could rise because GM has such a wide range of vehicles to offer.

“In order to have breakthroughs, you have to have investments,” he said.

“It’s going to bear fruit. It’s just a question of how long it’s going to take.

“That’s unknown at this stage.”

MEET PERSEVERANCE: MARS ROVER GETS NAME AHEAD OF JULY LAUNCH

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s next Mars rover finally has a name. Perseverance, a six-wheeled robotic explorer, will blast off this summer to collect Martian samples for eventual return to Earth.

The name was suggested by Alex Mather, a Virginia seventh-grader, as part of a naming contest for U.S. schoolchildren. The U.S. space agency announced it last Thursday at Alex’s school in Burke, Virginia, and he got to read his winning essay live on NASA TV. “We are a species of explorers and we will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars. However, we can persevere,” Alex wrote. “We, not as a nation, but as humans, will not give up. The human race will always persevere into the future.”

NASA’s associate administrator for science missions, Thomas Zurbuchen, noted that the space agency’s Curiosity rover has been roaming around Mars since 2012, when Alex and his classmates were babies or little kids.

“Perseverance and curiosity together are what exploration is all about,” he said.

Nearly 4,700 volunteer judges had narrowed a pool of 28,000 contest entries down to 155 semifinalists. Once it was down to nine

ENGINEERS watch the first driving test for the Mars 2020 rover in a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California in December, 2019. NASA announced the explorer’s name will be ‘Perseverance’.

(J. Krohn/NASA via AP) finalists, the public was invited to vote online.

Mather and his family won a trip to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch Perseverance get launched into space in July. The boy became

enamoured with space at age 11 while attending Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. That’s when video games took a back seat. He said he wants to become an engineer and work for NASA.

The rover is undergoing final preparations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The nameplate will be on the rover’s robot arm and serve as a protective rock guard.

SPACEX’S 20TH STATION SHIPMENT ARRIVES WITH CANDY AND SCIENCE

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering the company’s 20th batch of gear and treats.

The Dragon capsule reached the orbiting lab after launching late Friday night. NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir used the station’s robot arm to capture the spacecraft.

The 4,300-pound (1,950-kilogramme) shipment contains science experiments and equipment, as well as special goodies for the three-person crew aloft for months: grapefruit, tomatoes, Skittles, Reese’s Pieces and Hot Tamales.

This is the last of SpaceX’s original-style Dragons.

All future ones are designed to carry either cargo or crew, and will dock automatically rather than require robot-arm assistance. SpaceX has been sending up station cargo since 2012 and plans to start launching NASA astronauts this spring.

From 260 miles (418 kilometres) up, Meir congratulated SpaceX on its many milestones, including the fact this is the third flight for this particular Dragon. Spacecraft and rocket recycling, she noted, is “the more sustainable approach that will be paramount to the future of spaceflight.”

The Dragon will remain at the orbiting lab for a month before returning to Earth with science specimens.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, March 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Coronavirus crisis: US hit on both coasts as states take emergency action

NOW BRITISH HEALTH MINISTER TESTS POSITIVE

A COMMUTER wears a face mask while riding the subway in New York.

New York sends in National Guard Associated Press

ALARMING clusters of the coronavirus swelled on both coasts of the US yesterday, with 70 cases now tied to a biotech conference in Boston and infections turning up at 10 nursing homes in the hard-hit Seattle area.

New York’s governor announced he is sending the National Guard to scrub public places and deliver food in a New York City suburb that is at the centre of the nation’s biggest known cluster of infections.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency as cases statewide jumped by 51 from the day before, to 92. Of that number, 70 are now connected to a meeting held last month by biotech company Biogen at a hotel in downtown Boston.

Baker said the state of emergency will give him greater authority to take such actions as shutting down large events, gaining access to buildings or stockpiling protective gear.

The moves came as the battle to stop the virus from spreading intensified. More schools and universities sent students home, while conferences and other events were cancelled. The United Nations announced it would close its New York headquarters to the public and suspend all tours. The Coachella music festival that draws tens of thousands to the California desert near Palm Springs every April was postponed until October. And one of the biggest resort operators in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International, said it would close buffets at all of its Las Vegas Strip casinos as a precaution.

A top federal health official pointed to Europe, rather than the virus’ point of origin in China, as the likely source for the infection’s continued spread to the U.S. “Right now the epicentre — the new China — is Europe,” Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Capitol Hill. “And there’s a

lot of people coming back and forth from Europe that are now starting to seed these communities.”

Authorities in Washington state reported two new deaths from the virus — a man and woman, both in their 80s, who were residents of a nursing home and a senior centre.

Of the 24 deaths in the state, 19 have been tied to a single nursing home, Life Care Center of Kirkland. But the state officials said they are now working with 10 nursing facilities where residents or workers have been tested positive.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced new nursing-home rules that would limit visitors and subject health care workers to screening.

Similarly, in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said state-run nursing homes will severely restrict visitors, with private operators strongly urged to follow suit. Six cases have been diagnosed in the state.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

said three schools and other gathering places will be shut down for two weeks in a containment zone in New Rochelle, the epicentre of an outbreak of more than 100 cases.

Officials said the National Guard troops will help clean public spaces and deliver food to people quarantined at home in the zone, which extends a mile in all directions from a synagogue connected to some of the cases.

Officials would not say how many National Guard members would be involved, and there was no immediate sign of any troops on the streets.

Apart from those who are under quarantine, residents and visitors to the community of 79,000 will be able to come and go freely, with no checkpoints, and businesses can remain open, officials said.

“It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country,” Cuomo said. “The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy.”

BRITISH Health minister and Conservative MP Nadine Dorries says she has been diagnosed with coronavirus. Ms Dorries, the first MP to test positive, said she had taken all the advised precautions after finding out, and had been self-isolating at home.

It comes as a sixth person died from the virus in the UK, which has a total of 382 cases. The latest person to die was a man in his early 80s who had underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, NHS England said it was scaling up its capacity for testing people for the infection, with the number of cases set to rise. That will mean 10,000 tests a day can be done - currently 1,500 are being carried out.

Ms Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said in a statement that Public Health England had started tracing people she had had contact with, and the department and her parliamentary office were closely following its advice.

The 62-year-old, who began her career as a nurse, later tweeted that it had been “pretty rubbish but I hope I’m over the worst of it now”.

It is not known how many meetings Ms Dorries had attended at Westminster or in her constituency in recent days.

The Department of Health said she first showed symptoms on Thursday the same day she attended a Downing Street event hosted by the prime minister - and had been self-isolating since Friday.

No 10 did not comment on whether Boris Johnson had undergone testing, or whether he will now be tested. All health ministers, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, are to undergo testing for the virus, along with other officials who have come into contact with Ms Dorries.

BIDEN TAKES MICHIGAN IN CRUSHING BLOW TO SANDERS WASHINGTON Associated Press

JOE Biden won Michigan’s Democratic primary yesterday, seizing a key battleground state that helped propel Bernie Sanders’ insurgent candidacy four years ago. The former vice president’s victory in Michigan, as well as Missouri and Mississippi, dealt a serious blow to Sanders, who is urgently seeking to jump-start his flagging campaign. .It’s a dramatic reversal of fortune for Biden, whose campaign appeared on the brink of collapse just two weeks ago. Sanders

opened the nomination process with strong showings in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, but Biden rebounded in South Carolina and built on that success with a surprise Super Tuesday rout last week.

Sanders had been hoping to pull off a victory in Michigan, where his win four years ago lent much-needed credibility to his 2016 primary challenge of Hillary Clinton. The state is also vitally important since President Donald Trump’s win there was so narrow four years ago that Democrats are desperate to show they have the strength to flip it back.

Even as the contours of the

race took shape, however, the campaigns faced new uncertainty amid fears of the spreading coronavirus. Sanders and Biden both abruptly cancelled public events in Ohio that were scheduled for last night. Sanders’ campaign said all future events would be decided on a case-by-case basis, while Biden called off a scheduled upcoming stop in Florida. The Democratic National Committee also said that Sunday’s debate between Sanders and Biden would be conducted without an audience.

Yesterday marked the first time voters weighed in on the primary since it effectively narrowed to a

TRIUMPHANT: Joe Biden

two-person race between Sanders and Biden. It showed that Sanders had yet to really broaden his appeal among African Americans after earlier setbacks in the South on Super Tuesday. Biden, meanwhile, kept up momentum after a dominant South Carolina victory.

With 125 delegates at stake, Michigan got most of the attention. Trump won the state by only about 10,000 votes during the general election in 2016, his closest margin of victory between it, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the three states that gave Trump the edge in the Electoral College after Clinton won the popular vote.\

PUTIN BACKS TERM LIMIT FREEZE ALLOWING HIM TO STAY IN OFFICE MOSCOW Associated Press RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin yesterday revealed his tightly guarded political plans and supported a constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek reelection in 2024 by restarting the term count.

The constitutional change would pave the way for the 67-year-old Putin to stay in office until 2036, if he desires.

A lawmaker who is revered in Russia as the first woman to fly in space proposed either scrapping Russia’s two-term limit for presidents or stopping the clock so the law wouldn’t apply to Putin’s time in office.

The Russian leader and the lower house of parliament quickly endorsed the proposal put forward by 83-year-old former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. Kremlin critics denounced the move as cynical manipulation and called for protests.

IN CHARGE: President Putin Lawmakers also passed a set of constitutional amendments proposed by Putin that include defining marriage as a heterosexual union and language pledging homage to “ancestors who bequeathed to us their ideals and a belief in God.” In a speech to lawmakers debating the package of amendments, Putin opposed doing away with the presidential term limit but backed stopping the count and restarting it in 2024, if the Russian Constitution is revised. Putin’s second consecutive six-year term ends in 2024.

A nationwide vote on the amendments is scheduled for next month.