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BLOODY NIGHT 10-year-old boy dies, two more kids shot and another man killed A SHOOTING in a home in Bain Town left a ten-year-old boy dead and two other children in hospital last night, police said.

A man who was shot during the incident is also in hospital.

The shooting was one of two incidents that occurred within the span of about two hours last night. Around 11pm, police were called to a second homicide scene in Fox Hill.

Up to press time, details were limited on the incidents. Regarding the first matter, police said shortly after 9pm they were called to the scene of a shooting in Bain Town.

Four people — an adult male and three children whose ages range from seven to ten years old — were injured.

“In this incident here, we had four persons

shot,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash said.

“One of the males succumbed and there were two other males, juvenile males, who were also shot, along with an adult.”

Asked about the condition of the three victims in hospital, he said: “The victims who are in hospital are being treated for their injuries and we suspect they are serious injuries.”

ACP Cash said the victims were shot in their home. Police could not say if the incident was a domestic one, adding that officers were still investigating to determine the motive.

“We suspect that the kids are related but we don’t know the relationship of the adult male,” he said.

SEE PAGE TWO

SPINNING OUR WHEELS OVER MARIJUANA

SEE PAGE EIGHT

CW SAWYER MOVING TO UB CAMPUS

STUDENTS of C W Sawyer Primary School will be temporarily relocated to the University of the Bahamas’ campus to resume face-to-face classes on Monday.

The school is currently being renovated and as a result, students were receiving remote instructions.

In a joint statement issued yesterday, the SEE PAGE THREE

CRYSTAL CRUISES COMING IN JULY

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

A BODY is taken from the scene of a shooting in Bain Town last night. A ten-year-old boy died in the shooting, and two other children were injured, along with an adult.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

AFTER COVID-19 sparked a year-long halt of the cruise line industry, Crystal Cruises announced yesterday its vessel Serenity will be the first ocean ship to set sail in the Americas beginning with a Bahamian itinerary in early July.

SEE PAGE FIVE

SHANTY TOWN BATTLE LINES

By FARRAH JOHNSON AND RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporters AN urgent appeal was filed yesterday asking the court to consider extending a 2018 injunction barring the government from evicting shanty town residents and disconnecting services in their communities.

The move came as Minister of Works Desmond Bannister promised “relentless” and “decisive” action

MINISTER of Works Desmond Bannister in The Farm shanty town in Abaco in February. will be taken in an Abaco shanty town before the end of the month.

Attorney Martin Lundy

II said an application, filed in January 2020 by Respect Our Homes Ltd and 177 residents and occupants of shanty towns, “concerned a matter of urgency” because if it was not heard, there was a “real possibility” that the government would destroy or seize the homes of applicants in Abaco before the proceedings were heard and adjudicated upon.

SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

THE CLOCKS GO FORWARD AN HOUR ON SUNDAY

PAGE 2, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

10-year-old boy dies, two more kids shot and another man killed BODIES are taken from the scenes of the shootings in Bain Town, above, and in Fox Hill, below. A ten-year-old boy was killed in the first shooting in Bain Town, while a man was shot dead in the Fox Hill incident.

Photos: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff from page one He said the children’s mother and grandmother were in the house at the time of the shooting.

He appealed to anyone with information on this incident to contact police at 502-9991, 911 or 919.

The two killings last night pushed the country’s homicide count to 26 for the year, according to this newspaper’s records.

Davis: I didn’t tell S&P there’d be an election this year

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has denied telling Standard & Poor that The Bahamas will host an election this year.

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip “Brave” Davis made the claim that the agency had been alerted to an election during his contribution to the mid-year budget debate in the House of Assembly on Wednesday evening.

“The November 2020 report from Standard and Poor’s refers to a 2021 election in our country,” Mr Davis said.

“It seems as if the government is sharing information about election timing with rating agencies – information it has not yet shared

with the Bahamian public.”

The Standard & Poor’s ten-page report contains two references to an “upcoming election”. In one instance, the rating agency said it does not expect progress on fiscal reforms “given the ongoing pandemic and upcoming election”.

In another instance, it says: “The current economic environment and upcoming election in 2021 make difficult fiscal reforms unlikely in the short term.”

It is unclear if the comments are an error or if the rating agency was given reason to expect that an election will be held this year.

In the House of Assembly yesterday, Dr Minnis blasted Mr Davis and reiterated his position that the next general election is not due until May, 2022.

“(Mr Davis),” he said, “accused me of betraying my country when he said that I had discussed and informed Standard & Poor as to when elections will be held. That is an outright fabrication. Elections are not due until May of next year. When that changes, the Bahamian populace will know, be they given three weeks’ notice, four weeks’ notice, six weeks’ notice, they will know. But for all intents and purposes now, elections are due May of next year.

“If he, or Standard & Poor, can get into my brain or my head, then they would know exactly my thinking or what was my thinking. I want the member to withdraw that because I uttered no such information to Standard & Poor. I am not a betrayer, I do not double cross anybody.”

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 3

Activists seek court’s help to protect Abaco homes under threat

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net THE attorney representing shanty town residents in a judicial review centred on the demolition of unregulated communities yesterday filed an urgent appeal asking the court to consider extending the 2018 injunction that barred the government from evicting shanty town residents and disconnecting services in their communities.

Martin Lundy II said the application, which was filed in January 2020 by Respect Our Homes Ltd and 177 residents and occupants of shanty towns, “concerned a matter of urgency” because if it was not heard, there was a “real possibility” that the government would destroy or seize the homes of applicants in Abaco before the proceedings were heard and adjudicated upon.

He also asked the court to note that the applicants planned to rely on the third affidavit of Stephanie

St Fleur, the president of Respect Our Homes Limited.

In a copy of the court documents obtained by The Tribune, Ms St Fleur said the applicants were requesting an “urgent hearing” of their application to extend the injunction due to rising threats of the “imminent demolition” of Abaco residences by government officials.

She explained that 72 of the 177 applicants resided in shanty towns in Abaco and insisted that the 2018 injunction covered all of the land that was occupied by applicants on the island.

Referencing an affidavit filed by another applicant last year, Ms St Fleur stated: “On September 1, 2019, Category 5 Hurricane Dorian struck Abaco, causing significant damage to several communities, including ethnic Haitian organic communities. Since the storm, the respondents, along with other government actors, have made clear their firm intention to eradicate ethnic Haitian organic

communities in Abaco.

“In an attempt to justify this, the respondents have resorted to conflating questions of property ownership and building standards with issues of illegal immigration in a manner that continues to discriminate against the applicants who are Abaco residents, as well as other homeowners in the targeted communities.”

Ms St Fleur alleged the government claimed to be clearing up debris when they were actually destroying shanty town communities like the Mud, Sand Banks and Pigeon Pea “without regard to the property rights of the residents” — a move she claimed displaced “at least 2,387 persons”.

She also said they have made their plans to demolish all remaining homes in other unregulated communities like “The Farm” (also called Farm Road) clear.

“Over the last year, and particularly as political campaigning began in earnest at the beginning of 2021 amid speculation that an early

election may be called, senior government officials have again ramped up their public remarks regarding their intention to target and eradicate ethnic organic communities,” according to court documents.

“On February 8, 2021, Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister warned that the government would ‘immediately’ begin to deal with homes in The Farm, which he claimed had been recently constructed. I find it significant to note that in this instance, the Deputy Prime Minister’s complaints seem to be that the homes are too well constructed; precisely the opposite of the government’s earlier objection to structures in ethnic organic communities.”

Ms St Fleur said this fact suggests that the government’s ultimate goal was to destroy shanty towns “using whatever expedient justification may be at hand”. She said that recent statements from senior officials indicate that the government intends to proceed with the demolition of shanty town homes since they may

be under the impression that some residences “fall outside the current purview of the injunction”.

“In addition to the ravages of Dorian... many persons shared with me... that the government prevented them from returning to their homes to look for or retrieve their belongings and/or to save whatever possessions could be saved or were salvageable and/ or to return to many of their homes that were still habitable and or to make temporary repairs,” she said.

“To a very large extent, because of the hasty and deliberate government demolitions and denial of access, they were left homeless, destitute and dispossessed of their homes and belongings.”

Ms St Fleur said if the injunction is not extended to “protect all of the remaining existing ethnic communities in the Abacos”, “hundreds of persons would be destitute and homeless”. She also said the applicants would once again become the victims

of “irreparable loss and damage” as they will have nowhere to go.

She continued: “The government could be constructive instead of destructive. It could assist by providing utilities, conducting building inspections, providing sanitation services, sell the land to the occupants and make government revenue instead of being discriminatory, destructive and inhumane.

“In short, in my view, and the claim and the evidence filed thus far in this action makes clear, that it is procedurally unfair, discriminatory, inhuman and degrading to simply bulldoze hundreds of homes and put hundreds of poor people and their children out on the streets as homeless victims of an unconstitutional, discriminatory, anti-Haitian ethnic community government policy...Therefore, the court’s determination of the applicants’ application to extend the injunction is of the utmost urgency at this time.”

BANNISTER REVEALS ‘DECISIVE’ ACTION IS JUST WEEKS AWAY

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister yesterday promised “relentless” and “decisive” action will be taken in an Abaco shanty town before the end of this month.

“I am honoured that Cabinet has now given me a mandate with respect to that illegal housing community, The Farm, in Abaco,” he said during his mid-year budget contribution in the House of Assembly.

“Before the end of this month, you are going to see action starting and that action is going to be relentless to ensure, first of all, property of Bahamians is protected, their birthright; secondly, that the community is a safe community; (and thirdly,) that our water table is protected because we don’t know what is happening with our water table.

The Minister of Agriculture

ONE of the places where people in the Farm shanty town were living in February. has done studies and he has been very, very concerned.

What I have seen concerns me.

“I want to give notice, speaking now today, that there is going to be action, there is going to be decisive action in relation to that unregulated community.”

Mr Bannister’s comments

came as he was giving an overview of his ministry’s actions on various islands.

“My most unpleasant duty in Abaco,” he said, “was to go and look at the illegal housing community.

There are legal manoeuvres in the court and there are several injunctions in place.

One of those injunctions

says that nobody is to build any illegal housing anywhere in The Bahamas, any unregulated housing.

“When I go into these unregulated communities, I see open septic tanks, open, with health hazards; you see wires running haphazardly, you see generators around the community. It’s

frightening because you know what could happen.

People could be electrocuted. You know there could be fires. At the time when we visited, there was a dead body, a man who was killed by the vapours from his generator.

“My ministry is going to continue to work to ensure that where people live and build unregulated communities, quick action is going to be taken, and effective action. I’m not going to say anything else now, but you’re going to see the action that is going to be taken.”

This is the first time Mr Bannister has given a timeline for action with respect to The Farm.

In January, he told reporters the government was monitoring the construction of unregulated structures there, noting then that legal notices have been affixed to dwellings in the area.

He toured the area with a government delegation the next month, at the time pledging that the government will take the necessary action to deal with unregulated developments on the island.

Although it is not clear how many residents are currently living in The Farm, chairman of Treasure Cay local government Stephanie Hield has estimated that hundreds of illegal structures have been constructed there since Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

In January, Mr Bannister also said that the Farm shanty town could not be cleared because of a court order detailing how the government ought to proceed.

“I believe the Attorney General’s Office and the relevant authorities are seeking to get the appropriate authorisation so we can clear The Farm,” he said at the time.

CW SAWYER MOVING TO UB CAMPUS

from page one

Ministry of Education and UB announced the partnership, saying it will afford C W Sawyer students the experience of learning in a university environment.

The statement said as of Monday, CW Sawyer students, teachers and administrators will be accommodated in the C, D, E, F, G, and S blocks at UB’s Oakes Field campus until June.

School personnel will have access to UB’s Wi-Fi, and supervised access to open spaces and other facilities to support their educational and operational objectives.

“Since Tuesday, February 23, public schools in

New Providence, Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera have resumed face-to-face instruction under the hybrid model which includes onsite and virtual learning,” the statement said. “However, the C W Sawyer Primary School campus is currently being renovated while remote instruction continues. Given that the university remains in emergency remote teaching mode for the remainder of the Spring 2021 semester, senior administrators of the Department of Education, Ministry of Education and UB have been collaborating to provide access to on-site instruction for the students of C W Sawyer.”

School activities at UB’s campus will extend from Monday to Friday 8am to

4pm “in a safe and secure environment conducive for learning,” the statement said.

All COVID-19 health protocols, including the wearing of masks, accessible hand sanitizer dispensers, and physical distancing will be strictly enforced. The northern gate on Poinciana Drive leading to the Portia M Smith Building will be used for inbound and outbound traffic and parking will be restricted to that area.

“This partnership not only supports the learning of primary school and future university students in a higher learning environment, it also presents a novel opportunity for mutual cooperation to create new knowledge on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

POLICE SAY MISSING WOMAN IS FOUND A WOMAN who had been missing since last week was found yesterday in the Stapledon area.

Police were called after Nicola Sobiech, 43, came to a home in the area seeking help.

Police released a missing person’s poster for Ms Sobiech on Tuesday, saying

she was last seen in the area of Frederick Street on March 4.

In a Facebook post, a relative thanked members of the public who raised awareness of Ms Sobiech’s disappearance and asked for privacy now that she has been found.

“Now that she has been

found, I humbly ask that you would respect her privacy as well as the family’s privacy at this difficult time,” the relative wrote.

“Once again, thank you for your help and prayers.

Please continue to pray for Nicola as she recovers from this ordeal.”

POLICE HUNT FOR GRAND BAHAMA MAN

BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama Police are searching for a man who can assist them with investigations in connection with a grievous harm incident.

An all-points bulletin

flyer has been issued for Delroy Delano Shavargo Evans, also known as “Bags,” of Peridot Place, Coral Gardens.

He is about six feet tall, weighs 150 pounds, of average built. He has brown complexion and dark brown eyes.

Police said Evans should be approached with caution and is considered to be armed and dangerous. Anyone with information concerning his whereabouts is asked to contact police at 911, CrimeStoppers at 3521919, 350-3106/9.

on educational delivery and pedagogies,” the statement added.

Last month, the Ministry of Education resumed in person instruction at public schools in New Providence, Abaco, Eleuthera and Exuma. In person learning had previously resumed on other islands.

At the time, Bahamas

Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson said there were still issues, saying some 11 schools would not open in New Providence for face-to-face learning because of “incomplete school repairs”, or renovations that have not been addressed as yet.

She said these factors have “impeded” teachers

and students from getting back into the classrooms on their various campuses.

Later that month, Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd pointed to COVID-19 and funding issues to explain why repairs are still continuing at some schools.

Mrs Wilson did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.

PAGE 4, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

COVID-19 measures mean longer wait at US embassy

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN citizens and residents applying for visa appointments at the United States Embassy in Nassau will have to wait longer than usual to get an appointment as a result of new requirements brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, officials announced yesterday.

The embassy’s section consular chief for Nassau, Lance Posey said while all visa services at the agency have resumed, officials have had to limit the number of visa appointments in keeping with the current COVID-19 protocols.

In pre-COVID days, waiting times for visa appointments would usually be between five to ten days.

However, according to Mr Posey, for some visa categories, it can now take up to several months.

He said: “The US Embassy Consular Section with visas is open for business but wait times are much longer than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are currently accepting all applications for all visa categories and the visa requirements have not changed at all.

“As you could imagine, due to (the) COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing regulations, we are unable to conduct the same number of interviews per week that we were able to do before COVID and so our wait times currently depend on several factors including the type of visa category that someone may actually be applying for.”

He added: “We try to open new appointments whenever we can. We are constantly managing the

appointment calendar looking at the circumstances on the ground, how it’s related to COVID, how our staffing and everything works and opening new appointments as we are able. But for some visa categories, the wait time can be several months.

“This is a big change from what Bahamians and people that live in our consular district are used to when wait times pre COVID were five to ten business days and please note it’s probably going to be some time before we recover to pre COVID wait times for visa appointments. That’s going to be dependent on many factors including social distancing, our requirements - both the government of The Bahamas and the US Embassy.”

Mr Posey also revealed that prior to COVID, officials would usually conduct some 140 visa interviews Monday to Thursday.

However, he said that number has considerably declined since the pandemic and suggested the situation might not improve until the embassy returns to its normal operating procedures.

He told reporters: “Last year, in pre-COVID days, we did approximately between 100 and 140 visa interviews per day Monday through Thursday. Now we’re running like 75, two to three times a week. So, you could imagine that it’s created a wait time that is stretched out quite far but that’s generally where (we) are now.

“We hope to raise those numbers as we can increase our staffing and increase more time. The biggest problem that we’re faced with now is our waiting room. We have to run about 30 percent capacity in our waiting room for

social distancing reasons and therefore, we just can’t move the same number of people throughout our waiting room.”

With the impending roll-out of the country’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, he said officials are hoping things will improve and some normalcy will return.

For those questioning when might be a good time to apply for visa appointments, Mr Posey said: “We recommend that if you do not have urgent travel then we encourage you to wait until you’re ready to really travel but if you do have travel needs. We strongly recommend that you plan ahead.

“In those extreme urgent situations where people need an expedited appointment, we do have a mechanism for people to apply for expedited visa appointments…but we are only granting expedited appointments in very, very limited circumstances – medical needs, funerals and other emergencies.”

He also encouraged Bahamians who qualify for pre-clearance to utilise the visa free travel option through Lynden Pindling airport, especially those going on short trips for leisure. More information can be found at https://bs.usembassy.gov/ preclearance.

For those applying for student visas, he said the embassy continues to prioritise student visa interviews.

Last March, the US Embassy in Nassau cancelled routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments to help control the spread of COVID-19.

But, two months later, embassy officials began to resume some

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

the medical professionals will know,” Mrs BootleLaing said.

“So, we are awaiting the recommendations by the assessment team as to whether the cases that we would’ve seen on the dashboard are reflective of a cluster of persons through a family network or smaller community.

“Once the assessment team (has) provided more in depth information and advised the prime minister, then we would have had a better understanding on whether or not Abaco restrictions will be tightened or slackened.

“So for us, we’re hoping that restrictions are lifted but we’re hoping that it’s just a cluster of persons and with that there is no need for island wide restrictions but if that’s not it and there continues to be community spread, then we have an expectation that the

restrictions will be continued or tightened.”

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced a tightening of restrictions for the island, including a 8pm-5am curfew and new travel protocols due to rising infections there, particularly in Marsh Harbour and North Abaco.

Dr Minnis said the new measures will be enforced for a period of two weeks, which is expected to end next week.

It is not clear if the restrictions will be extended. However, The Tribune understands that health officials are currently on the ground assessing the community to determine if the current protocols are being complied with.

This comes after the co-owners of an Abaco lounge were ticketed $30,500 earlier this month for breaching COVID-19 Emergency Powers Orders

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL DEATHS

8,680 185 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES WEDNESDAY 22 CASES GRAND BAHAMA 14 NEW PROVIDENCE 6 BERRY ISLANDS 1 PENDING 1

TOTAL TESTS

70,861

HOSPITALISED

16

CASES IN ICU

1

RECOVERED

7,540

services, starting with student visa appointments.

Yesterday, Mr Posey said: “Since January of this year, we have been more in an operational setting or we’ve been trying to have a more routine visa operation going and we hope that continue to get more and more robust and we’re able

to open more and more appointments.”

Asked if officials found that many Bahamians were unable to meet the visa requirements like having a job due to the economic impacts brought on by COVID-19, he replied: “Our statistics don’t support that. Like

I said, our statistics (of) just visa interviews and the number of refusals for Bahamian citizens has not declined over the last couple of years. It’s stayed fairly steady, and we have not seen an uptick in the number of refusals over the last couple of years or months for that matter.”

by having nearly 100 people crammed into a space only meant to hold 24.

Yesterday, Mrs BootleLaing said while most people have been compliant with the protocols since then, they are some “isolated areas where people continue to socialise”.

Abaco’s Chamber of Commerce president, Ken Hutton also said he hopes residents will continue following all the health protocols as no one would

want the current restrictive measures extended.

“The reimplementation of the current restrictions has impacted some businesses particularly restaurants and stuff but overall I cannot say there’s been a significant impact on businesses overall,” he said.

“It would be unfortunate if it were to be extended… but I think we can live with it but certainly from the business community we certainly would not want

to see it expanded but the increase in the cases is concerning but I think there are other reasons for this spread because we saw the viral video on one of the local (businesses) where 90 people came out.

“So I think that those sort of locations certainly need some extra attention but in terms of slapping other restrictions on all of Abaco at this point in time, I think will be counterproductive.”

FEARS ABACO RESTRICTIONS COULD BE EXTENDED THE recent spike of positive cases on Abaco has left some residents concerned the island’s restrictions could be extended, further impacting post-Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts.

North and Central Abaco Administrator Administrator Terrece Bootle-Laing said it’s a situation officials are continuing to closely watch and hoping to receive word on soon.

Abaco recorded 12 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. There were no new infections recorded for Abaco on Wednesday, leaving its total count at 278.

“For us, we are watching the numbers ourselves and trying to get a grapple on the realities on the ground and whether or not these are not clusters of cases.

There are specifics that only

GOVT: NO CONCERN OVER VACCINES

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaking after the arrival of the first vaccines to The Bahamas.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

By RASHAD ROLLE Lithuania, Luxembourg, Meanwhile, Prime MinTribune Senior Reporter Latvia, Norway, Denmark ister Dr Hubert Minnis rrolle@tribunemedia.net and Italy are among the briefly discussed in the

countries that have sus- House of Assembly yesTHE Ministry of Health pended use of the vaccine. terday the freedoms fully said yesterday that the The Ministry of Health vaccinated people may be batch of AstraZeneca vac- said yesterday: “Health offi- able to enjoy. cines that arrived in the cials advise that the vaccines “The recommendacountry on Wednesday is received by The Bahamas tions,” he said, “is that different from those that on Wednesday, 10th March, once all individuals are sparked unsubstantiated 2021, are different from the vaccinated, for examconcerns in some Euro- batch reportedly used in the ple if all of us here in the pean countries about blood affected countries. entire Parliament have clots.

“The AstraZeneca vac- been vaccinated, then Several European nations cine received by The we can behave normally, have announced they will Bahamas has met all of the no mask, no social (distemporarily suspend use of requirements and standards tancing), nothing, we’re the Oxford-AstraZeneca as outlined in the World normal provided all of us vaccine after reports that Health Organisation’s pre- are (vaccinated), that’s the some vaccinated people qualification system, which recommendation. In terms developed blood clots. has provided emergency of restaurants, once there The concern surrounds a use listing. The vaccine is evidence that all have particular batch of vaccines has also received Carib- been vaccinated, then they that 17 European countries bean Regulatory System need no mask, they can received. The batch number certification. socialise, there’s no social is ABV5300.

“The Ministry of Health distancing, they can laugh, The suspension of the assures the public that they can dance, they can supply is a precaution- COVID-19 vaccines do whatever.” ary measure as no direct received by The BahaDr Minnis has said frontlink between symptoms mas will continue to meet line workers will start and the vaccine has been the stringent regulatory getting vaccinated next established. approval standards stated week, with trial runs schedAustria, Estonia, above.” uled for this weekend.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 5

CRYSTAL CRUISES COMING IN JULY from page one

Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar expressed excitement about this “moment of triumph”, saying it signified a “tipping point” for the nation after a year of despair and doubt.

Beginning in either Nassau or Bimini on July 3, a total of 16 Bahamas Escape seven-day cruises are planned. Serenity becomes the first ship to home port in The Bahamas.

Passengers can embark every Saturday in Nassau or Sunday in Bimini for the roundtrip cruises that will then sail to Harbour Island, Great Exuma, San Salvador and Long Island.

Jack Anderson, president and CEO of the cruise line, said this itinerary will continue until “at least October 2021” and noted passengers are required to be

immunised against COVID-19. A negative PCR test taken no more than five days prior to travel and a Bahamas travel health visa are also required.

With these stipulations in place the Tourism Minister said he has no concerns about a COVID-19 outbreak on Family Islands that had not been greatly affected by the virus.

“This is a milestone achievement – one we are most honoured to be part of,” Mr D’Aguilar said during a virtual conference call. “After a year of uncertainty, of despair, of doubt… Indeed, this may very well prove to be the tipping point – for our citizens, for our tourism industry, for our nation.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on tourism around the world, affecting cruise lines along with all other aspects of the tourism industry, and we have most

certainly seen the impact here in The Bahamas.

“Twenty-nineteen was a record-breaking year for visitor arrivals to our country, which included 5.4 million visitors arriving by cruise. Given that more than 70 percent of the government’s tax revenue comes from tourism, the return of cruising from partners like Crystal Cruises will bring much-needed economic relief to the country.

“The benefits of guest expenditures, crew expenditures and port fees will translate into dollars spent directly in our communities, delivering an equitable source of income for thousands of Bahamians. Each sailing to The Bahamas will go a long way in helping local businesses, excursion and tour operators on our islands to get back to work.

The opportunity for passengers to add on pre- and post- sailing

stays in The Bahamas will further increase tourism revenue as well.

“While this past year has shaken our tourism economy to its very core, the pandemic has in no way dampened the spirit of hospitality that stretches across our islands.”

He also said: “Nearly a year of planning has brought us to this moment of triumph. Our comprehensive COVID-19 response and streamlined travel protocols have enabled visitors to more seamlessly and safely enjoy their time in our country.

“As cases decline and more people become vaccinated, we are seeing COVID-19 slowly begin to loosen its grip on the world tourism industry, and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome back cruise passengers after a yearlong hiatus.”

For his part, Mr Anderson said the cruise line has seen much pent

up demand for The Bahamas Escapes itinerary, as he reiterated some of the features of the company’s safety protocols.

They’ve also made a decision to cap passengers at 900.

“Crystal announced, I believe it has been now almost two weeks, that vaccination depending on the brand one or both shall be required a minimum of two weeks prior to travel is our requirement for guests to travel.

“At the same time we are not yet backing down on any of the previously announced protocols such as the PCR test before travel, and antigen test upon embarkation. We will maintain social distancing and masks.”

He also said: “In fact for 2022 our current bookings are significantly ahead of the same time for 2019.”

Prices for the cruises start at $1,999 per guest and go on sale March 18.

Conflict and drug turfs blamed for murders

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash said yesterday that most homicides occurring in the country are because of conflicts or people who want to control drug turfs.

ACP Cash, with officials from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), held a press briefing on the latest crime trends.

While addressing the media, ACP Cash said police have solved the majority of the homicides which occurred this year.

They are following some significant leads with policing identifying a suspect in

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash. connection with the most recent killing in Pinewood.

Homicides were mainly concentrated in the south central area of New Providence — Bain Town and the Grove area.

“We found that most of these homicides are because of conflicts. It appears as if persons don’t let things go and they (are) always hell bent on retaliating,” ACP Cash said.

“We also can say that most of these homicides are occurring because of people who want to control turfs and small territories within the city for the sale of drugs and that as I mean they don’t want any competition from their illegal operations. So, we find that’s fueling a lot of the revenge and retaliation also outside of conflicts.”

Although officials could not say at the moment how this year’s murder count compared to last year so far, the murder count appears to be higher in 2021 according to The Tribune’s record.

The Bahamas saw 14 homicides around this time in 2020 while the count is at 24 homicides thus far in 2021.

The Grove, Englerston as well as Bain Town areas

were identified as where the majority of shooting incidents occurred this year.

According to ACP Cash, most of the victims were not strangers.

He explained: “We have noticed that in these shooting incidents most of the victims are associates. So much to say that we suspect that some of the victims are involved in gang activities, but I can say that thus far the investigation has concluded to a point where there are several individuals we are looking for that we suspect may be responsible for several of these incidents.

“With the armed robbery matters, similarly we’ve noticed that most of the armed robberies are occurring within the south central

division. Again that is the Grove and the Englerston areas. We’ve also noticed that there are several armed robberies occurring at small convenience stores and the additional ones are occurring on the streets.”

Head of CID Chief Superintendent Shanta Knowles later gave safety advice for the public to mitigate threats. She said companies should ensure CCTV is working and advised employees against making bank deposits.

Meanwhile, head of the DEU, Chief Superintendent Roberto Goodman revealed the unit has been observing over the past three years the increase of edible marijuana now infused in food items.

He called it “deceptive”

the way people are infusing these types of drugs in candies, cookies, brownies, and different types of cereals.

Chief Superintendent Goodman highlighted that young people have got their hands on these items.

“Our studies and our history have proven that in the schools we have young persons now engaging in using these items that have assembled here for y’all to see today,” he said, surrounded by some of the marijuana items.

Grand Bahama police reported earlier this week of a similar situation and warned residents of “the deceptive and illegal” distribution of marijuana edibles in packages that can be mistaken for legitimate snack product brands.

TURNQUEST: SPEED UP DECLARING HURRICANE VICTIMS DEAD

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

EAST Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest strongly appealed to the government to speed up the process of declaring missing Hurricane Dorian victims dead and also to assist many who continue to live in tents that are not suitable for long-term dwelling.

As he wrapped up debate on the mid-year budget in the House of Assembly last night, the former finance minister urged the Minnis administration to “provide

leadership” and address the issues.

He also said he understands there are about 40 domes sitting in a trailer in his constituency and questioned the hold up in getting them to those who need them.

Hurricane Dorian struck The Bahamas on September 1, 2019, as a Category 5 storm, killing more than 70 people in portions of Grand Bahama and Abaco.

Many more are listed as missing.

“These communities, Mr Speaker, despite efforts of the government will never

RAGGED ISLAND TO HAVE 95 PERCENT SOLAR POWER BY JUNE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister said yesterday that in early June, 95 percent of power in Ragged Island will be generated “from the largest, most modern solar field” in the country.

He was speaking during his mid-year budget contribution in the House of Assembly.

Mr Bannister said testing and commissioning for the solar project was supposed to be completed by the end of December 2020, but a technical glitch caused a delay.

“All the elements of the project have been installed at the sites and the EPC contractor, Solution Provider, independent engineers and BPL have identified two solutions to address the issue,” he said.

“Currently, the EPC contractor is getting quotes and timelines for the required equipment for each of these solutions. It is anticipated that this may require approximately 12 weeks to acquire an implement once identified.

“The integrated generator controls, solar panels, inverters, and battery storage have all gone through preliminary testing.

“Currently, the island is being supplied via conventional generation. This will be transitioned to the microgram solution once the required components are installed and the system commissioning completed.”

Explaining how the system would work, Mr Bannister said “the solar array will produce power into the grid that is used by the community” during the day and the “excess energy will be stored in the BESS (battery energy storage system) unit and the diesel generators would be off.”

“At night the BESS unit will release the stored energy into the grid to be used by the community.

“If the energy in the BESS unit starts to run low, it will send a signal to the generator controllers to start a generator to make up the shortfall in capacity.

“At current load levels on Ragged Island, it is anticipated that the generators would not have to run at all unless there are successive days of inclement weather.”

The government signed a contract in June 2019 with Tugliq Energy for the Ragged Island solar project.

After Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis promised to convert Ragged Island into a sustainable “green” community.

be the same,” Mr Turnquest said. “Mr Speaker, the experience of Dorian for those who lived it and continue to live it each day has been traumatic and heartbreaking.

“Families continue to grieve for loved ones particularly those still unclaimed or lost and presumed dead by family members not being able to have closure has been especially difficult.

“I call upon the government to deliver on its commitment to those families to speed up the process of declaring the missing

dead, so their families can get past this and bring closure, access the life insurance process to help sustain themselves, take possession of property and assets and otherwise handle their affairs.”

He continued: “Mr Speaker we all know what happened that day and every day we delay that process we are adding insult to injury and this don’t take no special powers. I am advised that the Coroner’s Court can do it. Taking the advice of my colleagues, the Coroner’s Court can do it but the Magistrate’s Court

can do it quicker. They can do the inquest quicker.

“Let’s do this.”

Mr Turnquest, who resigned his post as minister of finance amid controversy last November, said he couldn’t talk about the issues previously, but now that he is no longer in Cabinet he can address the concerns publicly. “(The) Golden Isles (MP) was right. Let’s provide leadership and I call on the Attorney General’s Office and Cabinet to please, please on behalf of those Bahamians who are suffering,” he also said.

Regarding living accommodations of survivors, Mr Turnquest said many of them have been living longterm in tents that were not designed for this kind of use.

“Rain come and wet them, sun come and dry them. Hot days have been smoldering…”

These people, he said, continue to cry for help.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was expected to wrap up last night’s debate, however Mr Turnquest said the nation’s leader asked him to do it instead.

PAGE 6, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

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There’s no single solution to shanty towns THE issue of shanty towns is one that has featured regularly in this column – and we don’t see a solution any time soon.

In today’s Tribune, you can read two different viewpoints on shanty towns.

Minister of Works Desmond Bannister, the Deputy Prime Minister, is pledging “relentless” and “decisive” action over an Abaco shanty town before the end of the month. Meanwhile, attorney Martin Lundy II is filing an appeal to extend an injunction barring the government from evicting shanty town residents and disconnecting services.

Let us be clear – shanty towns where people live in unsafe conditions and build on land without planning approval should not exist.

Let us also be clear about another fact – these shanty towns would not exist if there was not a demand for the skills of the people who live there.

The people living in The Farm shanty town in Abaco didn’t appear there as if by magic – indeed, without the workers living there, the progress of rebuilding Abaco after Hurricane Dorian would have been a lot slower.

Construction workers did not want to come to Abaco to help rebuild houses destroyed after Hurricane Dorian rampaged through. Why? There was nowhere to live. Nowhere to stay. And perhaps because the pay being offered – which shanty town residents accepted – wasn’t enough to encourage people away from New Providence.

In the absence of those workers, others came and started reconstruction – while putting up a roof over their own head on any bit of land they could find where they wouldn’t get tossed out right away.

Add to that those who were in Abaco already and were displaced by the storm, but were left largely to their own devices, and it’s no surprise people found a way to build some form of shelter.

The question now is if the government goes in and demolishes all these buildings, what is the plan to deal with a population being displaced all over again?

Where will these people go? Is there a plan to accommodate them in a safer environment, or does the government think they will magically go away and not just find another piece of land and put up a building?

Many of these residents have helped Abaco to rebuild when others would not – so do we try to toss out people who have skills we need and who are willing and able to work? If so, where does that leave those still trying to restore their damaged properties?

Absolutely, there should be efforts made to protect our borders and prevent illegal migration and catch people as they come in. But a solution that is simply to knock down the shanty homes and not think about where those people will go is no real solution. There has to be consideration of what happens next.

Otherwise, we’ll be writing another article in a few months’ time about another shanty town that has sprung up, and another pledge of strong action by the government.

Simply knocking the buildings down is not enough – we need to ask why those people are there in the first place, and what happens to them after the buildings are gone. Not just for the shanty town residents, but for the people who employ them and who might be left short as they try to recover from the storm.

Cruises return

Cruise ships are returning – and better yet, we are going to be the home port.

Crystal Cruises aims to start sailings in July, sailing from Nassau or Bimini.

That’s not just good news for the cruise ships, that’s good news for the country.

That will mean people flying in for their cruise. Some will stay in hotels before or after their sailings. Some will extend their stay to take in more of The Bahamas. It should be a win for everyone.

Safety measures are being put in place, but as vaccinations continue to roll out around the world, this will become a good money earner for the country for years to come.

It is disappointing therefore to see some of the reaction from some sectors of the tourism community to such news.

There are some who are turning their noses up at such visitors as the wrong kind for their business.

This is an opportunity that can benefit individuals, businesses and the country at large. If anyone can’t see that, then they might just miss the boat.

Prisoners in Zimbabwe EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS tearful that Prisons in Zimbabwe are generally overcrowded and dilapidated.

Prisoners are reportedly not given sufficient food, although the lack of food is not reportedly life-threatening.

Prisons have poor sanitary conditions and prisoners are vulnerable to infectious diseases.

Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa ignored prisoners in Zimbabwe living under horrible conditions with no running

water and face masks as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chikurubi Maximum Prison, the country’s biggest jail, was unfit for human habitation. The infamous jail must be closed.

Prisoners in Zimbabwe are living under harsh and life-threatening conditions owing to a cocktail of challenges faced by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services.

Prison conditions were harsh and life-threatening due to overcrowding, food shortages, and inadequate sanitary conditions

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and medical care, read the report.

“The Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) struggled to provide adequate food and sanitary conditions and worked with faith-based and community organisations to help address these problems. Conditions in prisons, jails, and detention centres were often harsh.

There were approximately 20,000 prisoners, spread across 46 main prisons and 26 satellite prisons. Prison guards occasionally beat and physically abused prisoners. Chikurubi Prison must be turned into a museum. It is not worth human habitation. The failure Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF government must resign from power.

KUDZAI CHIKOWORE London.

March 2021.

White privilege and slavery EDITOR, The Tribune.

“WHITE privilege” is a main tenet of institutionalised racism and has only been successful because of the desecration of accountability. This is but a minuscule reference of an obscene period in history.

Two thousand years ago, the competent authority capitulated to the mob and crucified an innocent man, Jesus the Christ. No one was held accountable.

The middle passage of the black slave trade that endured for over 400 hundred years, white hogs transported over 12 million blacks from Africa.

The conditions in the belly of the slave ships were so horrific and inhumane that more than two million slaves died during the journey. No one was held accountable.

Slavery was “technically” abolished in 1865.

The white hog slave masters were compensated for losing free black labour.

The black slaves who built America with their bare hands and many perished so doing…. got nothing! No one was held accountable!

In 1917 white hogs conducted a mass hanging of black soldiers for defending themselves from white rioters. No one was held accountable!

In 1921 a prosperous black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was called Black Wall Street. Jealous white hogs initiated a race riot leaving 300 dead and 8,000 wounded and homeless. No one was held accountable! In August 16, 1937, Annie Hawkins, a former slave was interviewed. She said: “I never had no white folks that was good to me. We all worked jest like dogs and had about half enough to eat, and got whipped for everything!” No one was held accountable!

In 1944 George Stinney was a 14-year-old skinny little black boy. He was framed for the murder of two white girls. He was tossed in jail in solitary confinement! His parents were prevented from seeing him.

The poor child had no idea why they were terrorising him. He was so small they had to sit him on phone books to fit him in the electric chair. Those depraved white hogs electrocuted this innocent child whose only crime was being black! No one was held accountable!

Another 14-year-old boy whose only crime was being black, was Emmitt Till. He was accused of offending a white woman in Mississippi in 1955. He was lynched in a most grotesque fashion by white hogs. His murderers were found not guilty by a jury of their white hog

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net peers. After the acquittal, they gleefully admitted to the sickening crime. They were heroes among their fellow white hogs. No one was held accountable!

In 1932, white hogs with medical degrees subjected unsuspecting black men to a syphilis study for the benefit of white science. No one was held accountable!

The Rev Dr Martin Luther King was an American civil rights leader.

An icon in the black community, a pastor, a consummate orator, a prince of a man, and a martyr.

He was despised by the white establishment. The problem? He was black and influential. He was under continuous illegal surveillance by white law enforcement at the highest level. J Edgar Hoover, that racist white hog and Director of the FBI, hated Martin intensely. Hoover framed him and harassed him with impunity. I’m convinced that the FBI and the DOJ conspired to have King assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Atlanta. No one was held accountable!

Not only were former slaves denied reparations, but the white hogs designed a system called red lining.

A discriminatory practice of putting services and finance out of the reach of black people. Generations of Black families have been cheated out of billions in wealth by this practice. No one has been held accountable There is compelling antidotal evidence that many white hogs benefitted handsomely from inventions that black individuals created, but never got credit for. No one was held accountable!

The trend is inescapable.

In all of the aforementioned atrocities the assailants/ perpetrators are known to the competent authorities. In fact, the competent authorities were the masterminds behind some of the murders.

So, from the advent of slavery to now, the white establishment have crafted and mastered a system, a labyrinth of laws, policies, and skullduggery that continues to benefit them at the exclusion of people of colour.

The brazen attack on Capitol Hill on Jan 6, 2021 has crystalized a festering sore to a puss head. True to form the white establishment, elected officials to the highest positions in America up to and including former President Trump, have aided, abetted and defended them. That venomous DNA from 400

hundred years ago is alive and well. A generational legacy of greed, loathsome dominance, and predatory malfeasance is their birthright! Their skins are white, but their hearts are dark!

I make no apology for calling them hogs, no normal human being could be so depraved and consumed with hate, they are the embodiment of evil.

Demons do exist, and these hogs are demons.

Satan equips and facilitates his minions very well. He imbues every fiber in their body with virulent hate and savagery. The NRA is a demonic organisation, small wonder they are so inextricably linked to the Republican Party. They are under the mark of the Beast.

Every year more Americans are being slaughtered by guns, but the GOP keep fighting to make gun ownership easier! A big gun is the white’s man absolute symbol of manhood! With a gun a white overseer could manage dozens of slaves in the field. Guns give them a false sense of superiority.

How many of them have the courage to confront a black brother without weapons? Guns are essential for the preservation of white supremacy, and the police to shoot and kill black people.

A more insidious plan for guns is to flood black ghettos with high grade weapons and sit back and watch as blacks slaughter blacks. It’s a spectator sport for them to enjoy, safely tucked away in their white enclaves, protected by white policemen. So long as the bloody carnage is contained to the ghetto, they marvel at how clever they are.

What makes this lack of accountability so egregious, is the fact that for hundreds of years the white hogs keep immaculate records. Slavery and slave labour was such a valuable commodity that they were insured. So, the records are still available for all to see…. but there will never be judicious accountability!

The holocaust happened 80 years ago. The Jews are still prosecuting the Nazis and holding them accountable. Well, I guess if the Jews were black, they would be in the same boat as the slaves and their lineage.

I by no means consider all white people as bad. In fact, I believe the majority of white people are good and decent. However, too many remain bigoted, racist hogs. America cannot move forward until systematic racism is reduced from politics in Capitol Hill to the police on the beat.

BRADLEY ARMBRISTER Freeport, Bahamas.

March 10, 2021.

L

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 7

Is it time to dump the Queen?

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net WITH Barbados set to remove the British monarchy as its head of state later this year, opinion seems to be split about whether The Bahamas should follow.

Anglican priest Father Sebastian Campbell said it is “a farce” for The Bahamas to think it is fully independent as long as it continues to hold on to the monarchy as its head of state.

“The monarchy should have been abolished a long time ago,” Father Campbell said when contacted by The Tribune.

“We are dragging our feet. I don’t know how come Barbados is leading us in this. We are not fully independent. That is a farce.

Independent countries should not be swearing allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen. Barbados will stop that. At least other countries are talking about it.

“We should be trying to separate ourselves even more now from the monarchy. We continue to support a system that is totally dysfunctional. A system that is marked with a lot of ills and we continued to hold on to it. The colonial system gave birth to slavery and lasted for 300 years.”

The issue of the

BRITAIN’s Queen Elizabeth II signing her annual Commonwealth Day Message inside St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, England, last Friday.

Photo: Steve Parsons/Pool via AP monarchy’s role in former British colonies has grabbed renewed attention after the bombshell interview Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, gave to American television personality Oprah Winfrey.

In the tell-all interview that aired on Sunday, Ms Markle said she contemplated suicide as a senior royal while pregnant with her son Archie. She claimed officials in “the institution” of the monarchy did not help when she sought assistance. Ms Markle, who is biracial, also felt the Royal Family and the institution — officials who run the palace — did not protect her from what she and her husband saw as racist attacks from Britain’s tabloid press.

She and Prince Harry also disclosed that while she was pregnant with her first child,

one Royal Family member had “concerns and conversations about how dark” Archie’s skin would be.

Prince Harry later clarified that these remarks were not made by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth nor his grandfather, Prince Phillip.

Ms Markle also suggested Archie was not given a royal title due to his racial heritage.

In a statement released this week, Queen Elizabeth said the issues on race raised

by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are “concerning”. She said while “some recollections may vary,” they are taken seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

Meanwhile, Fr Campbell said the colonial style of governance that we currently practice is the worst form of mind enslavement.

He thanked Prince Harry

and his wife for pulling the veil back on the institution.

Fr Campbell continued: “The ugly side of it has always been there but thank God for Harry and Meghan’s story which is really bringing it to light. They are still bogged down with racism.

That comes out so clearly and we continue to worship this thing (the monarchy).

“Mia Mottley and Barbados is a good example to follow. She is mentally liberated and has been pushing for this for a long time from when she was minister of culture. When we have such a mindset at the top, it makes a big difference. We look forward to future leadership who would really and truly continue to run with this.”

The Tribune asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield for his view.

He responded, “Sorry, no comment at the moment.”

For his part, chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, Senator Fred Mitchell said although his party has no real policy on the monarchy, he personally feels it should be done away with. He is disappointed that this current generation is not anti-monarchist.

Senator Mitchell said: “There is no policy by the PLP on the abolition of the monarchy. I and others like Alfred Sears, QC, have long said the monarchy is a quaint anarchism that

should fall away. I have personally led the discussion on this matter for over three decades and it is a tiresome subject to me now. As Michael Manley used to say ‘it’s impatient of debate.’

“I have wondered what philosophical issue would engage this generation beyond idle gossip on social media. I had hoped by now that someone from this generation would have been inspired to adopt the antimonarchist cause but alas — and this is a typical old man’s lament — I fear it does not ignite the more noble minds of my successors. I continue to urge them to adopt the idea. I will continue to lobby for its adoption.”

Unlike Senator Mitchell, former FNM Free National Movement Cabinet minister Maurice Moore feels the relationship with the British has its benefits.

Mr Moore said, “As far as I am concerned I don’t think we should move away from the monarchy. There must be some benefits, not a whole lot, to the relationship. It is a positive. I think it will help us more than hurt us at this stage. I don’t think us cutting Britain loose will be of any help. We should keep that relationship.”

Maurice Tynes, former clerk of the House of Assembly, said approval was given to Barbados a long time ago to have its own head of state.

“My opinion is that I thought we ought to have made the step to separate ourselves from the monarchy a long time ago,” Mr Tynes told The Tribune.

“Just for people’s dignity I thought we ought to go with the evolution of our democracy. It’s the next step. This is something that we ought to have done a long time ago.

“Barbados passed the law almost 20 years ago for permission for them to change the constitution, but they didn’t do it all at once.

They are doing it in stages.

So that approval was given years ago to make that move.”

By November, Barbados will remove the monarchy as its head of state coinciding with that Caribbean island’s 55th anniversary of independence. It is the just the latest country in the region to make inroads to become a republic. In 1970, Guyana cut ties with the Queen as its head of state, followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976, and Dominica in 1978.

Like the countries it follows, Barbados will remain a part of the Commonwealth.

The Queen’s role as head of state is largely considered to be ceremonial, however she is represented by a Governor-General who carries out duties on her behalf.

RETRIAL ORDERED FOR MAN ACCUSED OF TRYING TO KILL COP

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE Court of Appeal yesterday ordered the retrial of a man who was acquitted of attempting to murder a police officer four years ago after the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the judge’s decision to uphold his no case submission.

In June 2016, two police officers were dispatched to a street in the Pinewood Gardens community. When they arrived, they saw Shannon Wilson and another man standing in the area.

According to court documents, one of the men, who matched the description the police were given, attempted to run away when he noticed the officers. When the officers gave chase, the man turned and

aimed a silver and black firearm in the direction of Detective Constable 3569 Kendrick Brown. In response, Officer Brown fired at Wilson and shot him in the back of his left thigh. Wilson was later arrested and charged with attempted murder after Officer Brown identified him as the person he saw and chased, and who pointed the firearm at him.

Wilson’s trial began on May 1, 2019. The defence submitted that there was no case to answer. On May 13, 2019, a Supreme Court judge upheld the no case submission, withdrew the matter from the jury and directed them to return a verdict of “not guilty”.

Three days after the ruling was made, the Director of Public Prosecutions filed an appeal against the

judge’s decision on the grounds that it was “erroneous on points of law”.

Yesterday, Justices Sir Michael Barnett, Jon Isaacs and Milton Evans granted the DPP’s appeal and remitted the case back to the Supreme Court for a retrial to be heard “on the earliest date that the court’s calendar may afford”.

In their judgment, they noted that the trial judge was “influenced by the fact” that Wilson did not fire the handgun after he pointed it at Officer Brown.

In their ruling the panel stated: “The judge ought to have found that as a matter of law the acts of the respondent were sufficiently proximate to amount to an attempt to murder Constable Brown; and then to have called upon the respondent to lead a defence.

“Additionally, the judge was satisfied that because he determined that the offence of attempted murder had not been made out, and because the firearms offences had not been charged initially, that it was not competent for the alternative firearm offences to be put to the respondent. However, Section 114 of the Criminal Procedure Code makes

provision for such a case.

There are no words limiting the generous ambit of sub-section 3 of section 114. As such, the judge should have considered that any lesser offence disclosed on the facts of the case may support a conviction on that lesser offence notwithstanding that the defendant had not been charged with that offence.”

Justice Isaacs said in view

of these facts, the panel was “satisfied” that the judge “fell into error” when he ruled that the offence of attempted murder had not been made out on the prosecution’s evidence.

“The matter is remitted to the Supreme Court for retrial of the respondent on the charge of attempted murder on the earliest date that court’s calendar may afford,” he stated.

MAN THREATENED MOTHER OF HIS CHILD

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 33-YEAR-OLD man who was last week accused of threatening his ex-girlfriend with a boxcutter was yesterday placed on probation for two years.

Police arrested Luckner Fraizer after the mother of his children told them that he “produced a knife” when the two of them got into an argument at her residence on March 4.

He pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a deadly weapon when he appeared before Magistrate Samuel Mckinney.

The court heard the complainant and her six children were home around 5.10pm that afternoon when Frazier entered the home unlawfully and demanded the woman to give him his money back. The prosecution said when she refused, the defendant produced a knife which prompted her

to call police. After his exgirlfriend made the call, Frazier left the premises.

However, the woman still gave a statement to officers and requested police action.

The accused was arrested a few days later. He denied the allegations in an interview with police.

Yesterday, Frazier told the magistrate his ex-girlfriend had told him that she needed money to buy their children shoes to go back to school. He said he gave her the money and told her that they could go and purchase the shoes when he got off from work that afternoon.

However, Frazier claimed later that day when he spoke to his ex-girlfriend, she told him she was not going with him anymore because she was going out with her friends. He said when he asked the woman to give him the money so he could purchase the shoes himself, she refused. Frazier said as the two of them were arguing, their son ran

past with a boxcutter so he took it from him so the little boy would not hurt himself.

The defendant said when his ex-girlfriend saw the object in his hand, she told him she was going to call the police. He insisted he never put the weapon in the woman’s face and claimed he did not trespass on the property since he went there to see his children.

After listening to his explanation, Magistrate McKinney told Frazier even though the complainant was the mother of his children, if he went to her home lawfully and behaved in a way that “cancelled out” his lawful entry, his conduct could very well make him a trespasser.

As a result, he placed Frazier on probation for two years. He also ordered the defendant not to trespass on his ex’s property or threaten her directly or indirectly.

Magistrate McKinney said if he breached the orders, he would be sentenced to nine months in prison.

FOUR FOUND WITH DRUGS AND GUNS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FOUR people were found with marijuana, firearms and ammunition at a Lucaya residence on Grand Bahamas this week, police reported.

Supt Terecita Pinder said DEU officers executed a search warrant shortly after 11pm on Wednesday at a residence on Pink Pearl Drive, at Fortune Bay. During a search, officers discovered a quantity of hydroponic marijuana, an

extended 9mm magazine, a Glock magazine, a black Tech-9 semi-automatic weapon with a magazine containing 18 rounds of ammunition and a Smith and Wesson magazine.

As a result, four adults, two men and two men, were arrested.

In other crime news, DEU officers confiscated drugs found in a backpack.

According to reports, shortly before 3pm on Wednesday, officers were on routine patrol on Queen’s Highway in the Deadman’s Reef area

where they observed two male occupants riding a red and white dirt bike with no license plate attached.

Officers beckoned for the driver to stop, but the driver sped off and the passenger was observed discarding a backpack.

Supt Pinder said the occupants were able to evade the officers, who then went back and retrieved the backpack. On searching it, they discovered 1.5 pounds of suspected marijuana, with a street value of $1,500. Investigations are continuing into this matter.

LATORA RODRIGUEZ, customer service representative at 700 Wines and Spirits on Shirley Street.

NEW BRAND OFFERS ZERO ALCOHOL OPTION COMMONWEALTH Brewery Limited (CBL) presents its latest and most exciting innovation, Heineken 0.0, an alcoholfree malt beverage brewed with a unique recipe for a distinct, balanced taste – with only 69 calories per bottle.

Heineken’s Master Brewers created the new zero-alcohol option using only natural ingredients, resulting in a brew for beer lovers, by beer lovers.

“Heineken 0.0 is the perfect addition to a beer drinker’s portfolio, allowing them to do more without giving up the drink they love. In fact, this inspired

the brand’s introductory campaign, NowYouCan,” said Waylon McHardy, Heineken Brand Manager at CBL. “NowYouCan showcases a range of unconventional occasions – those moments which might call for a great tasting beer, but not for the alcohol,” he stated that NowYouCan have a guilt free, ice cold Heineken 0.0 with breakfast or at lunch; while running errands or during an afternoon meeting.

Heineken 0.0 is brewed from scratch and has a perfectly balanced taste with refreshing fruity notes and a soft, malty finish. Heineken 0.0 brings an incredible beer

taste to the non-alcoholic space and opens a world of opportunity for people to come together and enjoy a brew that expands drinking occasions.

“This world class beer has been successfully launched in more than 84 countries and with health and wellness now a key priority for many consumers, the desire for a beverage that contains less sugar and calories has grown significantly,” stated McHardy.

Heineken 0.0 is now available in 700 Wines and Spirits nationwide, as well as a variety of other outlets including local gas stations and food stores.

PAGE 8, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

MARIJUANA plants grow at a makeshift camp outside the Senate building in Mexico City, in November last year. Mexican marijuana activists camped outside the Senate, growing a crop of marijuana plants and smoking it as a way to pressure the government into legalising recreational cannabis.

Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP

While The Bahamas dithers, Mexico is marching ahead AS JAMAICA continues to work out the kinks, we here in The Bahamas continue to spin our wheels in the mud with no concrete decision in place regarding the legalisation and decriminalisation of medicinal and recreational marijuana (cannabis) nor the establishment of the hemp industry.

There has been a lot of pontification on the matter from both the present administration and her majesty’s loyal opposition, with no definitive plan or laws in place.

Only tons of posturing with very little tangible ideas moving forward.

Meanwhile, Mexico has taken the bull by the horns, and is on the verge of cornering the market in the region, while they continue to move at a “stoner’s” pace.

VIVA MEXICO Mexico turned heads this week with the news that, legalising and

A Comic’s View

By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA

decriminalising recreational cannabis is seriously being considered and very close to being enacted.

The Mexican House supports it, and the president Andrés Manuel López Obrador is expected to sign it into a law.

While the bill still has to make it through the Senate, it is expected to pass, as the MORENA party, who are pro-cannabis, also control the Senate.

“One of the most important aspects is that the National Commission Against Addictions will have the mandate of the regulation of the industry,” Jorge Rubio Escalona, local industry insider and Nabbis Group Co-Founder, explained about the new

regulations. “The Ministry of Agriculture will regulate seeds, hemp and growth planning.”

Mexico has also announced what the potential cannabis laws will be, if passed.

THE RULES AND REGULATIONS The National Seed Agency will regulate all seeds, which will be allowed for personal grows, collective grows, retail, and research.

Hemp will be categorised separately.

Collective grows will consist of two to 20 people with a limit of 50 plants per

group, and no option for reselling.

Regulations also control how labeling and branding will work.

Additionally it creates and enforces rules for manufacturing, producing, and commercialising hemp.

There will be licences available for production, sale, distribution, extraction and research.

The Competence Commission will grant all licences and will look at oversaturated areas of the market.

In conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Competence Commission will define grows as either indoor or outdoor and register them accordingly.

There are also regulations in place for how cannabis will be marketed and advertised, if and when the legal industry is established.

Presently it prohibits mail and phone selling of cannabis as well as vending machines.

As the bill continues through the judicial

process, these rules will be considered and amended as necessary.

“The next step is to send the Law to the Senate Chamber; they will accept the changes done in the Deputies Chamber and send the Law to the Presidential Office to wait to be signed and published in the National Official Gazette, after that, the most important process is the creation of the Bylaw which is the implementation details and deadlines.

They expect to start the permits and licenses process in 2022,” Escalona said in a recent press conference.

While overall, advocates remain hopeful, there is still some resistance from those who are concerned about the cannabis industry and what that will mean for Mexico.

“Most of the legislative interventions focused on serious concerns for harm reduction for youth and children,” Escalona also said.

“Some political groups voted against the law to protect young people for cannabis consumption.

Another concern was the mandate to the National Addictions Prevention Commission, which is not a regulatory body, with no experience in granting licenses, budget and administrative people to regulate and enforce. However, I think that as long as there is education, this can be changed,” Escalona added.

Mexican society has a huge stigma with marijuana (cannabis) because it was related to drug cartels and crime. The lack of education makes families and parents afraid of cannabis consumption, so it will be a challenge to make information campaigns about the plant.

The good news is, the decriminalisation of possession and consumption is on the horizon.

Again could the present administration please stop politicking and pass it already... the bill that is!

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 9

Just when we thought we were helping the planet L

OTS of things break down.

Cars and trucks break down for sure.

So do bikes, boats, fork lifts, just about anything mechanical. Even the body breaks down. And sadly, sometimes, once promising personal relationships break down.

But it turns out that the one thing we pinned our hopes on just a few short years ago, believing when it broke down it would be beneficial, may have let us all down.

That’s the biodegradable shopping bag.

It’s interesting to look back to get an idea of what we thought we were looking forward to. We don’t have to look very far, just back to the end of 2019 when the country got serious about a ban on single use plastics, including the grocery bag the food store would supply, alleviating us of the trouble of carting our own durable shopping bags.

Bags We knew some countries had moved past single use plastics and we saw the reasoning, yet we confessed to some resistance. Lo and behold, along came the biodegradable bag and the store could continue supplying us, sparing us the trouble of remembering to drag our own bags into the store, load into the car, take into the house, unpack, clean or wipe down, take back out to the car, into the store and repeat the exercise.

The hope for the biodegradable bag came just in time. In late 2019, the country passed the Control of Plastic Pollution Bill which took effect the following January, banning the use of single use plastic and Styrofoam.

The progressive single use plastics ban legislation made for good intentions and strong headlines, placing The Bahamas high in the rarefied air of coun-

right out of the headlines.

Meantime, after getting our lickings for environmental abuse, we had adjusted surprisingly well.

We were masked and we were carrying our own bags for the most part and the single use plastic grocery bag had gone the way of a gathering with unmasked people sharing a punch bowl.

But still that alternative was surfacing. Some

“In experiments over a five-year period beginning in 2015, the team of researchers studied biodegradable products and discovered the obvious: biodegradable applies to animal and plant processed products or materials which return to their organic state by the introduction of micro organisms like a fungus or bacteria.

But no fungus or bacteria will break down metal, glass or, you guessed it, plastic.” tries that care. We could boast about being a shark sanctuary and a protector of sea turtles and now we were saving our environment from the toxic waste of plastic.

There was little time to gloat. Along came a China-born virus which almost overnight blew up into a global pandemic and knocked lesser news like a ban on plastics

stores were offering what seemed like a return to shopping normalcy at a time when we craved it, providing biodegradable bags. It was the kind of marketing that would connect with anyone who searches for the word organic before looking at what else a food product has to offer. Biodegradable excited a positive knee-jerk reaction. Why

wouldn’t it with a name that held so much promise?

Only it didn’t deliver.

It broke down. That part of the promise was good as gold. But the pieces it broke down into would only break down into even smaller pieces and those pieces into even smaller pieces ad infinitum. Tiny plastic particles would cause greater potential danger to birds at the landfill who mistook them for food. They flutter, land helter-skelter, never fully returning to the state of organic matter.

Plastic would always be plastic.

We should have known, but it took British scientists at Plymouth University to prove the point.

In experiments over a

five-year period beginning in 2015, the team of researchers studied biodegradable products and discovered the obvious: biodegradable applies to animal and plant processed products or materials which return to their organic state by the introduction of micro organisms like a fungus or bacteria.

Studies But no fungus or bacteria will break down metal, glass or, you guessed it, plastic. In case you have any doubts about how thorough the research was, the graduate team that conducted the studies buried different types of materials they studied in various types of

environments including immersing them in water, burying them in soil and exposing them to outdoor air.

The results were the same – that which started out as organic material could be broken down and biodegrade but metals, glass and plastic could not be coerced into biodegrading by colliding with fungi or bacteria.

My ‘study’ (see photo) was hardly scholarly. I had a few ‘biodegradable’ bags that I had forgotten about inside a cloth bag in a broom closet and when I cleaned it out a year later, the green that floated out was all the proof I would ever need to continue to thank environmentalists who started and stuck with the plastics ban movement.

Baby and Mama will not be sleeping on the floor thanks to your kindness

T

Blot on the landscape BUSINESS is at an apparent alltime low, but this eyesore remains highly visible on East Bay Street.

What more does it take to have a site condemned or force a property owner to clean up a derelict space that could easily pose a health and safety hazard, including a haven for sexual assault.

Maybe the same attention that drove the clean-up of a lot on Shirley Street this week could be brought to this wreck near the Paradise Island bridge.

Surely, we have more pride than this.

The kindness of Bahamians cannot be measured except through

tears of joy knowing there is so much good in the world we live in and nothing, not even the worst pandemic in history, can destroy the desire to help.

Thank you each and every one of you who made life a little easier and a lot brighter for Alysha and baby Kamala-O.

he first time I heard about the woman we called Alysha I thought if I told her story, or a small piece of it, someone might respond but I never expected the kind of overwhelming kindness that Bahamians demonstrated even in times as tough as these for many of you who found a way to give a little or a lot.

Here’s what I wrote in the second reference to her, a column that was published two weeks ago.

If you want to measure the impact of COVID-19, you can find in the bare cupboards at Alysha’s apartment. Or the empty space where the refrigerator used to be before she had to sell it to help keep a roof over her children’s heads. The signs of the pandemic are everywhere in this space – the stove parts on top of the pulled apart appliance that only needs $153 to make it work again, but right now in Alysha’s world, $153 might as well be a thousand.

We told you about Alysha (not her real name) a few weeks ago, a woman who was about to give birth and would be sleeping on the floor with her baby because through no fault of her own, a virus swept through the world and took with it the job she had at Baha Mar for the last seven years.

Thanks to you, Alsysha’s life is so much better. A stranger secured the part for her car so she can now get to work when maternity leave is over. Someone else donated a stove and a technician installed it without charge. An anonymous team provided blankets and furniture. Another person helped with her rent and another with her BPL bill so the power would not be turned off.

PAGE 10, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

EU REGULATOR RECOMMENDS USING J&J’S ONE-SHOT VACCINE LONDON Associated Press

THE European Medicines Agency yesterday gave the green light to Johnson & Johnson’s onedose coronavirus vaccine, handing the European Union’s 27 nations a fourth vaccine to try to speed up the bloc’s much-criticised vaccination rollout.

The EU medicines regulator advised that the vaccine be cleared for use in all adults over 18 “after

a thorough evaluation” of J&J’s data found the vaccine met the criteria for efficacy, safety and quality.

“With this latest positive opinion, authorities across the European Union will have another option to combat the pandemic and protect the lives and health of their citizens,” said Emer Cooke, EMA’s executive director.

The EMA has already recommended COVID-19 vaccines made by PfizerBioNTech, Moderna and

AstraZeneca — but all of those vaccines require two doses, several weeks apart.

Production delays have also plagued all three vaccine manufacturers.

In its statement, the EMA said the J&J vaccine was about 67 percent effective. The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, headache, tiredness, muscle pain and nausea.

The European Commission quickly granted a conditional marketing

authorisation to the vaccine.

“The entry on the market of the (J&J) vaccine ensures that we have access to a total of up to 1.8 billion doses of approved vaccines from different technology platforms,” Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said.

The US Food and Drug Administration gave an emergency authorisation to the J&J shot in late February. Health experts hope that having a one-dose

vaccine will speed efforts to immunise the world against COVID-19, especially given the recent infection spikes in Europe driven by worrying new variants.

The EU has struggled to quickly roll out shots and immunize its most vulnerable citizens. It ranks far behind countries including Israel, Britain, Chile and the US. J&J said it has committed to providing the EU with its pre-ordered 200

million doses starting in the second quarter.

“The greatest barrier to rolling out the vaccines so far has been the availability of vaccines,” said Dr Peter English, who previously chaired the British Medical Association’s Public Health Medicine Committee. “This new addition can only add to the quantity of vaccine available in the EU, as well as providing another alternative if there are hitches with the supply or use of other products.”

Prince William defends UK monarchy against racism accusation LONDON Associated Press PRINCE William insisted yesterday that his family is not racist as he became the first British royal to speak out about accusations of bigotry made by Prince Harry and Meghan, his brother and sister-in-law.

William made the comments in response to questions shouted at him by reporters during a visit to an East London school.

While members of the royal family often ignore such queries, William used the opportunity to address the explosive allegations that have rocked the monarchy.

“We’re very much not a racist family,” William, 38, said as his wife, Kate, walked by his side.

Buckingham Palace is struggling to quiet criticism after Harry and Meghan alleged that the duchess was the victim of racism and callous treatment during her time as a working member of the royal family. The palace tried to respond to the charges, made during an interview with US TV host Oprah Winfrey, with a 61-word statement that critics called “too little, too late”.

William, second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, made the comments during a visit to School21 to mark students’ return to classrooms following a national lockdown.

Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, walked away from royal duties last year and moved to California, saying they wanted to escape the intrusive British media and live a normal life.

Meghan, who is biracial, said in the interview that she was so isolated and miserable as a working member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. She also said Harry told her that member of the royal family had expressed “concerns” about the color of her baby’s skin before the birth of their son, Archie.

Thirty-six hours after the comments were first aired Sunday, the palace issued a written statement in the name of Queen Elizabeth

II, Harry’s grandmother.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the palace said. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.

While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.’’

The allegations — and the palace’s response — have touched off conversations around the world about racism, mental health and even the relationship between Britain and its former colonies.

The revelations stood in stark contrast to the hopes many had when Harry and Meghan wed that the glamorous former actress would help the monarchy relate to young people in an increasingly multicultural nation.

And William’s brief remarks further disappointed commentators like Nikesh Shukla, author of “Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home.”

Shukla said William’s comments offer “a defensive bulletproof shield rather than a discussion about racism.”

“Having something that you’ve said be pointed out as racist is really uncomfortable, but it’s what you do next that counts,” he told The Associated Press.

“And what I’ve seen the royal family has done ... is instead of interrogate that racism, they’ve said, ‘We are not a racist family,’ which is a very hard thing to move forward from.”

Others have criticised the palace for trying to handle the issue privately, saying the monarchy is supported by taxpayer money and such an important issue should be dealt with in public.

Britain is a constitutional monarchy, and the royal family is legally barred from trying to influence public policy. But the monarchy continues to be a symbol of national unity, especially under the leadership of the queen, who has reigned since 1952.

PRINCE William during a visit to a school in east London yesterday.

The interview also revealed tensions between Harry and William, who had long been seen as close and who supported each other after the death of their mother, Princess Diana.

When asked about his relationship with William, Harry said: “Time heals all things, hopefully.”

William said Thursday that he hadn’t yet spoken to his younger brother since the interview, “but I will do”.

• Britain’s royal family is smarting from its depiction in Meghan and Harry’s explosive TV interview as aloof, uncaring and tinged with racism. But the couple identified an even bigger villain: the British media, which they accused of racist bullying and personal attacks.

Many in the media argue that although some tabloids occasionally go too far, journalists play a vital role holding Britain’s taxpayer-funded royal family to account. But some British journalists, especially

those from minority backgrounds, hope the interview will trigger a long-overdue reckoning with media misbehavior and lack of diversity.

Marcus Ryder, professor of media diversity at Birmingham City University, said it was too glib to speak of “watershed moments”.

“But I would suggest that this is a moment which will help shape the industry,” he said.

In the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan accused British tabloids of “attacking and inciting so much racism” against her. Harry depicted a toxic relationship between monarchy and media, saying the royal family was “scared” of the tabloid press.

The allegations stirred a passionate response that has toppled two senior British media figures.

Talk show host Piers Morgan, a familiar TV face on both sides of the Atlantic, quit “Good Morning Britain” amid an outcry over his comments about

Meghan, particularly her description of mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts.

Morgan told viewers on Monday that “I don’t believe a word she says.”

His comments drew more than 41,000 complaints to Britain’s media regulator. Morgan walked off the “Good Morning Britain” set on Tuesday when another presenter challenged him, and quit the show later the same day.’

The furor has also claimed the job of Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors.

The new media umbrella group released a strongly worded defense of the press after Harry and Meghan’s interview, saying “the UK media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account”.

That prompted a backlash. Top editors of The Guardian, the Financial Times and HuffPost UK took issue with the statement, while 160 reporters and editors signed a letter

Photo: Justin Tallis/Pool via AP saying the Society of Editors was “in denial” about racism.

ITV News anchor Charlene White, the first Black woman to present the network’s main evening news program, pulled out of hosting the society’s annual Press Awards, saying the organisation asked her to get involved to improve its diversity but failed to live up to its words.

“Since the Black Lives Matter movement really took hold in the U.K. last year, every single institution in this country has had to finally look at its failings and its position in terms of how they treat ethnic minorities both inside and outside of its walls,” White told the society in a statement. “But for some unknown reason, you feel as though the UK press is exempt in that discussion.”

On Wednesday, Murray stepped down, acknowledging his statement “could have been much clearer in its condemnation of bigotry and has clearly caused upset”.

JUDGE OKS 3RD-DEGREE MURDER CHARGE FOR COP IN FLOYD DEATH MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press

A JUDGE yesterday granted prosecutors’ request to add a thirddegree murder count against a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death, offering jurors an additional option for conviction and resolving an issue that might have delayed his trial for months.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill reinstated the charge after the former

officer, Derek Chauvin, failed to get appellate courts to block it. Cahill had earlier rejected the charge as not warranted by the circumstances of Floyd’s death, but an appellate court ruling in an unrelated case established new grounds.

Chauvin already faced second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

Legal experts say the additional charge helps prosecutors by giving jurors another option to find Chauvin guilty of

murder. Cahill told potential jurors after the ruling that he still expects opening statements on March 29.

The dispute over the third-degree murder charge revolved around wording in the law that references an act “eminently dangerous to others”. Cahill’s initial decision to dismiss the charge noted that Chauvin’s conduct might be construed as not dangerous to anyone but Floyd.

But prosecutors sought to revive the charge

after the state’s Court of Appeals recently upheld the third-degree murder conviction of another former Minneapolis police officer in the 2017 killing of an Australian woman.

They argued that the ruling established precedent that the charge could be brought even in a case where only a single person is endangered.

Arguments over when the precedent from former officer Mohamed Noor’s case took effect went swiftly to the state’s

Supreme Court, which on Wednesday said it would not consider Chauvin’s appeal. Cahill said Thursday that he accepts that precedent has been clearly established.

“I feel bound by that and I feel it would be an abuse of discretion not to grant the motion,” he said.

Floyd was declared dead on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against the Black man’s neck for about nine minutes. Floyd’s death sparked sometimes violent

protests in Minneapolis and beyond, leading to a nationwide reckoning on race.

Jury selection resumed yesterday for the third day as attorneys grappled further with the challenges of seating an impartial and diverse jury in such a high-profile case. The jury by mid-afternoon Thursday included five men and one woman. Cahill said three are white, one is multiracial, one is Hispanic and one is Black.

SPORTS PAGE 12

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

CARIFTA Games postponed again until August 13-15

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

T

he region’s top junior track and field meet, the 49th edition of the CARIFTA Games (Caribbean Free Trade Association), has now been postponed until August 13-15 in Hamilton, Bermuda.

It was one year ago when the announcement came at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s National High School Track and Field Championships at the Thomas A Robinson National

Stadium that the event had to be halted and postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and the the domino effect began with the postponement and cancellation of all sporting events not only in the Bahamas, but around the world.

One of those events affected last year was the CARIFTA Games, which was postponed for the first time since it was first instituted in 1972 by Austin Sealy, the then president of the Amateur Athletic Association of Barbados.

Yesterday, Mike Sands, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC), the regional governing

body, revealed that while they are preparing for the “worst-case scenario,” they had to postpone the games again.

In a joint meeting on zoom with all of the stakeholders, including Donna Raynor, the president of the Local Organising Committee for Bermuda, Sands said after postponing the customary Easter holiday weekend sporting extravaganza to the weekend of July 2-4, they have now settled on August 13-15.

The new date in August will allow the games to take place on the heels of the postponed 2020 Olympic Games, which is now set

NOW, THE REAL HARD PART BEGINS FOR DALLAS COWBOYS

for July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo, Japan, and just before the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, scheduled for August 17-22 in Nairobi, Kenya, and the 2021 Junior Pan American Games September 9-19 in Cali, Colombia.

While Sands praised the coaches for the work that they have been doing to produce athletes who have excelled on the world stage, he recommended that they continue to work through the COVID-19 environment.

“This is indeed a challenging time for all of us and the athletes

SEE PAGE 13

Kyrie Irving erupts for 40

BROOKLYN Nets guard Kyrie Irving shoots over Boston Celtics centre Robert Williams III during the first half last night in New York.

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger) SEE THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 13

THE Dallas Cowboys have finally gotten priority No. 1 out of the way, locking up starting QB Dak Prescott to a new fouryear contract worth a cool $160 million with $126m guaranteed.

Now, the real hard part begins. The arduous task of putting a quality supporting cast around him, one that can win now, on an extremely tight budget.

Prescott’s gargantuan deal wipes out the majority of the Cowboys’ salary cap space. According to Spotrac the remaining figure is at $834,000.

Now I know that seems grim, but the long-term deal was a much cheaper option than using the franchise tag on Prescott again.

Since the Cowboys didn’t have to use the franchise tag, Prescott will only cost them $22m against the cap this season.

The Cowboys have already gotten to work on clearing cap space, by restructuring the contracts of starting offensive lineman La’Ell Collins, Zack Martin and Tyron Smith.

Those three moves have now freed up $17m in new cap space, allowing the Cowboys to still retain players in free agency, which begins on March 17.

• Here are three potential free agent additions to bring to Dallas, with the limited resources the Cowboys will be working with.

DE Aldon Smith After a four-year absence from the league following an indefinite suspension, the 31-year-old signed with Dallas and showed signs of being the same dominant force he was before his absence.

He finished the season with five sacks and was the 50th-rated edge-defender in the NFL. Those aren’t monster numbers by any stretch, but it’s a respectable level of play. The Cowboys need someone who can push the pocket opposite DeMarcus Lawrence.

Smith can still do that, add his age and his history of suspensions together, makes Smith a very realistic affordable option.

Smith is the perfect veteran stopgap who can help the Cowboys’ defence be the best it can be next season without breaking the bank.

CB Richard Sherman I still think this is a long shot considering the colourful history between him and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and factor in the risk involved, makes Richard Sherman a reach. Additionally, he only played five

SEE PAGE 13

KNOWLES-TENER AND CAVALIERS FOOTBALL RETURN TO PLAY ON SATURDAY

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHEN Rondre Knowles-Tener and his Virginia-Wise Cavaliers football programme return to play on Saturday, it will mark the end of a 484-day hiatus away from official game play.

The Cavaliers open the season on March 13 when they host Carson-Newman University at 12pm at Carl Smith Stadium in Wise, Virginia.

Their amended four-game season will include matchups against Limestone College on March 20, Tusculum University on March 25 and Mars Hill University on April 2.

“I’m real excited, when we kick off Saturday it would have been

484 days since we last played a football game so I’m excited for that,” Cavs coach Dane Damron said in his pre-game press conference. “I think the kids are excited, I think we have had good preparation but I will feel a whole lot better after Friday when we COVID test.”

Damron added that KnowlesTener and players on both sides of the line of scrimmage will be integral to the team’s development in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC).

“We weren’t prepared for what we saw on the offensive and defensive lines, I think it was more of a line of scrimmage game in this league so we are trying to get this answer. I don’t think we are there yet but I think we are closer than we were,” he said.

RONDRE KNOWLES-TENER

“We’re going to put on the best show that we can, but understanding we’re focusing on getting these kids reps, getting them on film, and getting them ready for 2021.”

The football teams have been divided into two divisions based on geography. The top team from each division will then play in a postseason championship game.

The fall sports seasons shifted to spring will not interfere with student-athlete’s eligibility, as the NCAA issued a blanket waiver allowing all 2020 fall sports student-athletes to retain their year of eligibility, regardless of the number of contests competed in during the 2020-21 season.

As a junior with the Cavs last season, Knowles-Tener became a force on the defensive line. The

junior defensive tackle led the team with seven sacks.

In addition to his career high sack numbers this season, he also reached several other career high marks this season with 38 total tackles, 10 tackles for a loss (54 yards), and a team leading four quarterback hurries.

He opened the season with one sack and four tackles, including one for a loss against Chowan University. In game two he had a season high two sacks and four tackles against Tennessee Tech.

He also recorded sacks against Carson-Newman, Tusculum, and Newberry (0.5). After struggling to earn playing time over the last two seasons with the James Madison Dukes, Knowles-Tener decided to leave the programme and transfer to the Cavs.

SPORTS

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 17

THEO Knowles in action for the Pasadena Faith Saints.

Knowles named to All-Tournament team, invited to play in All-Star game

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE he’s disappointed that his Pasadena Faith Saints men’s basketball team didn’t repeat as the 2021 Texas A1 State champions, Theo Knowles is grateful to have been named to the All-Tournament team and was invited to play in the All-Star game.

The Saints finished fourth in the tournament in Dallas, Texas, after losing the last two of their three games to get eliminated from the prestigious tournament for high school basketball players.

“I think we did pretty good. Some of the players played in the tournament for the first time because our team was a little different from last year,” Knowles said.

“But I think we all played excellent. We were just outran by some of the teams

because we didn’t execute as well as we should have defensively. I picked up about two fouls in the first quarter and so I had to be cautious the rest of the game.”

Knowles managed to finish with 19 points, but it wasn’t enough to propel his team to victory as they made their exit in the tournament, which attracted about 40 teams divided into various divisions.

“It was a good experience,” said Knowles, who noted that they had to follow the strict protocol procedures in order to play in the tournament, which was limited to the amount of fans in the stands.

Despite their loss, Knowles, along with their centre, Andrew Paniagua, were invited to return to Dallas in April for the AllStar game. “I felt like I gave it my all,” said Knowles, who also produced 16 points in their tournament

THEO Knowles has been named to the All-Tournament team and was invited to play in the All-Star game.

opener before he dropped in 10 in their second game and their first loss.

“I just didn’t have enough to get us over the hump in the last game. They just out-ran us, but I think my performance was pretty good. We just fell short.”

With his high school career just about over, Knowles said he’s looking forward to the next step, which is to secure a scholarship to play at the junior college or prep-college, whichever one he is afforded the opportunity.

“I was disappointed that we didn’t get to go further in the tournament, but I was glad when they told me that I was selected for the All-Star game,” Knowles said. “I know I put in the work and I played to the best of my ability, so it was an accomplishment for me being selected to the AllStar game. I hope I can go there and continue to perform before the coaches.”

As he waits to see where he will end up in school, Knowles said he will continue to work on his game as he gets ready to participate in some of the AAU Tournaments on the agenda for this summer.

“I just want to play professional basketball, take my talent somewhere,” he pointed out.

“If I end up overseas, it would be just as good. But I want to see what happens at the next level in college.”

Knowles, a 19-year-old 5-foot, 11-inch guard, is the son of Charlene and Harvey Knowles Sr. He’s hoping to return home this week during spring break to spend some time with his family and friends.

He left Temple Christian where he starred for the Suns basketball team in grade 11 for Houston, Texas, to continue his high school career at the Faith Christian Academy.

Federer loses to Basilashvili in 2nd match back on tour DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Roger Federer failed to convert a match point before losing 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Qatar Open quarterfinals yesterday, his second match back on tour after a 13-month injury layoff.

Basilashvili saved a match point at 5-4 in the deciding set and then broke Federer’s serve in the next game.

It was a second straight gruelling three-setter for Federer after his win Wednesday over Dan Evans took nearly 2 1/2 hours. The 39-year-old Federer was playing in his first tournament since the 2020 Australian Open following knee surgery.

And he didn’t seem too upset about the loss.

“I would have loved to play tomorrow, don’t get me wrong. But at the same

ROGER Federer waves after defeating Tennys Sandgren in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open on January 28, 2020. (AP) time, I’m also happy to get a rest,” he said. “I’m happy how I played today. I’m happy how I did yesterday.

I’m happy I am back on the Tour. I’m pleased I came here to Doha. So it’s really, really a positive return for me.”

Basilashvili has now won three consecutive tour matches for the first time since 2019. His semifinal opponent will be Taylor Fritz after the American upset fourth-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.

For the first time in the 31-year history of the ATP Tour, a player reached the semifinals without hitting a ball after getting his second walkover in a row.

Russia’s Andrey Rublev benefited from a first-round bye, before Richard Gasquet withdrew ahead of their second-round match.

Marton Fucsovics then withdrew from their quarterfinal yesterday with a lower back injury.

Rublev will face either top-seeded Dominic Thiem or fifth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in Saturday’s final.

Muguruza beats Sabalenka again to reach Dubai semis DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Garbiñe Muguruza rallied from a set and a break down yesterday to beat Aryna Sabalenka for the second week in a row and reach the semifinals of the Dubai Championships.

Muguruza was broken in the opening game of the second set before turning the match around to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. She has reached back-to-back semifinals, having lost to Petra Kvitova in the Qatar Open final last week.

Muguruza faces Elise Mertens in the semifinals after the 10th-seeded Belgian saved three match points to beat Jessica Pegula 5-7, 7-5, 6-0. Pegula served for the match at 5-3 in the second set and had the match points on Mertens’ serve in the next game. Mertens won the last 11 games.

Muguruza won her only previous meeting with Mertens at the 2016 US Open.

Jil Teichmann won 6-3, 6-3 against 16-year-old

American Coco Gauff to set up a semifinal with doubles specialist Barbora Krejcikova.

Krejcikova is a match away from her second career singles final after beating Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-2. The Czech player is a five-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, including winning her third consecutive mixed doubles title at the Australian Open last month. Her only tour singles final was a onesided loss to Kiki Bertens in Nuremberg in 2017.

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PAGE 14, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Jumper Shyrone Kemp ‘hasn’t even tapped his potential yet’

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE COVID-19 pandemic denied Shyrone Kemp an opportunity to compete at his inaugural NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, but the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons jumper has his sights set on a 2021 title.

The meet began yesterday and runs through March 13 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.

“Making it to nationals and actually placing in top three in the nationals — that is one of my goals. I have a chance to come out on top. I’m just trying to stay healthy,” he said when

profiled by the Dragons’ athletics website. “I want to control the things I can control and not stress about it too much. And to have fun.

My long-term goal is to aim for 16 metres (52-6), my short-term goal for nationals is for 15.7 metres (51-6).

Hopefully if I stay healthy, I’ll get that goal.”

Kemp heads into the competition for the second consecutive year as a qualifier in the triple jump. He qualified with his winning effort of 15.30m at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Indoor Championships. That mark is tied for third-best in the nation. That jump was also a school indoor record.

Kemp earned All-Region honours from the United

SHYRONE KEMP States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

In March 2020, the NCAA Division II Indoor

Championships were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Kemp had a standout season where he was named an NCAA Division II AllAmerican by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). He also earned the All-American honour in the triple jump and was named the NSIC’s Newcomer of the Year.

“It was very disappointing, because of all of the hard work I put in,” he said.

Kemp was profiled by the Dragons digital network and credited the influence of Dragons’ assistant coach and two time Bahamian Olympian Trevor Barry.

“Shy hasn’t even tapped his potential yet. That’s the scary part,” Barry said.

“Definitely, I see him rising to the occasion.”

Kemp added: “To have a coach that is Bahamian I feel like we would have a connection and I would be more comfortable with others I came here with. My relationship with Trevor is strong, I can talk to him about things outside of track, he can be like a friend to me but I would also have respect for him,” Kemp said.

“The coaching played a very important role. I can give them most of the credit. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to improve like I did.”

Barry previously served as an assistant coach at North Dakota State. At NDSU during Barry’s time

Georgetown upsets Big East top seed Villanova 72-71 at MSG

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Ewing and Georgetown are making some noise at Madison Square Garden again.

It has been a while.

The Hoyas are back in the Big East Tournament semifinals for the first time in six years, with the former Georgetown and Knicks star leading the way.

Dante Harris made two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to cap a perfect game from the line for Georgetown, and the Hoyas upset No. 14 Villanova 72-71 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The eighth-seeded Hoyas (11-12) will play fifth-seeded Seton Hall on Friday night. Georgetown last reached the Big East semifinals in 2015. The Hoyas have not won the tournament since 2007.

“We took another step — in my house, by the way.

This is my house,” Ewing said in a postgame television interview. “It’s a great win. Huge win.”

Before Ewing became a Hall of Fame center for the Knicks, his Georgetown teams in the mid-1980s were the beasts of the Big East. Villanova has taken over that role in recent years, winning the last three tournament titles and dominating the Hoyas in the process.

Villanova had won four straight meetings and 13 of 15 against the Hoyas before Thursday.

“We played against the Cadillac, the Bentley, whatever you want to call them, of the Big East — the class of the Big East. And once upon a time that was us.

But we took a huge step to be able to knock them off,” Ewing said.

Harris led the way with 18 points and drew a foul

on Jeremiah RobinsonEarl driving to the basket with 4.7 seconds to go and the Hoyas down one.

Harris rattled in the first and swished the second to make Georgetown 23 of 23 from the line, the first time a team has shot 100% on at least 20 attempts in the Big East Tournament.

With no timeouts left, Caleb Daniels rushed up court and got off a long 3-pointer in traffic for Villanova, but it missed badly. The top-seeded Wildcats (16-6), playing without injured star Collin Gillespie, had advanced to the Big East semifinals the last five times the tournament was completed.

Last year’s ended halfway through the noon quarterfinal, when the pandemic brought the college basketball season to a halt.

The quarterfinal day at the Garden is often the best of the Big East Tournament. The marathon quadruple-header keeps MSG buzzing from noon to midnight. Not this year.

With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, the Garden was mostly empty for an old-school Big East rivalry between Wildcats and Hoyas. Ewing’s booming voice echoed through the rafters. “Rebound!

Rebound!” he shouted after just about every Villanova shot went up.

Each quarterfinal team was given 100 tickets to Thursday’s games. There were maybe a few dozen people in the stands for the noon tipoff. A “Let’s Go Nova!” chant didn’t last long or find many takers.

“It was pretty cool to have some fans in there,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “Not a lot.”

COVID protocols even made it difficult for Ewing to move freely inside the Garden. He said he would have to ask Knicks owner

KENTUCKY NCAA HOPES END AFTER BEING BOUNCED FROM SEC TOURNEY

By GARY B GRAVES AP Sports Writer

GEORGETOWN centre Qudus Wahab (34) fists bumps head coach Patrick Ewing during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova in the quarterfinals of the Big East conference tournament yesterday in New York.

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) James Dolan about the frequent stops to check his credentials.

“Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am,” Ewing said. “I was like, what the hell?

Is this Madison Square Garden? I’m going to have to call Mr, Dolan and say, ‘Jeez, is my number in the rafters or what?’”

MSG Entertainment released a statement saying Ewing and Dolan have a long-standing relationship and the two spoke later in the day.

“We all know, respect and appreciate what (Ewing) means to The Garden and New York.

Good luck to him and his Hoyas in the Big East semifinals,” the statement said.

Robinson-Earl led the Wildcats with 26 points and Jermaine Samuels added 20.

The Wildcats went up 70-65 with 1:29 left on

consecutive 3s by Cole Swider and Robinson-Earl.

Villanova couldn’t close.

The Hoyas tied it when Qudus Wahab was fouled

by Swider while dunking and completed the threepoint play with 40 seconds left.

Robinson-Earl made one of two from the line to make it 71-70 with 18.2 seconds left, and Ewing called a timeout to put the ball in Harris’ hands.

“Down the stretch it got down to a one-possession game and they executed those last two possessions a little bit better than us,” Wright said. “We had a tough time controlling Harris.”

beating Marquette in the first round Wednesday.

Villanova: Playing its second game without Gillespie (knee), their senior point guard and coconference player of the year, the Wildcats started Chris Arcidiacono — whose big brother Ryan led the Wildcats to a national title in 2016 — for the first time.

The sophomore contributed three points, five rebounds and four assists.

Villanova did have thirdleading Justin Moore (left ankle) available. He started the game on the sideline, riding a stationary bike, but ended up scoring 10 points in 27 minutes.

BIG PICTURE Georgetown: The Hoyas are 8-4 since a COVID-19 pause. They had not won even a single Big East Tournament game since 2016 before

UP NEXT Villanova awaits its NCAA Tournament assignment.

Georgetown split two games against Seton Hall during the regular season.

SETON HALL BEATS ST JOHN’S 77-69 IN OT, INTO BIG EAST SEMIS NEW YORK (AP) — With its NCAA Tournament hopes likely on the line, Seton Hall dug in and took a huge step toward sticking around in March.

Jared Rhoden hit six free throws in overtime to finish with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, and the Pirates got past St. John’s 77-69 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals yesterday to snap an untimely four-game skid.

Sandro Mamukelashvili had 20 points and 11 rebounds in 44 minutes for the fifth-seeded Pirates (14-12), who desperately needed a win to boost an NCAA résumé that seemed pretty solid not so long ago.

“Obviously, we knew that the tournament was at stake,” Rhoden said. “You can’t think about that tournament. We are trying to win this one first.”

Myles Cale added 16 points and eight boards, and Ike Obiagu blocked seven shots before fouling out as Seton Hall advanced to face Georgetown in the first semifinal

as an assistant, the Bison won nine Summit League women’s team titles and seven men’s team titles. He coached two NCAA AllAmericans, seven national qualifiers and 10 school record holders.

“Shy is very raw. [In 2019] we just introduced him to the triple jump, he came in as a high jumper and just learned to long jump. In the triple jump he has improved by leaps and bounds but still has a long way to go. “Going into the indoor season, my expectation was for him to jump at least 50 metres, he exceeded that so it will be interesting to see what we get out of him,” Barry said.

“Expectations are great but he is still learning.”

Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The eighth-seeded Hoyas upset top seed and No. 14 Villanova 72-71 earlier in the day.

“We feel like this is our second home,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard said.

Big East scoring champ Julian Champagnie led St John’s with 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting and nine rebounds. Rasheem Dunn scored 15 for the fourth-seeded Red Storm (16-11), who went cold after halftime and shot 33% from the floor overall — including 6 of 25 (24%) from 3-point territory.

St John’s hasn’t reached the Big East semifinals since winning the 2000 tournament — long drought for one of the league’s charter members.

In a possible NCAA Tournament eliminator, Seton Hall avenged an 81-71 road loss to its Hudson River rivals five days earlier in which the Pirates blew an 18-0 cushion. Now, they probably represent the Big East’s best chance to get a fourth team in the

NCAA field along with Villanova, Creighton and UConn. “They just wanted it more than us,” Dunn said.

St John’s tied it at 60 on a 3-pointer by Marcellus Earlington with just under two minutes left in regulation. Dunn’s two free throws put the Red Storm ahead before Cale pulled the Pirates even on a driving layup with 54 seconds remaining.

Champagnie and Mamukelashvili had late looks but couldn’t convert.

Rhoden’s foul shot 30 seconds into overtime put the Pirates ahead to stay. Rhoden added two more free throws, Cale hit a turnaround in the lane to make it 70-64 with 1:45 to play and Seton Hall closed it out from the line. “I love Jared.

How hard he plays is off the charts.

Today I saw that Jared who is a dog,” said Mamukelashvili, co-Big East player of the year. “Definitely the player of the match.”

It was the first time St John’s played at Madison Square Garden

since that bizarre ending to last year’s Big East Tournament, abruptly called off because of the emerging coronavirus pandemic with the Red Storm leading topseeded Creighton 38-35 at halftime of the initial quarterfinal — negating the first-half statistics.

Normally, the Red Storm schedule high-profile matchups at The Garden, but virus restrictions put all their home games this season on campus at a virtually empty Carnesecca Arena in Queens.

Seton Hall was glad to be back at MSG, too, even if there was a different atmosphere than usual.

Each school in the quarterfinals was given 100 tickets to yesterday’s games.

“Man, I walked into this building, I got on the elevator, and I haven’t felt that good in years,” Willard said. “It’s very emotional for the fact that I love this tournament. I love this league. We’ve had some great games in this building and to be back was just an absolutely energising feeling.”

KENTUCKY’s season ended with a missed lastsecond shot in the SEC Tournament.

But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before yesterday’s disappointing 74-73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA Tournament this year.

When the Bulldogs’ Iverson Molinar made two free throws with seven seconds left, it assured the Wildcats (9-16) will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 and just the second in John Calipari’s 12-year tenure in Lexington.

With Duke withdrawing from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament due to a positive COVID test, it will be the first time since 1976 that both the Blue Devils and Kentucky will not be in the NCAAs. Digesting the reality and enduring a losing season at college basketball’s winningest programme will make for a long offseason for the Wildcats. “I’ve never lost this many games in my life in basketball consecutively like this,” graduate guard Davion Mintz said. “I know other guys on this roster haven’t, either. But now you know how it feels. You don’t want to climb back into that hole.

You don’t want that pain to come back.”

Kentucky dug that deep hole in the season’s first month, and it became harder to climb out of as the losses piled up.

The Wildcats were able to string together a couple of three-game winning streaks, but still finished the season seven games under .500 in the pandemic-shortened season. Those spurts merely halted slides of six and four games, respectively, which meant the blue-blood program needed to mount its longest winning steak of the season and win the SEC Tournament to extend the season.

“We were a couple of wins away from being a team, even with a bad record, we were right there,” Calipari said of Kentucky’s NCAA prospects.

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THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 15

‘My speed has to get better’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GREGORY McKay Jr was named New South Athletic Conference Player of the Week in February.

GREGORY McKay Jr continues to develop his skills as he goes through his freshman year for the Hosanna College Warbirds men’s basketball team.

Coming off his New South Athletic Conference Player of the Week in February, McKay Jr and the Warbirds participated in the US National Prep Basketball Championships for high school and prep college players over the weekend.

The Warbirds went 1-2, but McKay Jr said it was “a good tournament and some good competition. We had a good time, even though we felt we could have done better.”

In their first game, McKay Jr scored 33 points, he had 26 in their second game and rounded play with just 22 points as they took a skid from winning

their opener to losing their final two games.

“Overall, I think we did good. We didn’t end it the way we wanted to,” he stressed. “We wanted to go undefeated and win the championship.

“But I think we went out there and we played hard.

There was a lot of good competition out.”

With the COVID-19 restrictions, McKay Jr noted that everyone had to wear their mask and keep their social distance in a compact gymnasium that had very few fans in the stands.

On a personal note, McKay Jr said he felt he made an impression on the coaches in the stands as they viewed the potential prep players for their collegiate programmes.

“I wanted to show them the diversity of my game.

I wanted them to see that whatever it is they wanted me to do, I could do it,” he pointed out.

With about three more games left on their schedule, McKay Jr said he hopes to go through the list of college invites he received and hopefully make a decision on where he will go to college next year “I felt I did pretty good.

It could have been better, but I felt like I did pretty good,” McKay Jr said.

“I felt I did what I had to do to get to the next level.”

Looking back at his season, McKay Jr said it was a memorable one for him.

“Every game we had some stiff competition, but we got better every time we played,” he insisted.

“We went out there and fought hard, got the rebounds and made the buckets.”

And as he prepares for what’s ahead of him, McKay said he will have to concentrate a little more on his speed.

“There’s always room for improvement, but my

speed has to get better,” he said. “Every time I step on the court, I want to be the smartest player out there.

“So that’s two things that I definitely will have to work on during the off season before I head off to college.

“I don’t know where I am going yet, but I will make that decision at the end of the season.”

McKay Jr, who left Mt Carmel in 2016 where he starred on their basketball team, enrolled at Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida, playing both basketball and volleyball before graduating last year.

The 19-year-old 6-foot, 5-inch forward, known for his 360 degree dunks and windmills, is the son of Gregory McKay Sr and Aniska Taylor.

He thanked the McKay and Marshall families as well as his former classmates in the Bahamas for all of the support they have given to him.

AC Milan players celebrate yesterday after AC Milan’s Simon Kjaer scored his side’s opening goal during the Europa League round of 16 first leg soccer match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.

(AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

MILAN DRAWS 1-1 AT MAN UNITED, SPURS, ARSENAL WIN IN EUROPA LEAGUE

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — AC Milan defender Simon Kjær scored in injury time yesterday to secure a 1-1 draw at Manchester United in the first leg of the Europa League’s round of 16.

Kjær capitalised on poor defending to head in a corner in the 92nd minute to give the Italian side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg next week.

Roma, Tottenham, Arsenal and Ajax all put one foot into the quarterfinals with comfortable wins. But the meeting of two former European heavyweights remains evenly poised.

United took the lead after 18-year-old substitute Amad Diallo scored his first European goal just five minutes after coming on. But the home team was disorganised for Rade Krunic’s late corner and goalkeeper Dean Henderson was unable to keep out Kjær’s thumping header.

“We should have attacked the ball with the men we had there,” United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær said.

Milan had two early goals ruled out at Old Trafford.

Rafael Leão was offside in the fifth minute, while Franck Kessié displayed brilliant technique to score in the 11th only to see the goal chalked off through VAR as the ball had struck his arm.

The visitors remained in control until United captain Harry Maguire somehow struck the post from pointblank range with the goal at his mercy after Bruno Fernandes headed on a corner in the 38th.

Fernandes was United’s key player, providing a lofted ball over the top for Amad to head in the opener in the 50th minute.

KANE DELIVERS Harry Kane scored twice to put Tottenham in a commanding position with a 2-0 home win over Dinamo Zagreb.

The England striker converted a rebound after Erik Lamela’s effort hit the post in the 25th, and wrapped up the win in the 70th. Kévin Théophile­-Catherine failed to deal with Serge Aurier’s cross leaving Kane to score with a low finish.

ARSENAL COMFORTABLE Mohamed Elneny put Arsenal in touching distance of the quarterfinals by sealing a 3-1 win over Olympiakos in Greece.

Martin Ødegaard opened the scoring with a thunderous long-range strike in the 34th but the visitors missed further chances in the first half.

Youssef El-Arabi capitalised on poor pass from Arsenal ‘keeper Bernd Leno to equalise in the 58th.

Gabriel restored the visitors’ lead in the 80th with a header, five minutes before Elneny made sure of the win when the home side failed to close him down and he let fly from outside the penalty area.

FANS IN THE STANDS Spanish team Villarreal beat Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in Ukraine despite several thousand vocal fans being allowed into the game.

Gerard Moreno set up defender Pau Torres to

score after the home team failed to clear a corner in the 30th minute, and was involved again for the second.

Villarreal captain Raúl Albiol scored on the rebound in the 52nd after Georgiy Bushchan saved Gerard’s header.

OTHER GAMES Stephan El Shaarawy scored his first goal for Roma since returning to the club in January, helping the Italian team to a 3-0 win over visiting Shakhtar Donetsk.

Scottish champion Rangers drew 1-1 at Slavia

Prague, and Ajax eased to a 3-0 win at home over Swiss team Young Boys.

Modest Spanish club Granada earned a 2-0 win over Norwegian minnow Molde, which had Martin Ellingsen sent off with two bookings midway through the second half.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 19

As climate fight shifts to oil, Biden faces a formidable foe CASPER Associated Press

PRESIDENT Joe Biden’s bid to tackle climate change is running straight through the heart of the US oil and gas industry -- a much bigger, more influential foe than Democrats faced when they took on the coal industry during the Obama years.

Coal dominated US power generation for decades, with the bulk of that fuel coming from the massive strip mines of Wyoming’s Powder River Basin — a market that collapsed in recent years as utilities switched to natural gas.

Fast forward to 2021 — and oil and gas have eclipsed coal to become the biggest human source of greenhouse gas emissions from public lands and waters, federal production data indicates. That’s made government fuel sales an irresistible target for Democrats as they try to rein in climate change.

Biden’s election has put big oil companies on the defensive after largely having their way in Washington under President Donald Trump. But in taking on petroleum companies with a moratorium on oil and gas lease sales, Biden picked a foe that spent lavishly over decades to secure allegiance from Republican lawmakers.

The industry is also deeply enmeshed in local economies -- from Alaska and the Gulf Coast to the Rocky Mountain drilling hub of Casper, Wyoming -- posing a challenge to the Democrat as he tries to navigate between strong action on the climate and recovering from the pandemic’s financial devastation.

“You’re not hurting the big guys that are doing all the development. You’re hurting these little guys that are dreaming up where no one else thought there was any oil and gas,” said Steve Degenfelder, land manager for family-owned Kirkwood Oil & Gas in Casper, a community of about 60,000 known as The Oil City.

Trump’s final months in office saw a huge spike in new drilling permits after his administration sped up approvals. As a result, some companies with the biggest presence on public lands have announced that they are ready to weather changes under Biden.

An executive from Devon Energy told investors last month that the company was “ready to roll with the punches” and has about 500 drilling permits in hand.

That will last the company for years in Wyoming and New Mexico.

“They expected this....

They prepared for it,” said University of Oklahoma

AN OIL well is seen east of Casper, Wyo. President Joe Biden’s administration is at odds with the petroleum industry in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond for imposing a moratorium on leasing federal lands for oil and gas production. Photo: Mead Gruver/AP Associate Professor Robert Lifset, who teaches history of the US energy industry.

“But the difference now is going to be stark. (Oil and gas companies) don’t get to run energy and environmental policy in the way they once did.”

Gone from power in Washington are former industry lobbyists including Trump’s Interior Department secretary, David Bernhardt, who oversaw a loosening of rules for drilling. They’ve been replaced in many instances with environmentalists and industry critics. Biden’s nominee for Interior secretary, New Mexico Rep Deb Haaland, has a history of anti-oil activism.

Just a week after his inauguration, Biden announced the sales moratorium while officials review potential climate impacts and whether energy companies are paying enough. He’s following a familiar template -- a 2016 Obama-era moratorium on federal coal sales that Trump and other Republicans seized on as evidence of a “war on coal”

by Democrats.

That last “war” was against a retreating army: Coal production in Wyoming peaked in 2008 — and by the time of the moratorium, most major coal companies had gone bankrupt and scuttled plans for major expansions.

The oil industry stumbled last year during the coronavirus pandemic and a price war, but now companies such as Devon, EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum are poised to expand their presence on public lands, including in the Powder River Basin.

Less insulated against the policy changes are smaller companies such as Kirkwood Oil & Gas, operating in downtown Casper since

Dorian home repairs need $5.8m injection FROM PAGE 24

“The total amount of funding secured by January 2021 is $17.109m,” the report said. “This sum should serve to meet the needs of the 2,645 homeowners where work is in progress, though it leaves a gap of $5.355m needed to complete all work for all homeowners.”

Unaudited financials showed that some $8.9m has been spent to-date on repairing properties belonging to 2,645 homeowners. Some $8.209m has been set aside for future spending, but this will not cover the estimated $8.646m cost to complete work on these persons’ home.

Thus there is already an $437,288 funding shortfall for existing repairs, with the $5.355m needed to start work on the remaining 1,090 homes that have been approved for inclusion in the scheme.

“It soon became clear that the damage was even more extensive than what early evaluation suggested,” the

DRA report said. “What had originally been estimated to cost approximately $8m was going to cost more than double that....

“While challenges continue we have been able to approve 3,735 homeowners for assistance in our northern islands and are currently completing 2,645 or 71 percent of those approved.”

The Small Home Repairs initiative, which was designed to assist Dorian victims who lacked homeowners/property insurance, makes up to $10,000 available for qualifying applicants to assist with the acquisition of necessary materials and labour.

Of 4,103 applications for assistance, some 278 have yet to be approved, which the Authority blamed on an inability to contact applicants or their failure to provide the necessary documentation.

Some $2.564m in accounts payable and accrued expenses were on its balance sheet at year-end 2020, of which some $414,434 was owed on the Small Home Repairs initiative.

it was founded by William Kirkwood in 1965. It’s now run by his sons with about 40 employees and drilling in several western states.

A company like Kirkwood can spend years piecing together federal leases like a jigsaw puzzle and assessing the profitability of oil and gas deposits as market conditions and oilfield technologies evolve, said land manager Degenfelder.

But after last year’s price drop and now the leasing moratorium, its plans to further develop areas such as western Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin — home to two of the most productive US onshore gas fields — are on hold.

While some countries move away from fossil fuels, brothers Steve and Bob Kirkwood are on the lookout for places that aren’t, such as Colombia, They’re also considering private lands in west Texas and exploring other options

such as mining metals used in electric car batteries.

Oil from federal and tribal lands makes up about about a quarter of US production.

Oil and gas companies and their supporters gave about $136m in the last election cycle, mainly to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Kirkwood’s owners and their wives donated more than $15,000 to Trump’s reelection campaign and other GOP causes, records show.

Trump supported the US oil business, Steve Kirkwood said. “Biden will support it in Saudi Arabia, Iran — everywhere else.”

Taxes on energy production and infrastructure in Wyoming help bankroll schools, roads and public services. In the Powder River Basin, petroleum operations now provide most of the property tax base in some counties.

Last year, the government sent $457m to Wyoming

from lease sales and energy production on US lands in the state — second only to New Mexico.

Even with Trump gone, the oil and gas industry still has formidable allies in Congress, who say the moratorium would cost tens of thousands of jobs.

Republican Sens. Steve Daines of Montana and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming blocked immediate consideration of Haaland’s nomination on Thursday, citing her past statements against the oil industry. A final vote is expected on Monday.

Benefits to the climate from a ban on new oil and gas leases could take years to realize, according to economic analysts.

Like Kirkwood Oil & Gas, companies could respond by shifting some of their activities onto private lands in the US, and more oil would likely come in from overseas, said economist Brian Prest, who examined effects

of a long-term leasing ban for the research group Resources for the Future.

As a result, almost threequarters of the greenhouse gas emission reductions from a ban could be offset by oil and gas from other sources, said Prest. The net reduction would be about 100 millions tons (91 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide annually.

Pressures on the oil and gas industry are growing along with concern over climate change, said Lifset, the Oklahoma history professor.

Foremost are recent plans by major vehicle makers including Volvo and GM to transition to electric vehicles from gasoline, which takes up almost half the US crude oil on the market.

“The real threat is not the government limiting production,’’ Lifset said. “It’s the economy and the culture moving away from consuming oil and shrinking the market.”

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

THURSDAY, 11 MARCH 2021

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:

CLOSE

CHANGE

1952.79

0.24

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

0.01 -139.67

-6.67

(242) 323-2330 (242) 323-2320

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.70 33.05 2.00 2.90 2.10 6.00 6.90 3.60 6.15 4.29 6.16 12.00 2.75 6.85 10.88 8.44 14.60 4.25 9.00 16.00

52WK LOW 3.13 22.65 0.67 1.62 1.50 5.00 6.00 2.70 4.27 2.80 5.20 10.20 2.10 4.90 9.50 7.70 13.00 3.70 8.15 14.00

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 0.90

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard Fidelity Bank Bahamas Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ

LAST CLOSE 4.55 32.12 1.62 2.90 1.59 6.00 6.40 3.56 4.74 2.84 5.00 10.20 3.05 6.84 10.15 8.40 13.92 3.80 8.35 15.50

CLOSE 4.55 32.12 1.62 2.90 1.59 6.00 6.40 3.56 4.75 2.84 5.00 10.20 3.02 6.84 10.32 8.40 13.92 3.80 8.35 15.50

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

LAST SALE 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407 BSBGR1200371 BSBGR1321391 BSBGR1322498

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 97.04 100.00 100.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 97.04 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Bahamas Class A Focol Class B

BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00 97.72 100.00 100.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 93.92 100.00 100.00

SECURITY Fidelity Bank (Note 22 Series B+) Bahamas First Holdings Limited

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing) Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y BSBGR FX BSBGR1200371 BGRS FX BSBGR1321391 BGRS FX BSBGR1322498

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.03) 0.00 0.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

VOLUME

2,080

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.110 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.030 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

P/E 19.0 34.5 N/M N/M N/M N/M 17.3 -8.1 33.9 15.4 11.1 14.1 29.6 14.6 16.0 11.5 17.1 18.7 8.9 24.6

YIELD 3.74% 3.92% 1.23% 1.03% 0.00% 0.00% 4.06% 0.00% 0.00% 4.23% 4.40% 7.06% 14.37% 0.88% 3.18% 2.86% 3.88% 3.16% 2.40% 3.94%

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25%

19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025

6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25% 5.22% 5.29% 5.65%

20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 15-Dec-2037 15-Oct-2039 15-Oct-2049

MATURITY

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.40 4.44 2.15 201.90 184.85 1.69 1.85 1.78 1.24 8.49 10.26 7.28 13.91 12.84 10.81 10.00 10.20 13.79

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.66 1.79 1.75 1.05 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Financial Conservative Fund Leno Financial Aggressive Fund Leno Financial Balanced Fund Leno Financial Global Bond Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - High Yield Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

NAV 2.40 4.44 2.15 201.90 184.85 1.68 1.79 1.76 1.05 8.49 10.03 7.28 13.91 12.84 10.05 N/A 10.20 13.79

YTD% 12 MTH% 0.38% 4.56% 0.04% 1.37% 0.20% 2.56% 3.47% 3.47% 10.86% 10.86% 0.20% 0.65% -0.37% -2.43% 0.16% 0.20% -0.66% -14.82% 1.76% 1.76% -1.97% -1.97% 4.91% 4.91% 5.28% 15.75% 0.05% 3.96% -0.35% -6.34% N/A N/A 8.60% 8.60% 11.90% 11.90%

NAV Date

31-Jan-2021 31-Jan-2021 29-Jan-2021 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Jan-2021 31-Jan-2021 31-Jan-2021 31-Jan-2021 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020 31-Dec-2020

MARKET TERMS

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price

52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks

Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity

52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks

Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity

Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume

Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price

Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume

Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week

Change - Change in closing price from day to day

EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths

Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today

NAV - Net Asset Value

DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months

N/M - Not Meaningful

P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | CAROLISLE 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

PAGE 20, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Water Corp chief tours plant sites THE Water and Sewerage Corporation’s executive chairman, Adrian Gibson, toured sites in Long Island and San Salvador on Wednesday. He led teams to the McKenzie, Long Island, water plant; Simms, Long Island, water plant; and the Cockburn Town, San

Salvador, water plant. Mr Gibson also presented plans for the new international airport for Deadman’s Cay, Long Island, to Ian Knowles, chief councillor, and Glen Adderley of town planning, in Long Island.

Photos: Patrick Hanna/ BIS

W&S Executive Chairman Adrian Gibson (speaking) lead teams to San Salvador and Long Island Water Plants.

NEW WATER TANKS, McKenzie, Long Island.

WATER PLANT, Simms, Long Island.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, KAVA DONNETT MACKEY AND KYIEN ANTONIO MOSS of Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas P.O Box N-987. Parents of KAYSHIA NIA K MOSS A minor intend to change my child’s name to KAYSHIA NIA K MACKEY If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, TRIVER CULMER of Baillou Hill Road South, New Providence, The Bahamas, intend to change my name to TRIVER MICHELLE CULMER. 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, N.P., Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NEW Airport Plans. From left: Patricia Major; Elizabeth Collie; Chief Councilor Ian Knowles; Adrian Gibson; Administrator Desiree Ferguson.

Funeral worker loses ‘300lb corpse’ claim FROM PAGE 24 transporting corpses”. However, her employers denied liability on the basis she was not authorised to perform such tasks, and “was instead on a frolic of her own” that ultimately caused her own downfall.

Recalling the events of April 9, 2009, the judge wrote: “Ms Marshall was unloading two bodies (corpses) from the first defendant’s van into its funeral home. The first corpse was unloaded without incident. In attempting to move the second corpse, which was about 300 pounds, the cart provided by the first

defendant for transporting corpses malfunctioned.

“The wheels failed to lock into place. The result was that the elevated cart carrying the corpse dropped and Ms Marshall, who had lifted it, grabbed it before the cart dropped. The reflex resulted in Ms Marshall grabbing the cart to avoid dropping but, at the same time, bearing the entire weight of the corpse.

“At the time when Ms Marshall lifted the corpse, she was in a bent-over position. Once she stood up, she heard a ‘pop’ sound in her back and, in quick succession, she experienced hot and cold symptoms. She did not think anything of it.”

However, the following morning she was unable to move any part of her body, and could not turn her head or move her left arm. “The left side of her body was completely unresponsive,” Justice Charles added.

This sparked a six-year odyssey around several doctors and medical institutions, including Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) where “she was advised that

she had pulled and damaged a nerve in her neck”.

A specialist subsequently determined that the injury was going to cause multiple sclerosis, and Justice Charles noted: “Ms Marshall stated that, since 2014, she has seen and been assessed by numerous physicians.

“She has been placed on numerous medications to treat something that the doctors have yet to make a final conclusion about. Due to the quantity of medication that she had been using, she has developed new symptoms which her doctors are still assessing to determine their cause.”

However, Rock of Ages and the Cox’s argued that Ms Marshall’s claim was “statute-barred” because it was only filed on June 26, 2015 - more than six years after the accident - when the law says it must be filed within three years.

“The Defendants argued that the action brought

by Ms Marshall is statutebarred because time begun to run against her on April 9, 2009, the date of the incident, or alternatively, the

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, CHRISTOPHER ALPHONSO STRACHAN II, of Peach Street, New Providence, Bahamas intend to change my name to CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH MUNNINGS. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that SHELDA TELUSMA, of Carmicheal Road, P.O. Box SB51086 New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 12th day of March 2021 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

next day on April 20, 2010, when she could not move, or at the latest, in 2010 when she became aware that she was suffering from a chronic back injury,” Justice Charles said.

“Ms Marshall opposed the preliminary issue and argued that time did not begin to run against her until January 2014, when she was advised by her doctors that her condition might/would lead to the development of multiple sclerosis. According to Ms Marshall, she was ‘fixed’ with knowledge when she was informed of the development of a significant injury.”

Siding with the funeral home and its owners, Justice Charles ruled: “Ms Marshall’s belief between the incident and her 2010 PMH visit must have been that the injury was significant, as she was induced to visit PMH again by increased pain.

“Ms Marshall’s conduct was consistent with the belief that her injury was significant, not having worked since the incident. Further, the loss of the many amenities she suffered, must have triggered some belief that her injury was significant.....

“In my judgment, Ms Marshall knew enough, at the latest in 2010 when she visited PMH again, to make it reasonable for her to begin to investigate whether or not she had a case against the defendants,” the judge continued.

“Ms Marshall did not discharge the burden of proving that time did not begin to run until January 2014. All of the observable and ascertainable facts (which were provided in her witness statement) which existed between 2009 and 2010 constituted reasonable basis on which her belief that the injury was significant was held. Her actions during this time were consistent with such a belief.

“In my judgment, Ms Marshall knew that her injury was significant in 2010 when she was induced by increasing pain to visit PMH. Consequently, the limitation period lapsed in or about 2013. The writ having been filed in 2015 makes the present action statute-barred.”

THE TRIBUNE

Miller ruling reversal: No BOB, govt ‘conspiracy’ FROM PAGE 24 Mr Miller’s claims against it and planned to mount a strong defence.

Pointing out that Justice Grant-Thompson’s verdict awarding Mr Miller and his companies almost $10m stemmed from his bid for summary judgment against the attorney general and Treasurer of The Bahamas, on the basis that they had provided “no reasonable defence” to his claims, the attorney added that both government defendants are appealing these findings.

However, Bank of The Bahamas and Mrs Lockhart-Charles were primarily focused on the absence of adverse findings against the BISX-listed institution, which marked a radical reversal from the draft verdict that circulated last year.

In that document, Justice Grant-Thompson blasted

Bank of The Bahamas and the government for “acting in bad faith” and working together against Mr Miller, who is now seeking the PLP’s nomination for the Tall Pines constituency in the upcoming election.

The draft verdict said the pair had gone “hand in hand with each other”, with the bank - which is more than 82 percent owned by the Government - knowing that withholding loans to finance upgrades to the Summerwinds Plaza would have left Mr Miller unable to fulfill his lease obligations to the government.

However, all such language and assertions have been completely stripped from the final, perfected judgment disclosed by Bank of The Bahamas and Mrs Lockhart-Charles.

While ruling that the five leases are “valid and binding” on the government, Justice Grant-Thompson merely added: “I do not

accept an unlawful conspiracy to deliberately injure and deprive” Mr Miller.

Mr Miller told Tribune Business he was unaware of the revised verdict when contacted for comment yesterday, and referred this newspaper to his attorney, Damian Gomez QC, the former minister of state for legal affairs, who did not return calls and messages seeking comment before press time last night.

Justice Grant-Thompson, in her revised judgment, affirmed that the PLP-controlled House of Assembly passed a resolution in 2014 permitting Mr Miller and his companies to enter into rental contracts to lease space to government agencies.

Two leasehold agreements had already been entered into for the Summerwinds complex in May and June 2013, but “significant renovations and structural work” were

required to make the property ready for the government agencies.

To finance these works, Mr Miller and his companies sought further advances from Bank of The Bahamas. A $2.5m “upstamping” of the mortgage that the BISX-listed institution held on the Summerwinds complex occurred, but only $185,000 was advanced to the former Cabinet minister and his companies.

“At or about the same time when the government sought to be extracted from the contractual leases, Bank of The Bahamas also ceased to make any further payments,” Justice GrantThompson noted. “The plaintiffs alleged the bank breached the contract to lend them the money previously agreed and required to complete the contemplated renovations and structural work under the leases.”

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 21 The former Christie administration had agreed to provide new lease deals in 2016, shortly before it was voted out of office. Justice Grant-Thompson said that while the government accepted the “veracity” of these arrangements, it did not agree that it had committed to fund the renovations.

Finding that the government knew renovations were necessary, but which Mr Miller and his companies were unable to finance themselves, she added that the government lease agreements were likely to be the principal security for the construction works.

The government cited the Financial Administration and Audit Act as its principal defence, particularly the section that requires companies and individuals seeking to do business with the government to provide a valid tax compliance certificate (TCC) if the contract’s value is worth $10,000 or more.

It alleged that Mr Miller and his companies had not provided the necessary TCCs, which Justice GrantThompson described as “a technical reason to exit the contract” for the five leases. Noting that the Act allows government ministers

“discretion” to waive this requirement, she said the government was using this as an excuse to justify its lease breach.

Given that annual payments under the five leases were to exceed $4.5m, Justice Grant-Thompson said a portion of this could have been withheld to settle any outstanding taxes owed by Mr Miller and his companies.

“The government had to have known that the plaintiff was ‘asset rich/cash poor’ when they entered into these arrangements whereby an important part of the contractual triangle was the delivery up of properly appointed premises and that Bank of The Bahamas was to provide the funds necessary for the renovations, further bolstered by the anticipated rents,” she ruled.

Justice Grant-Thompson, upholding the original $9.847m award to Mr Miller for breach of contract, said a further hearing will have to be held over the ex-MPs claims for exemplary and aggravated damages due to the harm the case has inflicted on his “national and international reputation and goodwill established over 50 years of exemplary conduct and achievement in many facets of public and private life.”

Minister hails cruise tourism ‘tipping point’ FROM PAGE 24 Cruises’ president and chief executive, said the Crystal Serenity will “offer a 100 percent Bahamian itinerary through to at least October” with the possibility that its exclusive stay in this nation could be extended further. “I think it’s very likely. No final decision has been made,” he added, when questioned by Tribune Business.

“We’re certain of one thing: These Bahamas cruises are going to sell out very quickly, and that will most likely encourage us to to extend.” Crystal Cruises is capping passenger numbers on the Serenity to 900 guests to ensure compliance with COVID-19 health and safety measures, especially social distancing.

Mr Anderson indicated that Crystal Cruises has selected The Bahamas for its sailing resumption because of the multiple destinations and island experiences it offers, together with the ease of complying with COVID-19

health protocols.

Similar to what Bahamian marinas are hoping for with the boating/yachting business, he signalled that Crystal Cruises’ previous itineraries featuring numerous Caribbean island stops are presently too complex to operate due to the different COVID19 measures each island is employing.

“This makes Crystal Serenity the first to return to sailing in the Americas and first to home port in The Bahamas,” Mr Anderson said. Describing the 16 voyages planned between now and mid-October as Bahamas Escapes, the cruise line will allow persons to embark the vessel in either Nassau or Bimini before it heads to other Family Island calls.

“Crystal Serenity will be the first cruise ship to visit some of these unspoilt destinations that previously were only visited by private boaters,” the Crystal Cruises chief added, with the companies website advertising more than 30 seven-day Bahamas cruises

although the website lists just 16 dates.

Mr Anderson said the company’s plans would “provide much-needed economic support to businesses in The Bahamas which, like other destinations reliant on tourism, have been hard hit by the pandemic”.

He added that the cruise line’s guests will have the ability to extend their Bahamas stay in both Nassau and Bimini, with “packages” being offered via Bahamas’ SLS property and Resorts World Bimini.

“From 2022 our current bookings are significantly ahead of the same time in 2019, which is the last complete year of sailing,” Mr Anderson said. “Our future bookings are ahead, and our guest relations department and sales department is continually hearing from our guests they are eager to sail.”

Mr D’Aguilar, describing Crystal Cruises’ plans as “a significant milestone for cruising in The Bahamas, said: “Given that more than 70 percent

Accountant opposed by own creditors committee FROM PAGE 24

receiver of an investment fund structure had been “co-mingled” with assets owned by Pacifico Global itself, given that this sum was shown as part of the $2.474m on the broker/dealer’s balance sheet.

“The liquidation committee is concerned that the amount of costs claimed by the official liquidator (in excess of $1m) would represent approximately ten percent of the clients’ assets,” the committee’s members added, describing this as “an unreasonable depletion of their capital” on top of the near two-year wait for monies to be returned.

Justice Winder, though, agreed that Mr Rahming was entitled to be compensated from client assets for work done on their behalf as “to accept otherwise would be wholly inequitable”.

However, in granting the liquidator’s request the judge imposed “the caveat that the fees attributable must be in accord with the fees which Pacifico Global would

otherwise levied had it not been placed in liquidation”.

And, when it came to the Intelisys (Bahamas) chief recovering the general liquidation costs, Justice Winder ruled: “I accept that much of the complaints of the liquidation committee are valid. The amounts which are said to be attributed to the trust assets not in receivership have been inconsistently stated over the several applications made by the official liquidator for payment of these fees.”

While indicating that any levy to cover these costs should be no more that 15 percent, Justice Winder declined to make a decision and added: “These are trust assets and cannot be unduly burdened with the general liquidation costs for Pacifico Global....

“What is in fact required is a plan to secure a replacement trustee for these funds as the official liquidator cannot efficiently administer them or be expected to manage them.

Such a process would thereby minimise the burden to these assets and unnecessary liquidation costs.”

The liquidation committee’s three members are Alexander Maillis, an attorney representing Pacifico Global’s former landlord, Mosko Realty; Paul Winder of Deltec Bank & Trust, which acted as administrator for a series of funds the broker/dealer’s clients were invested in; and Luca Lanciano, head of Phoenix Capital, his own financial services boutique.

Mr Lanciano, Pacifico Global’s former chief operating officer, was alleged to have started his firm while still working for the collapsed broker/dealer. Mr Rahming, in an earlier report to the Supreme Court, claimed he issued instructions to redeem a significant amount of investor monies and have them transferred to Phoenix Capital while still engaged by his now-former employer.

The redemption request, allegedly made without Pacifico Global’s knowledge, triggered a dispute with Phoenix Capital that ultimately resulted in funds containing up to 70 percent of the former’s client assets under management being placed into receivership.

of the government’s tax revenue comes from tourism, the return of cruising from partners like Crystal Cruises will bring muchneeded economic relief to the country.

“The benefits of guest expenditures, crew expenditures and port fees will translate into dollars spent directly in our communities, delivering an equitable source of income for thousands of Bahamians. Each sailing to The Bahamas will go a long way in helping local businesses, excursion and tour operators on our islands to get back to work.

“The opportunity for

passengers to add on preand post-sailing stays in The Bahamas will further increase tourism revenue as well...... As cases decline and more people become vaccinated, we are seeing COVID-19 slowly begin to loosen its grip on the world tourism industry, and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome back cruise passengers after a year-long hiatus.”

Mr D’Agular said Crystal Cruises’ arrival had been in the works for some months.

“Nearly a year of planning has brought us to this moment of triumph,” he added. The minister, while

admitting there may be “push back” against Family Island cruise tourism from a minority, voiced confidence that the announcement will “be received with some excitement”.

There are now several months to prepare the selected Family Island destinations for Crystal Cruises’ arrival, and Joy Jibrilu, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, said many communities were used to receiving occasional visits from high-end cruise lines’ whose guests were seeking authentic Bahamian experiences “off the beaten path”.

www.ub.edu.bs

CAREER OPPORTUNITY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION University of The Bahamas invites suitably qualified candidates to apply for the position of Vice President of Finance and Business Enterprises.

Reporting directly to the President, but also working collaboratively with all other vice presidents and senior administrators, the VP Finance and Business Enterprises serves as senior staff to the Board Committee on Finance and also works closely with the Chief Internal Auditor. Among other duties and responsibilities, the successful candidate will: • Direct the University community in all matters relating to operating budgets and planning; financial and treasurer accounting records and core systems; and ancillary services.

• Ensure the University’s financial operations are administered in accordance with institutional policies, government requirements and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

• Oversee the preparation and delivery of financial reports to the President, Board of Trustees, government and other relevant agencies.

• Advise the President and Board of Trustees on all aspects of financial management, including long-range economic trends; consequences of financial compliance and regulatory changes; and internal resource management • Conduct annual budget hearings (November of each year) with all direct reports to the President (all Vice Presidents) in preparation for February/March submission of the new academic year budget to the President and the Board.

• Provide financial oversight to the University’s campuses and research and field stations.

To read the full position announcement, visit www.ub.edu.bs/about-us/career-opportunities/administration/ Qualifications include earned credentials as a Certified Public Accountant from an accredited institution; at least ten (10) years of work experience at a leadership level in finance or accounting in a complex organization, preferably in higher education; and applicable accounting and finance certifications and training.

Applicants should submit the following: • A letter of application highlighting work experience and

accomplishments relevant to the position; • Resume; • The names and contact information of three professional references.

Applicants must submit electronically by Monday, 15th March 2021 to:

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

Chief of Staff, Office of the President maelynn.seymour-major@ub.edu.bs University of The Bahamas Poinciana Drive & University Drive Nassau, The Bahamas hrapply@ub.edu.bs

PAGE 22, Friday, March 12, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

CRUISE HOME PORTING HAILED AS A ‘WIN-WIN’

By NEIL HARTNELL and YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporters

TOURISM industry leaders yesterday hailed the cruise industry’s interest in using Nassau as a home port as a “win-win scenario” for the economy, adding: “The puzzle is coming together.”

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business: “A collaborative approach to the ‘stop, stay and cruise’ business model will ensure a broad spectrum of businesses will benefit; Bahamian entrepreneurs, tourism businesses; cruise lines and cruise passengers.

“A melding of a stopover and cruise experience could

ROBERT SANDS broaden the economic benefit for the destination significantly. Of course, we would ensure our airlift capacity increases commensurately with the growth in hotel and cruise passengers, as the stop, stay and cruise concept could indeed increase arrivals exponentially if the potential is achieved.”

He added: “Given the

myriad of offerings, a plethora of hotels each with unique offerings of their own, a number of culturally and historically-relevant attractions, a vast number of Family Island excursions, we are well-poised to provide visitors with an itinerary which showcases the best of The Bahamas - a mix of land and sea-based experiential offerings.

“The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association looks forward to working with the Ministry of Tourism; Nassau Cruise Port, the cruise lines and other tourism industry participants to ensure the destination’s tourism industry as a whole is able to add the stop, stay and cruise concept to its formula for the sustained successful recovery of its

tourism economy.”

Charles Klonaris, the Downtown Nassau Partnership’s (DNP) co-chair, echoed Mr Sands as Crystal Cruises yesterday became the first cruise line to select The Bahamas as a home port for a series of sevenday island cruises this summer.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Mr Klonaris said, after Tribune Business yesterday reported that four cruise lines were in advanced talks to use Nassau as a home port. “It’s going to help the taxis, the tour operators, the hotels. The tourists that take these cruises have to come in a day before the ship leaves, and if they want to spend more time in Nassau they can take a couple of days before or after.

“It’s a big plus. I think it’s a win-win. The longer they stay, not only will they spend more but they will get a nice feel for Nassau. It’s [home porting] a wonderful concept and hopefully it happens. I don’t really see a downside. I’m sure the hotels are going to make an accommodation with the cruise ships in putting together a package.

“Anything is a plus right now. We need all the good news we can muster. If we have a cruise ship stay overnight, guests will wander downtown and we’ll see activity at the port as well rather than just for a couple of hours a day. It’s all good news, it’s all good news. It’s like the puzzle is coming together.”

Wesley Ferguson, the

Bahamas Taxi Cab Union’s (BTCU) president, said the proposed cruise line home porting was “excellent” for his members. He added: “I wish to see more of the cruise lines make Nassau their point of origin. They just have to dot all of the ‘i’s and cross all of their ‘t’s’ and see what other details are in the tea leaves.”

Nicholas Pinder, general manager of Born Free Fishing Charters, said that while he does not depend on cruise ship passengers he hopes this will be a major boost for all vendors who operate downtown. “We don’t get to target those visitors because the cruise ships have them bound up in excursions of their own,” he added.

ELEUTHERA: DISNEY CAN END ‘DECADES’ LONG WAIT

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

government. He added that such high-quality investment was vital “to the survival” of the island’s economy.

“The Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors received an update from Disney Cruise Line on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) completed for Lighthouse Point. We were impressed and encouraged by the efforts being made to safeguard the environment,” Mr Sands said.

“For decades, the communities of Central and South Eleuthera have been promised new economic opportunities, but for a variety of reasons it has not

come to fruition. In addition to the foreign direct investment, Disney has highlighted how it intends to make meaningful economic opportunities available directly and indirectly to the communities of Eleuthera.

“We are pleased that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Cruise Line has remained committed to their project at Lighthouse Point. Given the prolonged recession in south Eleuthera prior to COVID and the further devastation now, investments of this calibre, once approved, are fundamental to the survival of families, businesses and our island’s economy

as a whole.”

The Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce is part of a three-way tie-up, involving Disney and the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), to provide an incubator that will prepare start-ups and small businesses to participate at Lighthouse Point and at other projects. The cruise line has provided $1m in financing for the initiative.

Other businesses on Eleuthera were also enthused.

Christopher Cates, the Lumber Shed’s owner, said: “We need an injection of something into our economy. I have to believe that the cruise line

is going to do the necessary environmental assessments, and that our government will evaluate what they submit carefully.

“I honestly believe there is a good end use for that property,” he added. “I have to believe that Disney and our government can craft a deal that will work for the people of Eleuthera and for them as well. Clearly, short-term gains to a cruise line are not in anyone’s best interest. They also, I am sure, want to preserve their good name around the world and with respect to the environment.”

Disney has promised to create 120 construction

FAMILY ISLAND BUSINESSES: WILL CRUISES ‘CRYSTAL-LISE’?

owner/operator of Yan Turnquest Fishing and Eco Tour Charters, said he recalled how passengers were not allowed off the ship when cruise lines last visited Long Island.

“If they come on the shore that would be great, but if they don’t come on the island and don’t spend anything then it wouldn’t benefit us any,” he added.

Sonia Jones, owner/operator of Simply Bahamian Souvenir shop on San Salvador, said Club Med’s closure meant there is little economic activity on the island presently. Revealing that she sometimes does not brother to open her store, Ms Jones said the arrival of Crystal Serenity’s passengers will be a “big boost” for the island and her business.

She said: “We really need this right now. Since the Club Med closed there is

nothing here right now. But as a souvenir shop this will definitely help me.”

Raymond Russell, owner/ operator of Island Distributors on San Salvador, said: “All of this depends on if the passengers come off the ship or if they stay on the ship.

“They may come off the ship, but they only come off the ship to hang out on the beach and not necessarily go around. The last two cruise ships that stopped in San Salvador that I know of didn’t make such a big impact.”

Mr Russell also noted: “For the most part, people didn’t know when these ships were coming to the island so people couldn’t plan. Maybe if people knew ahead of time they could meet the tourists on the beach or wherever the cruise line allows the passengers to land on island.”

DISNEY AIMS TO EXPAND BAHAMIAN RECRUITMENT

ELEUTHERA’S Chamber of Commerce head yesterday voiced optimism that Disney’s Lighthouse Point project will end the “decades” long wait for new economic opportunities in the island’s south.

Thomas Sands, in written replies to Tribune Business, said he is “encouraged” by the cruise line’s plans to start construction work on its South Eleuthera destination this year provided it receives all the necessary environmental and construction approvals from the

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net FAMILY Island businesses yesterday voiced optimism that the first cruise line to home port in The Bahamas will provide a much-needed “economic boost” that spreads the tourism wealth.

Entrepreneurs on islands not normally visited by cruise ship passengers said Crystal Cruises’ plan to launch seven-night roundtrip voyages that call on multiple Bahamian destinations with effect from July 3, 2021, should enhance economic empowerment just when they need it most due

to COVID-19.

Betty Miller, owner of Long Island’s Hillside Food Supply, told Tribune Business that whatever Crystal Cruises brings to the island will be a “good thing”. She added: “Even if they only spend $50 a head that would help. This is going to help the people in the car rental business for sure. If they come into my store and spend $50, and there is 100 of them, that would be fantastic for me.”

Long Island, together with Harbour Island, Great Exuma and San Salvador, will be the weekly ports of call for the Crystal Serenity, which will use Nassau and Bimini as its home ports.

However, Yan Turnquest,

DISNEY Cruise Line has hired Hubert Rolle as island operations director for its Castaway Cay destination as it moves to expand Bahamian participation in its local workforce.

Mr Rolle, who holds the most senior post on the island, is responsible for all day-to-day operations and oversight for all lines of business. “I’m grateful to Disney for this leadership opportunity,” he added. “This pandemic has had a significant impact on tourism throughout The Bahamas, and I know that for many Bahamians this has meant unexpected hardship.

“I’m proud to work for an organisation that is dedicated to providing opportunities for my fellow Bahamians even as the industry charts its recovery. I look forward to building an incredible team as we work towards a successful restart of our cruise operations and welcoming our guests back to The Bahamas.”

Disney Cruise Line is aiming to recruit Bahamians to fill several positions across a range of disciplines over the next several months, and provide them with opportunities for training and advancement.

Available positions include numerous management roles, including the newly-created island

YOUR

jobs, of which 80 percent will go to Bahamians, which Mr Cates said will “provide opportunities” for Eleuthera’s young people.

Victor Russell, owner/ operator of Smart Roofing, added: “I know that they creating business owners as well. So I know quite a bit of people who actually like that project.

“I know that Disney was allowing a lot of local residents to be business owners, and they’ll also have jobs from it. I know a lot of people don’t just like jobs; they want to create businesses, and I saw they were creating both of them.”

HUBERT ROLLE director in training post.

This position will work in a variety of leadership roles on Castaway Cay to gain critical knowledge and exposure to various operational areas in preparation for future advancement.

“Our pause in operations has given us a chance to evaluate how we operate Castaway Cay,” said Yvonne Sweeney, Disney Cruise Line’s vice-president of human resources.

“While we’ve always had a significant number of job opportunities for Bahamians, we’ve made the decision to expand on these efforts and commit to filling all positions on the island with Bahamians.

“We’ve seen such strong talent in The Bahamas, and we recognise that it’s more important than ever to hire locally.” All available positions offer competitive compensation with benefits.

Interested job seekers can learn more and apply for available positions by visiting www.DCLJobs.com.

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, March 12, 2021, PAGE 23

O

UR world seems to have regressed when it comes to respect and acceptance of those who are different. At all levels there appears to be a great need for sensitivity and cultural diversity training. This holds true with the multi-generational workforce that many companies are blessed to have. To unlock the true blessing of having Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z working together is the task that faces a management team. Employees in different life stages want - and need - different benefits. All these needs must be understood and honoured without offending or discrediting another generation.

Tech-savvy younger generations bring fresh energy to a

BRIDGING GENERATIONAL WORKFORCE GAPS

BY

company, while older generations have rich experiences and perspectives that bring vision and wisdom. Past technology is what guides future innovation and, in the same vein, hiring older generations of employees to use their knowledge can help companies thrive.

Baby boomers and Generation Xers bring a culture of strong work ethic, collaboration and quality, and they have many important skills to teach the Millennials and Gen Zers. They can offer great lessons in general group motivation, group dynamics, empathy and relationship-building, as well as guide younger generations of

IAN

FERGUSON

employees by sharing trade tricks and industry insights.

Gen Zers, on the other hand, get credit for introducing social media and new mobile apps to seasoned workers.

Companies can leverage the benefits of reverse monitoring programmes where Millennial mentors can teach corporate leadership about social media use, the cloud, mobile computing and other advanced technologies that their customers are using.

These programmes can make Millennials feel more connected to the company, while the company saves money and time, and increases its success rate with targeted audiences. But do not assume

every millennial or Baby Boomer carries with them their generation’s skill-sets.

Each generation brings different talents and skills to the table and, when it comes to innovation, leaders know that diversity is important. Combining different approaches and philosophies in the workplace is imperative to a winning solution.

The experiences of each generation – experiences learned in a specific time and place in history – shape who we are, what we value, how we value it, how we prioritise those values, how we interact with others and in the world, and how we back up those values. There must

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 56° F/13° C

TAMPA

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Breezy; a morning shower in places

Mainly clear

Mostly sunny, breezy and pleasant

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Partly sunny and pleasant

High: 78°

Low: 69°

High: 79° Low: 68°

High: 80° Low: 68°

High: 80° Low: 69°

High: 82° Low: 70°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

79° F

66° F

81°-67° F

84°-66° F

83°-67° F

85°-70° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 74° F/23° C Low: 69° F/21° C

8-16 knots

S

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 68° F/20° C

8-16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 69° F/21° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

| Go to AccuWeather.com

TONIGHT

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 60° F/16° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 67° F/19° C

MIAMI

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 69° F/21° C

7-14 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 75° F/24° C Low .................................................... 68° F/20° C Normal high ....................................... 79° F/26° C Normal low ........................................ 65° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 82° F/28° C Last year’s low ................................... 69° F/21° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 2.01” Normal year to date ..................................... 3.43”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 69° F/21° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 69° F/21° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 70° F/21° C

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

7:06 a.m.

7:27 p.m.

2.9 2.6

12:53 a.m. -0.2 1:28 p.m. -0.2

Saturday

7:46 a.m.

8:07 p.m.

2.8 2.7

1:37 a.m. -0.2 2:05 p.m. -0.2

Sunday

9:24 a.m.

9:44 p.m.

2.8 2.7

3:18 a.m. -0.2 3:40 p.m. -0.2

Monday

10:00 a.m.

10:21 p.m.

2.6 2.7

3:58 a.m. -0.1 4:14 p.m. -0.2

Tuesday

10:36 a.m.

10:59 p.m.

2.5 2.6

4:37 a.m. 0.0 4:48 p.m. -0.1

Wednesday 11:12 a.m.

11:37 p.m.

2.3 2.5

5:17 a.m.

5:22 p.m.

0.1 0.0

Thursday

2.1 -----

5:59 a.m.

5:59 p.m.

0.3 0.2

11:50 a.m.

-----

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

N

S

E

W

8-16 knots

S

10-20 knots

ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

uV inDex toDay

6:22 a.m.

6:18 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

6:09 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Mar. 13

Mar. 21

Mar. 28

Apr. 4

CAT ISLAND

E

W

never be a trade-off between the rich ideas and energy from a younger generation, and the wisdom and insight from the older. There must be a daily coming together done deliberately to enhance and improve the work experience.

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities.

He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com.

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 72° F/22° C

N

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 69° F/21° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

10-20 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 79° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 78° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

H

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 81° F/27° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

10-20 knots

12-25 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 5-9 Feet 4-8 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 5-9 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-7 Feet 6-10 Feet 5-9 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 8-12 Feet 6-10 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 76° F 76° F 76° F 75° F 77° F 76° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 72° F 72° F 76° F 76° F 79° F 79° F 78° F 78° F 77° F 77° F 76° F 76° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F

business@tribunemedia.net

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021

$4.52

$4.52

Miller ruling reversal: No BOB, govt ‘conspiracy’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A

SUPREME Court judge has reversed her initial draft verdict by ruling there was “no unlawful conspiracy to deliberately injure” an ex-Cabinet minister in the breaching of five multi-million lease deals.

Justice Cheryl GrantThompson, in a signed and perfected judgment, found that there was no collusion between BISX-listed Bank of The Bahamas and the government after the latter decided - just after the 2017 general election - not to follow through with its predecessor’s plans to rent

• Ex-MP’s $10m govt damages remain • But all adverse BOB findings eliminated • Bank says ex-minister still owes $30.5m

LESLIE MILLER space in Leslie Miller’s Summerwinds Plaza property for multiple public sector agencies.

While the revision has

little impact for Mr Miller, as Justice Grant-Thompson maintained the $9.846m damages award in his favour for the government’s breach of the lease contracts, Bank of The Bahamas voiced its elation that no adverse findings or statements against it were contained in the new judgment.

The bank, in a statement issued by its attorney, Gail Lockhart-Charles, said it continues to assert that Mr Miller and his companies owe it more than $30.5m after defaulting on loans

secured on the Summerwinds Plaza that is located just off Tonique Williams Highway.

Noting that the former MP’s claims against Bank of The Bahamas have yet to be tried before the Supreme Court, Mrs Lockhart-Charles said “there was nothing improper in the circumstances about its refusal to extend further credit to Mr Miller and his companies”. She added that the bank vigorously disputed

SEE PAGE 21

Minister hails cruise tourism ‘tipping point’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A CABINET minister yesterday hailed “a tipping point” for tourism and the wider economy as the first cruise line to ever home port in The Bahamas unveiled its multi-island schedule for summer 2021.

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told a conference call that Crystal Cruises’ decision to base one of its vessels in this nation for seven-day voyages exclusively in the Bahamas represented “a significant milestone” in efforts to revive tourism in both the near and long-term.

The upscale, luxury cruise line, which offers butler service for 30 percent of its passengers, will use Nassau and Bimini as home

• Crystal Cruises ‘first to home port’ in nation • Unveils exclusive Bahamas 7-day voyage • Briland, Exuma, San Sal and Long Island calls

DIONISIO D’AGUILAR ports for week-long cruises set to begin on July 3. The Crystal Serenity will call on Harbour Island, Great Exuma, Long Island and San Salvador via an itinerary designed to boost to island economies, traditionally not on a cruise industry

Funeral worker loses ‘300lb corpse’ claim

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A FUNERAL home worker has lost her bid to obtain damages from her former employer over an injury suffered when she had to “catch” a 300-pound corpse.

Candice Marshall, who has not worked for almost 12 years since that incident, saw her claim for “negligence and breach of statutory duty” against Rock of Ages Funeral Chapel & Crematorium and its owners, Kelson and Dorcas Cox, dismissed

by the Supreme Court on a legal technicality.

Justice Indra Charles found that Ms Marshall had not initiated her legal claim within the three years permitted by the Limitations Act for bringing personal injury cases, thus making her effort to obtain damages “statute barred”.

Detailing the background to the dispute, Justice Charles said Ms Marshall blamed her injuries on the funeral home’s “failure to provide adequate and fully functional equipment for

SEE PAGE 20

Dorian home repairs need $5.8m injection

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) needs at least a further $5.355m injection of taxpayer monies to complete Hurricane Dorian-related repairs for 3,735 homeowners.

The details, revealed in the Authority’s 2021 “progress report”, disclose that the $17.109m already allocated for the Small Home Repairs initiative will only cover 76 percent of the nowestimated $22.464m total

cost that the exercise is now projected to incur.

The revised figures mean that the Small Homes Repair programme will be almost triple the originallyprojected $8m cost, with work on the properties of some 1,090 homeowners yet to begin. There are also discrepancies, with the $5.355m figure only referring to the cost of repairs on those 1,090 homes. Given that there is a $437,288 shortfall on work already in train, the total need is $5.792m.

SEE PAGE 19

schedule, that are still reeling from COVID. “This a milestone achievement,” Mr D’Aguilar said, speaking just one day after revealing that four cruise lines are presently in negotiations to use Nassau as their home port. “After a year of despair, uncertainty and doubt.... this will prove to be the tipping point for our citizens, tourism industry and nation.”

And, just one day after urging all Bahamians - especially tourism workers - to become vaccinated against COVID-19 as rapidly as possible, given that the pace and strength of

The Bahamas’ economic recovery depends on this, Mr D’Aguilar predicted that most citizens and residents will be vaccinated by July in time for Crystal’s sailing start.

“Certainly, by July 4 and the latter part of July, we anticipate the vast majority of our population who want to be vaccinated will be vaccinated,” he added.

The Bahamas, though, has a long way to go to achieve this ambitious timeframe given that just 20,000 vaccine doses have presently reached its shores.

Jack Anderson, Crystal

SEE PAGE 21

$4.52

$4.52

Accountant opposed by own creditors committee

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

AN ACCOUNTANT is facing opposition from his own liquidation committee as he bids to obtain over $1m in compensation for efforts to wind-up a collapsed Bahamian broker/ dealer.

Ed Rahming, the Intelisys (Bahamas) founder and managing director, saw his request for Supreme Court approval to recover costs from client assets held by Pacifico Global Advisors largely stymied by a March 9, 2021, ruling from Justice Ian Winder.

With the failed broker/ dealer’s own remaining assets insufficient to cover all winding-up costs, Mr Rahming had sought the Supreme Court’s permission to cover costs incurred todate from client monies and other assets that the firm is holding in trust in a fiduciary capacity.

The Intelisys (Bahamas) chief wanted judicial sanction to deduct a percentage from all clients’ assets to cover costs associated with work done to secure and return these funds to their rightful owners, as well as another deduction to meet “general liquidation costs”.

These deductions were to be levied on a “pro rata” basis so that all assets contributed an equal share.

However, Justice Winder only granted Mr Rahming permission to cover costs directly associated with work that benefited Pacifico Global client assets, and refused to consider the application for further deductions to cover general liquidation expenses.

He described as “valid” many of the complaints submitted by Mr Rahming’s own Pacifico Global liquidation committee, which is supposed to represent creditor interests and assist the liquidator in winding-up the insolvent company.

ED RAHMING And Justice Winder went so far as to call for the Intelisys (Bahamas) chief to find a replacement trustee to take over stewardship of the client assets given that he “cannot efficiently administer them or be expected to manage them”.

Mr Rahming declined to comment when contacted

by Tribune Business but, detailing the liquidation committee’s opposition to his compensation request, Justice Winder said they were opposed to him and his team recovering “general liquidation costs” from client assets.

“Other than stating that there are insufficient assets belonging to the company to pay the liquidation costs,” the liquidation committee alleged in its opposing arguments, “the official liquidator does not explain how the costs that he seeks to have paid are either reasonable or relate to work that was of benefit to the owners of the non-client assets.

“Nor does the official liquidator explain why he did not moderate his expenditure so that he did not exceed the assets on the books of the company. Aside from the apparently excessive and unjustified running up of expenses, there is significant cause for concern as to the manner in which the official liquidator is conducting the liquidation generally.”

The liquidation committee voiced concern that some $1.95m that should have been turned over to the

SEE PAGE 21