03132023 NEWS AND SPORT

ACTIVIST QUESTIONS IMPACT OF RCI DEAL

Darville says PI is back to being ‘hog’ island with profits put first

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING the approval of Royal Caribbean International’s $110m beach club project on Paradise Island, a local activist has questioned the environmental impacts the development will have.

Last week, the Davis administration revealed the approval of RCI’s Paradise Beach Club, despite previous objections to the

project.

In a statement addressed to the prime minister, Cabinet ministers, and “aspiring” politicians yesterday, Save the Bays chairman Joseph Darville reflected on the fond memories of his youth which he experienced on the western end of Paradise Island, as it had a large population of wild hogfish, hence the name “Hog Island”. However, Mr Darville

NCP TOP EXEC ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT WORRIED’ ABOUT RCI’S IMPACT

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

NASSAU Cruise Port’s top executive says he is “absolutely not worried” about Royal Caribbean’s $100m Paradise Island project sucking away passengers to the detriment of his facility and other Bahamian-owned businesses.

Michael Maura told Tribune Business he is “very confident” there will be sufficient visitor volumes to support his $300m project, Bay Street and downtown

Nassau merchants, restaurants and straw vendors, and all cruise-reliant industries once the cruise giant’s Royal Beach Club opens in 2025.

Noting that there will be days when Nassau Cruise Port receives as many as 30,000-plus passengers, he argued that not all will want “to go and sit on a beach” but, instead, seek out authentic Bahamian experiences involving this nation’s culture, heritage, cuisine and other unique aspects.

‘SLOW DOWN SPENDING’ TO HIT DEFICIT TARGET

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS must produce “a faster slowdown on spending” to ensure it hits the revised $575.4m full-year deficit target and other key fiscal goals, a major international

GAS RETAILERS PLEA FOR GOVT CHANGE OF HEART

financial services group is urging.

Santander’s US capital markets unit,

CLEARED VASYLI ‘TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AFTER being acquitted of the murder of her husband after a more than five-year long court battle, Donna Vasyli plans to spend time with her family before deciding what she wants to do with her life, according to one of her attorneys.

Mrs Vasyli was acquitted

Thursday night after a ninemember jury found her not guilty in a retrial for the stabbing death of her millionaire podiatrist husband,

Philip Vasyli, in 2015.

The ruling marked an end to an eight-year-long court fight that initially resulted in her being convicted of murder in 2015.

That conviction and 20-year sentence was quashed two years later and then a retrial was ordered by the Court of Appeal.

When contacted by The Tribune on Friday, Owen

THE CR Walker Knights brought home their seventh straight Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) track and field championships ahead of second-placed CV Bethel Stingrays. See SPORTS for

Photo:

Emmanuel Baptist Church opens new computer lab and afterschool programme

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A NEW computer lab and after school learning programme was officially opened at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in East End, Grand Bahama on Saturday.

Pastor Israel Pinder and his wife, Nadine, said the project is a dream that has come to fruition.

After completing renovations to the church in High Rock, the couple decided to establish a computer centre to benefit students and residents in their community, which was devastated by Hurricane Dorian three years ago. Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey, and Kwasi Thompson, member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama, were present and delivered brief remarks.

The centre is equipped with ten brand new computers, desks and chairs.

Pastor Pinder said that without the help of so many, the centre would not have become a reality.

He also acknowledged his wife who was at the forefront of the project.

“I want to recognise the heartbeat of this project, my wife, Nadine. God placed this dream in my heart and

I told her how I wanted to accomplish it and she took it on, and helped to get it done,” he said.

Mr Pinder recognised Mr Thompson, the Sunset Pilot Club for its IT support team, sponsors and volunteers.

“If it was not for everyone, it would still be a dream. I want to thank God for touching your hearts, and helping us accomplish this dream, and to everyone who supported this vision one way or the other,” he said.

Ms Moxey commended Pastor Pinder and his wife for providing a valuable resource to the community.

“This is a place where residents come to gain valuable skills, connect with others … and I commend Pastor Pinder and lady Pinder, and Emmanuel Baptist Church for providing this valuable resource to the community.

“Let us all be inspired by what you see here today and remember that we all have a part to play. We can no longer work in silos,” she said.

Mr Thompson said he was pleased to be able to partner with the Pinders in the opening of the computer lab in High Rock because technology is very important.

“It is a great day for East Grand Bahama, and I want

to commend Pastor Israel and lady Nadine, and the entire church. It was a privilege for me to be able to partner with them in providing a number of computers for the computer centre.

“It is part of our vision for the entire constituency,” added Mr Thompson. “We also did it in Freeport, now in our East Grand Bahama community centre, where we have a computer centre. And so, this is just an extension of being able to provide computers for the High Rock community and East Grand Bahama community. We are going to Sweeting’s Cay on Sunday to provide computers to the clinic, and to the clinic in High Rock as well. So, this is an ongoing programme that we have to touch the lives of East Grand Bahama.”

Franklyn McCoy, president of the Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama, said they were happy to help.

“We recently assisted Bartlett Hill Primary with installing their computers, and so we were delighted to also come down and provide IT support, with the help of Mr Harry Fernander, to Pastor Pinder at Emmanuel Baptist Church.”

YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE

Lombard Odier Bahamas is pleased launch its inaugural youth environmental initiative geared towards helping students consider how today’s actions impact future generations. The initiative will target junior and high school students living in The Bahamas.

Submission Guidelines: In 250-500 words, applicants are asked to describe a specific program launched by a local, environmentally-focused organization or by the individual applicant and provide details on how the specific program is contributing to an environmentally sustainable future for The Bahamas.

Submission Deadline: Friday March 31st, 2023

Email responses to: NAS-Sustainability@lombardodier.com

Please include your name, age, grade, island and school in your submission.

Selection Process: A green ribbon panel including partners from Lombard Odier and other partner organizations will review submissions and select four (4) successful candidates.

Prizes:

Group 1: Grades 7-9th

1st place winner will receive a tablet or laptop and access to a summer program with a local environmental organization.

2nd place winner will receive a camera and access to a summer program with a local environmental organization.

Group 2: Grades 10-12th

1st place winner will receive a 4-week paid summer internship with a local organization focused on environmental sustainability in The Bahamas.

2nd place winner will receive a 2- week paid summer internship with a local organization focused on environmental sustainability in The Bahamas.

GB Minister Ginger Moxey and Kwasi Thompson, MP for EGB, (centre) attended the opening of a new computer and afterschool learning programme at Emmanuel Baptist Church in High Rock. Also pictured are Pastor Israel Pinder (far right) and his wife, Nadine, (second from right)

Activist questions impact of RCI deal

questioned the intentions of the project, referring to “Hog Island” as a development solely situated around “big profits” and “cheaply won-votes”.

“Back then it was called Hog Island, apparently because of the large population of wild hogs that lived there,” he said.

“Today, with the announcement that the government has approved a development to bring thousands of tourists a day to the pristine beach overlooked by that noble lighthouse, it is once again becoming ‘hog island’, as international business eyes big profits and local politicians rub their hands at the prospect of cheaplywon votes.”

He also questioned the environmental effects of the project, asking if the government considered the negative impact before approving the $110m project.

“What will be the effect on that iconic coastline of the masses of garbage and human waste inevitably produced as a result of this development? What will be the effect on the once abundant reef that I knew so well in my youth, which is already struggling because of human impact?

“Will the developer’s plan be effective in mitigating these dangers?

The government cannot possibly know the answer, because it went ahead and announced the approval, despite the fact that the environmental impact evaluation is yet to be completed.”

He continued: “Perhaps worst of all, what does it mean for our sense of identity as a nation, that this once powerful symbol of our history and traditions, our seafaring roots and deep connection with nature, will be made off limits to Bahamians, hogged up by commercial and political interests and remade into a fabricated spectacle for the amusement of hordes of cruise day-visitors?”

Mr Darville, narrowed in on the country’s sense of identity as a result of the development, saying that the freedom and birthright of Bahamians is being “clawed away” to the highest and in some instances lowest foreign bidder, to aid successive governments’ short term political interest and personal profit rather than the public’s best interest.

He highlighted the various “incomparable national treasures” on different islands of The Bahamas, which have fallen prey to this trend, saying that others appear to be heading in the same direction.

However, he blamed both the government and

Bahamians for allowing this to occur.

“The shortsightedness of our various governments is whe said yesterday.

“There is no reason to chide international developers or wealthy second-home owners – our interests were never their responsibility. However, the finger must also be pointed at we, the people of The Bahamas. It is on our watch that our birthright has been auctioned in a decades-long fire sale, right from under our noses.”

He continued: “I am not saying that tourism

projects are bad; indeed, they are a crucial tool of national development. But all development is not good development, there must be a balance, and some things must absolutely be sacred.

“If not, what will be sold off is not just parcels of land, but our very identity as a people and most importantly, the natural heritage that we are tasked with holding in

trust for the benefit of future generations.”

Last week, Atlantis’ top executive warned that approval of the project is “premature” and urged Bahamians to call on the government to “put the brakes on”.

Audrey Oswell said there are “too many red flags” and unanswered questions relating to the cruise line’s planned Royal Beach Club destination.

She said these concerns focused largely on its potential environmental and economic impact, adding that Atlantis had raised some 50 questions relating to the former issue when the project was first unveiled for public consultation by the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) but had not received a single answer.

COLONIAL Beach and the Hog Island Lighthouse on the western end of Paradise Island are at the centre of Royal Caribbean’s development plans.

Photo: Austin Fernander

ARTIST renderings of RCI’s plans for the beach club development at Colonial Beach on Paradise Island

ARTIST renderings of RCI’s plans for the beach club development at Colonial Beach on Paradise Island

Cleared Vasyli ‘to spend time with family’

Wells, one of her attorneys, described the entire ordeal as a stressful one for Mrs Vasyli, saying her focus now was to reconnect with family.

“The whole trial was an ordeal,” he said.

“It was very stressful for her knowing that she was innocent and knowing that there was really nothing to connect her and she had to go through the whole process.

“It was an eight-year process beginning in 2015 with the initial trial and the Court of Appeal and then the Privy

Council and now a retrial so she really hasn’t considered her option as for what’s next.

“What’s most important now is spending time with her family, including her grandchildren and both her parents who she hasn’t seen in eight years. They reside in Australia. They were too elderly to travel and, of course, she could not visit them due to her passport (being held) and being on bail.”

Mrs Vasyli’s retrial before Senior Justice Bernard Evans lasted for about six months, with a gag order put in place preventing reporting of the proceedings.

According to Mr Wells, some 27 witnesses were called by the Crown prosecution in the trial, which he described as “tedious.”

“It’s been six long months,” the attorney added. “The jury was empaneled in October so the trial was nonstop since then with us breaking for Christmas so you could imagine the work we had to put in everyday and every night after court, we met until the wee hours of the morning sometimes until two or 3am in the morning just working on the trial.

“What would be the strategy for the next witness, how we would

AIR TRAFFICE DELAYS POSSIBLY CAUSED BY ‘SYSTEM CHALLENGES’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

LYNDEN Pindling International Airport flight departures and arrivals were reportedly delayed due to system challenges at air traffic control.

The system challenges were allegedly attributed to air traffic control issues at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre, however officials could not be contacted for confirmation.

Jeffrey Simmons, a passenger due to be on a British Airways flight to London on Saturday afternoon, told this newspaper yesterday that his flight was unexpectedly cancelled.

He understands that due to system challenges, there were significant airline traffic congestion and flight delays.

“I spoke to a colleague of mine from Jamaica who’s also travelling to where I was going, taking a different route and she was stuck in Miami,” he said yesterday.

“Then I spoke to someone else I know who is supposed to be doing the same thing and he

was stuck in New York. And so, what I found out because you know I have some relationship with air traffic and all of that, is that apparently, they had some issues in Miami.”

In noting the challenges, Mr Simmons said that the malfunctions prohibited Miami’s air traffic control to accommodate the large volume of traffic in the airspace, and as a result, many flights locally were delayed on Saturday.

“When British Airways arrived here yesterday (Saturday), they couldn’t land, so they had to actually go to Cayman Island, and from there they went back onto London,” he told The Tribune yesterday.

“What I understood was there was some issue with the air traffic in Miami because see what happens is that here in Nassau we don’t really … Our air traffic controllers are not responsible for flights, they don’t control flights above 10,000 ft.

“So anything in The Bahamas above 10,000 ft, Miami deals with, so our air traffic controllers don’t deal with that.

If their (Miami) radar is not properly functioning, then that means they have to cut down on the volume of traffic they allow into the airspace and I think that’s more their issue from yesterday (Saturday).”

The Tribune was unable to confirm whether flight arrivals and departures were back to normal.

This newspaper contacted an official at Nassau Airport Development (NAD), however a response was not issued up to press time.

In January, Lynden Pindling International Airport experienced similar challenges, as almost 700 flights departing at the time were delayed due to system challenges.

At the time, it was revealed that these challenges were a result of air traffic control issues with the En Route Automation Modernisation (ERAM) system at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre, responsible for operating airspace for commercial flights over Florida and parts of The Bahamas.”

approach the witness. It was a tedious trial to say the least. The prosecution called 27 witnesses and we called one defence witness so you could imagine the work and the effort that went into it.”

Mr Vasyli, who was married to Mrs Vasyli for 34 years, was found stabbed to death on March 24 2015, at the couple’s Old Fort Bay home.

Mrs Vasyli was convicted of killing her husband months after he died. She was sentenced to 20 years at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

But in July 2017, the

Court of Appeal quashed her guilty verdict and consequently ordered a retrial.

She appealed the matter before the country’s highest court, however in March 2020, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London ruled that she had a case to answer.

The Bahamas’ Court of Appeal was allowed to decide if a retrial would take place.

“The case was built off circumstantial evidence,” Mr Wells said of the retrial. “There was no direct evidence … and we approached the case from a totally different aspect than the previous

lawyers in 2015 did.”

He said the legal team presented different “theories” as to what may have happened to Mr Vasyli, having felt that police did not dig enough into those theories and just decided that their client was guilty.

“They never made any investigation of whether it was suicide, whether it could’ve been someone else who was present there that day. They made no investigations of these things,” he said.

Mrs Vasyli’s legal team included Mr Wells, K D Knight, KC, Damian Gomez, KC, and Bianca Samuels.

COMMUNITY RALLY AT JOE BILLY PARK WEDNESDAY

A COMMUNITY empowerment rally will be held on Wednesday in Joe Billy Park, on Fowler Street, off East Street.

The event starts at 6.30pm under the theme “Empowered people empower people”. It will include performances, prizes

and prayers, and light refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact Apostle Henry Higgins on 803-4423

POLICE INVESTIGATING MAN FOUND SHOT TO DEATH ON FAITH AVENUE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating after a man was found dead on Faith Avenue south on Friday. The victim was found before 5am in the area of Anatol Rodgers High School with apparent gunshot wounds.

According to police, the deceased has not been identified as yet. This incident brings the country’s murder count to 18, according to this newspaper’s records.

Four days earlier, two men were shot dead on Fox Hill Park, including a man that police said was on bail accused of six murders.

Chief Supt Johnson told reporters on the scene that sometime around 8.45pm on Monday, police received information of gunshots being discharged in the area of the park in Fox Hill.

“When the officers arrived on the scene, they

met the lifeless bodies of two individuals, two males that were just north of the park. EMS was called, examined the bodies and found no signs of life,” he said.

He added: “The basic information that we have thus far is that these two persons were in this area conversing when two males came from the rear of a trailer that is just north of the Jungle Club.

“One of these males was armed with a high-powered weapon. They approached these individuals and opened fire - shooting them multiple times about the body.”

Earlier this month, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said he intends to keep the country’s murder count below 100 this year. He made the same pledge last year, however, the figure climbed by eight percent in 2022 which recorded a total of 128 incidents. During the

same period in 2021, police recorded 119 murders.

“We are still challenged with murder cases, which increased in 2022. There were 22 murders in March 2022, which represents the highest number of homicides ever recorded for a single month in the history of the Bahamas,” the commissioner said earlier this month.

“We cannot afford to ever repeat this tragedy, the bloodiest month in history. Our goal is to hold the line and reduce the overall number of homicides for 2023 to double digits. We want to stem the fear of crime and this starts now.”

When asked by the media about the target number for this year’s murder count, Commissioner Fernander was unable to say.

“I don’t have no number in mind. I wish it could have been, you know, at a zero,” he said. “But we see what is happening, and we are trying to stop that trend.”

MAN’S BODY FOUND IN WATER, FOUL PLAY IS NOT SUSPECTED

POLICE pulled a man’s submerged body from the water at Woodes Rodgers Walk on Friday.

Shortly after 7pm, police were notified that a man’s body was underwater and officers from the Marine Support Unit were dispatched.

They retrieved the man’s body from the water. He was pronounced dead by emergency medical technicians.

Police said the victim appeared to be in his fifties. He was taken to the morgue at PMH where an official identification will be conducted.

Police are appealing to members of the public who may know of a missing family member or friend to contact 911/919 or the Criminal Investigations Department.

Police are also investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a 67-year-old female tourist who died on board a cruise ship on Saturday.

At this time, no foul play is suspected and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death, police said.

Gas retailers plea for govt change of heart

current margin regime due to increasing costs.

The last time petroleum dealers enjoyed a margin increase was in 2011 when the Hubert Ingraham-led Free National Movement (FNM) government granted a 10-cent increase per gallon of gasoline to take it from 44 cents to 54 cents. A 15-cent increase per gallon of diesel was also allowed. The government itself currently collects over $1.60 for every

gallon of gasoline sold in The Bahamas. In an interview with this newspaper on Friday, Vasco Bastian pleaded with Mr Halkitis to reconsider, calling him a “reasonable gentleman” despite his recent comments that the government is “not minded” to do anything that will increase the cost of fuel at the pump.

“I pray and hope that Mr Halkitis will have a change of heart,” Mr Bastian told this newspaper. “I hope that he can reconsider.

“I know Mr Halkitis

to be a reasonable gentleman and I wish the minister at some point, just come and sit in our shoes for a second, or walk in our shoes, I’m sorry, he will have a change of heart.”

He continued: “I think the minister is a sensible man, and I think he needs to reconsider what he has suggested.”

Mr Halkitis had previously said that the Davis administration is “sympathetic” to the concerns raised by members of the BPDA, however, he urged fuel retailers to “continue dialogue” with

BTC HOSTS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ‘WATCH PARTY’

BTC hosted a “Watch Party” for International Women’s Day last Wednesday - with staff able to join in seminars hosted by BTC and its parent company, Liberty Latin America.

This year’s International Women’s Day was celebrated under the campaign theme of “Embrace Equity,” which called on individuals and organisations around the world to make gender equity a critical part of our society’s DNA.

BTC CEO Sameer Bhatti told staff

International Women’s Day was a day to reflect and recognise the many accomplishments and contributions of women to society and in the workplace.

“I’m proud of the strides that BTC has made to support and stand behind women,” Bhatti said.

“It is reflected in our population, with over 60 percent of our employee base being female, and the tide continues to shift as more than half of our senior leadership team comprises of

women.”

A keynote address was given by Judge Asha Jackson of Atlanta, Georgia. “Equity requires us all to dig a little deeper, to look a little closer, to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zone, to sacrifice, to advocate, and to invest,” she said.

“Also be a woman who is authentic. It’s a daily practice of letting go who we think we are supposed to be and embracing who we actually are.”

the government. “Our position remains that the government of The Bahamas will not implement anything that will lead to an immediate increase in the price at the pump. Consumers and businesspeople, the government of The Bahamas are not prepared to entertain it,” he had said earlier “We are prepared to look at the proposal back and forth, but we will not do something that will lead to an immediate increase in the price of gas at the pump. I don’t know if I can say it any

simpler, I’ve said it over and over... and I stand by that.”

On Friday, Mr Bastian insisted that Mr Halkitis reconsider his statement, noting that BPDA is always willing to dialogue in an effort to reach an amicable solution with the government.

“We are always willing to dialogue with the minister, with the good minister, but I think he really should reconsider this statement and have a change of heart towards the industry, not only the industry, not the dealers you know, but also

the employees that we employ,” Mr Bastian said. While acknowledging the concerns of fuel retailers, Mr Halkitis has previously said that there have been some discussions about moving from a fixed tax to an ad valorem tax which is based on a percentage of fuel. When asked if fuel retailers are open to this option, Mr Bastian said: “Anything at this time would be good. Anything. Anything that the government and us (BPDA) could come to reasonable agreement on we are willing to do.”

THE ANNUAL RED CROSS FAIR SCHEDULED FOR END OF APRIL

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Red Cross Society is on the road to celebrate its 79th annual Red Cross Fair, and the organisation is encouraging the public to support the cultural event.

Terez Curry, Bahamas Red Cross president, on Friday announced the fair’s theme this year is “Let’s Celebrate”, adding it highlights The Bahamas coming near to its 50th anniversary of independence. The fair will be held on April 29-30 at Arawak Cay’s Fish Fry Heritage Site, West Bay Street. Ms Curry said the organisation hopes to raise $150,000 this year to aid in preparing for hurricane season which runs from June 1 through November 30.

“As you know, hurricane season is approaching, and as we prepare for that season

in making sure all our Family Islands are ready they have the supplies they would need should something pass across their islands. This fair helps to furnish their needs so that we can make sure the country is covered,” Ms Curry said. The fair will be a “family-orientated” event that will showcase Bahamian artists and “everything Bahamian”. Local food vendors will serve a variety of dishes and native cuisine.

Alicia Pinder, director general of the Bahamas Red Cross Society, highlighted the three-year hiatus of the fair due to the pandemic. Ms Pinder said:

“There are some things that we are still trying to catch up from because of the past years when there were no fundraisers or very little fundraising. And, of course, we want to catch up on the past and maintain regular

obligations.

“So, this is why this fair is so important. We’re super excited because we can celebrate the country in its 50th anniversary. And we can allow a cultural experience that will coincide with everything Bahamian.”

The organisation held the Red Cross Ball in January, however, despite the event being a success, Ms Curry explained other fundraisers are still needed to meet the operational needs of the organisation.

“Yes, we just had our annual ball and that did well, but that takes us only so far. And so, we have to continue to fundraise,” Ms Curry said.

The organisation also hopes the fair will allow them to further initiatives in backyard farming, education on climate change, and post-pandemic health.

A FEW women of BTC strike the “Embrace Equity” pose at the end of an International Women’s Day “Watch Party” held on Wednesday at BTC’s Perpall Tract location.

THE WOMEN of team BTC in Grand Bahama strike the International Women’s Day “Embrace Equity” pose as they also joined in virtually to the Watch Party and held their own in-office celebrations.

HOST Cherrylee Pinder addresses the women of BTC at their recent International Women’s Day “Watch Party” held on Wednesday at the Company’s Perpall Tract location.

The Tribune Limited

Bethel’s work a credit to The Bahamas

LAST week saw the celebration of International Women’s Day.

Across The Bahamas – including here in the pages of The Tribune – people took the time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women, as well as taking a moment to note the progress that still remained to be made.

It is all too easy for such celebrations to be isolated on a single day and then, the moment over, moving on without continuing to recognise the achievements of women.

So we take that time today in this column to note the work of Marion Bethel, who has played a major role in two landmark human rights cases.

The cases may be far from our shores, but it is a credit both to Ms Bethel and to our nation that she has played such a pivotal part in proceedings.

The first case dates all the way back to 1944, and the “comfort women” forcibly taken to the Red House, the Japanese headquarters in San Ildefonso, Pampanga. The women were repeatedly raped, tortured, exposed to sexual violence and inhumane detention.

The second case involved a Spanish woman who underwent premature labour induction and a caesarian section without her consent.

Reparations have been requested in both cases, along with an apology.

It may seem that these matters are far from home – so what do they mean for The Bahamas? But as Ms Bethel says in the second case, “This case calls on us in The Bahamas to reflect on and address our own protocols and standards concerning the treatment of women in healthcare facilities in compliance with the human rights standards of dignity, respect and autonomy.”

In short, in the failings of others, we can learn lessons for ourselves.

So we salute Ms Bethel, a figurehead in elevating the fight for human rights, and note that celebration of those who achieve so much should not be limited to one day, but whenever we have the opportunity. It should be noted that much was also said on International Women’s Day

about rights and progress – and yet, the much talked about laws on marital rape, for which last week had been talked of as a moment when the government would announce progress on consultation and legislation, have not advanced any further yet.

Words are easy to say, but action is where governments must be judged. Unless active steps are taken to further equality, then those words may just be lip service.

What’s new?

As you look through The Tribune over the coming weeks, you may well see a few new features – and we will take a moment here to introduce them.

In Friday’s edition last week, there was the debut of two new regular features. One of these was the return of the Clubs & Societies page, essentially a community noticeboard where groups and organisations from Rotary to sororities, from running and cycling clubs to church groups and more can let us know about their activities. This is a chance to share with the public who you are and what your group is doing. Email clubs@ tribunemedia.net to join in.

Friday also saw the appearance of the first in a series of articles by Eric Wiberg, who will take us on a journey every second week to discover the crashed planes around The Bahamas.

On Tuesday of next week, The Tribune launches its new Education page, with reporter Fay Simmons looking to share stories from within schools and other education establishments. You can email her at jsimmons@tribunemedia. net with your stories.

Returning to our aviation historian, Mr Wiberg will also be one of the first voices to feature in our new series of Tribune podcasts, launching in the next two weeks.

All of these will add to our regular content – more in the paper and more on our website. We look forward to your stories.

Approval of Royal Caribbean’s proposal

EDITOR, The Tribune.

KINDLY permit me the opportunity to publicly express my views on the recent decision by the government to give approval to Royal Caribbean International (RCI) to develop its private vacation enclave on Paradise Island.

The government, in announcing approval of this venture, peddled the fact or the possibility that Bahamians will have a 49% equity participation in this venture and that the government has reduced the Crown land giveaway from the seven acres to four acres.

As leader of the opposition in 2020, it was reported that the current Prime Minister spoke loudly about the negative impact this development will have on Downtown businesses and Bahamian entrepreneurs competing for the same cruise passenger dollar.

It was also reported that he lamented the fact that this project if brought to fruition will add to an already congested Nassau harbour and will limit beach access to residents and visitors alike.

If such were the case then, does the fact that government will hold a 49% equity stake or will only lease four acres, remove the negative impact or threat this venture by RCI poses

PI is back to being ‘hog island’

EDITOR, The Tribune

THIS is an open letter to the Right Honourable Prime Minister Philip Davis, the members of his Cabinet, all current MPs and aspiring politicians in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

For generations, the lighthouse at the western end of what is now known as Paradise Island has stood as a beacon of safety to sailors, and also as a symbol of the traditions and way of life that made us who we are.

ahead and announced the approval, despite the fact that the environmental impact evaluation is yet to be completed.

watching their precious mangrove ecosystem be wiped out by bad development; as have the people of Guana Cay, Abaco, whose once majestic barrier reef has suffered near total destruction. Other islands appear to be headed in the same direction.

to downtown businesses and vendors?

Will it lessen the damage likely be done to the marine environment which the Prime Minister reportedly spoke about as opposition leader in 2020?

The same economic threats and unattractiveness connected to this venture that existed in 2020 will still exist regardless of the ownership makeup of this venture or the amount of Crown land gifted.

Further, if it is the government’s intention to revitalise Bay Street by seeking to have owners make the financial investment to upgrade their property, approving this project certainly does not advance this objective given that this project is likely to weaken the economic vitality and attractiveness of Bay Street and by extension the attendant properties along Bay Street. And it certainly will not add to the passenger spend with Bay Street merchants and vendors.

Also, why would the government allow a cruise line to monopolise the cruise visitor experience and spend while on land in The Bahamas? The cruise operator already has unfettered access to passengers’ wallet and experience while enroute to The Bahamas. Notwithstanding the narrative peddled by the

government, its decision to approve this project seems to be counterproductive to its objective of revitalising downtown economically and its aim of increasing the cruise visitor spend in a manner that the benefits local merchants and vendors.

If RCI has $110m to invest in the creation of attractions for its cruise passengers there are opportunities available in New Providence proper which could be undertaken in partnership with local investors or those persons or entities in the cultural and arts arena. For many of these persons and entities, money and access to available land is the only thing that is lacking.

This venture should not be viewed as providing a much-needed tourist attraction for cruise visitors but should be viewed more so as, facilitating the extraction of economic opportunities away from Bay Street and the wider New Providence community.

The government should not be a willing partner or an equity participant in any venture that is likely to further destroy or detract from the little economic life left on Bay Street and in New Providence.

In my youth, almost 70 years ago now, I would often go fishing with my uncle just off those rocks, and the abundance of grouper, snapper and lobster – the whole area teeming with life – was just a marvel to see. Even as the rest of the island began to be developed, that area remained untouched, a bastion of respect and reverence for nature which no asphalt steam-roller ever violated.

Back then it was called Hog Island, apparently because of the large population of wild hogs that lived there. Today, with the announcement that the government has approved a development to bring thousands of tourists a day to the pristine beach overlooked by that noble lighthouse, it is once again becoming ‘hog island’, as international business eyes big profits and local politicians rub their hands at the prospect of cheaply-won votes.

What will be the effect on that iconic coastline of the masses of garbage and human waste inevitably produced as a result of this development? What will be the effect on the once abundant reef that I knew so well in my youth, which is already struggling because of human impact? Will the developer’s plan be effective in mitigating these dangers? The government cannot possibly know the answer, because it went

Perhaps worst of all, what does it mean for our sense of identity as a nation, that this once powerful symbol of our history and traditions, our seafaring roots and deep connection with nature, will be made off limits to Bahamians, hogged up by commercial and political interests and remade into a fabricated spectacle for the amusement of hordes of cruise day-visitors?

Sadly that lighthouse, the lonely silhouette of which, seen against an evening sky has long epitomised the iconic harbour of Nassau Town, has now become a symbol of a cynical, shameful trend played out in recent decades across the length and breadth of this beautiful archipelago.

I am old enough to remember when regular Bahamians in the hundreds and thousands could make a noble living off the water, could experience the freedom of the open sea and bask and relax in the beauty of our incomparable coastlines. But slowly, this freedom and this birthright has been clawed away from us, sold to the highest (and sometimes the lowest) foreign bidder by successive governments that placed their own short term political interests, and perhaps even personal profits, ahead of what is best for the public. The incomparable national treasures that have fallen to this trend are too numerous to count. On some islands, New Providence in particular, there is scarcely any access at all to the coast for regular Bahamians. The population of Bimini has likewise been corralled into less desirable parts of the island while

The shortsightedness of our various governments is largely to blame for this. There is no reason to chide international developers or wealthy second-home owners – our interests were never their responsibility. However, the finger must also be pointed at we, the People of The Bahamas. It is on our watch that our birthright has been auctioned in a decades-long fire sale, right from under our noses.

I am not saying that tourism projects are bad; indeed they are a crucial tool of national development. But all development is not good development, there must be a balance, and some things must absolutely be sacred. If not, what will be sold off is not just parcels of land, but our very identity as a people and most importantly, the natural heritage that we are tasked with holding in trust for the benefit of future generations.

If we continue along this current trend, what will reality be like for our children and grandchildren? Will they be corralled into the sparse centres of these islands, cut off from contact with their history and living out their days in service to the wealthy individuals and international interests that reap all the benefits of our wonderous, bounteous coastal and marine resources? Or will over-development and environmental abuse kill off that very abundance itself, and leave all of us adrift in the same sinking boat, with no watchtower, no beacon, no ray of light to guide us?

JOSEPH DARVILLE Chairman, Save The Bays Nassau.

MICHELLE Yeoh kisses her Oscar statuette as she accepts the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles last night.

Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP

Marion Bethel plays pivotal role in two landmark human rights cases

A BAHAMIAN human rights expert has played a pivotal role in two landmark human rights cases heard by the United Nations.

Marion Bethel, Bahamian UN CEDAW member and attorney, played a pivotal role in a ruling for Filipina sexual slavery victims in Geneva, Switzerland.

According to a press release, Ms Bethel was one of five members of the Working Group on Communications under the Optional Protocol of the CEDAW Convention. This working group was responsible for examining the complaint filed by 24 Filipina nationals. Ms Bethel was also the case rapporteur for this particular complaint.

On November 23, 1944, the complainants in this case, commonly known as “Comfort Women”, were forcibly taken to the Bahay na Pula (Red House), the Japanese headquarters in San Ildefonso, Pampanga.

They were detained in the Red House from one day to three weeks, where they were repeatedly subjected to rape, other forms of sexual violence, torture and inhumane detention conditions. They have since then endured long-term physical, psychological, social and

economic consequences, including physical injuries, post-traumatic stress,

permanent damage to their reproductive capacity and harm to their social

relationships in their community, marriage and work.

In the committee’s ruling, they ultimately found that the Philippines failed to provide reparation, social support and recognition commensurate with the harm perpetrated against the women by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. As such, they requested that the Philippines provide the victims with full reparation, including material compensation and an official apology for the continuing discrimination.

“This is a symbolic moment of victory for these victims who were previously silenced, ignored, written off and erased from history in the Philippines. The committee has duly recognised the agency and voice of these women in seeking social justice and redress for violation of their human rights,” Ms Bethel said.

“The committee’s views not only respect the right of the victims to full reparation inclusive of an apology, they pave the way for the restoration of their dignity, integrity, reputation and honour,” said Ms Bethel.

“This case demonstrates that ignoring or trivialising sexual violence against women and girls in war and conflict situations is,

indeed, another egregious form of violation of women’s rights. We hope that the committee’s decision serves to restore human dignity for all of the Filipina victims, both deceased and living,” Ms Bethel said.

In the second matter the committee also reviewed a complaint filed by a Spanish national who underwent premature labour, induction and a caesarean section without her consent. The committee ruled that the traumatised mother was subjected to obstetric violence and requested that Spain provide full reparation inclusive of an apology for the damage that she suffered to her physical and psychological health.

Obstetric violence includes mistreatment as well as verbal and physical abuse.

“If doctors and nurses had followed all applicable standards and protocols, it might be possible that the victim would have given birth naturally without having to go through a series of procedures that dehumanised her and left her without agency and dignity during childbirth,” said Ms Bethel.

“This case calls on us in The Bahamas to reflect on and address our own protocols and standards concerning the treatment

of women in health care facilities in compliance with the human rights standards of dignity, respect and autonomy,” said Ms Bethel.

The committee also requested Spain take action to combat gender-stereotyping and gender-based violence against women that was widespread, systematic in nature and ingrained in health systems. This included providing obstetricians and other health workers with adequate professional training on women’s reproductive health rights, and specific training for judicial and law enforcement officials.

The experts on women’s rights also requested that Spain respect women’s autonomy and ability to make informed decisions about their reproductive health by providing them with complete information at every stage of childbirth and by requiring that their free, prior and informed consent be obtained for any invasive treatment during childbirth, as well as to develop, publicise and implement a charter of patients’ rights.

Ms Bethel was the first Bahamian elected to a UN Human Rights Treaty Body when she started her first term in 2017. Her current term ends in 2024.

STUDENT

INJURED IN FIGHT AT ABACO HIGH SCHOOL

AN ABACO student was injured after he was attacked by a group of girl students on Thursday, police said.

According to reports, shortly after 9am on Thursday, while at the high school located on SC Bootle Highway, four girls attacked a boy, injuring him about his body.

The victim was taken to the Marsh Harbour Clinic, where he was treated for his injuries and discharged.

Police said an investigation is ongoing.

After a student was stabbed at an Abaco high school in February, Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson called for more to be done to prevent violence in schools.

Police reported that a 17-year-old student in Abaco was stabbed by another student of the same age while on the playing field.

After the stabbing, Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin said she

asked officials to consider placing police officers at the school where the incident occurred.

Mrs Wilson said the incident happened at SC Bootle High School in Coopers Town, Abaco.

“What is very disturbing though is that the teachers were not informed by the principal or anyone from administration,” she said in February. “They actually got the information from social media. These incidents are occurring too frequently in our schools. Although there (are) the school resource officers who are from the police force, more must be done.

“There needs to be metal detectors. We need to have other safety devices in the schools. These are recommendations that the Bahamas Union of Teachers has been giving to education officials for years and years and years,” Mrs Wilson said.

TWO ARMED CARJACKINGS REPORTED OVER THE WEEKEND

POLICE are currently investigating two armed carjackings that occurred in Nassau over the weekend.

The first incident occurred on Saturday shortly after 10.26pm off Soldier Road. A man was accosted by two male suspects and held at gunpoint as he came out of his friend’s residence. The suspects then robbed him of his 2002 blue Dodge Ram, licence plate number AC8204, before fleeing the scene heading south on Haven Road. The second incident happened on Sunday shortly after 3.45am in the area of East Street South. A man was taking his girlfriend home when two masked gunmen emerged from behind an apartment building across the street. The suspects then forced the couple to get out of their vehicle before speeding off in the silver coloured 2012 Nissan March, licence plate #5888. The stolen vehicle in this incident is said to have also contained the victim’s work identification card along with his wallet.

Police are also seeking the public’s assistance in

locating three stolen vehicles. Between 9am and 3pm on Friday, someone stole a 2005 gold Chevrolet Trailblazer, licence plate number AF9604, from Goodman’s Bay parking lot.

Shortly after noon on Friday, a 2007 black Toyota Blade, licence plate number AP8955, was reportedly stolen from a residence in the Chippingham community. A 2016 Burgundy coloured Chevy Equinox Jeep, licence plate AR9470, was stolen from a residence on Moonshine Drive between 5pm on Friday and 6.30am on Saturday.

On Saturday, between the hours of 12.30am and 2.30am, a 2007 champagne coloured Nissan March, licence plate number AB0005, was stolen from the Market Street area. A 2011 Dodge Nitro, licence plate number AJ7816, was stolen from a residence in southeastern New Providence.

If these vehicles are seen, members of the public are asked to contact police at 919/911, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS(8477)or visit the nearest police station.

BAHAMIAN attorney Marion Bethel, sits on the United Nations CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).

RCI deal on PI is approved - but concerns remain

By TYLER MCKENZIE

THE news around the approval of the Royal Caribbean project on Paradise Island has been peculiar to say the least.

An administration vocal in its opposition to the project while not in office is now fully in favour, while all kinds of voices seem to be overlooking the loss of business they may soon face to sing the praises of the development. The $110m project got the approval of government last week – only for Atlantis to weigh in and say to wait a minute.

First, the approval. On Tuesday, the government said it has approved the project after negotiating greater Bahamian ownership and entrepreneurial participation.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said: “The government is satisfied that it has addressed previous objections to the project by ensuring much greater Bahamian participation at all phases of the construction and in the ongoing operations.” What that means, he says, will be that it will be Bahamians to operate and run ferries to the site, and a number of activities at the site – water sports, entertainment, tours, food and beverage, retail, security, environmental monitoring and landscaping, will be reserved “principally for Bahamian entrepreneurs and businesses”.

A Tourism Development Fund levy would be charged of one percent of gross revenue – but based on Royal Caribbean’s estimates of $26m a year in spending, that’s only $260,000, which doesn’t cover the cost of one of the government’s larger foreign trips.

There is also the turnabout from Philip “Brave” Davis to consider. In opposition, there was an apparent pledge to terminate any agreement that would lead to Royal Caribbean leasing Crown land on Paradise Island.

Environment organisation Save The Bays spoke out on such saying they fully supported him and

“we fully trust that he will keep his word”.

Well, the new project has four acres of Crown land being provided to Royal Caribbean – while the company has already paid the full annual rent for seven acres for two years.

The government is also touting the fact that Bahamians will be able to invest up to 49 percent in the Royal Caribbean project. That, plus running the ferries and working on the site, seems to have been enough to overcome Mr Davis’ previous objections.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister declared that Royal Caribbean will break ground on the project “almost immediately”.

Enter Atlantis. Not so fast, said Atlantis president Audrey Oswell, who said the approval was “premature” and called for Bahamians to get the government to “put the brakes on”.

In response, the government said “broad public consultation” would take place over the environmental impact assessment and environment management plan – but that doesn’t sit properly with the Prime Minister’s claim that ground would be broken “almost immediately”.

Atlantis weighing in means that more than lip service has to be paid to that consultation, however.

Ms Oswell cautioned that the move would “privatise Paradise Island’s last public beach” and warned of environmental concerns, saying: “It has not been confirmed that the Royal Caribbean project does not pose serious threats to our beautiful beaches, marine life and their habitats. If this residential land is overdeveloped or the beaches and coastline altered in any way, the Paradise Island coastline, Cable Beach, Saunders Beach and our economic livelihood stand to suffer.”

The development was already tangled in controversy because of the long-running clash with entrepreneur Toby Smith, who has a rival development planned for a $2m restoration of the lighthouse on Paradise Island.

Mr Smith suffered a court blow when it was ruled his

lease was not valid because of a failure of the previous Prime Minister, Dr Hubert Minnis, to sign it. For many, that clash of local entrepreneur v foreign has left a sour taste – as if we are acting against our own interests for the benefit of outsiders. There have been other areas where we seem to have been acting against our own interests on this issue too.

For example, the president of the taxi union, Wesley Ferguson, sent out a voice note last month that seemed to be against the interests of his own members.

He said that it was better for a foreign business to be granted Crown land over Bahamians because Bahamians don’t always follow through on their plans –what kind of talk is that?

He admitted there would be no extra money coming to his members because there is no road to the property and visitors will be ferried there by boat – so it was peculiar to hear him being so supportive of a business that will literally take passengers away from his members’ taxis.

Cruise passengers will disembark from their ship and board a boat to be whisked across to Royal Caribbean, bypassing Downtown completely.

Taxis won’t be the only ones left without money in their pockets – tourists being sucked away from Downtown will mean less spending in shops, in the straw market, in food outlets, and more.

There has been a lot of talk about trying to revive Downtown, but pulling thousands of people a day out of the area to another tourism development isn’t going to help revenues in the slightest.

It is curious that we seem to be acting against our own interests, and that the ground keeps seemingly changing under our feet on this project.

Declared opponents become keen supporters. Immediate starts to work suddenly become extensive consultation. Public concerns about Bahamian entrepreneurs end up with them sidelined in court and let down by bureaucracy. And the thing that seems to give the prospect of a pause is the intervention of Atlantis.

In the meantime, savour the view of that end of Paradise Island. If the Prime Minister is to be believed, it will be changing very soon.

AN ARTISTI’s impression of the development along Paradise Island for Royal Caribbean.

AN ARTIST’s impression of the Royal Caribbean project.

‘Taxis won’t be the only ones left without money in their pockets – tourists being sucked away from Downtown will mean less spending in shops, in the straw market, in food outlets, and more.’

THE WIND BLOWS WEST,

AT ANY given moment, life is like a revolving door. Where you emerge determines your choices. Decisions you make set your course of opportunities or challenges. But with every challenge comes the possibility of loss. And if there is a loss, is there a lesson that will give birth to new beginnings? Then with hard work, wisdom and luck, will blessings someday follow?

We continue with Part 2 of a story of revolving doors and a life that so desperately deserved a break, it used every floret of blessings prayed for years ago by a child who no longer dreams.

Last week, I shared the incredible story of Kelly and the breathtaking circumstances surrounding the birth of her first two children, Aaliyah and Andrew.

Their childhood was ripe with illnesses but as they became older, their visits to the doctor became less frequent. In fact, by the time they reached eight and seven, respectively, it was Kelly who required the most medical attention.

In January 2014, Kelly began having seizures in her sleep. The first time it happened, in the middle of the night, her body convulsed so violently it caused her bed to slam against the floor alarmingly loud, like a drum being beaten with reckless abandon. The knocking startled her children.

Running to her aid, they screamed for their mother to awaken but she never did. Kelly’s eyes were glossed over and her hands gripped her sheets as she slammed her body up and down, her body shaking relentlessly and her legs kicking with forceful aggression.

In a panic, Aaliyah called her uncle and he called the ambulance before going to their house. When Kelly finally regained consciousness, she was in the emergency room, oblivious of the events that led to her hospital visit.

She remained there for three days undergoing several diagnostic tests before being discharged.

Over the next five months, Kelly had 12 more seizures, each while asleep and so severe they required a hospital admission. But by June, the seizures stopped as quickly as they had started and to this day, she’s never been able to determine what caused them.

That same year, just two months after her seizures stopped, Kelly was hit by a bus while crossing the street.

The bus driver behind was confused as to why traffic wasn’t flowing, not realising that the car in front of him stopped to let Kelly cross.

Annoyed and in a hurry, he drove around and sped forward. It was a single lane with no place to maneuver. So, by the time he saw Kelly it was too late. The bus crushed into her side and she was tossed into the air.

As the bus driver pumped his brakes and swerved, his bus tipped to one side and landed back on all four wheels, the tires smoking and creating claw marks in the pavement.

Kelly’s body went flying into a side corner landing in a muddy ditch 12 feet from where the accident occurred.

Bystanders were sure she was dead but apart from a few scrapes, she was fine. Emergency medical technicians took her

to the hospital where she remained for two days. But with no head, neck or back injuries sustained during the accident and miraculously not a single broken bone, Kelly was discharged without any apparent need for follow-up care.

The accident was just another traumatic event in her young life that reminded her about the sanctity and fragility of life.

Every day, she prayed to God and the angels watching over her.

Then in 2016, Kelly was given another blessing. She and her boyfriend had their third child, a girl. It was a normal pregnancy but Kelly had to have an emergency C-section when her daughter started moving into her chest cavity. Fortunately, her third child has not been afflicted by any of the health complications her first two children endured.

Three years later, when Kelly became pregnant for the fourth and final time, she hoped for the same smooth sailing she enjoyed in her last pregnancy. That hope was short-lived when at five months pregnant, she lost her balance and toppled down a long flight of stairs.

Everything happened quickly. As she began to fall, Kelly grabbed onto the stair railing but her hands slipped off. She felt her heart skip a beat as she collapsed forward landing on her hip and back.

Laying there, she grabbed her stomach as tears streamed down her cheek. Bystanders called for an ambulance. Once again, Kelly was rushed to the emergency room where she had an ultrasound of her stomach and X-rays of her hip, back and legs.

The baby survived the fall and Kelly only sustained some scrapes and minor soft tissue damage. Her daughter (who I’ll refer

a liquid pain reliever and fever reducer and he stayed on the phone with Kelly until Anna’s fever broke.

It was after midnight and they arranged to meet at the hospital at the break of dawn. That night, as Kelly held her daughter in her arms, she felt incredibly relieved that her baby’s fever had finally broken. Anna was smiling. Kelly kissed her daughter multiple times as she giggled excitedly before putting her to bed.

A few hours later, with the sun now up, Kelly went to get Anna ready to go to the hospital but her face and body were pale purple. Kelly put her hand on her baby’s stomach and called out her name but the body was as cold as ice. Kelly fell to the ground with a scream so drenched in pain that it scraped her vocal cords. She cried uncontrollably, rocking back and forth, praying for a miracle that

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

couldn’t possibly happen.

Now 14, Aaliyah, her first daughter who against all odds had beaten death multiple times, came running to her mother’s rescue for the second time in her short life.

Aaliyah called her aunt who rushed to the house, saw what happened and called the ambulance. EMTs evaluated the situation and assessed that with blood on her pillow and foam still in her mouth, Anna had a seizure and died in her sleep ten days after being released from the hospital.

Kelly’s life has been a revolving door of tragedy and triumph, of brushes with death and miraculous survival, but nothing has hit her as hard as Anna’s death. She knows it’s a wound that’ll never heal but she lives with the pain.

At her core, Kelly’s a fighter and she’s taught her children to fight for what

they believe in. Her takehome message is to stay strong and always push forward no matter the circumstances. Walk with faith, she says, and never by sight.

As the vital breath of the universe, to some people including Kelly, the wind possesses spiritual energy transporting florets of blessings to loved ones near and far.

Today, the woman who once felt that the wind only blew west towards the privileged few, knows that the wind was at her back the entire time and through every trial, lifting her to new heights and slowly guiding her towards the contentment she now feels on a life journey with undoubtedly many more opportunities and challenges ahead.

This is the KDK Report.

• Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-vice-chairman.

to as Anna), was born four months after Kelly’s fall, weighing a healthy seven pounds 13 ounces.

Initially things seemed fine but by the time Anna was six weeks, she began to experience high fevers, up to 102.1. Anna was admitted into the hospital with a viral infection and discharged after one week of intravenous antibiotics.

Kelly soon noticed that sometimes her daughter would grip her fingers and stiffen her body causing a small, palpable knot to form on her head but it only lasted a few seconds. When Anna started her first set of vaccinations, Kelly mentioned it to her pediatrician but he said that it was normal.

One week later, Anna had a similar episode so Kelly took her back to the clinic to see a different pediatrician. That doctor immediately arranged for Anna to be admitted to the hospital because the episodes she described were, in fact, seizures.

Kelly was devastated. She never fathomed that could be a causative factor because her own personal experience with seizures was so different. The realisation caused her heart to sink and Kelly felt like she couldn’t breathe. How could this be happening she thought and the sad news kept coming.

After two weeks in hospital, it was discovered that Anna, at only three months old, had high blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy and a disease in both eyes that rendered her legally blind.

Anna was discharged from the hospital. Kelly wanted to take her to a specialist in the US but her daughter didn’t have a passport or clearance from her doctor to travel. A little over a week later, Anna had another high fever. Her pediatrician recommended

We Salute Your Unprecedented

a ‘funny little sheet’ became the fearless ‘Voice of The People’

By EILEEN CARRON

Two years after Queen Victoria’s death and only a month before the Wright brothers were to propel mankind into the age of aviation from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, The Tribune was born. Its birth came quietly on Saturday, November 21, 1903 in a dingy front room on the ground floor of a building at the corner of Frederick & Shirley Streets .The “funny, little sheet” — “being bound to swear to the dogmas of no master”, a motto proudly proclaimed in Latin on its masthead — had no reason to succeed.

It wasn’t that Leon Edward Hartman Dupuch, its founder, was brilliant — according to his obituary he was “not what is called a gifted man” — but he was a man of determination and hard work. This was the secret of his success — and even today — 120+ years later — it is recognised as the formula by which The Tribune grew and took firm root. It is from Gilbert, Elias’ second son, that The Tribune family springs. Gilbert died at 31, leaving his wife and six children almost destitute. Leon, his eldest child, was apprenticed to E. C. Moseley, first editor of Nassau Guardian and grandfather of Mary Moseley, the last Moseley to head that institution.

In those early years the Guardian’s columns were open only to the Government House “set” — those who were accepted into the social circle of the colonial governor and his lady. Anyone — black or white — who did not move in that charmed circle

A group of whites, rankled by this superior attitude, formed a company to start an “open” newspaper. Ostensibly this new venture would welcome all “outside” the blueblood circle. Leon, one of its shareholders became its first managing editor, and the Watchman — a full-sized broadsheet — went to bed on the we soon realised that the Watchman too had its exclusive set and its superior attiThere were those who were still outside the pale. This was not his idea of what a public newspaper should be.

Leon’s name appeared for the last time as editor of the Watchman in October 1903. He had quit – and the following month The Tribune was “brought forth in the groanings of his poverty”. Leon Dupuch was now penniless, but he owned a small job press costing about $15, a few cases of worn type and a rented cutting machine. “The

advantages resulting to the community at large from a newspaper conducted on liberal and impartial principles are too obvious to require being particularly enumerated,” he wrote

At last the Bahamas had a newspaper for all the people. Its only purpose then — as it is today — was “to conspire with all who aim for the truth.” The Tribune was published twice weekly — Wednesdays and Saturdays. The subscription rates were 1d for a single copy; 2/- for a three months subscription; 4/- for six months and 8/- for one year. Advertising rates were 2d per line with 1d per line the extra special rate for insertions — all payable in advance.

With a small job press The Tribune’s printed page was only 41/2 by 81/2 inches. There were four pages. During the first half of its existence it appeared in various forms and sizes — sometimes as a one page daily, more frequently as a four-page bi-weekly.

The daily reports of the paper reflected a people living a simple life and interested in simple things — the sailing of their ships to and from New York and Jacksonville, mainly with freight, sometimes with a few passengers; marriages, with The Tribune adding its “greetings to the happy couple”; and deaths — the Eastern Volunteer Fire Brigade drawing the fire engine to the cemetery with the coffin of their captain on top. To his family The Tribune extended “its most sincere sympathy”. And then there were the “condensed cables” with news from around the world. Quite a bit of information was squeezed into the little four-page sheet. Although it involved much work, Leon was pleased with his first independent effort. Not able to afford staff, he recruited his family.His wife, Harriet, an accomplished artist, harpist and school teacher “came cheerfully to his assistance and soon proved herself as helpful in the office as she was efficient in the discharge of her household duties.”

The couple had four children — Gilbert, 12, Naomi, 8, Etienne, 4, and Evelyn, barely a year old when The Tribune was launched. The two older children worked with their father before and after school, while little Etienne tried to poke his anxious fingers into everybody’s type tray. By the time he was five, Etienne decided it was time to join the staff. He helped himself to a few Tribunes and slipped out the office.His first attempt to sell Tribunes took him as far as the Police Barracks on East Street. His sortie into the business world was a great success. From that moment Etienne had joined The Tribune A friend writing at the time, recorded that it was the youngster’s “delight to sell and deliver papers.” The small boy extended his route down East St to Ross Corner and across to Farm Road (Market St south). This was the first time a newspa-

THE

first issue of The Tribune per had ever been sold south of Gregory Arch. As Etienne grew to manhood, the families on his newspaper route were among his closest friends. The small boy’s paper route had helped his father realise his dream — It was a newspaper for all those living Over-the-Hill as well as for those living on the Bay Street side “Their schooling was assisted by their devoted mother who had been a teacher in former years. Thus The Tribune became a vocational school for all the Dupuch children and has continued to this day a practical training school for numerous boys who have learned or are learning their trade there.” The early years were hard, but Harriet, known in the family as “Frizzie”, supplemented her husband’s small income from her 50-foot square garden where she grew flowers and vegetables, and supplied many of the needs of the family table. People came from far and near to see her garden. They bought her flowers and vegetables. And The Tribune’s first press was purchased with money from Harriet’s garden. ON JUNE 9, 1909, Leon’s beloved Harriet Elizabeth was dead at the age of 36. Two years later, on Leon married 19-year-old Ethelinda Pyfrom, the youngest daughter of Thaddeus Pyfrom of Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.. On December 7, 1912 a new baby was added to the family — Eugene Aubrey. (Eugene Dupuch, QC., in whose memory the Eugene Dupuch Law School has been named).

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY Born in Nassau on March 13, 1930, Eileen Dupuch Carron is the eldest of six children of crusading newspaper publisher, the late Sir Etienne Dupuch and Lady Marie Dupuch. She is a Fearless Woman, Mother, Pilot, Most Senior Barrister-at-Law, Artist & World’s Longest Serving Publisher| Editor-In-Chief (60 yrs) who exemplifies The Tribune unalienable founding motto: “Being Bound To Swear To The Dogmas Of No Master!”

“I have found in the midst of chaos, there is often stupidity at the root of it all! I’ve fought against Governments. I fought against corruption, fear and victimization. I fought against the drug culture. I fought against everything I felt diminished or was unfair to Bahamian people ….............I’ve fought for equality, social change and justice. And, I’m still fighting..........”

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON CMG, B.A. MSc., LLB.

“Extraordinary and remarkable courage under most difficult conditions, for their lifetime dedication to the freedom of the press set them as global flag bearers for the principles

RECORD SETTING CAREER AS A BARRISTER-AT LAW & JOURNALIST

How

MAN GETS 2 YEARS FOR UNLICENCED FIREARM

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN from Andros was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday after he admitted to having a loaded gun on the Family Island.

Joe Barr, 35, appeared before Magistrate Kendra Kelly on a charge of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

On March 8 in North

Andros, Barr was arrested after he was found with a black and silver coloured 9mm Springfield Armory pistol with the serial number erased. This same confiscated weapon was also found with five unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition. In court the accused pleaded guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to serve two years at the Bahamas Department of Correctional

Services. Another man, Vandrick Smith, 32, also stood before Magistrate Kelly for charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition. It is alleged that on March 7 on Wright’s Lane, New Providence the accused was found by authorities with a black Springfield Hellcat 9mm pistol with the serial number BA350904. It is further alleged that

at the time of his arrest Smith was found with 13 unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition.

In court Smith pleaded not guilty to the offence. The accused was then granted $8,000 bail. Under the conditions of this bail the accused is expected to sign in at Alice Town Police Station in Bimini every Thursday by 7pm. The trial in Smith’s matter is set for May 26.

MAN ON BAIL FINED FOR VIOLATING BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined $4,000 on Friday after he admitted to failing to charge his electronic monitoring device (EMD) while on bail accused of abetment to murder. Cabreo Cash, 21, faced Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, on eight counts of violation of bail conditions.

This bail was granted to him by the Supreme Court on charges of abetment to armed robbery and abetment to murder.

It is alleged that on May

30, 2021 on Washington Street, Cash aided in the fatal armed robbery of Alfred Lightbourn. Over $250 in cash was stolen during this incident. While on release for these charges, between January 26 and February 24 Cash failed to charge his court imposed EMD on eight occasions. In court the accused pleaded guilty to all counts of bail violations against him. The magistrate then sentenced Cash to pay a collective fine of $4,000 for the offence or risk three months in prison.

TREATMENT FOR WOMAN WITH HEMP &W CANDIES

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN was ordered by the court to attend drug counselling on Friday after she admitted to having $495 worth of drugs and druglaced candies.

Kaybreann Miller, 22, appeared before Magistrate Shaka Serville on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

On March 8 at around 10pm police stopped Miller in the Garden Hills area while she was driving a Suzuki Swift. A search of this vehicle uncovered five

and a half ozs of Indian hemp along with 15 Rice Krispies, eight medicated Nerds rope candies and three cigarette pipes, all laced with marijuana. The drugs seized during her arrest have a collective street value of $495. Miller pleaded guilty to the charges in court. Magistrate Serville granted the accused a conditional discharge during which she is expected to attend drug counselling at CCAC. Should Miller fail to abide by these conditions she faces a $2,500 fine or three months in prison.

Several women-led community outreaches receive honour from Ann Marie Davis

IN CELEBRATION

of International Women’s Day last week, the Office of the Spouse of the Prime Minister, led by Ann Marie Davis along with Minister of State for Social Services and Urban Development Lisa Rahming visited various women-led community outreach organisations. In her visit to the Bahamas Crisis Centre, the

centre’s founder Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson and staff were chosen to be presented with a plaque for assistance in social work.

“This is so phenomenal. Your contributions are great and I respect this institution very much,” said Mrs Davis.

Other organisations honoured included the Persis Rodgers Home for

ST AGNES ANGLICAN CHURCH MEN RAFFLE WINNERS

the Aged, Eljhay’s Hilltop Cottage Ministries, and Pat’s Senior Citizens Home. Mrs Davis and Ms Rahming, with representatives of the Bahamas National Trust and Aliv, planted breadfruit and mahogany trees in Lou Adderley Park for the first installation of the “50 for 50” tree-planting initiative.

THE SAINT AGNES

Anglican Church Men on Saturday, February 11, held its second annual raffle at St Agnes Anglican Church. The prizes were wide in range and the event was well attended in person by many patrons. The branch provided an assortment of refreshments to all in attendance well into the evening. On Wednesday, February 22, the various winners were given their prizes by the Rector Archdeacon Keith Cartwright, Curate Father Ruel Strachan, Branch President Tomás McIntosh and the Raffle Committee Chairman Addington Godet.

The following persons

won:

#10 ticket 1881 Shirley Davis ($150 chiropractic

treatment by Functional Wellness)

#9 ticket 5694 Liam

Edwards ($250 Lowe’s gift certificate)

#8 ticket 5882 T. M.

Grimes ($500 Rubis gift certificate)

#7 ticket 5572 Carl

Smith ($500 Solomon’s gift certificate)

#6 ticket 3140 Damara

Dillet ($500 Bahamasair

gift certificate)

#5 ticket 3361 Spoke

Ramsey (30” stove)

#4 ticket 5132 Mitzi

Renee (60” television)

#3 ticket 5279 Eileen

Turner (Caribbean cruise

valued at $1500)

#2 ticket 4037 D Butler ($2000 cash)

#1 ticket 4640 Danielle

Seymour ($2500 cash

PICTURED above, Ann Marie Davis speaks at one of several women-led community outreach organisations during International Women’s Day. Among the visit they stopped at Persis Rodgers Home for the Aged, where women were presented flowers, and a plaque for the centre was presented to Mrs. Frances Ledee, administrator (top left), the Bahamas Crisis Centre, where a plaque and flowers were also presented to the Director of the Centre Dr. Sandra Dean-Patterson for work in helping women in crisis (bottom left).

Photos: Anthon Thompson/BIS

TROPICAL CYCLONE FREDDY HAMMERS MOZAMBIQUE FOR SECOND TIME

KENYA Associated Press

RECORD-BREAKING Cyclone Freddy made its second landfall in Mozambique Saturday night, pounding the southern African nation with heavy rains and disrupting transport and telecommunications services.

French weather agency Météo-France warned of “destructive and devastating” winds and “dangerous seas and heavy rains” that could lead to landslides. It said Freddy will go further inland through the weekend, generating heavy rains in Mozambique and southern Malawi, with rain also likely in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Its the second time Freddy has hit the country, with the cyclone originally making landfall late last month.

Météo-France also raised concerns that Freddy is unlikely to weaken over land in the coming week and has a high probability of exiting back into the sea. Freddy made landfall with maximum wind speeds at sea measuring 155 kilometres (around 100 miles) an hour and sea gusts averaging 220 kilometres (around 140 miles) an hour, the agency said.

Freddy was initially on course to make landfall in the country Friday night but stalled over the Mozambique channel. The cyclone then intensified on Saturday and regained strength as it barrelled toward land, Mozambique’s National Institute of Meteorology said.

The cyclone’s second punch is showering a lowlying, vast land teeming with rivers and “almost all of them have no dam” to ease flooding, said Salomao Bandeira, a scientist at Mozambique’s Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. Flooding in the country earlier this year slammed regions where major rivers are controlled by dams, allowing some degree of control, Bandeira said, raising fears this hit could lead to more destruction.

The projected deluge is already worrying health and disaster agencies in both Mozambique and Malawi, who have recently been battling cholera cases and other water-borne ailments. The UN and EU-led disaster alert system has already issued a red alert projecting that some 2.3 million people will be impacted. Mozambique’s disaster institute has moved thousands of people to storm shelters in anticipation.

“More lives are being saved in Mozambique today” due to early preparedness, Bandeira said.

In a statement released Saturday, Malawi Red Cross said it had activated its early response teams in southern Malawi to prepare for the cyclone.

Earlier in the week, Freddy’s longevity and baffling trajectories caused the UN weather agency to set up a committee to determine whether it has broken the record as the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in recorded history after traversing more than 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) in the southern Indian Ocean.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Freddy has already catapulted into the record books for the secondever highest accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, a measurement of a cyclone’s energy over time.

Freddy is also the third storm on record to last more than 22 days, said NOAA’s Carl Schreck. Hurricane John in 1994 and an unnamed Atlantic hurricane in 1899 are the other two. The natural weather event La Nina and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, or a change of temperatures over the ocean, “may have produced ocean temperatures and atmospheric circulations that made an event like this more likely,” Schreck added.

Any storm that can remain at such a “strong intensity for so long and make two landfalls is important in terms of human impacts and in terms of science,” said Kristen Corbosiero, professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University of Albany.

“Intense storms generally go through a series of eyewall replacement cycles and intensity fluctuations,” where the cyclone begins to develop a new eye, Corbosiero said. “But Freddy didn’t have these cycles for most of its life cycle. Trying to understand why, will be a good research topic.”

OSCAR WINNERS

TREES are strewn across a street in Quelimane, Mozambique, Saturday. Record breaking Cyclone Freddy, made its second landfall in Mozambique yesterday morning as an “intense tropical cyclone”.

Photo: AP

HARRISON FORD, left, and Ke Huy Quan react onstage when “Everything Everywhere All at Once” wins the award for best picture at the Oscars on yesterday, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP

BRENDAN Fraser accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for “The Whale” at the Oscars on yesterday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP

THE CAST and crew of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” accepts the award for best picture at the Oscars on yesterday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP

SPORTS

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2023

Lamar makes history KNIGHTS REIGN SUPREME IN GSSSA TRACK & FIELD

First Bahamian swimmer to win NCAA triple crown

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was an historic weekend for Lamar Taylor as he posted a hat trick in winning three national titles at the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s & Women’s Division II Swimming & Diving Championships.

“It’s honestly unbelievable to think that I am the first Bahamian,” said Taylor of winning the unprecedented triple crown. “I hope I am setting a great example for the younger kids so they can be better than me.”

Competing at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 19-year-old Henderson State University Red Waves’ junior wrapped up his third title on Saturday with his victory in the 100yard free in 42.30 ahead of McKendree’s senior Gregg Lichinsky, who did 42.37 for second.

The victory came after he took the 100-yard in 45.95 with splits of 21.94 and 24.01 for his second crown on Friday as he finished well ahead of second place finisher Timothy Stollings, a senior at Findley, in 46.34.

Henderson opened up with a victory in the men’s 50-yard freestyle in a time

of 19.04 seconds with impressive 25-yard splits of 9.21 and 9.83 respectively.

“I am very satisfied with my performance. It honestly was more than I expected,” Taylor continued. “I knew I had a great start to win the 50, but I didn’t expect to win the 100 free and back.”

Of all three victories, Taylor said he will cherish the 100 back a little more than the others for sentimental reasons.

“It was fun to swim against my friend Timothy

Stollings. I met him in my freshman year and he has always been a good friend to me ever since,” Taylor said. “But overall, my performances were all spectacular and way more than I or anyone expected.”

Bahamas Aquatics’ president Algernon Cargill was quite impressed with the performances from Taylor as he surpasses the list of NCAA champions with his triple feat.

“Lamar’s outstanding performance is a testimony

that there are no limits for not only him, but all swimmers that want to work hard and set dreams to achieve greatness,” Cargill said.

“Lamar now joins Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace as Bahamians with NCAA individual titles and he is the only swimmer to win three titles in the same championships. “He is determined to compete with the big boys in long course metres as he now shifts his focus to qualifying for Paris 2024.”

Paris 2024 is the next Olympic Games, but Taylor already made his international debut when he made the team that represented the Bahamas at the Commonwealth Games last year in Birmingham, England.

Taylor said with his season over and done, he will take some time off before he starts to prepare for the long course and a shot at the World Championships later this summer where he intends to make another splash.

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The C.R. Walker Knights brought home their seventh straight Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) track and field championship.

The Knights remained atop team rankings for the entire meet and ended with a team score of 557 to wrap up the competition.

The C.V. Bethel Stingrays capped off the inter-school competition a mere 63 points behind the defending champions with 494 for second place.

The Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins claimed third place position with 325.50, barely edging out the C.I. Gibson Rattlers and R.M. Bailey Pacers.

The difference between third through fifth place was no more than one point after the competitive track and field championships.

Tia Rolle, head coach of the Knights, talked about what led to their seventh straight GSSSA win.

“In the sprint race we did not dominate, C.V. Bethel actually dominated that event they wasn’t watching

SEE PAGE 17

ATHLETES ON TRACK OVERSEAS

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE National Collegiate Athletic Association’s 2023 Indoor Track and Field Championship in Albuquerque, Minnesota over the weekend turned out to be a specular show for Grand Bahamian sprinter Terrance Jones and versatile Charisma Taylor from New Providence.

The NCAA Division II Championships at the Virginia Beach Sports Center saw Minnesota State’s junior Denisha Cartwright come through with some spectacular performances as well.

Jones, a sophomore at Texas Tech, became the first Bahamian to win the NCAA Indoor titles in the men’s 60m, while Taylor, a

senior at Tennessee, came through with a couple of personal best performances with a national record in her triple dose of action.

In his only appearance, Jones clocked 6.46 seconds in the men’s 60 metres in a season’s best and a collegiate leading time of 6.46, which was just shy of his Bahamian national and collegiate records of 6.45 that he posted last year.

Jones, 20, led from start to finish as he ran away from his nearest rival Jordan Anthony, a freshman from Kentucky, who did 6.55.

It was redemption for Jones, who in his debut in last year’s final got a false start. He now holds three of the top-five marks of alltime collectively.

“It’s a big accomplishment,” Jones said in a

Curry leads Warriors to OT win over NBA-leading Bucks

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

— Stephen Curry scored 36 points with 22 of those in the fourth quarter and overtime, shining in his first home game back from a long injury absence and leading the Golden State Warriors past the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks 125-116 on Saturday night.

Curry hit a tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation, then blocked a layup attempt by Jrue Holiday in the closing moments. The Warriors got the ball back with 1.9 seconds remaining and Curry inbounded to Draymond Green, who missed from deep.

Holiday had put Milwaukee up on a 3 with 32.7 seconds to play and wound up with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But the Bucks, playing without star Giannis

Antetokounmpo, had their three-game winning streak snapped with just their second defeat in 21 games since Jan. 21.

Thompson added 22 points, Donte DiVincenzo had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Warriors won at home for the seventh in a row and 11th in 12.

Khris Middleton had 19 points and five assists, Bobby Portis contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez 19 points and seven boards for Milwaukee.

CELTICS 134, HAWKS 125

ATLANTA (AP)

— Jayson Tatum led a balanced attack by scoring 11 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and Boston overcame Atlanta’s fourthquarter comeback bid.

WARRIORS guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

The Celtics opened a six-game trip by having six players score in double figures. Jaylen Brown had 24 points. Tatum added 15 rebounds.

Trae Young had 35 points and 13 assists for Atlanta, which could not maintain

momentum following backto-back wins at Washington. The Hawks remain eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. With 1:25 remaining and Boston leading 129-121,

post-race interview. “I had a lot to do last year, but this year I came back with a vengeance. I’m happy to be here.”

Jones raced to the third fastest qualifying time of 6.54 in the preliminaries. For Taylor, she soared a national record and personal best of 48-feet, 10-inches or 14.88m on her second attempt in the women’s triple jump for second place with her best showing in her three events. She opened with 47-111/4 (14.61m). After scratching her next two attempts to compete in the hurdles final, Taylor came back and fouled her fifth, but finished with 45-61/2 (13.88m).

Jasmine Moore, a junior at Florida, won with 49-7 ¼ (15.12m) for a PR, faculty and meet record as well as the world and collegiate leading times on her sixth and final attempt. She had the title wrapped up from

Chelsea wins again, Liverpool loses at Bournemouth

By MATTIAS KAREN Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea might finally be finding its stride under Graham Potter while Liverpool’s up-and-down season took another nosedive in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea made it three straight wins in all competitions for the first time since October by beating Leicester 3-1 away, another sign that the expensively assembled team is starting to gel under Potter.

Liverpool, though, followed its record 7-0 win over archrival Manchester United by losing 1-0 at relegation-threatened

Bournemouth — a team it beat 9-0 at home in August.

Manchester City again looked far from its best but still kept the pressure on leader Arsenal by beating Crystal Palace 1-0 away thanks to a second-half penalty by Erling Haaland. That cut Arsenal’s lead to two points ahead of its visit to Fulham on Sunday.

Liverpool’s surprising loss threw away much of the momentum it had generated recently after a woeful first half of the season, and Jurgen Klopp’s team is six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the fight for the final Champions League

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

AN HISTORIC TRIPLE CROWN FEAT: Lamar Taylor displaying his three separate individiual NCAA awards.

CHARISMA Taylor with the awards she won.

BAARK! FOR 10TH ANNUAL POWERADE POTCAKEMAN TRIATHLON

BAARK! - Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness - completed its 10th Annual Powerade Potcakeman Triathlon on March 5 and it was a resounding success.

Launy Duncombe of Freeport, Grand Bahama, a CARIFTA triathlon team member, emerged as the overall male winner with a time of 1:04:38, followed closely by Jorge Marcos with a time of 1:04:57, and rounding out the top three finish was Simone Bertoldo, last year’s winner, with a time of 1:06:44.

In the female category, the overall winner was Kami Roach, also a CARIFTA triathlon team member, clocked in the winning time of 1:12:30.

Sylvia Bateman of Freeport, Grand Bahama, and the assistant coach for the last CARIFTA triathlon team finished second with 1:13:25 and Suzy Eneas, last year’s winner, rounded off the top three finish with a time of 1:13:39.

The sprint relays, which are always a crowd favourite, did not disappoint this year. The overall winners of the Male Sprint Relay were the “East Side Eagles” consisting of Justin Higgs, Giles Sawyer and Geren Albury with a time of 1:07:24. “Tri’ing Hard” with Ragh and Ragil Cordova, clocked in a second-place finish with 1:11:08.

In the Mixed Sprint Relays, “St. Andrew’s School” with Giada Bertoldo, Gordon McKenzie and Robert Holcombe, were victorious with a time of 1:03:15. “Slow Down for What,” Cameron Roach, Felix Neely and LeiLei Lightbourne took second place with a time of 1:05:42.

Rounding off the thirdplace finish was “Session Box” with Maggie Shehan, John Mollen and Amanda Darville with a time of 1:12:48.

SunCash, a bronze sponsor, provided gift cards to the overall winners.

• Below are the top three winners of the various age groups:

16 - 19 Female 16

– 1:10:17 2nd Samantha Cartwright – 1:35:57 3rd Daniel Belton

Simon Townend

60 - 69 Male 70+ 1st Gerald Wathen –

1st Ulrich Filser – 1:32:36 Winners of the Puppy

8 & Under Boys 9 –10 Girls 9 - 10

1st Caiden Bain – 6:48

1st Stafford Sweeting – 6:46

1st Hailey Cunningham – 10:19

2nd Alan Gervasini –8:04 2nd Fraser Menzies – 6:55

3rd Kai Weightman –8:37 3rd Lyall Menzies – 7:39

Winners of the Junior Category:

Boys 11 – 12 Girls 11 - 12

1st Sibby Fynn Potter

– 22:56 1st Nai’a Belton

– 25:26

2nd Lauchlan Menzies – 22:59 2nd Veranique

Strachan – 27:37

3rd Kendrick Cargill – 34:48

Boys 13 – 15 Girls 13 – 15

1st Malcolm Menzies –34:12 1st Taylor Knowles – 50:14

2nd Ayden Bain – 37:06

2nd Chelsea Smith – 59:34

3rd Jayden Smith – 42:47

Official times for all participants can be found on https://www.raceprompt. com/the-potcakeman-triathlon-2023/. The event is sanctioned by the Bahamas Triathlon Association and is a qualifier for the CARIFTA Triathlon in August. The triathlon features a 750m swim, 12-mile bike and 5K run. There are also two junior categories (ages 11-12 and 13-15) and two puppy categories (ages 8 and under and 9 – 10). The triathlon is a family-fun event that has grown over the last 10 years, attracting participants from the USA,

Canada, Mexico, Panama, and the UK. This year’s race attracted a participant from Finland. The triathlon was brought to you by the generosity of its sponsors.

Title Sponsor: Powerade, Gold Sponsors: JS Johnson, Purina, FX Pro, Think Simple, Dunkin’ Donuts; Silver Sponsors: Albany, Modernistic Garden and Pet Supplies, Freak Show, and Tito’s Vodka/Jimmy’s Wine and Spirits; Bronze Sponsors: Panama Jack, Odyssey Aviation, FYP, Ports International, Callendars & Co, Caves Village Vet, Terrain Landscape Architects and SunCash.

Special thanks to our Race Crew, Swim Cap and Race Bag sponsors: Damianos Sotheby’s, The Shoe Village, Think Simple; Junior/ Puppy Aquathon sponsor: Dunkin’ Donuts; Event Providers: Bahamas Waste, BASRA, Dasani, Nassau Rowing Club, Polar Ice, Bahamas Red Cross, Rotary Club of East Nassau, Graham Real Estate, Windermere Salon and Spa, The Pets Kitchen, Lyford Cay International School and Raffle Donors: Custom Computers, Cycles Unlimited, Powerboat Adventures, SunBum, The

Ocean Club, The Shoe Village, Bon Vivants, Windermere Salon and Spa, Panama Jack, and Baha Mar Resort Foundation. Funds raised from the Potcakeman Triathlon will go to support the operational costs of Baark! In 2022, Baark! completed approximately 4,500 spay and neuters, its goal is to perform between 5,0007,000 spay and neuter

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek routed Claire Liu in 65 minutes to win her opening match at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.

Swiatek, the defending champion who took over the No. 1 ranking nearly a year ago, won 6-0, 6-1. She lost just seven points in the first set.

“Tactically and tenniswise, everything was on point,” she said. “I had so many matches that were going my way in last couple of weeks that I know what to do.”

Carlos Alcaraz, the second-ranked men’s player, defeated qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis, 6-3, 6-3. Alcaraz reached the semifinals in the desert last year and could return to the No. 1 spot for the first time since January if he wins the title.

Taylor Fritz, the defending men’s champion, rallied past former NCAA singles champion Ben Shelton, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Shelton’s biggest serve reached 147 mph.

“I expected him to come out serving bombs, playing well,” Fritz said. “I was ready for it, I just had to regroup, just find a way and problem solve. He’s an incredible player and it was an extremely tough first match to come out and play, so I’m happy to get through it.”

Andy Murray beat Radu Albot, 6-4, 6-3 in his first straight-set victory of the year to set up a third-round match with Jack Draper. Murray had just 18 unforced errors to 35 for Albot, and never faced a break point on his serve while firing six aces.

“Hopefully I can keep pushing myself up the rankings, keep building that confidence, and maybe get a few more straightforward draws, as well,” Murray said.

Jannik Sinner defeated Richard Gasquet, 6-3, 7-6 (2). The 21-year-old Sinner fired 20 forehand winners against the 36-year-old veteran.

“Obviously it was a tough match today, especially in the beginning I was a little bit tight,” Sinner said on court.

Another 21-year-old, Draper, beat No. 24 Dan Evans, 6-4, 6-2. Draper has lost just eight games through his first two matches of his Indian Wells debut. No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the third round with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Pedro Martinez.

Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, beat No. 20 Magda Linette, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Linette, a semifinalist at the Australian Open, got an early service break, but Raducanu jumped on her serve and tied it, 5-all, before forcing the tiebreaker.

“I was so pleased with the way I fought. Because Magda played at a really high level,” Raducanu said.

“Like some things that were working in the past weren’t working today, and I adapted.”

No. 5 Carolina Garcia outlasted Dalma Galfi, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-4. Eighth-seeded Daria Kasatkina beat Tatjana Maria, 6-2, 6-1. Karolina Muchova beat two-time Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka, 7-6 (1), 6-3 while attacking the net in swirling wind conditions. Muchova is back after injuries curtailed her last year. Other seeded players joining Azarenka on the sidelines were No. 25 Petra Martic and No. 28 Marie Bouzkova.

surgeries annually. The five-year goal is a minimal number of unwanted dogs and cats, resulting in safer and cleaner communities.

Baark! was founded in 2009 with the mission to carry out spay/neuter and education projects to reduce the homeless dog and cat population and end the unnecessary suffering of dogs and cats in The Bahamas.

Bahamian players suit up for Great Britain, suffer two losses in World Baseball Classic

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GREAT Britain, stacked with a group of Bahamian coaches and players, suffered their first two losses over the weekend in Pool C of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s 2023 World Baseball Classic at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

After losing a 6-2 decision to the defending champions United States of America on Saturday, Great Britain came back yesterday for game two, but this time Canada went on a offensive tear in a 18-8 slug-fest for their first game played.

Great Britain, with Antoan Richardson serving as a bench coach and Albert Cartwright on first base, juggled its batting order after the loss to the Americans, but they didn’t have enough fire power to pull off their first win against Canada. “The team had some good moments and some bad moments,” Cartwright said. “Tournament play is tough because we don’t know what you are going to get from your players and you only have a few games to adjust to be able to compete.”

Despite the two losses, Cartwright said the players are having good at-bats and they are grinding it out to keep Great Britain in the games.

On Sunday, right fielder Chavez Young moved up to lead off, went 1-for-2 with

KNIGHTS

FROM PAGE 15

us on the field because we actually dominate the field events,” Rolle said.

Rolle credited the allaround competitiveness of the Knights’ athletes which led to them to winning in track and field events.

“When you want to compete in GSSSA you have to be an all-around team, you have to compete in every event, that’s what matters, it has to be track and field it cannot be just the track,” she added.

Rolle’s message was received by the Knights’ athletes as they were able to emerge victorious in a number of field events on the final day of the track and field championships.

For the under 17 boys’ triple jump, D’Jino Alteme placed first with a jump of 12.17m. He was followed by Stingrays’ Calvin Armbrister who jumped 11.98m.

Third place in the event belonged to the Rattlers’ Ferdinand Jean-Noel who notched 11.82m.

The Knights snatched another victory in the under 17 boys’ discus throw. Deangelo Delancy was the event’s best thrower with a throwing distance of 29.59m. Delancy was joined by C.V. Bethel’s Leo Bannister who tossed 27.47m. Perry Mcphee came third with 26.62m.

After trailing by 65 points going into the final day of the GSSSA meet, the Stingrays looked to make up some ground on the track.

In the under 17 girls’ 200m dash, C.V. Bethel’s Iesha Hanna blitzed the competitors to win with a time of 26.75. She was joined by fellow Stingray Katranel Dean who claimed second place with a time of 27.09. The pair of Stingrays

CHELSEA

FROM PAGE 15

place, albeit with a game in hand. “This game was a massive knock,” Klopp said. “You know how it is with knocks, you have to take them and see how big the scars are and go from there.”

Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at home after Harry Kane scored twice in the first half.

Bournemouth began the day in last place but climbed up to 17th, with Everton also leaving the relegation zone after Dwight McNeil scored just

two base on balls (walk) and three runs scored, centre fielder Trayce Thompson, who had a big outing against the USA, was 1-for-1 with a walk, a strike out, a RBI, a run scored and was even left on base once.

Third baseman BJ Murray was 1-for-2 with two walks, a strike out and a run scored.

D’Shawn Knowles had one of the key moments of the game against Canada when in the top of the third with one out, he came in to pinch hit with a RBI double that plate Murray for a 6-5 deficit for Great Britain.

In the fourth with oneout as well, Harry ford hit a three-run homer, sending both Young and Thompson for a 10-8 deficit. Canada came back in the bottom to produce six runs and they went on to hold Great Britain scoreless the rest of the game, while they added a run in the fifth and sixth to preserve the big win.

In their match-up against the USA, Great Britain trailed 5-1 and the Bahamian connection came through as D’Shawn Knowles, pinch hitting for Jaden Rudd, tripled and scored on Seymour’s RBI ground out.

Great Britain got on the scoreboard in the first inning after third baseman BJ Murray struck out, leading off the game and centrefielder Trayce Thompson cracked a flyball to left centre field for a solo homer for a 1-0 lead.

After fielding a grounder for the third out on the USA to keep them scoreless in the bottom of the first, second baseman Anfernee Seymour singled on a ground ball to shortstop Trea Turner, deflected by pitcher Adam Wainwright. That put Jaden Rudd to second as Great Britain threatened again to score, but Murray was called out on strikes. Thompson, who passed up an opportunity to play professional basketball like his father Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson and brothers Klay and Michael

Thompson, came back to lead off the third with a double to left field.

Matt Koperniak flied out to right field that sent Thompson to third, but catcher Harry Ford grounded out and right fielder Chavez Young field out to Mike Trout to leave Thompson stranded on base.

After scoring a pair of runs in the third to go ahead 2-1, the USA added three more in the fourth and one in the eighth before Great Britain added their final run in the seventh.

Thompson led Great Britain’s attack by going

2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored, while Seymour was 1-for-3 with a RBI.

Knowles, who stayed in the game to play left field on the defensive end, was 1-for-2 with a run scored.

Great Britain will be back in action today at 12:30pm against Colombia and against Mexico on Tuesday at 7pm.

“We need to throw strikes and play defence,” was what Cartwright prescribed for Great Britain.

“We have the offence to put up a cricket number every once in a while, but being able to play defence and throw strikes will give

us the opportunity to win some games.”

The Bahamians are playing for Great Britain because the Bahamas was unable to field a team to go through the qualifying process. However, the Bahamas Baseball Association is currently trying to rectify the situation.

With the amount of professional players now in the pipeline in the Major League Baseball, the BBA will begin its trek to qualifying the Bahamas for a spot in the World Baseball Classic by participating in its first WBSC’s tournament later this year.

Despite dropping out of third place overall, the R.M. Bailey Pacers had some bright spots on the final day of the GSSSA track and field championships.

Pacers’ Melvinique Gibson paced herself to several wins on day three of the meet. Gibson blitzed the competition in the under 20 girls’ 200m dash. The young athlete coasted to a victory in the race after running a time of 25.28. She was joined by second and third place finishers Marquell Newbold and Deamia Bowe.

Gibson made some noise once again in the under 20 girls’ 4x400m relay finals. She gave her team a huge gap between the competition after running the second leg in the race.

beat the Knights’ Gabrielle Major who finished the short distance race in third.

The Stingrays’ athletes Hanna and Dean both said it felt amazing to place first and second respectively for their secondary school.

Dean revealed her mindset while competing in the race.

“I was just thinking to myself I have to push and get off the curve and keep going straight through and give it all I have,” she said.

The Stingrays were once again crowned winners in both the under 17 girls 400m hurdles and the under 20 400m hurdles. For the under 17 girls, Synia Lockhart came first for the senior school after clocking 1:16.54 in the race. She was joined by teammate Darranique Morris who followed behind with 1:19.73. The Stingrays were able to hold off Knights’ athlete Garanae Moss, who came third.

Marquell Newbold, winner of the under 20 girls’ 400m hurdles, beat her competitors with a time of

35 seconds into a 1-0 win over Brentford. Leeds fell to 19th place despite rallying for a 2-2 home draw against Brighton.

The battle against the drop is exceedingly tight, though, with only four points separating Leeds from 12th-placed Crystal Palace.

Manchester City visited Palace in the late game trying to keep up the pressure on leader Arsenal, which plays at Fulham on Sunday.

HAALAND SCORES AGAIN For 77 minutes at Selhurst Park, it looked like

1:17.27. She was joined by C.R. Walker’s Hope Munnings and fellow Stingray Zaria Fowler, who placed second and third.

Stingrays’ head coach

Danny Pratt said he was very impressed with the way his athletes competed in this year’s track and field championships.

The head coach also talked about how it felt to place second on the final day of the meet.

“We were trying to get to first place but obviously C.R. Walker proved once again to be the dominant force so coming second we are proud, second is way better than third,” Pratt added.

Palace manager Patrick Vieira could have a big say in the title race between his two former clubs and tilt the balance further in Arsenal’s favour by taking points off City.

But after defending resolutely for so long, Palace came undone at a corner and gave away a cheap penalty when Michael Olise clumsily clattered into Ilkay Gundogan in the area.

Haaland made no mistake from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way for his 28th league goal to make up for having missed a stellar chance in the first half. Palace’s lack

The Mystic Marlins were a dark horse competitor after climbing the team rankings from as low as fifth place to claim third place position on the final day of the track and field meet.

In the under 20 boys’ 200m finals, Terrance Deveaux of the Mystic Marlins narrowly edged out his competitors to capture first place in a tight race. The young athlete ran a time of 22.42. The Government High School’s Peter Tilusnord was not far behind, finishing second with 22.46.

C.C. Sweeting’s Rayheem Robinson came third, notching a time of 22.76. Deveaux talked about how it felt to win the race.

of attacking threat at the other end was evident once again.

Vieira’s team has not won a single game in 2023, and this was the third league match in a row when it didn’t manage a single shot on target.

CHELSEA THRIVING, LIVERPOOL STUMBLES

After knocking out Borussia Dortmund from the Champions League to reach the quarterfinals, Chelsea followed with a first away win in the league since October 16.

“It’s been a really good week,” said Potter, whose

“It was a good race. I [have] trained with him a couple of times before so coming off the curve to the 120 I saw he tried to pull away I just stayed relax, maintained and listened to what my coach said,” he said.

The Mystic Marlins emerged victorious once again in the under 20 boys’ 800m finals.

Raywind Winder added more points to the team total after clocking 1:59.92 to win the race.

GHS’ Lexicio Adderley came in second after notching 2:06:02.

Meanwhile, Charles Maynard placed third in the race with 2:08.88.

job looks a lot more secure than it did last weekend.

Kai Havertz netted one of the best goals of the day to make it 2-1 just before halftime by volleying in a delicate lob over the goalkeeper after being teed up in the area by another lofted ball from record signing Enzo Fernandez.

Ben Chilwell put Chelsea ahead in the 11th minute after meeting a high cross into the area with a low first-time shot from a difficult angle.

Patson Daka equalised in the 39th. Mateo Kovacic added the third for Chelsea in the 78th. Chelsea

The winning relay team included Laquay Kemp, Melvinique Gibson, Danisha Green and Domonique Smith.

The under 20 girls notched a collective time of 4:35.75 to edge out competitors.

The young Pacer talked about the win.

“It basically feels good, not just only me but me and my team, we did it as a team so everyone put their best foot forward and we did what we were supposed to do and God pulled through for us once again,” she said.

Gibson was not the only star for the Pacers as Finley Etienne came out on top in the under 17 boys’ 200m dash with a time of 23.40. The young athlete was among the meet’s leading individual scorers, pouring in 31 points for the Pacers.

After a competitive meet between the eight senior schools, the Knights will now look to celebrate their seventh straight GSSSA track and field championships win.

remained in 10th place but just five points behind fifth-placed Liverpool after Klopp’s side showed their inconsistency once again.

Philip Billing scored the only goal in the 28th minute after being teed up in the box by Dango Ouattara and Bournemouth managed to contain a Liverpool attack that was rampant against United last weekend.

Mohamed Salah summed up a frustrating afternoon for the Reds when he missed a penalty in the 70th by sending his effort wide, the first time he has missed the target from the spot in the Premier League.

CR Walker Knights head coach Tia Rolle with the trophy.

Photos: Tenajh Sweeting

PACERS 4x400 relay team, left to right, Domonique Smith, Laquay Kemp, Melvinique Gibson and Danisha Green

CV Bethel head coach Danny Pratt with members of the Stingrays.

GREAT Britain’s Harry Ford, centre, celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against Canada in the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic game yesterday.

(AP Photo/Godofredo A Vásquez)

NETS HOLD OFF LATE RALLY TO BEAT NUGGETS 122-120

DENVER (AP) —

Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and the Brooklyn Nets withstood a late rally and another triple-double by Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-120 yesterday.

Nic Claxton had 20 points and Dorian FinneySmith and Spencer Dinwiddie added 15 points each for Brooklyn, which has won five of its last six games. Jokic had 35 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists for his league-leading 27th triple-double of the season but missed a contested 14-foot jumper with 5 seconds left that would have given the Nuggets the lead.

KNICKS 112, LAKERS 108

LOS ANGELES (AP)

— Julius Randle scored 33 points in a bounce-back performance, RJ Barrett got 20 of his 30 in the second half, and New York snapped a three-game losing streak.

Immanuel Quickley had 15 points as the Knicks survived a ferocious late rally by the Lakers to salvage a weekend split in Los Angeles without second-leading scorer Jalen Brunson, who has a bruised left foot. D’Angelo Russell had a

NCAA INDOORS

FROM PAGE 15

her second attempt with 49-513/4 (15.08m). Without much time to recuperate, Taylor had to step onto the track and surged to a third place finish in the 60m hurdles in a time of 7.98. Arkansas’ sophomore Ackera Nugent won in 7.73 and Kentucky’s senior Massi Russell got the silver in a PR of 7.75.

Taylor, 22, advanced out of the preliminary rounds on Friday with a PR of 7.91 for the third fastest qualifying time. She trailed Nugent, who posted her previous leading time of 7.72 with Russell coming in second in 7.78i.

“I feel really good about my performance. I’m just really thankful to God and my coaches for believing in me and getting me this far,” Taylor said. “I had a rough couple of years in college, so for it to come together in my last indoor championships, just means the world to me.

“I’ve been praying and having faith that everything would come together and that’s what happened. God’s timing is always perfect so there’s nothing that I can complain about. My

CURRY

FROM PAGE 15

Young and Marcus Smart had to be separated after the two were entangled and fell to the court under the Celtics’ basket. Smart was called for an initial foul before a lengthy review by the officials called both players for technical fouls and ejected Smart. Young made two free throws to cut the deficit to six points.

CLIPPERS 106, KNICKS 95

LOS ANGELES (AP) —

Kawhi Leonard scored 38 points and the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat New York.

Paul George added 22 points for the Clippers, who have won three straight after dropping five in a row.

It was Leonard’s seventh straight game with at least 21 points, and he is averaging 31 points during that stretch. He also has four 30-point games during that span.

Immanuel Quickley had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have dropped three straight after a nine-game winning streak. Quickley started in place of Jalen Brunson, who was sidelined with a sore left foot. Julius Randle scored 19 despite shooting 5 of 24.

PACERS 121, PISTONS 115

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen

Smith scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Indiana beat Detroit to extend the Pistons’ losing streak to 11 games.

season-high 33 points and eight assists despite managing just two points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers, whose three-game winning streak ended with only their fourth loss in 12 games since the trade deadline.

Anthony Davis had 17 points and 16 rebounds, but the Lakers fell behind during an erratic shooting performance by three starters: Malik Beasley, Troy Brown Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt were a combined 5 for 23, missing 14 of their 16 3-point attempts

76ERS 112, WIZARDS 93

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 34 points, James Harden had 18 points and 14 assists and Philadelphia cruised to a wire-to-wire win over the fading Washington.

Tobias Harris added 11 points and De’Anthony Melton 10 for the 76ers (45-22), who have won five in a row to keep pressure on Milwaukee and Boston for the top two seeds in a crowded Eastern Conference.

Washington (31-37) got a career-high 25 points from Corey Kispert and 13 from Bradley Beal, but dropped its fifth game in its last six.

performances were good. I came into the meet ready to dominate in all three events because I knew this was my last chance in college to show everyone who I am.”

Before her double duties on Saturday, Taylor had a showdown with Kentucky’s sophomore Anthaya Charlton in the long jump on Friday.

Popping off her best in her first attempt, Taylor ended up fifth with a PR of 21-91/2 (6.64m) and Charlton was 10th with 20-71/4 (6.28m).

Moore’s impressive winning leap of 23-3/4 (7.02m) turned out to be the longest collegiate mark ever recorded as she broke every record for a worldleading mark.

Taylor said her coaches told her she only had two jumps before she had to switch gears for the preliminaries of the hurdles and so she made it count. She got a PR in her hurdles, which set the stage for her for the final day of competition on Saturday.

“The triple jump was my baby, so I knew I had to go out there and pop a big one,” Taylor said. “The first jump I knew was a big one, but when I saw 14.61, I literally could not believe it and that put my fuel under me.

Isaiah Jackson added 19 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana, which improved to 5-2 in its last seven games.

Isaiah Livers had a career-high 18 points for Detroit, which dropped to a league-worst 15-53. Killian Hayes had 17 points and 13 assists.

The Pistons were missing five of their top six scorers; Hayes was the only one in the lineup.

The Pacers played without Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner.

BULLS 119, ROCKETS 111

HOUSTON (AP) —

Zach LaVine scored 36 points and DeMar DeRozan added 27 as Chicago used a huge run in the fourth quarter to top the Rockets.

The Bulls trailed by four midway through the fourth before going on a 13-0 run for a 115-106 lead with two minutes remaining.

DeRozan, who had seven rebounds and five assists, scored the first four points in the run and LaVine scored the next four.

LaVine’s second basket in that span came on an alleyoop from DeRozan, and former Rocket Patrick Beverley capped the run with a 3-pointer.

It’s the second straight victory for the Bulls, who got 18 points and 11 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic and 16 points and 10 rebounds from Beverley. LaVine had nine rebounds and five assists. Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. had

CAVALIERS 114, HORNETS 108 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Darius Garland had 28 points, Donovan Mitchell added 23 and Cleveland overcame a 16-point second-half deficit for its fourth win in the last five games. Evan Mobley added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers (43-27), who trailed most of the game. Garland, who sat out Friday night’s loss to Miami with a quad injury, shot 8 of 20 from the field and was 10 of 13 from the foul line, including a free throw with 10.7 seconds left to seal the win.

Terry Rozier had 27 points to lead the Hornets, who were playing their second game in less than 24 hours. P.J. Washington added 19 points and Nick Richards had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte (22-48).

PELCIANS 127, TRAIL BLAZERS 110 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III hit a career-best nine 3-pointers to highlight his career-high 41 points, and New Orleans won for the second time in two games as it tries to stay in contention for a Western Conference postseason berth. CJ McCollum had 22 points and 11 assists for

Also on Saturday, Antoine Andrews, a junior at Texas Tech, also earned All-American honours as he had to settle for sixth place in his NCAA indoor debut in 7.73. Winning the race was Giano Roberts, a senior at Clemson, in a PB of 7.55. Andrews got in with the eighth and final spot in the preliminaries in 7.67.

New Orleans, which made 18 of its first 30 3-point attempts as a team before finishing 19 of 40 (47.5%) from deep. Josh Richardson scored 19 points for the Pelicans.

Herbert Jones added 16 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points and 12 rebounds to help New Orleans win handily despite playing for a second straight game without highscoring wing Brandon Ingram (right ankle).

THUNDER 102,

SPURS 90

SAN ANTONIO (AP)

— Jalen Williams scored 21 points and Oklahoma City used a balanced effort on offense without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to beat San Antonio.

Ousmane Dieng had 17 points and Josh Giddey added 17 for the Thunder, who won their second in a row and fifth in six games. Oklahoma City tied Utah for 10th place in the West at 33-35, but the Thunder hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series 2-1.

San Antonio’s Zach Collins had 23 points and 11 rebounds for his ninth career double-double. Devonte’ Graham added 20 points.

hurdles,” said Cartwright, in repeating as champion. “The time I was looking to run didn’t happen, so with me getting better with my technique at practice, it will become much better.”

MINGOES, REGULATORS ADVANCE TO NPBA PLAYOFFS

THE University of The Bahamas men’s basketball team dropped to the Leno Regulators 76-63 in an inconsequential New Providence Basketball Association game Saturday night at The A.F. Adderley Gym.

Erquantae Edgecombe led The Mingoes with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Gabriel Styles scored 11 points in the game that didn’t have any impact on either team’s position in the standings.

Zachery Pennerman scored 24 points for The Regulators and Kemsey Sylvestre scored 23 for The Regulators.

The Mingoes started the game off strong going up 6-0 early in the first quarter capped by a Justin Burrows layup assisted by Delano Armbrister. The Regulators cut the lead and tied the game at 6-6 and ended the quarter up 18-14.

“It was the same situation as Friday where I only had two jumps, so I went out and on my second jump and did much better than the first and that got me set up for the hurdles where I got third. My coaches told me to go back to the triple jump and try to go for the collegiate record, but it wasn’t in God’s plan, so I’m happy with what I did.”

Competing against Charlton, whom she considers to be a little sister, Taylor said she knows she didn’t get the type of performance she anticipated in the long jump, but she said she made it as one of the top 16 to make it to the nationals.

“She has great things ahead of her, so I’m just looking forward to great things for her,” said Taylor of Charlton.

And Shaun Miller Jr, competing for Ohio State in the men’s high jump, cleared 7-1/2 (2.15m) to end up tied with Slavko Stevic of Southeastern Louisiana. The winning leap was 7-41/4 (2.24m) by Romaine Beckford, a junior at South Florida.

Wanya McCoy, a freshman at Clemson, clocked 46.07 in the preliminaries of the men’s 400m on Friday, but it was only 14th overall, leaving him short of the top eight to get into the final that took place on Saturday.

Cartwright shines

In her three events, Cartwright had her performance in the women’s 60m hurdles as she crossed the finish line in 8.11 for a new facility record, replacing the previous time of 8.22 that was held by Darci Khan. Coming in second was Kiara Smith in 8.21.

“I’m happy that I still have my title in the

The diminutive Cartwright also got third in the 60m in 7.31 to trail Minnesota State’s junior Mikayla Jackson, the winner in 7.20 for a meet record, while Diovonne Franklin, a senior of California, was second in 7.27.

Cartwright won her heat in 7.29 for the second fastest time in the preliminaries.

And in the 200, Cartwright ended up second in her heat in 23.38 for another third place finish. Alexis Brown beat her out at the tape in a meet record time of 23.26. Ayana Fields, a junior at Cal Poly Pomona, won the other heat in 23.36 for the second fastest qualifying time.

“The 60 dash didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but that’s where my training and focus is going to be as well,” Cartwright added.

“In the 200m, I was impressed to run a PR in the heats and in the final. I see where improvements can be made in each event and it is going to be better this outdoors.”

The focus now switches on the outdoor season.

Green added 21 points for Dallas.

Two of the NBA’s biggest stars — the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Memphis’ Ja Morant — were absent from the game. Doncic has a left thigh strain, while Morant is away from the team after posting a video last weekend in which he appeared to be displaying a gun at a Denver-area strip club.

THUNDER 110, PELICANS 96 NEW ORLEANS (AP)

— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and Oklahoma City defeated undermanned New Orleans for its fourth victory in five games.

The Regulators held the lead for the rest of the game even though The Mingoes cut the lead to three points with 5:02 left in the fourth quarter. Off a defensive rebound, Delano Armbrister had the brilliant pass to Erquantae Edgecombe to pick up the easy lay-up to put the score at 62-59. The Regulator then went on a 9-0 run and ended the game 76-63.

“We were right there with five minutes to go but we couldn’t seem to string together enough buckets in order to take the lead,” head coach Bacchus Rolle said. “We also didn’t get the defensive stops that we wanted to either. The Regulators are a tough team and played really good out there tonight. We just didn’t make the stops when we needed it.”

Despite winning the rebounding battle - 58 compared to The Regulators’ 51 - The Mingoes couldn’t convert the rebounds into points.

The Mingoes now move on to play The Caro Contractors Shockers in the first round of the playoffs. The first game is set for 8:30pm Wednesday March 15 and game two is set for 7pm on Saturday, March 18. Both games will be played at the A.F. Adderley Gym.

The Shockers beat the Mingoes in both meetings this season. The Shockers won 76-56 November 26, 2022 and 67-58 on January 13, 2023.

18 and Sacramento used a balanced effort to beat Phoenix and snap the Suns’ four-game winning streak.

The Kings moved 3 1/2 games ahead of the Suns for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoff race. Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and a teamhigh eight rebounds for Sacramento, which ended the game on a 13-4 run.

The Suns were playing their second straight game without recently-acquired star Kevin Durant, who hurt his ankle during pregame warmups before Wednesday’s game.

The team says he has a sprained left ankle and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

20 points and 10 rebounds for the Western Conference-worst Rockets, who dropped their third in a row. MAGIC 126, HEAT 114, OT ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)

— Wendell Carter had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Orlando bounced back from a fourth-quarter collapse to beat Miami in overtime.

Jimmy Butler scored 38 points for the Heat, including 15 in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter when Miami overcame a 15-point deficit. Butler’s 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the game to overtime.

The finish of the fourth quarter included a wild sequence during which Paolo Banchero’s foul on a 3-point attempt by Butler with 14.5 seconds left was

overturned by a replay. Banchero had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Magic. Franz Wagner had 17 points and eight rebounds before leaving with an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter.

GRIZZLIES 112, MAVERICKS 108 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

— Rookie David Roddy scored a career-high 24 points, including 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Memphis rallied past shorthanded Dallas.

Roddy connected on 7 of 8 shots in the fourth, including 3 of 4 from outside the arc. Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 25 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 14 points.

Tim Hardaway Jr. lead the Mavericks with 23 points, while Jaden Hardy finished with 22. Josh

Josh Giddey added 19 points and Jalen Williams had 17 for the Thunder, who led most of the way and by as many as 21 in the first half. Gilgeous-Alexander, who did not attempt a 3-pointer, hit 11 of 23 shots and made all 13 of his free throws.

Already struggling during All-Star power forward Zion Williamson’s extended injury absence, New Orleans also played without high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram, who entered the day listed as questionable after leaving a game Wednesday with a right ankle sprain. CJ McCollum scored 26 points to lead the Pelicans.

KINGS 128, SUNS 119

PHOENIX (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 19 points, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk each added

Devin Booker scored 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting for Phoenix. Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 16 points and 16 assists.

JAZZ 119, HORNETS 111 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Talen HortonTucker scored a season-high 37 points and had 10 assists and eight rebounds as Utah defeated Charlotte for its second win in a row.

Walker Kessler added 17 points and 16 rebounds and Kelly Olynyk had 17 points for the Jazz, who outrebounded the Hornets 60-43. Lauri Markkanen had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 24 points and Terry Rozier added 22 for the Hornets, who had their two-game win streak snapped.

GOLDEN State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, right, shoots against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr., left, and center Brook Lopez during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco on Saturday. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

TERRANCE JONES

KNICKS forward Julius Randle, right, dribbles past Lakers forward Anthony Davis during the second half last night. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

NPBA PLAYOFFS START TODAY

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) playoffs is set to commence 7pm tonight at the A.F. Adderley Gymnasium between the division one and two teams.

The first game to get the NPBA playoffs underway will feature the RC Liquors Eagles versus the D2 Rebels. For division one, the first seed of the Vince Ferguson Division the Discount Distributors Liquors Rockets will look to make a statement against the fourth seed TMT Giants.

The last time the two teams faced off, the Rockets defeated the TMT Giants 87-73 in a 14-point beat down. The TMT Giants will look to pull off an upset against the undefeated Rockets. These games will kick start a long week of playoff games within the respective divisions.

James Price, president of the New Providence Basketball Association, talked about his expectations of this year’s playoff matchups.

“I expect it to be some good series, especially the two and three [seeds] in division one with the Shockers and the University of The Bahamas and the Leno Regulators and Sand Dollar they should be some good series,” Price said.

This year’s division one playoff matchups will include the D1 Rebels vs the Commonwealth Bank Giants, the University of The Bahamas Mingoes vs Caro Contractors Shockers, Leno Regulators vs Sand Dollar, and the TMT Giants vs D1 Discount Distributor Liquors Rockets.

The Commonwealth Bank Giants, first seed in the John Archer Division, will look to take home a championship in this year’s playoffs.

Giants head coach Perry Thompson Jr talked about the team’s mindset heading into the matchups. “As a programme our expectations are always high. Our goals are always to win a championship, we are not worried about any team outside of our own,” Thompson said.

He added that the main priority of the powerhouse team is to simply remain as healthy as possible going into the NPBA playoffs.

For the division two playoffs, match ups will include Cyber Tech Blue Marlins vs D2 Discount Distributor Liquors Rockets, and the R C Liquors Eagles vs D2 Rebels.

Despite a decline in the amount of fans in attendance at the games, Price said the NPBA will have some incentives for the playoffs so that fans can have some enjoyment.

The games are scheduled to take place March 13-18.