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Time to clean up Downtown

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

of the Downtown Nassau Partnership met downtown property owners to DOWNTOWN Nassau share their vision for the desperately needs aggres- area and hear their consive transformation, not cerns yesterday.

Mr Cooper said: “I want the incremental changes to be clear that though I that have defined improveseek the way ments to the forward to be city over the one of mutually years, Deputy beneficial partPrime Minnership, the ister Chester thrust of this Cooper said administration yesterday. is first and foreHe suggested most progress. the Davis And we are not administration willing to sacis prepared to rifice progress use difficult DEPUTY Prime Minister pursuing parttools to revitalChester Cooper yesterday. nerships that ise the area if Photo: Racardo will not bear diplomacy with Thomas/Tribune Staff fruit. There is stakeholders no chance that fails. we allow the status quo to His comments came as Ministry of Tourism, remain.

“Always, we will try to Investments and Aviation officials, Attorney General work together to move SEE PAGE THREE Ryan Pinder and members

A DILAPIDATED building on Bay Street pictured yesterday.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/ Tribune Staff

ROYALS ‘MUST RECKON’ WITH REPARATIONS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas National Reparations Committee said the British Royal Family must reckon with its devastating legacy of slavery, death and colonisation not be treated with a trip funded in part by Bahamian taxpayers.

Local critics have joined their counterparts in Jamaica and elsewhere in

PRINCE William and his wife Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in Belize. emphasising the complicated legacy of the British monarchy as the Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge tour Caribbean countries this month.

Prince William and Kate Middleton will arrive in the country tomorrow and remain here until Saturday to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

This comes as members of the local Rastafarian community plan to protest the trip on Thursday over reparations.

SEE PAGE FIVE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

ALICIA WALLACE: WE SEE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ALL AROUND US

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

A BODY is taken from the scene of a homicide on Wright’s Lane last night.

Photos: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

Man shot dead in street in 32nd murder of year

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SUPERINTENDENT Audley Peters speaking to reporters.

A MAN believed to be in his early 30s was shot dead on Wright’s Lane last night, becoming the country’s 32nd murder so far for the year.

Superintendent of Police Audley Peters told reporters on the scene that officers were alerted to a shooting in the community shortly after 6pm yesterday.

Upon arrival, police found a man on the ground with gunshot wounds to the head.

EMS were called and later pronounced him dead at the scene.

“Our initial investigations reveal that a man was standing in the street when a small vehicle pulled up from off of Wulff Road. Two males exited and discharged their weapons at him, resulting in him being fatally

wounded,” Supt Peters said.

The victim, whose identity was not released up to press time, was in his early 30s, the police press liaison officer said.

While police do not know the motive behind the shooting, Supt Peters said it was possible the shooting could be linked to recent homicides.

He added that officers were following promising leads.

“We are being led in a particular direction. We have promising leads but those leads have to be furthered and as we continue following them, whoever has additional information could assist us to bring some persons to justice,” he continued.

Tuesday’s homicide comes as officers continue their investigations into a series of homicides in the country.

On Monday, a man was taken to hospital after being shot on Rupert Dean Lane. Details of the incident

were sketchy up to press time. However, The Tribune understands he later died in hospital from his injuries.

Last week, two men died after a shooting on Market Street. One of the men died on the scene on Thursday night, while the other died of his injuries the next day.

Police are appealing for members of the public who may have information on the country’s latest homicides to contact police at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).

“I will reiterate again that if you see something, say something with respect to persons in your community who are brandishing firearms who you know have firearms to report them to police so that we could take action,” Supt Peters said.

“It was fortunate in this incident that no person other than this victim was injured and it could’ve been worse.”

‘PUBLIC NEEDS EDUCATED ON GENDER VIOLENCE’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

LISA Rahming, State Minister for Social Services and Urban Development, says there is a need for public education on genderbased violence before new legislation addressing the social issue is brought into force.

Earlier this month, Attorney General Ryan Pinder told reporters that his ministry had compiled “a suite of legislation” which includes laws addressing gender-based violence and marital rape.

Yesterday, Ms Rahming said she was told that draft legislation on gender-based violence and marital rape was still under review.

Asked about the

terminologies that would be used in the legislation concerning marital rape, Ms Rahming said nothing has been determined in that regard.

“I would support whatever terminology at the end of the day that is placed in the act and agreed between everyone,” she said.

However, she refused to say what her position is on marital rape and whether she believed “rape is rape”.

Ms Rahming made the comments to reporters before going to a Cabinet meeting yesterday, where she spoke about her trip to New York to attend a United Nations conference centred on women’s empowerment.

The state minister said she had fruitful conversations with various

international representatives, among them the ambassador for Guyana.

She said the two spoke about the importance of public education on genderbased violence issues.

“The ambassador for Guyana, I had a bilateral meeting with her and her team and it was amazing because a Guyana (representative) sits at the table at the United Nations to represent the CARICOM countries and we spoke about not so much marital rape, but we talked about gender-based (issues) and the definitions used even in their country and we got examples of how it could be interpreted other ways and both of us agreed that it’s important that we have educational forums,” she said.

“I know for a fact that before any act is really pulled out, for the public to accept what you’re saying and to even understand and appreciate it, we know at this point and it was agreed between Guyana and us that it’s important that we do public education.

“We also discussed it in our legal forum with the gender-based (issues) that we had and the panel was using certain terminologies because when you use certain terminologies, that will somehow make persons think different from what it means so we have to be clear on what we say and we also have to communicate that to the public in order for them to understand how important it is to pass this act.”

STATE Minister for Social Services Lisa Rahming yesterday.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, PAGE 3

COOPER: FNM CLAIM ON VISA COSTS ‘POLITICAL NONSENSE’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM, Investments and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper yesterday called the opposition’s assertions that the government was subsidising the cost of American tourists’ COVID tests as “political nonsense”.

Mr Cooper was responding to a statement recently released by Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Michael Pintard over the issue.

Mr Pintard had raised concerns over the matter in the House of Assembly last week.

His comments came after Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville told parliamentarians during the mid-year budget

debate last week that all foreign visitors now have a free COVID test built into their health visa.

However, in a statement released Monday, Mr Pintard reiterated his arguments that the $40 health travel visa was not sufficient to cover COVID testing.

He also accused the government of using Bahamian taxpayer dollars to pay for the tests which would allow visitors to return home.

Breaking down the $40 fee, Mr Pintard argued that the majority - around $25 - pays for the health insurance coverage that allows COVID-infected patients to either be evacuated to their home country or spend extra days in The Bahamas in isolation, together with per diem expenses.

Of the balance, Mr Pintard said $10 of every

health travel visa fee covers the initiative’s administrative costs and overhead, leaving a $5 surplus which represents the sums remitted to the Treasury.

“When the cost of the COVID-19 test to return to the USA ($23) is factored in, the total cost of a health visa increases to $58. Ultimately, the government is charging visitors only $40 for a health visa that it will pay $58 for,” Mr Pintard said in a statement.

“As a result, each time a visitor takes a COVID-19 test, the Bahamian taxpayer subsidises the health visa to the tune of $18. Simply put, this government is now subsidising the cost of COVID-19 tests for visitors to return to the United States.”

Responding yesterday, Mr Cooper called it

“political nonsense,” while insisting that the same visa model that was used under the Minnis administration is the one being used now.

The deputy prime minister said: “The facts are as follows: the previous administration and this administration have always provided a five-day test or two-day test as the case might be as a part of the fee that’s being charged for the travel health visa. Instead of that test being a five-day test, it is now a departure test, the same test.

“So if it is unprofitable now, it was unprofitable then. If we are subsidising the travel for tourists now, we were subsidising the travel for tourists then so it’s really nonsense in my view and the reality of it is that we are transitioning the travel health visa matter.

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper at the meeting with Downtown property owners at the Margaritaville Beach Resort yesterday.

Time to clean up Downtown from page one

our nation forward. But governments have a responsibility to act in the national interest, even if that is not to the liking of a few. There are multiple tools in the government’s arsenal to address compliance, but our first tool will always be diplomacy. And what is good for downtown is good for the economy of The Bahamas.”

Downtown owners lamented the state of the

area, highlighting the proliferation of garbage, inadequate parking space, poor signage and heavy traffic, among other issues.

Mr Cooper acknowledged that previous administrations have made attempts to improve the area.

“But,” he said, “the time for incremental change has come and gone. We have seen progress in the refinishing of sidewalks, the investment in art on abandoned buildings and a focus on a police presence during

ED FIELDS, director of Downtown Nassau Partnerships.

the daytime hours. But the fact remains that the private sector is not redeveloping downtown rapidly, and indeed often standing in the way of progress.”

Mr Cooper said the growth of downtown pales in comparison to the number of cruise ship passengers increasingly coming to the Port of Nassau and it fails to reflect the considerable investments being made in the vicinity, including the $300m American Embassy on Shirley Street, the $100m plus Central Bank building that will soon be constructed and a new Cabinet building that will be built before the end of this term.

“We are looking at over $700m in investment into the downtown area in the next few years alone,” he said. “Add to that The Pointe, and we would be looking at close to a billion dollars in investment. However, this will still not be enough to transform one of the busiest ports of entry in the region.

Our tourism is rebounding strongly. Despite our challenges we still consider ourselves the leaders in the region. The vibrancy

“We do have a batch of tests on hand and we made the determination that this is how we will handle it. It’s no additional cost to the government. It’s no change of the model whatsoever in terms of cost. It is what it is.”

He also said: “The fee for the travel health visa always included the cost of a test.

The test previously was a five-day test. We changed it to a two-day test and we changed it back to a fiveday test and we eliminated the five-day test and we’re now saying that same test you can access as your test that you’re required to have when you’re returning to the United States. The model has not changed whatsoever.”

The minister also revealed that the government plans to end the travel health visa at some point in

the foreseeable future.

However, he could not say when the move will happen, but noted the situation will heavily depend on infection rates in the country.

“We are hopeful that we have seen the end of COVID,” Mr Cooper told reporters. “We are monitoring it in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and when we make a determination that we no longer need the travel health visa, it will go away so I foreshadow this is a transition period and during the transition period, if the determination is made that we are comfortable with the state of COVID in the world, then it will be eliminated. It is not here to stay indefinitely, but I cannot give you a specific date at this time as to when it will be eliminated.”

Photos: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

MEMBERS of the audience had their say on the issues facing Downtown. of downtown should be the story our visitors tell to their friends and family when they return home.”

Mr Cooper said efforts are underway by police to address vagrancy downtown and expected amendments to the Mental Health Act will facilitate this.

“Just this past weekend we had six ships in port, on a single day. There were thousands of guests here and I often hear taxi drivers and vendors tell me how embarrassed they are to have tourists walk past Victoria Avenue going east to see the raft of abandoned buildings, overgrown spaces and desolate areas that scream for guests to speed past as opposed to enjoying the local fare. It

is the one area we get consistent complaints about. It is poorly maintained and not adequately managed,” he said.

“It was thought that moving the various waterfront ports would spur development of living spaces, a boardwalk, restaurants and shops, but that dream has stalled.

“I have often heard that buildings that are neither pleasing to the eye nor functional to the city are protected as historical sites, and that may require laws being amended.

“I am told that outdated building covenants that limit the height of structures are also an impediment. I foreshadow that, that will require adjustment as well,” Mr Cooper said.

FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette speaking yesterday at the meeting.

HALKITIS: WE HAVE NO PLANS TO RAISE VAT TO 15 PERCENT

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas will not raise value added tax to 15 percent, Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis said yesterday.

His comment came after the International Monetary Fund urged the government to gradually increase VAT rates, bringing them closer to the regional average of 15 percent while reducing tax concessions and considering a corporate and personal income tax for large business and high earners.

“No plans to do that,” Mr

Halkitis said in response to inquiries from this newspaper. “We think 10 percent along with a growing economy and continuing to improve collection in all areas will be adequate to achieve our objective of reaching revenue of 25 percent of GDP.” Asked what conditions would need to exist for the government to consider raising VAT to 15 percent, he said: “We (are) not going to 15 percent.”

The IMF’s projections and recommendations were in its IMF Article IV mission statement published at the end of a recent visit

to The Bahamas. The IMF projects the unemployment rate will fall to 13.9 percent this year.

Last year the body said the country’s VAT rate, which was 12 percent at the time, was the lowest in the Caribbean. The rate has since dropped to ten percent, though fewer items and services are exempt from the tax compared to the law under the Minnis administration.

Before VAT was implemented in 2015, the government planned to implement the tax at 15 percent but introduce numerous exemptions.

However, on the advice of international experts, the Christie administration introduced the tax at 7.5 percent with very few exemptions.

The Minnis administration subsequently raised the tax to 12 percent and added several exemptions, including for breadbasket items.

In its report, the IMF said the government now lacks fiscal space to achieve its ambitious goals of increasing investment while imposing tax cuts to boost economic growth in the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Education Minister says graduation requirements are being reviewed

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin says her ministry is reviewing graduation requirements for public high schools with a view to making them “more facilitative” for performing students.

This comes after several concerns were raised by seniors about their inability to receive their diploma this year after discovering they did not meet the criteria to graduate.

Mrs Hanna Martin told reporters yesterday that it is her belief that certain requirements for graduation must be revisited to ensure that no student is being disenfranchised.

She also said her ministry has implemented recovery programmes to assist high school students who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This, she added, will allow those to meet the requirements needed for graduation.

She said: “There are two issues – one is the COVID issue and where there are COVID issues, the Ministry of Education or the schools locally are putting in place recovery efforts which every child should avail themselves of where possible. That’s also available for another category.

“But there’s another more general category of people, children and young people, who have come through school and for one reason or another there’s a missing component for the high school diploma and some are finding out at this point when they’re thinking they’re going to graduate, they’re finding out they can’t graduate.

“We’re reviewing that now. I mean it’s very late in the game now as the school year is ending shortly so I don’t think you’ll see fundamental reform in that regard but we are reviewing it because it’s my view that certain aspects of that must be revisited to see how, without lowering academic standards, to see how we

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin yesterday. cannot create barriers and be more facilitative for performing students so that is underway.”

This comes amid continued concern about the pandemic’s impact on education, with data showing significant learning loss, according to education officials.

Yesterday, Mrs Hanna Martin gave an update on her ministry’s plans of developing a diagnostic test, which will ascertain the extent of learning loss in the country.

“It’s completed. It was developed in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education. It is completed and (will be) published shortly,” she said.

The minister was also

asked whether the country could soon see a Bahamian heading the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) after the institution’s president’s contract expires later this year.

“Well, we have just named a new board and the board will have oversight of the decision making as it relates to that. The point I made as it relates to the University of The Bahamas is that it is the objective of me as minister of education and I believe as The Bahamas government to ensure where possible Bahamians are empowered and able to assume positions that aid in our development as a people which include our educational institutions.

So that’s an undergirding principle. But of course, the

Photos: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff board will review the circumstances and we will be in dialogue to see what the outcome of that will be.”

Last week, University of the Bahamas selected international academic Dr Erik Rolland as the institution’s next president, with Dr Ian Strachan promoted to executive vice president of UB. The minister has

previously said she expects that “in short order” a Bahamian will ascend to the top post.

Those comments were later criticised by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who told reporters he believed that Mrs Hanna Martin’s posture was the wrong one to take, adding the Davis

administration should live with the decision of UB’s board, whether it disagrees with the choice or not.

Responding to those remarks yesterday, the education minister said: “So good to hear from the former prime minister. It’s good to know that he’s still alive and well.”

ABACO ‘SEEING REBOUND’ IN BOATING

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper yesterday.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ABACO is seeing a rebound of yachting and boating, and a strong demand for investment, said Tourism, Investments and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper.

“Abaco is coming back strong,” he said during a recent trip to Grand Bahama. “We have many resorts already reopened in the cays. A lot is happening in Hope Town and all the other cays. So, we see a rebound.”

Mr Cooper indicated that Bakers’ Bay is also doing well.

“This is good for the island of Abaco as a whole. When you land you still see the pain of Hurricane Dorian, but as you go outward to the south and the cays you see a promising future. Abaco is on the rebound and is coming back.”

The minister said Abaco has had a long history of being the boating and fishing capital of The Bahamas.

However, after Dorian, a lot of that activity has

gone to the Exuma cays.

He said that he was pleased to learn from his colleague John Pinder, Abaco MP, about a rebound of yachting, boating and fishing in Abaco.

“This is great for the country,” Mr Cooper said.

“We have long promoted destinations as being different. We have 16 unique destinations and Abaco has its place in the world.

“I should also tell you we are seeing a strong demand in Abaco for new investments. The director of investments has been extremely busy in processing several potential touristic resorts in the south,” he said.

“There are several of them in the pipeline. We can’t say much about them today, but we know it is going to create a buzz and excitement for the island of Abaco.”

In the meantime, Mr Cooper said the government is continuing infrastructural work on Abaco, including the airport.

They are rebuilding the tower, putting in new elevators, and installing new navigation aids to restore

night flights to the airport.

“It is a very high-end busy airport when you look at the number of private jets that used to come into Abaco and who are going to the cays and Baker’s Bay. And we are really doing this for the residents and people of Abaco to take advantage of some opportunities that are coming. So, it is for their ease and quality of life.

“Abaco like Grand Bahama has seen, I believe, its darkest days and it is good to see that there is some rebound happening.”

In terms of arrivals, Mr Cooper could not provide specific numbers, but reported that occupancies have increased in the Abaco cays.

“I can tell you we like what we see in terms of the rebound in occupancies in the Abaco cays, particularly. We have seen refurbishment of resorts that have been impacted

by Dorian, and we see a steady increase in traffic whether it is Bahamasair or private jets. We know from all indications that the numbers are on an upward trajectory.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, PAGE 5

FOAM leader plans protest to highlight gender issues

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE founder of advocacy group Families of All Murder Victims is organising a demonstration during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to The Bahamas to shed light on gender issues in the country.

In a statement issued yesterday, FOAM president Khandi Gibson encouraged all former and current parliamentarians, civil society organisations and ordinary people to partner with the group this Thursday and Friday to take a stand against sexual violence against Bahamian women.

“It is FOAM’s hope that the local and international coverage of the demonstrations with the Royals present will encourage the government to act on its obligation to protect

Bahamian women and girls,” the release noted.

The release also referred to an intervention from the United Nations’ special rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Simonovic, who in 2017 said marital rape is the most pressing gender-based issue facing the country. At the time, Ms Šimonović found that in the Bahamas, “violence against women is hidden, denied, and even more worryingly, accepted as normal.”

Ms Gibson said since that report, there has been nothing but eloquent speeches from politicians.

“Two governments since that intervention, and nothing, but eloquent speeches from parliamentarians who rose to power on the backs of Bahamian women.

FOAM reminds the government and electorate that rape is rape! It is now, and

has always been a question of consent, not dependent on who the perpetrator is,” her statement said.

Ms Gibson told The Tribune yesterday the objective of the demonstration is to hold the government accountable.

“I’ve made a request for Crown land from 2017 to assist people fleeing from domestic violence situations—that has not been addressed yet,” Ms Gibson said. “We have females and children being hurt in our country. Nothing much has been done in reference (for) laws for them. We’re talking about marital rape — no is no. No one has the right to force themselves on anybody,” she argued.

“We invite other activists, community leaders, stakeholders…. we’re inviting our whole country to be a part of this move. So it’s no longer about everybody

to give a full and formal apology for their “crimes against humanity”.

“The Duke and Duchess may not be compelled to make such a declaration during their visit to our shores. They may not be able at this time to speak on behalf of the Queen and their government at this time. However, they can no longer ignore the devastation of their heritage. They and their family of Royals and their government must acknowledge that their diverse economy was built on the backs of our ancestors. And then, they must pay,” the committee said.

“We, the members of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC), recognise that the people of The Bahamas have been left holding the bag for much of the cost of this extravagant trip. Why are we footing the bill for the benefit of a regime whose rise to ‘greatness’ was fueled by the extinction, enslavement, colonisation, and degradation of the people of this land? Why are we being made to pay again?”

Villagers in Belize opposed the visit of the Royals earlier this week.

In Jamaica yesterday, some people protested the Royal couple’s trip.

Over the weekend, the committee responsible for

planning the Royals’ trip said their arrival will boost exposure to key local issues and will be an opportunity for the country to change the way it is viewed internationally.

However, the local reparations committee said yesterday: “This visit commemorates 70 years since Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne of imperialism - more years than The Bahamas has been a sovereign nation.

The BNRC asserts that we as Bahamians must have a clear understanding of what this trip truly means. We are not beholden to the British monarchy in any way and we do not owe them a debt of gratitude for anything not for our culture, religion, or system of governance.

Instead, the monarchy has looted and pillaged our land and our people for centuries, leaving us struggling with under-development, left to pick up the pieces.

“In the words of Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, colonialism was devastating, and we are tired of footing the bill. We are tired of paying literally with our lives for the maintenance of a paradigm in which we were exploited so others could be exalted. It is time now for reparatory justice. The time is now for reparations.”

areas associated with it.”

The Royal couple’s trip to The Bahamas is part of a week-long tour of the Caribbean in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

A number of festivities have been planned to accommodate the couple during their three-day stay in The Bahamas, including a visit to the Garden of Remembrance where frontline healthcare workers will be recognised.

A “Taste of The Bahamas” cultural event is also expected to be held in Parliament Square, with special performances of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band and a selection of Junkanoo groups.

The public is also invited to attend this event.

Asked yesterday if unvaccinated people will be allowed to attend the festivities, the minister said the situation depends on whether the event is held indoors or outdoors.

“The rules for indoors is for vaccinated (people) with testing and those who aren’t vaccinated will usually be required testing as well depending on the size of the event. That is clearly marked in the rules.”

The high-profile visit comes as the nation’s daily COVID case count remains

low, with only nine new cases reported on Sunday.

However, COVID-19 concerns have reignited in some quarters due to a new Omicron strain, called the BA.2 variant, which is spreading in some parts of the world, including Asia and Europe.

Yesterday, Dr Darville said officials are closely monitoring the situation.

“Well, our team at the Ministry of Health is watching exactly what’s going on in China, Asia as well as Europe and our job is to monitor. As we monitor, we will take into consideration what is happening, particularly the possibility of it now spreading to The United States coming to California and the list goes on and on.”

In the meantime, people are encouraged to continue following the recommended health measures.

“Everyone must be responsible as it relates to the rules. In being responsible, we can actually open more sectors of the economy but the need to be held accountable for the rules,” Dr Darville said yesterday when asked about large gatherings seen at hotels.

According to health officials, 163,526 people are said to be fully vaccinated in the country.

coming on Facebook. If we could come together to this event, this demonstration, then I think we’re on to something as the Duke and Duchess they have a long record of charity work.”

As the news of the planned demonstration spread on social media yesterday, some people criticised the move, saying it would make the country look bad. However, FOAM’s president said she is not concerned about what people feel.

“At the end of the day, when persons reach out to grassroots NGOs and we out there assisting with limited and zero resources to help people, they don’t worry about the government then. They worry about FOAM and the other grassroots NGOs that are out there, so I’m not concerned about people’s opinions. Our job is

to get the job done and to assist persons and so by any means necessary we intend to go out there with our plight,” she said.

“People’s opinions don’t put women in shelters. People’s opinions don’t provide grocery. People’s opinions don’t comfort those who lost loved ones by murder...

People’s opinions don’t stop our girls from being molested by their fathers in this country.”

This comes amid public discussion on domestic and gender violence, after a series of violent attacks on women and children in recent months.

International media reported the Royal couple had to cancel a stop to a Belize farm due to a protest by local residents. It was planned for the duo to visit the Akte ‘il Ha cacao farm in Indian Creek village, but a protest was staged.

“A number of issues have been reported by local Belize media outlet Channel Seven, including a claimed dispute between residents of Indian Creek village in Belize’s Toledo District and Flora and Fauna International, the conservation charity William supports as a patron,” The Independent, a British publication, reported.

“The landing site for the Cambridges’ helicopter reportedly caused further problems with claims residents were not consulted about the location which is on the local football pitch.”

According to international reports, some well known Jamaicans, including politicians and professors, were demanding an apology and slavery reparations ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s visit to that country yesterday.

ROYALS ‘MUST RECKON’ WITH REPARATIONS from page one

Meanwhile, the reparations committee said in a statement: “There is no doubt that the organising committee (has) done a stellar job in accommodating the British Royal Family, and by many standards this trip to accommodate the Royal Family will be seen as a resounding success.

“However, once William and Kate have passed over the newly paved roads, driven by the freshly painted walls, and waved to the schoolchildren who have been pulled out of their classes to stand and watch them go by, what will the Bahamian people be left with?”

The reparations committee was formed in 2013 in accordance with the CARICOM reparations committee. The body advocates for reparations from former colonial powers.

The committee chair, Dr Niambi Hall CampbellDean, met Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell in February to update him on its work. Mr Mitchell said reparations are important for the country.

Yesterday, the committee said the first point of the CARICOM commission’s ten-point reparations plan is for European governments

STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF COVID RULES DURING VISIT

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville suggested yesterday that there will be strict enforcement of COVID-19 rules during the UK Royals’ visit to The Bahamas this week, while assuring that any potential exposure to the virus amid the trip “will be dealt with”.

Dr Darville made the remarks when asked about his ministry’s virus readiness plans ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to the country.

Prince William and Kate Middleton will arrive here on Thursday and depart on Saturday.

“We have been in close contact with the Governor General’s office to do our part as the Ministry of Health. All the protocols, we anticipate, will be followed,” the minister told reporters before going to a Cabinet meeting.

“Any changes or potential threat as a result of exposure to COVID will be dealt with and so we feel that we’re ready and we look forward to the visit for the Bahamian people to be a part of the festivities, particularly at Montagu or whatever

BRITAIN’S Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge pictured last Thursday ahead of the couple’s tour of Central America and the Caribbean, including Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Pool via AP

PAGE 6, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

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Downtown dilemma that won’t go away TO say that a transformation of Downtown Nassau is overdue is an understatement in the extreme.

So as we hear about another meeting to discuss another plan for another revitalisation, we fight the urge to say yes, yes, but enough talk, get on with things.

When the FNM last gained office in 2017, this column called for progress in dealing with the problems of Bay Street, in which we said that “the good bones of Nassau’s historic architectural treasures so frequently mentioned by the late Jackson Burnside are still there, but they are shrinking”.

When the PLP gained power before that, we wondered if the enthusiasm for Urban Renewal might extend to cleaning out the side alleys and passageways abandoned to waste and rats.

And on and on before. Truth be told, this is a matter that has gone on for decades of steady decay.

Nassau Cruise Port’s top executive, Michael Maura, warned yesterday that “time is not on our side” when it comes to meeting the expectations of the cruise ship passengers currently flocking in record numbers again to our shores.

Rightly so – as many Bahamians who have been cruise passengers themselves are able to compare with other destinations with a more polished welcome on offer to arrivals.

It’s not just for visitors that we need to fix Downtown, however, it is for ourselves. Once upon a time, this was one of the jewels in our crown not a cause for shame.

There are businesses still striving to put their best face forward, but they are not helped by other buildings left to run down and rot.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper put the problem into focus yesterday when he said: “Just this past weekend we had six ships in port, on a single day. There were thousands of guests here and I often hear taxi drivers

and vendors tell me how embarrassed they are to have tourists walk past Victoria Avenue going east to see the raft of abandoned buildings, overgrown spaces and desolate areas that scream for guests to speed past as opposed to enjoying the local fare. It is the one area we get consistent complaints about. It is poorly maintained and not adequately managed.”

Identifying the problem is not hard – we can all do that. We have eyes to see the broken balconies, the cracked walls.

We have noses to smell the garbage in the side alleys.

What we didn’t hear yesterday was the solution. There was talk of the government stepping in if the private sector doesn’t get on with fixing the area, but what that meant, or when that would happen, remained unclear.

What wasn’t addressed were the concerns of property owners over such things as zoning restrictions that limit the height of developments to five storeys, or that if owners do spruce up their properties, they might be hit with a higher tax bill for having raised its value.

Then there are concerns over the cycle of criminal offending with people arrested but back out on the streets again and able to cause trouble all over again in no time at all.

So while Mr Cooper hinted that the government might have a stick to ensure progress happens, we didn’t get a nibble of the carrot to encourage people to take the first steps.

Without clearly stated deadlines and defined goals, it is hard to see Downtown taking a great leap forward – but improving it is at least on the agenda, and that feels at least one step further forward than we have been in a long time.

Will we see change actually happen?

Or will another administration come and go while the weeds in the back alleys grow longer?

Hanna Martin meddling with UB decision EDITOR, The Tribune.

ONCE again, Minister of Education Glenys Hanna Martin has been a terrible disappointment.

Speaking on the selection of the new president of the University of The Bahamas, she left the impression that the choice was made by the former government. The PLP made the final decision after it came to office.

She is the sitting Minister of Education.

If the PLP wanted a different president, they could have reopened the search and the process. They could have chosen Dr Ian Strachan. But they didn’t! This is the PLP’s final decision and choice.

The new chair of the board of UB, Allyson

Maynard Gibson, stated in the press that the new president was the best choice in terms of helping the university with its international accreditation process.

Mrs Hanna Martin is being hypocritical and disingenuous. She is trying to have it both ways. Rather than taking responsibility for the decision, she is blaming the FNM. She was also intemperate in her remarks, and, in my, view rude and unwelcoming in her tone toward the new president.

The incoming president isn’t even in the chair yet and Mrs Hanna Martin says we are going to move to get a Bahamian as soon as possible.

If the new president were hired under the FNM, Mrs Hanna Martin

would have gone on one of her well-known rampages coughing up criticism of the decision.

But now that she is Minister of Education she is trying to distance herself from the decision made by the PLP. This is a bad example to school children in terms of accepting responsibility for one’s decisions. The country deserves better than such behaviour.

Now that the president is chosen let us welcome him with good Bahamian hospitality and respect. I hope that Mrs. Hanna Martin will also treat him with good manners and respectfully.

UB STAKEHOLDER Nassau March 19, 2022

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Take a look in the mirror EDITOR, The Tribune.

AS Bahamians, we should all admit to ourselves after looking in the mirror that when we go to our so-called election polls every four years plus now, we go to vote for what we see in the mirror.

It is so unfortunate that after we vote for what we see in the mirror, they go to our so-called House of Assembly and the only thing that happens is that we, the so small among the individuals, are tasked and burdened down with more financial stress than we had before. It never seems to be a conclusion that we, the people, need something to happen for us that makes our lives less stressful and more productive.

If you saw a white man in the mirror, then that’s what you voted for. If you didn’t see a white man in the mirror, that’s what you voted for; but, at the end of the day, you voted for whatever you saw in the mirror.

Looking at Bahamians that I see every day all around me – it is very difficult to understand why they cannot see that after jumping up and down in their colourful t-shirts, their lives do not improve, and things never get better for them.

If you believe things are better for you then why are you still toting water from the public faucet?

Why is it that you must still do the same thing that you have been doing from childhood to adulthood?

Hopefully, something will happen for people over the hill. If you believe that things are better for you, you need to share the secret because your day-to-day activities do not show any betterment.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net If “it’s better in The Bahamas”, why is it that we Bahamians cannot get anything from our natural resources that belong to all of us Bahamians?

Why is it that a small piece of country like The Bahamas with a very, very small number of people is burdened down with a national debt of billions of dollars and there is nothing in our little country to show for it?

I told you years ago, and you can do your research of my letters to the editor in The Tribune, that one day you will not be allowed to even come out into the streets the way that you wish but I’ll leave that for now.

I have a message for Bahamians. While a few of us are left in The Bahamas, it is time that we begin to see that all of us are one.

There is only one Bahamian; it makes no difference if you think that you are red, yellow, black, or white (maybe even purple or green and sometimes pink), you are still a part of the same one Bahamian. It is time that we see each other as one and begin to help each other more before it is too late.

If we can’t see that we are being overrun by outsiders, then one day we may wake up and find ourselves as refugees heading to the same camp because what we thought was ours is now owned by other people.

The practice of ‘I’m in charge’ and only looking out for an individual and to hell with everyone else must stop. If you haven’t noticed, I’m going to let

you in on a little secret - it makes no difference what you accumulate on this Earth, while you are still breathing God’s breath that you believe you are so entitled to.

You will leave it all behind and other people will have to lift you down in the hole if your remains are not turned into ashes.

We have outsiders in this country that have Bahamians working and withholding their pay, even though it’s supposed to be illegal in The Bahamas. If ‘the more you accumulate the better it is’, then why is it that some people who have money like dirt are so upset when the pharmacy is closed?

Let us use the war that is going on right now on this Earth as a typical example of life.

As the world watches a lot of innocent people lose their lives everyday in a war that they didn’t call for, some of us see life daily as enjoying ourselves by drinking, smoking, and night clubbing.

We have millions of people that have done their best in life and thought they were living almost comfortably and now must run and leave everything behind and take shelter somewhere else. Bahamians, I say to you, we need to do better for ourselves because we have a small war going on within our own capital, New Providence, by a few criminals. Maybe one day, someone may realise we cannot deal with these criminals dressed up in coat suits and afraid to get dirty.

REV I MAXWELL STORR Jr Nassau, March 22, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, PAGE 7

MAMMOGRAM PROGRAMME GIVEN $25K DONATION

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Mammogram Access Programme received a $25,000 donation yesterday from Jarol Investment Ltd to assist with the purchase of a mammogram machine.

This will help to increase the rate of breast cancer screening on Grand Bahama, which has a very low inventory of working mammogram machines.

During the cheque presentation, Karen Wilson, marketing manager at Jarol Investment, said they are pleased to be able to give back to the community.

“Today we are giving $25,000 to (the) Mammogram Access Programme, which is a fairly new organisation that started in 2020 during COVID. The organisation will assist with screening and testing of breast cancer patients, and we feel we have to give back to help the public, especially young women who are going through a lot of hard times.”

Nikia Watson, founder of MAP, said the organisation’s mandate is to increase overall screening rates of breast cancer in the northern Bahamas.

JAROL Investment Ltd presented a cheque for $25,000 to Mammogram Access Program (MAP) to assist with the purchase of a mammogram machine for breast cancer screening on Grand Bahama. Nikia Watson, founder of MAP (standing to the right of cheque) is pictured accepting the donation on Tuesday at Jarol headquarters in Freeport.

Photo: Denise Maycock/Tribune Staff “We started this back in 2020 when we were in lockdown, and our first initiative was to screen 2,000 women. But early into that it became clear that was going to be a difficult task because the inventory of

working machines on the island is very low,” she said.

Ms Watson said MAP had to shift its focus on fundraising to acquire a mammogram machine to be more active in the screening

Father jailed for firearm offences

By PAVEL BAILEY A FATHER was sentenced to 16 months in prison yesterday on firearm and ammunition charges.

Jerome Kelly, 30, and Niquel Simon appeared before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of possession of a dangerous firearm and ammunition as well as a charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

On December 2, 2021, officers responding to a domestic complaint encountered the accused arguing outside Kelly’s residence on St Vincent Road. When officers entered the home, they found four rounds of ammunition on the ground and arrested both Kelly and Simon.

A further search of the

premises in the presence of the accused uncovered a black pistol under a bed with the serial number FAN9504 and three live rounds in the chamber. This search also resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of illegal drugs as officers recovered suspected marijuana concealed in a large silver and black vacuum cleaner.

In court, Kelly pleaded guilty to all three charges against him while his coaccused, Simon, pleaded not guilty to the same charges against her.

The prosecutor, Inspector Timothy Bain told the court that Kelly had no similar antecedents and that his only previous conviction was a curfew violation.

The accused’s lawyer, Tamara Taylor-Storr, then

made a plea of mitigation on Kelly’s behalf. She told the judge that her client was the father of two young daughters for whom he provides by working at a hotel.

Ms Taylor-Storr asked the judge to be lenient in his ruling as Kelly admitted to his crime, is remorseful for his actions and did not waste the court’s time with a lengthy trial.

In consideration of these facts, Magistrate McKinney sentenced Kelly to 16 months in prison for the firearm charge and gave him an additional nine months in prison for the ammunition charge, to be served concurrently.

Kelly was also fined $7,500 for the drug charges or risk spending another nine months in prison.

Simon was discharged of all three counts against her.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF VAGRANCY

By PAVEL BAILEY

A WOMAN was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for psychological evaluation after being charged with vagrancy yesterday.

Cherokee Wright, 39, stood before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday to face the charge.

On March 21 the accused was found loitering at the fire shed at the Carmichael Road Police Station, but was unable to give officers a satisfactory account of why she was there.

In court, Wright pleaded not guilty to the charge against her.

When Magistrate McKinney asked Wright why she was found loitering at the police station, she told the court that she was sitting there waiting for someone.

She also expressed her confusion over the situation as she said while officers passed and talked to her briefly during the incident, Wright wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing on her part until officers apprehended her on the matter later that day.

Wright further explained to the court that she lives near the police station with her parents in Flamingo

Gardens.

Magistrate McKinney then asked the accused if she was on medication to which Wright said that she was, but that she sometimes “misses” taking it.

The prosecutor, Inspector Timothy Bain also indicated that the accused had been sentenced in court before.

It was in view of this information that the magistrate remanded her to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for a psychological evaluation from a Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre doctor.

Wright’s case was adjourned to April 20.

MAN ‘HAD ITEMS BELIEVED TO BE STOLEN’

By PAVEL BAILEY

A MAN was arraigned yesterday on charges of unlawful possession.

Durk Whylly, 50, of Ann’s Drive, Winston Meadows, stood before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney after being found with

items suspected to have been stolen.

On March 14, officers arrested Whylly at his residence for being in possession of suspected stolen items as he was unable to give officers a satisfactory account of how he came by them.

These items included

jewellery, watches, a handbag, sunglasses, as well as a Huawei cell phone.

In court, Whylly pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Magistrate McKinney granted the accused bail at $1,500 with one surety. His case was adjourned to July 25.

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process.

The cost of the 3D machine is around $250,000, excluding landing costs.

“The machine we are trying to get is very sophisticated and would allow us to do tomosynthesis, which

is like taking a CAT scan of the breast where we can see different aspects of the breast so we could detect breast cancer at a very early stage.

“There are machines like that in The Bahamas, but

they have not been operating for some time,” Ms Watson said.

She added that there is a long waiting list for screening because of the low number of working machines on the island.

“We have amassed quite a long waiting list of screenings waiting for the machines to come back up. I have not been able to meet any of my targets because of the low inventory of working machines and the high volume of patients that are waiting.”

Ms Watson said MAP targets women who are unable to afford a mammogram.

“We really want to help those women who put it (screening) off because of cost issues,” she explained.

Samantha Colton, vice chair of MAP, thanked Jarol Investment for the generous donation.

“When I approached Jarol, they responded without hesitation. I really did not know what to expect, so when I heard what they were willing to donate, I thought it could only be an act of God. And we are so grateful… because we have been praying for this for such a long time.”

She said the donation would go a very long way in helping them accomplish their goal.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

We see violence against women all around us

By Alicia Wallace

A 26-YEAR-OLD father was charged with incest, indecent assault, and child cruelty this week. He appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt for sexually abusing his three-year-old daughter.

A 29-year-old man was accused of indecent assaults of his 13-yearold niece. A man was convicted of “unlawful sexual intercourse”, an odd term for rape, the survivor the 15-year-old daughter of his friend.

A 28-year-old, accused of sexual abuse of his six-year-old daughter, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux last week on charges of incest, indecent assault, and cruelty to children.

A man was recently sentenced to 28 months in prison for groping — sexually assaulting — a woman who was a tourist. On sentencing, Ferguson-Pratt told him he had affected tourism, the largest industry in The Bahamas, and the man reportedly apologised to the Bahamian people for having this effect on the industry.

The tourism industry, somehow, is more important than the lives of women who are consistently experiencing gender-based violence of various kinds.

Not only are we failing to appropriately deal with gender-based violence in homes and in the street, but law enforcement and those in the justice system are completely disconnected from the reality of this issue and the impact it has on human beings.

This week, Police Superintendent Chaswell Hanna claimed the media is exaggerating in its reporting on crime.

He said murders are tragic, regardless of gender. He went on to repeatedly use “female” instead of “woman” — POLICE Superintendent Chaswell Hanna or “girl,” where appropriate — and claimed the media is exaggerating in its said the police have not had investiga- reporting on crime. tions that found women or girls were understanding what femicide is and killed because of their gender. recognising it as an end result of genHe gave various examples, includ- der-based violence and the failure ing “cases where a female may have to address issues of misogyny and been in an abusive relationship that patriarchy. ended in a death, which we classify as Femicide does not happen in a domestic”. vacuum, and it does not come out of Whether or not the police have the nowhere. It is usually preceded by requisite knowledge or training on other forms of abuse, threats, and gender, gender-based violence, and harassment. femicide, and whether or not they Femicide, then, is preventable. In understand what constitutes gender- most cases, femicide is perpetrated by based violence or femicide — the intimate partners. killing of a woman or girl because Fifty-eight per cent of all intenof her sex or gender — these clas- tional killings of women in 2017, as sifications are appropriate for many an example, were perpetrated by intimurders in The Bahamas. mate partners, and femicides were 18 The murder of Nellie Brown-Cox per cent of all intentional homicides. was femicide. A decade ago, a mockHanna has demonstrated what hapery was made of this woman’s death pens when we do not use terms like as people make dis“femicide” or train gusting comments, as ‘Femicide does not stakeholders on genthough funny, about der-based violence. happen in a vacuum, taking similar actions People completely to that of the man who and it does not come miss what is hapbrutally murdered her. out of nowhere. It pening. They see the The murders of intentional killing of a Alicia Sawyer and her is usually preceded woman by, for exameight-year-old daugh- by other forms ple, a former partner ter Ednique Wallace of abuse, threats, who refuses to move were femicide, folon and is determined lowing reports of and harassment. to ensure that they gender-based violence Femicide, then, stay with them, or have and the failure of the is preventable. In no opportunity to be police to protect them. with anyone else.

Following her most cases, femicide This perpetrator death, police claimed is perpetrated by tells her so for months. they were out look- intimate partners.’

He accuses her of ing for the man who cheating when they had threatened to kill were together. He sends text mesher, and not even a single officer was sages, shows up unannounced, makes stationed outside of her home — the contact with her loved ones, and most obvious place that she could be makes it clear that he has no intention found. of going away. He behaves as though The murder of Heavenly Terveus he owns her. He bullies and terrifies was femicide. She had received her. To him, no woman can turn him threats, and he had reportedly shot at down or walk away from him. He Terveus’ sister in 2021. is man and, according to him, that The death of Carissa Culmer was means he can dominate women. He femicide. She made public pleas for decides how things go in a relationhelp, and she did not receive the type ship, and if he does not want it to end, and level of support she needed. She he will ensure that it continues, by any died by suicide. means available to him.

There are many other names, This includes gender-based violence stories, and cases that have been for- which can take the form of harassgotten. Sometimes these deaths are ment, threats, stalking, physical abuse, recognised as end results of domestic and rape. violence, but rarely identified as genThe woman is scared and exhausted der-based violence or femicide. by the messages, phone calls, and This is not because those are not appearances of this person. Everyone appropriate terms, but because there tells her to get help to make him stop. is a lack of knowledge, unwillingness What do police say in these situato learn, and insufficient laws, policies, tions? In most cases, they tell woman programmes, services, and training for to go back to the person, or they first responders. tell the woman that there is nothing One of the two themes of the Global they can do because he has not done 16 Days Campaign in 2021 was ending anything to her. Yet. To them, the harfemicide, recognising it as a pervasive assment does not count for anything. issue that is driven by misogyny — the The threats mean very little. hatred of women.

When she is found dead, they make The campaign produced an advo- public statements about a “lover’s cacy guide on femicide that ought quarrel” or a “relationship gone bad”. to be studied by the Royal Bahamas We may hear that reports were made, Police Force and anyone who does, but no responsibility is taken? claims to do, or wants to do work to Why not? For starters, the police do end gender-based violence, end vio- not know — or get away with pretendlence against women, and/or support ing to be ignorant about gender-based safe, healthy home environments for violence. They act as though they women and their families. have no idea what it looks like or We cannot work to end domestic how, in the worst cases, it ends. Then, violence, intimate partner violence, or members of the police force like any form of family violence without Hanna refuse to acknowledge that the

murder is femicide, a genderbased killing.

If we do not name and count the intentionally killings of women and girls are femicide, we will have incomplete data.

We depend on the police classifying homicides are domestic violence-related, and that does not capture all of the cases.

Domestic violence, first of all, is distinct from intimate partner violence. The latter can occur between people who do not live in the same household while the former refers to violence between people in the same household.

If we do not know how many cases of domestic violence end in femicide, we do not get a complete picture and there is less impetus to respond to domestic violence in more appropriate ways.

Knowing that a certain proportion of domestic violence and intimate partner violence cases lead to femicide can change the way police officers view those cases.

They may begin to see people who are fearful and who know their lives are in danger rather than unreasonable people in bad relationships (as they seem to perceive people quite often).

They may take reports of harassment, stalking, and threats more seriously.

They may understand that the law does not FROM top, Nellie cover eveBrown-Cox, Alicia rything, and Sawyer, Heavenly can start Terveus and Carissa to see signs Culmer. and different types of activities that require intervention. At the very least, they can join those of us who are already advocating for better laws for the protection of women.

Language matters. Classifications matter. Statistics matter. The way police respond matters.

The resources and services available to women and girls help to determine whether or not they survive, as does the law and the access to justice.

Violence against women has not be exaggerated in the media. Domestic violence has not been exaggerated. Intimate partner violence has not been exaggerate. The media has reported on real cases. It has reported on cases of femicide, though it has not used that term (and it should). Femicide includes killings of women resulting from intimate partner violence, and it includes gang-related killings which were mentioned by Hanna as a separate category. It includes deaths related to organised crime, starvation, deliberate acts by the State, and death by suicide when a woman does not get the help she needs.

How many cases of femicide have there been last year? How many in 2021?

How many have there been since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic?

When will we start counting the intentional killings of women and girls, when will decision-makers acknowledge that these deaths are preventable, and when will action be taken to end gender-based violence?

For more information on femicide, get the advocacy guide at 16dayscampaign. org.

To help end genderbased violence in The Bahamas, contact Equality Bahama at equalitybahamas@gmail.com and keep up with the Building the Gender Machinery series.

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, PAGE 9

AS GAS PRICES RISE, TOWNS ADD ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press

ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) — A wave of new electric vehicle charging stations across the United States is coming as interest in alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles is on the rise and could heighten further due to a global spike in gasoline prices.

Though most of the plans were in the works before already high gas prices surged because of the war in Ukraine, the timing may work in favour of electric vehicle makers and other proponents of ditching fossil fuels.

From coast to coast, cities big and small are adding charging stations for electric vehicles. Strong demand is forecast for the vehicles, despite their higher prices and limited availability, meaning even more communities will feel pressure to add charging stations or risk having motorists pass them by in favour of plug-in-friendly places.

The publicly funded investments come as gasoline prices in most of the country are above $4 a gallon and significantly more in some spots.

On Monday, New Jersey officials awarded $1 million in grants to install electric vehicle charging stations in 24 tourist areas around the state. The idea was to help spur tourism by reassuring visitors who own electric vehicles that they can come to a vacation spot in New Jersey and not run out of power to

AN ELECTRIC vehicle charging station in Asbury Park, N.J. Communities across the U.S. are adding such stations in an effort that began well before gasoline prices surged this year. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) get back home.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Joseph Fiordaliso, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. “We have the equipment here

so that you don’t have to have range anxiety.”

Spots getting money for new charging stations include Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Ocean City and

several state parks and forests.

The money comes from the state budget. On Tuesday, NJ Transit, the state’s public transportation agency, will unveil electric charging stations at a bus depot in Camden, outside Philadelphia.

There are now about 625 vehicle charging stations in New Jersey On the federal side, the city of Hoboken, just outside New York City, is getting up to six new charging stations in a deal also announced Monday. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said the money from a federal spending bill “will help ease our transition to electric vehicles, reduce emissions, and create a cleaner environment for our children.”

Governments across the country are doing likewise. Bellingham, Washington will add 90 charging stations over the next two years.

Portland, Maine, recently entered into a 10-year agreement with a company that will install, operate and maintain more than 40 electric vehicle charging stations on publicly owned property.

Charleston, West Virginia, just added two charging stations at a public parking garage. Charlotte, North Carolina, Cleveland and Saginaw, Michigan, are among cities adding charging stations.

It’s happening in other countries, too. Glasgow, Scotland, is adding 164 new stations this year.

Almost half a million electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. last year, according to Kelly Blue Book.

APPLE CO-FOUNDER WOZNIAK STILL LOOKING FOR NEXT BIG THING

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer

APPLE co-founder Steve Wozniak has remained immersed in technology while also pursuing divergent interests since his 1985 departure from the revolutionary company he started with the late Steve Jobs.

Wozniak’s side projects have included competing on “Dancing With The Stars” in 2009 and a guest appearance on “Big Bang Theory” during its fourth season. Now he is participating in an online video show called “Unicorn Hunters” that assesses ideas from entrepreneurs vying to build startups potentially worth $1 billion or more. Wozniak sits on a panel of judges that includes former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios and NSYNC singer Lance Bass.

Wozniak, 71, plans to return for a second season of “Unicorn Hunters.”

He recently discussed the show and technology landscape with The Associated Press.

Q: What attracted you to “Unicorn Hunters”?

A: I am kind of surprised because I am not really in the financial community as much as the technical community, but the call really came from a good friend that I trust a lot. And she’s a good producer that even got me on

Q: Did you and Steve Jobs ever feel like you had to stretch the truth during Apple’s early days?

A: No. Everything was gold and our Apple II computer (released in 1977) was so far ahead of the competition in years that we had no worry.

We were so far ahead of what other people were trying to do, they were trying to do something I had already done five years before.

APPLE co-founder Steve Wozniak. (Courtesy of TransparentBusiness via AP)

“Dancing With The Stars,” one of the most fun things you could ever do. What intrigues me (about “Unicorn Hunters”) are the interesting new things that other people don’t even know about.

Q: What do you think of the current state in technology?

A: I think a lot has been going on that really enhances your life. Over the last decade, look at the internet of things, the cameras we put in our house, the Ring doorbells, the different locking systems, and controlling your lights, and speaking to the personal assistants like Siri or Alexa.

Q: Do you think the recent conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will change the culture of Silicon Valley?

A: I am not so much totally down on her, like she is a criminal. I never have been. I thought when you start up a company, and you are out there trying to do something good, and maybe you run into technical difficulties, sometimes the impossible turns out to be impossible.

And, oh my gosh, I could understand how she would have to start just kind of covering it up just to keep the company going to have a chance to do some good.

And I can see it from that

angle. It’s not right to deceive and lie knowingly.

But I think she was really just trying to do something good. If she was motivated too much by money, then she’s not my type.

To get the passion, the drive, the idea should do so much good for the world, and it should not be driven by money.

Too many people just think, “I will get into this entrepreneurship thing and once I start one company, I can afford a house in San Francisco, (then) I will do my next company and my next company.”

And it’s just a formula to make money. I don’t like that, that’s not the way I was.

Q: How do you assess the startup pitches on “Unicorn Hunters”?

A: I try to think, when you are judging them, “What if Apple was up there making a pitch in the earliest days?”

And it would seem, “So, whoa, this idea will go somewhere,” but the big computer companies don’t even really believe in it.

How would you spot those Apples when they are right in front of you?

Q: What do you think are the most interesting trends in technology?

A: There is always the latest fad. The internet of things was a big fad, and turned out a lot of great companies. And then they kind of consolidated. I like it when it’s open to investment, when it’s open to all kinds of people with great ideas, just out of universities and want to have a startup. I am interested in that.

TECHTALK

GM BUYING SOFTBANK’S STAKE IN CRUISE ROBO-CAR UNIT FOR $2.1B

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors said Friday that it is paying $2.1 billion to buy out Japanese tech investment firm Softbank’s stake in the Detroit automaker’s Cruise autonomous vehicle subsidiary.

Softbank paid $2.25 billion for a 20% stake in Cruise in 2018 as part of a wave of investment in self-driving technology.

GM also said it is making an additional $1.35 billion investment in Cruise, in which it acquired a majority stake in 2016. Others Cruise investors include Honda, Microsoft, mutual fund company T. Rowe Price, and Walmart.

Cruise is operating a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in San Francisco that it opened to the general public at the beginning of February. GM expects to get a permit to charge passengers for autonomous rides this year.

US TEXTRON TO ACQUIRE SLOVENIAN ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT PIONEER LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — U.S. industrial conglomerate Textron Inc. has signed a deal to acquire Pipistrel, the Slovenian ultralight aircraft maker and pioneer in electrically powered aviation, both companies announced last Thursday.

The Slovenian plane maker tweeted that the partnership will combine the expertise of both companies and “accelerate Pipistrel’s development and certification of sustainable aircraft.”

Textron is home to Cessna, Beechcraft, and Bell aviation brands. The value of the deal has not been disclosed. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of this year once all regulatory approvals are issued, Textron said.

Pipistrel CEO Ivo Boscarol will remain a minority owner, both companies said.

Pipistrel said the deal would grant it access to greater resources, technical and regulatory expertise and a global aircraft sales and support network that would speed up development and certification of electric and hybrid electric aircraft.

Kansas-based Textron has committed to maintaining Pipistrel’s brand, headquarters, research and development, and manufacturing in Slovenia and Italy, while making additional investments in Pipistrel for the development and production of future products, the Slovenian plane maker said.

According to Slovenia’s STA news agency Boscarol said that under his leadership, the plane maker has positioned itself to offer “affordable, environmentally friendly and electric aviation.”

Textron Chairman And CEO Scott Donelly said Pipistrel puts his company in a position to develop new aircraft “to meet a wide range of customer missions.”

“Today’s announcement supports Textron’s long-term strategy to offer a family of sustainable aircraft for urban air mobility, general aviation, cargo and special mission roles.”

Pipistrel, which currently employs some 300 people, posted a net profit of 4.5 million euros in 2020. It started production in 1980s.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

WALKOUT AT DISNEY ORLANDO, Florida Associated Press

EVEN though only a small percentage of Walt Disney Co workers participated in a walkout yesterday, organisers felt they had won a moral victory with the company issuing a statement denouncing the anti-LGBTQ legislation that sparked employee outrage.

Throughout the day, pockets of employees staged demonstrations at various sites across the country, including near Orlando’s Walt Disney World and Walt Disney Studios. According to a Disney official, there had been no interruptions in any operations.

Disney employed 190,000 workers last October, with roughly three-quarters working in its theme parks division.

The debate forced the

company into a balancing act.

On one side are LGBTQ advocates and Disney employees calling for the walkout in protest of CEO Bob Chapek’s slow response in publicly criticising Florida legislation that opponents dubbed as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The legislation awaiting the governor’s signature bars instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

On the other are politicians like Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accuse the entertainment conglomerate of bending to cancel culture after a Disney decision to temporarily suspend political contributions in the state.

DeSantis, who has been tacking toward the Republican base on culture war issues, is seen as a 2024 presidential hopeful.

DISNEY cast member Nicholas Maldonado protests his company’s stance on LGBTQ issues, while participating in an employee walkout at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, yesterday.

Photo: Phelan M Ebenhack/AP

Ukraine thwarts Russian advance as battle rages KYIV, Ukraine Associated Press UKRAINIAN forces fought off continuing Russian efforts to occupy Mariupol and claimed to have retaken a strategic suburb of Kyiv yesterday, mounting a defense so dogged that it is stoking fears Russia’s Vladimir Putin will escalate the war to new heights.

“Putin’s back is against the wall,” said US President Joe Biden, who is heading to Europe this week to meet with allies. “And the more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ.”

Biden reiterated accusations that Putin is considering resorting to using chemical or biological weapons, though Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US has seen no evidence to suggest that such an escalation is imminent.

The warnings came as attacks continued in and around Kyiv and Mariupol, and people escaped the battered and besieged port city.

The hands of one exhausted Mariupol survivor were shaking as she arrived by train in the western city of Lviv.

“There’s no connection with the world. We couldn’t ask for help,” said Julia Krytska, who was helped by volunteers to make it out with her husband and son. “People don’t even have water there.”

Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv, and heavy artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russia has sought to encircle and capture several of the capital’s suburban areas.

Early yesterday, Ukrainian troops drove Russian forces from the Kyiv suburb of Makariv after a fierce battle, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said. The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway and block Russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the northwest.

Still, the Defence Ministry said Russian forces partially took other northwest suburbs, Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, some of which have been under attack almost since Russia invaded nearly a month ago.

A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments, said Ukrainian resistance has brought much of Russia’s advance to a halt but has not sent Moscow’s forces into retreat.

Western officials say Russian forces are facing serious shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, leaving some soldiers suffering from frostbite. Ukrainians have reported hungry soldiers looting stores and homes for food.

The invasion has driven more than ten million people from their homes, almost a quarter of Ukraine’s population, according to the United Nations.

Thousands of civilians are believed to have died. Estimates of Russian military casualties vary widely, but even conservative figures by Western officials are in the low thousands.

On Monday, Russia’s pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, citing the Defence Ministry, reported that almost 10,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. The report was quickly removed, and the newspaper blamed hackers. The Kremlin refused to comment. The Western official said the figure is “a reasonable estimate”.

Facing unexpectedly stiff resistance that has left the bulk of Moscow’s

A CAR destroyed by shelling is seen in a street in Kharkiv, Ukraine, yesterday.

Photo: Andrew Marienko/AP ground forces miles from the centre and allowed Russia to establish a land of Kyiv, Putin’s troops are increas- corridor to Crimea. ingly concentrating their air power But it’s not clear how much of the and artillery on Ukraine’s cities and city Russia holds, with fleeing resicivilians. dents saying fighting continues street Talks to end the fighting have by street. continued by video. Ukrainian PresiA senior US defence official, speakdent Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said ing on condition of anonymity to give he would be prepared to consider the Pentagon’s assessment, said Ruswaiving any bid by Ukraine to join sian ships in the Sea of Azov were NATO — a key Russian demand shelling Mariupol. The official said — in exchange for a cease-fire, the there were about seven Russian ships withdrawal of Russian troops and a in that area, including a minesweeper guarantee of Ukraine’s security. and a couple of landing vessels.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said Guterres said he saw progress in the that troops defending the city had talks. destroyed a Russian patrol boat and “From my outreach with various electronic warfare complex. Britain’s actors, elements of diplomatic pro- Defence Ministry said Ukrainian gress are coming into view on several forces “continue to repulse Russian key issues,” and the gains are enough attempts to occupy” Mariupol. to end hostilities now, he said. He Those who have made it out of gave no details.

Mariupol told of a devastated city.

The Western official, though, said “They bombed us for the past that there were no signs Moscow was 20 days,” said 39-year-old Viktoria ready to compromise.

Totsen, who fled into Poland. “During In the last update from Mariupol the last five days the planes were officials, they said March 15 that at flying over us every five seconds and least 2,300 people had died in the dropped bombs everywhere — on ressiege. But there are fears the toll could idential buildings, kindergartens, art be much higher. Airstrikes over the schools, everywhere.” past week devastated a theater and an Beyond the terrible human toll, the art school where many civilians were war has shaken the post-Cold War taking shelter. global security consensus, imperiled Thousands have managed to flee the world supply of key crops, and Mariupol, where the bombardment raised worries it could set off a nuclear has cut off electricity, water and food accident. supplies and severed communication Wildfires broke out near the decomwith the outside world. The city coun- missioned Chernobyl nuclear power cil said yesterday that more than 1,100 plant, but Ukraine’s natural resources people who had escaped the siege minister said the flames had been were in a convoy of buses heading to extinguished and radiation was within a city northwest of Mariupol. normal levels. Chernobyl in 1986 was But the Red Cross said a humani- the scene of the world’s worst nuclear tarian aid convoy trying to reach the disaster. city with desperately needed supplies As part of a series of addresses to still had not been able to enter. foreign legislatures, Zelenskyy urged Perched on the Sea of Azov, Mari- Italian lawmakers to strengthen sancupol is a crucial port for Ukraine tions against Moscow, noting many and lies along a stretch of territory wealthy Russians have homes in the between Russia and Crimea. The country. siege has cut the city off from the sea “Don’t be a resort for murderers,” he said from Kyiv.

PROTESTS IN JAMAICA AHEAD OF ROYAL VISIT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Associated Press

PROTESTERS in Jamaica raised their fists Tuesday as they donned T-shirts emblazoned with a pair of shackled Black wrists surrounded by the phrases “Seh Yuh Sorry!” and “Apologise now!” as they demonstrated just hours before Prince William and Kate arrived.

The protest in front of the British High Commission in Kingston comes a couple of days after dozens of prominent leaders in Jamaica publicised a letter demanding that Britain apologise and award its former colony slavery reparations. They also decried the weeklong Central American and Caribbean tour that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge embarked on Saturday, which coincides with Jamaica’s 60th independence anniversary and the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

“Kings, Queens and Princesses and Princes belong in fairytales, NOT in Jamaica!” read one poster held aloft by a young girl who joined the protest.

The royal couple’s trip, which began with a stop in Belize followed by scheduled visits to Jamaica and The Bahamas, was organised at the queen’s behest as some countries debate cutting ties to the monarchy such as Barbados did in November.

Mike Henry, a veteran Jamaican lawmaker, said in a phone interview that while the topic has been discussed, he worries that

demands for an apology and reparations would be rendered moot if the island stopped pledging allegiance to the queen.

Maziki Thame, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, noted that Jamaicans have been seeking reparations for decades.

“This is not a new cause,” she said in a phone interview as she prepared to join the protest. “The question is whether it will get any traction... whether the British are ready to contend with their history.”

The British empire controlled Jamaica for more than 300 years and forced hundreds of thousands of African slaves to toil the island under brutal conditions. Sugar replaced tobacco and cocoa as the main crop, with some 430 sugar estates reported by the mid-1700s, up from 57 nearly a century prior, according to Jamaica Information Services, a government agency.

The group protesting the royal visit noted in its letter that the British raped and killed thousands of slaves as it sought an apology for 60 reasons, including “for refusing to acknowledge the historic trade in Africans as a crime against humanity,” and for “pretending that the British led the abolition movement, when our ancestors worked, prayed and fought hard for this”.

Tames, the university professor, said she and many other Jamaicans are not celebrating what is known as the queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

FEAR VIRUS VARIANT MAY PUSH UP COVID CASES WITH coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too.

Experts are also keeping their eyes on another mutant: a rare delta-omicron hybrid that they say doesn’t pose much of a threat right now but shows how wily the coronavirus can be.

The US will likely see an uptick in cases caused by the omicron descendant BA.2 starting in the next few weeks, according to Dr Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational

Institute.

“It’s inevitable we will see a BA.2 wave here,” he said.

One reason? After about two months of falling COVID-19 cases, pandemic restrictions have been lifted across the US. Many people are taking off their masks and returning to indoor spaces like restaurants and theatres.

And the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the share caused by BA.2 is up significantly. The CDC reported yesterday that the variant accounted for about 35 percent of new infections last week. In the Northeast, it was about half.

NO CRASH SURVIVORS FOUND WUZHOU, China Associated Press

MUD-STAINED wallets.

Bank cards. Official identity cards. Poignant reminders of 132 lives presumed lost were lined up by rescue workers scouring a remote Chinese mountainside yesterday for the wreckage of a China Eastern flight that one day earlier inexplicably fell from the sky and burst into a huge fireball.

No survivors have been found among the 123 passengers and nine crew members.

Video clips

posted by China’s state media show small pieces of the Boeing 737-800 plane scattered over a wide forested area, some in green fields, others in burnt-out patches with raw earth exposed after fires burned in the trees. Each piece of debris has a number next to it, the larger ones marked off by police tape.

Search teams planned to work through the night using their hands, picks, sniffer dogs and other equipment to look for survivors, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

SPORTS PAGE 11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

Equestrian, Page 15

ANALYSIS: NBA SCORING RACE COULD END UP AS ONE FOR THE AGES

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

Sunland Lutheran Stingers win title in high school classic showdown

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

I

n a classic showdown in the future of competitive high school basketball in Grand Bahama, the Sunland Lutheran Stingers knocked off the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons 55-51 to take the senior boys’ title.

The two teams squared off in the finals of the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s Obie Wilchombe/ Derick ‘Bookie’ Nesbitt Tip-Off Basketball Classic at St George’s Gymnasium on Monday night.

In the championship game, most valuable player Jordan Saunders scored a game high 18 points, while Donnell Charles and Tianno Roberts both contributed eight. Jaden Pinder netted 14 and was joined by Alex Minus and Armad Abraham with nine apiece in a losing effort.

It was the second victory for Sunland who, in December, captured the I-Cares Tournament.

“It was just unbelievable, first of all, just to be able to compete again,”

said Sunland’s head coach Jay Philippe, who was named the Coach of the Tournament. “We’ve been training, but there was the uncertainty of whether or not we would play again and when.

“For my guys, I have to give my team an A-plus for their effort. It was my most gratifying and satisfying victory. I think this was better than winning Hugh Campbell. The guys exhibited great sportsmanship all weekend and they came out victorious against a talented Tabernacle Baptist team.”

Philippe, a sportscaster at ZNS, said he had one player, Latrez McIntosh, who returned from their team two years ago when they played in the Hugh Campbell Tournament.

He noted that he had a number of players who were recruited from the Family Islands and they were plugged into the team and got the job done.

Kevin Clarke, coach of the Falcons, said they had to fight too hard to get back into the game and that made a difference down the stretch.

“We didn’t get off to a great start and eventually

IN 2022, the end of the season might feel like 1978.

If we’re lucky.

Let’s go back to the greatest scoring race in NBA history, one that was decided 44 years ago, the epic to-the-last-day battle between David Thompson and George Gervin.

Each had a game on April 9, 1978, that season’s final day. Thompson’s game was first; he scored 73 points for the Denver Nuggets to take the scoring lead. Gervin, playing a few hours later, would need 58 points to reclaim the top spot.

He scored 63 for the San Antonio Spurs. The crown was his, 27.22 points to 27.15 for Thompson.

Imagine such a scene playing out this season on April 10 — the scoring title

SEE PAGE 13

MADBUM MAKES SPRING DEBUT, SOLER ADDS POP TO MARLINS

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

for me,” he said. “We had a chance to play in front of our fans, our principal and the teachers. I think it’s a feeling that will be stretched in our memory for a long time.”

Clarke, noting how pleased he was with the fact that they finally got to

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.

(AP) — The second act of Madison Bumgarner’s career hasn’t been nearly as successful as the first.

In his third season with the Diamondbacks, the four-time All-Star hopes things will turn around.

The 32-year-old Bumgarner made his spring debut yesterday, giving up three runs over 2 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers.

He gave up a couple of homers but his velocity was a little higher than it has been in recent seasons, hitting 92 or 93 mph on his fastball.

“I was happy with how I felt,” Bumgarner said.

“Arm felt good, body felt good.”

The big left-hander will almost certainly need a productive season if the D-backs are to have any

SEE PAGE 13

SEE PAGE 13

MOST Valuable Player Jordan Saunders gets his award from GBSSAA president Derek Wells and Central Grand Bahama Member of Parliament and former Minister of Sports Iram Lewis, right. found ourselves down by about nine at the half,” Clarke said. “We managed to cut the deficit down to about four in the last two minutes of the second half.

“But when you don’t make the free throws when you need to, it hurts. It turned out to be the difference between us winning and losing because the

game came right down the stretch and we just fell short at the end.”

With the COVID-19 restrictions eased up, Philippe said they managed to finally play in front of a jammed-packed arena for the first time in at least two years.

“It was nerve-wrecking for my players and exciting

Sweet 16 field close Top colleges accused of violating Black to being set and athletes’ rights all four No. 1s in

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Sports Writer

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer AFTER a wild opening weekend of the women’s NCAA Tournament, the Sweet 16 field features a mixture of regulars that includes all four No. 1 seeds — South Carolina, Louisville, N.C. State and Stanford — as well as newcomers South Dakota and Creighton.

While it was expected that the four No. 1s would advance to the regional semifinals, the two No. 10 seeds definitely were a surprise to many.

In all, eight double-digit seeds won over the weekend, tying for the most all-time in the history of the tournament.

Princeton and Belmont did their best to join the double-digit party in

SEE PAGE 12

SOUTH Carolina head coach Dawn Staley communicates with players during a second-round game against Miami in the NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

A GROUP that advocates for college athletes has filed a federal complaint that claims NCAA Division I schools are violating the civil rights of Black basketball players and major college football players by prohibiting compensation.

The National College Players Association announced yesterday it had submitted a complaint to the Office for Civil Rights in the Education Department.

The NCPA says NCAA rules prohibiting schools from compensating athletes disproportionately impacts Black students. “I believe it’s important to first

acknowledge the reality of the business that is college football,” Stanford football player Elijah Higgins said in a statement through the NCPA. Citing a 2018 study by the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, the complaint said “Black men were 2.4% of undergraduate students enrolled at the 65 (Power Five conference) universities, but comprised 55% of football teams and 56% of men’s basketball teams on those campuses.”

“This multibillion college sports enterprise imposes discriminatory practices that disproportionately harms Black athletes, while predominantly white

coaches and administrators make millions of dollars,” said NCPA Executive Director Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA football player. “College athletes throughout predominantly white sports receive fair market compensation, but athletes in the only predominantly Black sports do not.”

The NCAA men’s Division I men’s basketball tournament generates more than $800 million in revenue for the association, most of which is distributed to 358 schools that compete at that level.

The College Football Playoff, which operates

SEE PAGE 12

PAGE 12, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Eugene Olson Campbell Sr, 61, dies at his home “Geno was a spirited young man. He found a way to lighten up darkness when he entered the arena. He will be missed.”

Campbell also entered teams in softball where he was a permanent fixture on Temple Fellowship, but unfortunately, he didn’t achieve the same level of success as he did in basketball against the Baptist teams like Transfiguration, Golden Gates, Faith United Missionary, New Bethlehem, St Paul’s and Macedonia.

Natasha, whom her brother encouraged her to join him by playing on his softball team, said he wanted to continue coaching so bad, but he couldn’t.

“He spent most of his time in church these last few years of his life,” she said after he joined the fellowship at Believers Embassy

International. “His sudden passing is what’s so hard.”

She noted that her brother was working on getting his American visa because another goal of his was to go to the Kentucky

Derby to pursue his “love for horse racing.”

Geno Campbell may be gone.

But he won’t be forgotten for his unique coaching ability.

CONNECTICUT’S PAIGE BUECKERS, left, Christyn Williams, centre, and Evina Westbrook react during the second half of a second-round women’s college basketball game against Central Florida in the NCAA tournament on Monday. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) been playing stellar defence heads to Spokane to face the first two games of the Maryland. tournament, averaging 95.5 in the first two games of fourth-seeded the tournament, holding The Cardinal’s senior twins points in the two wins.

Howard to a NCAA record- will be key to the defending Second-seeded Texas low 21 points and then champions advancing. will face No. 6 Ohio State, The two teams met in which knocked off LSU. following that up by only allowing Miami to score 33 the Bahamas over Thanks- The Longhorns have giving weekend with looked strong in their first in the second round.

The Tar Heels took Stanford coming away with two games. it right to Arizona and a 19-point win. The TerraBRIDGEPORT advanced to their first pins were short-handed for REGION that game, missing a few Sweet 16 since 2015.

Saturday-Monday starters and only having SPOKANE REGION North Carolina State is seven players available.

Friday-Sunday one of the deepest teams Now that they’re healthy, in the tournament and It will be a homecoming for Lexie and Lacie Hull coach Brenda Frese’s squad reached the Sweet 16 for when top-seeded Stanford has looked spectacular in the fourth straight time.

Led by second-team AllAmerican Elissa Cunane, the Wolfpack will face Notre Dame which ran past Oklahoma. The Wolfpack will have a chance to avenge their lone Atlantic Coast Conference loss this season. They went 20-1 against league foes, including a three-game run to a third straight ACC Tournament title. The Fighting Irish won 69-66 at home on Feb. 1 in the Wolfpack’s last loss this season.

The other game will pit Indiana against UConn.

The Huskies are in the Sweet 16 for a record 28 straight time.

They’ve won their last 15 straight regional semifinal games and have owned the Big Ten lately, winning 25 consecutive games against that conference. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

WICHITA REGION Saturday-Monday South Dakota is making its first appearance in the Sweet 16 after knocking off second-seeded Baylor in one of the biggest shockers of the tournament. The 10th-seeded Coyotes will face Michigan, which is playing in its second consecutive Sweet 16. “We cannot look past anyone

or take anyone for granted.

The team that we’re going to play is an unbelievable team,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “They showed that last night in the way that they were able to defend Baylor. So it should be an exciting game, but experience always helps.

Experience is the best teacher. We talk about that all the time.”

The other regional semifinal will pit top seed Louisville against four-seed Tennessee.

The Cardinals pulled away in the second half to beat Gonzaga in the second round while the Lady Vols blew a 14-point lead against Belmont before freshman Sara Puckett hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 17.5 seconds left to get the win.

Louisville is back in the Sweet 16 for the eighth time since 2013 while Tennessee is there for the 35th time in the 40 NCAA Tournaments, but first since 2016.

“This has been an amazing, amazing journey,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said.

“And they have said it all year. They have said this is a special team, and this team can do some special things in March. Here we are.”

11 Florida St. 50

March 18-19

Columbia

1 South Carolina 79 16 Howard 21 8 Miami 78 9 South Florida 66

Tucson

5 North Carolina 79 12 SFA 66 4 Arizona 72 13 UNLV 67

Ames

6 Georgia 70 11 Dayton 54 3 Iowa St. 78 14 UT Arlington 71

Iowa City

7 Colorado 74 10 Creighton 84 2 Iowa 98 15 Illinois St. 58

Louisville

1 Louisville 83 16 Albany 51 8 Nebraska 55 9 Gonzaga 68

Knoxville

5 Oregon 70 12 Belmont 73 (2OT) 4 Tennessee 80 13 Buffalo 67 6 BYU 57 11 Villanova 61 3 Michigan 74 14 American 39 7 Ole Miss 61 10 South Dakota 75 2 Baylor 89 15 Hawaii 49

First Four

16 Howard 55

16 Longwood 74

16 UIW 51

16 Mount St. Mary’s 70

Spokane

Second Round March 20-21

March 16-17

Greensboro

NCAA TOURNAMENT

Sweet 16

1 S. Carolina 8 Miami 33

Second Round

Sweet 16

March 25-26

1 S. Carolina 49

Bridgeport

March 25-26

Elite 8

Elite 8

March 27-28

8 Kansas 65 Fri., 9:30 p.m

5 N. Carolina 63

12 FGCU 65 5 UNC

4 Arizona 45

6 Georgia 44

FINAL FOUR

4 Maryland 4 Maryland 89

Minneapolis

GREENSBORO

April 1

SPOKANE 6 Ohio St. 79

3 Iowa St.

6 Ohio St.

3 Iowa St. 67

3 LSU 64 Fri., 9:30 p.m.

10 Creighton 64 10 Creighton

Fri., 7 p.m.

NATIONAL All times EDT CHAMPIONSHIP

7 Utah 56 2 Texas

April 3

2 Iowa 62

2 Texas 78

1 Louisville 68

1 NC State 89 1 Louisville

1 NC State

9 Gonzaga 59

9 Kansas St. 57 Sat., 4 p.m.

Sat., 11:30 a.m.

5 N. Dame 108

12 Belmont 67 5 Notre Dame

4 Tennessee

4 Oklahoma 64

4 Tennessee 70

WICHITA

BRIDGEPORT

11 Villanova 49

11 Princeton 55 3 Michigan

3 Indiana

3 Michigan 64 Sat., 2 p.m.

10 S. Dakota 61

7 UCF 47 10 S. Dakota

All times EDT

March 18-19

1 Stanford 78 16 Montana St. 37 8 Kansas 77 9 Georgia Tech 58 5 Virginia Tech 81 12 FGCU 84 4 Maryland 102 13 Delaware 71 6 Ohio St. 63 11 Missouri St. 56 3 LSU 83 14 Jackson St. 77 7 Utah 92 10 Arkansas 69 2 Texas 70 15 Fairfield 52 1 NC State 96 16 Longwood 68 8 Washington St. 40 9 Kansas St. 50 5 Notre Dame 89 12 Massachusetts 78 4 Oklahoma 78 13 IUPUI 72 6 Kentucky 62 11 Princeton 69 3 Indiana 85

3 Indiana 56 Sat., 6:30 p.m.

2 Baylor 47

1 Stanford 91

1 Stanford

March 27-28

Fri., 7 p.m.

March 20-21

First Round

2 UConn 2 UConn 52

Stanford

First Round

Ann Arbor

TO ADVERTISE TODAY IN THE TRIBUNE CALL @ 502-2394

11 DePaul 57 Greensboro

Waco

outside the NCAA, is worth more than $470 million annually to the 10 conferences that run it, with the majority of that money going to the Power Five — the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences.

The NCPA claims that relative to the revenue generated by their sports, Division I football players and men’s and women’s basketball players have been denied tens of thousands of dollars in compensation annually. The group has also pushed for college athletes to receive employee status, a step university officials largely oppose.

The complaint also cites Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion in last year’s Alston case, in which the high court ruled unanimously to uphold a lower court’s decision that found the NCAA in violation of antitrust law.

The court said the NCAA and college conferences could not cap benefits related to education that schools can offer to athletes.

“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate,” Kavanaugh wrote.

11 Missouri St. 61

College Park

FROM PAGE 11

11 Dayton 88

Baton Rouge

COLLEGES

2022

the regional semifinals, but both fell short, losing to Indiana and Tennessee by a combined four points.

GREENSBORO REGION Friday-Sunday No. 10 seed Creighton will look to keep its run going as it faces No. 3 seed Iowa State. The Bluejays went to Iowa and shocked the sellout crowd of over 14,000 fans with a two-point win over the favored Hawkeyes. Many of the Creighton players are familiar with the Cyclones, including Iowa State star Ashley Joens, so the Bluejays shouldn’t be phased.

This is the sixth trip to the regional semifinals for the Cyclones, but their first since 2010.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever wanted something professionally more in my life than to see these guys have that opportunity,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “Sometimes in life, you earn things and you get it. Well, this group earned it and they got it.”

Overall No. 1 seed South Carolina and Aliyah Boston will face North Carolina. The Gamecocks have

Austin

FROM PAGE 11

Raleigh

SWEET 16

EUGENE Olson Campbell Sr.

Norman

Not satisfied with his success in the league, after encountering some close battles with teams like First Baptist, Macedonia and Golden Gates, Campbell decided to take his talent to the Peace on the Streets Basketball Tournament organised by Apostle Carlos Reid and the Hope Center.

Like he did in the BSC, Campbell and Temple Fellowship made their presence felt, winning the Church Division of the prestigious tournament quite a few times as well.

“I believe that Geno is going to be missed. This is a man that really loved basketball,” Reid said.

“I believe his face will definitely be missed in the arena of basketball. I want to express my condolences to his family, his church, his friends.

14 Charlotte 51

Bloomington

NOT many people made an impact in any sporting league they participated in the way Eugene Olson ‘Gene or Geno’ Campbell Sr did.

Campbell, better known as ‘Geno,’ died on Friday at his home on Fire Trail East at the age of 61.

The proprietor of GM and Sons Wholesales was married to Monique and was the proud father of seven children - Dario, Eugene, Shaquille, Giovanni, Kyle, Jewel and Jasmine.

He is also survived by his father Olson Campbell, 81, siblings Mario, Dwayne, Bannerman, Natasha and Geann.

When the Baptist Sports Council opened its doors to

allow non-Baptist churches to participate in its sporting programme, Campbell made an application for Temple Fellowship and was proudly accepted, a move that paid big dividends to both the league and his church.

As a “stickler” for rules and regulations, Campbell turned out to be a role model as a coach, making sure that every player on his team lived up to the expectations that should be exhibited in a league that was designed for making a spiritual impact on the lives of those who participated.

Campbell, who opted only to play if his team was short, guided Temple Fellowship to numerous men’s basketball titles and was named Coach of the Year a few times as he also coached a number of AllStar teams as well.

7 UCF 69 10 Florida 52 2 UConn 83 15 Mercer 38

Storrs

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, PAGE 13

Stevens takes NPSA top spot

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net FOR the first time, one person will have the chance to serve as the president of both the New Providence Softball Association and the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association st the same time.

Dwayne ‘Mann’ Stevens, while serving as the BGDSA president, was elected unopposed on Saturday at the Banker’s Field in the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex as the new NPSA president, replacing Desiree Taylor, who decided not to seek another two-year term in office.

Instead, Taylor will be running on the slate of umpire Thomas Sears, who will be running as president of the Bahamas Softball Federation when their elections are held on Saturday against another slate that is expected to be headed by Jenny Dotson.

On making history as the first president of the two leagues, Stevens said he’s happy to know that softballers have the confidence in him to get the job done and are convinced that he could handle the affairs of both organisations at

NBA

FROM PAGE 11

once again going down to the season’s final day.

Only this time, with three players in the race. It could happen.

Entering yesterday, the NBA found itself on pace for the closest three-man scoring race in league history. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is atop the list averaging 29.96 points (which would round up to 30.0), Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is second at 29.83, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is third at 29.80.

The last time a race ended up that close between the top three spots was, well, never.

The closest three-way race was in 1985-86, when Dominique Wilkins averaged 30.3 points — a half-point better than both Adrian Dantley and Alex English. And a decade ago, Kevin Durant, then with Oklahoma City, held off the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant by one-tenth of a point,

the same time. He will be joined on the new NPSA executive board by Lyrone Burrows as the first vice president, Richard Bain as second vice president, Andy Percentie as third vice president, Addie Finley as secretary, Loretta Maycock as assistant secretary and Rhonda Kelly as treasurer.

“I think this is a very hard-working team of officers,” Stevens said.

“We have a group of proven officers, who have and are still involved in various leagues and they will have their responsibilities to move the sport forward.

“I will be holding them responsible as we execute our plans. We will go out there and generate the finances to ensure that we can operate so that we will be able to invest in our players and provide them with some incentives for their performances.”

He said these are times when the players need to be encouraged to help re-establish the presence of softball in New Providence, not just in fast-pitch, but slow-pitch as well in his dual capacity as the president.

“I think the mere fact that I tried to step down from the BGDSA, but 28.0 to 27.9 for the secondclosest head-to-head race ever.

Obviously, the numbers will change. Embiid might get a game or two more off down the stretch to rest his body.

If the 76ers have nothing to play for on the season’s final day, one wouldn’t expect him out there with only a scoring title at stake.

Same goes for Antetokounmpo; if the Bucks are locked into a seed, it would seem foolish for Milwaukee to play the reigning NBA Finals MVP much, if at all.

And the Lakers’ only path to the playoffs is through the play-in, which means James might be called upon to play big minutes — and potentially put up big numbers — all the way to the end.

“At the end of the day,” James said, “all I care about is wins and losses.”

A scoring race, though, would add just an extra dimension to the end of the season, just another reason to tune in and pay attention to what’s happening.

they were hostile because we were able to get some things done during our time in office,” said Stevens, currently in his second two-year sting as president.

“Prior to the demolition, as the new president, we didn’t wait on the government to get some renovations done. We used our resources and our partners in the various government agencies or departments to build the concession stands and other cosmetic work around the park at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.”

Stevens, however, said they were disappointed in the manner that was used in dismantling the fields and surroundings at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex by the National

Sports Authority, headed

by Greg Burrows, for the construction of the fields for the upcoming Babe Ruth Caribbean Baseball Tournament in July.

“It’s coming on and we have been assured by the Minister of Sports, Mario Bowleg, that once the tournament is done, those fields will be returned to softball,” Stevens said. “So we’re looking forward to rebuilding the slow-pitch league.”

As for his election to fastpitch, Stevens said with the sport on the decline, he wants to try and revive the sport.

“My members, the civil servants, have assured me that at least for another term, I need to stay on to steer the ship, especially with the new developments in softball,” he said. “Slowpitch, in particular co-ed, has become the focus of softball around the world.

“I think we are working on getting some things done at the international level, so they want to stick around and see how we can all put it together. I think being involved in the NPSA will enhance my ability to function in both leagues because they can intertwine with each other.

“So what we want to do is we want to bring NPSA

fast-pitch back to a higher level and we will concentrate on a developmental programme with the primary focus on pitching and catching. It begins with those two positions, so we don’t want to re-invent the wheel, but we will be focusing on developing those areas.”

Additionally, Stevens said they will be looking at fostering a better working relationship with the various Family Island associations where they get to do some inter-island travel during the season to help develop those islands and provide some financial stimulus on the islands.

Stevens, a former player himself, said the NPSA would also like to provide an experience for the fans when they come out to watch the games.

He said they are looking at starting the government league first at Banker’s Field next month before the NPSA opens up in May. He noted that the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg and his executives were on hand to view the Junkanoo tournament, organised by BES and Tommy Stubbs.

He noted all the safety protocols were in place for the fans and they hope to build on that moving forward.

GIANNIS Antetokounmpo

LEBRON James

JOEL Embiid

The Western Conference race will long be over by then; realistically, it is now, since there’s no way barring unthinkable, cataclysmic collapse that Phoenix won’t be the No. 1 seed. The Eastern Conference race is considerably tighter, and the potential is quite high that regardless of who ends up seeded where the first-round series on that half of the bracket will be slugfests.

But anything involving James is certain to be intriguing. Same goes with Antetokounmpo.

Same goes with Embiid. Put

them together, and the intrigue levels skyrocket.

The only downside to all of this is that it could have been a four-man race.

Brooklyn’s Durant is fourth in the league in scoring, four-tenths behind James and two-tenths behind Antetokounmpo and Embiid at 29.6 per game.

But Durant basically can’t win the scoring title since he won’t meet the NBA’s minimum — 58 games in an 82-game season — to qualify.

So, unless somebody gets really, really hot down the

stretch, the scoring race is down to three. Trae Young, Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum are all within 3.0 points of James’ average right now (as is Kyrie Irving, who obviously won’t meet the minimum games-played threshold).

If any of those guys go on an absolute spree — not unheard of in this day and age — they could make a run at the title as well.

The potential is there for a thrilling finish, just like the league had in 1978.

It would be the perfect appetiser to the playoffs.

DWAYNE Stevens

MARLINS FROM PAGE 11

THE SUNLAND Lutheran Stingers celebrate victory after beating the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons 55-51 to take the senior boys’ title in the finals of the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s Obie Wilchombe/Derick ‘Bookie’ Nesbitt Tip-Off Basketball Classic at St George’s Gymnasium on Monday night.

STINGERS FROM PAGE 11

play again in an environment that they were accustomed to before COVID-19, thanked tournament organiser Ozzie ‘The Insider’ Simmons for making the extra effort to pull the event off. “He really spoke to a lot of people and did a lot of work to make this happen,” Clarke said. “He deserves a lot of credit for all that he did.”

Following the tournament, which ran from

Wednesday with six teams participating, named to the All-Tournament A team were Jordan Saunders, Tianno Roberts and Donnell Charles, all from Sunland and both Jaden Pinder and Leano Rolle from Tabernacle.

Named to the AllTournament B team were Ashford Ferguson from Jack Hayward; Leon Evans from St George’s; Jeff Pinder from St Paul’s; Denzil Delancy from Sunland and Ahmad Abraham from Tabernacle Baptist.

Leano Rolle of Tabernacle Baptist was named

the Defensive Player of the Tournament.

Both Sunland and Tabernacle Baptist are now preparing to play in another tournament in Abaco in June before they prepare to travel to the United States to participate in a few AAU Tournaments in July.

Clarke is also expected to coach one of the teams in the Buddy Buckets Tournament for high school players, being organised by National Basketball Association player Chavano “Buddy” Hield of the Indiana Pacers.

hope of competing in the NL West after losing 110 games last season. Bumgarner signed an $85 million, five-year deal in 2020, a few months before the COVID19 pandemic upended the baseball world. He had the worst year of his career in that abbreviated season, finishing 1-4 with a 6.48 ERA. He bounced back somewhat in 2021 as one of the team’s more reliable pitchers, going 7-10 with a 4.67 ERA in 26 starts.

The Diamondbacks have been mostly quiet during the offseason — content to upgrade their bullpen with Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy — while division rivals made splashy additions like Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) and Kris Bryant (Rockies).

If improvement is going to happen, it’ll probably need to come from players already on the roster. Bumgarner said he has enough experience to know there’s plenty of talent on all 30 major league teams.

“Early in my career, I would have some of my worst games against lastplace teams,” Bumgarner said. “You let off that much and you learn pretty quickly that there’s not that big of a difference.”

Bumgarner was one of the most decorated postseason pitchers of the 2010s, helping the San Francisco Giants win the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

He was the World Series MVP in 2014 after posting a 0.43 ERA over 21 innings.

MARLINS, SOLER FINALISE DEAL The Miami Marlins formally announced the signing of slugger Jorge

Soler to a three-year, $36 million contract before a Grapefruit League game against St Louis.

“We’ve talked about the length of our lineup getting better,” manager Don Mattingly said. “He gives us another guy in that lineup that’s dangerous.”

Soler’s father, mother, wife and children live in Miami, and the Cuban defector will now play in a city renowned for its Cuban culture.

“Signing with the Marlins was my top choice,” Soler said through an interpreter.

“My family was happy I’ll be playing with the Marlins.

It’s just feeling like playing at home.”

Miami can slot a reigning World Series MVP into the middle of a lineup starved for power. Only two teams hit fewer than Miami’s 158 homers last season.

To make room for Soler on the 40-man roster, Miami designated second baseman Isan Diaz for assignment.

Diaz was the last remaining player the Marlins organization received in the 2018 trade of Christian Yelich.

ACUNA WON’T PLAY IN SPRING GAMES Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr won’t see game action in spring training, even as a designated hitter, as it becomes increasingly likely he will miss at least the first month of the regular season.

Acuña, recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee sustained midway through last season, expressed hope at the start of spring training that he would be ready for the defending World Series champion Braves’ opener on April 7. There had been speculation the universal DH would

GIANNIS BACK, BUCKS ROMP PAST BULLS AGAIN MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to the lineup and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their recent mastery of the Chicago Bulls with a 126-98 blowout last night.

Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks’ 138-119 loss at Minnesota on Saturday due to a sore right knee.

Milwaukee played without All-Star forward Khris Middleton, who was dealing with a sore left wrist.

Jrue Holiday had a gamehigh 27 points to go along with seven assists as the Bucks won for the 15th time in their last 16 meetings with the Bulls, including all three matchups this season.

MAGIC 94, WARRIORS 90 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner made three free throws with 12.2 seconds left and dunked on an inbounds play for the final points, leading Orlando over Golden State.

Mo Bamba’s 3-pointer with 52 seconds left gave the Magic an 89-88 lead.

Wendell Carter Jr led Orlando with 19 points and Wagner had 18.

Jordan Poole scored 26 points for the Warriors, who shot 40% for the game and committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter on the way to their third straight loss. Klay Thompson added 15.

HAWKS 117, KNICKS 111 NEW YORK (AP) — Trae Young had 45 points and eight assists in his first game at Madison Square Garden since last season’s playoffs, leading a late surge that sent Atlanta past New York.

Picking up right where he left off last spring, Young made seven 3-pointers, including one that tied the game at 105 with 2:54 to play. He then set up Bogdan Bogdanovic for a go-ahead 3 and followed another by De’Andre Hunter by leaving Taj Gibson behind off the dribble and knocking down a jumper to cap an 11-0 spurt and make it 113105 with 1:04 left.

Bogdanovic added a season-high 32 points for the Hawks, who dropped the Knicks six games behind them for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. provide a path for Acuña’s return to the lineup earlier than if he had to play in the outfield.

Instead, the Braves continue to take a cautious approach to the rehabilitation process for Acuña, the team’s unquestioned biggest star after Freddie Freeman’s free-agent signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

REDS DEALING WITH INJURIES Cincinnati Reds shortstop José Barrero needs hand surgery and will be sidelined for about six weeks, manager David Bell said.

Seen as the Reds’ shortstop of the future, the 23-year-old Barrero was scheduled to have hook hamate surgery yesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Kyle Farmer is the presumptive everyday shortstop for the Reds but Barrero was expected to see more playing time this season.

Bell also said righthander Luis Castillo may miss his first scheduled start of the regular season with shoulder soreness. He was expected to start long-tossing yesterday.

NOTES The Red Sox will honour former player, coach and broadcaster Jerry Remy with a season-long commemorative patch. The team will also have a pregame ceremony on April 20 at Fenway Park. Remy died on October 30 at 68 years old after a long bout with lung cancer.

Dodgers pitcher Caleb Ferguson threw a scoreless inning of relief yesterday.

He last pitched in a game on September 15, 2020, and is trying to return from Tommy John surgery.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: AUSTRALIA UNBEATEN, INDIA WINS AGAIN

By STEVE MCMORRAN AP Sports Writer

UB Mingoes track and field team earns 4 top-10 finishes THE University of The Bahamas track and field team posted four top 10 finishes - three from multievent specialist Kendrick Thompson - at the University of Central Florida Black and Gold meet over the weekend that included powerhouse track schools such as Kentucky and Michigan.

Thompson placed fifth in the men’s 400m event, sixth in the men’s javelin, and 10th in the long jump competition with two season’s best performances.

Davia Wright took 10th in the women’s 3,000m event.

“This was a great performance for the team despite all that we have gone through with the pandemic,” head coach Ednal Rolle said. “We got some season best times and personal bests and we can work with that.

The competition here was high-level and many of our athletes stepped up to that challenge.”

In the 400m event, Thompson got out fast but the wind on the home stretch was a challenge for him. Despite the challenge he was still able to put up a season’s best 48.32 second performance and a fourth place finish in the first heat.

His time would have won all but one of the subsequent heats.

Even though he struggled in the javelin competition with only one legal throw, Thompson showed strong promise. He faulted on his first attempt and got his best and only throw off on his second attempt at 59.87m (196 feet – 5 inches).

“He had a great season opener with that and I think we can only improve after that,” Rolle said.

Thompson scratched all of his remaining four attempts - three for foot faults and one on a sector violation - but they seemed better throws that his only legal attempt.

In long jump, Thompson popped his best jump of 7.07m (23 feet – 2 ½ inches) on his first attempt.

His second attempt was a bit shorter at 6.58m (21 feet – 7 ¼ inches) and he passed on his third attempt

because he participated in the 200m event.

He finished 19th in the 200m in 21.54.

Distance runner Davia Wright stayed with the pack for much of the women’s 3000m event and was able to hold on for tenth spot and a personal best in 11:03.57.

Sprinter Romica Josey put up a season’s best 58.09 in the women’s 400m event.

She was able to get out fast but the third hundred of the race she seemed to lose speed in the blistering heat and finished 15th. She finished 82nd in the 200m in 26.15 seconds.

“It was a good race but I know I can work harder to get that time down,” she said.

Sprinter Donya Roberts had an impressive start in the men’s 400m event and worked on the backstretch and finished in a season’s best 50.13 for 18th spot.

He also took 51st in the 200m event in 22.76.

UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas track and field athletes in action over the weekend at the University of Central Florida Black and Gold meet.

Paige Stuart got out of the blocks fast in the women’s 100m to finish in 12.3 and 32nd overall.

Tevin Wright took 38th in the men’s 100m event in 11.58 and 69th in the 200m event in 24.30.

Brittany Lundy was strong over the first set of hurdles in the women’s 100m hurdle event and finished in 16.66 for 42nd

spot. She finished 59th in the 100m event in a time of 13.32.

Branae Russell, in her first international meet, took 53rd in the women’s 100m event in 12.81.

Sierra Sears finished 41nd in the women’s 800m event in 2:40.40.

The women’s 4x100m relay team of Branae Russell, Paige Stuart, Brittany

Lundy and Romica Josey had a decent run of 49.35 to finish 15th.

The women’s 4x400m relay team (Josey, Stuart, Lundy, and Sierra Sears) took the 17th spot in 4:11.95.

This meet was the first international meet for the Mingoes since the pandemic stopped competition in March of 2020.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Captain Meg Lanning struck a century from 92 balls as Australia beat South Africa by five wickets yesterday in another statement-making performance at the Women’s Cricket World Cup. Lanning finished on 135 not out from 130 deliveries and shared partnerships of note with Beth Mooney (21), Thalia McGrath (32), Ashleigh McGrath (22) and Annabel Sutherland as Australia chased down the previously unbeaten South Africa’s 271-5 with 28 remaining.

She was overwhelmingly the driving force behind Australia’s run-chase with her 15th one-day international century. “We speak a lot about the top four trying to bat through and make those match-winning innings,” Lanning said. “It was me today. It will be someone else another day and it was just nice to be there at the end.”

Australia went into the match atop the standings and already qualified for the semifinals with five wins from five matches, while South Africa had been unbeaten from four, on the brink of sealing a semifinal place.

India beat Bangladesh by 110 runs in yesterday’s other group-stage match to stay in semifinal contention.

A third win from six games lifted India into third place behind Australia and South Africa and ahead of West Indies on run-rate, though it faces a tough finish against South Africa in its last match.

India made 219-7 after choosing to bat first and bowled out Bangladesh for 119, the lowest score of the tournament so far.

In winning so impressively against its nearest rival, Australia made itself an even stronger favourite to win the title for the seventh time.

Australia again demonstrated its depth as star all-rounder Ellyse Perry bowled only three overs and didn’t bat because of an injury, yet it coped because of the extent of its batting and bowling resources.

Lanning inevitably was the Player of the Match, as she was for her 97 in Australia’s previous match against India.

She was almost uncontainable, though there was a period late in her innings when South Africa pace bowler Shabnin Ismail tested her with fast and short deliveries just on or outside off-stump.

“She was bowling quick, she didn’t bowl any bad balls and that period of play swung the momentum back a little bit towards South Africa,” Lanning said.

SENIORS TO TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT AT NATIONAL SCHOOLS GOLF TOURNAMENT THE playoff rounds in the primary division of the second annual National Schools Golf Tournament is complete.

Now, the focus will be turned on the seniors before the finals at the Bahamas Golf Federation’s Driving Range at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex on Friday.

Yesterday, 85 players participated in the public school segment where the conditions were just as windy as it was on day one for the private schools.

The low score yesterday was 40 from Zachary Christopher Joseph in the Upper Boys Primary Division.

The lower primary players competed from 50 yards on each hole. The upper primary players competed from 100 yards on each hole. The results from yesterday are as follows:

Lower Boys Primary Team - 1st Place – Eva Hilton Primary School, 152 (+71);; 2nd Place – Claridge Primary, 196 (+115).

Individual - 1st Place – Antonio Hernandez, Eva Hilton Primary School, 41 (+14); 2nd Place – Fritzner Sylvester, Eva Hilton Primary School, 51 (+24); 3rd Place – Liam Stubbs, Sandilands Primary, 52 (+25).

Lower Girls Primary Team - 1st Place – Eva Hilton Primary School,204 (+123).

Individual - 1st Place – Jamiah Miller, Eva Hilton Primary School 64 (+37); 2nd Place – Lenita Vickerie, Gavin Tynes Primary, 64 (+37); 3rd Place – Diana Pierre, Eva Hilton Primary School, 68 (+41).

Upper Boys Primary Team - 1st Place – Eva Hilton Primary School, 142 (+61); 2nd Place – Claridge

Primary, 182 (+101); 3rd Place – Carlton E. Francis, 207 (+126).

Individual - 1st Place – Zachary Christopher Joseph, Claridge Primary, 40 (+13); 2nd Place – Juan Wilson, Eva Hilton Primary School, 43 (+16); 3rd Place – Weston Young, C.W. Sawyer 44 (+17).

Upper Girls Primary Team - 1st Place –Eva Hilton Primary, 154 (+73); 2nd Place - Claridge Primary, 180 (+99); 3rd Place - Carlton E. Francis, 182 (+101); 4th Place - Palmdale Primary, 191 (+110).

Individual - 1st Place – Maddisson Carroll, Sandilands Primary School, 43 (+16); 2nd Place – Aiyanna Hernandez, Eva Hilton Primary School, 46 (+19); 3rd Place – Tatum Adderley, E.P. Roberts Primary School, 47 (+20). The top 5 schools of the private and

public divisions, and up to 10 individuals will make it to the finals on Friday.

The Public High School Golf Championships will be held today.

The Private High School Championships will be held on Thursday.

The Overall National School Golf Championships is set for Friday.

On Monday, more than 90 players participated in the private primary schools division.

Although the course conditions were windy, there was a low score of 30 from Harry White in the Upper Boys Primary Division.

The lower primary players competed from 50 yards on each hole.

The upper primary players competed from 100 yards on each hole. Results from the private schools division:

Lower Boys Primary Team - 1st Place – Lyford Cay International School, 124 (+43); 2nd Place – The Windsor School at Old Fort, 130 (+49).

Individual - 1st Place – Luis Ortiz Von Bismarck, Lyford Cay International School, 33 (+6); 2nd Place – Maximilien Demole, The Windsor School at Old Fort, 37 (+10); 3rd Place – Aden Jones, Lyford Cay International School, 42 (+15).

Lower Girls Primary Team - 1st Place – The Windsor School at Old Fort, 150 (+69); 2nd Place – Home School, 183 (+102).

Individual - 1st Place – Zara Greaves, The Windsor School at Old Fort 42 (+15); 2nd Place – Safari Hanna, The Meridian School 47 (+20); 3rd Place – Adrielle Goncalves, The Windsor School at Old Fort, 50 (+23).

Upper Boys Primary Team - 1st Place – The Windsor School at Old Fort, 111 (+30); 2nd Place – Lyford Cay International School, 133 (+52); 3rd Place – St. Andrews International School, 136 (+55).

Individual 1st Place – Harry White, The Windsor School at Old Fort, 30 (+3); 2nd Place – William West, The Windsor School at Old Fort, 34 (+7); 3rd Place – Hugo Johnston, The Windsor School at Old, 39 (+12).

Upper Girls Primary Team - 1st Place –Queen’s College, 193 (+112) Individual - 1st Place – Haley Hall, Jordan Prince William 43 (+16); 2nd Place – Alyssa Richards, St. Thomas Moore, 44 (+17); 3rd Place – Tiar Gibson, Xavier’s Lower School, 48 (+21).

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, PAGE 15

ZONE 4 Finals Award winners.

Ella Saidi earns spot in IEA National Finals RIDERS from the Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League travelled to Tryon, North Carolina this past weekend to compete in the US-based Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Zone 4 Hunt Seat Finals.

The competition, judged by Anne Keenan and Kat Mulkey, took place at the Tryon International Equestrian Centre March 19-20.

The highlight of the day was Ella Saidi, who placed 2nd in the Future Intermediate Equitation Over Fences Individual competition. As one of the top two finishers in her class, Saidi earned a spot to compete in the IEA National Finals, scheduled for April 28-May 1 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Fourteen riders - Adiza Albury, Isabella Coello, Katarina Coello, Hannah D’Aguilar, Anouk Formige, Emma Johnston, Kaia Kull, Melania Nixon, Alexis Osazuwa,

Hannah Ritchie, Ella Saidi, Samantha Sands, Sienna Tinker and Connor Watkins – competed in team and individual categories at various levels.

The Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League has partnered with the IEA to become its newest Region in Zone 4 because of a shared mission - to provide affordable opportunities for young equestrians to compete at local, regional and national levels.

Zone 4 is comprised of 13 Regions featuring 140 teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and The Bahamas.

The competition at Tryon marked Region 13’s first official IEA competition abroad.

The first day of competition was devoted to the Varsity teams and riders (grades 9-12). Hannah Ritchie started the ball rolling for Region 13 by winning 6th place in the Junior Varsity Novice Over

JACKSON Mactaggart.

JR Varsity finalist Hannah Ritchie.

ELLA Saidi over the fences.

Fences Team class, representing the Camperdown Blue Marlins Team. On Sunday the Futures (grades 4-8) riders competed with even more success. Katarina

Coello placed 3rd in the Future Intermediate Equitation on the Flat Team to represent the Mariposa Gold Drops. Coello also won individual honours, placing 6th

WILLIAM McCartney.

JUNIOR TENNIS PLAYERS ACHIEVE TOP 10 RANKINGS IN UNDER-14 COTECC POLL COMING off a spectacular finals at the World Juniors team competition in El Salvador, Bahamian junior tennis players Jackson Mactaggart and William McCartney have achieved top 10 rankings in the Under-14 Central American & Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC) poll.

Mactaggart is positioned in the 6th spot and McCartney the 10th. Both boys, who are nationally ranked 1 and 2 respectively in the BLTA U-14 category, are also nationally ranked in the BLTA U-16 category and have broken into the top rankings in the U-14 regionally.

Mactaggart was featured on COTECC top players over the summer in their new generation tennis players segment on YouTube. He was a doubles champion at the G3 JITIC last summer along with partner Cordoba.

Mactaggart and McCartney were also part of the Bahamas Junior Davis Cup team that advanced to the playoffs this week in the Dominican Republic, placing 6th. They had a very impressive month of tennis.

Perry Newton, president of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA), extended congratulations to both Mactaggart and McCartney on their achievement by soaring to new heights on the regional stage.

“Their hard work, strong work ethic and commitment have catapulted them in this arena. We know it was not easy and that

WILLIAM MCCARTNEY, left, and Jackson Mactaggart they had the support of family, coaches and friends,” Newton said.

“We congratulate all who have had a hand in their success. They have represented the nation twice over the last month and we are happy the regional polls reflect their excellent efforts as they climb up in the rankings.”

The entire tennis community is proud of Jackson’s and William’s achievements.

Continue to excel.

in the Future Intermediate Equitation Individual competition.

Emma Johnston made her mark in the Future Beginners Walk Trot Canter Individual class, placing 3rd overall.

Said Erika Adderley, Region 13 president: “Against this competition they rode well, they worked hard, and pulled together. I’m absolutely pleased with Ella (Saidi)’s ride, and the fact that she has qualified to go to Nationals.

I’m very proud.”

Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre, president of Equestrian Bahamas, also praised the coaches, Erika Adderley of Mariposa Stables and Kimberly Johnson of Camperdown Equestrian Centre.

“Our riders’ success is a testament to the solid fundamental techniques we have in our training programmes here on-island,” she noted. “We are very proud of our riders and look forward to their continued successes.”