04102024 NEWS AND SPORT

Video footage played to inquest also shows gunfight with police

footage was from a camera behind the

Graycliff receives UK Blue Plaque award

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

BRITISH High Commissioner Tom Hartley awarded an honorary blue plaque award to Graycliff Restaurant, for its outstanding contributions to the promotion of English wines and spirits in The Bahamas.

Mr Hartely said his role has been finding creative ways of bringing The Bahamas and Britain closer together through sports, education, trade and other common interests. But he said there was no better way to build a closer relationship between the two countries than sharing culture of food and drinks. His comments came during the official ceremony where Graycliff was awarded the first blue plaque in the world and The Bahamas. Graycliff was the first place in the country to put English wines permanently on their menu, according to Mr Hartley.

“In my pursuit of bringing Britain and The Bahamas together through food and beverage, we could not have found a better partner than Graycliff with an awardwinning wine cellar. One of the best in the world. With some of the world’s best gins and whiskies also from Britain,” he said.

Graycliff also recently received the best spirits selection award in London last year.

Mr Hartley said the blue plaque represents the recognition of the hard work and support of Graycliff. He also thanked the restaurant for its invaluable support in promoting British wines and spirits in The Bahamas.

Enrico Garzaroli, owner of Graycliff, expressed great gratitude for the award. He mentioned the restaurant plans to continue operating at a high standard in its products, noting he recently just acquired the oldest whiskey in the world. For her part, Joy Jibrilu, the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board’s (NPIPB) chief executive also called the blue plaque award a historic moment. She also noted it will assist in the overall tourism industry by attracting more people into the country. More blue plaques are expected to be given to other awarded businesses in the future this year.

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, noted that Graycliff has played an important role in tourism for many years. He said the plaque award acts as a stimulus to attract food lovers to the area.

BRITISH High Commissioner Tom Hartley speaks during an event where Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant was presented with the first ever United Kingdom Blue Plaque Award last night. Photos: Dante Carrer

‘Don’t shoot, please, I give up,’ said teen

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cash register. It showed the deceased entering the restaurant with a gun before cursing and demanding that patrons give him their belongings.

The footage showed Johnson and his accomplice, stationed at the door, running out of the restaurant out of fear of police arrival. An officer chased the men shortly before multiple shots were fired offscreen.

Sgt Pickstock said the off-duty officer was seated at a bar in the corner during the robbery, and Johnson had a gun in his right hand.

The second footage was from the vantage point of the dining area and showed restaurant patrons cowering in their seats as Johnson demanded their belongings. This footage also showed the officer chasing the robbers. The restaurant’s occupants scurried for cover as gunfire rang out in the background. Security footage from the restaurant’s parking lot showed Johnson climbing a wall in front of a nearby apartment complex as a gun battle ensued between him and the officer. The footage glitched in court. The apartment complex’s black and white

security footage showed the accomplice run away from the scene. Johnson is shown falling to the ground after jumping the wall upon being shot. Johnson is shown crawling and dragging himself on the ground towards an empty building in the apartment complex yard and yells for his partner to help him.

He then stopped and sought cover behind a pile of sand, but returned fire while on the ground. He then said: “Ok, sir, I give up, I give up.”

He howled in anguish after another shot rang out.

He tried to crawl again before firing his weapon

into the air while lying on his back.

He said: “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot, please. I give up.”

The footage does not show him firing his weapon again. He is shown lying face-up as officers arrive on the scene with flashlights.

The footage showed an officer kicking the gun from near his hand and ordering him to stay down.

Colour security footage from a different angle showed a resident exiting their upstairs apartment to view the incident, only to run back inside as Johnson crawled and fired his weapon. This footage ended with

the deceased lying on the ground near the sand pile.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Tiffany Crawley-Hamilton testified that she helped investigate Johnson’s death.

She said the day after the shooting, she spoke to Inspector Lavaro Moxey, the subject of the inquest.

She said Inspector Moxey told her he pursued Johnson and his accomplice and engaged the former in a gunfight as he tried to climb the wall. He reportedly told her he shot Johnson in the leg and engaged the teen again when he fell over the wall.

After viewing security footage of the incident, she said the footage was consistent with Inspector Moxey’s account.

On June 20, 2023, ASP Hamilton indicated that she inquired about the second suspect in the armed robbery and discovered that he had been found and charged with the robbery.

She said she was satisfied that the killing was justified.

K Melvin Munroe represents Inspector Moxey. Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence.

ASP Hamilton said when she surveyed the scene of the shooting, she observed gunshot damage and apparent blood stains.

Cleare confirms man beaten in prison attack

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officers took her son out of his cell and carried him to another cell so “some guys” could beat him.

Acting Commissioner Cleare said yesterday that officials are still investigating the alleged attack. He said if officers were involved, they would be dealt with.

He said Scott has been transferred from the remand centre to a training dormitory in the medium security section for his safety.

He said Scott, who was sentenced to six months for bail violations, was attacked by three inmates.

He said a full report on the incident is expected to be completed by Thursday.

Ms Burrows lost her 18-year-old son last year when he collapsed in front of The Tribune upon escaping Princess Margaret Hospital.

“You know when your mind on somebody, it don’t be far from the truth, just like when I lost Devon,” she said on Monday. “My mind was on him strong, strong, strong that Tuesday, and eventually, they called me and tell me my child dead.”

not buy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ claim that he has had many meetings with GBPA officials to rectify the conflict between the parties.

He said while his party has several criticisms of the GBPA, he disapproves of how the Davis administration is handling the matter because a public row for several years runs “a very serious risk of undermining investors’ confidence.”

He said the matter has degenerated into finger-pointing and blameshifting, which does not benefit Grand Bahama.

“Shareholders, they can be fine,” he said. “Government officials, they can be fine. It’s the people, those who live in Grand Bahama and represent those people, they are already experiencing a tough climate and it could get worse given these more recent developments.”

“We believe that in the past, both the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the government have, in a sense, scapegoated each other in order to avoid accepting responsibility for things that they have both been unable to accomplish.”

Mr Pintard noted that the GPBA earns revenue through service charges, which are reinvested in infrastructure, and licenses.

“The government is looking to get an asset that has a lot of regulatory functions as well as a limited amount of assets, and the taxpayer, the same people in Grand Bahama who we represent, will then be on the hook to pay for all of the services, the basket of services and liabilities,” he said.

“And we understand that there’s a fair amount of liability that the GBPA is also holding that the public is going to be on the hook for those particular liabilities.”

He said that he does not believe Grand Bahama residents want the government to take over the regulatory functions on the island and that decisions will be politicized, causing the island to operate at a reduced pace.

Mr Pintard argued that if the government succeeded in “wrestling away” the GBPA from the present shareholders, the responsibility to operate the authority should neither go to the government nor friends of people in the government. “Whether it’s related to power provision, whether it’s related to water, the utility company, whether it’s related to the sanitation, it’s a number of companies there, but people should be able to complete,” he said. “The prime minister should not seek to put into the atmosphere rhetoric or bullying tactics to direct any sale to any particular group.”

“The reality is the government will be on the hook for all of the obligations surrounding Freeport, whether it’s the maintenance and upgrade of the infrastructural development and, in fact, I believe that we ought to work with the government collaboratively to make sure that no resident is in the balance, but all other costs associated with the regulatory environment, the government, the taxpayer is going to be responsible for that,” he said. from

ACTING Corrections Commissioner Doan Cleare.

Man asks to avoid ankle monitor because he says it attracts sharks

conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply and conspiracy to export dangerous drugs.

Sands listed three instances where he experienced issues with the monitoring device.

“While deep sea diving with the electronic monitor attached to me the monitor vibrates and this creates a safety issue for me in that I

have noticed that the vibration from the electronic monitor attracts barracudas and sharks,” he claimed, according to Justice Williams’ judgement. “The salt water caused the monitor to corrode, and as a result, the monitor could not be charged. In my panic, I tried everything I could to ensure the monitor would charge. However, in those efforts, I damaged the charger.”

Sands said despite his efforts to rectify the matter, he was ordered to pay Metro Security Solutions $355 to fix the device ––“hard-earned money” he had diverted from his family’s budget.

The prosecutor opposed his bail variation, saying the device is rated at the highest level of dust and waterproof protection and was tested in waters at a depth of 16 feet for one

hour and stress tested at a depth of about 60 feet. Justice Williams noted that Sands was the captain of the vessel used in the alleged drug bust and highlighted a recent increase in attempts to import and export dangerous drugs into the country. He wrote that he was satisfied that Sands’ alleged experience with the monitoring device was an anomaly.

He said an electronic monitoring device is appropriate to ensure the man’s attendance and monitor his whereabouts as he awaits trial.

On June 20, 2023, shortly before 10pm, a collaborative effort between OPBAT, the Police Marine Unit, the DEU, the DEA, and the K-9 Unit, resulted in the interception of a white 30ft Cutty Cabin in waters west of Saunders Beach.

Upon searching the Bahamian registered vessel, officers found 18 foreign nationals, including three Bahamian men. Inside, officers uncovered 100lb of cocaine with an estimated street value of $800,000. All

Lawyer says current law does not permit use of facial recognition

By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE law does not permit the new facial recognition and drone technology the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) has introduced, a lawyer says. After attending the RBPF Tech Expo yesterday, Bjorn Ferguson said the Police Act 2009 does not facilitate the use of the technology.

“Obviously, the facial recognition technology, in particular the use of drone and that sort of thing, I would opine that the current Police Act, Section 38 in particular, tells you exactly when and how the police can access facial images or photographs or recordings,” he said.

“In its current form, it doesn’t allow them to take photographs of individuals who are not in custody and hold records and put them in a database and compare them with images in the database.”

Mr Ferguson suggested that a new legislative framework is needed to accommodate the use of such technology.

“They are saying,” he said, “that it’s going to provide a societal benefit, right? But it can’t provide a societal benefit absent the regulations and laws to govern the use cuz there are very serious, serious ethical and societal concerns.”

He said the technology is “very invasive and infringes on an

OFFICER AWARDED $2,500

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A POLICE officer was awarded $2,500 for wrongful detention but failed to convince Supreme Court Chief Justice Sir Ian Winder that police treated him maliciously.

Police Constable Dion Miller sued several police officers, the commissioner of police and the minister of national security, seeking damages for unlawful arrest, assault, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and defamation.

PC Miller and several officers attached to the Carmichael Road Police Station responded to a housebreaking complaint at a residence on Palm Breeze Road off Carmichael Road on May 24, 2016.

Officers found no suspects at the scene, and a

individual’s right to privacy”.

Regarding using material from the technology as evidence, he said: “I would opine that any attorney worth their salt would challenge it.”

The Police Act 2009 allows police “to take and record for the purposes of identification the measurements, photographs, fingerprint and palmprint impressions of all persons who may from time to time be in lawful custody”.

The law says: “If such measurements, photographs, fingerprint and palmprint impressions are taken of a person who has not previously been convicted of any criminal offence and criminal proceedings are not instituted

FOR WRONGFUL

check of the immediate area proved fruitless. As officers left the area, they saw a rental vehicle occupied by four men who were getting out of the car.

“The officers,” according to Sir Ian’s judgement, “approached the vehicle and informed the men, seemingly without any basis, that they were suspected of being in possession of firearms and dangerous drugs and that they were going to conduct a search of their person.”

The men from the car were Haitian nationals with large sums of cash in their pockets and waistbands.

PC Miller testified that no monies were removed from the men during the search on Palm Breeze Road. Corporal Clarke told the officers to continue their search at the station.

At the station, Superintendent Edgecombe

against such person or such person is discharged or acquitted by a court, all records relating to such measurements, photographs, fingerprint and palmprint impressions shall forthwith be destroyed.”

Mr Ferguson questioned how CCTV monitoring and recording will be implemented.

“We have CCTV, everyone’s been talking about it, do we even have a code of practice,” he asked. “Do we have a code of ethics? What governs that?”

The attorney said “at a minimum,” independent oversight of such technology involving legal and technological experts and civil society leaders in an advisory and ethical capacity is needed.

BJORN FERGUSON

DETENTION, FAILS TO PROVE MALICIOUS TREATMENT

demanded that the men be released, reportedly saying: “What are these people doing in my station? Are they locked up? You’ll please get these people out of my station now, now please, not my station.”

Although the suspects left the office with their passports, an officer, Sergeant Miller, reportedly received a call from Nicholas Jules Bernard, who complained that he sent his workers to New Providence from Abaco en route to Haiti when police stopped them and $2100 was taken from them at the Carmichael Road Police Station.

Eventually, officers from the Complaints and Corruption Branch arrived at the station, and PC Miller and another officer, Mr Moss, were taken into custody concerning the complaint of taking money from the Haitian nationals.

The officers and their vehicles were searched, and $652 was retrieved from Mr Moss’ pants. Mr Moss said the funds were derived from a bar he owns.

Nothing was found on PC Miller.

St Luc Defranc, a Haitian national, later made a complaint to the Complaints and Corruption Branch about $1,500 being stolen from him while at the Carmichael Road Police Station. He claimed he and others were taken to a room and told to put their money on the table.

He said he had $8k for funeral arrangements for his grandmother and graduation expenses for his child.

“According to Defranc,” Sir Ian wrote, “a male police officer who he knew very well from harassing and robbing his fellow Haitian friends in the chicken fights in the Carmichael Road area, began to count

the monies. The officer began to threaten all of them and encouraged them to make a deal before the boss came in. Defranc says that $1,500 was taken from him.”

During an informal identification parade in the Quarter Guard at police headquarters, Mr Defranc reportedly identified PC Miller and Mr Moss as the officers who stopped and escorted him to the police station, but said PC Miller did not take money from him.

PC Miller was returned to the Quarter Guard and held overnight. He and Mr Moss were placed before the Police Tribunal and charged with taking money from Mr Defranc. PC Miller was given interdiction papers to sign, but the matter was adjourned.

“By the time Miller had been released,” Sir Ian

wrote, “he had been held in custody for approximately 53 hours.”

However, officers could not re-establish contact with Mr Defranc, and the charges against PC Miller were dropped. Mr Moss had already resigned from the force.

Ultimately, Sir Ian said he was satisfied that officers reasonably suspected that PC Miller had committed an offence.

He found the arrest lawful, but noted that he was held for five more hours than is lawful.

“The period of detention is relatively short, but no unlawful detention, however short, ought to be countenanced,” he wrote. The $2,500 award, he wrote, is both “compensatory and vindicatory of Miller’s right to personal freedom and his right not to be denied this by unlawful detention.”

Andros residents leave for safety as forest fire rages

fire is mostly contained to the forest and that no additional help is needed.

Chief Superintendent Bradbury Styles, the officer in charge of the Andros district, said the fire can’t be accessed.

“There’s nothing you can do,” he said. “You have to allow the fire to burn out. No homes, no properties, no business is in any imminent danger.”

A Monday morning video by Mr Storr showed pockets of fire burning in his backyard, with thick plumes of white smoke blanketing the area. Some residents have also published live videos on social media, showing the fire from their homes and asking for prayers for the community.

According to Mr Storr, the affected areas include Mastic Point, Lowe Sound, Conch Sound, Nicholls Town, San Andros, Queen’s Highway, and Fire Road, with more than 1,500 people living in those areas. Vanda Rahming, another North Andros resident, said she stays home to avoid inhaling the smoky air, which could worsen her

sinus issues. “Here in Nicholls town where I live, I don’t think most of us have to stay on guard because it’s on the outskirts of Nicholls Town, so like on the highways, and so all of those persons on the highway from San Andros into Nicholls Town proper highway, then going into that stretch, persons like those are staying on guard,” she said.

Mr Storr admitted the fire is better than it was two days ago but not under control.

He claimed ten residents with health issues left the area while others were taking shifts to watch the blaze.

“What’s happening is plenty Androsians over the last few days haven’t catch more sleep,” he said. “They’re watching their house and some watching their building or apartments. It’s like we’re doing shifts, people rotating to help watch the fire.”

“It’s been around both of my buildings, my house and my apartments and I been up all night until about 11 and 12 o’clock and I go to bed around 7.”

“In fact, when I was heading home last night, if

me and my brother didn’t stop First Baptist Church on Queen’s Highway, I’m sure that was going to be smack this morning because last night the breeze was blowing.”

He said residents want the government to send heavy-duty equipment to clear a path to extinguish the blaze.

The blaze also affects residents’ everyday lives, with some working reduced hours to avoid the smoke.

Residents said some parents were keeping their children home from school.

The fire has been burning since Thursday, but officials said it does not pose an immediate threat to nearby homes.

“We have been vigilant every night making sure that the areas that are close to the buildings have been contained,” North Andros administrator Beverley Laramore told The Tribune on Sunday. “You can maintain the outer edges, but it can flare up again depending on the winds.” “Even if we have ten firetrucks, they cannot maintain that fire because it is hard to reach. It’s in the middle of the forest.”

SCREENSHOT from a video a resident took of fire raging in the forest near their home in Andros.

GB Port row about the people, policy or dogma?

THERE are giants in the playground in Grand Bahama, with the government and the Grand Bahama Port Authority going toe to toe. The only trouble is, who is going to get stepped on in the meantime? The government is certainly not holding back.

We have had the Prime Minister saying that it is “intolerable” that the GBPA has not lived up to its end of the deal.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who must think Grand Bahama is another country for it to fit into his portfolio, on one hand complains of the details of the letter sent to the GBPA demanding $357m in 30 days being “leaked”, then calls the fight “the most important fight in a generation since Independence”.

Meanwhile, the GBPA disputes that it owes the government a single penny and is firmly digging its heels in.

It is hard to see in all of this how there is any immediate benefit to the residents of Grand Bahama.

More than that, in all of this political knockabout, where are the details?

Although the Opposition has failed to truly map out its own stance on the situation, FNM leader Michael Pintard is right when he calls upon the government to release the report by PwC outlining exactly what the GBPA owes the government.

It’s simple, really, if you want the GBPA to pay up, bring the receipts, show us the bill.

Especially in a situation where you are talking about so much money. After all, how likely is it that the GBPA can even produce $357m in liquid assets in such a time period.

(And some might say how can the government demand this when the government does not even pay its own debts in such a time period – the NIB fund for starters could do with some repayments of government borrowing).

So if it is likely impossible for the GBPA to pay such a debt even if it wanted to in such a time, what is the goal?

Arbitration seems likely, as does the probability of matters ending in court. Will such proceedings even be possible to resolve between now and the next election, and the prospect of a change of administration if voters so decree?

So what will people on the ground

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IS the Bahamas truly for Bahamians? This is a question I ask myself daily. Being hired as a Nurse in The Bahamas is challenging. Well! It’s only challenging for the ones who were born here. Imagine studying so hard to graduate from Nursing School and then sit a two-days National Exam in order to be certified only to still be unemployed at the end of it all. Any Nurse can tell you that Nursing School was a rigorous programme that included both classroom and hands-on experience with the latter being over 1,000 plus hours. Nurses have endured many sleepless nights throughout Nursing School.

I am a Nurse who was born, raised and trained in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, but I am still without a job as a Nurse. Some may ask… “How are you a

really get? There is, it must be said, a substantial number of people who feel the GBPA has not made the most of Grand Bahama. Equally, a substantial number of people look at how the national government has handled other islands and are not eager to put their future into such hands. Even close to home, government intervention at the Grand Lucayan has hardly been inspirational, with no sign of that situation being resolved any time soon.

One would borrow from Shakespeare about a plague on both your houses, but we have too recently lived through a plague and one has no wish to conjure another.

There are discussions to be had about the best way forward for Grand Bahama – goodness knows its potential has been left to wither for too long – but the best way forward is not an argument back and forth in the headlines but a clear accounting of what is and what is not owed, plus an honest assessment of what each side should pay for.

There is one hospital to serve Grand Bahama, for example, does the GBPA have responsibility for all of that, no matter where the patient might come from, within or outside its catchment area?

You can go through the rest of the island’s activities – power supply, business encouragement, airport, some suggestions of even the GBPA being billed for the defence force intercepting migrants.

And just as you can bill the GBPA for what is appropriate, you can ask the government if it is doing enough for what is being paid.

We would love to hear from residents in Grand Bahama about what they think of all of this – who they want in charge, what changes they would love to see. We would encourage residents to email such thoughts to letters@tribunemedia.net.

But we do wonder how much of this fight is about the people of Grand Bahama, or about a point of policy and dogma. The outcome we should all want to see is a revitalised Grand Bahama. Whose hands are likeliest to bring that about? The answer can be neither, of course. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Nurse and not working?” This is an easy answer. The Ministry of Health & Wellness continues to hire foreigners to work in the hospitals and clinics despite the fact that their own have been without jobs for months or even years.

Many nurses have tried so hard to be employed and have become unsuccessful after applying numerous times and still being turned around.

Others may ask: “What about going private or leaving the country?” Private places do not want to hire due to lack of training as a Licensed Nurse (not to be confused with a Student Nurse) as well as most foreign countries. Many require you to have at least two years of experience as a Licensed Nurse before hiring. Yes, I know! They continue to address the media about the shortage of nurses in The Bahamas even though they have Bahamian nurses applying to them in vain. A question to the powers that be: “Why are we being failed as nurses in our own country?” A problem that has been happening year after year and political party after political party. Are we truly an independent country? 50 years of Independence only to still be depending on the same people and systems that are in place. 50 years of Independence to only be turned around numerous times.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WAY back in the day, persons who offered for election to the House of Assembly and were elected or those who accepted an appointment to the Senate, were often self employed in the business or professional worlds. In short they were independent financially. They did not, ordinarily, look to the public purse for sustenance. Over the past decades that precept has changed and a semi-professional class of politicians has emerged. Today, many see politics as a direct means to acquire wealth, almost by any legitimate means, where possible.

If one is appointed to cabinet, he/she will receive a healthy stipend and numerous perks, inclusive of insurance; a vehicle; a driver/body guard, etcetera. When they have to travel on ‘official’ business, they and their spouse and/or delegation travels at public expense, with the regular per diem. I do not have a problem with any of this, especially as it may relate to essential travel on behalf of the nation. It is also a given that established or popular politicians “receive” and accept freebies in the form of meals and accommodations, especially as they may relate to senior politicians or island based representatives. Domestic car rentals may also be thrown into the mix. They tend to expect and to occupy top seats at any private of public functions. In numerous cases they are involved in one of the professions, such as law or medicine. While at cabinet level, they are unable to actually practice their chosen profession, they are still able to own “shares” or a beneficial financial interest in the same.

over saturated Big Time. A niche crop; industry or attraction package should be developed for the major islands and diversification should become the order of the day.

In recent times, certain high ranking politicians, across the board, have issued self pitying statements calling for increased benefits and I assume, a salary and allowance increased omnibus package. I must confess that at this juncture of economic recovery that this would not be appropriate. There are still too many unwashed Bahamians who are still existing in depressed circumstances, who may have lost homes and apartments or vehicles due to unforeseen financial challenges. A spanking brand new hospital is badly needed in New Providence. There needs to be more economic stimulation in the larger inhabited Family Islands so as to reduce the traditional migration into an already over populated New Providence. These islands are simply

Simple crops like the famous Bahamian Red Pepper; strawberries; Corn; Pineapples etcetera could be grown; packaged and marketed domestically and internationally. Let us stimulate the economy first then start a discussion on additional perks for parliamentarians and not before. While talking about this, however, I do agree that the time for the construction of a dedicated Parliament Building is long overdue and badly needed. The current complex between Bank Lane and Parliament Street is inadequate and a natural disgrace. In any event, at this stage, there is No Need to increase benefits for the rank and file politician. If the income is not sufficient, they do not need our leave to return to private life, etcetera. At least, if they do, they would not be concerned with filing the required annual disclosure, which many of them ignore anyhow. Our “poor” home grown politicians! What a plight they are in! To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau, April 9, 2024.

LIGHTNING strikes over Orot Rabin power plant near Hadera, Israel, Monday, April 8, 2024. Photo: Ariel Schalit/AP

Two men and a teen charged for string of armed robberies

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men and a juvenile were jailed yesterday after they were accused of a string of armed robberies last week.

Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Ashtin Simms, 19, Shavardo Johnson, 21, and a 17-year-old male juvenile with four counts of armed robbery. They faced further charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of ammunition and receiving.

The trio, allegedly armed with a black and silver colored rifle, robbed Anastacia Butler of an undetermined amount of cash. They also allegedly stole some Grabba leaves and $200 worth of alcohol from Smith’s Hotel & Bar on March 30.

The defendants also are accused of robbing Kevin McDonald of his $300 silver coloured Nokia smartphone and $250 cash that day. They also allegedly robbed Deandra Clarke at gunpoint of her $750 black iPhone 11, her brown wallet, a lighter and a set of keys. The trio are accused of robbing Bradley Lewis at gunpoint of a Burgundy colored 2014 Nissan Cube belonging to Jonathon Frazer on March 31. The defendants were reportedly arrested on April 1 after they were allegedly found with a stolen vehicle and a silver and black coloured Mini-14 Caliber .223 rifle with 17 rounds of .223 ammunition. The trio were told that their case would proceed to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). The juvenile will be remanded to the juvenile section of BDCS. Their VBIs are due for service on June 20. Ian Jupp represented them.

MAN CHARGED FOR HAVING UNLICENCED GUN AND AMMO

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was taken into custody for allegedly fleeing police with a loaded gun in his vehicle on Bay Street last month.

Magistrate Lennox Coleby charged Raphael Neymour, 38, with possession of an unlicenced firearm and possession of ammunition. Neymour allegedly ran from police on foot after he was stopped in his

vehicle on March 28. After police captured him, it was claimed that he was found with a black Glock .40 pistol with 15 rounds of .40 ammunition. After Neymour pleaded not guilty to the charges, prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom objected to his bail. The accused will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial begins on May 6. Dion Smith represented him.

JAIL FOR POSSESSING DRUGS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN was sentenced to five months in prison yesterday after admitting to having nearly four pounds of drugs last Saturday.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AN American Reality

TV star’s claim that someone lost their leg in The Bahamas after encountering a flesh-eating bacteria is “fake news,” according to Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville.

Meghan James, who has appeared on Bad Girls Club and Basketball Wives LA, made a tweet on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, claiming: “So one of my homegirls, homegirls lost her leg due to flesh-eating bacteria in The Bahamas. She shaved her leg, knicked herself with the razor then went to Pig Island. Four weeks later no leg. They couldn’t figure out what it was until it was too late. That’s crazy”.

The tweet received 10,000 likes and 1,400 reposts up to press time. The 34-year-old woman has 382,000 followers on the platform.

Some people expressed alarm under her tweet, with one saying they would cancel their visit to The Bahamas.

Graham Real Estate partners with BAARK in charity golf tournament

IN a fusion of community spirit and philanthropy, Graham Real Estate, a leading brokerage in The Bahamas, shines brightly as a beacon of hope for our four-legged friends. With a steadfast commitment to giving back to the community and continuing the Graham family’s legacy of love for animals, Graham Real Estate has substantially contributed to animal welfare through their continued support of Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness’s (Baark!’s) signature events.

“It’s important to pay it forward,” says Gregory Graham, Founder and Principal Broker at Graham Real Estate. “Baark!’s mission to tackle the rampant stray dog and cat issue throughout The Bahamas by spaying at neutering is a community service that can have a measurable positive impact.”

Ms Strachan and the others were reportedly found with 3.9 lbs of marijuana and two grams of cocaine on April 6 in New Providence.

Ms Strachan was the sole defendant who pleaded guilty to both charges. The charges against the remaining defendants were withdrawn.

Ms Strachan will serve five months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged Victoria Strachan, 20, Joel Strachan, 22, Tonya Leary, 51, Angerneko Cartwright, 32, and Santario Cartwright, 31, with two counts of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Graham Real Estate has stepped up as a Platinum sponsor of the Potcake Golf Tournament for two consecutive years and has been an Event Provider for the annual Potcakeman Triathlon. This past January, Graham Real Estate was also a priceless in-kind sponsor for Operation Potcake—a collaborative effort of 4 NGO’s including Baark! that culminated in the spaying and neutering of 2253 dogs and cats in 8 days.

Co-founded by Laura Kimble, the Managing Broker of Graham Real Estate, Baark! stands at the forefront of animal welfare in the Bahamas. “Giving back is not just a priority, it’s a calling,” says Kimble, whose dual role as a broker and animal advocate is inspiring. Under her influence, Graham Real Estate doesn’t just facilitate dream homes for people; it extends its mission to ensure there are enough homes for animals, too.

Many of the Graham Real Estate agents also make an effort to volunteer at Baark! Events. “It’s extra special volunteering with our GRE Agents,” says Kimble. “It gives us time to connect and spend time outside of work while doing something to help The Bahamas.”

The synergy between Graham Real Estate and Baark! signifies a potent reminder that animals are a valued part of the community. Graham Real Estate is especially supportive of Baark!’s educational initiatives. Teaching children compassion towards animals will result in kinder, more compassionate members of society—ultimately making The Bahamas a better place.

World Health Day ‘24

The World Health Organization recognized that, “Conflicts are devastating lives, causing death, pain, hunger and psychological distress.”

“MY Health, My Right” was the theme for World Health Day this year, observed on Sunday, April 6. In its statement on World Health Day, the World Health Organization said the theme was chosen to “champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.”

Before that, on April 5, the World Health Organization acknowledged that health as a human right is compromised by political inaction, lack of accountability, lack of funding, and the intolerance, discrimination, and stigma that many people face. People experiencing poverty, elderly people, people with disabilities, and people in other situations of vulnerability are most likely to face barriers to health and healthcare.

Health is often thought of as limited to the body and what happens inside it, but the physical environment is among the factors that affects — and even determines — health. The World Health Organization recognizes this, saying, “The burning of fossil fuels is simultaneously driving the climate crisis and taking away our right to breathe clean air, with indoor and outdoor air pollution claiming a life every five seconds.” More and more, connections are being made between the environment, climate change, and our health.

From pollution that

By Alicia Wallace

compromises water supply and drought that affects agriculture to devastating climate events and pandemics, climate change is affecting our health on all fronts.

In October 2021, the resolution “The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment” was adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The resolution encourages States to:

1. “Build capacities for the efforts to protect the environment in order to fulfil their human rights obligations and commitments, and to enhance cooperation[…] on the implementation of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, in accordance with their respective mandates”;

2. Share good practices, exchanging knowledge and ideas, and building synergies between the protection of human rights and the environment with “an integrated and multisectoral approach and[…] fully respect other human rights obligations, including those related to gender equality”;

3. Adopt policies to enable people to enjoy the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment;

4. Consider human rights obligations and commitments in implementation of and follow-up to the

Sustainable Development Goals.

In July 2022, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 76/300 on the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. The resolution, “The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,” calls on Member States to ensure that people have access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” It reaffirms the obligation of States to “respect, protect and promote human rights[…] and to take measures to protect the human rights of all[…] and that additional measures should be taken for those who are particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation[…]”

On the adoption of the resolution, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment David R. Boyd said, “The recognition of the right to a healthy environment should lead to constitutional and legislative improvements at the regional, national, and sub-national levels, with positive implications for air quality, safe and sufficient water, healthy soil, sustainably produced food, green energy, climate change, biodiversity and the regulation of toxic substances.”

The treaties, conventions,

and agreements made in multilateral spaces often appear to be quite technical and without real world consequence. This does not make them irrelevant or unimportant, but makes clear the need for our active participation in the process and driving outcomes. This week, a timely example is given. Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Switzerland violated the rights of older women (who are more likely to die in heatwaves) to family life due to its inaction on climate change — a violation of fundamental human rights. It was found that Switzerland did not take sufficient action to reduce emissions in order to avoid climate disasters. The women had not only the audacity to make the claim and take it to court, but the knowledge of their rights and how they could both demand access to their human rights and hold the State accountable for its inaction. We have considerable work ahead of us when it comes to increasing human rights literacy, interest, advocacy, and mobilization to make our collective demands.

Another connection the World Health Organization made to health and current crises is the one to war and conflict. The World Health Organization recognized that, “Conflicts are devastating lives, causing death, pain, hunger and psychological distress.” The ongoing genocide in Palestine is having a devastating affect on the health and wellbeing of the people there, struggling to survive from one hour to the next.

On April 1, 2024, the 178th day of the Gaza

Genocide, 63 Palestinians were killed and 94 were injured in Gaza.

On April 2, 2024, the 179th day of the Gaza Genocide, 71 Palestinians were killed and 102 were injured in Gaza.

On April 3, 2024, the 180th day of the Gaza Genocide, Israel had killed 32,975 Palestinians, including 14,500 children, 140 journalists, and 484 medical staff. It was determined that 30% of the children in Gaza were malnourished.

On April 4, 2024, the 181st day of the Gaza Genocide, the death toll reached 33,000.

April 5 was Palestinian Child’s Day, and 14,000 children in Gaza and 117 children in the West Bank had been killed. Palestinian people are being killed by Israel every day.

On April 1, 2024, it was reported that seven members of the World Central Kitchen team in Gaza were killed. This has drawn comments from people who had little or nothing to say about the killing of Palestinian people. It has already resulted in States and other entities taking different positions on the genocide that has been taking place in Palestine, killing, starving, and terrorizing Palestinian people for 187 days. The killing of those seven people is horrific. The killing of more than 33,000 people, in their homes, in hospitals, in schools, in shelters, in the streets, is horrific.

The genocide was gutwrenching, infuriating, indefensible, and a complete violation of the human rights of Palestinian people on March 31, 2024, on April 1, 2024, on April 2, 2024,

and it is all of that and more today. It will always be one of the most deplorable displays of hate and disregard for human life that we have seen or will see in our lives. Settler colonialism, apartheid, and genocide demand our responses of rage every single day, when it affects the targeted group at least as much as when it affects aid workers. No one is deserving of the conditions Israel has constructed as it destroyed Gaza, and no one is deserving of the killings that Israel sees fit to order and carry out. There is no God and there is no reason in the devastation.

On April 8, 2024, the 185th day of the Gaza Genocide, 38 Palestinian people were killed and 47 were injured in Gaza. We do not know how many more there will be today, tomorrow, or the next day. We do not know how much longer this will go on. It is important that we know that our positions on this issue matters, and we all have a position. If you are not in support of Palestine, you have taken the side of the murderous colonizers. In a complicated world, this is incredibly simple. If you are in support of the Palestinian people, say so. Say it to your family members and friends, your co-workers and neighbours, your followers and subscribers. More people will speak up when you do. More people will pay attention when you call them to it. Participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movements, spending your money in ways that do not support Israel. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

PALESTINIANS flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023.

Photo: Fatima Shbair/AP

Biden govt announces $6.6b to ensure leading-edge microchips are built in US

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

THE Biden administration pledged on Monday to provide up to $6.6 billion so that a Taiwanese semiconductor giant can expand the facilities it is already building in Arizona and better ensure that the most-advanced microchips are produced domestically for the first time.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the funding for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. means the company can expand on its existing plans for two facilities in Phoenix and add a third, newly announced production hub.

“These are the chips that underpin all artificial intelligence, and they are the chips that are the necessary components for the technologies that we need to underpin our economy,” Raimondo said on a call with reporters, adding that they were vital to the “21st century military and national security apparatus.”

A PERSON walks into the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan on Oct. 20, 2021. The Biden administration pledged yesterday to provide up to $6.6 billion so that a Taiwanese microchip giant can expand the facilities it is already building in Arizona and ensure that the world’s most-advanced chips are produced domestically for the first

more indirectly tied to assorted suppliers in chip-related industries tied to Arizona projects.

The potential incentives announced Monday include $50 million to help train the workforce in Arizona to be better equipped to work in the new facilities. Additionally, approximately $5 billion of proposed loans would be available through the CHIPS and Science Act. “TSMC’s commitment to manufacture leadingedge chips in Arizona marks a new chapter for America’s semiconductor industry,” Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters.

TECHTALK

GREEK authorities launched a ban on paper tickets for all league soccer matches on Tuesday as part of an effort to crack down on the violence that has plagued the sport for decades.

Under new rules, fans will only be allowed into stadiums using their cellphones and displaying a government-issued QR code so they can be identified and attendance bans can be enforced.

Stadiums have been closed to spectators for two months so security measures could be overhauled following the death of a police officer who was hit by a flare during a fan riot in Athens in December.

The Biden administration has promised tens of billions of dollars to support construction of US chip foundries and reduce reliance on Asian suppliers, which Washington sees as a security weakness.

“Semiconductors –those tiny chips smaller than the tip of your finger – power everything from smartphones

The funding is tied to a sweeping 2022 law that President Joe Biden has celebrated and which is designed to revive US semiconductor manufacturing. Known as the CHIPS and Science Act, the $280 billion package is aimed at sharpening the US edge in military technology and manufacturing while minimizing the kinds of supply disruptions that occurred in 2021, after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when a shortage of chips stalled factory assembly lines and fuelled inflation.

to cars to satellites and weapons systems,” Biden said in a statement. “TSMC’s renewed commitment to the United States, and its investment in Arizona represent a broader story for semiconductor manufacturing that’s made in America and with the strong support of America’s leading technology firms to build the products we rely on every day.” Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing produces nearly all of the leading-edge microchips in the world and plans to eventually do so in the US It began construction of its first facility

in Phoenix in 2021, and started work on a second hub last year, with the company increasing its total investment in both projects to $40 billion. The third facility should be producing microchips by the end of the decade and will see the company’s commitment increase to a total of $65 billion, Raimondo said. The investments would put the US on track to produce roughly 20% of the world’s leading-edge chips by 2030, and Raimondo said they should help create 6,000 manufacturing jobs and 20,000 construction jobs, as well as thousands of new positions

The announcement came as US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is travelling in China. Senior administration officials were asked on the call with reporters if the Biden administration gave China a head’s up on the coming investment, given the delicate geopolitics surrounding Taiwan. The officials said only that their focus in making Monday’s announcement was solely on advancing US manufacturing.

“We are thrilled by the progress of our Arizona site to date,” C.C. Wei, CEO of TSMC, said in a statement, “And are committed to its longterm success.”

Starting Tuesday, fans will have to buy tickets online and verify the purchase using a state-run app used to pay taxes and access online government services.

Dimitris Papastergiou, a minister for digital governance, said the full paper ticket phase out would last one month. Exceptions, he said, would be made for minors and seniors, adding that the new system would be expanded to other sporting events after the summer.

“The goal is also … to relieve the Greek police of the need to provide hundreds of policemen at stadiums. Police will not be needed at stadium entrances,” Papastergiou told state-run ERT television.

The minister said 10,000 of the current 80,000 season-ticket holders had already switched to the new electronic system.

SANTA CLARA Associated Press

TESLA has settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a Silicon Valley engineer who died in a crash while relying on the company’s semi-autonomous driving software.

The amount Tesla paid to settle the case was not disclosed in court documents filed Monday, just a day before the trial stemming from the 2018 crash on a San Francisco Bay Area highway was scheduled to begin. In a court filing requesting to keep the sum private, Tesla said it agreed to settle the case in order to “end years of litigation.”

Shares of Tesla Inc., down 30% this year, slipped 1% before the market opened Tuesday. The family of Walter Huang filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit in 2019 seeking to hold Tesla — and, by extension, its CEO Elon Musk — liable for repeatedly exaggerating the capabilities of Tesla’s self-driving car technology. They claimed the technology, dubbed Autopilot, was promoted in egregious

ways that caused vehicle owners to believe they didn’t have to remain vigilant while they were behind the wheel.

Evidence indicated that Huang was playing a video game on his iPhone when he crashed into a concrete highway barrier on March 23, 2018. After dropping his son off at preschool, Huang activated the Autopilot feature on his Model X for his commute to his job at Apple. But less than 20 minutes later, Autopilot veered the vehicle out of its lane and began to accelerate before barrelling into a barrier located at a perilous intersection on a busy highway in Mountain View, California. The Model X was still travelling at more than 70 miles per hour (110 kilometres per hour). Huang, 38, died at the gruesome scene, leaving behind his wife and two children, now 12 and 9 years old. The case was just one of about a dozen scattered across the US raising questions about whether Musk’s boasts about the effectiveness of Tesla’s autonomous technology fosters a misguided

faith the technology, The company also has an optional feature it calls Full Self Driving. The US Justice Department also opened an inquiry last year into how Tesla and Musk promote its autonomous technology, according to regulatory filings that didn’t provide many details

about the nature of the probe. Tesla, which is based in Austin, Texas, prevailed last year in a Southern California trial focused on whether misperceptions about Tesla’s Autopilot feature contributed to a driver in a 2019 crash involving one of the company’s cars.

ATHENS Associated Press

Six months of bombing has led to crises that will long outlive the Gaza war

By DIMA NAZZAL Georgia Institute of Technology

OVER a decade ago, a United Nations report described the Gaza Strip as virtually unliveable, adding that it would require “Herculean efforts” to change that.

Today, after six months of bombardment, mass displacement and siege by Israel, the task of rebuilding Gaza seems practically unimaginable.

I’m a scholar and a systems engineer who, as research director of the Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems at Georgia Tech, looks at the intersection of public health and education, with a focus on optimising systems for effective and equitable access to essential services.

I know that in the best of times, designing complex systems that involve people, communities, technologies and limited resources – often with conflicting priorities and impacting multiple segments of society – is an extremely complex challenge. Doing so in the midst of a geopolitical conflict makes the problem seem infeasible.

But what we are dealing with now in Gaza is on a different scale altogether. The enclave is facing cascading crises – a condition in which multiple interrelated crises occur sequentially or simultaneously, each triggering or exacerbating the next. And as hard as it is to look beyond the daily horrors of warfare in Gaza, there will be a time when the world starts to turn to recovery and reconstruction. The concern is that the cascading crises will make this process that much harder and moreover amplify the human costs of this conflict for years to come.

Beyond the death toll

As the 2012 UN report questioning Gaza’s “liveability” alludes to, the occupied enclave has long faced severe problems relating to providing for the people living in what is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

My mother, who lives in the West Bank, often visited Gaza in her capacity as a member of the Palestinian National Council and the General Secretariat of the General Union of Palestinian Women. She would share tales of its rich culture but also of noticeable issues like the persistent sewage smell and unemployment exceeding 45 percent.

Of course, after months of Israeli bombardment following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the immediate concern is for people’s lives. Already, the conflict

has killed more than 33,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities in Gaza. But devastation caused by armed conflicts extends beyond immediate casualties. Causal pathways – that is, chains of events through which the long-term consequences will be felt – mean the current conflict will almost certainly lead to lasting societal and health crises. And these, research has shown, can overshadow the destruction that results from an active conflict both in scope and in severity.

Analysis of 13 recent armed conflicts by the Geneva Declaration Secretariat, a UN-backed initiative, found that indirect deaths exceeded direct deaths in 12 of them.

The report places a conservative estimate that for every person directly killed by war, four more are killed by its indirect consequences – things such as waterborne diseases due to the lack of safe, clean water and destruction of water sanitation facilities, or deaths due to birth complications because of health services being disrupted.

Given the scale and

scope of destruction of six months of bombing, the consequential impact of war in Gaza may be even worse. And whereas there is usually a lag before these effects are felt, in Gaza they are already occurring. Economic collapse, infrastructure destruction, environmental damage and displacement have created a multidimensional crisis.

Compromised systems To understand the challenge of overcoming cascading crises in Gaza, it is worth taking a snapshot at the impact of the monthslong conflict.

The war has devastated the enclave’s economy. The UN estimated in midFebruary that almost half of all cropland had been damaged and that some 70 percent of Gaza’s fishing fleet had reportedly been destroyed.

In the first few months of bombing, nearly 70 percent of Gaza’s 439,000 homes and about half of all buildings – including commercial outlets – were damaged or destroyed.

Meanwhile, the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure has led to about three-quarters of

hospitals and two-thirds of primary health care clinics shutting down, leaving only ten out of 36 hospitals barely functioning – amputations are carried out without anesthesia, and miscarriages have increased by 300 percent. This health crisis has been worsened by a lack of clean water and essential medical supplies. It has contributed to soaring rates of infectious diseases, acute respiratory infections, severe dehydration and diarrhea.

Hospitals and clinics struggle to operate without electricity, and many health care workers have been injured or killed, which drastically affects the capacity of the health care system. And many schools and universities have been destroyed, making education inaccessible. When the war does end, Palestinians in Gaza will emerge from conflict with their education, health, housing and economic systems all deeply compromised.

The cost of rebuilding

These factors are all interconnected. In other words, they worsen one another and create a

cascading effect of negative outcomes for Palestinians in Gaza. Take, for example, the issue of mass displacement, with 1.7 million people forced from homes that have been largely destroyed: This impacts people’s ability to make a living, leading to increased poverty and a higher risk of malnutrition. The conflict’s aftermath necessitates rebuilding multiple facets of society, including social structures, health, infrastructure and education – all of which have been disrupted in profound ways. Take education as another example: The disruption of schooling for children not only affects individual learning and development but also has long-term implications for the overall well-being of the community. The trauma of war means many children will face severe challenges even when the bombs stop. This education loss will impair employment opportunities, which in turn has an effect on the overall economy.

Addressing this will require an integrated

approach that not only focuses on the physical rebuilding of schools but also considers the quality of education and psychological and social support for children. The UN projects that one million children – almost every single child in Gaza – will need mental health and psychosocial support. Meanwhile, the reconstruction of Gaza’s public health systems will require solutions that are not just about addressing immediate medical needs, but that also consider the broader infrastructure – including mental health services and vaccination programs, as well as the provision of essential medications.

Rebuilding cities facing cascading crises the nature of which Gaza is confronted with is a daunting prospect. And while the task may seem insurmountable at the present, with cooperation, coordination and courage it is not unachievable.

But it is a challenge that becomes that much more difficult with each day that the war in Gaza goes on. Originally published on www.theconversation.com.

PALESTINIANS look for survivors following Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. On Thursday, April 4, 2024, Human Rights Watch says an Israeli attack on a Gaza apartment building in October killed at least 106 civilians, including 54 children.

Photo: Doaa AlBaz/AP

Michigan school shooter’s parents sentenced to 10 years in prison for not stopping a ‘runaway train’

THE first parents convicted in a US mass school shooting were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday as a Michigan judge lamented missed opportunities that could have prevented their teenage son from possessing a gun and killing four students in 2021.

“These convictions are not about poor parenting,” Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews said. “These convictions confirm repeated acts, or lack of acts, that could have halted an oncoming runaway train.” The hearing in a crowded, tense courtroom was the climax of an extraordinary effort to make others besides the 15-year-old attacker criminally responsible for a school shooting.

Jennifer and James Crumbley did not know Ethan Crumbley had a handgun — he called it his “beauty” — in a backpack when he was dropped off at Oxford High School. But prosecutors convinced jurors the parents still played a disastrous role in the violence.

The Crumbleys were accused of not securing the newly purchased gun at home and acting indifferently to signs of their son’s deteriorating mental health, especially when confronted with a chilling classroom drawing earlier that same day. The Crumbleys earlier this year were convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

“The blood of our children is on your hands, too,” Craig Shilling told the couple, wearing a hoodie with the image of son Justin Shilling on his chest.

Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of shooting victim Madisyn Baldwin, said the Crumbleys had failed at parenting.

“While you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked,” said Beausoleil, “I was helping her finish her college essays.”

Prosecutor Karen McDonald asked the judge to stretch beyond the sentencing guidelines and order a minimum 10-year prison sentence.

Defence attorneys sought to keep the Crumbleys out of prison, noting they have already spent nearly 2

1/2 years in jail, unable to afford a $500,000 bond after their arrest. They will get credit for that jail time and become eligible for parole after serving 10 years in custody. If release from prison is denied, they could be held for up to 15 years.

Five deputies in the suburban Detroit courtroom stood closely over the couple and more lined the walls. James Crumbley, 47, had been recorded in jail making threats toward McDonald.

Before being sentenced, he stood and insisted he did not know his son was deeply troubled.

“My heart is really broken for everybody involved. ... I have cried for you and the loss of your children more times than I can count,” he said.

The couple had separate trials in Oakland County court, 40 miles (64 kilometres) north of Detroit. Jurors saw the teen’s violent drawing on his school assignment and heard testimony about the crucial hours before the attack.

Ethan Crumbley sketched images of a gun, a bullet and a wounded man on a math paper, accompanied by despondent phrases: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. Blood everywhere. My life is useless.”

Ethan Crumbley had told a counsellor he was sad — a grandmother had died and his only friend

suddenly had moved away — but said the drawing only reflected his interest in creating video games. His parents were called to a hasty meeting at school that lasted less than 15 minutes. They did not mention that the gun resembled one James Crumbley had purchased just four days earlier, a Sig Sauer 9 mm. School staff did not demand that the teen go home but were surprised when the Crumbleys did not volunteer it. Instead, they left with a list of mental health providers and said they were returning to work.

Later that day, on Nov. 30, 2021, their son pulled a handgun from his backpack and began shooting, killing Shilling, Baldwin, Tate Myre and Hana St. Juliana, and wounding seven other people. No one had checked the bag.

Ethan Crumbley, now 17, is serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes.

The parents ignored “things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand up,” the judge said. “Opportunity knocked over and over again — louder and louder — and was ignored. No one answered.”

Jennifer Crumbley, 46, began her remarks by expressing “deepest sorrow” about the shooting. She also said her comment at her trial

about looking back and not doing anything differently was “completely misunderstood.”

“My son did seem so normal. I didn’t have a reason to do anything different,” Jennifer Crumbley said. She blamed the school for not giving her the “bigger picture” about Ethan Crumbley: sleeping in class, watching a video of a mass shooting, writing negative thoughts about his family.

“The prosecution has tried to mold us into the type of parents society wants to believe are so horrible only a school or mass shooter could be bred from,” Jennifer Crumbley said. “We were good parents. We were the average family.”

During the trials, there was no testimony from specialists about Ethan Crumbley’s mental health.

But the judge, over defence objections, allowed the jury to see excerpts from his journal.

“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” he wrote. “I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help.”

Relatives of the victims were not impressed by the Crumbleys’ courtroom comments. Beausoleil said they were portraying themselves as victims.

“The remorse that they were showing has nothing to do with taking accountability for their actions,” Steve St. Juliana, the father of Hana, said outside court. “I’m sure they were sad people lost their lives. I’m sure they’re sad their son is in jail, sad they’re in jail. ... What’s important is for them to recognize that they made mistakes.”

The judge will decide later whether the Crumbleys will be allowed to have contact with their son while the three are in separate state prisons, though McDonald, the prosecutor, said the Corrections Department typically prohibits communication between co-defendants.

Defence lawyers said the Crumbleys have a constitutional right to be a family. But McDonald wondered about the parents of the victims. “The parents in that courtroom have been deprived of their constitutional right to be parents, and that matters,” she told reporters.

BEYONCE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO TOP COUNTRY CHARTS

NEW YORK Associated Press

Beyoncé has made history once again. Her latest album, the epic “Act ll: Cowboy Carter”, hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her the first Black woman to top the chart since its 1964 inception.

The album also topped the all-genres Billboard 200, marking her eighth No. 1 album. According to Luminate, the industry data and analytics company, “Cowboy Carter” totalled 407,000 equivalent album units, a combination of pure album sales and ondemand streams, earned in the US in its first week. As a Black woman reclaiming country music, Beyoncé stands in opposition to stereotypical associations of the genre with whiteness. Conversation surrounding Beyoncé’s country music explorations began when she arrived at the 2024 Grammy Awards in full cowboy regalia — making a statement without saying a word. Then, during the Super Bowl, she dropped two hybrid country songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” eventually leading to the release of “Cowboy Carter.”

In February, “Texas Hold ‘Em” reached No. 1 on the country airplay chart, making her the first Black woman to top that chart as well.

Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of the ‘God particle,’ has died at 94

LONDON Associated Press

NOBEL prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of the so-called “God particle” that helped explain how matter formed after the Big Bang, has died at age 94, the University of Edinburgh said Tuesday. The university, where Higgs was emeritus professor, said he died Monday following a short illness. Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle, which came to be known as the Higgs boson, in 1964. He theorized that there must be a sub-atomic particle of certain dimension that would explain how other particles — and therefore all the stars and planets in the universe — acquired mass. Without something like this particle, the set of equations physicists use to describe the world, known as the standard model, would not hold together. Higgs’ work helps scientists understand one of the most fundamental riddles of the universe: how the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.8 billion years ago. Without mass from the Higgs, particles could not clump together into the matter we interact with every day.

But it would be almost 50 years before the particle’s existence could be confirmed. In 2012, in one of the biggest breakthroughs in physics in decades, scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, announced that they had finally found a Higgs boson using the Large Hardron Collider, the $10 billion atom smasher in a 17-mile (27-kilometer) tunnel under the SwissFrench border. The collider was designed in large part to find Higgs’ particle. It produces collisions with extraordinarily high energies in order to

before the particle’s existence could be confirmed

Hadron

the

Higgs

mimic some of the conditions that were present in the trillionths of seconds after the Big Bang. Higgs won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, alongside Francois Englert of Belgium, who independently came up with the same theory.

Edinburgh University

Vice Chancellor Peter Mathieson said Higgs, who was born in Newcastle, was “a remarkable individual – a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination have

enriched our knowledge of the world that surrounds us.”

“His pioneering work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come.”

Born in Newcastle, northeast England on May 29, 1929, Higgs studied at King’s College, University of London, and was awarded a PhD in 1954. He spent much of his career at Edinburgh, becoming the Personal

Chair of Theoretical Physics at the Scottish university in 1980. He retired in 1996. One highlight of Higgs’ career came in the 2013 presentation at CERN in Geneva where scientists presented in complex terms — based on statistical analysis unfathomable to most laypeople -- that the boson had been confirmed. He broke into tears, wiping down his glasses in the stands of a CERN lecture hall. “There was an emotion

— a kind of vibration -- going around in the auditorium,’’ Fabiola Gianotti, the CERN director-general told The Associated Press. “That was just a unique moment, a

of

framework of particle physics.” Gianotti recalled how Higgs often bristled at the term “God particle” for his discovery: “I don’t think he liked this kind of definition,” she said. “It was not in

BEYONCE in Los Angeles. Photo: Chris Pizzello

JENNIFER Crumbley stares at her husband James Crumbley during sentencing at Oakland County Circuit Court, yesterday, in Pontiac, Mich. The Crumbley’s were each sentenced to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to take steps that could have prevented the killing of four students in 2021. Photo: Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News/AP

BRITAIN’s Professor Peter Higgs smiles during a press conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Oct. 11, 2013. The University of Edinburgh says Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of the Higgs boson particle, has died at 94. Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle — the socalled Higgs boson — in 1964. But it would be almost 50 years

at

Large

Collider.

won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, alongside Francois Englert of Belgium.

Photo: Scott Heppell/AP

UCONN HUSKIES CONCLUDE DOMINANT RUN TO ITS 2ND STRAIGHT NCAA TITLE

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A basketball beatdown. A coaching clinic. A double-digit domination. Take one guess who finished off a romp through college basketball again. You bet, it’s UConn — a team built to win now, and often, and by a lot every time it takes the court.

Coach Dan Hurley’s Huskies delivered the latest of their suffocating hoops performances Monday night, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to become the first team since 2007 to capture back-to-back national championships.

Tristen Newton scored 20 points for the Huskies, who won their 12th straight March Madness game — not a single one of them decided by fewer than 13 points.

UConn was efficient on offense but won this with defense. The Huskies (37-3) limited the country’s second-best 3-point shooting team to a mere seven shots behind the arc and only a single make, while happily allowing 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year Zach Edey to go for 37 points on 25 shot attempts.

UConn won its sixth overall title and joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as just the third team to repeat since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and ‘70s.

In a matchup of two top seeds, they wore down the Boilermakers (34-5), who made it this far a year after becoming just the second No. 1 in the history of March Madness to fall in the first round. But Purdue left the same way it came — still looking for the program’s first NCAA title.

So much for the freefor-all this new age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals was supposed to become. UConn has figured out how to dominate and replenish its roster with players who understand their roles.

Cam Spencer, a transfer from Rutgers, Stephon Castle, a blue-chip freshman, and Alex Karaban, a sophomore from last year’s team, spent the night guarding the 3-point line and making life miserable for Purdue’s guards.

“They just made a decision — we can defend the perimeter, and we can take this away from you, you’re going to get the ball to your best player, he’ll be 1-on1, and that’s that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.

This was only the second time this season Purdue didn’t put up 10 3-point attempts, and how ‘bout this final score: Edey 37, the rest of the Boilermakers 23.

How serious was Hurley about defending the perimeter? When Braden Smith wiggled loose for a semiopen look to make Purdue’s first 3 of the game with 2:17 left in the first half, the coach bolted onto the floor and called timeout.

And that was that from behind the arc.

“Coaches made a point that we’d be really locked in if we controlled their 3-point attempts,” Spencer said. “Holding them to seven shows we were

“I just think it’s the best two-year run in a very, very long time, just because of everything we lost from last year’s team,” said Hurley, whose top two scorers from last year now play in the NBA. “To lose that much and do it again, it’s got to be as impressive a two-year run since at least prior to Duke.” The 2024 Huskies are the sixth team to win all six tournament games by double-digit margins. They won those games by a grand total of 140 points, blowing past the 1996 Kentucky team, which won its six by 129.

locked in on making sure their guards didn’t get involved in the game.”

With his Xs-and-Os masterpiece, Hurley joins former Florida coach Billy Donovan in the backto-back club, and is in company with Bill Self and Rick Pitino as only the third active coach with two championships. News broke over the weekend that it appears there’s a job opening at Kentucky, and the UConn coach’s name has come up there. “I don’t think that’s a concern,” Hurley said. “My wife, you should have her answer that.”

No way the Huskies would want to lose him.

Hurley earned every penny in this one. In the first half, he begged with, swore at and generally berated the refs about overthe-backs, elbows and hip checks that weren’t called.

Once, when that didn’t work after Edey set a hard (and probably legal) pick against Castle, Hurley started in on Edey himself as the center walked toward the Purdue bench for a timeout.

But the coach’s best work came in whatever hotel

room he used to draw up the game plan. “The whole game plan was no Smith, no Loyer, no Jones, no Gillis,” Hurley said, as he ticked off the last names of the Purdue guards. “We knew if we keep them below 18, 20 points as a group, and they had no chance to win, no matter how well Zach played.” It’s no slight on Edey, who battled gamely, finishing with 10 rebounds to record his 30th double-double of the season. But this game proved the number crunchers and analytics experts right. UConn let Edey back in and back down all night on 7-2 Donovan Clingan, giving up difficult 2s in the post in exchange for any 3s. “They only doubled late in the second half, but by that point we had dug ourselves too deep of a hole,” Fletcher Loyer said.

The defensive dominance put the finishing touch on a tournament. In the tournament, UConn’s average margin of victory was 23.3 points. Sure, Hurley might have to replace two or three of these players, but the coach said he’ll worry about that in a week or two. “Obviously, what can you say?” he said. “We won — by a lot — again.”

UCONN players celebrate after the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game against Purdue on Monday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

UCONN guard Solomon Ball (1) celebrates as time expires in the Final Four championship. (AP Photos/ Brynn Anderson)

UCONN head coach Dan Hurley celebrates with the trophy after their win against Purdue in the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game on Monday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

UCONN players celebrate as time expires in the NCAA college Final Four championship.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Dominic Fletcher hit a two-run double in the eighth inning as the Chicago White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak with their first road win, 7-5 over the Cleveland Guardians last night.

Fletcher’s shot to rightcentre off Scott Barlow (0-2) broke a 5-5 tie as the White Sox finally busted out of an early season offensive funk.

Chicago, which came in with an MLB-low 16 runs in 10 games, scored five in the first and got the big hit — from Fletcher — when it needed one.

By LARRY FLEISHER Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Rodón allowed two unearned run in six-plus innings, Alex Verdugo homered and the New York Yankees beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 last night to match their best 12-game start. New York won its fourth straight and improved to a major league-best 10-2, equalling the starts of the Yankees in 1922, 1949 and 2003.

“It’s been a tough stretch, obviously,” Fletcher said. “We’ve been close and in a lot of games. It feels good to get one and try to get something going here. We’ve had a lot of chances. We’ve just been waiting for that big hit to break us through and get us going, so it felt good.”

Steven Wilson (1-1) struck out the side in the seventh, and Michael Kopech, a former starter now in a late-relief role, struck out three in the eighth and José Ramírez for the final out for his second save.

“He was 100 miles per hour, pounding the strike zone, electric,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said.

“I love that style of baseball. ... It’s here’s what I’ve got, go ahead and beat me. He wasn’t trying to trick anybody.”

“He’s an animal,” White Sox starter Michael Soroka said of Kopech. Josh Naylor hit a two-run homer for the Guardians, who had their winning streak stopped at five and dropped to 8-3.

Chicago’s win came with a price as the White Sox lost third baseman Yoán Moncada, who went down with a groin injury in the second inning.

Miami dropped to 1-11 for the first time since losing 11 in a row after an opening victory in 1998. The Marlins are the first team to lose 11 of its first 12 since Baltimore in 2010. Rodón (1-0) allowed four hits in six-plus innings for his fourth win in 12 decisions since signing a $162 million, six-year contract. He is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in three starts. Verdugo admired his first Yankee Stadium homer in pinstripes, dropping to one knee after swinging at A.J. Puk’s 1-0 sweeper. He watched the ball land a few rows back of the short porch in right and raised his arm midway through the home run trot.

— a reference to his calling teammates “dawgs” following the opening fourgame sweep at Houston. Verdugo hit his second homer with the Yankees, a night after getting three hits and reaching four times.

After reaching the dugout, Verdugo was met by teammates jumping up and down and barking

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr scored three runs and stole three bases, Reynaldo López threw six scoreless innings in his first home start for Atlanta, and the Braves held off the New York Mets 6-5 last night. The Braves led 6-0 before Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer off Tyler Matzek in the eighth. Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias gave up two runs in the ninth, including Omar Narváez’s run-scoring double, but earned his second save. Iglesias struck out Alonso with a runner on to end the game. López (1-0) earned the No. 5 spot in Atlanta’s

Giancarlo Stanton added an RBI double in the fifth after being robbed of a potential extra-base hit in the third by Bryan De La Cruz’s leaping catch at the left field warning track.

Juan Soto, batting .348, reached three times and had an RBI single in the sixth.

After Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s grounder went under Anthony Rizzo’s glove and Tim Anderson reached on an infield single to load the bases in the seventh, pinch-hitters Jesús Sánchez (run-scoring grounder) and Nick Gordon (sacrifice fly) drove in runs against Ian Hamilton, ending Miami’s 16-inning scoreless streak.

Hamilton also pitched a scoreless eighth and Clay Holmes pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

Defending NL batting champion Luis Arráez struck out twice for his second multiple-strikeout game this season. He had two multi-strikeout games last season when he batted .354 in 147 games. Puk (0-3) allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Moncada was running to first after hitting a grounder when he pulled up and collapsed short of the bag. The 28-year-old Moncada was helped to his feet and assisted off the field.

“I feel for him because he was in some severe pain,” said Grifol, who added Moncada will be evaluated and undergo medical imaging tests today.

Before the game, Grifol said Moncada had been dealing with a nagging hip/ adductor injury the past few days. “I don’t know if it’s the same thing,” Grifol said. “I don’t think it is.”

rotation after signing a $30 million, three-year contract on November 30. The righthander, primarily a reliever the last two seasons, has a 0.75 ERA through two starts. He had six strikeouts while allowing three hits and three walks against the Mets. Acuña had two hits, including the first of the Braves’ six straight singles to open a three-run third inning. Acuña stole second and third following a fourth-inning walk. Acuña led the majors with 73 steals and hit 41 homers in his 2023 NL MVP season. He has four steals this season but has not homered through 10 games. Mets right-hander Adrian Houser (0-1), who hit

NEW York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, right, greets Miami Marlins’ Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr (2) before yesterday’s game. (AP Photo/Peter K Afriyie)

MIAMI Marlins centre fielder Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr catches a fly ball by New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres in the third inning of a baseball game yesterday. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Tiger Woods hasn’t given up hope of adding another Masters green jacket

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods still thinks he can win another Masters. Recent evidence would suggest that might be a steeper climb than walking up to the 18th green at Augusta National.

Never mind he is 48 and has had more surgeries than his 15 major titles. Or that in his 10 rounds at the Masters since he won in 2019, he has broken par — and not by much — only three times. Or that his body has allowed him to play only 24 holes of tournament golf this year.

Woods was asked yesterday what he was capable of doing against Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Jon Rahm, against a field that brings together the best from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf for the first time since July.

“If everything comes together, I think I can get one more,” Woods said. He paused briefly before adding, “Do I need to describe that any more than that, or are we good?” The answer will start to reveal itself Thursday. As always, there is much curiosity about the one player who once was as predictable as golf allows.

There is a practical side to Woods. He knows the limitations of age and injury because he said he feels it just about every day. “Some days, I just feel really good,” he said. “Other days, not so much.”

That’s a product of knee surgeries, a fused lower back, a fused ankle. He is not limping as much, like last year when he wound up withdrawing before he could finish the raindelayed third round at the Masters.

But his hope going into 2024 was to play once a month. That seemed to be a reasonable plan until he skipped all of the Florida swing in March.

“My body wasn’t ready,” he said. “My game wasn’t ready.” Woods said he doesn’t practice nearly as much as he once did, even with his own short-game course in the backyard of his Florida home. His future has been so clouded that even his private jet being spotted on its way to Augusta a few weeks ago became news.

To him, the Masters is another chance to compete on his favourite course at his favourite major. That still matters. For as long as he has played, as often as he has won, with so many trophies he doesn’t know

where most of them are, it doesn’t get old. “I love golf. I do,” he said with a warm smile. “I’ve always loved it. I played other sports growing up, but I just have always loved this sport. I love to compete. And to be able to have the love I have for

REAL MADRID, MAN CITY DRAW 3-3 IN 1ST LEG OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERS

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer

MADRID (AP) — Three goals in the first 14 minutes. Back-and-forth attacking. Stunning second-half strikes.

It was an instant classic between the newest Champions League rivals, with Real Madrid and Manchester City drawing 3-3 in a frantic first leg of the quarterfinals yesterday.

“I imagine the fans enjoyed a game like this, with six goals,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “Both teams wanted to attack, doing it in different ways, a bit out of control.”

Federico Valverde scored a 79th-minute equaliser for Madrid after City had rallied with Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol scoring goals five minutes apart midway through the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Bernardo Silva had put City ahead two minutes into the match, but Madrid

rallied with an own-goal by City defender Rúben Dias in the 12th and a score by forward Rodrygo in the 14th. “We wanted to take at least a small advantage, but in the end we are satisfied because we competed well and gave our best,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “If we do the same in the return match, we can come away victorious.”

The second leg will be next Wednesday in Manchester. It is the third consecutive encounter between the clubs in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Madrid eliminated City in the semifinals in 2022, while City got the best of Madrid at the same stage last year. Both teams went on to win the title after eliminating their rivals.

The match at the Bernabeu went on as scheduled despite of a possible terror threat by the Islamic State, with no security incidents being immediately reported.

In the other first-leg quarterfinal yesterday, Arsenal and Bayern Munich drew 2-2 in London.

City struck early when Silva sneaked in a low freekick shot that went past the wall and caught Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin off guard by the near post. Madrid equalised after a shot from outside the area by Eduardo Camavinga deflected off Dias to wrongfoot City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.

Rodrygo put Madrid ahead after breaking through the City defence to get to a pass by Brazil teammate Vinícius Júnior in front of the area. Rodrygo’s shot deflected off a defender’s leg and slowly rolled past Ortega and into the net.

Foden evened the match again with a superb shot into the top corner in the 66th to make it 2-2, then five minutes later Gvardiol put the visitors ahead again with a powerful strike into the far corner.

the game and the love for competition be intertwined, I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve had a successful career.” He took a few clubs with him on the front nine when he arrived Sunday, then played the back nine with Will Zalatoris on Monday

and the front nine with Fred Couples and Justin Thomas on Tuesday. They all had wonderful reviews of Woods and how he is swinging. That’s become its own tradition at every major over the last few years. He does just enough, even now, to make people wonder if there’s one more left in him.

At stake for Woods is to make the cut at the Masters for the 24th consecutive time, which would break the record he shares with Couples and Gary Player.

“I think the last thing he’s thinking about is making the cut,” Couples said. “Can he win here?

You know what? Yeah. I just watched him play nine holes, and nine holes is only nine holes on a Tuesday, but he never mishit a shot. But the idea of making a cut ... that’s a huge record, but he’s here to win. He’s here to play really, really hard.”

A warm, overcast day kept the conditions firm and the biggest anticipation is how much a day of rain in the forecast later in the week will take away from a fast golf course. Tuesday typically is the busiest day for practice, with an abbreviated schedule today ahead of the Par 3 Tournament.

Scheffler is the favourite, with odds better than they have been for anyone since Woods. Rory McIlroy has been a curious case, not arriving until Tuesday (he came to Augusta a week ago for two days) and agreeing to a news conference only if it was kept to 10 minutes.

“I guess just trying to bring a little bit of normalcy into what I sort of try to do week in, week out,” McIlroy said.

“I play 25 weeks a year, and there’s no point in doing anything different this week compared to other weeks.”

There is little normal about Woods these days, not after all he’s been through on and off the golf course, particularly the injuries that have limited his practice and his tournaments.

That he still believes he can win is normal. He always says that. But there will come a time when his best isn’t good enough — Woods was talking about that when he was still in his late 20s and at the peak of his game.

“I don’t know when that day is, when that day comes,” Woods said. “But I still think that I can. I haven’t got to that point where I don’t think I can’t.”

Valverde’s equaliser came with a neat low volley from inside the area. “We played exceptionally well in the second half until the final 10 or 12 minutes, but in the end we know that for Madrid the match is never over,” Guardiola said. The result extended Madrid’s 28-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, as well as City’s 26-match unbeaten run across all tournaments. Defending champion City is unbeaten in 22 straight games in the Champions League.

Guardiola had to cope with the last-minute absence of playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, the Belgian international who was ill and had to be dropped from the starting lineup.

De Bruyne vomited after the team arrived at the Bernabeu, though he warmed up with the substitutes before the match and started on the bench.

Guardiola, who complained about the field conditions at the Bernabeu, was also without captain and first-choice right back Kyle Walker because of an injury, though Gvardiol, who had been listed as doubtful, started in the leftback position and ended up scoring a decisive goal.

Madrid had eight full days to prepare for the match as there were no Spanish league matches this weekend. City had only two full days to get ready after playing in the Premier League on Saturday.

Ancelotti made his record-extending 200th appearance as a coach in the Champions League. He also is the coach with the most titles (four) and victories (114). It was his 59th game as Madrid coach in the European competition.

Ancelotti made a change in attack, with Vinícius and Rodrygo switching sides to try to trouble the City defence and it worked in the second Madrid goal.

Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger did well containing Erling Haaland again, as he had done in the 1-1 draw in the first leg between the clubs last season.

Manchester City went on to win 4-0 in the return game at home.

TOP-RANKED DJOKOVIC EASES INTO THE 3RD ROUND AT MONTE CARLO MASTERS

semifinals

MONACO (AP) — Novak Djokovic made light work of his return to clay and did not face a break point in beating Roman Safiullin 6-1, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters yesterday. Serving for the match, Djokovic won on his second match point when Safiullin’s return sank into the net.

Overall, Djokovic could perhaps have been a little more clinical, since he forced 19 break points and converted just five of them.

It was the top-ranked Serb’s first clay-court tournament since winning the French Open last year to clinch a men’s-record 23rd major title. He added the U.S. Open to extend that total to 24 but lost in the

of those major titles.

In cloudy conditions at the Monte Carlo Country Club, Djokovic secured two service breaks to lead 4-0 in quick time, before Safiullin finally held serve.

Djokovic’s drop shot looked in good order and he clinched the first set in 33 minutes when Safiullin, on his second serve at 0-40, hit a return into the net.

Djokovic next plays either Frenchman Arthur Fils or Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.

Djokovic is looking to win Monte Carlo for the third time but first since 2015. He hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals since then and could face defending champion Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.

Earlier, Carlos Alcaraz pulled out because of a muscle injury to his right forearm. Last week, record 11-time winner Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament with injury.

Fifth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany joined Djokovic in the third round when he beat Sebastian Ofner of Austria 6-3, 6-4.

The 2022 French Open semifinalist will face either two-time Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas — seeded 12th — or

Tomas Martin Etcheverry. They play today. In remaining first-round matches, there were wins for No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland and

3-6, 7-6 (2). Sebastian Korda, Roberto Bautista Agut, Miomir Kecmanovic and Zhang Zhizhen also advanced to the second round. Second-ranked Sinner

SERBIAN tennis player Novak Djokovic speaks to the media after the screening of the documentary film about Croatian tennis legend Niki Pilic, former tennis player and former trainer of Novak Djokovic, Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic, in Belgrade, Serbia. (AP Photo/ Darko Vojinovic)

REAL Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Embiid scores 37, ‘Buddy’ 18, 76ers beat Pistons 120-102 for 6th straight victory

By KEVIN COONEY Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo left late in the third quarter with a calf injury, but the Milwaukee Bucks hung on to beat the Boston Celtics 104-91 last night in a game that featured an NBA record-low total of two freethrow attempts. Milwaukee snapped a four-game skid as Patrick Beverley had 20 points and 10 rebounds after the Bucks shook up their lineup by having the veteran guard start ahead of Malik Beasley, who came off the bench for the first time all season.

Antetokounmpo was heading up the court late in the third quarter after a Celtics basket when he grabbed his left calf and took a seat. The two-time MVP was helped off the floor, and cameras showed him heading to the locker room under his own power. The Bucks said Antetokounmpo had a left soleus strain. The soleus is a muscle in the calf.

Antetokounmpo had 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and he also attempted the game’s only free throws. He went 1 of 2 from the line in the first quarter.

BGDSA

FROM PAGE 16

user fees, but they don’t want you to make a profit inside the complex.”

(AP) — Joel Embiid had 37 points and 11 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers extended their winning streak to six games with a 120-102 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Chavano “Buddy” Hield, of The Bahamas, scored 18 and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 as the 76ers (45-35) continued their push to avoid the Play-In Tournament and stayed in contention for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Embiid added eight assists and played 36 minutes — his most in the four game since his return from a meniscus injury suffered on January 30. Jaden Ivey scored 25 points and Evan Fournier added 21 for the Pistons, who fell to 13-66 and inched closer to clinching the worst record in the NBA this season. The Pistons, helped by four Philadelphia turnovers, used a scoring outburst by Ivey and Fournier in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 71-70. However, Embiid and the Sixers’ offence kicked into gear and Philadelphia extended its lead to 90-78 by the end of the period. Philadelphia played without Tyrese Maxey, who scored a career-high 52 in a double overtime victory over San Antonio on Sunday night. Maxey was scratched with left hip soreness, while fellow backcourt member Kyle Lowry missed his second straight game with left knee swelling. Tobias Harris returned to the Sixers lineup after having a left knee bruise that forced him to miss all three games of Philadelphia’s road trip. He scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 28 minutes.

UP NEXT Pistons: Hosts Chicago on Thursday night. 76ers: Host Orlando on Friday night.

Stage set for National High School Track & Field Championships

FROM PAGE 16

competitors, celebrate each other’s victories, and offer a helping hand when needed.

“This competition is a celebration of dedication, talent and the unwavering spirit of high school track and field. I want each student-athlete to discover their personal best and create memories that will last for a lifetime,” he said.

The national meet will feature 30 schools from New Providence and 32 schools from the Family Islands. They will compete in four divisions including the under-13 division, under-15 division, under-17 division and under-20 division. There will not be an overall champion crowned but there will be divisional winners decided by the top scorers in each respective category.

Dominique McCartneyRussell, the acting director of education, was grateful for the collaboration of both ministries. “We are elated at the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Department to partner

with the MOYSC in this most vital exercise. For us, it is not just about the development of premier athletes but we see this event as an opportunity to develop our children in so many ways. “We came from a pandemic and we saw a lot of communication gaps, knowledge gaps and skills gaps et cetera. We are excited to have our children participate, not only do they develop competence but also confidence. It reduces stress for a lot of our children and they develop social skills. “They learn how to win and lose gracefully. We want them to celebrate shared successes. We are hoping that this event will also develop a passion for patriotism, unity and for good sportsmanship. We want to thank Minister Bowleg and his team for putting on this National High School Track and Field Championships,” she said.

The National High School Track and Field Championships will not only give athletes a chance to leave with bragging rights but will also provide

them with an opportunity to book a spot at the World Athletics Relays pregame show “Showdown in Paradise” or a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the coveted Penn Relays.

The top three teams from New Providence, two teams from Grand Bahama, one from Abaco in addition to two Family Island All-Star teams will compete during “Showdown in Paradise”. Additionally, the top under-20 girls’ and boys’ relay teams from the high school nationals will be given the opportunity to compete at the Penn Relays April 25-27.

Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), expressed the necessity of this event as it relates to levelling the playing field for athletes throughout The Bahamas. “We have an archipelago and this makes this an Achilles heel in the development of our sport. Kids still run the streets and still run on the track barefooted. Kids still do not have access to

the best facilities that the world offers. Because of our makeup, it makes it very difficult for us to fly kids to the capital or to Grand Bahama thereby making track and field an arduous task for any network, whether it is the government or a member federation.

“We attempt to level this playing field through the efforts of the MOE and MOYSC so I want to congratulate the hardest working ministries for making this event a reality. This is a testament of our attempt to level the playing field and create an opportunity for every athlete that represents this country and that represents the high schools and junior high schools of this nation,” he said. Tickets for the event are priced at $5 for adults and $3 for children. The fourday package is $25 and VIP is $30. The event will run from 9am to 6:30pm on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, it will begin at 9:30am and break at 1:15pm for a pole vault clinic hosted by NCAA coaches. The

evening session continues 4-8pm for relay heats and relay finals will be carried out from 3-7pm on Sunday. The teams will make their arrivals starting at 8am this morning.

With so many elderly patrons attending their games, Stevens says it’s difficult when they have to go outside of the complex to purchase items from the concession stands while they are enjoying the games being played. “We had erected some shelter for our spectators and they even took them down, so we really don’t have any shelter to protect fans from the sun as they sit down and enjoy the games,” Stevens said. “We had some sails that we put up, they took them down and now they can’t even find them. It’s just hard to continue in that regard.” The league is currently underway, having opened up just before the Easter holiday weekend. But Stevens said it’s just too unbearable for him to continue under the circumstances that they are forced to operate in. Stevens, however, is still the president of the New Providence Softball Association and, while they have not yet commenced their season, he noted that elections will be held very shortly and he’s contemplating whether or not he will seek another term in office there as well. “The NSA is trying to charge us an arm and a leg to use the fields that the BGDSA helped to develop,” he said. “I’m prepared to pay something, but not all of the cost that they have proposed to us.

“I’m just tired of the fight, so I’m not prepared to continue. And a lot of the players don’t appreciate the sport anymore. So I think it’s in my best interest to walk.”

PHILADELPHIA 76ers’ Buddy Hield (17) celebrates with Joel Embiid (21) after a basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons last night in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

PHILADELPHIA 76ers’ Buddy Hield (17) celebrates after a basket during the second half. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

World Relays ticket sales ‘spiking’

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE anticipation is mounting and the enthusiasm is peaking as the countdown for the 2024 World Athletics Relays has now shifted from months to days.

The tickets for the Olympic qualifier event launched in late February and, since then, the sales have increased, according to Drumeco Archer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the World Relays. “Ticket sales have been moving steadily along. I think now that we know the track will be completed and we now have a

roof I can report that ticket sales have spiked and more people are buying tickets and that is good news,” Archer said.

The repairs at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium have been ongoing since late last year. Additionally, concerns about whether the sporting facility would be finished in time for the World Athletics Relays arose on multiple occasions. On Monday, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg told reporters at a press conference that works at the stadium are expected to be wrapped up at least two weeks before The Bahamas’ fourth hosting of the World Relays.

The World Relays CEO referenced the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre, which was also under extensive renovations before the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, as he assured

the public the facility will be state-of-the-art.

“First of all let me congratulate the CARIFTA Aquatics team on the six-peat championship performance. There was always doubt about whether the pool will be ready and for us it was whether the track will be ready.

I can assure you that the track is gonna be fantastic. It is gonna be world-class, it will be the prototype of the Paris Olympic Games so I think that people are really excited about seeing what that looks like,” he said. Archer encouraged local and international track and field fans to not wait until the last minute

Stage set for National High School Track & Field Championships

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIALS of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) have collaborated with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to officially launch the 2024 National High School Track and Field Championships under the theme “Ringing in a New Era of Sporting Excellence”. The announcement was made yesterday during a press conference hosted at the MOYSC.

The four-day meet will bring out 1,600 athletes from public and private schools across the entire Bahamas to the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium April 11-14. It will also be utilised as a test event for the upcoming World Athletics Relays.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg was pleased to team up with the MOE to host this weekend’s high school track and field nationals.

“The MOYSC is happy to collaborate with the

MOE for the launch of this year’s National High School Track and Field.

“The four-day meet is a true testament of the unwavering spirit and countless hours of dedication poured into the sport by the student-athletes, coaches, parents, school members and all others in the sporting fraternity.

“The 1,600 studentathletes, who will be participating, each already a champion have pushed themselves to the stage and have embraced gruelling training, early mornings

SAMUEL P HAVEN JR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER NATIONALS MAY 17-31

THE Bahamas Football Association (BFA), in partnership with the Ministry of Education & Technical & Vocational Training (MOETVT), is excited to announce the new dates for the Samuel P Haven Jr High School Soccer Nationals, to run May 17-31.

This year’s event promises to bring together the nation’s emerging soccer stars from high schools across the archipelago, including the defending champions Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) Dragons in the boys’ division and the CR Walker Knights in the girls’ division, setting the stage for an electrifying tournament.

The action kicks off in Freeport, Grand Bahama, with the Northern Division

Championships May 17-19, followed by the New Providence Preliminary Round in Nassau on May 22-23, leading up to the semifinals and finals in Nassau May 30-31 respectively, at the BFA’s soccer complex. This year’s competition introduces a thrilling qualifier in Abaco, where two teams compete to advance. The winner from Abaco will travel to Grand Bahama for the Northern Division Championship, competing alongside teams

from Grand Bahama and Eleuthera.

This setup showcases the soccer talent across the Family Islands, highlighting young athletes ready to demonstrate their skills in a broader arena.

Said Carl Lynch, BFA deputy general secretary and tournament coordinator: “We are witnessing a monumental year for youth soccer in The Bahamas. “The talent and enthusiasm we see coming from these young players not only promise great matches but also signify the bright future of soccer in our nation. “More importantly, it offers them a platform to pursue academic scholarships and further education through sports, highlighting the integral role of soccer in shaping their futures.”

and late nights all for this very moment, “These championships aren’t just about medals. It is about surpassing expectations, discovering hidden strengths and leaving everything on the field,” said Minister Bowleg. He talked about the trajectory of athletes that have made their mark at the National High School Track and Field Championships since its start in 1989.

“Since its inception in 1989, these championships have witnessed the rise of

Olympians, CARIFTA champions and countless other future stars.

“Just like these legends who have paved the way I want this year’s competitors to channel their nervous energy into explosive power. “Now is the time for them to trust all they have been doing in training sessions. I want them throughout this weekend to let sportsmanship guide their actions and I implore them to applaud their

THE SPORTS CALENDAR

to purchase tickets for this grand sporting event.

“I am excited about where we are with ticket sales and I am encouraging people to go out and buy your tickets and do not wait until the last minute,” he said. Tickets are available online at http://www.worldrelaysbahamas24.org/ or can be purchased in-person from the box office at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

Tickets can be purchased for as low as $10. The lower finish line seats are priced at $100 and the upper finish line seats range between $40-$70. VIP Platinum seats are $150.

BGDSA ELECTIONS SET FOR APRIL 11

THE Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association will go to the polls to elect a new administration team, but outgoing president Dwayne Stevens indicated that he won’t be a part of it.

Stevens, who served as president for the past two consecutive two-year terms in office, said he’s not prepared to go through what he encountered in the past to ensure that they get to operate as a league at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The elections are scheduled to take place in the Bankers Field at 8pm on Thursday.

With Stevens not expected to run again, it’s expected to be a twoway battle between Peron Butler and Nicara Curtis.

“The direction that the NSA is heading in is not conducive for sports,” Stevens said. “The sad part is the government has spent considerable number of monies to upgrade the fields, but I think we’re worse than before we started.

“It has proven to be a challenge for the running of the leagues. You have to be up and down carrying stuff into the complex. They want you to pay the

ROAD RACE:

MOTHER ME MINISTRY

THE Mother Me Ministries presents a fun run/walk race on Saturday, April 13, starting at 5:30am at Goodman’s Bay. The race will travel to Sandyport and return to Goodman’s Bay where free glucose and blood pressure testing will take place. The entry fee is $25 per person and $20 each for groups of 10 or more. Interested persons can call 324-0034.

VOLLEYBALL: BBSF TOURNEY

THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation is set to hold its final registration meeting for for all churches wishing to participate in its volleyball tournament at 7pm on Thursday, April 18.

The tournament is scheduled for April 24-27 at the DW Davis Gymnasium. The registration fee is $200 per

April, 2024

team for a total of 12 players. Awards will be presented to the winners at the completion of the tournament.

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

JOINT EFFORT: Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and Ministry of Education officials have now launched the 2024 National High School Track and Field Championships scheduled to begin on Thursday.