By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net
RESIDENTS of Victoria Court watched in horror yesterday as a fire they assumed would be quickly extinguished tore through their apartment building because New Providence appeared to lack enough functional fire trucks to stop it. What began as a blaze in an abandoned building adjacent to the complex exploded into a roaring inferno, damaging several Bay Street buildings and
forcing panicked tenants to flee with whatever they could grab: passports, irreplaceable photos, clothes for their children.
Some tenants tried to guide firefighters to where the water was needed most — a narrow gap between the abandoned building and Victoria Court — but they said their warnings were ignored.
Natalia, one of the displaced residents, said she called the fire department repeatedly, begging them to send more units. She even walked to the fire crew and urged them to redirect their
efforts.
Prominent businessman Craig Flowers, who owns four units in the building, said: “We are only here as an observer trying to ascertain what in the world went wrong why there were no fire vehicles.”
Mr Flowers said an hour after the fire began, a police inspector told confused residents no trucks were available and that one was being sent from the airport. That truck eventually showed up, ran out of water, and left to refill. By then, flames had punched through the roof
of the 29-unit structure, a 1950s-era building considered part of Bay Street’s architectural heritage. All the units were occupied. Families stood in the street watching their homes burn, stunned and helpless.
“There was a lack of organisation,” Mr Flowers said, adding that firemen were on three different streets “shouting back and forth,” each demanding that the one truck come their way. Leah Major, another resident, said a neighbour
a WOman clutching a statue of Mary watches as the apartment building at Victoria Court burns as fire razed seeral building near Elizabeth Street. Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
from page one
flagged the fire in a tenant group chat at 8.45pm. She showed The Tribune timestamps and photos from her phone. By 9.35pm, she said, there was still only one truck on the scene.
“This is ludicrous,” she said. “That fire started before 8.45 but an hour later you can only have one fire truck on Bay Street?”
She said an officer she knew told her some of the trucks were down and he hoped “they got them back up and running”.
The fire reignited concerns about the country’s firefighting capacity. Earlier this year, officials and residents in Grand Bahama described the lack of working fire trucks there as a “state of emergency”, revealing that none of the five engines at the new Settler’s Way station were operational.
At the time, residents were forced to battle fires themselves, and officials warned that even the airport’s fire truck was being
Street inferno
pulled from duty between flights to respond to emergencies — a risk they called unacceptable and dangerous.
Yesterday, as black smoke drifted over the capital, crowds gathered — some residents, some tourists, some people just drawn to the chaos.
Medical professionals — including several from the Philippines — were among the tenants affected.
Some residents planned to check into hotels.
Others worried about how their children would get to school or whether they had enough clothing to get through the week.
Latrae Rahming, Office of the Prime Minister director of communications, told reporters the fire forced the airport’s temporary closure as critical equipment was redirected to fight the blaze.
“This didn’t have to happen,” Ms Major said. “I would truly encourage you to investigate — where are the other fire trucks on New Providence?”
on
Street last night that razed several buidling, including an apartment complex at Victoria Court. Photos : Dante carrer/tribune Staff
‘Setbacks in Defence Force fleet due to upgrades and repairs’
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security
Minister Wayne Munroe revealed significant setbacks in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) fleet, emphasising the need for repairs and upgrades as several vessels remain out of service due to damage or scheduled maintenance.
His update came as the defence force prepares to welcome a new commodore.
He said the HMBS Cascarilla, a 30-metre vessel, is grounded due to damage.
He said the HMBS Durward Knowles is currently in Florida undergoing dry docking, with maintenance costs surpassing $2m.
Other vessels, including the HMBS Leon Livingstone Smith and HMBS Rolly Gray, face ongoing repair issues, with the latter requiring work on its propellers.
He said vessels such as the HMBS Kamalame, currently on patrol in the Southern Command, and others like the HMBS Lignum Vitae, HMBS Madeira, and HMBS Lawrence Major remain fully functional.
He also pointed out that older P-class boats continue to serve alongside multiple safe boats active in the Northern, Central, and Southern Commands.
New assets, including two 41-foot safe boats, have recently been added to the fleet, and two more are expected by the end of the month.
He mentioned that eight jet skis have been assigned to Harbour Patrol, with only a few temporarily out of service.
“The dry docking of Durward Knowles is a two, two-plus million-dollar exercise,” he said, emphasising the high costs of maintaining the fleet. With the Bahamas-class 60-metre vessels reaching the end of their lifespan, he hinted that the government might soon need to consider refitting or replacing them.
He also confirmed that plans are in place to acquire a new 62-metre offshore patrol craft to replace the ageing HMBS Arthur D Hanna and acquire an additional auxiliary vessel to enhance the effectiveness of the fleet.
Captain Floyd Moxey will succeed Commodore Raymond King as the next leader of the defence force.
Munroe: Criminal code being updated to include
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security
Minister Wayne Munroe said legislative reforms are underway to address the misuse of artificial intelligence. He said such updates to the criminal code would better target AI-generated
financial scams, which he described as an “urgent threat” to public trust, national security, and the financial safety of all Bahamians.
He emphasised that AIgenerated videos and audio clips — used to impersonate public figures like Prime Minister Philip Davis, Governor General Cynthia Mother Pratt, and Central
Bank Governor John Rolle — are being exploited to carry out scams, targeting unsuspecting citizens with false promises.
“These are not harmless tricks,” he said during a press conference yesterday. “They are part of a growing criminal activity that exploits trust, distorts truth, and steals hard-earned money.”
He urged Bahamians to “stop, question, and verify” any suspicious digital messages and to avoid sharing unverified content.
Investigations into various cybercrimes are ongoing, but he clarified that police can only investigate what is reported to them.
“Where criminal conduct is found, whether locally or abroad, we will pursue prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” he vowed. While existing laws like fraud by false pretences may apply, Mr Munroe stressed the importance of simplifying the law, citing the Misuse of Computer Act as an example of precise legal drafting. Reforms will not be rushed, he said, noting the need for consultations with civil society, businesses, and tech experts to ensure the law does not stifle innovation.
“The law must operate in an environment that supports business,” he said. He also called on the media to play a critical role in filtering misinformation, urging journalists to “verify before you amplify” and help educate the public.
Four El EuthEra FamiliEs rEcEiv E k E y to nE w homE at ocE an hol E Estat Es
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
FOUR families received keys to their new homes yesterday in Eleuthera’s Ocean Hole Estates, a 350acre subdivision earmarked for extensive housing development.
Six homes have already been completed in phase one, which includes the first 50 lots of a planned development exceeding 150 homes.
Tonya Cambridge was among those presented with keys. She described herself as “ecstatic and appreciative”, fulfilling a long-standing dream for her and her husband, Jason, who hails from Eleuthera.
“From my perspective it really is a long, hard road and struggle, but we were blessed with this and graced for this opportunity, and we’re gonna take it in on and run with it. I just want to just walk to my new home now,” she said. She added: “The most difficult part is always the financing, the money, to find the money to afford a home. The government has given us opportunity to
afford these homes, they’re affordable for the everyday person.”
Stephanie Pearce attended on behalf of her 37-year-old daughter, who is currently abroad with her children but plans to return home in three years. She expressed pride in her daughter’s achievement.
“I think it’s a chance for most of our young people to see that they can live in a home and pay for a home and make it more comfortable for both them and their children,” Ms Pearce said. “Most young people tend to want to stay at home but I’m hoping that they venture out and become more independent.”
Central and South Eleuthera MP Clay Sweeting, speaking during the key presentations, said this marked only the beginning of a broader effort to provide affordable homes to Bahamians.
“We, the residents of Eleuthera, understand that access to affordable home ownership can be challenging,” he said. “Most homeowners have spent years saving, building in increments, while paying rent or living at home
until their homes are built. With this affordable housing programme, the government of The Bahamas provides turnkey accessibility to brand new homes built by Bahamians for Bahamians.”
Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis highlighted that the subdivision development generated hundreds of construction jobs, increased patronage for local businesses, and additional enrolment in local schools.
“It’s the kind of development that benefits everyone and is long overdue, because too often our Family Islands are left behind,” Mr Davis said. “Too often investments stop short of crossing the bridge or boarding the mail boat. But this administration believes in Eleuthera. We believe in our Family Islands, and we are proving it one project at a time.”
Mr Davis also indicated that more homes and subdivisions are on the way, noting the government is “unlocking” Crown land, fast-tracking approvals, and collaborating with local contractors to expedite construction.
NATIONAL SecurITy MINISTer WAyNe MuNrOe.
STephANIe Pearce proud for duaghter receiving key for her new home.
Photos: earyel Bowleg
Pintard wants White to take Lewis’ place on PAC
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THE Free National Movement wants Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis to be replaced on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following his defection from the party — but he remains a member for now.
The Tribune understands that FNM leader Michael Pintard has written to the House clerk requesting that Adrian White join the committee.
Mr Lewis joined the Coalition of Independents on April 3.
“There is no way to justify me being removed from PAC because I have been an active member showing up and doing my work,” he said yesterday. “And the fact that I represent an official opposition party, we should have representation not only on the PAC but in every parliamentary committee.”
Under the House of Assembly rules, the Speaker appoints and
removes committee members.
Mr Lewis was named to the PAC in October 2023 while still an FNM MP.
The committee, considered the most powerful in Parliament for its oversight of government spending, also includes Marco City MP Michael Pintard, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, Bain and Grants Town MP Wayde Watson, and South Beach MP Bacchus Rolle.
As the only MP for the COI, Mr Lewis said he would request broader representation for his party, including on the Boundaries Commission, the Committee on Privilege, and the House Rules Committee.
He also pushed back on recent criticism from Johnyk Bevans, one of several people seeking the FNM’s nomination for Central Grand Bahama.
Mr Bevans questioned what Mr Lewis had accomplished in the constituency and how public funds had been used.
Mr Lewis called the remarks misleading,
pointing to capital works and community initiatives during his tenure, such as the restoration of the YMTA building, the creation of a community garden, and the installation of the country’s first smart park in 2018.
He also cited other initiatives: a basketball court named after Fletcher Lewis, repairs to the Orlando Baseball Field, bathroom and road upgrades, a solarisation project, coastline cleanup in Eight Mile Rock, and pipe replacements.
“I’ve used capital grants to help people survive in a very soft economy,” he said. “If I give someone money for food or medical bills, I’m not going to post that online and demoralise them.”
Mr Lewis said he remains committed to Central Grand Bahama and views the criticism as politically motivated.
“It is unfortunate that that statement was made,” he said. “I simply say I moved on from what is now the FNM. I forgot those things behind me, and I press on.”
AG: Govt working to encourage swifter rulings
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter
ATTORNEY General
Ryan Pinder said he is in ongoing discussions with Chief Justice Sir Ian Winder about how long judges take to deliver decisions, exploring ways to encourage swifter rulings without defaulting to formal disciplinary action.
He noted yesterday that delays in issuing judgments are not necessarily the result of misconduct or poor qualifications.
“Judges are judges because they’re qualified,” he said. “They’re very smart people, they’re very experienced in the law, and they’re appointed by the Judicial and Legal Service Committee because of their abilities and so it’s not necessarily
that we have poor performing judges or judges that aren’t qualified.”
Mr Pinder said many judges would benefit from more support, such as judicial research officers or assistance with drafting decisions, to help improve efficiency.
His comments come amid continued public frustration about court delays. A Canadian judge appointed to the
Supreme Court recently warned that prolonged delays in criminal matters could “crush this system” — a concern echoed by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who chastised some judges for starting court late, taking years to issue rulings, and retiring without delivering written judgments.
Mr Pinder said discussions with the Chief Justice
are underway to find simple methods that could encourage judges to deliver decisions more quickly. He also identified delays in evidence processing — particularly DNA testing — as another reason cases take time to move through the system. He said the government is working to strengthen forensic capacity and continue police training related to anti-gang
legislation, under which no charges have yet been brought.
“Everything takes time to roll out and to see results, but the statistics are showing that we’re getting through matters a lot more quickly,” he said. “We’re having a lot better communication and coordination with the DPP and the police when it comes to evidence and prosecuting criminal matters.”
New air ambula Nce service aims to reach eveN the most remote places
IN a groundbreaking partnership, REVA Air Ambulance and Tropic Ocean Airways have launched a unique flying ICU service that can reach even the most isolated islands in the Bahamas. Since December 2022, the team has completed 106 medical evacuation missions, transforming emergency medical transport.
“We are the first company
on this side of the globe that has actually outfitted a seaplane into a flying ICU and being able to literally land anywhere,” said Sean Bryan, Director of Medical Operations at Revere Air Ambulance.
The specially modified CESA 208 aircraft can land on water or land, providing unprecedented access to remote locations.
“Because it’s a seaplane, we can actually fly further,
so we can reach places that wouldn’t be accessible in a helicopter without fuel stops,” explained Chris Davey, Director of Safety and Training.
The service is particularly valuable for cruise ships, private islands, and remote Bahamian locations, with the ability to complete a patient pickup in as little as 20 minutes. The team carries full medical equipment, ensuring they can handle
any emergency.
“We can pick up somebody that’s on the beach.
We hop out as a team, turn the airplane around, go on the beach with our
Central Grand Bahama mP Iram lewIs
Gurney, get the patient on board, and take off,” Bryan added.
Davis to meet Rubio on Cuban workers and country’s financial crime laws
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
CONCERNS about
The Bahamas’ enforcement of financial crime laws and its payments to Cuban healthcare workers will be at the centre of high-level talks involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio when Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis leads a delegation to Washington, DC, next week.
The high-level meetings come amid scrutiny from US officials, including criticism in a recent narcotics control report and questions from the US about how The Bahamas compensates Cuban medical staff.
Director of Communications Latrae Rahming said the full agenda for the talks has not been finalised, but Mr Davis is expected to push for regional security cooperation and relief from tariffs that disadvantage small island developing states.
“I know he will advance the interest of The Bahamas and provide any clarity that DC may have, or the administration may have on the Bahamian government policies,” Mr Rahming said.
Attorney General Ryan Pinder said outreach has already been made to major US agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and digital asset regulators.
He said the country would spotlight its compliance with all 40 Financial
Action Task Force (FATF) anti-money laundering (AML) recommendations — one of only a handful of countries to do so — and push back against what he described as misleading assessments in the 2024 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR).
“When you look at the report versus the reality, they just don’t match up,” he said. “We are 40 for 40 in anti-money laundering — one of only seven countries in the world to accomplish that.”
Mr Pinder added that the US lacks key AML mechanisms like beneficial ownership transparency, which he called a basic standard.
Describing the report as “technical and bureaucratic” rather than political, Mr Pinder said it rehashes outdated assessments and fails to reflect the country’s regulatory strength.
“We are a model jurisdiction in financial services regulation,” he said. “There is a clear need for global consistency in standards, and it’s critical that The Bahamas’ efforts are fairly assessed.”
To bolster the country’s case, Mr Pinder said regulators will accompany the prime minister to provide firsthand insight into enforcement practices, rather than relying solely on elected officials to carry the message.
Press secretary Keishla Adderley also confirmed that Prime Minister Davis will also address the issue of Cuban medical workers during the visit.
“As you know, the issue as to how the salary payments to Cubans was allocated was one raised by the Secretary of State Mr Marco Rubio,” she said. “The Prime Minister intends to travel to Washington sometime next week; that will likely be one of the matters that they discuss. He will also discuss other matters of mutual interest, border protection and related matters during those talks as well. Those discussions will take place, but I would not want to preempt the outcomes.”
The United States has warned of potential visa restrictions for foreign officials involved in Cuba’s labour export programmes, which critics liken to forced labour.
Documents published recently by the Free Society Project (Cuba Archive) suggest The Bahamas pays thousands of dollars monthly for each Cuban healthcare worker, yet allows only a small fraction — between $990 and $1,200 — to go directly to the professionals. The balance reportedly goes to the Cuban state agency Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, SA (CSMC).
Despite calls for transparency, no Bahamian official has disputed that Cuban professionals receive less than 20 percent of the amount paid for their services.
Mr Rubio is also now acting as national security advisor to President Trump in addition to his role as Secretary of State.
Pinder: Govt decidinG on technoloGy Platform to oversee cannabis licensinG
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter
THE government is nearing a decision on a technology platform to support the country’s cannabis licensing system, with Attorney General Ryan Pinder confirming yesterday that officials are still aiming to accept licence applications by July. Mr Pinder said extensive research into regulatory platforms has been completed, and a shortlist of potential providers has been drawn up. The Cannabis Authority, which will regulate medical and religious cannabis use, is expected to make its final selection soon. Following that, the focus will shift to building the necessary human resources for the rollout.
The members of the Cannabis Authority were revealed yesterday. Dr Lynwood Brown will chair the institution, which
consists of 11 members, including Bishop Simeon Hall, Priest Richmond McKinney, Dr Pearl McMillan, Dr Carolin Burnett-Garaway, Dr Tynell Cargill, Dr Tanya McCartney, attorney Donavan Gibson, Jerry Pinder, Beverley Laramore, and Gail Cartwright. Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville confirmed that officials are also finalising a location for the Cannabis Authority’s office. “Once all of this is done and in place, then we’ll be ready to open for business,” he said. “I think we’re moving, and we’re about to pick up the pace.”
Last year, Parliament passed legislation legalising cannabis for medical and religious use. The regulatory system will offer multiple types of licences, including cultivation, transport, manufacturing, retail, religious, and analytical testing. A cultivation licence will allow for the growing,
Funeral Service For
Deacon Ricky Ricardo Arlington Belle, 62
harvesting, and packaging of cannabis, while a transport license will enable delivery within the country. A manufacturing licence will cover production and packaging, and a retail license will permit the sale of cannabis and accessories for medical, scientific, and religious purposes. A religious license will permit cannabis use in religious practices, and an analytical testing license will be for scientific testing of cannabis products.
Licenses for cultivation, transport, retail, and religious use will be reserved for Bahamian citizens or companies fully owned by Bahamians. Analytical testing, manufacturing, and research licenses may be obtained by entities with at least 30% Bahamian ownership.
Initial application fees range from $1,000 for cultivation, transport, and religious licenses, to $5,000 for analytical testing licenses.
of Upper Bogue, North Eleuthera, Bahamas will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025, 11:00 a.m. at Prayer & Praise Assembly on Ragged Island St., The Grove. Officiating will be Apostle David Armbrister assisted by other Ministers of The Gospel. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Gardens, Soldier Road, New Providence.
Left to cherish his memories are his loving wife: Denise Belle; 2 daughters: Shaneka Rolle, Raquel Belle Ferguson (Millhouse); 3 adopted daughters: Shady and Shackana Minnis, and Karlean Bethel; 4 sons: Ricardo Belle (Shandira), Renardo Belle, Renaldo Belle(deceased) and Reco Belle; 1 adopted son: Willdeer Albury; grandchildren: Shantia, Shadavia, Ashley, Rishan, Shaday, Mileka, Rishea, Rawnell, Kimberly, Doris, Ricardo Jr, Millhouse Jr., Milleck, and Christopher; sisters: Janice Burrows, Lorie, Yvette, and Sharlese Belle; brothers: Otis (Teddy) Belle, Edward Penn, Fred Garland, Alvin Adderley; Aunts: Hazel Adderley and Dianna Cash (Godfrey); uncles: Rufus Bain (Carol), Prophet Anthony Williams (Tiffany) and Tyrone Williams (Charlene); sisters-in-law: Rebecca Smith, Louise (Nathan) Meadows, Valda, Evan and Edris Rolle and Vanera (Frenchy) Russell; brothers-in-law: Carl (Yvonne), Kenneth (Antoinette), Jeremiah (Vangy) Eric & Greg (Donna) Rolle; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends including: Colin, Austin Johnson, Margaret, Sylvia, Jackie, Debbie, Deacon Laurel Bullard, Joy, Wendy, Terry Harris, Sybil Munroe, Carl & Michelle Grant, IPad Ministry Eleuthera & Nassau, Trinity City of Praise Eleuthera & Nassau, Ministry of Works Eleuthera & Nassau, District Council North Eleuthera, Progressive Liberal Party, MP North Eleuthera Sylvanas Petty, Mr. Scott Sawyer, Community of Upper & Lower Bogue, Spanish Wells, & Harbour Island, Apostle David & Apostle Raquel Armbrister & family, Bishop Neil & Patrice Ellis & Family, Apostle David Butler and World Outreach Christian Center Family, Bishop Ivry & Apostle Denise Johnson & family, Bishop Chadwick & Christine James & family, Apostle Ed & Apostle Lee Watson & Family, Pastor Martin & Prophetess Shanette Kemp & family, Pastor Ivan & Lady Ruthann Rolle & family, Pastor Fred & Julieth Wallace, Pastor Gordon & Pastor Marsha Cash, Minister Wellington & Evangelist Marie Johnson & family, Pastor Darren and First Lady Agnes, Deacon Clement & Somina Fowler & family, International Prayer and Deliverance Apostolic Ministry Family Eleuthera, The staff of M.O.W. Upper Bogue, The Staff and Administrator Office Upper Bogue, too many more to mention. Rest In Paradise Rickey Ricardo Belle
Viewing will be held in the Legacy Suite of Vaughn O. Jones Memorial Center, #103 Mt. Royal Avenue & Talbot Street, New Providence on (TODAY) Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and at the Church on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to service time.
Prime minister PhiliP ‘Brave’ Davis
attorney General ryan PinDer
Sweeting encourages Family Islanders to try digital banking
Man
admits to slapping and kicking 8-year-old
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 28-yeAr-old man is awaiting sentencing after admitting to slapping and kicking his eight-year-old daughter last month, claiming she “cut her eye” at him. The defendant, whose name is being withheld to
By PAVEL BAILEY
Staff Reporter
A 48-yeAr-old man was granted bail yesterday after being accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl in 2023.
Kirkley dean was arraigned before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-evans on a charge of
protect the identity of the minor, was charged with cruelty to children before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-evans.
He reportedly slapped the child on the left side of her face and kicked her in the right thigh on April 20 in New Providence, leaving her with a swollen face.
FAMIly Islands are losing traditional bank services, but Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting says the shift creates an opening for young Bahamian companies to modernise banking and fill the gap.
Mr Sweeting said banks tend to withdraw from areas where economic activity is limited, but insisted the Family Islands present opportunity, not just challenges. He pointed to Bahamian financial services providers, such as Kanoo and Cash ‘N Go, as examples of how new players can evolve how residents access essential services.
“We have young individuals with young companies evolving the way we bank in some of these Family Islands,” he said, adding that the situation creates space for well-funded Bahamian groups to step in where traditional institutions have pulled back.
His comments follow backlash over the Bank of The Bahamas’ decision to slash operating hours at its Kemp’s Bay branch in South Andros to just one day a week, despite the
branch serving the more populous settlement in the constituency. By contrast, its Mangrove Cay branch will remain open four days a week.
South and Central Andros MP leon lundy, also a Cabinet minister, criticised the move as a “disservice” to residents and part of a wider pattern of Family Islands being “treated as an afterthought” by commercial banks and public institutions.
Bank of The Bahamas, 84 percent government-owned through the Public Treasury and National Insurance Board, has said the changes were driven by operational issues and a push for more efficient service delivery. It continues to encourage customers to use its digital platforms and ATMs, which it describes as “convenient and secure.”
Still, Mr lundy questioned the logic of limiting service in the more populated settlement and urged the bank to reconsider. He also called for reforms that would make it easier for Bahamians to obtain commercial banking licences to serve underserved areas.
The retreat from Family Island banking is not new. Central Bank Governor John rolle previously revealed that branch numbers in Grand Bahama and the Family Islands fell nearly 40 percent between 2014 and 2021 — from 38 to just 23. Nationally, the total dropped from 86 to 61 over that same period.
Foreign-owned banks, in particular, have exited smaller, costlier island markets, leaving some residents dependent on ATMs, web shops, or third-party digital payment providers like Sun Cash, Island Pay, and omni Financial. The Central Bank has promoted the Sand dollar and agency banking as possible longterm alternatives.
Bank of The Bahamas has also faced staffing issues, including a temporary closure of its Inagua branch last week due to employees being on leave and others falling ill, according to the bank’s managing director. despite the challenges, Mr Sweeting and others see the changing landscape as a chance to reimagine financial access in the Family Islands.
Inaugural Youth Entrepreneurial Symposium
workshops, learned from established business leaders, and showcased their entrepreneurial ideas in a lively marketplace setting.
When asked by the magistrate why he assaulted the girl, the defendant said it was because she rolled her eyes at him.
He is expected to return to court for sentencing today.
Assistant Superintendent of Police S Coakley prosecuted the matter.
He pleaded guilty and accepted the facts presented by the prosecution.
unlawful sexual intercourse. He is accused of having unlawful sexual intercourse with the underage girl on december 31, 2023. The alleged victim was reportedly employed at the defendant’s convenience store at the time. dean was not required to enter a plea. His case will be transferred to the Supreme Court through a
yeSTerdAy, the Tourism development Corporation (TdC) hosted its first youth entrepreneurial Symposium and Marketplace, a landmark event aimed at empowering and inspiring the next generation of Bahamian entrepreneurs.
The event, powered by the TdC’s Generation Impact Initiative, brought together junior and senior high school students from both public and private institutions. Attendees engaged in interactive
deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper delivered the keynote address, encouraging students to dream boldly and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s economic future.
voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). He was granted $10,000 bail with one or two sureties and must sign in at the Wulff road Police Station every Sunday by 7pm. He will also be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
dean is expected to return to court on August 6 for service of the VBI.
Murder
Man accused of Molesting teenage girl Man charged with
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 26- ye A r-old man was remanded to prison yesterday after he was accused of a fatal shooting at Arawak Cay on e aster Monday.
Tavonne Smith was arraigned before Chief Magistrate r oberto r eckley on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Prosecutors allege that Smith opened fire on a
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 29-yeAr-old man was sentenced to 14 years in prison yesterday for stealing $5,000 during an armed robbery at a Wulff road web shop in 2022.
Justice Neil Braithwaite sentenced Troy rolle on a charge of armed robbery. rolle, along with
group of men following a physical altercation outside r emelda’s Kitchen after 10pm on April 21. Sean Bain Jr was fatally shot during the incident and pronounced dead at the scene. Tianno r olle was also shot in the chest but was treated and survived.
The suspect reportedly fled the scene on foot.
Police noted that Smith has prior convictions. He was not required to enter a plea and was informed that the case
another masked accomplice, reportedly robbed the cashier at Percy’s Island Game at gunpoint on october 9, 2022, stealing $5,000. during his trial, it was revealed that rolle used his girlfriend’s car to commit the crime. He was convicted of the offence on June 6, 2024. Justice Braithwaite noted that rolle had three
would proceed to the Supreme Court via a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).
Smith was remanded to the Bahamas d epartment of Correctional Services until his next court appearance before Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville on June 5, when the VBI may be served. Tai Pinder-Mackey representeMan accused of molsting teenage girld the accused, while Inspector d eon Barr served as the prosecutor.
prior convictions for theft and receiving stolen property. He also found that rolle showed no remorse, and that the armed robbery reflected an escalation of his criminal behaviour.
The judge remarked that rolle had refused to desist from his criminal actions.
rolle was sentenced to 14 years in prison, with one year deducted for time already spent on remand.
Photos: nikia Charlton
Cultivating gardens of opportunity for the future
To plant a garden is to dream of tomorrow” is a quote attributed to the late actress Audrey Hepburn. To many who read it, this quote may signify how nature’s benefits, activated by human ingenuity, can serve as a gift for future generations. If we extend the quote’s meaning and consider nurturing the next generation, we can also cultivate gardens of opportunity for youth, allowing communities to reap immense future benefits. These benefits include the adults of tomorrow having the confidence to articulate their needs and aspirations while possessing the various tools they need for future success.
I recently participated in and observed one such effort of planting initial seeds of impact through a garden planting and youth building exercise organised by one Eleuthera Foundation (oEF). Last week, oEF presented a hydroponic tower growing system to Preston H Albury High School’s Agriculture Department. The presentation included an engaging lettuce-planting session with students, board members, and community partners. While learning more about this innovative method of hydroponic growing, the engagement with students offered another powerful learning opportunity.
During the exercise, 11th-grade students showcased their curiosity, poise, humour, and care for each other as three teams competed for the best hydroponic planting.
I spoke to several students but had a more extended conversation with a young man named Max, who brought a conscientious planting technique and articulated his vocational aspirations. During the presentation to students about the school gardening project, speakers described farming as a viable career for young people. While this is an accurate statement, when I asked Max if he wanted to be a farmer, he shook his head and said no. Despite his interest in farming activity, I learned that Max had an even greater passion: carpentry. I also asked him if he was looking forward to the summer, and he said he was not. I was intrigued and told him that I didn’t know of any high schooler who didn’t look forward to a vacation from school. It was his response that planted a seed of truth in me. Max was not interested in summer break because he knew he would lose out on his carpentry courses at school. I watched his eyes
By Dr Kim Williams-Pulfer
light up as he elaborated and described his carpentry lessons. It was clear that his passion for carpentry exceeded his desire for a vacation. It made me think of the many potential opportunities that young people crave. Across the archipelago, students want to enhance their passions and interests. Like emerging buds, housed within them are great possibilities for growth. Research shows that oftentimes when youth engage in negative behaviours, it is because they lack sufficient outlets that support their positive development. While it’s easy to judge young people engaged in unhealthy behaviours, as adult leaders, we should also realise that we possess a rich soil of resources that we can make available to young people who want to thrive. Are we adequately listening to the dreams and aspirations of the next generation and then co-designing learning pathways so they can harvest success for themselves, our nation, and the world?
My interaction with Max as he expressed his specific interests in learning and career support also resonates with the perspectives of young people around the world. In a survey designed by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children, and adolescent health, asked young people to complete the sentence, “To improve my well-being, I want...”
700,000 youth respondents indicated that that the most valuable need for their wellbeing was getting the right amount of education, skills, and employability. Yet, as the World Economic Forum (WEF) indicates, only one in four young people have the skills they need for the future. WEF proposes four steps that adults committed to youth leadership and learning can invoke to cultivate lush possibilities for youth. These include:
• helping youth identify career avenues early on,
• creating numerous pathways for their skill development, including clubs, volunteering, or internships,
• supporting the cultivation of community spaces so young people can discuss critical issues while crafting solutions,
• guiding young people to lead by encouraging other youth to carefully plan for their future.
Along with WEF’s recommendations, I took Max’s rich insights to heart, especially as an educator and board chair of the Center for Innovation and Training (CTI), oEF’s sister organization. At CTI, we create educational offerings for career development and engaged citizenship, as graduates provide immense intellectual, social, and economic contributions to their communities. Creating opportunities for young people who want to continue to grow in their budding interests requires programs and opportunities created by the staff
of organizations like one Eleuthera Foundation and the Center for Training and Innovation. However, organizations like ours cannot go at it alone or operate in a silo.
This immense national undertaking requires a coordinated response that includes committed teachers, volunteers, generous donors, youth-focused organisations, and engaged corporations working together to cultivate leadership that shapes the future. Using the steps provided by WEF, national-level collaborative efforts can ensure that all students in this country have deep exposure to a wide range of pathways for their future success, early on, year-round, and at a pace conducive to their learning styles.
Imagine the possibilities if those of us who haven’t done so already but who
have access to internships or community volunteer opportunities, made space for young people to nurture their interests. With someone’s generosity, Max could have his carpentry course extended this summer. For those not engaged in this kind of practice, a rich bounty of opportunities is available, including adopting a school, sponsoring a summer program hosted by a youth-focused organisation, or even inviting a student to work as an intern. Max’s yearning serves as a point of illumination for us all. Through deep listening to youth, we can create programming supported by funding and long-term partnerships that foster and sustain the potential for growth within our young people. We can use our collective
resources to plant many kinds of gardens of tomorrow with and for the next generation.
• Established in 2012, the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a non-profit organisation located in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. For more information, visit www. oneeleuthera.org or email info@oneeleuthera. org. The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is the first and only postsecondary, non-profit education and training institution and social enterprise on Eleuthera. CTI operates a student training campus in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, with a 16-room training hotel, restaurant and farm. For more information about CTI’s programmes, email: info@oneeleuthera.org.
59 a resident of #5 Buttonwood Ave., Pinewood Gardens, died on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
He is survived by his 1 son, 1 sister: 2 nieces, 2 nephews, 1 grand nephew & a host of other relatives & friends
of One Eleuthera Foundation
Dr Kim Williams-Pulfer, Chair Centre for Training and Innovation.
leD by PHA agriculture teacher Perez Armaly, the farm at PHA is thriving, growing and increasing the capacity of the school’s aspiring young farmers and agriculturists. Shown in the photo are Perez Armaly (4th from left), Keyron Smith, president and CEO of One Eleuthera Foundation (6th from left), executive members of the OEF and CTI team and board, along with Philip Smith of the Agricultural Development Organization (ADO).
CTi Chairman Dr Kim Williams-Pulfer engages with students during a hands-on lettuce planting activity at Preston Albury High School.
Goodbye billboards, hello gorgeous view
Just when I thought I could not find another single word or way in which to plead, beg, urge or beseech those in charge to remove the mass of 17 billboards blocking the view of Montagu Bay, voila! there was the crew from Parks & Beaches Authority, taking them down, one by one, revealing the view we all missed so much.
I wasn’t alone in this fight to remove the signs that had grown from one or two to so many you could no longer see the water and it wouldn’t have happened if others had not cared so much, but I will say that I might take home the honours for stubbornness, waging the battle till I was weary (and afraid readers were as well) yet never giving up. Just the other day, I came across a letter to the editor I wrote in 2003, tacky signs…With the lead graf that went like this: “An inner-city disease called ‘signusitis’ is sweeping Nassau like an epidemic. And the only cure is a change in how we feel about our environment, and in the end, ourselves.” that was 22 years ago.
In 2008, I prepared a paper for a meeting with Ministry of Works, the Department of Physical Planning and the Ministry of tourism outlining a plan for period signage for Historic Nassau. It included every detail of every step along with information from other historic districts like Charleston, south Carolina that had branded themselves so successfully. that was 17 years ago.
Not much has changed in the way we treat signage and a national acceptance of physical environment mediocrity since that first letter about the disease I labelled “signusitis” in 2003.
the world has swirled around us, a whirlwind of change. Consider the number of times Apple has introduced a new iPhone or Americans have elected a new president or the Bahamas has swapped one political party for another to run the country. through all of those years, through 9/11 and COVID, through however many Olympics and CArIftA Games Bahamian athletes have flown to and returned bearing grins and Gold, through the explosion of online banking and digital wallets and easier ways of doing lots of other things, through believing facebook was a fad that would fade and later accepting AI as the new way of completing a sentence, through all of those game-changing impacts and influences, we who live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet continue to abuse it.
We plant billboards where flowers should grow. We block views others would give anything to enjoy. We trash grounds that should give life to fruit trees and food-bearing bushes but instead become carpets of KfC boxes, Kalik beer bottles and Wendy’s bags. We should be proud but we are dirty. And messy and if we only gave a youknow-what we could do so much and it would take so little.
Imagine streets where yellow elder blossomed,
By Diane Phillips
one tree with its arms out wide after another in full bloom, and another where royal Poinciana, proud in red, showed its colour, roundabouts with annuals and backdrops of silver buttonwood and deep Nitida or Benjamina. Imagine historic Nassau where you could IG selfies in front of signs telling the story of a building that is 200 years old or a warehouse used by pirates plundering Nassau in the early days and by bootleggers during us Prohibition. We are not restrained by lack of resources. We are paralysed by lack of imagination. so take this lesson of what we have learned from Montagu. We, the people, can make the right thing happen if we put our collective minds and hearts to it. We are bigger than crass commercialism and stronger than those who would defile our beautiful land and our unparalleled views. We are patient and we shall win.
AND ON TO PART TWO
twenty-two years after that first letter to the editors of all the media about tacky signs and a condition I labelled “signusitus”, we are far from where we need to be. Let us not get so caught up in patting ourselves on the back that we forget where our feet need to be planted next and the direction we need to take as a group. And this includes original interested parties like Peter Bates (sign Man) who has tried so hard to get government to listen to the idea of proper signage standards, and Loretta Butler-turner, Bruce raine, Bobby Bower, who helped design historic signage, so many others who at some point along the way recognised how one single component – signage – could have such a powerful impact on how a place looks. Imagine if all the signs in Historic Nassau
reflected an historic colour and style. Imagine the statement that would make about the pride of being part of a city about to celebrate its 300th birthday. Just picture what that would look like driving east on Bay street instead of glaring signs blaring messages about everything from sugar to cheap t-shirts and how much cleaner and finer it would be instead of rum cake posters on column after column in case you could not read rum cake the first time you saw it.
But, as I said, getting it
right is not hard. Examples of sensible signage standards for different areas abound. I have files filled with such samples and detailed notes from conversations with experts over the years. All it takes is two things and they may be the hardest two things of all. the first is WILL. the will to change, to accept the fact that clean beats trashy and the knowledge that environment impacts social behaviour. Clean environments enjoy less crime. the second is IMAGINAtION.
If we are beginning to get it right at Montagu and saunders Beach, imagine what New Providence could look like if we got it right clear across this island of New Providence, if we became the land of sea, sun, sand, flowers and shrubs and trees and fruit and plants and everything that says we care about this place we call home. Just IMAGINE. An island devoid of billboard blasphemy and in its place all things green and growing and available for all to enjoy and inhale. Just IMAGINE.
Immigrants in the Texas Panhandle live in limbo under Trump’s crackdown
TEXAS Associated Press
The truck driver is cutting his lawn on a windy afternoon, in a town so quiet you can take afternoon walks down the middle of Main Street.
Kevenson Jean is leaving the next day for another long haul and wants things neat at the two-bedroom home he shares with his wife in the Texas Panhandle town fittingly called Panhandle. So after mowing he carefully pulls grass from around the flagpoles in his front yard. One holds the haitian flag, the other American. Both are fading in the sun.
The young couple, who fled the violence that has engulfed haiti, thought until a few months ago that they could see the American dream, somewhere in the distance.
Now they are caught up in the confusion and fear that are rippling through the immigrant communities that dot this region. Newcomers have come here for generations to work in immense meatpacking plants that emerged as the state became the nation’s top cattle producer. But after President Donald Trump moved to end legal pathways that
immigrants like the Jeans have used, their future — as well as the future of the communities and industries they are a part of — is uncertain.
“We are not criminals. We’re not taking American jobs,” said Jean, whose work moving meat and other products doesn’t attract as many US-born drivers as it once did. he’s been making more money than he ever imagined. he’s discovered the joys of Bud Light, fishing and the Dallas Cowboys. When she’s not at one of her two food service jobs, his wife, Sherlie, works on her
english by reading paperback romances, the covers awash in swooning women.
“We did everything that they required us to do, and now we’re being targeted.”
‘Leave the United States’
The message was blunt.
“It’s time for you to leave the United States,” the Department of homeland Security said in an early April email to some immigrants who had legal permission to live in the US “Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you.”
This is what Trump had long promised
Immigration into the US, both legal and illegal, surged during the Biden administration, and Trump spun that into an apocalyptic vision that proved powerful with voters.
The White house rhetoric has focused on illegal immigration and the relatively small number of immigrants they say are gang members or who have committed violent crimes. however, the Trump administration also has sought to end many legal avenues for immigrants to come to the US and revoke the temporary status of hundreds of thousands of people already here, saying people had not been properly vetted.
Jean is among roughly 2 million immigrants living legally in the US on some sort of temporary status. Most have fled deeply troubled countries: haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan. Many are allowed to work in the US and have jobs and pay taxes.
Jean is sympathetic in ways to the immigration crackdown.
“The White house, I respect what they say,” he
said. “They are working to make America safer.”
“But I will say not all immigrants are gang members. Not all immigrants are like a criminal. Some of them, just like me and my wife, and other people, they are coming here just to have a better life.”
The administration told more than 500,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and haitians they would lose their legal status on April 24, though a judge has put that on hold. About 500,000 haitians are scheduled to lose a different protected status in August.
‘It’s obvious we’re needed’
The government directives and ensuing court battles have left many immigrants unsure of what to do.
“It’s all so confusing,” said Lesvia Mendoza, a 53-yearold special education teacher who came with her husband from Venezuela in 2024, moving in with her son who lives in Amarillo, the Panhandle’s largest city, and who is in the process of getting US citizenship. She doesn’t understand why the immigration crackdown affects people like her, who came legally and never received government assistance.
“I do know that he says, ‘America for the Americans,’” she said. “But all the jobs, all the production that happens because of immigrants? It’s obvious we’re needed.”
She said she will leave the US if ordered to.
Others aren’t so sure.
“I really can’t go back,” said a haitian woman who asked to be identified only as Nicole because she fears deportation. “It’s not even a decision.”
She works at a meatpacking plant, deboning cattle carcasses for more than $20 an hour. She received homeland Security’s message, but insists it can’t refer to someone who has followed the laws as she had, pointing to a phrase exempting people who have “otherwise obtained a lawful basis to remain.”
A town called Cactus Deep in the Panhandle, where cattle graze in seemingly endless prairie punctuated with rusting oil pumpjacks, is the town of Cactus.
A wooden mosque with a gold-domed top is set amid streets of battered mobile homes and churches for Roman Catholics, Baptists and Nazarenes. There’s a Somali restaurant, a shop for Central American groceries, and a Thai takeout place.
At Golden Lotus Market, you can pick up Vietnamese instant coffee and a cereal drink from Myanmar. A flyer taped to the store’s entrance and written in english, Spanish and Burmese announces a new youth sports league: “Do you like to play baseball?”
“You meet all walks of life here,” said Ricardo Gutierrez, who was raised in Cactus. “I have Burmese friends, Cubans, Colombians, everyone.”
Sometimes, when the wind is blowing, the acrid smell of the slaughterhouse signals the town’s biggest employer. The meatpacking facility with more than 3,700 workers is owned by JBS, the world’s largest beef producer.
The loss of immigrant labour would be a blow to the industry.
“We’re going to be back in this situation of constant turnover,” said Mark Lauritsen, who runs the meatpacking division for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents thousands of Panhandle workers. “That’s assuming you have labour to replace the labour we’re losing.”
Nearly half of workers in the meatpacking industry are thought to be foreign-born.
Immigrants have long found work in slaughterhouses, back to at least the late 1800s when multitudes of europeans — Lithuanians, Sicilians, Russian Jews and others — filled Chicago’s Packingtown neighbourhood.
The Panhandle plants were originally dominated by Mexicans and Central Americans. They gave way to waves of people fleeing poverty and violence around the world, from Somalia to Cuba.
After US Immigration and Customs enforcement conducted a massive operation at Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in 2006 and detained hundreds of workers, the Cactus slaughterhouse, now owned by JBS, increasingly hired refugees and asylumseekers with legal permission to live and work in the US Pay starts at roughly $23 an hour. english skills aren’t needed, in part because the thunderous noise of the machines often means communication is done with hand signals.
What is required is a willingness to do physically demanding work.
It was the JBS plant that brought Idaneau Mintor to Cactus, where he works the overnight shift amid relentless blood and gore.
“every morning they kill the cows, and at night I come in to clean the equipment,” he says flatly.
A lonely life
Mintor lives in nearby Dumas in a small one-story house divided into three one-bedroom apartments. he takes home about $2,400 a month and pays about $350 for a single mattress on the living room floor and a chair where he can pile his clothes. his roommate gets the bedroom.
Sleep, he says, is sometimes impossible, as he worries about the large family he supports in haiti and whether his work permit will be cancelled. On the kitchen counter are stacks of receipts for the money transfers he’s sent back home.
he’s been here for 11 months and can’t fathom being sent back. “I follow the rules,” he said. “I respect everything.”
he has no real friends and doesn’t go out, afraid he could somehow get in trouble.
“I spend my entire day doing nothing, and thinking,” he said, leaning against the home’s stucco walls, by the concrete parking spaces that used to be the front yard. “So I’m happy when it’s time to go to work and I have something to do.” The last haul?
The sun was barely above the horizon when trucker Kevenson Jean packed a few clothes, zipped up his suitcase and got ready for what he thought would be his final run.
he and his wife came to the US in 2023, sponsored by a Panhandle family whose small nonprofit employed him to run a school and feeding center for children in rural haiti.
The Jeans were supposed to have at least two years to stay and work in the US, and hoped to eventually become citizens. But they were told in March that Kevenson’s work permit was ending April 24. An ensuing court order left even many employers unsure if people could keep working.
Kevenson had gone to trucking school after arriving in the US, and fell hard for a Kenworth.
The truck had taken him across immense swaths of America, taught him about snow, the dangers of high winds and truck stop etiquette. his employer owns the truck, but he understands it like no one else.
“It’s going to be my last week with my baby,” said Jean, his voice filled with sadness.
he looked miserable as he made his checks: oil, cables, brakes. eventually, he sat in the driver’s seat took off his baseball cap and prayed, as he always does before setting off.
Then he put his hat back on, buckled his seat belt and drove away, heading west on Route 60.
Days later, he got word that he could keep his job. No one could tell him how long the reprieve would last.
Haitian immigrants Kevenson Jean, a truck driver, and wife Sherlie Jean, a fast food worker, pose for a photo at their rental home on April 14, 2025, in Panhandle, Texas. Photo: Eric Gay/AP
Bay Street inferno
Multiple buildings burned in a major fire last night on Bay Street. Photos: Chappell Whyms Jr
