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MP: I CONSIDERED BREAKING THE LAW

Miller understands people removing trees in Carmichael

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net ENVIRONMENT Minister Vaughn Miller expressed empathy for people who have been unlawfully removing trees in the Carmichael area yesterday, saying he too once considered illegally acquiring Crown land due to frustration with the grant system.

His comment came as environmental officials expressed concern about the deforestation activities in the southern area of New Providence.

Danielle Hanek, the Acting Director of Forestry, said officials estimate that 500 acres of land have been cleared since last July and officials are searching for the culprits who will be subject to penalties.

SEE PAGE THREE

‘THOUSANDS’ BACKLOGGED IN LAND APPLICATIONS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE land manager at the Department of Lands and Surveys says the backlog of applications for Crown Land is in the thousands and wants government to suspend the application process so people who have never been approved for a Crown Land grant can get a response.

Mark Darville’s comments came during the weekly press conference

at the Office of the Prime Minister. Expected to talk about how the Crown Land grant process should work, he lambasted the system, calling it antiquated and in need of dramatic overhaul.

“I think they should’ve done a cut off (for applications), just cut off for a bit to accommodate people who at least never had Crown Land before because you know we have people who get land repeatedly and you should deal with people who had never SEE PAGE THREE

FIGHTING FOR OUR CHILDREN SPEAKERS at a press conference yesterday at which Rise Bahamas called for stricter penalties on those who refuse to report sex crimes committed against children in their care. See PAGE TWO for the full story.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

THREE-YEAR WAIT FOR $820K ‘DON’T LET $1BN ARREARS BE OWED BY CLUB LAND’OR EXCUSE TO AVOID REFORM’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net HOTEL managers and their union have now been waiting “almost three years” to recover a collective $821,292 allegedly owed to them by a shuttered Paradise Island resort,

it was revealed yesterday.

Trades Union Congress president Obie Ferguson said the only means the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association and its members have to recover what is due is via the Supreme Courtapproved liens attached to the property’s sale.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE government’s selfproclaimed $1bn in tax arrears must not become an excuse for failing to “bite the bullet” on reform, said private sector tax chief Gowon Bowe yesterday,

describing such thinking as “a fool’s errand”.

Mr Bowe said even if the government was to collect 100 percent of that sum it would still come nowhere near to wiping-out the $2bn-plus deficits incurred over Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19’s peak.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

SANDS WARNS ON RISE IN COVID CASES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net FREE National Movement Chairman Dr Duane Sands has raised concerns about the recent uptick of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, insisting the true number of infections could be higher.

Dr Sands claimed that this is due to “a substantial number” of unreported positive rapid antigen tests.

DR DUANE SANDS Currently, RT-PCR tests are used as the gold standard to determine COVID-19 infection in The

Bahamas. The tests, which are also more costly, are the only ones reported in the nation’s daily COVID-19 dashboard.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Dr Sands said it is now time for the government to consider including positive results of antigen tests in the nation’s daily dashboard to provide Bahamians with an accurate picture of the nation’s true COVID state.

SEE PAGE FOUR

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

DIANE PHILLIPS: IS OUR ECONOMIC WELL-BEING THREATENED?

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Friday, May 6, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Fighting for our children

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

RISE Bahamas yesterday urged lawmakers to establish legislation that would impose strict penalties on family members and caretakers who refuse to report sex crimes committed against children in their care.

Their plea came during a press conference held in remembrance of four-yearold Bella Walker, who died last November from blunt force trauma. Yesterday marked the six-month anniversary of baby Bella’s death.

In an impassioned plea condemning all forms of violence, particularly against children, Rights Bahamas along with other advocacy groups said they will continue to speak out and lobby for change until the country’s child protection laws are strengthened and enforced.

“We won’t rest,” said activist Erin Brown yesterday. “Rise Bahamas and our organisations within the length and breadth of The Bahamas will not rest until children of The Bahamas are better protected from harm, incest, molestation, verbal abuse.

SPEAKERS at a press conference yesterday at which Rise Bahamas called for stricter penalties on those who refuse to report sex crimes committed against children in their care.

Photos: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff “We are calling our homes, our legislative bodies, our community members and leaders to no longer wait for another incident, statistic or moment to happen here.

We are strongly against gender-based violence, domestic violence and any type of violence here in The Bahamas so we rise and we stand for child protection.”

Yesterday’s event also saw several female survivors of child sex abuse speak out about their experiences, while encouraging others in similar positions to let their voices be heard.

“I came to charge you today to speak,” said Davina Smith. “You are looking at an overcomer of molestation from the age of six until the age of 13.

At 13, I conceived a child by my molester. Then to be

told to keep quiet because it would ruin the family.

“It affected me in every area in my life. I couldn’t give love let alone receive it but when God found me, He found me used, bruised and He found me tattered and torn, but He still saw me fit to move me for his glory. If he could do it for a little black Bain Town girl, He could do it for you. You cannot heal what you continue to conceal.”

Terneille Burrows of Rise Bahamas said those who turn a blind eye to the cries of child victims of sex abuse must also suffer the consequences.

“I am proposing that the government considers establishing a law that would compel immediate family members, guardians and caregivers to report any crime against a child or face

penalties. Hashtag Bella’s Law would ensure that witnesses of child abuse report it to the Director of Social Services or to the Child Protection Unit of the police force,” she said.

The advocacy group is also recommending proposed changes to the sex offenders’ registry, including the need for the registry to be publicised.

This comes after National Security Minister Wayne Munroe told reporters last month that the sexual offenders register was active and being updated as required by law.

“As far as the sex offender registry, the public was recently haphazardly informed that it is already in place, with no retroactivity or supporting public awareness campaign to support it,” Ms Burrows added.

“Are we expected to just sit back and accept these things wholesale? By no means. We stand for better laws, better government, better ministers, and better child protection.

She continued: “Mandate designated protected zones around all school areas, buildings, facilities, public transportations, movie theatres, parks, and any building used for the purposes of child-care services, recreation and entertainment as it relates to those convicted of crime against children.

“Any offender who gets a third conviction for a primary designated violent or sexual crime that should result in a sentence of at least two years is now presumed to be a dangerous offender, if two previous convictions each result in

a sentence of two years or more.

“Implement a Public Sex Offender Registry that should be maintained and kept up to date for all sex offenders who have been convicted of designated sex offences and ordered by the courts to report every year to the appropriate agency who maintains the list.”

Ms Burrows further recommended mandatory prosecutions for all child sexual abuse offences and also called for full implementation of the Marco Alert system.

Local advocacy groups that supported yesterday’s event include Save Our Children Alliance, Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), Silent No More, Rights Bahamas, the D’Marco Foundation among others.

ELIANA TURNS HER LENS ON LOCAL POLLUTION THE Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) has announced that 11-yearold Eliana Bowe, from St John’s College, is the winner of the 2022 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) National Competition.

Her winning photo entry: “Is it better in The Bahamas?“ called attention to one of the leading threats to coral reefs - pollution.

Ms Bowe captured a current photo of land-based garbage just footsteps away from the shoreline.

She received a brand-new GoPro HD camera gifted

RF GROUP SUPPORT FOR REACH THE RF Group (RF) supported Autism Awareness month in April with a cash donation to REACH, a local organisation that offers support to children and parents living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related challenges.

Among the organisation’s initiatives are monthly parent support group meetings, parent and caregiver training workshops and therapy camps for children on the spectrum – all offered free of charge.

In addition to the donation, RF made community awareness a team effort

with its staff members donning REACH’s autism awareness T-shirts every Friday in April and illuminating its head office on East Hill Street blue all month long.

RF also provided staff with educational resources to help them recognise signs of ASD and learn how they can become more supportive of differentlyabled persons within the community.

“As a corporate citizen, we understand the importance of diversity, which means making room for everyone in our community to become involved

by BREEF to support her future in environmental reporting.

Ms Bowe will also go on to represent The Bahamas in the 2022 Young Reporters for the Environment International Competition hosted by the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE).

BREEF commended all of the YRE participants for submitting their articles and photos. Entries focused on various real time issues such as the effects of climate change in The Bahamas, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The YRE Programme aims to empower students aged 11-25 to take a stand on environmental issues they feel strongly about.

It gives them a platform to call attention to these issues through writing, photography, or video.

There are more than 350,000 young reporters in 45 countries across the world.

Speaking on behalf of the YRE programme in The

Bahamas, Allison Longley, National Operator for the Young Reporters for the Environment, said: “The YRE programme allows a platform for young people to give nature a voice in such a fun and creative way. The YRE National Competition is the pinnacle of the programme, however, throughout the year students have an opportunity to connect with the marine environment first-hand through snorkel field trips and mangrove walkabouts.

When asked what motivates her to protect nature, Ms Bowe said: “I love my country and it has beautiful water. It’s important to take care of our marine environment. I am passionate about the ocean because I don’t want to see the fish go extinct.”

The Young Reporters for the Environment programme was launched in The Bahamas with the support of a grant from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme. Additional support has been provided by Rolex and Lombard Odier to enable children around The Bahamas to get involved with the Young Reporters for the Environment programme and take part in the international competition.

with our collective growth and development,” said Rachael Allahar, RF Group head of marketing.

“This comes through creating an equitable environment that goes beyond just acceptance, but that also supports and encourages the contribution of all members of our community – no matter their differences or abilities.

RF is committed to helping to foster this kind of environment.”

Receiving the donation was REACH’s chairman, Dr Dwayne Gibson who thanked RF for its support.

DWAYNE GIBSON, chairman of REACH, with Rachael Allahar, head of marketing, RF Group.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 6, 2022, PAGE 3

WATSON: MPS MISSING LEGAL DEADLINE MAY BE OVERSIGHT

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRESS secretary Clint Watson said he suspects “simple oversight” is to blame for some parliamentarians missing the deadline to meet annual disclosure requirements.

Bishop Victor Cooper, chairman of the Public Disclosure Commission, has

said some first-time MPs were not aware that there was a legal requirement for them to file financial disclosures under the Public Disclosures Act. This week, The Tribune asked most MPs if they had met the disclosure deadline. Only some replied. Pia Glover-Rolle, Dr Hubert Minnis, Dr Michael Darville, Glenys Hanna Martin, Leon

Lundy, Wayne Monroe, John Linder, Shannon Cartwright, Adrian White, Clay Sweeting and Keith Bell all said they had met the deadline.

“The deadline was March 1st,” Mr Watson said. “Some persons have asked for an extension is what we understand. As to how many people have not met disclosure, we don’t know. I did make

efforts to speak with the disclosure commissioner, but they were not able to provide the information to me readily. I wanted to be able to give you numbers as well, we’ve asked.

We’ve not been given numbers, but we know there exists people out there.

“Now, they all are aware that you have to disclose.

It was a part of training

for parliamentarians. What may have happened I suspect in this matter is the deadline passed and people being so consumed with whatever they were doing, didn’t meet the deadline or forgot the deadline was there.

“Trust I can tell you since this has made headlines many of them have rushed to get it done.

So, I think in many cases

it was just simple oversight to get it done. It’s the first one since taking office and I think people just missed the deadline because they didn’t know it was March 1st, they didn’t remember, they were caught up. Nonetheless, they all have been asked to get it done and they know the importance of doing that and they’re getting it done.”

MP: I considered breaking the law from page one

During a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Miller urged those cutting down the trees to “cease and desist”, but said he understands the factors driving them to do so.

“Firstly, Crown land is not a part of the Ministry of Environment, but I would like to speak to the issue in terms of what is happening,” he said. “I understand, I saw this day coming. I’ve heard conversations in the past, I’ve been a part of conversations, persons were upset, persons who were very concerned because the perception was that Haitians or Haitian Bahamians or persons of Haitian descent were allowed to live on Crown land without permission. So, if they’re allowed to do it in my country then as a Bahamian I must be able to do the same thing. I’ve entertained the thoughts of acting in a

ENVIRONMENT Minister Vaughn Miller. similar manner. I decided not to, it was not in the best interest of the country. The best way to do it was to abide by the process.

“From the church, we applied two or three times, we were denied. Then we were offered in another area which we were not interested in. And so I understand the frustrations of Bahamians who have been denied or have never been answered or responded to. I fully understand their frustrations.

What I’ve found out since, what I thought were persons just building on Crown land without permission

is really in many instances Bahamians who have Crown land grants and are leasing to persons. Obviously that’s a violation of the grant, that’s a violation of the conditions of a grant and this problem is a vexing one. It’s successive administrations, Bahamians crying out, ‘deal with this issue’ and now that we’re in office it’s now our problem and we must deal with it.

“The way forward is obviously, persons in terms of speaking to the issue of deforestation, they are Bahamians and from what I’ve been hearing is they are Bahamians who are frustrated and who felt the same way I felt, they’re doing what I opted not to do. I made a fundamental decision not to take that route but they obviously opted to take that route. I wish to encourage them to cease and desist. I understand their frustration. I understand the frustrations, the frustrations are real, legitimate, genuine, I fully

understand it, but I cannot condone the breaking of the laws, I cannot condone the illegal occupation.”

Ms Hanek said people have been clearing down protected trees, including the Pine tree and the Silver Top tree, which have national importance and significance.

She said: “Your fresh water resources are a priority of any government and so these areas, it’s always been determined that these are the reserves for such.

Many people say I can’t eat a pine tree. No, but you need one to breathe, you need one to have fresh water. If you use a public water system, public well or you have your own private well, that is all regenerated from these areas, as well as soil erosions (and) air quality, meaning the increase of dust, the increase of heat temperature, these are all effects that will affect people in these communities.”

“What has been lost in less than a few months will

‘THOUSANDS’ BACKLOGGED IN LAND APPLICATIONS from page one

had Crown Land before, be it residential or commercial,” he said.

Mr Darville said the process of applying for Crown Land needs to be digitised, adding the maps people rely on at his department have not been updated to show land that has been granted over the years.

“I realise with Crown Land our system is pretty old and population-wise, like back from the 50s and 60s it was working pretty smooth back then because the population growth wasn’t what it is now,” he said. “So, we dealing with a system that was in place from the 50s and 60s, still trying to work with that now in 2022. That’s why we(are) having all these issues with people (unlawfully taking) land and trying to take land over.”

Mr Darville said a land manager should be assigned to every major island and should have at least two assistants.

“You can’t operate and control land by sitting here in the capital, you see what I’m saying? People are going to come into Lands and Survey and they’re gonna get maps, they’re not up to date. They’re gonna look at some maps from the 50s ad 60s and they’re gonna see vacant Crown Land on it, but these lands have already been issued to grantees and there is a sense of innocence in it from them being ignorant to the fact of what’s happening today so our whole system needs to be revamped.

“Technologically, it needs to be revamped. We can’t be working with a system from the 60s and 50s to handle situations of 2022. I can’t even give you any sensible answer to what questions you gon’ bring to me because we working with a prehistoric system which needs to be revamped.”

“First of all, with applicants, we’re still dealing with paper applications.

We need to have digital stuff online where people can just fill in online and

they could have like an automated response that give them an acknowledgement letter and they will be able to have some kind of tale of the tape with what’s happening with the applications process.

“But when you bring in paper and you only have like four people in the registry and you have a bulk load of these applications coming in, everyone wants to be satisfied or accommodated according to land.

We don’t have the amount of people to deal with that.

It needs to be digitised and we need more manpower on the out islands to watch land and even if they have to work with the administrators over there that would help a lot. Someone needs to be stationed on every island to deal with situations. They just can’t run into Lands and Survey, they just can’t catch a plane, come on a boat and say they come to deal with the situation, that ain gonna work.”

Press secretary Clint Watson said the Davis administration is committed to reforming the Crown Land system.

Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis pledged to give Bahamians greater access to Crown Land and highlighted efforts to regularise Crown Land leases and grants. However, critics have continued to complain about how Crown Land is used.

Some, including Works & Utilities Minister Alfred Sears, have called for greater transparency and accountability in the distribution and management of Crown Land. In 2018, Mr Sears called for an amendment to the Conveyancing and Property Act to remove the prime minister’s exclusive power as the minister responsible for Crown Land.

“This is no accountability for how this Crown Land is used and is disposed of by the cabinet or the parliament,” he said. “On an

annual basis the proposed management committee will report to Bahamian people … how Crown Land is used; who receives a lease or a grant of Crown Land, and there can be accountability and transparency in the use of this important natural resource in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

take at least thirty to forty years to recover to its full functioning capabilities.”

The Minnis administration passed several major environmental laws that expand the government’s ability to impose penalties on people who break environmental laws, including the Environmental Protection Act and the Ministry of Environment Act. Mr Miller, however, said there is concern that the ministry lacks the manpower needed to properly enforce such laws.

“There’s a concern generally speaking in terms of the laws that are in place but the enforcement of those laws, a lot of persons question it and in our case we do our best. As it relates to forestry, in terms of what is happening presently when it comes to evidence, of course, persons aren’t going

to come forth and say, yes, we pushed down some trees, yes we cleared the land, it’s us (who have to compile the evidence).

Mr Miller said a director in the Department of Environmental Planning has told him at least 10 to 15 workers are needed immediately.

Ms Hanek, meanwhile, said her department requested a budget to hire 20 people during last year’s budget exercise, but only got enough to hire two people.

“We do need more staff,” she said. “We are currently in the hiring process so I do support the minister’s plea, especially persons from the SIS programme at UB. It’s the Small Island Sustainability programme, we are looking for officers and we are looking to establish our offices.”

PAGE 4, Friday, May 6, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Darville: Efforts to improve vaccine rates ‘not effective’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said social mobilisation, inclusive of gifts and prices, were not effective in sparking uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in The Bahamas.

Despite this, health officials are continuing an “aggressive” campaign to encourage more people to get vaccinated against the virus.

This includes public education, stronger public relations that targets smaller groups, behavioural support, and acquiring paediatric doses of the vaccine.

Last week, the minister noted that just over 51 percent of the eligible persons in the country were vaccinated.

Back in December, people who received their first vaccination shot between the second week of that month through to month’s end were eligible to win a $25,000 cash prize.

The government teamed up with the Fox Foundation to provide the prizes. People who got their first dose

during the period would be among 50 people chosen in each of the three weeks to receive $500 cash prizes.

Asked yesterday if the vaccination prizes they were giving away helped, Dr Darville admitted: “Social mobilisation, inclusive of gifts and prices, were not really effective to address vaccination uptake in the Bahamas.”

It is unclear if anyone ever walked away with any of the prizes.

As of April 30, the vaccination tracker showed 165,642 (including J&J ) people fully vaccinated.

In comparison, three months earlier on January 29,2022 the vaccine tracker said there were 159,229 people fully vaccinated.

This represents a difference of 6,413.

This total includes Bahamians and residents who were fully vaccinated aboard and registered on the vax.gov. bs platform.

The tracker also showed 342,304 total doses of vaccine administered and 155,343 people who have received one dose, excluding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as of April 30.

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Michael Darville.

SANDS WARNS ON RISE IN COVID CASES from page one However, when contacted for comment yesterday, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville was unable to confirm that there was a high number of people who recently tested positive by way of rapid antigen testing.

Dr Sands made the comments while expressing concern about the recent rise in cases over the last several days.

While COVID-19 cases have been trending low in recent months - with low single digit cases recorded on some days - there has been a slight uptick seen recently.

On Wednesday, 29 cases were recorded, bringing the nation’s overall tally to 33,655. Tuesday saw 25 cases confirmed, while 19 cases were reported on Monday and four on Sunday.

Currently, six people remain in hospital

sick with the disease.

“There has been a disturbing increase in the number of PCR positive cases,” Dr Sands said of the numbers yesterday. “I am informed that there is a substantial number of unreported positive antigen tests, which do not make it to the national dashboard and never has made it to the national dashboard.”

“But in the setting of low testing and if you look at the last fourteen days, we seldom have done more than 150 PCR tests per day and the positivity rate with rare exceptions have been well above five percent.

Most times, it’s above 10 percent and sometimes it’s above 15 percent.”

“We noticed with concern that the COVID situation in virtually every state of the United States of America has worsened and that includes number of cases and hospitalisations and so we remain concerned and

we urge the government to continue an aggressive campaign to try and strengthen the vaccination programme, which seems to have stalled and also to be cautious despite the calls for further reduction.”

Asked for an estimated number of positive antigens tests recorded in recent days, Dr Sands was unable to say, only noting it was “certainly more than the number of PCR positives” reported.

“What we have seen is been a shift in testing, from PCR testing which is still quite expensive to a predominance of antigen testing and so at the very least, even if you just put it as an asterisk, it would give a more reliable snapshot of what’s happening in the community,” the former health minister said.

“But to go from low single digit cases to consistently 29 cases, 19 cases, 25 cases and so on and so

Death Notice For Katrina Elizabeth Rutherford, 95

of Turnquest Avenue, Stapledon Gardens died at Princess Margaret Hospital on Monday, May 2nd, 2022.

She is survived by her husband: Ernest Rutherford; children: Willard and Geneva Rutherford, Bradley Rutherford, Derek Rutherford (Sonia Rutherford), Gregory Rutherford (deceased), Ernestine and Wendell Kelly, Garnell and Gary Cooper, Ian Rutherford, Krystle Rutherford Ferguson, Jevone Ferguson, Ashley Rutherford; grandchildren: Dr. Keino and Lara Rutherford, Michael Alison Mattison, Bradley Rutherford Jr. and Jesynth Rutherford, Thea Rutherford Saunders, Davina Rutherford, Danaher Weech and Tiffany Rutherford, Deidre Baptiste Clark, Levon, Justyce and Judah, Rayne, Daja, Yale, Kirsten, Summer and Syvonia, Magen and Damian, Jamaal Cooper, Ethan Cooper Nekco Kelly, Dimitri Kelly, Ernestine’s family, Samiah, Chanarae, Jasmine, Dominic, and Jaydon, Summer Pennerman, Kirsten Shaver and Syvonia Pennerman, Rayne, Deja and Yale, Maxwell & Camden; great grandchildren: Wesley and Jackson Rutherford and Margaret Mattison, Brianna Rutherford, YaaAsantewaa and Akeelah; godchildren: Devain & Deanne Maycock, Devaina Lightbourne (Adyen Lightbourne), Marteka Roberts Maycock, Denysha, De’Shan, De’Shon, Denyelle D’Nae Maycock, Camille & Desmond Rolle, Desmond II & Devaughn Rolle; nieces and nephews: Astrid & Venice Davis, Kati Barrett, Cheryl Gibson, Ian Bethel, Mark and Edith Bethel, Burton Braynen Burton Jr., Burtina Mickerria Braynen; other relatives and friends: the Honorable Philip Davis Prime Minister and Mrs. Anne Davis, Dean Patrick and Astrid Adderley Fr. Deangelo Bowe and the Paris of the Most Holy Trinity in Stapledon Gardens; Paula Williams, the Jones, the Wilson’s, Walcott’s and Bernard Families, Edward Williams and Family, Vernita (Symns) Davis & Family, and numerous other relatives and Friends.

Arrangements for the funeral service are being finalized and details will be announced at a future date.

forth except for Sunday when very few people test, ought to be making all of us concerned. We have a fourteen-day average of sixteen cases a day and an average positivity rate over 14 days of eighteen percent. That is not a good trajectory.”

The slight rise in infection rates comes as countries around the world, including The Bahamas, continue to loosen measures.

In March, the government announced loosened mask requirements for those in hotels or outdoors and adjusted protocols for social gatherings, allowing larger events to take place.

Last month, churches and places of religious worship were allowed to have services with full occupancy and government officials also predicted a further ease to virus restrictions in the days and weeks ahead, however that has yet to happen.

Asked yesterday if he believes the government should consider tightening measures in view of rising virus numbers, Dr Sands said there needs to be a measured policy response for whenever cases rise.

He said: “There have been a number of calls for government to make public the data and the planned response to data so that the public can get by and so that business can get by etc and so that a particular change in the number of cases, positivity rates and hospitalization leads to a particular policy response.”

“Anything other than that leads people to believe that this is by feat as

opposed to a methodical, objective response which is proportional, and you know rolling back of COVID restrictions whether you are talking about The Bahamas or the United States is very popular but understand that people are sick and tired of being shut in so a communication strategy and an education strategy has to be very well articulated.”

Yesterday, Consultant Physicians Staff Association President Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler also weighed on the recent increase in cases, which she said were not surprising given the further re-opening of the country.

“When things open up more in country and across the world in general, we know that we tend to see increases in cases,” Dr Pinder-Butler said.

“So, the truth is I don’t think it’s surprising although we all hope that the cases as it relates to severity and death would continue to remain low but we certainly know that when we look at the trends of what we have been seeing with COVID in recent years, whenever we try to reopen, we have persons back at work and persons travelling more and I think certainly we have seen that in country throughout New Providence and the other islands and we know that COVID has not left us. I think by all those accounts we should expect that perhaps our numbers would not remain as low as we would’ve seen with the single digits in the past.”

She also urged

Bahamians to continue following the recommended health measures, reminding that the virus is not going away anytime soon.

When contacted for comment yesterday, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville was unable to confirm that there was a high number of people who recently tested positive via rapid antigen testing.

“That statement by Dr Sands would have to be qualified and confirmed,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “Remember that the rapid antigen test is not a diagnostic test but merely a screening test. A tool used by the ministry and the patient for guidance, travel or employment purposes.

Again the rapid antigen test is not diagnostic and the specificity and reliability of the test plays a significant role along with other factors on whether the test will produce a false positive or negative. These uncertainties can potentially contaminate the reports of the true COVID-19 cases in the country.

“But with that being said, putting the right digital platform in place would be necessary to even consider adding the rapid antigen test on the country’s COVID-19 dashboard. We at the ministry are considering all of our options of reporting positive COVID-19 cases in the country. A good example of this dilemma today was when I learned of a case that had four negative rapid antigen tests that proved positive with RT-PCR testing.”

Death Notice For

Gladys Elizabeth Darville-Knowles, 83 of Deadman’s Cay, Long Island passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, May 1st, 2022.

She was predeceased by her son: Stephen Darville.

She is survived by her sons: Robert Darville and Wayne Darville; daughter: Jeannie Adderley; sisters: Edith Cartwright, Deborah Carroll and Carolyn Wells; brother: Bertram Carroll; daughter-in-law: Darnell Darville; son-in-law: Eddie Adderley; grandchildren: Krystal Serfontein, Kimberly Darville, Cameron and Gregory Adderley; great granddaughter: Amelia Rose Adderley; numerous nieces & nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.

Funeral arrangements are being finalized and will be announced at a later date.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 6, 2022, PAGE 5

‘Explain the rules’ over work release programme

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net OPPOSITION Leader Michael Pintard said government should publicly explain what determines who is allowed to participate in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services’ work release programme.

Yesterday, Mr Pintard pointed to the murder of Timothy Saunders, saying the situation called into question the criteria by which “any administration” determines who should be on work release.

Saunders was on the scheme when he was killed on Monday at a Rubis gas station at Mackey and Madeira Streets.

The victim was near the end of his 18-year prison sentence, having been set for release in 2024 following a manslaughter conviction.

On the advice of Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander, the prison has suspended the work scheme “for security checks and rationalisation” for people who have been convicted of murder or manslaughter, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe told The Tribune earlier this week.

Mr Pintard told The

A BODY is taken away at the scene of the homicide at the Rubis gas station on Mackey Street.

Tribune the Free National Movement was concerned about the ongoing killings and the fact that the government is “playing down” the severity of violent crimes in the country.

“We’re deeply concerned about that fact as a priority that the government should have a sober and realistic talk with the various stakeholders about the crisis we are facing and put together

a comprehensive plan that should include establishing a crime commission that will tackle dimensions of the administration of law and order,” Mr Pintard said in an interview.

“We know that this is not exclusively the function of the police to reduce and then end crime in general or violent crimes in particular. It has to be a multifaceted approach but the

government is not having that kind of comprehensive talk with the various stakeholders. The one meeting we were invited to attend was simply briefing by the police and not in any way a conclave that had meaningful discussions about how to reduce violent crimes.”

He also said: “The fact that this particular victim was an inmate then calls into question the criteria

by which any administration determines who should be on a work release programme and so the government should, in a very transparent way, explain to the public the mechanism that determine who is released on work release so that we can clearly understand how someone having charged with the offence that has been in the public domain was eligible for

work release. But that is secondary to the more central issue of what is the government’s plan of action in terms of addressing serious crimes in general and violent crimes in particular.”

Mr Munroe said Mr Saunders was approved for the scheme under the Minnis administration.

He said the deceased was approved on September 13, 2021, and began the work in February.

In response to the claim, Mr Pintard answered: “As I said before they are in the chair today. I do not know when he was approved and that is secondary to me. What’s important to me is what is the appropriate criteria for any inmate to be released. So, I’m not wasting my time or yours getting into a back and forth relative to when he was first released. The reality is unfortunately for him and for his family he is now deceased.”

Mr Munroe also said there were 17 people on the programme, 11 of whom were serving sentences for murder or manslaughter.

All were approved under the previous administration.

He added nothing related to the work scheme has come for his approval so far in his tenure.

LABOUR ON THE BLOCKS EVENT GOES TO GB

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock2003@yahoo.com

JOB seekers on Grand Bahama were encouraged to attend the Labour on the Blocks 2.0 Job Fair that is being hosted by the Department of Labour on Saturday at the Jack Hayward High School gymnasium.

About 22 local employers, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defense Force, will be participating in the Job Fair. It is hoped that this event will increase the employment of Bahamians on the island.

During a press conference on Thursday at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport, Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey and Bonnie Johnson, officer in charge at the Department Labour in Freeport, said they are excited to be partnering and look forward to people being hired.

The Job Fair starts at 8am and job seekers should bring their passport, National Insurance Board card, a Police Certificate, and their resume.

“It is an exciting time for

Grand Bahama because there is so much going on. There is a lot of hope because we have a lot of projects on the drawing board,” Minister Moxey said.

“We have 22 companies already signed up to be a part of it. This is a wonderful initiative, and the Ministry for Grand Bahama is excited to partner with the DOL to make this a successful undertaking.

Minister Moxey stated that unemployment has been a real issue on this island. “We are happy about the companies that have collaborated to be a part of this. And we look forward to really people getting hired. We look forward to what this Labour on the Blocks will bring for our island.”

Bonnie Johnson, officer in charge at DOL, said people seeking employment are welcomed to participate. She said there are companies from various sectors, including five from the tourism industry, and several from the industrial sector such as the container port and the shipyard, the medical industry, and food stores.

Ms Johnson said for the

first time they will have the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Defense Force recruiting with the DOL. “This is an awesome opportunity for young people to take advantage of,” she said.

Other employers that will be at the event are The LEAD Institute, the National Training Agency, and the Bahamas Technical and Vocation Institute, which are also looking to hire individuals at their facilities.

“We are asking people to come smartly dressed, and we are certain you can find a job opportunity to boost your career and to move to the next level,” Ms Johnson said. This is also an opportunity for first time offenders, and every job seeker in the Bahamas,” Harcourt Brown, permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, said individuals registering will be entered into the Labour Department skills data bank.

“Persons registering under this process their names and qualification will be entered into a national skills data bank. And so, it does not mean you are limited to jobs available only on GB. When you are entered

into the national skills data bank, it then exposes you to the availability of positions with employers anywhere in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” he said. And that this one of the reasons persons are encouraged

to come out and participate in the exercise and get registered.”

Mr Brown said it is also exciting that the police have partnered with DOL. “This is an example of a collaborative effort to

ensure that at the end of day workers are given opportunity to be hired, and I am aware that even the DOL is undergoing expansion and will be in the market to fill one or two positions at their new office,” he said.

PAGE 6, Friday, May 6, 2022

The Tribune Limited

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Resisting temptation to break the law THERE was quite a startling admission from Environment Minister Vaughn Miller yesterday.

Mr Miller, who is part of the body of lawmakers in our country, said he had considered breaking the law himself because of frustration with bureaucracy.

He was addressing deforestation activities that have been taking place in southern New Providence, in the Carmichael area.

He said those cutting down the trees have been told to “cease and desist” but that he understands the factors driving them to such action.

He said: “I understand, I saw this day coming. I’ve heard conversations in the past, I’ve been a part of conversations, persons were upset, persons who were very concerned because the perception was that Haitians or Haitian Bahamians or persons of Haitian descent were allowed to live on Crown land without permission. So, if they’re allowed to do it in my country then as a Bahamian I must be able to do the same thing. I’ve entertained the thoughts of acting in a similar manner. I decided not to, it was not in the best interest of the country.

The best way to do it was abide by the process.”

There is a lot to unpack from that statement. It is hard to know where to begin, but let us start with the casual assertion without proof that it is Haitians or those of Haitian descent to blame. After all, the last time a survey of shanty towns was carried out in Abaco, the majority of residents, 80 percent, had legal status to reside in the country – be it citizenship, spousal permits or work permits. About 20 percent were undocumented.

People can often find it easy to point the finger of blame at the Haitian community – but we should not let such accusations pass without evidence.

More than that, saying that you see other people break the law so you might as well do it too is the kind of behaviour one should grow out of as a child, when your mother says if that person jumps off a bridge, would you do it too?

Even more startling is that several of the applications for land that he made was from the church.

We can be thankful that Mr Miller resisted temptation, but to say that he had considered breaking the law is remarkable to say the least.

And then – once we get past the astonishing admission of a lawmaker considering breaking the law – we come to the issue itself.

The way we handle applications for Crown land are a mess. Mr Miller points out that a number of the instances of people seemingly building on land is where Bahamians have a right to the land and lease it out. Meanwhile, the land manager at the Department of Lands and Surveys says that there is a backlog of applications for Crown Land in the thousands.

The government is said to be committed to reforming the Crown land system – and it is not before time for such reform to take place.

What is needed of course are the same things needed in so many areas of government – transparency about the process to ensure land is not being handed out for political favours, adequate resources and staffing to ensure applications get dealt with in a timely manner, and frankly an overhaul of antiquated systems to bring them into some semblance of the modern era.

As Alfred Sears, now Works Minister, said in 2018, there is “no accountability for how this Crown land is used and is disposed of by the cabinet or the parliament”.

He was right then, and the system is still a mess now.

An overhaul will not be easy. There are many people with claims that will need to be untangled to see exactly what has been awarded previously.

But just because something is complicated does not mean breaking the law is justified.

Mr Miller resisted temptation, but others have not. And those who have broken the law should be held to account, no matter their nationality, no matter their political connections.

The deforestation at Carmichael is damaging national assets, and cease and desist is not enough – there should be court action if it continues.

Reform is needed, but until it is delivered, and it is up to this government now to deliver on promises, then this kind of unlawful behaviour needs to be dealt with.

Crime is crime, and we should not give those who break the law any comfort in thinking their actions are justified.

Act now to protect everyone EDITOR, The Tribune.

SENATOR Michaela Barnet-Ellis’ renewal of calls to “act now to protect women and children” in The Tribune on May 5, 2022 continues to expose issues of sexual violence in the Bahamas, but are echoed across the globe.

While the examples of sexual offences offered by the Senator speak specifically to women and children, our society ought not dismiss the range of sexual offences committed against men in our country.

Although sexual violence statistics are difficult to obtain in The Bahamas, global proxies still speak to what is likely happening in our country.

For example, RAINN (an anti-sexual violence organisation in the United States) finds that younger people (males and females) age 18-34 are most at risk for sexual assault.

In fact, 54% of sexual assault victims fall in this age group.

Moreover, while society tends to profile the victim of sexual assault as female, RAINN finds that one out of every 10 rape victims is male; and males become five times more likely to experience sexual assault in college than their non-college counterparts.

These statistics are echoed elsewhere.

What is most troubling about the statistics, is that because male rape victims significantly under-report

the incidents, the true numbers are likely much higher than the statistics suggest.

The larger point here is that while the Senator calls, narrowly, to “act now to protect women and children”, should we not be calling more broadly to act now to protect everyone?

Realising that these issues are not gender-confined, the Bahamas Crisis Centre, a non-governmental organisation, offers a fantastic programme for men, women, and children who are victims of sexual and domestic violence. Let us call for legislation that protects everyone.

DORIAN D ROLLE Nassau, May 5, 2022.

A MAN fires a cannon during a recreation of the Battle of Puebla between the Zacapoaxtlas Indigenous soldiers and the French army at the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, in the Peñon de los Baños neighborhood of Mexico City, yesterday. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops in Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP

Police are doing a good job EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE efficient and effective performance of our Police Force continues to impress.

I am proud to have served in this organisation and to continue that association as a member of the Reserves.

It is regrettable that the men and women of our Police service do not get the praise and commendations they deserve from our media and the high-profile persons in our communities, which would be encouraging and rewarding.

Morale seems to be high and public cooperation continues to improve resulting in numerous arrests and detection.

The media, the Human

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Rights Groups and some others are very critical of the Police Force.

They tend to blame the police for the present murder rate.

Murder is not a preventable crime. In a recent newspaper article, the writer disclosed, that: “The Bahamas has one of the highest per-capita rates of police involved in the world.”

I suggest to the reporter, that a similar comparison be made of our per-capita murder rate.

The indiscriminate killings and shootings of persons, who are not the

target, but just happen to be near the target or in the line of fire are victims.

Human Rights enthusiasts should be making appeals to stop the violence.

We are in a war with terrorists, not criminals, who are threatening the safety and security of all of us and our country.

Their violent conduct threatens our survival. It is important that we support our police service, praise and thank those men and women, whose lives are endangered by gun-toting terrorists.

“We Shoot to Live - Not to kill”.

PAUL THOMPSON Sr ACP -Retired Nassau, May 3, 2022.

Prevention measures EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE government must show and demonstrate it is committed and serious on crime by taking Crime Prevention Policies to reduce crime that is becoming a vexing problem for many Bahamians in The Bahamas.

The first Crime Prevention policies is for the government to reduce guns in The Bahamas, that are responsible for the high murders and robberies in The Bahamas.

There is a need to have a Police Gun Task Force to investigate how illegal guns are entering into The

Bahamas and to coordinate with the Christian Council to have illegal guns buyback amnesty programmes that will allow Bahamians to be paid and not charge for bringing in illegal guns.

Also, the Police Gun Task Force will implement Road Traffic Blocks in the Bahamas to search cars for carrying illegal guns to reduce guns in neighbourhoods with the highest home robberies and murders.

The next policy is to make it mandatory that if a Bahamian is caught with an illegal gun he must spend 19 years in jail, if caught in robbery with an illegal gun

20 years in jail and if kills someone with an illegal gun it will be 30 years in jail.

It is the government’s job to make the penalty of committing crimes harsher to deter reduce and prevent crimes in The Bahamas.

If the government failed to deter, reduce and prevent criminals from continuing to commit crimes it can be a disaster in causing the Bahamian people to lose confidence in the government protecting their lives, homes and businesses from crime.

PEDRO SMITH Nassau, May 1, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 6, 2022, PAGE 7

CUBAN REPRESENTATIVE PRESENTS DOCUMENTS CUBAN AmbassadorDesignate Julio César González Marchante presented his Copie d’Usage to acting Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Sears on Wednesday.

Following the brief ceremony, Mr Sears and Ambassador-Designate González discussed a few matters of mutual interest, including multilateral relations and cooperation between The Bahamas and Cuba through CARICOM and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, along with the United Nations and

TWO ACCUSED OF MURDERS

By PAVEL BAILEY

TWO MEN were arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday allegedly in connection with a string of attempted murders in New Providence.

Shaquille Monroe, 29, and Raequan Alexis, 18, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on three separate counts of attempted murder and a charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

On April 3 in New Providence the accused were alleged to have threatened and attempted to kill Kyuano Telfort and

Kevin Mezidieu with a black handgun. Also, on March 30 both men allegedly attempted to murder Rashad Sullivan and Robert Delancy.

Due to the serious nature of the offences neither suspect was required to enter a plea in court. Monroe and Alexis were also informed that their cases would proceed by way of Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI) to be served at a later date.

The Chief Magistrate denied the accused bail resulting in their return on remand to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. The accused’s trial is expected to start on November 30.

MAN FACES DRUGS CHARGE

By PAVEL BAILEY

A MAN was fined in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a drug charge.

D’Angelo Ferguson, 39, appeared before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

On May 4, Ferguson was arrested for allegedly being found with five grams of Indian Hemp in clear plastic baggies strapped to his waist.

In court he pleaded guilty, explaining that he

used to have a serious history with drugs but that he is trying to change.

Ferguson told the magistrate how he only took the marijuana to cope with the recent passing of his mother and that he hasn’t been able to contact any of his associates since his arrest.

Magistrate McKinney ordered Ferguson to pay a $700 fine or spend three months in prison.

However, the magistrate agreed to let Ferguson use the court’s landline to find someone to assist with bail and pay half of his fine before he can be released.

continued strengthening in areas of common interest, especially health, education and agriculture.

The officials also shared goals and concerns with regard to climate change, especially its impact on small island developing states.

With regard to climate change, the ambassadordesignate and the minister spoke about the restoration of infrastructure, building resilience, legislation concerning carbon credits and pursuance of sustainable policies.

Mr Sears expressed the

Bahamas’ strong commitment to solarise its energy sector and the government’s commitment to incorporate renewable energy by 2030.

During the discussion, the minister also thanked the government of Cuba for its continued assistance, particularly following Hurricane Dorian. He noted a trip to Cuba, adding he admired the country’s generosity and hospitality.

Ambassador-Designate González stressed the commitment of his country to continued cooperation with The Bahamas.

Six in court over gun and ammo

By PAVEL BAILEY FIVE MEN and a woman were charged in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday after they were found with a prohibited weapon and ammunition.

Ricardo White, 31, Roger Wallace, 28, Shaquille Monroe, 29, Raequon Alexis, 18, Aljaron Stubbs, 19, and Glenda Stubbs, 28, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann FergusonPratt. They are represented by Ian Cargill.

The accused were each charged

with two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon and ammunition.

On April 30 in New Providence they are alleged to have been found with a banned black and brown Zastava Serbia Rifle, serial number erased and a black Glock 17 9mm pistol serial number BEPY945. Police also found the accused in possession of six unfired rounds of .233 ammo and 21 unfired rounds of 9mm ammo.

In court, all six accused pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

While the prosecution had no objections to bail for Ricardo White and

Glenda Stubbs, bail hearings for the other four accused were postponed to May 9 as the prosecution reviewed their respective cases.

Both White and Stubbs were granted $9,500 bail with one or two sureties on condition, they sign in at South Beach Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday before 6pm.

The remaining accused were sent back to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

The trial for all six accused is expected to continue on November 30.

PAIR DENIED BAIL IN MURDER CASES

By PAVEL BAILEY

TWO MEN were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services yesterday on separate murder charges.

Roger Wallace, 29, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann FergusonPratt on two separate counts of murder in New Providence.

It was alleged that Wallace murdered Navarda Nairn on August 17, 2021 as well as Antone Brown on September 26 of the same year.

Due to the grave nature of the offence the accused was not required to enter a plea in court and was informed that his case would proceed by way of Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

The chief magistrate then told Wallace that he was denied bail and that he would be remanded to The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

The accused’s next court appearance is set for November 30.

The other man, Shaquille Monroe,

29, also appeared before Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt on a count of murder.

On March 12 it is alleged that Monroe murdered Kenny Rigaud in New Providence.

He was also not required to enter a plea and his case will also proceed by way of a VBI. The magistrate denied him bail and ordered that he be remanded back to BDCS. Monroe’s next appearance to answer to the murder charge is expected on December 1.

PAGE 8, Friday, May 6, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Make the family great again By the Rev Canon S Sebastian Campbell, CM THE singing career of Grammy Award Winner Marvin Gaye, ended in tragedy on April 1st, 1983.

He was shot to death by his own father. He and his father never got on. Gaye’s close friend David Ritz, wrote Gaye’s biography a year later, he called it “Divided Soul”.

Gaye was indeed a divided soul. He was part artist and part entertainer, part sinner and part saint, part macho man and part gentleman. Gaye’s childhood was tormented by cruelty inflicted upon him by his father. Commenting on the effect this had on Gaye, Ritz says of his friend: “He really believed in Jesus a lot, but he could never apply the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness to his own father. In the end it destroyed both of them.”

That episode of an unforgiving father and son contrasts sharply with the story of the forgiving father in the parable of the prodigal son. And the contrast between the two stories spotlights a growing problem in modern society. It is an inability or unwillingness of people to forgive one another.

I was appointed a reconciler in a family matter. By the chief justice. That short period that lasted approximately three months felt like three long tumultuous years. Its a family matter, mind you, and there was no elasticity for an iota of love and forgiveness among siblings. It was a venture on total character assassination, and I was to go down as a martyr in this godless display of petrified hate. Death of a patriarch/matriarch breeds the bestiality characteristics

in many families, who then act like savages, especially if there is a perception of large sums of money in an inheritance. Many families are torn apart and can best use both Mother’s Day and Fathers’ Day as days of reconciliation. Leaders ought to emerge in families, willing to take blows and try to steer families to safer harbours of love, forgiveness and simply put, commonsense. In too many families dictators rise up, demanding that homage be paid to their sick minds.

Sad, but true, some families will not worship together, dine together, laugh or have fun together as families ought, again this year as we celebrate the family in both Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days. These are key family These “little-darlings” are occasions for celebration. mentally retarded because We pray against the hoard- of adult foolishness. Many ing spirit, also called the “all children are not learning in school because for me baby of this malady. spirit”, that Many families We are paying is really self- are torn apart a high price for ishness at its this. How can maximum and and can best use children from what a price is both Mother’s this destruction paid, divided Day and Fathers’ of love ever families. Here properly celpeople who Day as days of ebrate parents ought to love reconciliation. whether it be each other the Leaders ought Mothers’ Day most are hating or Fathers’ each other the to emerge in Day? Indeed, most. I cry out families, willing they have for common to take blows nothing to celesense in family brate. They are and try to steer life. crying for perAnother big families to safer sons with sense area of grave to mend the harbours of concern is family fence. the unwilling- love, forgiveness In the book ness to forgive and simply put, “How to foramong married give your ex/ persons. It’s a commonsense. husband,” crying shame Marcia Hootman and Patt that more than fifty percent of marriages end up Perkins described their in divorce. The real victims extensive research on the are little Johnny and Mary. anger of women going through divorce from their

research they draw two conclusions: 1. An appalling amount of energy and money is wasted by women trying to get even with their ex-husbands.

2. Many of these women are now hurting themselves more by their anger than they were hurt by their former spouses.

Explaining their reason for writing the book, Ms. Hootman says: “We hope it will help” women get “rid of the anger, which is so destructive,” and “get on with their lives.” An insight into how destructive this anger can be coming from an unexpected source: The American Medical Association. It surveyed several thousand general practitioners, asking them: “What percentage of people that you see in a week have needs that you are qualified to treat with your medical skills?” The answers to that question were amazing. The doctors responded that they felt qualified to treat only

‘(Marvin) Gaye was indeed a divided soul.

He was part artist and part entertainer, part sinner and part saint, him part macho man and interpart gentleman. Gaye’s nally. childhood was tormented He by cruelty inflicted upon wondered him by his father.’ why he

about 10 percent of their patients.

When questioned about the other 90 percent, the doctors said that the patients suffered from real pain. But their problem was not a chemical or physiological.

In other words, it was a “life problem” that defied normal medical treatment.

The real causes of their illness were things like anger, pent-up hostilities, negative feelings, and negative attitudes. These are problems the normal doctor is not trained or equipped to handle. Commenting on the effect these things have on health, Bruce Larson writes: “Our feelings about ourselves and others and the quality of our relationships may have more to do with how often we get sick, than our genes, chemistry, diet, or environment.

“Doctors are quick to admit that there is little in their medical training to equip them to help patients with these life problems.”

The point is that when we hold a grudge, refuse to forgive, or seek revenge, we hurt ourselves as much as we hurt our enemy. To put it in a dramatic and vivid way, the sword we use to hurt our enemy must first pass through our own body.

Another way to portray the destructive power of hate or revenge occurs in the film The Karate Kid. In one scene, Mr Miyagi asks Daniel if he has a good reason for wanting to learn karate. Daniel responds, “Is revenge a good enough reason?” to this Mr Miyagi responds, “Whoever pursues revenge should dig two graves.” One for his enemy and one for himself.

All this adds up to one thing. Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness is a message that a modern world needs to take to heart. It’s a message each one of us needs to take to heart. We need to ask ourselves, “what are we doing about the anger, bitterness, or resentment, that is present in our life?”

Yes, our life and question our very selves as to the unhappy state family is in, maybe, just maybe, because of us.

A twelve-year-old at a school where I once taught, admitted there was anger in him because of the jealously he craved having seen his friend in the ideal home, with mother and father and siblings, going out on rides, flying off on vacation trips, going to church together on Sunday mornings. It ate

can’t have a similar experience. He cried out for a balance family life. He lived with his mother and ten siblings, hating the visiting father who dropped in on them occasionally.

He then had to make sense out of the multiple fathers his mother gave to his siblings.

How much have we messed up on God’s plan for the family! Let us use both mothers and fathers days as a time of repentance and reconciliation as we make amends and know we can do it God’s way.

Some time ago, a woman wrote a letter to Ann Landers.

Describing the terrible relationship that once existed between her and her brother. It took the death of their father to get her to forgive him and treat him as a brother again.

Some time after their reconciliation, her brother had a heart attack and died in her arms. She ends her letter with this moving paragraph: “I am grateful for the years we had together, but I could scream when I think of all the years we missed because we were too bullheaded and shortsighted to try to get along.

And shortsighted to try to get along. Now he is gone I am heartsick.”

Today’s challenge: Is an invitation to review relationships in our lives and to bring them into line with Jesus’s teaching when he says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Enemies in home and family. What a tragedy when family members become our enemy!

Let’s close with the prayer of St Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. “Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

“Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born into eternal life.

Have a redemptive Mother’s Day! Canon S Sebastian Campbell hails from Arthur’s Town, Cat Island, and serves as rector of St Gregory the Great, NP

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 6, 2022, PAGE 9

IS OUR ECONOMIC WELL-BEING THREATENED? FOR a writer, it’s hard to fluctuations in interest rates make economics exciting. or movements in major Writing about business markets, happens to us not is not like writing about because of us. sports. Every sporting activSo this week when the ity (even cricket) has a Central Bank in the US beginning, a middle and an raised interest rates by half end which you can either a percent, the largest hike in celebrate or cry over. In 20 years, we went about our sports, whether it’s syn- daily lives as if nothing had chronized by a starting gun, happened. I once taught horn or tee-off, there is Economics but I am no always a start, followed by a economist. I once had the race, a round or a set, and privilege of auditing a grada finish. It’s a defined space uate class taught by the late, and timeline. Sports writ- great John Kenneth Galers use words packed with braith at Harvard, author action. of a dozen They put ‘I feel a chill in the books and you in air of our economic more than the game, a thousand make you well-being. We have articles on part of the lived too well for too economics, action, long and I fear we are but I am not raise your business going to soon pay the awriter, blood and price for what one pressure, like most of build sus- economist this week us, I pay too pense, fear, little attenexcitement called “our limitless tion to those as compe- optimism” that has market tition heats allowed us to carry changes up, gets because I on in this foolhardy tighter, do not feel fiercer, empowered manner like fiddlers closer to when Rome burned, to do anythe finish thing about line. By the or the Titanic sank.’ whatever is time the coming at first athme. lete or horse crosses that finish line, you are standing, shouting, exhausted This time, though, it is as if you had run the race slightly different. I feel a yourself.

But covering business chill in the air of our ecois not like that. It does not nomic well-being. We have have a beginning, middle lived too well for too long and end. It just goes on. and I fear we are going to Yet what happens in that soon pay the price for what space that business writ- one economist this week ers write about – in the called “our limitless optiraising of interest rates by mism” that has allowed central banks or the quick us to carry on in this foolexits from certain mar- hardy manner like fiddlers kets by major investors when Rome burned, or the – impacts us in a way sports Titanic sank.

Do I feel good about never will unless we are the athlete. Interest rates, saying our reality is going market movements, tech- to change, that we are about nology advances, changes to take a dive into the deep in executive leadership or crevasses of a near-recesmanagement, affect what sion? Of course not. I wish we pay at the grocery store, the dream would just keep or for fuel, housing, educa- playing on, but we would be fools not to heed the signs tion, travel.

There is no explaining that it cannot, that the alarm why a Pauline Davis run- is going to go off and we will ning her personal best in have to wake up. Prices of the 100m or Lewis Ham- everything are too high for ilton winning another F1 many of us. We can adjust race at the Monaco Grand to a little pain at the pump.

Prix empowers us and The Most of us in The Bahamas Central Bank’s decision just ask for $20 worth withto raise interest rates to out bending down to look stem the rising tide of infla- at the tiny price per gallon tion does not. One hits our numbers on the pump. We immediate psyche, it’s a can adjust to some increases win, the other is a gradual in the food store, even adjustment. One is excit- though we may look a little ing, the other is “there they more carefully at what we go again”, whoever they is. are buying and complain.

Higher prices on those One is visual and instantly visceral; the other is harder small purchases pinch the pocketbook, but it is the to get a camera around.

As a result, most of us big-ticket items like land, pay little attention to that housing and insurance that changing business envi- make it crash. The heightronment, partly because ened desirability of warm we figure someone else weather destinations like is in control. We believe The Bahamas and Florida whatever happens, we will has made it almost impossomehow get through. sible for regular working What happens in the wider Bahamians to buy land or world of business, in those a new home. Banks are

CHILL IN THE AIR

increasingly risk-averse post COVID-related high unemployment and loan defaults, making it even harder to obtain a mortgage on a mid-price range home or capex for business expansion. The cost of health care continues to rise, driving insurance rates higher meaning more people will suffer medical challenges by neglecting preventative care because they will not be able to afford the more costly premiums.

AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE $799,981

Housing and land, though, are where we are going to feel the greatest sting.

According to one local real estate agency website with 908 listings, the average price for a home in The Bahamas as of today is $799,981, a figure no doubt skewed by the very high-end listings like a single home in Ocean Club Estates offered at $36m. Despite the skewing, there is little doubt that prices of land and homes have risen exponentially putting home ownership on a burner so far back many working Bahamians believe they will never be able to reach it. An undeveloped lot on a popular Family Island is for sale at $650,000, the lot next to it sold for $200,000 a few years ago.

A rundown villa on a stunning property in Eleuthera is going for more than $2m.

It’s no different in South Florida. A January 2022 story in the Palm Beach Post reported the average sale price of a single-family home in 2021 was $926,303, the writer describing it as “a whopping 71% increase from 2019.” Realtor.com pegs the average price of a home in Palm Beach County at $450,000. Whether it is under half a million or under a million may be open for debate. Both reflect an artificial inflation driven by demand for a better life, a demand that will in the end cost The Bahamas and South Florida dearly for those who call either home.

Economics may not be as exciting to write about as sports, it may not get the adrenaline pumping like watching the lightning-fast speed of a human machine like Pauline Davis in a 100m sprint, but financial performance demands our attention.

Sometimes, the least exciting things are the very things that hit the hardest and hurt the most. If there is a take-away, it is to exercise care, eyes wide open, invest what you can wisely minimising risk. There may be rougher waters ahead but if we conserve and pay attention to the less exciting business news, we will navigate the course. Medical care and land will be our precious resources while

national resolve to raise our skill levels will let us ride out the wave and guide us to the finish line. Thanks, Kelly Clarkson, for reminding us what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

By Diane Phillips

PAGE 10, Friday, May 6, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE TO TAKE OVER AT WHITE HOUSE PRESS PODIUM WASHINGTON Associated Press

PRESIDENT Joe Biden yesterday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, with incumbent Jen Psaki set to leave the role next week.

Biden is also bringing back long-time Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White House last year for several

months after Biden was sworn into office.

“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement praising Jean-Pierre, who has served as his principal deputy press secretary since Inauguration Day.

Psaki, who leaves the White House on May 13, praised her successor, noting the significance of the history-making appointment. “She will be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as the White House press secretary,” Psaki said.

“Representation matters and she will give a voice to many, but also make many dream big about what is truly possible.”

Before joining the

Biden presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was the chief public affairs officer of the progressive group MoveOn.org and a former political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. She also worked in political affairs in the Obama White House and on his reelection campaign.

When she took the job, Psaki, who has two young children, said publicly she aimed to remain in the job for about a year.

WHITE House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

IN this photo from US federal court records, Jeffri Dávila-Reyes, third from left, and two others hold their hands in the air as they are intercepted in the Caribbean Sea on October 29, 2015. Dávila-Reyes says he’s still mystified how he ended up serving hard time in a US federal prison. His cocaine bust at sea was closer to his homeland of Costa Rica than the United States, and the few kilos of drugs he was carrying were bound for Jamaica rather than American shores.

Photo: US Coast Guard

Ruling threatens US power as high-seas drugs police MIAMI Associated Press JEFFRI Dávila-Reyes says he’s still mystified how he ended up serving hard time in a US federal prison.

His cocaine bust at sea was closer to his homeland of Costa Rica than the United States, and the few kilos of drugs he was carrying were bound for Jamaica rather than American shores.

His plight is similar to hundreds of foreigners swept up by the US Coast Guard in international waters every year, most of them poor, semiliterate fishermen from Central and South America driven to smuggling with offers of more money than they’ve ever seen — in DávilaReyes’ case $6,000.

“Nobody can be blamed for being born poor,” he wrote in a recent letter to The Associated Press.

But now, seven years into his ten-year sentence, Dávila-Reyes’ conviction has been thrown out in a little-noticed ruling that threatens a key weapon in the United States’ war on drugs: A decades-old law that gives the US broad authority to make arrests on the high seas anywhere in the world, even if the drugs aren’t bound for the US. It’s a law that helps the US bolster its drug-interdiction numbers and flex its

maritime muscle in a region where drugs are trafficked most. But since it often targets smugglers at the lowest rungs of the drug trade, it has yet to make a dent in the huge volumes of narcotics flowing into the US. “It is a waste of US taxpayer dollars to have these costly misadventures as we play drug police to the world,” said Eric Vos, head of the public defender’s office in Puerto Rico where Dávila-Reyes’ case began. “Our enforcement efforts and multibilliondollar expenditures should concentrate exclusively on drugs actually entering America.”

At issue is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, passed by Congress in 1986 at the height of the crack epidemic. It defines drug smuggling in international waters as a crime against the United States and gives the US unique law enforcement powers anywhere on the seas — whenever it determines a vessel is “without nationality”.

But how a vessel is deemed stateless sometimes gets messy.

When the Coast Guard chased down Dávila-Reyes’ speedboat in the western Caribbean in 2015, he and two cousins who were seen frantically trying to dump packages of cocaine overboard identified their vessel as hailing from Costa Rica,

according to the FBI’s summary of the investigation.

But other than the markings on the boat’s side resembling Costa Rica’s flag, the men lacked any documentation proving its nationality. When the US asked the Costa Rican government to confirm the vessel’s registry, it responded 12 weeks after the bust that it could neither confirm nor refute the claim.

A few weeks later the men were charged and eventually pleaded guilty to possessing narcotics “on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States”.

The conviction would have gone unnoticed if not for a challenge brought by a group of dedicated public defenders in Puerto Rico, where many of the drug cases are tried.

A three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled in January that the law’s provisions — equating a nation’s equivocal response to an outright denial of a captain’s claim of nationality — were an unconstitutional extension of US policing powers beyond America’s borders.

Tellingly, almost none of those prosecuted under the law had ever set foot in the US nor were they charged with trying to import cocaine. In DávilaReyes’ case, the five to 15

kilograms of cocaine he was convicted of transporting were purportedly bound for dealers in Jamaica.

Despite the ruling, Dávila-Reyes remains behind bars as the Justice Department seeks reconsideration by all of the First Circuit’s nine judges.

His two co-defendants were released in 2018 and 2020 after completing sentences of around five years each.

From the moment President Richard Nixon declared “war on drugs” in 1971, the US Coast Guard has been at the forefront of the campaign to stop illegal narcotics from entering the US. Today, it spends more than $2bn annually as part of that effort. Other federal agencies — the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Patrol, the Departments of State and Justice — kick in billions more.

The aim of the high-seas busts is to seize cocaine at a vulnerable choke point and inflict heavy losses on traffickers, limiting the amount of drugs that make it onto US streets.

But, almost from the start, that goal has proven elusive.

Cocaine prices, a gauge of supply, have been hovering at historical lows for more than a decade as cocaine production from Colombia has soared to record highs. In a good

year, barely 10% of cocaine shipments in the waters off Central and South America — where the bulk of the world’s cocaine is trafficked — are actually seized or destroyed, according to the US government’s own estimates.

Despite that poor record, US officials continue to tout their success at sea.

A 2020 Coast Guard report said at-sea interdictions are the most effective way to combat cartels and criminal networks. Since 2017, the amount of cocaine it has seized or destroyed exceeds 959 metric tons.

“We are hitting the drug traffickers where it hits them most -- in their pocketbooks,” Rahul Gupta, the White House drug czar, said at news conference earlier this year in Fort Lauderdale to welcome a US Coast Guard cutter home from a three-month deployment that yielded seizures of 30 metric tons of cocaine and marijuana worth $1bn.

But nowhere to be seen among the drugs piled neatly on deck were the 86 foreign drug runners responsible for the contraband, some of whom had been offloaded and jailed the day before.

Prosecutions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act exploded last fiscal year to 296 — nearly five times the number a decade ago, according to Syracuse

University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which collects Justice Department data.

But since each case involves multiple defendants, the actual number of foreigners detained at sea last year was 635 — the highest tally since 2017.

Each offence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years because of the large amounts of cocaine involved.

Critics of US drug policy say most such smugglers fell into the job because of poverty and are hardly worth locking up for so long when legions of their poor compatriots stand ready to take their place.

Davila-Reyes, for example, had to quit school in the third grade to help support his family, eventually finding hand-blistering construction work for $10 a day.

“These are not masterminds like Pablo Escobar or Chapo Guzman,” said Kendra McSweeney, an Ohio State University geographer who has spent years researching US drug policies.

“But if you’re trying to hit numbers, and nobody is measuring the importance of those numbers, then all the incentives are there to keep going,” she said. “It makes people feel good about themselves but it’s egregiously ineffective.”

HEAVY FIGHTING RAGES AROUND UKRAINE STEEL PLANT LVIV, Ukraine Associated Press

HEAVY fighting raged yesterday at the shattered steel plant in Mariupol as Russian forces sought to finish off the city’s last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital Ukrainian port.

The bloody battle came amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success — or announce an escalation of the war — in time for Victory Day on Monday.

That is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet

Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia’s most recent estimate, were holed up in the tunnels and bunkers under the sprawling Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, the last pocket of resistance in a city largely reduced to rubble over the past two months. A few hundred civilians were also believed trapped there.

Capt Sviatoslav Palamar, who as deputy commander of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment led defenders inside the mill, told Ukrainian TV that Russian troops were inside the plant for a third day and meeting fierce resistance.

“Heavy fighting is underway,” Palamar said.

The Russians managed to get inside with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry.

“He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory,” Gerashchenko said in a video posted late Wednesday.

“Yesterday, the Russians started storming these tunnels, using the information they received from the betrayer.”

The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant.

Mariupol’s fall would

be a major success for Moscow, depriving Ukraine of a vital port, allowing Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and freeing up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Palamar pleaded with the world to pressure Russia into allowing more civilians to be rescued from the steelworks along with wounded fighters. About 100 civilians were evacuated over the weekend.

“Wounded soldiers are dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment,”

he said via video.

The Kremlin has demanded the fighters surrender. They have refused.

Russia has also accused them of preventing the civilians from leaving.

Kateryna Prokopenko, the wife of Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko, said that without an evacuation operation

by European leaders, the troops inside will die.

“They stand till the end.

They only hope for a miracle... They won’t surrender,” she said in messages to The Associated Press. She said that in a call with her husband, he said he would love her forever.

“I am going mad from

this. It seemed like words of goodbye,” she said. “They have held out too long and deserve to be saved.”

Meanwhile, ten weeks into the devastating war, Ukraine’s military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putin’s ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv.

Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village.

The head of Britain’s armed forces, Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Tony Radakin, said Putin is “trying to rush to a tactical victory” before Victory Day.

SPORTS PAGE 11

FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2022

NBA Playoffs,Pg 13

McPhee-McCuin agrees to new contract

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Y

olett McPheeMcCuin has signed a contract extension as head coach of the Ole Miss Women’s basketball programme that will see her remain at the helm through the 2026 season.

McPhee-McCuin’s previous deal was set to expire in 2025 but both sides agreed to restructure the new deal which was officially announced yesterday.

“I am humbled and grateful for the support from Chancellor Boyce, athletics director Keith Carter, senior women’s administrator

Jennifer Saxon and the rest of our administration,” said McPhee-McCuin.

“Their commitment recognises the accomplishments that our programme has achieved, reflects their belief in the long-term vision that has been put into place, and demonstrates their unwavering trust of the success of our programme in the future.

“In addition, I’m thankful for the loyal support of our faculty and staff, boosters and our fans.

“I am looking forward to building on the foundation of our success and continuing to lead a programme that represents our fans, the university and the state of Mississippi.”

MISSISSIPPI head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin speaks during the Southeastern Conference women’s NCAA college basketball media day October 18, 2018, in Birmingham, Alabama. McPheeMcCuin has agreed to a new contract running through 2026 after leading the Rebels to their first NCAA Tournament in 15 years, the school announced yesterday.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Ole Miss vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics, Keith Carter, said the continued growth of the programme has the support of the entire community.

“We have continued to state emphatically that Ole Miss is going to compete for championships, and under Coach Yo’ leadership, our women’s basketball team has risen to that level of competitiveness,” Carter said.

“She has been relentless in elevating our programme on the court, in the classroom, in the community and in every element of our student-athletes’ experience. We are excited to make this commitment to Coach Yo and look forward

to standing by her side as we raise banners at The SJB Pavilion soon.”

After much speculation on social media following their exit from the NCAA Tournament in April, McPhee-McCuin reassured the Ole Miss fanbase of her commitment to the programme.

The 2021-22 season came to a disappointing end for Ole Miss in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Ole Miss, the no.7 seed in the Wichita Region, suffered a 75-61 upset loss to the no.10 seed South Dakota Coyotes. Ole Miss concluded the season 23-9,

SEE PAGE 12

‘I feel like I can lead a team to World Series’

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net JAZZ Chisholm Jr has continued to be one of the breakout stars in Major League Baseball in the 2022 season and has garnered attention for both his production on the field and his style of play.

The Miami Marlins second baseman recently discussed his star climb and the excitement he continues to bring to the game with Stadium and Bally Sports Florida.

“I just feel like the way I play the game is very new to people. It’s hard for people to realise that the game is changing sometimes. It’s hard for people to change once they have done something in such a way for so long, but this is how I’ve done it all my life,” he said.

“Coming from The Bahamas this is what we were always trying to do, this is how we were doing it from little league to now and I’m just trying to recreate my little league dream on the big league field.”

Through 20 games, he is currently slashing .329/.380/.657 with four home-runs, five steals, 13 runs, and 19 RBI. He also improved both his strikeout rate (24.1 percent, a 4.5 percent drop from 2021) and walk rate (8.9 percent, a 2.2 percent rise).

“I want the game to be exciting. I just want everybody to have fun in every way they can at a baseball game,” Chisholm said. “It can be a security guard sitting on the side, it can be a fan in the stands and it might be their first game, I want it to be exciting. I don’t want them to come here, sit there and say they don’t want to come back to another baseball game again. I want them to say they want to buy another ticket tomorrow to come and see this guy play because it was so much fun coming to the game.”

Bahamian culture will once again take centre stage at loanDepot Park when the Miami Marlins hosts its second annual celebration of the relationship between the franchise and The Bahamas. The Marlins will host a Bahamian Appreciation Celebration on June 25 when they face the New York Mets in Miami, Florida.

“There’s no better city to do it in than Miami. It’s a 45-minute flight, my family can easily get over here whenever I need them to come watch a game or when I’m not feeling like myself,” he said. “Miami just has that Caribbean style and that’s just who I am.”

Chisholm’s popularity has inspired apparel and many moments that have gone viral with everyone

MIAMI Marlins second baseman Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr (2) reacts to a call after his two-run double in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday in Miami. The ball was initially ruled out, after a review, it was ruled a fair ball.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) from celebrities to young fans impersonating his now trademark style - varying hair colours and several gold chains around his neck. “I went to a lot of minor league games when I

was a kid. Watching Hanley Ramirez was my first big league game in 2010. I came down to the field, I got batting gloves and it made me love baseball even more than I already did,” he said.

“It’s just the love for the game itself is what baseball needs again. I feel like unnecessary things - throwing at people - is not what the game needs, the game needs fun, the game needs

to be how basketball is loved so much, that’s how I feel baseball should be.”

Chisholm took a sevengame hitting streak into last night’s series opener with the San Diego Padres.

He went 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday’s loss to the Diamondbacks.

His fast-running, hard hitting style has keyed a Marlins resurgence at 12-12 and has Chisholm looking ahead to his future in the game.

“I go out there and I play my game everyday, I’m going to be the same guy everyday. I’m not going to change if we win, lose, or draw. Inside I’m going to be very upset when we lose but at the same time I’m going to come and sign for the fans everyday and I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can everyday even if I go 0-5 with five [strikeouts]. I’m going to go out there and make every single play on defense because if I’m not getting a hit, nobody’s getting a hit,” he said. “I work hard at it everyday, at this point in my career, the hard work is starting to pay off, it’s not fully there yet, but it’s getting there. You work all your life, you’re almost to your peak, that’s how I feel and I feel like I can lead a team somewhere, I feel like I can lead a team to the World Series.”

‘Fighting’ like Real, Ruidiaz scores pair, Nadal saves 4 match Sounders top Pumas points to advance 3-0 to win CCL title

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — A day after rushing from his victory to watch Real Madrid play Manchester City in the Champions League semifinals, Rafael Nadal needed the same fighting spirit as his favourite team showed to avoid his own elimination at the Madrid Open.

The “Si se puede!” (“Yes we can!”) chants that echoed at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday were also present at the “Caja Mágica” yesterday after Nadal saw himself against the ropes, like Madrid was the night before.

While Madrid scored twice in the final minutes to force extra time and defeat Man City, Nadal saved four match points to secure a three-set win over

SPAIN’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory against Nikoloz Basilashvili Tuesday.

(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) David Goffin and reach the quarterfinals.

“Our trajectory is about fighting, is about believing, is about trying till the last, until the match is done,” Nadal said. “We are a kind

of team and player that we try till the end and we believe. So, yeah, yesterday (has) been unforgettable.

Today of course for me is too.”

Nadal asked tournament organisers not to schedule his opening match Wednesday in the afternoon session so he could make it to the Bernabéu. He is an honorary member of the club and last week gave the ceremonial kickoff before the team clinched the Spanish league title with a win against Espanyol.

The third-seeded Nadal will next face Carlos Alcaraz, the youngster touted by many in Spain as Nadal’s successor. The ninth-ranked Alcaraz marked his 19th birthday by defeating Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3.

SEE PAGE 12

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — For many years, the Seattle Sounders talked of wanting to be the first team from Major League Soccer to be crowned the club champions of CONCACAF, only to stumble along the way to accomplishing their goal.

It was finally achieved Wednesday night, adding another triumph to Seattle’s list of titles in record fashion.

Raúl Ruidíaz scored on a deflected shot late in the first half, added a second goal off a perfect counter attack in the 80th minute and the Seattle Sounders beat Pumas 3-0 to win the CONCACAF Champions League title.

The Sounders became the first team from MLS to claim the championship of club teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean since the current format was adopted in 2008. Seattle was the fifth MLS team to reach the final and the first to finish the task.

“These are precious, precious moments. And then when you missed

the opportunity a few times, you don’t want to do it too often,” Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. “So I’m really happy we’re able to take care of this today and write history.

Nicolás Lodeiro added a final punctuation in the 88th minute with his third goal of the final after he scored both Seattle goals on penalty kicks in the first leg last week in Mexico City when the sides played to a 2-2 draw.

The title earned Seattle a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup and added to an already filled trophy case that includes US Open Cup titles, a MLS Supporters’ Shield and two MLS Cup titles.

Officially, Seattle won the two-leg final 5-2. But with away goals not a tiebreaker in the final, whoever won the second leg in Seattle outright would be the champion. “I am very frustrated and I am very proud of our team,” Pumas coach Andrés Lillini said. “We left everything on this field.”

Ruidíaz provided Seattle the lead in the 45th minute. His shot inside the

SEE PAGE 12

PAGE 12, Friday, May 6, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Sydney Clarke named to the Conference USA All-Conference Singles Second Team

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER completing a successful sophomore season at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, tennis player Sydney Clarke said there’s no better feeling than being back home.

She returned home this week after being named to the Conference USA All-Conference Singles Second Team. “We are all very happy for Sydney to get recognized by the conference,” said head coach Mark Tjia. “She has worked hard this season on being more disciplined, intentional and professional. Her play has reflected this, and she is very deserving of the recognition.”

MADRID FROM PAGE 11

Tournament organisers greeted him with a cake on the court after the match, and the home crowd sang “Happy Birthday.”

The fourth-ranked Nadal needed more than three hours to defeat the 60thranked Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (9) in only his second match after a six-week layoff because of a rib stress fracture. “I knew before I arrived that this was going to be a complicated week,” Nadal said.

“Whatever happens now, to win two matches here is fantastic news for me.”

Nadal was up 5-3 in the second set before being

Clarke, who earns her first C-USA postseason award, finished the 2022 season with team-highs 19 overall singles and 14 dual wins. Eight of her victories came at the Number 2 spot and six at Number 3.

In Conference USA play, she had a 4-2 record with wins against WKU, Southern Miss, LA Tech and Middle Tennessee. Additionally, she had match points on Charlotte, all at the No. 2 positions.

One of Clarke’s biggest wins was a straight set victory over Camila Romero from No. 55 ranked Memphis.

“This year was really hectic. It’s the first year we were not disrupted by Covid-19, so it was really nice,” Clarke said. “We got

broken twice and squandering a couple of match points to allow Goffin to even the match. He also struggled in the third and faced four match points in the tiebreaker. The first was saved with an ace, and Goffin hit the net on the second. On the next two, Nadal needed a couple of perfectly executed drop shots to stay in the match.

“It was an incredible end to the match, but it should have never gotten to that point. I had it under control at 5-3,” Nadal said.

“But we know that things are not perfect for me right now, I have to accept that.

I fought until the end, it’s what I can expect from myself now.”

to play a lot more matches, so it was very challenging on and off the court and in the classroom. I really looked forward to that and I really embraced the challenges.

“I felt this year, my performances went very well.

With each match I played, I improved tremendously.

I’m thankful for each and every match I got. I was able to improve from the videos that I watched and the mental preparation I got; I was able to improve tremendously on the court.”

UAB ended its season 12-11 and advanced to the C-USA quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion No. 33 Old Dominion.

“Conference USA has so many great players and teams, so to be selected as

Nadal’s 1,050th career victory came after Andy Murray withdrew from his match against Novak Djokovic because of a stomach illness.

Murray, a two-time champion, announced he had to withdraw not long before he was scheduled to take the court against the top-ranked Djokovic in the third round.

It would have been the first time Murray and Djokovic played against each other since the Serb won the Doha final in 2017.

The 78th-ranked Murray had won his first two matches in Madrid. The former No. 1 hadn’t won consecutive matches since January and hadn’t played

TENNIS player Sydney Clarke said there’s no better feeling than being back home after completing a successful sophomore season at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. one of the elite players in the conference is really a tremendous honor,” added Tjia.

While she was impressed with her overall performance, Clarke said she was just as thrilled about what the team accomplished and she’s eager to see how well she can improve for the Blazers when she returns in August for her junior year.

“I can’t wait to see how my junior year goes,” Clarke said. “I can’t wait

in a clay-court tournament in nearly two years after undergoing hip surgery.

Djokovic automatically advanced to the quarterfinals — his second of the year after losing the Serbia Open final last month. His opponent will be 12thseeded Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated qualifier Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-3.

Andrey Rublev, who beat Djokovic in the Serbia final, advanced to the quarterfinals after a hard-fought 7-6 (7), 7-5 win over Daniel Evans in nearly 2 1/2 hours.

Rublev will next face fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, who comfortably defeated Gregor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4. Defending champion Alexander Zverev

to see how much improvement we will make. I know we will have the same team until I graduate, so I’m really excited about that.

“Now that we know each other, I think next year, coming back, we will be better than ever because we would have addressed those weaknesses and embrace them as well as maximizing our strength.”

While at home, the 20-year-old former top ranked junior national team

advanced after qualifier Lorenzo Musetti retired with a left thigh injury while losing 6-3, 1-0.

In the women’s semifinals, eighth-seeded Ons Jabeur comfortably defeated qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour to advance to the final. The Tunisian is the first Arab player to reach a WTA 1000 final.

The 10th-ranked Jabeur, the only top-10 player left in the women’s draw, had lost five of her six matches against Alexandrova from 2016-2018.

It will be her sixth final, and first since a runner-up finish in Charleston last month.

HUMMEL CUP KICKS OFF AT ROSCOW AL DAVIES SOCCER COMPLEX THE Bahamas Football Association kicked off its Hummel Cup 2022 at the Roscow Al Davies Soccer Complex over the weekend. On Friday evening, the eyes of the soccer community were on the pitch where the first round of matches of the tournament

were taking place. Sponsored by European Uniform Manufacturer Hummel, all the teams playing in the tournament wore hummel branded kit as they played under the lights. The tournament takes place over two weekends.

CONCACAF

The sides were even at 2-2 after a wild first leg.

Pumas took a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of goals from Juan Dinenno, the top scorer in the tournament. Seattle rallied behind two penalty kick goals from Lodeiro to draw level and simplify the second leg. The second of Lodeiro’s two goals in Mexico City came in the ninth minute of stoppage time.

But Dinenno was mostly quiet in the second leg.

His best chance was a free kick midway through the second half that missed the net. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei made a terrific save on Diogo’s free header in the 65th minute.

Frei was named the overall player of the tournament. Seattle also played short-handed after Nouhou Tolo and João Paulo were subbed off with injuries inside the first 30 minutes. Seattle is concerned Paulo tore the ACL in his right knee.

FROM PAGE 11

penalty area deflected off Pumas’ forward Diogo and caught goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera moving the wrong direction. It set off a celebration with most of the record crowd of 68,761 cheering wildly enough to give Lumen Field a shake.

It was the largest crowd to ever attend a match in any round of the CCL. And they roared again after the second goal.

Precise passes from Alex Roldan to Jordan Morris to Lodeiro and then Ruidíaz left the striker in perfect position to beat Talavera.

“It was a great team goal. We knew those spaces were going to open up a bit when they were pushing,” Morris said.

Lodeiro’s goal just added to the party and the 3-0 win was the largest margin of victory in any CCL final match.

SOME of the teams in the Bahamas Football Association’s Hummel Cup 2022 at the Roscow Al Davies Soccer Complex.

Photos courtesy of Carl Lynch, deputy general secretary

player said she will continue to train and prepare to represent the Bahamas, especially on the Billie Jean King Fed Cup whenever it is played this summer.

“I’m very glad to be home because I have all of the resources to help me to be successful,” said Clarke, a former student of CR Walker Secondary High who graduated from Windsor High School and was a member of the Albany Tennis Academy.

YOLETT

FROM PAGE 11 10-8 in the SEC to earn an at-large bid and the no.7 seed in the Witchita Region.

It was their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years.

McPhee-McCuin led Ole Miss it’s first top 25 ranking since 2007. The season was highlighted by a 13-game win streak, the third longest win streak in programme history. It also included wins over three ranked opponents.

In conference postseason play, Ole Miss earned its first SEC Tournament Semifinal game appearance in 29 years.

Defensively Ole Miss blocked a single-season record 142 shots and held a school record 10 opponents under 50 points. She also led the Rebels to 10 SEC wins and its best conference finish since 1993. Ole Miss also appeared in its first SEC Tournament semifinal since 1994, as the fourth overall seed. The Rebels also found themselves slotted in the national polls with its first AP Poll appearance since 2007, when Ole Miss came in at No. 24 on January 24.

McPhee-McCuin also recently produced the highest drafted Ole Miss player in programme history when Shakira Austin was recently selected third overall by the Washington Mystics.

Austin was named a three-time All-America Honorable Mention, earned First-Team All-SEC recognition for the second year in a row and was awarded the Gillom Trophy for the second time in her career.

McPhee-McCuin joined the Rebels in 2018 with expectations to rebuild a programme that struggled in recent years and was in the cellar of the SEC. In her first year at the helm the team finished 9-22, 3-13 in conference play, and the season concluded with a first round loss in the SEC Tournament.

In year two, The Rebels finished the season at 7-23 and suffered another opening round loss in the tournament. In year three, the Rebels finished the season 15-12, for their first winning season since 2016-17. After an 11-11 regular season, 4-10 in the SEC, they advanced to the first SEC Quarterfinal since 2004. Their résumé included three wins against ranked teams and four Top-50 NET wins. They eventually fell to Rice in the WNIT title game.

McPhee-McCuin previously led the Jacksonville Dolphins programme to the Tournament in 2016.

She also led the Dolphins to their first ASUN Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.

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Friday, May 6, 2022, PAGE 13

Embiid still out as Sixers, Mavericks seek rebound vs Heat, Suns

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA and Dallas head home trying to stay in conference semifinal series against the top seeds — the 76ers forced again to play without Joel Embiid against Miami, and the Mavericks waiting for someone to help Luka Doncic against Phoenix.

The Sixers ruled out Embiid for Game 3 yesterday with the orbital fracture sustained in the first-round clincher against Toronto.

The Heat won the first two games with the MVP finalist sidelined.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd repeated himself following a second loss to Chris Paul, Devin Booker and the Suns — the 11th consecutive defeat for the Mavericks, regular season included, against the team with the NBA’s best record.

Game 3 of the Western Conference series is tonight in Dallas.

“He (Doncic) had a great game, but no one else showed,” Kidd said after a 129-109 loss in Game 2, sounding about the same as he did two nights earlier following a series-opening 121-114 loss in Phoenix.

“We can’t win with just him out there scoring 30 a night.”

James Harden and Tyrese Maxey obviously are missing Embiid, who is also dealing with a thumb injury. The Philly guards couldn’t find a way to get a split at Miami, the top seed in the East, without the five-time All-Star.

The Sixers weren’t closer than eight points in the fourth quarter of the first

two games, and Maxey sees the first quarter as the key to changing that.

“When we go home with the crowd on our side, we’ve got to hit first,” Maxey said after the 119103 loss in Game 2.

“Coach Doc said something in the locker room before the game about, ‘Let’s not be a counterpunching team tonight.’ I think that really hit home.

We’ve got to go after them first and put them on their heels.”

Philadelphia is battling history, too.

Miami has taken a 2-0 lead in 18 previous series, including the first round this season against Atlanta, and won the matchup every time. The 76ers have dropped the first two games 19 previous times, never recovering to win the series.

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 23 points in Game 2. The Miami centre tops the list of players impacted by the possible return of the 7-foot Embiid.

“It changes dramatically.

You’re talking about MVP talent,” Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said. “We knew that this series was going to shift and it was going to change pretty dramatically. It’s better for it to change dramatically when we’re able to get a couple of wins.”

The Mavericks were close in the fourth quarter of Game 2 before Paul sparked a 23-2 run with the Suns leading by six. He had 14 of his 28 points in the fourth. Booker had consecutive 3-pointers during the run and scored 30.

“We have guys that definitely can guard these

DEANDRE Ayton (22) drives around Mavericks centre Dwight Powell, right, during the second half of Game 2 of their NBA basketball second-round playoff series Wednesday in Phoenix.

(AP Photo/Matt York) guys,” said Dallas guard We’ve got to get other guys season. His production is Reggie Bullock, one of involved to help him. Right way off in the postseason.

There were signs of life in the defence-first players now it’s just been him.”

SUNS AT Game 2, when he scored assigned that task. “But MAVERICKS 10 of his 11 points to help it’s going to take a team Phoenix leads 2-0. Game Dallas take a 60-58 halfeffort to be able to contain 3, 9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN. time lead. But he got just them.”

— NEED TO KNOW: one shot, and missed it, in Jalen Brunson averaged 27.8 points in the The Suns have shot at least the fourth quarter.

— INJURY WATCH: first-round win over Utah, 50% in all eight playoff when Doncic missed the games, with the 64.5% in Dallas F Maxi Kleber first three games with a left Game 2 against Dallas the played 28 minutes and calf strain. Brunson is aver- highest yet. Paul is shoot- scored nine points in Game aging 11 points on 32% ing a mind-numbing 67% 2 after taking a nasty fall shooting against the Suns inside the 3-point line. The on his back, shoulders and and has almost as many defensive turnaround for neck in the series opener. fouls (eight) as baskets the Mavericks has been The Mavericks have said one of the biggest stories he came through OK, but (nine).

Doncic, who scored 45 of Kidd’s first season. They his effectiveness will bear and 35 points in the first were second to Boston in watching after he acknowltwo games, looked tired fewest points allowed in edged being sore.

— PRESSURE IS ON: with the Suns repeatedly the regular season and kept attacking him on screens, it up while beating the Jazz Mavericks G-F Dorian particularly in the fourth in six games. Not so much Finney-Smith needs to stay out of foul trouble. He’s quarter when they shot in this series.

— KEEP AN EYE ON: among the most important 84%.

“He should be tired,” Dallas G Spencer Dinwid- defenders and was limited Kidd said. “He played die had some of his best to 20 minutes after picking his heart out. He’s tired games when Doncic was up three fouls in the first every night. He plays hard. out during the regular quarter.

Demeritte named Mid-South Conference Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net IT HAS only been a year since he’s been at the helm, but already former sprinter/agent Dominic Demeritte has racked up his first major accolade in his new venture as a coach.

As he gets set to complete his first year as the director of cross country and track at Life University, Demeritte was earlier this week named the 2022 Mid-South Conference Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.

His Running Eagles men’s team captured their first championship crown at the James H Taylor II Stadium in Williamsburg, Kentucky on Monday with 177 points, while the women’s team repeated as champions with 167 points.

As he was awarded his coach’s title, Demeritte attributed it to a total team success.

“I never coached for personal goals, so it comes with the territory. It’s a blessing, not just for myself, but my coaches because it’s a coaches’ staff award, rather than a head coach’s award,” Demeritte said. “They do all the work.

I just bring everything together.”

Demeritte, a former sprinter of St John’s College at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, saw senior Aniqua Darville make the transition to throwing, while Breanna Pratt and Venord Burrows both competed in the sprints.

There are a total of five men and two women on the team, but Demeritte said the others were ineligible

to compete because of their academic requirements coming out of COVID-19.

Originally, Demeritte was hired to help resurge Life University’s cross country and track programmes in the fall of 2020, while also helping with the women’s programme. This spring, he stepped in to fill the spot as the interim head coach for the women through a successful outdoor season.

The women captured their first Mid-South Conference Outdoor Championships title while the team tallied 16 total All-Conference honours, including eight individual champions.

Entering the NAIA Outdoor Championships ranked 10th nationally, the team again had a strong performance, tying for 10th place while winning an individual title and earning All-American honours.

“It wasn’t all a straight line. I took some detours here and there, but I’m truly grateful for the opportunities along the way because it’s made me the coach that I am today,” Demeritte said.

“Like I always tell my athletes, I gladly failed because failure is the only way you can have true sucess and appreciate the success once you get there.”

This season, the 44-yearold Demeritte said his Running Rebels had to endure some injuries and ineligibilities, but he was able to work through it and is now on the verge of trying to get his team ready for the NAIA Championships, scheduled for May 25-27 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

GRIZZLIES’ BROOKS SUSPENDED 1 GAME FOR FLAGRANT ON PAYTON

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA yesterday for making “unnecessary and excessive contact” that resulted in a fractured elbow for Golden State’s Gary Payton II in Game 2 of the the Western Conference semifinals.

Brooks must sit out Saturday’s Game 3 with the best-of-seven series shifting to San Francisco tied at one game apiece. Payton is wearing a brace and will be sidelined indefinitely, said coach Steve Kerr, who has called the play dirty.

Payton was injured in the first quarter of Golden State’s 106-101 loss Tuesday night when Brooks hit him across the head and the guard fell awkwardly on his left arm after driving for a layup. Brooks received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected.

“It’s disappointing. It’s an unfortunate circumstance.

Obviously, we’re going to honour the league’s decision, but you know it’s a tough play,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said in Memphis. “We obviously wish Gary Payton a speedy and healthy recovery. You don’t want to see anybody get hurt. It’s very unfortunate what happened there.”

The Warriors said Payton also sustained ligament and muscle damage on the play that Kerr said “broke the code” of NBA conduct.

Payton underwent an MRI exam in the Bay Area on Wednesday and will be reevaluated in two weeks.

When asked about the suspension, Kerr said, “It doesn’t matter. Gary’s out.

Gary’s out for the next, foreseeable future, for weeks, that’s the only thing that matters to us.”

“He’s crushed,” Kerr said. “Six years toiling away in the league as I said the other night, in the spotlight, playing in the playoffs, playing a huge role, playing well. That’s all been taken away from him. We all feel terrible for Gary. He deserves better.”

MARADONA’S ‘HAND OF GOD’ SHIRT SETS AUCTION RECORD

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

For Demeritte, the transition to coaching was one that he had prepared himself for during the time he competed, having worked with youth baseball players on their speed agility.

“A lot of people in my corner told me that I would be a great coach,” Demeritte said.

“So, it’s something that I originally wanted to do, and it turned out to be a perfect fit because I am doing what I love to do.

“I’m truly grateful because a lot of people go through life, and they don’t have a passion or love for what it is they are doing.

“I’m grateful to be at that stage in my life, even though it came later in life, where I can continue growing in the profession.”

As he continues to grow the programme at Life University, Demeritte said he hopes to make the Running Rebels a team that athletes would enjoy coming and competing for, even though they are not a division one college or university.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re at, even if it’s NAIA division II,” he said. “The only four meets that you won’t compete in with division one talent is our conference and nationals

indoors and outdoors championship,” Demeritte said.

Demeritte said he’s also eager to get the chance to compete head-to-head against quarter-miler Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, who is currently coaching at Clayton State Lakers, also in Georgia. Demeritte, you might recall, made history as the last champion of the World Athletics Indoor Championships when he won the gold in the 200m in 2004 in Budapest, Hungary.

Since then, the event has since been removed from the programme for the championships.

LONDON (AP) — The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup has sold for 7.1 million pounds ($9.3 million), the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of sports memorabilia.

Auctioneer Sotheby’s sold the shirt in an online auction that closed Wednesday. It did not identify the buyer.

Maradona scored two goals during the quarterfinal game in Mexico City on June 22, 1986, just four years after Britain and Argentina had fought a war over the Falkland Islands.

The Argentine great’s first goal was ruled a header, but the ball had bounced off Maradona’s fist, out of sight of the referee.

Maradona said afterward that it had been scored “a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God.” Maradona’s second goal saw him dribble the ball past almost the entire English team before beating goalkeeper Peter Shilton. In 2002, it was voted “goal of the century” in a FIFA poll.