GOVT BUYS GB POWER
- PROMISES 37% CUT
Davis defends utility purchase one week before the election
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE government has acquired all outstanding shares of the Grand Bahama Power Company in a deal Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said will cut electricity bills for Grand Bahama customers by an average of 37 percent, a major intervention announced one week before the general election.
Mr Davis said the company will adopt Bahamas
Power and Light’s tariff schedule, bringing Grand Bahama’s electricity rates in line with those paid elsewhere in The Bahamas. He said customers should begin seeing savings in the next billing cycle.
“This decision was made with a clear purpose: to bring down the cost of electricity for the people of Grand Bahama and place this island inside our national energy strategy,” Mr Davis said.
Union claims foreign nurses fast-tracked over Bahamians
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Nurses
Union (BNU) President Muriel Lightbourn has raised alarm over what she describes as unequal treatment in the hiring process for nurses, claiming qualified Bahamian nurses remain unemployed while applications from foreign workers are being fast-tracked.
Ms Lighbourn said she was informed of the imbalance from “reliable sources” in public health, calling the situation disappointing especially at a time when
nursing shortages persist. However, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville has rejected the claims, acknowledging that while the process can move faster, applications are still being reviewed.
CALLS FOR BRIDGE FIX AFTER FATHER DIES IN EXUMA CRASH
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
PRESTON McKenzie was supposed to fly to New Providence to reunite with his wife and children. Instead, his body was found inside his overturned car in waters near the Barraterre bridge in Exuma, a death
RUPERT ROBERTS at his return home from hospital, seen with his wife Margaret and granddaughter Paige Waugh.
his family says should force urgent attention to the bridge’s poor lighting, limited guardrails and lack of proper warning signs.
Police said officers at the George Town Police Station received reports shortly before noon on April 30 that a man had been found
By DAVID LEIGH Tribune Editor-in-Chief daleigh@tribunemedia.com
NINE weeks after being airlifted to a US hospital after been struck down with pneumonia, Super Value owner Rupert Roberts has finally arrived home in New Providence with a message to all Bahamians: “Take care of your health.” Admitting he is delighted to be ‘back in the sunshine,’ Mr Roberts urged all Bahamians to ‘look after yourselves with a healthy diet and exercise.’ He warned: “You could develop an illness that The Bahamas is not equipped to
ROBERTS - SEE PAGE 11
Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis speaks during a ceremony for the signing for the govt to acquire all remaining shares in Grand Bahama Power Company.
Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
Bahamas Nurses Union president Muriel Lightbourn.
Bell attacks Rick Fox over failed Abaco housing project
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
HOUSING Minister
Keith Bell has accused Free National Movement Garden Hills candidate Rick Fox of failing to deliver on an Abaco housing project tied to his company, sharpening a dispute over who is responsible for delays in a promised development once touted as a major boost to affordable
housing. Mr Bell, the Progressive Liberal Party’s candidate for Carmichael, used a rally on Gladstone Road on Monday night to question the status of commitments by Mr Fox’s company to build homes using carbon-negative materials.
“Where the factory? Where the 30 homes for Abaco? Where the 1000 homes?” Mr Bell said. The project was first announced in 2022
through a memorandum of understanding between the government and Mr Fox’s company. The plan called for 30 homes in an initial phase, with the project scaling up to 1,000 homes over three years.
Mr Bell said the Davis administration supported the initiative through concessions and land, suggesting the lack of progress rested with the developer.
“And yes, there is the Crown Land,” Mr Bell said.
Mr Bell insisted the government had advanced housing projects across the country.
“What about housing? We restarted the programme. They shut down. We built homes, hundreds of homes,” he said.
He cited subdivisions in Carmichael, other projects underway, and homes delivered in Abaco and San Salvador as evidence of progress under the Davis administration.
“They talk homes. The PLP build homes,” Mr Bell said. Mr Bell also questioned
whether the opposition could deliver on promises to sharply increase housing output.
Davis calls FNM unfit while Pintard promises honesty
By LEANDRA ROLLE and KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporters
PRIME Minister Philip
“Brave” Davis and Free
National Movement leader
Michael Pintard sharpened their attacks on each other in the final stretch of the campaign, with Mr Davis accusing the opposition of being unfit to govern and Mr Pintard promising “humble” and honest leadership if the FNM wins next week’s general election.
Speaking at a Progressive Liberal Party rally on Gladstone Road on Monday, Mr Davis framed the May 12 election as a choice between continued national development under the PLP and what he called a backward “reset” under the FNM.
“These are serious times, and the country needs serious, competent people,” Mr Davis said. “But the FNM has a collection of people with serious anger management issues.”
“They cannot control themselves. They are not fit for politics.”
Mr Davis pointed to past altercations involving opposition members, including incidents in Parliament and disputes at FNM headquarters, as he argued that the party lacked the temperament required to govern.
“Remember them brawling in the House of Assembly, breaking up the place, injuring policeman and being dragged out belly up?” he said. “And remember them brawling in the
parking lot of the FNM headquarters, then suing each other in the courts?”
He also attacked Mr Pintard’s leadership, saying: “Captain Pintard is not up to the job. The FNM ship is sinking.”
Mr Davis criticised the opposition’s platform, saying the party repeatedly claims to have plans without explaining them. He dismissed two proposals he attributed to the FNM — a $200 monthly payment to single mothers and the
introduction of a national lottery — as inadequate.
“The only real plan they have is to try to win,” Mr Davis said. “They are prepared to lie, cheat or steal in order to do it.”
The prime minister also revisited the FNM’s record in office, claiming the party left the economy in poor condition and pointing to a reported credit rating downgrade during its tenure. He contrasted that with what he described as improvements under his
administration, including upgrades to the country’s credit rating.
“We run on our record, while they run from their record,” he said.
Mr Davis said the PLP’s “Blueprint for Progress” focuses on expanding education, job opportunities and access to home ownership. He said the plan centres on creating opportunities “to learn, to earn and to own,” including skills training, housing programmes and support for
small businesses. Mr Pintard, meanwhile, used an FNM rally in the Berry Islands on Monday to cast his party as a cleaner and more accountable alternative to the PLP, pledging that an FNM government would govern with humility and honesty.
“We are here tonight to say that we will govern with humility,” he said.
“We don't believe we're better than anybody else. Our hands will not be in the cookie jar. Well, the truth of the matter is, the PLP done tief the cookie jar too. But the bottom line is, we intend to govern with honesty.”
Mr Pintard said an FNM administration would not travel abroad using taxpayer money without reporting back on what was achieved.
He also promised a new healthcare system, including the hiring of 100 additional doctors and more than 200 nurses. He said an FNM government would restore banking services to the Family Islands and expand opportunities for young people.
The FNM leader also criticised PLP candidates, including the island’s former MP, accusing him of failing to deliver and showing little interest in working for the people. He contrasted them with FNM candidate Carlton Bowleg, whom he described as a man of the people willing to work for the island.
Mr Pintard urged voters not to be impressed by the extravagance of PLP rallies, saying the same leaders who neglected supporters in the past would do so again.
“Phillip is really ready for retirement,” he said. “He's fresh out of ideas. He's fresh out of energy and the problem is, Philip has not done a good job presiding over your finances. “
“The PLP does count how we used to count when we were children. They does go like one for you, three for me.”
Mr Bowleg argued that residents in the Berry Islands have seen little benefit despite reported increases in visitor arrivals.
“Why if your economy here in the Berry Islands is booming, you are still struggling. If the visitors are pouring in, then why aren't the Small Business benefiting? If growth is happening, then why in the world are you feeling left out Berry islands,” he said. He asked residents if they had had enough and said: “Come May 12th, we’re going to take our country back.”
“If you could not deliver 30, how in the world you could deliver 5000?” he said.
Housing Minister Keith Bell speaks during the PLP rally at Gladstone Road on Monday. Photo: Shawn Hanna
Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis speaks during the PLP rally at Gladstone Road.
Photo: Shawn Hanna
FNM leader Michael Pintard speaks during a recent FNM rally in Grand Bahama.
Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
Minister denies claims of unequal hiring for nurses
“We definitely made a request to the general public to hire local nurses, which is better for us,” he told The Tribune. “It’s better fit but at the Department of Public Health, the demand is not so great for nurses as compared with the Rand, the Princess Margaret Hospital and Sandilands.”
However, Ms Lightbourn said she was told that stacks of applications from local nurses awaiting employment are still sitting on desks, awaiting confirmation “while foreign nurses’ applications are being pushed forward.”
“I can say without a shadow of a doubt that when it comes to nursing, nurses train here in The Bahamas,” she said. “They are well trained, and so we are more than qualified, because number one, they have to first fit our standard, according to the nursing council.”
“And so I don’t know why it is so difficult for us to hire these nurses that are waiting to be hired, and they are waiting on jobs to make a living in our own country.”
Her comments came as a registered nurse recently detailed her struggles to find employment and secure housing after being evicted from a government shelter while fleeing an abusive husband.
Ms Lightbourn said nurses are questioning why are they being overlooked.
“A lot of them are feeling like I must be need to be a foreigner,” she said. “I don’t know what it is like nurses are really hurting and nurses are sitting back and wondering, why is this happening?”
She noted that nursing interns are facing similar concerns, noting that many are still waiting to be vetted and hired.
She added that delays in receiving responses from ministry officials have further slowed the process.
“You go to the ministry and then when you go to the ministry, the ministry is telling you that, ‘oh, it’s over by public service’ and then public service say, ‘I waiting on this from the ministry and nobody seems to be able to tell you what it is,” she said.
However, Dr Darville said applications
have been forwarded to the necessary authorities and are under review “with a serious intent for employment.”
“We’re also looking for nurses who are prepared to be deployed to the family islands, and so a lot of individuals are not interested in deployment and so that’s what really puts the delays because we’re trying to match but that is far from the truth.”
Retired prison officer dies after car plunges off Exuma bridge
unresponsive in waters near the Barraterre bridge. When officers arrived, they found a blue Honda Civic overturned and partially submerged on the northern side of the bridge. Inside the vehicle was an unresponsive man, partially covered with a white sheet and dressed in a white and blue shirt and black shorts. A local doctor pronounced him dead at the scene. Police said a concerned citizen noticed the vehicle in the water before officers arrived and used a tool to gain access, helping to remove the victim. Initial findings suggest the driver may have lost
control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the bridge and into the water.
Mr McKenzie’s daughter, Pruzyia McKenzie, said her father had moved back to Exuma to be closer to relatives. He was expected to visit his wife and children in New Providence on Thursday, but he never made the flight. She last spoke to him the
day before his body was found.
“My daddy was supposed to be here,” she said through tears. “My daddy was dead from Wednesday night in that water.”
“We were expecting to see my daddy not plan a funeral.”
Ms McKenzie said they spoke on Wednesday about his travel plans. Later that
day, her sister messaged him, but he did not respond. When he failed to appear for Thursday’s flight, the family became worried. Calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.
She said a cousin in Exuma later called with the news that her father had been found dead in his car, submerged in water.
Ms McKenzie said it remains unclear exactly when the car went overboard. She said her brother told her their father’s body was extremely stiff when it was removed, suggesting it had been there for some time. The family believes he may have drifted off the road while heading home.
Ms McKenzie said the Barraterre bridge has long been dangerous, citing the lack of lighting at night, the curve that limits visibility, and the absence of proper warning signs and sufficient guardrails.
“The bridge is not safe. The bridge needs to be fixed. My daddy isn’t the first one who went over that bridge. Two persons went over that bridge, but they survived,” she said.
Ms McKenzie said her father was a retired prison officer who recruited dozens of officers, many of whom are devastated by his death.
He had been planning to open a business for the upcoming Barraterre festival. He was a husband and father of three, described by his daughter as loving, humble and the life of the party — always smiling or dancing.
She also recalled receiving a video from the last night he was alive, showing him making a toast with a group. She said he repeatedly said he was going to heaven.
Ms McKenzie said she hopes her father’s death forces long-overdue repairs to the bridge, adding that she does not want another life lost.
A video shared with The Tribune showed the vehicle submerged in water after appearing to go over the guardrail. There was little signage warning of the bridge or the sharp curve ahead.
he said.
Health officials have previously noted a shortage of about 500 registered nurses in the country.
Bahamas Nurses Union president speaks to the press July last year.
CRASH from page one
RETIRED prison officer Preston McKenzie.
Govt promises 37% cut to power bills
“Grand Bahama Power Company will adopt the BPL tariff schedule for services provided to customers in Grand Bahama. You have heard that adoption could result in savings of an average of 37 percent savings in your electricity costs.”
“As I said, it’s going to bring down the cost of living in Grand Bahama and make businesses here more competitive, because families will pay less electricity.”
The acquisition was made through a special purpose vehicle called Grand Bahama Electricity Company. The transaction was funded by a loan from Standard Chartered and Scotiabank, guaranteed by the government.
Mr Davis said the move would lower the cost of living, make businesses more competitive and improve Grand Bahama’s investment climate by placing the island within the government’s broader national energy strategy.
He said the acquisition protects the jobs and benefits of existing GBPC employees and that the Bahamian management team will remain in place.
The announcement lands in the final days of a highstakes election campaign, raising questions about the timing of a major utility acquisition and promised bill reductions days before voters go to the polls.
Mr Davis rejected any suggestion that the government should have delayed the transaction because of the campaign.
“Why do I have to defend
the
a move?” he told reporters. “First of all, governance don’t stop because election is in the air. We still have to govern, and this transaction has been in the making for quite a while.”
“The process just happened to be ending now. Should we abandon it when we’re going to be able to bring relief to the people of Grand Bahama immediately? We will bring relief now. I have nothing to defend, other than to say I’m bringing relief to Grand Bahama. I would hope to bring it sooner, but it just happened to be now.”
Mr Davis said the GBPC will continue operating as is for now, with a transitional arrangement intended to avoid disruption while tariffs, costs and charges are aligned with the rest of the
the
country.
The company is expected to be gradually folded into the government’s broader national energy reform programme. Mr Davis said GBPC will also have the capacity to tap into international assistance.
The acquisition ends Emera’s ownership of the company. Emera first acquired holdings in GBPC in 2010.
Mr Davis thanked Emera for managing and developing the utility over the years and said more details on the transition will be announced in the coming days.
Karen Hutt, Emera’s executive vice-president of corporate development in The Bahamas, called the transfer a “watershed moment” for the company
and Grand Bahama.
“This is an exciting time of transition for Emera, for the Grand Bahama Power Company and for Grand Bahama,” he said. “This transition of ownership from Emera to the government provides a historic opportunity for Grand Bahama power and the island of Grand Bahama to play a pivotal role in the nation’s energy future under The Bahamas comprehensive and progressive national energy policy.”
Nikita Mullings, GBPC’s chief operating officer, said the company remains committed to safety, reliability and service as ownership changes.
Energy Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis said the acquisition would benefit more than 17,000 households and more than 1,500 small and medium-sized businesses on the island. She framed the move as a step toward fairness, oversight and regulatory consistency.
“For the first time, Freeport is being brought fully into line with the rest of the country on electricity, oversight and pricing,” she said.
Mrs Coleby-Davis pointed to what she described as wide disparities between GBPC and BPL bills. She said a household in Pineridge paid $200.09 for 495 kilowatt hours, compared with $121.38 for the same usage in Long Island under BPL, a difference of $78.71. She said tariff uniformity would produce a 39.3 percent saving in that example. She also said a household in West End using 1,424 kilowatt hours paid $700.21, compared with $481.50 for a household in New Providence using the same amount, a difference of $218.71. She said tariff uniformity would bring savings of 31.2 percent in that case.
“Today’s announcement is a big one for us here at Grand Bahama Power, but it does not change what defines us,” Ms Mullings said. “Our commitment to safety, reliability and service excellence, and it does not change our shared responsibility to our customers and this community.”
“Because of the new rate, 1000s of households throughout The Bahamas have seen their bills decline, allowing families to do more with their income. It’s the same approach that we will implement in Grand Bahama. In the coming days, more details will be shared and we pledged to keep Grand Bahamians informed as we move forward.
Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey said the acquisition responds to years of complaints about high electricity costs on the island.
“For too long, families and businesses have carried the weight of extremely high electricity costs,” she said. “This Davis administration has heard the cry and meaningful change is here to address this vexing legacy issue, not years down the road, but with your next billing.”
Mr Davis said no thought had been given to changing the company’s name and that the government would take advice from Grand Bahama residents.
He also linked the acquisition to his broader promise to revive Freeport and Grand Bahama.
“I have committed myself that while I have the ability to do it, I will try to bring back the magic to the city and I dare say we are well on the way,” he said. “You just need to look around, and you’ll see I’ve not used that word here, because you might say I’m politicking, but you can see what’s happening.”
“When we introduced the equity rate adjustment program initiative at BPL, which realigned electricity rates, households which use under 200 kilowatt hours of electricity, saw a zero rating of the base rate,” she said.
FIRE CREWS TACKLE TWO BLAZES INCLUDING FIRE NEAR FNM HQ
FIREFIGHTERS responded to two separate blaze incidents
within 24 hours, including a Tuesday afternoon fire involving derelict vehicles
off Mackey Street and a late-night residential fire in Imperial Park that
left one man with minor injuries.
The first incident occurred around 12.42pm on Tuesday at a mechanic shop off Mackey Street near Checkers Café and the Free National Movement headquarters. Authorities said the fire involved derelict vehicles and was not considered major.
In a statement, FNM Chairman Dr Duane Sands said: “We are aware of the fire and want to reassure everyone that our headquarters is safe
and fully intact. The incident is taking place at a nearby building, and we are closely monitoring the situation.”
The previous night, on Monday, police and fire crews responded to a structural fire at a residence on Inspiration Road in Imperial Park shortly after 10.30pm. Officers from the Fire Services arrived to find a single-storey white home and a nearby vehicle engulfed in flames.
The fire was quickly brought under control;
however, the southern portion of the home sustained extensive heat damage. A yellow Corvette, licence plate number DD4975, was completely destroyed.
A 40-year-old man at the scene suffered minor burns to his right forearm and lower left leg. He was assessed by emergency medical personnel but declined transport to hospital.
Police said the cause of the fire remains unknown, and investigations are ongoing.
MINISTER of Energy and Transport Jobeth Coleby-Davis, pictured with Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, signing documents as
govt purchases
remaining shares of GBPC yesterday.
Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
FIREFIGHTERS respond to a blaze involving derelict vehicles off Mackey Street yesterday. Photo: Chappell Whyms Jr
The Tribune Limited
NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI
“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972
Contributing Editor 1972-1991
RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.
Publisher/Editor 1972-
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Show us the small print
WHEN the government announced plans for a deal to buy Grand Bahama Power Company, it jumped the gun a little bit. That resulted in swift messages from GBPC owner Emera to say that the deal was not quite done yet. That changed yesterday.
The government has now acquired all outstanding shares in GBPC with a week to go before the election, and Prime Minister Philip Davis says the deal will mean electricity bills will be cut for Grand Bahama customers by an average of 37 percent.
That comes about because the government says GBPC will adopt the same tariffs as BPL and rejected any suggestion the deal should have been delayed until after the election, saying: “Why do I have to defend a move?”
He added: “The process just happened to be ending now.”
So how will the reduced tariffs work?
Well, for now, Mr Davis says everything will carry on as it is until tariffs, costs and charges can be aligned with the rest of the country.
A key word there is costs – as increased costs in shipping and the laws of supply and demand often drive increased prices for a number of things in the Family Islands, and Grand Bahama too.
Without a doubt, customers in Grand Bahama have faced higher bills than in New Providence – the question is whether those higher bills can be brought down thanks to a reduction in costs, or whether those reduced bills will be subsided by Bahamians elsewhere.
In the House of Assembly previously, FNM leader Michael Pintard was wary of a move made “without laying out the case on what justifies it and how the money will be specifically used”.
Reduced costs for Bahamians is a justification in and of itself, of course, but his point about greater clarity surrounding the deal is a fair one. After all, getting ahead of the announcement previously already led to one backtrack by the government – getting the facts out in the open now would help to allay any concerns. In fact, get it all out in
the open and it might well indeed sway some votes if all is as the government says. After all, who wants to pay more to keep the lights on?
With promises to cut the electric costs by about a third, that would put a significant amount of money back in people’s pockets – and might just help to kickstart the economy by people using that money for other purposes.
Grand Bahama certainly desperately needs that kickstart. For too many years – under administrations of all types – it has gone backwards rather than forwards.
Mr Davis spoke of how he “will try to bring back the magic to the city” – but that magic seems long gone.
The bigger picture in Grand Bahama remains to be dealt with – the economic slowdown over the years will need more than this deal to turn things around. That is a task that will require the future governments of this country to dare to think big.
In the meantime, let us see the small print of this deal – to work out exactly how those costs will disappear.
Roberts returns determined
In all the crash and roar of the election season, and all of the bad news that there might be, it is a delight to report that Super Value owner Rupert Roberts has returned home to New Providence after treatment in the US for pneumonia.
Mr Roberts was airlifted to the US for treatment, and has spent nine weeks there recovering. His message to everyone on his return? “Take care of your health.”
The news is welcome – not least of all to his many employees, many of whom rallied round to offer support to Mr Roberts.
Not that there was any doubt, given Mr Roberts’ redoubtable spirit, but he has no intention of slowing down, saying his doctors “advised me to keep going and never stop!” We should all show such determination.
Call for unity, respect and reflection ahead of May 12
EDITOR, The Tribune.
THE current state of discourse in our beloved Bahamas is deeply troubling. What we are witnessing in this pre-election period is not simply spirited debate—it is division at a level that should concern every citizen who intends to vote on May 12.
The events surrounding April 30 have laid bare a harsh reality: there is a growing distrust fueled by ongoing allegations of corruption, perceived unfairness, and a lack of transparency. These are serious issues that demand attention. But what is equally alarming is how we, as a people, are responding to them.
How did we get here?
Social media platforms and public forums have become battlegrounds. Party loyalists, in many instances, have abandoned civility, resorting to verbal attacks that resemble hostility more than healthy disagreement. Political leaders, who should model restraint and respect, have too often contributed to this decline. The ability to
disagree without demeaning one another—a cornerstone of any functioning democracy— appears to be slipping away. This is not the Bahamas we know. We are a people known for kindness, warmth, and respect. Yet over the years, there has been a noticeable rise in aggressive, bullying behavior—not only in politics, but across institutions, from churches to Parliament, and even among ordinary citizens. This erosion of civility reflects a deeper moral concern that cannot be ignored. We must pause and reflect.
As Bahamians— whether by birth or by choice—we share a common destiny. This election should not be about tearing each other down, but about building our nation up. We must resist the urge to allow anger, misinformation, or blind loyalty to dictate our actions.
Instead, I urge every citizen to approach May 12 with a level head and a heart grounded in love.
Talk is cheapbut Bahamians pay full price
EDITOR, The Tribune.
THERE is a peculiar kind of frustration that builds up in a man’s chest when he watches his government do one thing and say another. Bahamians know that frustration well. We have been living it for years now — and it is long past time we called it plainly what it is: a failure of leadership on one of the most serious issues facing our nation.
The numbers the PLP government likes to quote are, on the surface, impressive. Over 15,000 repatriations since 2022 — the Prime Minister himself has said it is the highest in modern Bahamian history.
The Smuggling of Migrants Bill, tabled in Parliament in December 2025, speaks tough language: fines up to $300,000, prison terms up to 15 years, prosecution of those who supply false documents or safe houses. On paper, this government sounds serious.
But Bahamians are not reading paper. We are living reality.
At the very same time the PLP talks tough on immigration, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has raised documented, specific concerns in Parliament: an unexplained surge in the number of persons issued National Insurance Board cards, and a sharp rise in work permit applications. The government’s own National Security Minister acknowledged that some of those NIB card recipients were found submitting fraudulent immigration documents. Read that again: people using fraudulent documents were being processed into our national insurance system. And the Prime Minister’s response to that? “We are not in an immigration crisis.”
Pray for this nation. Pray for all candidates, regardless of political affiliation. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and integrity to guide both voters and those seeking office. Let us remember that what we project to the world cannot be taken back. The image we present today will shape how future generations—and the global community— see us. We are better than this. Let us not allow the actions of a few to bring our nation to its knees. Let us choose respect over hostility, unity over division, and purpose over chaos. If we truly believe in the promise of the Commonwealth—that all people should share in the wealth and progress of this nation—then we must first demonstrate a commitment to one another.
On May 12, let us rise above the noise. Let us vote with conviction, guided not by emotion or allegiance, but by principle and hope for a better Bahamas.
SACH Nassau, May 4, 2026.
It does not stop there. Right here in our own courts, cases are proceeding against individuals — including Haitian nationals — charged with possessing false Bahamian passports, obtaining fraudulent voter’s cards, and presenting those voter cards to the Parliamentary Registration Department. Cases against a Jamaican national similarly charged with multiple counts of possession and uttering of forged Bahamian documents are also before the courts. The Chief Passport Officer himself stated that 98 suspected passport fraud cases had already been referred to police. Ninety-eight. That is not a handful of bad actors — that is a system under siege. Let us speak plainly about why passport and document fraud is not a small matter. When a person obtains a false Bahamian passport, they do
not stop at traveling. They use it to access services — healthcare, education, social benefits — that Bahamian tax dollars pay for. Worse, they use it to obtain voter cards and register on our electoral rolls. When a foreign national votes in a Bahamian election, they dilute your voice. They help choose the government that governs you. They influence policies that determine your children’s future. That is not a technicality. That is a violation of our sovereignty. To be clear and fair: the Davis administration has taken some meaningful steps. The Smuggling of Migrants Bill does strengthen the legal framework. Biometric voter ID legislation has been introduced. The Defence Force has received new patrol vessels, drones, and radar systems. These are real developments and they deserve acknowledgment. But actions must match words — and words must match reality. When the Prime Minister, as Chairman of the Immigration Board, repeatedly insists there is no crisis while court dockets fill with passport fraud cases, while NIB rolls swell with fraudulent applicants, and while Bahamians strain under overcrowded clinics and schools — something’s not adding up. And Bahamians deserve to know why. Our Infrastructure was not designed to carry the load it’s presently carrying and it has broken! Yet, the government continues to add weight to that infrastructure for the sake of preserving their power. It is an outright betrayal of the Bahamian people and Bahamians on all sides of the political aisle ought to be angry about it. While Bahamians struggle under his watch, the Prime Minister has been filmed making sweeping promises to citizens of another nation — a striking contrast to his neglect of the people he was democratically elected to represent, beyond those personally connected to him.
To compound an already grievous insult — as if to say, ignore what you see, and accept what I tell you — his party has had the breathtaking audacity to release a political advertisement, celebrating their immigration record while leveling attacks at the Opposition’s past. Let that settle for a moment.
The previous administration was not simply defeated — it was rejected by an electorate that demanded more than
words. This government was elected on the promise of superior governance, in deed, not in rhetoric. And yet, here they stand, chest out, pointing fingers at the very party they were trusted to outperform.
What makes this all the more intellectually dishonest is this — the Opposition is no longer who they were. It has undergone a deliberate and visible reinvention under new leadership. You cannot prosecute a new captain for the last man’s shipwreck. You cannot hold Pintard accountable for Minnis’ chapter.
Wielding Minnis’ record as a weapon against Pintard — even where those claims carry a grain of truth — is not a political argument. It is a confession. A confession that this government has nothing credible, nothing present, and nothing honest to stand on.
The book has turned a page. The question is — why hasn’t this administration?”
We are a small island nation of 400,000 people. Haiti, our nearest neighbor, has a population of 11 million and, as every report from the United Nations to the U.S. State Department confirms, has 90 percent of its capital under gang control, with a State of Emergency in place since March 2024. The pull factor on The Bahamas is enormous and structural — it will not ease. That is precisely why we need a government whose public position and private actions are identical. Not one that talks deportation at a press conference and then resists acknowledging the scale of the problem and further, adding to it by their actions. Bahamians are not heartless people. We understand suffering. We understand that the men, women and children crossing those waters are themselves victims of a failed Haitian state. But compassion and national sovereignty are not in conflict — you can hold both at once. What we cannot afford to hold is a government that conflates sentiment with policy, or uses humanitarian language to avoid hard enforcement decisions.
The question for every Bahamian going into the next general election is simple: does this government’s record match its rhetoric? Does the lived experience of Bahamians in the clinics, in the schools, at the passport office, and at the polling station reflect what the Prime Minister says from the podium? If your answer is no — then your voice matters. Use it.
DEXTER MAYNARD Nassau, May 4, 2026.
Give more vouchers
EDITOR, The Tribune.
FRED Mitchell, a lawyer, decides on his lonesome that nothing wrong was done by the PLP giving out valuable vouchers on the eve of an election.
Does he not realise that he is usurping the role of the judiciary which is the only legitimate interpreter of the law and whether the law has been breached or not. The police too are derelict in not bringing charges against the offenders as I guess they too feel it’s none of their business.
MONKEEDOO Nassau, May 4, 2026.
Man’s 25-year rape sentence reduced by one year
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN has had his 25-year rape sentence reduced by one year after the Court of Appeal found that the trial judge failed to acknowledge his remorse after conviction.
Christopher Forbes, 29, had his sentence reduced by Justices of Appeal Milton Evans, Bernard Turner and Gregory Smith.
Forbes raped a young woman in southern New Providence on May 6, 2022.
The victim was on her morning walk when
Forbes, armed with a cutlass, grabbed her off the road and dragged her into nearby bushes.
Forbes raped the woman twice and stole two cellphones and Apple AirPods from her before leaving her naked, bound and alone.
The offence happened just months after Forbes was released from prison for a prior rape and assault with intent to rape conviction.
Forbes was convicted of this offence in October 2023.
The Justices of Appeal found that Justice Jeanine Weech-Gomez erroneously
Man who broke into church and stole laptop sentenced to one year in prison
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN who broke into a church on Fire Trail Road West last Sunday and stole a laptop was sentenced to one year in prison.
Antone Dean, 45, and an accomplice broke into New Life Restoration Ministries around 3am on May 3, causing $250 worth of damage to a hurricane impact window.
Dean stole a silver HP laptop valued at $950.
The accused were caught entering the building on surveillance footage, and police quickly responded to
the break-in and arrested them at the scene.
Dean pleaded guilty to shopbreaking, stealing and damage before Senior Magistrate Algernon Allen Jr. A receiving charge against Dean was withdrawn.
Dean claimed that he did not steal anything and that his accomplice was responsible. He said he only held the ladder they used to enter the building.
Dean was sentenced to 12 months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Sergeant 3004 Forbes prosecuted the case.
Man who admits to separate knife, cutlass assaults sentenced to six months in prison
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN who admitted to separate knife and cutlass assaults was sentenced to six months in prison yesterday.
Michael Thompson, 36, and his accomplices assaulted Lindy Williams with a knife on Sumner Street on December 20, 2025.
Thompson also assaulted Hannah Miller with a cutlass on Mutton Fish Drive and caused an estimated $597.89 worth of damage to her 2013 grey Kia Sportage on February 10. He also stole $370 worth of car parts and bananas from Renardo McKenzie on Alocasia Avenue on December 11, 2025.
Thompson pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous instrument, damage and stealing before Magistrate Abigail Farrington.
After being reprimanded for his repeated criminal behaviour, Thompson was sentenced to six months in prison for the assault charges. He must also compensate Ms Miller $597.89 or risk an additional six months in prison. He must compensate Mr McKenzie $370 or risk one month in prison.
Thompson must pay a $500 fine for the stealing charge or risk an additional two months in prison. He was informed of his right to appeal the sentence within seven days. Assistant Superintendent of Police K Bauld prosecuted the case.
treated Forbes’ lack of remorse as an aggravating factor when determining the appropriate sentence. They “reluctantly” amended his sentence on that ground.
The defendant had requested a “second chance” in his probation report.
While Forbes thanked the panel for the sentence reduction, the justices expressed hope that he will be a changed man when he returns to society, saying his criminal behaviour cannot be tolerated.
Darnell Dorsette appeared for the prosecution.
Two men acquitted of allegedly pointing a firearm at police
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
Defence attorney Jairim Mangra maintained in his closing address that the defendants were innocent.
Mr Mangra claimed police fabricated evidence, including by planting a gun in the accused’s vehicle,
TWO men were acquitted yesterday of allegedly pointing a gun at police in Garden Hills in 2018, an encounter in which one of the defendants was shot and injured. Dominic Stuart, 32, and Antonio Neely, 32, were found unanimously not guilty by a nine-person jury of possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of ammunition and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Justice Neil Braithwaite told the men they were free to go as long as they had no other matters before the court. The defendants smiled and exchanged congratulations with their attorneys after yesterday’s verdicts. It was alleged that the pair, armed with a handgun, endangered the life of Police Constable Caudray Deal on the night of May 15, 2018, after they were stopped in their vehicle.
and said officers had no justifiable reason to fire at them.
During testimony, it was said that PC Deal shot at Neely three times and that Deal’s partner, Sergeant Deandra Forbes, shot at him twice that night.
Officers claimed they shot at the accused after Neely pointed a gun at PC Deal. They also claimed the same weapon was recovered from the accused’s red Kia Sportage after the shooting. Vashti Bridgewater and Kristin Butler-Beneby prosecuted the case. Cassie Bethel also represented the accused.
Countdown to the election
The options may be underwhelming. Vote anyway!
WE AREnow lessthan one weekawayfromthe2026generalelection. Thestreetshave been litteredwith uselessbillboards,lawn signs,andother campaign material.These money pits and land and ocean pollutants (when the relevant partiesfail toremoveand properlydispose ofthem) offer noinformation beyond the namesof candidatesand, insome cases,a slogan.They donot informthe publicof values,experience, orpolicies.
Instead, we see overlyeditedimages ofsmiling people who are, frankly, trying to trick us into voting for them by dominatingspaces with their likenesses, forcingus to see them frequentlyand in large numbers, thereby leading tothe beliefthat they are more present and/or more popular and, as a result, more likely to win.
Becoming aninformed voter inThe Bahamasis no smallfeat. Thepoliticalpartiesandtheircandidatesdonot makeit easyforus tounderstand theirperspectives and predict thenational orconstituency-level outcomes should theywin. Therallies theyholdare notdesignedfor the sharingof information. They are shout fests riddled with one-liners,soundbites, and well-timed clips played by DJs, eliciting cheers and the waving of flagsfrom the crowds.
Events atconstituency officesand communityparks have food,drinks, andmusic, but nothing of substance.
The way ofcampaigning in TheBahamas continuesto fosterthe cultureofhandouts and the cult of personality, both ofwhich preventmore substantive engagement between those vying for office and theelectorate. Theparties (and their leaders) refuse to debate, indicatingtheir disinterest indeepening democracy and our collective participationinit.We arelefttomake our best guesses until the Free National Movement (FNM) releases itsManifesto andthe Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) releases its Blueprint. Evenwith thesedocuments inhand (oronscreen), it’s difficult to determine the objectives of the parties and, more specifically, the difference betweenwhattheywantustobelieveabouttheir intentandcapacity and whatthey know to be true.
Even a cursory look at officialcampaign materialreveals that the two major parties are stickingto theusual scriptsof thedelusional incumbentand the scornedOpposition. They bothsuffer fromunfortunate design choices including cut offfacesand text(PLP)anda mess of paint(FNM) that gives the “under construction” perceptionthat doesnotserve its image.
Inhisofficialmessageatthe start ofthe Blueprintfor Progress, Party Leader Philip Davis says, We have done a lot together,” and vaguelyreferences key points of interests, including economy, children, jobs, andaccountability. The PLP, in this general election, is pushing the narrativethat it has started “a lot,” but needs fivemoreyearstocontinuethe work that theFNM would likely halt. As stated in Davis’ message: It is about building on the workalready underway and moving the country forward with purpose.”
There s acompletely differenttonetoPintard’saddress at the start of the FNM s Manifesto. It’s not only sombre, butlaced withbitterness. While negativityis generally expected fromthe opposition, anda crutchwhenthere isno plan, the entire first page is negative and it takes far too long to getto any semblance of aset of objectives.It does, eventually, mention some of the promises laidout later in the document a missing elementfrom Davis address in the Blueprint for Progress. Inshort,thePLPwantsusto believe that wewould be in troubleif theFNM winsbecause itwould bringan endto any progress thatwas made over the past fourand a half years.Inhis addressinthe document, DeputyLeader ChesterCooper says, This election isabout whetherwe keepbuildingon thegainswe havemade,orwhetherweturn
away from the work still ahead.”
TheFNMwantsusto believe thatthe country hasnever beenina worsestate,that itisall because of the PLP, and that itcan solvethe problems in the next five years. Pintard said, We havegone backwardsas acountry under this Government. We cannotafford five more yearsof even more decline.”
It’slaughablethatthe Progressive Liberal Party references “fiscal discipline in its Blueprint for Progress. Fiscal disciplineis the foundation on which everything elseis built.” In September 2022, it was reported that government spending on travel alone totalled$11.8 million, exceeding the budget by morethan 11 per cent. The report by theMinistry ofFinance
onthe2021-2022 fiscalyearstated,"Outlays for travel and subsistence grew by $4.7m (66.7 percent) to$11.8m, and exceededthe Budget targetby 11.1percent.Air transportation,inclusive of domesticand international travel, and the repatriation of theill grew by $2.2m and $0.8m, respectively.”
pages 8-9 and11, respectively.
In theBlueprint for Change, the PLP lists:
1.Lower costof living
2. More opportunities
3. Lowerelectricity bills
4.Better payfor workers
5. Safer communities
6. More affordable housing
7. Better schools
8. Betters healthcare
9. More food grown here
10. More development for the Family Islands
11. Bettergovernment services
12. Areal partner for Grand Bahama
13. Buildinga stronger Bahamas
In theManifesto, the FNM lists:
callforcomprehensivesexualityeducation.It saysit will ensurethe legalframework around gender-based violencekeeps pace with international best practice through ongoing legislative review,” but it has already failed to do this in the past six years, ignoring therecommendationsmadethroughCEDAW
Say what you want, act how you feel, vote like you matter.
During thisterm, concernswere repeatedly raised aboutthe frequency of traveland the sizeof governmentdelegations. Thisadministrationhasfailed toallayconcernsregarding theuseofpublicfunds fortravelandinwhat many mayfind to bean interestingturn, the FNMmakesthe followingpledgeregarding the Christie administration-led national developmentplan which,unfortunately, wasnever implemented: Give ourbacking tothe NationalDevelopmentPlan andput iton astatutory footing.Vision 2040is crucial ifThe Bahamas isto fulfil its true potential acrossall national sectors, including the economy. That s why we will ensure there are sufficientresources to complete and update thePlan and that aproposed National Development Plan Bill is passed through Parliamenttoputthe initiativeonastatutory basis.”
Thiscomes aftertheFebruary 2026discussion onthe BahamasNational Development Planning Institute Bill (2025)costing by the National Development Plan Secretariat and the Inter-American Development Bank at which both Davis and Pintard gave remarks.
TheFNM Manifestostatesit will “update looselaws”anditreferencesapriority"tokeep womenandchildren safe,tomakereporting sexualassault easier,and tomake suresurvivorsarebelieved andsupported” without specifically committing to criminalizing maritalrape, passingthe Gender-BasedViolence Bill, implementing the National Gender Policy (whichhasbeenindraft foryearsandwasrecently updated),amending the lawfor genderequal nationality rights, or implementation of recommendations through theConvention on theRights ofthe Child(CRC)or theConvention onthe Elimination ofAll Formsof Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). ThePLP Charterstatesit will strengthen the systems that protect women, children, and families from violence, andensure that every survivor receives the support they deserve.”
Predictably, it references the nonsense ProtectionAgainst ViolenceActwhich itsneakily passedinsteadof theGender-BasedViolence Bill which remains a need.
The Chartersays thePLP will expand sexual violenceprevention educationin schools” which, interestingly,fallsshort ofthe
andtheUniversal PeriodicReview(UPR), which includecriminalization ofmarital rape, namingandcountingfemicide(whichthePLP administration claimsdoes nothappen inThe Bahamas),andpassing theGender-BasedViolence Bill.
For those who do not have the time to read the PLP Blueprint for Change or the FNM Manifestoinfull, itcanbeuseful tolookat theirkeycommitments. Thesearefoundon
1. Cuttaxes forBahamian people
2. Makehome ownership more affordable
3. Strengthen the borders
4. Ensureopportunity is more equally spread
5. Fullyimplement the 2017 Freedom of Information Act
6. Turbocharge Bahamian ownership and business
7. Hire100 newdoctors and 200 new nurses
8.Establish aminimum $100 weekly stipend to help young people
9.RestoretrustintheRoyal Bahamas Police Force
It’s important that we decide to payattention to the rhetoricof thePLP andFNM. What are theysaying? What arethey notsaying?Which questions are they refusing to answer? What havethey already toldus aboutthemselves,especially beforethe
campaigning officially started?How aretheytalking about one another,within and across parties, andwhat does thattellus aboutthem?How much oftheir messagingis abouttheir commitmentsto usasopposed totheircriticism of the other party(ies)? Whoisrelying onfearofthe other?
Which party is most alignedwith yourvalues?
Which party hasgiven the most clear vision for The Bahamasof tomorrowandhas shownthe levelofcompetence andcommitment necessary to achieve it? Whatever theanswers you find, make theeffort to vote next week. The options are, formost us,underwhelming. The truthis thatyou maynot beenthusiastic onMay12. You maynot behopeful. You may not even think it matters. Remember: That’s by design. Don’t be convinced that there could be a vote that doesn’t count.Instead of optingout,show upandlet yourvoice beheard inthis specific way,knowing that your participation extends beyond May12. Ifnone ofthe optionsappeal toyou,you can spoilyour ballot.Be counted as one who rejects the options. It sa day to speak, to markthe ballot, to register discontent,to recommittobeing apartof the democratic process and an active participantin governance. Say what youwant, act how youfeel, votelike you matter.
Recommendations
1. The HollowHalf: A MemoirofBodiesandBorders by Sarah Aziza. Join Feminist BookClub,hostedbyEquality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press, in reading this book this month. The publisher describe The Hollow Half as “a brush withdeath. Anancestral haunting. Acentury offamily secrets. SarahAziza’s searing, genre-bending memoir traces three generationsof diasporic Palestinians from Gazato the Midwestto NewYork City and back.” Feminist Book Clubwill meetat Poinciana Paper Press, 12 Parkgate Road, on Wednesday, May 20 at6pm todiscuss thebook. Register for updates at tiny.cc/fbc2026 2. Feminist Standards for Governance. Equality Bahamas willpublish the people’s agenda for 2026 to 2031, acommunity-sources set ofrecommendations to guide the next government administration in meeting the needs of thepeople while leveragingour knowledgeand skills as activeparticipants in governance. Join the mailing list at equality-bahamas.kit.com tobe among the first to receive the people’s agenda and follow @equality242 onInstagram forupdates, shareablematerial, and announcements of inperson and virtual events designedforthepublictoengage with the recommendations.
Uber moves toward 'everything app' with hotel bookings powered by Expedia
By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer
Uberis expandinginto adifferent side of the travel business: hotels.
Theride-hailing anddelivery companysaid Wednesdaythat users of its app can now book hotelrooms.Uberisusinghotel listings provided by Expedia Group, a bookingservice that works with 700,000 hotels and other propertiesglobally. More than 1 million vacation rentals from Vrbo – which is owned by Seattle-based Expedia – will be addedtothe applaterthisyear, the company said.
Sachin Kansal,Uber's chief productofficer, saidhotel booking isa bigstep toward San Francisco-basedUber's goal of becoming an "everything app" thatserves many customer needs. Uber, which was founded in 2009, launched Uber Eats for restaurant deliveries in2015 andexpanded withgrocery deliveriesin 2020.
"Consumers are spending too muchtime coordinatingtheir life,usingmultiple apps.AIis
in theair andthey're alltrying to figure out, how does AI help me or does it not help me?" Kansaltold TheAssociated Press."Ourgoal withtheseannouncements is to bring everything into one app, to help them savetime,andtoalsohelpthem save money." AnyUber appuser willbe able to make hotel reservations. ButUber Onemembers,who pay $9.99 permonth for zero delivery feesand otherperks, willget a20%discount offa rollinglistof10,000hotelsplus 10% back inUber credits they can use to book rides, Kansal said.
Kansal said Uber evaluated multiple partnersbefore partnering with Expedia. Uber then spent months integrating Expedia'stechnology intoitsown app. Kansalwouldn't sharethe financialterms behindthepartnership.
"They're very excited becauseUberbringsacertainuser basethat isverytravelfriendly," Kansal said. "So I wouldsayit'sgoingtomutually beneficial for both the parties."
Travel is a bigpart of Uber
users'lives,he said.Morethan 100million peopleuse Uberto get toor froman airporteach year.Andlast year,morethan 1.5billionUbertripstookplace outside of a rider's home city. The hotel-bookingfeature was one of several travel-related announcements at Uber's annualnew productevent Wednesday. Uber saidan upgraded travel mode will help users find restaurantsand other points ofinterest inthe cities they visit. Ubersaid userswill soonget restaurant recommendations and be able to book tables in its appthrough OpenTable.Rival delivery serviceDoorDash recentlybeganofferingrestaurant reservations inits appafter buying hospitality platform SevenRooms.
Uber said it'salso launching a service that will let users order a drinkor snack that would be waitingfor them whentheyget pickedupbya driverusing apremiumUber Black vehicle. The service is set tolaunch inthe coming weeks in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other cities.
Photo: Andrea Piacquadio/pexels
Photo: jean marc bonnel/pexels
Photo: ekatarina bolovtsova/pexels
Solar ranch aims to prove grazing cattle under panels is a win-win
By TAMMY WEBBER and JOSHUA A. BICKEL Associated Press
CHRISTIANA, Tenn.(AP)
Froma distance,the small solar farm incentral Tennessee looks like others that now dot rural America, with rowupon rowof blackpanels absorbingthe sun'sraysto generate electricity.
But beneath these panels is lush pastureinstead ofgravel, enjoyed bya smallherd of cattle that spends its days munching grass andresting in the shade.
Silicon Ranch,which owns the40-acrefarminChristiana, outside of Nashville, believes cattle-grazing is the next frontier inso-called agrivoltaics, which mostly has involved growing crops or grazing sheep beneath the panels.
Thesolar companydebuted theproject thisweek andwill spend thenext yearworking to demonstrate tofarmers that much larger cattle also can thrive atsolar sites.If successful, advocatessay, that could jump-start new projects to meetthe soaringelectricity demanddriven byrapidlyexpandingdata centres without contributing climatewarming carbonemissions and helpcattle producershold ontotheir landandlivelihoods.
"Solaris oneof themost powerfultools wehavefor cutting emissions and... is cost-competitive with fossil fuels," said TaylorBacon, a doctoral studentat Colorado State University who has studied ecologicaloutcomes atsolar grazingsites. "Ithink we'restarting toseeenough research that, when you do it well, the land use can be more of anopportunity thana downside."
Making room for cattle
Though there are far more cattle than sheepin the U.S., theirsize poseschallengesat solarsites, wherebothexpensive equipment andthe animals, whichcan weighmore than halfa ton, mustbe pro-
tected. Solar panelsoften pivotto near-verticalangles tocapture the sun's rays, leaving little room underneathfor cattle; simply raising the panels is cost-prohibitive becauseof theamount ofsteelrequired. So SiliconRanch raisedthe panelsa littlebut alsodevelopedsoftware thatworkers activate to turnthe panels close to horizontal when cattle are grazing, giving them room towander,said NickdeVries, the company'schief technology officer.
Workers rotate thecattle currently 10 cows and their calves between paddocks every few daysso panels on theungrazed portionofthe siteoperate normally,generating asupply ofroughly 5 megawatts ofelectricity for MiddleTennessee Electric,a rural electric co-op.
The hopeis thatthe technologyeventually willbe adopted more broadly, company officials said.
"Weknowitworks,"saidde Vries."Butyou needtoprove it to other people."
What are thebenefits for farmers?
For solarcompanies, agricultural land is generally easier todevelop thanother
types of sites.But many farmers and communities willneed tobeconvinced that solar grazing will benefit them because of past practices that destroyedtopsoil and took land out of production permanently.
"For manyagricultural stakeholders, it isoffensive to seehigh-quality farmlandgetting graded andpiled when that'sa farmfamily'slegacy," saidEthan Winter,national smart solar director at American Farmland Trust.
Buthe seespotentialfor solargrazing partnershipsto help farmers keep their land in productionand earnextraincomeata timewhenit'sincreasinglydifficult toearn money farming and ranching alone.
"Agriculture is ina really tough spot rightnow" including because of trade wars, climate extremes, increased costs and pressureto sell, Winter said."So maybethis is ourmoment wherewe canbe helping states meet their energy needsand dothat ina waythat's providingnewopportunities for farmers."
Silicon Ranchthis yearwill have almost 15,000 acres of pasture beinggrazed mostly by sheep since
launching five years ago, and isworking withranchers, farmers, universityresearchers and othersto adopt best-practices for keeping soils and animals healthy.
What they're finding is that pasture beneath solar panels retainsmoremoisture,making itmore droughttolerant,said AnnaClare Monlezun,a rancher and rangeland ecosystem scientistwho's workingon theTennessee project. Grazingin theshade leaves animals lessprone to heat stress,enabling themto gain moreweight anddrink less water.
"Thereare morewin-wins than trade-offs," she said.
Sheep alreadyhave proven tobe agood fitfor solarsites, with more than130,000 acres grazedasof 2024,anumber that certainly hasgrown, said KevinRichardson, seniordirector of the American Solar Grazing Association.
But forcattle, theindustry stillhas toovercomesite-design challenges andbe able to scale up operations while also developing appropriateeconomic incentives for ranchers, Richardson said.
"Oncewe havethat, Ithink we'llsee moresolarsites using cattle or multi-species grazing with sheep and cattle," he said.
Farmersoften earnabout $1,000anacrebyleasingtheir land for solar, easily 10 times more than what they historicallyearned throughtraditional agriculture, said Winter, from the Farmland Trust. That can helpthem todiversify operations,pay downdebtand buy more land.
"Ithink you'llstart tohear more interest from farmers who are up against a serious financial wall rightnow and looking forincome diversificationopportunities thatkeep landin production,"Winter said. "Weneed andwant to grow America'senergy capacity but not at the expense of our best farmlandor at the expenseof agriculturallivelihoods."
Roomba pioneer aimsto crack household market again with an AI-powered pet robot
By MATT O'BRIEN AP Technology Writer
The robotics pioneer who helpedunleash the Roombavacuum isnow betting that you might one dayreplace your beloveddogorcatwitha plush robotthat follows you around your home and adapts to your daily habits.
Colin Angle unveiled a four-legged prototype of thatartificial pet, called the Familiar, on Monday. Imagine a creature the size of a bulldog with doe-like eyesand bear cub earsand paws, extending itselfintoagreetingstretchthatinvitesyoutopatitstouchsensitive fake fur.
We chosea form factorthat s nota human, nota dog, notacat,becausewewantedtosteerawayfromallofthose preconceptions, saidAngle, wholeads thestartup Familiar Machines & Magic and before that was longtime CEO of Roomba maker iRobot.
Thiskindoflifelikemachine poweredbythelatestartificial intelligence technology would not have been possible whenAngle co-founded iRobot in1990 or launched the first Roomba in 2002.
Apple beats out earnings estimates with continued iPhone momentum
By KAITLYN HUAMANI AP Technology Writer
Apple posted strongresults for its quarterlyearnings on Thursday,butinvestors’attentionisalsofocusedontheupcomingCEO changeandthetech firm'sartificialintelligence strategy.
AppleCEOTimCook announcedearlierthismonthhe willbesteppingdownfrom therole,withApple’s head of hardware engineering, John Ternus, assuming the role later this year.
TheJanuary-Marchresults announcedThursdayreflect the continued momentum of iPhonesales. Cook said in a statementthatitwas thecompany'sbestMarchquarter ever,with"double-digit growthacrosseverygeographic segment."
Alphabet'sfirst-quarter profitsoarsas Google's big AI bets help boost stock
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer
Google s transition into the era of artificial intelligence continued to pay off for its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., which onWednesday announcedanother quarterof the stellargrowth thathelped tomore thandouble itsalready lofty market value during the past year.
Alphabet earned $62.6 billion, or $5.11 per share, during the January-Marchperiod, an81% increasefrom thesame timelast year.Revenueclimbed 22%fromlast yearto $109.9 billion. Both numbers easily surpassed the analyst projections that steer investors.
Alphabet's stock price rose more than 6% in extended trading after the numbers came out, setting up the shares to hit a new high during Thursday's regular session. The company's marketvalue currentlystands at$4.2 trillion,up from $1.9 trillion just a year ago.
Africa’scellphonetowers turntosolaras diesel costs surge
By ALLAN OLINGO Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) Rising diesel prices linked to theIranwarareaddingurgencytoashiftalreadyunderway across Africa to move cellphone towers off fossil fuels and onto solar power.
Diesel,whichpowersthe majorityofAfrica’s roughly 500,000 telecommunications towers, has become more expensive andsometimes harder tosecure inrecent weeks as globalfuel markets tightened following the conflict.Several Africancountries thatrely heavily onimported fuel havereported pricespikes and supplydisruptions, prompting governments andcompanies toreassess energy strategies.
The transition to cleaner power for the towers that providecellphone servicepredates thelatest priceshocks, drivenbycost pressuresandclimategoals.But thewarin the Middle East has accelerated the push.
A cow, back right, scratches on a support beam of a solar panel Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at a farm in Christiana, Tenn.
AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel
Solar panels operate on a farm with cattle Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Christiana, Tenn.
AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel
88-year-old Roberts returns home after battle with pneumonia
solve. A medical condition can develop into something more expensive than you can afford.”
Asked if doctors had advised him to slow down after his health scare, 88-year-old Mr Roberts, one of the country’s most prominent businessmen and a central figure in banking and commercial development for decades, laughed: “No, no…not at all! They advised me to keep going and never stop!”
Mr Roberts said he was grateful to everyone, including hundreds of Tribune readers, who had sent prayers and wished him a speedy recovery. When he was struck down with pneumonia towards the end of February, many Super Value staff were quick to respond to an urgent call to give blood.
“I want to thank all my family, relatives, employees, customers and the whole country for their support and prayers. I know it was more healing than medical ...and it brought me back home,” he said.
Asked if he was surprised about the many messages and outpouring of love, he said: “Not only did I appreciate it - I had no idea!”
He said it was especially comforting to have wife Margaret and grand-daughter, Paige Waugh, who works for Super Value, constantly at his bedside at St Mary’s, part of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota,
during his recouperation.
“I couldn’t have survived without their help, love and care,” he said. He was also ‘very thankful’ to have received a phone call from Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis.
Questioned on whether it had been hard being away from his businesses for so long, the self-confessed workaholic said: “We have a well-trained, caring staff and were always in constant communication with management and staff. It was as if I were at my desk.”
Mr Roberts said he never felt in fear for his life, despite pneumonia being a potentially life-threatening infection, particularly for those over 70. He also singled out his local physician, Dr Duane Sands, former minister of health and current chairman of the Free National Movement, for his care and support.
“I never felt any pain or fear,” he said.
“I knew at all times, I was in good hands. It began with my doctor, Duane Sands, who visited me two to four times-aday, and packaged me up for transfer to the Mayo Clinic, where I felt quite at home in St Mary’s hospital having being hospitalised there before several times.
“I knew many of the doctors and they all - from different departments - came to visit me on other issues other than the pneumonia. I was especially shocked that the minister of foreign affairs, Fred Mitchel,
walked in with a big bouquet of flowers. Made me feel real at home having a Bahamian visitor. “
Asked what he had most missed about being away, he quickly responded: “Warm weather!
“It’s great to be back where all of my conveniences are and the best part of the world to enjoy life. And I’m happy to be back to the 80 degree weather. Horrid to live in the cold north!”
Mr Robert said he had had some other medical issue which had been treated, but other than that, he was well on the road to recovery.
“I had some issues with the pacemaker; a lead had slipped and needed to be re-attached,” he explained.
Mr Roberts founded Super Value and built it into the country’s largest all-Bahamian food store chain. He has also been a central figure in banking and commercial development for decades.
He was appointed chairman of Commonwealth Bank Limited after Bahamianisation and served from 1984 to 1992, overseeing rapid expansion after stagnation in the final years of foreign ownership, according to the bank.
During his tenure, the bank relocated its head office to 610 East Bay Street, opened branches in Oakes Field and Marsh Harbour, grew total assets by more than 700 percent to over $125 million, and increased net income from $1.3 million in 1984 to $4 million in 1992.
ABOVE: Super Value owner, Rupert Roberts, as he was flown to US after being diagnosed with pneumonia. BELOW: Rupert Roberts recovers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota with his wife Margaret and granddaughter Paige Waugh at his side.
Inside the cruise ship at the centre of a rare hantavirus outbreak
By CHINEDU ASADU and ANNIE RISEMBERG Associated Press
FOOTAGE obtained
by The Associated Press of a cruise ship at the centre of a rare-virus outbreak shows deserted decks and gathering areas, medical teams in protective gear, and a still landscape ahead as the vessel and its nearly 150 passengers and crew waited another day off the coast of West Africa.
Three passengers have died and at least four people have been sick in what health officials say is an outbreak of hantavirus, which usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization said passengers are isolating in their cabins.
The company that operates the vessel — currently anchored in the Atlantic off Cape Verde — said it plans to move to Spain’s Canary Islands once three people have been medically evacuated and put on specially equipped planes to the Netherlands. Earlier Tuesday, Spanish officials said that they were monitoring the situation and hadn’t made a decision.
The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weekslong polar cruise, departed April 1 from Argentina for Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic.
“Our days have been close to normal, just waiting for authorities to find a solution,” passenger Qasem Elhato, 31 — who sent AP the video footage — said via WhatsApp.
“But morale on the ship is high and we’re keeping ourselves busy with reading, watching movies, having hot drinks and that kind of things.”
Helene Goessaert, another passenger, told Belgian broadcaster VRT that everyone on board is “in the same boat, literally.”
“You don’t embark on
a trip with the idea that one of your fellow passengers won’t make it,” she said.
“We receive information at regular intervals. It is accurate. For the rest, it is a waiting game,” she added. “Today we received fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. That was very important to us.”
Evacuation plans are still unclear
Authorities in Cape Verde have said they sent teams of doctors, surgeons, nurses and laboratory specialists to the
Hondius. They were seen in Elhato’s video footage — wearing white overalls, boots and face masks as they disembarked to a smaller vessel.
Officials in Cape Verde’s capital of Praia, a city of less than 200,000 people, said they have stepped up safety protocols, particularly near the port, as a precautionary measure against the rodent-borne illness — which doesn’t usually spread person to person, though health authorities say it might be possible. Elhato said passengers
An explosion at a fireworks plant in China
kills at least 26 people and injures dozens of others
By E EDUARDO CASTILLO and KANIS LEUNG Associated Press
AN explosion at a fireworks plant in a central Chinese province killed at least 26 people and injured 61 others, state media reported Tuesday, prompting the halting of all firework manufacturing near the site.
The blast occurred at a fireworks plant in the city of Changsha in Hunan province on Monday afternoon, China’s official news agency Xinhua said.
State media China Daily said that the plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. in the Changsha-administered, county-level city of Liuyang, a prominent fireworks powerhouse in the country.
Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang said at a media briefing that a search and rescue operation at the scene largely has been
completed, but verification of the casualties and identification of the victims was still underway.
Chen said that the local government expressed condolences for the victims and apologized to society, including the families and injured people.
“We feel extremely pained and deeply remorseful,” he said.
Ding Weiming, the Changsha Emergency Management Bureau’s party secretary, said that the site had a large amount of products or semifinished products catching fire, causing continuous, sporadic blasts.
Large quantities of gunpowder stored in the warehouse area also threatened the safety of rescue teams, while the collapse of walls, columns and the roof in the factory area created ruins, with people trapped and routes blocked, he said.
All fireworks and firecracker manufacturers in Liuyang have been ordered to halt production, local
media reported said.
Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday showed white smoke billowing in certain areas of the site, with facilities collapsed or damaged.
Hundreds of rescuers were deployed to the scene and residents in danger zones were evacuated by authorities, citing high risks from two black powder warehouses near the explosion site, the Xinhua report said. Authorities were investigating the cause of the blast and police have detained the person in charge of the company, Xinhua said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” to search for people who are still unaccounted for and to save the injured. He called on authorities to investigate the cause swiftly and pursue serious accountability, the report said. Xi also ordered effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.
were wearing masks and social distancing — practices that became hallmarks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said it had implemented its highest level of response, with isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring.
Oceanwide Expeditions said Tuesday evening that two specialized aircraft were flying to Cape Verde to evacuate two people who need urgent medical care and one person who was traveling with a German woman who died on board Saturday. They were to be taken to the Netherlands, though exactly when that would happen was not immediately clear.
Once the medical evacuation happens, the ship plans to sail to the Canary Islands, either Gran Canaria or Tenerife, a voyage of some three days, the company said in its statement, adding that “discussions are ongoing with relevant authorities.”
Spanish health officials had said in an earlier statement that they were monitoring and that “the most appropriate port of call will be decided. Until then, the Ministry of Health will not adopt any decision, as we have informed the World Health Organization.”
WHO notes 7 cases in all in its latest update
WHO said Tuesday that it’s looking at seven cases in all — three people who have died, one critically ill passenger who was previously taken off the ship, and three on board reporting mild symptoms.
Two of the cases — a woman who died and the evacuated man — tested positive for hantavirus.
A Dutch man was the first death, on April 11.
His body was taken off the vessel nearly two weeks later, on the British territory of St. Helena, some 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometres) off the African coast, according to South Africa’s Department of Health.
His wife traveled by plane from St. Helena to South Africa; she collapsed at a Johannesburg airport and died at a hospital on April 26, according to WHO and the South African Department of Health.
The ship sailed on to Ascension Island, an isolated Atlantic outpost about 800 miles (1,300 kilometres) to the north, where a sick British man was taken off the ship and evacuated first to Ascension Island and then to South Africa by plane. He is in intensive care in a South African hospital, according to WHO.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said the organization is investigating possible human-to-human transmission on the ship, and that officials suspect the first infected person likely contracted the virus before boarding. She said officials have been told there are no rats on board.
Officials in Argentina — where hantavirus led to 28 deaths nationwide last year, according to the health ministry — said they confirmed no passengers had symptoms when the Hondius departed. Symptoms can appear up to eight weeks after exposure, officials have said.
In South Africa, authorities said they have started contact tracing — another practice used extensively in the coronavirus pandemic. But officials have emphasized that the chance of a major public health threat is low.
US military strike on alleged drug boat kills two in the Caribbean
To prevent other accidents during the operation, rescuers adopted measures such as spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards.
They also deployed several robots to help with the search and rescue operation.
Liuyang has a long history of fireworks production. The Guinness World Records organization said that the first accurately documented firework, the Chinese firecracker, was attributed to Li Tian, a monk who lived near Liuyang during China’s Tang dynasty dating to around 618 to 907 CE.
Li discovered that putting gunpowder in enclosed hollow bamboo stems created loud explosions and bound crackers together to create the traditional new year firecrackers to drive out evil spirits, Guinness said. In February, China reported two deadly explosions at fireworks shops around the Lunar New Year period.
WASHINGTON Associated Press
THE US military said it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people Monday. The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 188 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Despite the Iran war, the series of strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks, showing that the administration’s aggressive measures to stop what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
The attacks began as the US built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid
in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty. In the latest attack Monday, US Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It posted a video on X showing a boat moving along the water before a massive explosion engulfs the vessel in flames.
President Donald Trump has said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.” Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.
PHOTO released by Xinhua News Agency, shows firefighters work to put out the fire after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Guandu Town of Liuyang, central China’s Hunan Province, in the early hours of May 5, 2026.
Photo: Chen Sihan/Xinhua/AP
IMAGE from US South Command, shows a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean shortly before it was destroyed by the US military, killing two and injuring one, on January 23, 2026. Photo: US Southern Command/AP
HEALTH workers get off the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people as it remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak.
Photo: Qasem Elhato/AP
Kelly's names Christina Turnquest 2025 Bride of the Year
KELLY’S House & Home
crowned its 2025 Bride of the Year and Runner Up on April 26, 2026, at the Margaritaville Resort Bahamas. The event marked the 34th year of the program, which President Nancy Kelly started in 1991.
To qualify for the title, the 12 Brides of the Month had to register for formal china, crystal, or flatware and actively participate in local community service. Each bride received a $250 Kelly’s gift card prior to their April 18 interviews.
A four-person independent panel evaluated the contestants. Due to the close competition, the panel created a special “Judges Community Service Award” and presented it to December bride Linda Wallace-St Claude. Bride of the Year 2025 receives:
• $1,500 Kelly’s House & Home Gift Card
• Waterford – Set of 8 Lismore Essence Iced Beverage Glass
• Godinger Crystal Wine Bucket
Mrs. Christina Wong-Turnquest and her husband Mr. Damien Turnquest are both self-employed. Her hobbies include Art and Singing and is Vice President of Transforming Spaces Bahamas. Mr. Turnquest enjoys softball and fishing. Her community and church activities include Ekklesia Apostolic Ministries International and being a music minister.
The reason why she chose Kelly’s for her Bridal Registry is because their brands and standards have always been the best. Always A-class
service. I’ve always admired the photos of the brides each year and dreamed that one day it would be me! Mrs. Turnquest’s future goals are to help advance the orange economy in The Bahamas and the region. To provide young aspiring athletes with access to proper training facilities. My husband and I would also like to expand our business Runner-Up Bride of the Year 2025 receives:
• $750 Kelly’s House & Home Gift Card
• Mikasa Crystal Vase
• Mikasa Photo Frame
Mrs. Al-Leecia Delancy-Pickstock is an attorney at Tanlaw Associates and her husband, Mr. Osborne Pickstock works in construction management. Her hobbies include dancing, community service and being a nail technician. Her community and church activities include a dance ministry (Sonbeams) at Church of God of Prophecy, East Street. Mrs. Pickstock is a member of the Rotary Club, South Ocean. Her future goal is becoming a Justice of The Supreme Court of The Bahamas and maintain a successful legal practice. Another priority is maintain a loving and supportive family.
The reason why she chose Kelly’s for her Bridal Registry is because “Kelly’s is the leading store in The Bahamas that caters to pretty much everything, household items, baby items, plumbing items, basically all of the essentials in my humble opinion.”
Judge’s Community Service Award: Mrs. Linda Wallace-St
Claude made a lasting impression on the judges and they came up with their own award because the amount of community service she is involved in is amazing. They include Bahamas Faith Ministry, Basketball Coaching Association, Hugh Campbell Association, Genesis Junkanoo Organization and Junior Junkanoo Alumni Association.
2025 Brides of the Month:
January - Mrs. Ashley Davis- Tinker / Damien Tinker
February - Mrs. Danea Sawyer- Dean / D’Ommini Dean
March - Mrs. Al-Leecia
Delancy-Pickstock / Mr. Osborne Pickstock (Runner Up)
April - Mrs. Joelyn P. Stubbs Neely / Mr. John Neely
May - Mrs. Giavanna Knowles- Cooper / Mr. Laquan Cooper
June - Mrs. Kimberly
Mullings- Rolle / Dr. Karlton A. Rolle
July - Mrs. Juliette Joseph – Geffard / Mr. Bernard Geffard
August - Mrs. Rebecca Fertil - Toussaint / Mr. Lukson Toussaint
September - Mrs. Christina Wong- Turnquest / Mr. Damian Turnquest (Winner)
October - Mrs. Karissa Moss- Saunders / Mr. Quayton Saunders
November - Mrs. Shericka Collins-Bethel / Mr. Trei Bethel
December - Mrs. Linda Wallace St. Claude / Mr. Noel Thomas St. Claude. (Judges Award)
(l-r) Noralee Martin (department head of the Bridal & Baby Department), Krista Major Douglas (Bride of the Year 2024), Christina Wong- Turnquest(Winner Bride of the Year 2025), Damian Turnquest, Ms. Janasi Dean (assistant head of department of the Bridal & Baby Department).
CROWNING of the Bride Of The Year - congratulations Mrs. Christina Wong- Turnquest.
2025 BRIDE OF THE YEAR CONTESTANTS
(l-r) Osborne Pickstock, Al-Leecia Delancy-Pickstock (runner up), Nancy B Kelly, Krista Major Douglas(Bride Of The Year 2024), Christina Wong-Turnquest/Damian Turnquest (Winner).
