06102024 NEWS AND SPORT

SPLIT DIVIDES VALLEY BOYS

Two separate groups march under banner at Labour Day parade

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE future of the Valley Boys is uncertain as two factions fight to be treated as the iconic Junkanoo group. The extent of the division was apparent during Friday’s Labour Day parade. Two groups participated

under the Valley Boys name, one flaunting mostly yellow outfits, the other orange. Each showcased robust support. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has avoided the dispute, hoping the two sides iron out their differences. However, Trevor Davis,

BPL GRID BIDDER SEEKS $30M BAHAMIAN EQUITY

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE company set to be charged with overhauling Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) electricity grid is seeking to raise $30m in equity from local investors, it has emerged. Multiple Bahamian capital markets sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, told Tribune Business that Island Grid is seeking to raise a funding mix - split into $30m of equity financing, and around $100m of preference shares or some other form of debt - to help finance the transformation of BPL’s transmission and distribution (T&D) network.

THE Progressive Liberal Party said it would “use every legal tool available” and refer “any social media attacks to the Royal Bahamas Police Force” after allegations about a senior party member swept

social media and sparked widespread commentary yesterday.

“It has come to the attention of our organisation that a number of voice notes are circulating on social media, targeting senior members of the party,” the PLP said in a statement.

“This behaviour is similar to the attacks we experienced prior to our party being elected. Given the

DIAGNOSIS OF RARE CANCER UPENDS SWIMMER’S LIFE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

SHAWN Neely’s swimming career was progressing almost precisely as he had dreamed until July 2022, when the diagnosis of a rare cancer upended his life. The 21-year-old had won a bronze medal at the Carifta Games in 2022 and represented his country in Central American and

Caribbean Swimming Federation (CCCAN) and Junior Pan American Championship events. He mainly swam the 50m and 100m butterfly. However, pain in his testicles led him to seek medical attention. One year after enrolling at Delta State University, he was diagnosed with Metastatic

BAHAMIAN female javelin thrower Rhema Otabor secured her second-consecutive NCAA title for the University of Nebraska, headlining five Huskers earning All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon over the weekend. Otabor, 21,launched a 210-7 (64.19m) on her fifth javelin attempt to claim her second-straight NCAA title with the record-breaking mark. That distance broke the collegiate record, NCAA Championship meet record, and several more.

SHAWN NEELY

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and members of his administration releasing doves in memory of 2019 Labour Day victims at this year’s Labour Day Parade.

Photo: Nikia Charlton

in New Providence

BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union marching and driving in the 2024 Labor Day Parade.

Photos: Nikia Charlton

Split divides Valley Boys

interim chairman of the breakaway group, said yesterday that the rupture reflects deep concern about how the Valley Boys had been run over the years. He said the organisation lacked fiscal accountability, avoided elections and failed to copyright its symbols. He believes his group has the support of 60 per cent of people who typically rush with the Valley Boys. He said his group has secured one major sponsor: Think Simple.

Officials from the original group led by chairman Brian Adderley could either not be reached or did not respond to questions up to press time yesterday.

Mr Davis, a Valley Boys member since 1980, said the separation did not happen overnight. He said some members sought Mr Adderley’s support for a constitution that mandates regular meetings, establishes financial accountability, and facilitates member feedback and votes.

“Needless to say,” he said, “this would have fell on deaf ears from then to now, which led us to seek legal counsel to find out why as an oragnisation, they choose not to want to sit down and listen to the members.”

Mr Davis said his group eventually learned that the Valley Boys was not registered as a non-profit organisation and did not copyright its symbols. Junkanoo Corporation of the New Providence (JCNP) chairman Dion Miller has said NPO registration is unnecessary for the JCNP to recognise a junkanoo group.

Mr Davis said his group registered as an NPO under the Valley Boys name. He said the original group later registered as an NPO named “World Famous Valley Boys”.

Mr Davis believes the JCNP has shown bias toward the original group rather than waiting to see how the conflict plays out.

Mr Miller countered yesterday: “The JNCP is not involved in their internal matter, so I will direct you to Trevor Davis and Brian Adderley. We recognise the Valley Boys. In the leadership struggle for the Valley Boys, no one can solve that but themselves.”

Mr Davis claimed that the group Mr Adderley leads did not have a “registration drive” in over 15 years. He said his group has had one, registered over 500 people and has attracted people who left the other group over the years out of frustration.

He said efforts to “come to the table” with Mr Adderley’s team have failed.

“We even reached out to the former prime minister who we all know is a great valley boy, Perry Gladstone Christie,” he said. “At one point we used him to be the mediator. He was able to secure one meeting for us and after that they promised us a follow-up meeting, which never happened, so I don’t see them sitting down anytime soon and wanting to be part of a structure with accountability and transparency.”

Mr Davis admitted that if the conflict is not resolved and neither side gains more supporters, Bahamians would see a splintered version of the Valley Boys during the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades, two groups that would struggle to compete against other category A groups.

ONE of the Valley Boys groups seen rushing on Bay Street for Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day Parade.

IMAGES from Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day Parade. Photos: Nikia Charlton

One year later, family still waiting to bury

Rony Jean-Charles

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE family of Jean Rony Jean-Charles, a Bahamas-born child of Haitian parents whose legal trials symbolised hope for many residents of Haitian descent, have yet to bury their loved one as the first anniversary of his murder approaches.

Jean Rony’s body has remained in the morgue since he was killed in August 2023.

Clotilde Jean-Charles, 42, his sister, expressed frustration yesterday with the delay in receiving his body and discussed the emotional and mental toll of being unable to bury her loved one.

“I never thought it would take this long and it would lead to one thing to the next because I never experienced this before,” she said.

“All I know is you ID the body, and afterwards, you arrange for the funeral arrangements, and that was it, but with his case, everything turned out to be different.”

She was reluctant to give details about why her brother’s body had not been released to her family out of fear of angering various parties involved in the process. She lamented that her family would not be able to give her brother a “proper burial.”

“The only thing left for us to do was cremate him, and that isn’t what we wanted to do,” she said.

“We wanted to have a proper burial because we started to get prepared, like get clothes and stuff. His favourite colour is purple, so we got the girls purple dresses with silver, and everything is just at a standstill. The way we wanted him to be buried properly is no longer going to happen.”

Jean Rony, a Bahamasborn child of Haitian parents, did not apply for citizenship when he was 18 and 19 as he was entitled to

do under Article seven of the Constitution.

Immigration officials apprehended him on September 18, 2017, and deported him to Haiti on November 24, 2017, citing his alleged failure to produce documents that confirmed his identity.

After a judge ordered his return at authorities’ expense, Jean-Charles returned in 2018.

Former Attorney General Carl Bethel said at the time that Jean-Charles’ case placed the government in a position uncovered by law or the constitution and exposed a significant and far-reaching legal challenge over the verification of birth certificates.

The Court of Appeal later overturned the Supreme Court’s ruling. However, the Privy Council ruled in Jean-Charles’ favour in December 2022. The appellate court remitted the matter to the Supreme Court to reconsider the application for constitutional relief.

The case was still pending up until Jean Rony’s death. Tyrone Strachan, Jr, was charged with his murder.

Ms Jean-Charles remembered her brother as a people person who was fun to be around.

Coping with his death is still a challenge, she said, adding: “A lot of things won’t be the same even though we don’t see eye to eye every day, but knowing that the person was alive, it’s different than knowing that you’re not going to see that person again.”

Despite all that happened, Ms Jean-Charles said she is happy about her brother’s legacy because his case became a flashpoint in the fight over citizenship and immigration practices.

“He really went through a lot, and for me to see that he is no longer here and to know what all he went through and to see how far he made it and for him to no longer be here is sad,” she said.

Three men dead in two separate marine incidents

By DENISE MAYCOCK AND KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Reporters

RELATIVES of Dishon Russell, one of three men killed at sea over the weekend, are struggling to sleep after losing the 25-year-old in a jet ski accident.

Dishon’s aunt, Carolyn Russell, said the incident reminds her of losing her brother, Dishon’s father, in 2002.

“At the time I said Lord, I don’t think I could’ve survived that because it was so tragic and sudden, and here it is now 22 years later, almost the same thing, but not quite,” she said.

None of the men who died over the weekend wore life jackets.

D’Von Archer, vice president of BASRA Northern Bahamas, said the lack of a “buddy system” and life jackets likely played a role in their deaths.

In the first incident, two men died, and another was seriously injured after their boat hit a reef near Rose Island early Friday.

The Tribune understands the injured man, Julian

Butler, is a security director at Baha Mar. Sean Laing, vice president of engineering at Baha Mar, and Luke Rolle, a conch salad vendor from Eleuthera, died in the incident.

Police said the men left a

marina on East Bay Street around 6am for South Andros when their vessel struck a reef, and they were ejected. A passing vessel rescued the injured man and brought him to the Harbour Patrol base, where he was taken to the hospital and listed in serious, but stable condition.

Dishon was on a jet ski around 5pm on Friday when his vessel overturned after encountering a wave.

A boater later recovered his body around 9.20am, a half mile off Coral Beach.

His aunt, Ms Russell, helped care for him after his father died. She said he was like an adopted son, one she helped with schoolwork and took in when he moved back to her house after completing high school in 2019.

“No one is taking it very well, most people still not sleeping well,” she said yesterday. When she first learned about the incident, she was hopeful.

“But then we found out he was on a jet ski, and, oh my gosh, I was in the house, and I only can go

down and lay down, and I couldn’t talk or answer the phone or nothing, just groan and, you know, I just couldn’t handle it and so, I laid down for a couple of hours and hope against hope and we kept getting the calls,” she said.

She said she was not fond of her nephew’s strong will, adding that he ignored her warnings to wear a life jacket.

“You used to say Dishon, please, and he’d say okay auntie, but he never did,” she said.

Ms Russell said when her nephew was discovered, his hands were up, as if he were still holding on to the jet ski.

“One of my friends said maybe he was praying,” she said. “It’s all a mystery why it happened and had to happen when he was just getting out of a traumatic relationship and lining his life back up with the Lord, getting back to where he had stopped.”

Ms Russell said she recently received the Mother’s Day gift her beloved nephew had ordered for her and another sister.

Funeral Service for

LINCOLN JOSEPH DEAL, 76

a resident of Marathon Road, will be held on Thursday June 13, 2024, 2:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Stapleton Gardens. Officiating will be Rev’d. Fr. DeAnegelo Bowe and other members of the Clergy. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Gardens, Soldier Road

Left to cherish his precious memories are his wife: Cheryl Deal; sons: Rohan and Rossano Deal; sisters: Frances Roberts and Ivy Drakeley; and a host of other relatives and friends

Relatives and Friends may pay their last respects at Butlers’ Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Ernest and York Streets, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and at the church on Thursday, from 1:00 p.m. until service time

JEAN RONY JEAN-CHARLES

THE FAMILY of Dishon Russell look out at the sea while boaters assist in locating him after his vessel overturned. His body about 16 hours later at Coral Beach in Grand Bahama. Photo: Denise Maycock

DISHON RUSSELL

THE BODIES of two men whp were killed in a boating accident off Rose Island Friday are brought to shore (above). Below a diver collects some items from the sea at the scene where a boat hit the rocks killing two passengers and injuring a third. Among the items collected from the seabed are shades, phones and a hand gun.

Photos: Nikia Charlton

Diagnosis of rare cancer upends swimmer’s life

Paratesticular Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma (PRMS), a rare and aggressive cancer that usually occurs in children and adolescents.

After a four-month battle during which he lost one testicle, he was cleared of the cancer, but he later began experiencing severe abdominal pain and learned last year that the cancer had returned and migrated to his right abdominal area.

He experiences swelling and excruciating pain.

“There are days where I just feel like it’s overwhelming, but I just feel as though God gave me this challenge,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “Many other people cannot deal with this. That’s why he gave me this challenge and he knows I can overcome it.”

Mr Neely said many days are hard, especially because he is alone in Melbourne, Florida, without family. Not swimming has taken a mental toll on him. He had dreams of making the Olympics this year.

“I cannot swim during my situation, like all I can do is sit down and wait to get better,” he said. “And then, especially going through chemo and this and that and the next and then dealing with finances and then it’s just so much stuff, but, I just have to deal with it.

“I try to keep a smile on my face. I try talk to the people who love me and stuff like that so I could just stay in good head space. I try my best to do the stuff I love, even though it’s so hard. It’s so different because one day your life is like this, and then the next day

Neely has won a bronze medal at the Carifta Games in 2022 and represented his country in Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation (CCCAN) and Junior Pan American Championship events. He mainly swam the 50m and 100m butterfly. However he is now battling a rare cancer as his dreams are sidelined.

everything turned upside down.”

Mr Neely said he is also passionate about media and is skilled in videography, photography, and graphic design.

Mr Neely completed nine rounds of chemotherapy. Because of the complexity of his cancer, he has been referred to a sarcoma surgeon. The cost of that treatment course starts at $40,000. He cannot use his university insurance because his condition is preexisting.

“This is the most important part of my journey because without taking the tumour out, it’s like sitting in a ditch with no way to get out,” he said. “Without taking the tumour out, they’re going to keep having to do chemo and chemo and chemo to keep it at bay and, you know, it’s only so much chemo you could do.”

ABACO RESIDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER

STATE OF ROAD IN CENTRAL ABACO

By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

ABACO residents want more road signs and speed bumps on Forest Drive, Dundas Town, an area where multiple accidents have reportedly occurred over the years.

Livingston Cornish, a taxi driver, said a grey Cadillac Sedan was travelling north on the road last week Monday when the driver lost control of the vehicle, hit two poles, and crashed into two of his taxicab vehicles, a white Chevrolet Suburban and a grey Hyundai Starex. He said a fourth vehicle was involved, but the driver drove away despite suffering tyre damage.

Mr Cornish said accidents have happened in that road area many times over the years and recalled that his home was almost damaged twice.

He complained that local government had not addressed the issue.

“After so many years of not only me, but my wife, other people have said to them about the current accidents, and nothing has been done –– I mean totally nothing –– it’s crazy how it is,” he said.

A HYUNDAI Starex said to belong to Livingston

a vehicle lost control on Forest Drive in Central Abaco hitting two potholes and damaging two of

“They wait until something seriously happens. Why don’t you prevent it before it happens?” Mr Cornish said one of his vehicles was written off, while repairs for the other one may cost up to $5000. After the recent accident, Crystal Williams, a resident went live on Facebook to express thoughts similar to that of Mr Cornish. Last August, there were reports of two traffic fatalities over two days in the Forest Drive vicinity.

Mr Neely and his family started a GoFundMe page to solicit help at https:// gofund.me/8eb219bd. He can be reached at 321-5884385 or ShawnNeely242@ gmail.com.

Cornish, a taxi cab driver in Abaco. He said

his taxis.

SHAWN

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-

Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

TELEPHONES

News & General Information

(242) 502-2350

Advertising Manager (242) 502-2394

Circulation Department (242) 502-2386

Nassau fax (242) 328-2398

Freeport, Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608

Freeport fax (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK

PICTURE OF THE DAY

www.tribune242.com @tribune242 tribune news network

Who will the BPL deal benefit?

AT long last, details are starting to emerge about the plans for Bahamas Power and Light.

In today’s Tribune , we report on one company that seems to be in the mix – Island Grid.

That company has been seeking to raise funds from local investors for the task ahead. It is looking for $30m in equity financing and about $100m of preference shares or similar, we are told.

Who is behind Island Grid? The co-chief executive is Eric Pike, the chairman of Pike Corporation. If that name sounds familiar, it is the company that the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president, Kyle Wilson, said was to take over management of BPL’s grid.

The corporation is also one of Island Grid’s two principal partners.

Mr Pike himself may well also be familiar as an investor himself – he is an equity partner in the Jack’s Bay development. That development’s chairman is another familiar name, Sir Franklyn Wilson.

The connection does not stop there. On Island Grid’s website, it lists the projects it has worked on – with one of them seeing them team with Bahamas Utility Company, which is a subsidiary of FOCOL Holdings. Mr Wilson is FOCOL’s chairman.

The work with FOCOL reportedly was to help “connect a new power plant to the BPL grid on New Providence” by creating a new substation that could resist corrosion and hurricanes.

It would be no surprise if FOCOL was involved in the mix, and also if it served as a fuel supplier.

Other connections see Island Grid based at Shipston House in Lyford Cay, named after the group founded

by the late Michael Dingman, with David Dingman listed as a director on the Island Grid website.

It is expected that we will find out much more about the proposed BPL deals today, but the process has been shrouded in secrecy so far.

It will be interesting indeed to see how widely our net was cast in terms of seeking tenders if the deal we caught was from right here on our doorstep, with someone already connected so closely.

It has long been clear that we have needed to do something about BPL – not just for now but generationally, and not just electricity generation.

The thing is, government after government has offered solutions, and here we are still with plenty of us having experienced power outages yet again over the weekend.

What we must not do is throw in a solution that gets rid of the family silver and leaves us saddled with just the debt.

Finding a way to make another profit margin is not what BPL needs. Indeed, for all of us that had to pay soaring bills last summer, it is the last thing any of us need. So as we listen to yet another solution, we must weigh up who this benefits. Us? Or the intermediaries getting involved. Here at The Tribune , for every person on one political side telling us what is wrong with the set-up at BPL, both now and in the past, there has been someone on the other side saying that the problems are being exaggerated for political, and often financial, benefit.

So ask yourself who this deal serves. If it is you, and the rest of the general public, that is the answer we need. If it is not, ask why.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ELECTION - re-election and confirmation of Michael Pintard as leader of the FNM Party and also holds the support of the majority of non-Government MP’s is a nightmare for the PLP … they were praying for Minnis to win. Imagine being able to use all the Minnis mistakes. He might not be a FNM candidate! 911-912 National Emergency service. Where is the responsible Minister with a clear announcement what went wrong.

Is it RBPF control centre who manage this essential service? Who is it? How is it that no one saw the system was malfunctioning? Licence Plates - weeks have gone by...no money to buy the metal or has the imprinting machine at Prison broken down? Is it legal to drive without licence plates? Far

too many who have them shield the plate with a dark plastic cover...make that illegal. Finally 90-day Insurance gone.

Health - we are not building a hospital, just an annex-extension...know the PR spin. Who will be using this? Main suggest maternity, but Bahamians not having babies...good question so for who? We seem to be disintegrating, but bluffing ourselves that all is well.

T WALLACE Nassau, June 4, 2024.

EDITOR, The Tribune. NOW Insurance Association admits 40 percent of all vehicles are probably uninsured. Shame on the insurance companies, additional shame on the RBPF - Road Traffic for being totally mute and not having ability to police a festering issue for over five plus years. Remember when in COVID ‘the ultimate’ said no need to licence vehicles?

Now probably $30-40m in direct revenue lost … how many accidents the innocent party has had to go to court for settlement. Why no licence plates? Can a vehicle be legally driven on the road without a licence plate? Get a simple printing programme and produce signs on 8”x1” and tape inside on windshield... is that too much to think?

Imagine the same Minister is supposed to correct BPL! IDB Loans in default … where did that come from? Seems government only talks about the positive news and has no interest in correcting the obvious. New Day...sorry folks, worst day, we can’t run a government like this.

JENNIFER MOSS Nassau, June 3, 2024.

EDITOR, The Tribune. MINISTERS

SPAIN’s Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy after winning the men’s final of the French Open tennis tournament against Germany’s Alexander Zverev at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, yesterday. Photo: Christophe Ena/AP

Pintard removed from HOA after refusing to yield to the Speaker on a ‘point of order’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

TEMPERS flared in the House of Assembly on Friday as House Speaker Patricia Deveaux ordered the removal of Opposition leader Michael Pintard for “obstructing the business of the house” after he refused to yield on a point of order.

The heated exchange ended with opposition members locking arms to prevent Mr Pintard from being removed from the House of Assembly, and House proceedings were briefly suspended.

As Mrs Deveaux admonished members that disrespect would not be tolerated, the Free National Movement leader called a press conference and claimed she was displaying bias in the execution of her role.

During Friday’s Budget Communication, Mr Pintard called for a point of order after West Grand

Bahama and Bimini MP Kingsley Smith accused the Free National Movement of failing to brief relief to the residents of Grand Bahama. During the point of order, Mr Pintard challenged Mr Smith’s claims about a park in Pine Forest Subdivision in Grand Bahama, listing efforts the party made before the by-election.

Ms Deveaux interrupted him and questioned the point of order, in which Mr Pintard noted that Mr Smith’s claims were inaccurate. Mr Pintard demanded to be allowed to finish his point repeatedly.

The House Speaker and Mr Pintard’s feud escalated, with voices raised and house members gesturing for Mr Pintard to step down.

“I did not make the point.

I did not make the point.

I did not make the point.

I did not make the point.

I am going to speak. You are not in a position to lecture me. You are not in a

position to lecture me. You are not in a position to lecture me,” Mr Pintard said.

However, Ms Deveaux hit back: “Listen here! Let me take you to number six on the rule book.”

“The speaker in the house and the chairman in the committee shall, you understand what that means, shall regulate the conduct of business in all matters not provided for in the rules of procedures.

“Now I heard you, don’t tell me what isn’t right or wrong, I know what to do here, I heard what you said. You said the member is not factual, okay, now I’m not going to sit here for the next 10, 15, minutes and allow you to list a stream of things that you did.

“You said he is not factual, you listed that he was not factual, that is on the record, now I want to hear West Grand Bahama finish his speech.”

Mr Pintard attempted to interrupt the House Speaker’s comments again

but Mrs Deveaux reiterated that she was the principal officer in the House of Assembly, adding that taking advantage of point of orders will not be tolerated during the budget debate.

Mr Pintard refused to be seated, which led to the House Speaker engaging the Sargent of Arms to have him removed from the house.

However, Mr Pintard then formed a human barricade with Shanendon Cartwright, Adrian White and Iram Lewis as the officer approached him.

Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly Wayne Munroe called Mr Pintard’s actions “unhinged”, adding that the opposition MPs who attempted to physically block access to Mr Pintard exacerbated the situation.

“We may not agree with the Speaker’s rulings but we are required to obey the rules. Mr Pintard’s actions appeared more focused on creating a spectacle for

political gain rather than engaging in respectful and constructive discourse,”

Mr Munroe said in a press statement which bore a parliamentary seal.

Mr Pintard condemned the use of the seal as a “blatant disregard for the separation of powers” in a later press statement, adding it was exclusively reserved for the House Speaker.

The business of the office was briefly suspended on Friday. Following its return, Ms Deveaux insisted that she would not tolerate “the behaviour that has been exhibited in this place anymore”.

“We can say what we want out there, but when it comes in here, respect is the order of the day and even for the chair. I don’t care how you feel about me, but you shall and you will respect the order of this chair and the integrity thereof,” she said on Friday.

She added that a point

of order can be completed in “less than 30 seconds”, adding that the House of Assembly is not a campaign field.

“This is not the first time that the speaker wishes to set some arbitrary timeline, 30 seconds or 15 seconds when we’ve had members of the governing side who’ve gotten up and spoken for minutes,” Mr Pintard said during a press conference outside of the House of Assembly on Friday.

“Minutes of time, meaning that they first get up and comment for minutes and then when we further clarify, they talk further. It cannot be right that the speaker continues to do this, aided and abetted by members, and guided by members of the government, and we’re not prepared, I’m not prepared to be subjected to that because it is wrong.” Mr Pintard maintained that he is entitled to correct the record.

GLOVER-ROLLE: UNIONS WILL BE ENGAGED IN SHORT ORDER OVER PAY CHANGES

By KEILE CAMPBELL

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

AFTER union heads expressed outrage when Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced last week that the public

service would move to a bi-weekly pay structure, Labour and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said on Friday that the new structure would be implemented in 2025 and workers will not be ignored.

MAN CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED MURDER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 28-YEAR-OLD man was remanded in custody on Thursday after he was accused of a triple shooting on East Bay Street earlier this month.

Senior Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux charged Addison Hepburn with three counts of attempted murder.

Hepburn and accomplices allegedly ambushed and shot Mallory Bullard,

Carlton Brown and Jayden Newton as they sat in a white Acura in a parking lot on June 1.

The suspects allegedly arrived and fled the scene in a white Nissan Juke. The victims were successfully treated for gunshot injuries in the hospital.

Hepburn was informed that his matter would move to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

The defendant’s VBI is slated for service on October 1.

MAN ACCUSED OF STABBING ANOTHER MAN WHILE ON A BUS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted bail on Thursday after he was accused of stabbing another man on a bus on East Bay Street last week.

Senior Magistrate Kara Turnquest Deveaux charged Rochad “Shad/ Chad” Watkins, 29, with causing harm and assault with a dangerous instrument. Watkins allegedly

stabbed 32-year-old Miguel Clarke in the upper body with a knife while the two were on a bus around Okra Hill and East Bay Street on June 3.

While the defendant reportedly fled the scene on foot, he was later apprehended by an off-duty officer.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, Watkins was granted bail at $5,000 with one or two sureties. The defendant’s trial begins on September 27.

TWO MEN ACCUSED OF STEALING A DOG FROM A WOMAN’S HOME

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were granted $5,000 bail on Thursday after they were accused of breaking into a woman’s home and stealing her dog in eastern New Providence last month.

Senior Magistrate Kara Turnquest Deveaux charged Leon Bain, 35, and Simeon Cooper, 35, with housebreaking, stealing from a dwelling house and receiving. The pair allegedly broke into Vanessa Brown’s residence between 7am and 4.45pm on May 24 and stole her grey Shih Zu puppy, which was valued at $500. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defendants must sign in at their local police station every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday by 6pm under the terms of their bail. Their trial begins on September 27.

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO HAVING EIGHT OUNCES OF MARIJUANA

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined $1,000 after he admitted to having drugs in his home on Meadow Lane last month.

Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Tarino Moss, 43, and his mother, Pamela Moss, 63, with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply Moss was found with 8oz of marijuana on May 29 in New Providence. Tarino Moss was the sole defendant to plead guilty to the charge. The charge against Mrs Moss were withdrawn. Moss must pay $1,000 or risk six months in prison.

Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) president Belinda Wilson and Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) Kimsley Ferguson said unions were not consulted over the plan.

“In short order,” Mrs Glover-Rolle said, “the unions will be engaged to be fully involved in the process, as we see them as partners in this process. But, please appreciate, the digitalisation project is still in its building phase. The Ministry of Finance had a meeting with the unions a few months ago to inform them of and introduce them to the project.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle said Mr Davis’ announcement “simply rolled out the plans for the fiscal year ahead” and said unions “will continue to be engaged at various levels as digital processes are being phased”.

Mr Ferguson said more frequent paydays could improve public workers’

cash flow but called the decision “haphazard” and questioned where the consultation with public workers’ representatives was.

During her budget contribution, Mrs GloverRolle acknowledged the pushback from some Bahamians and underlined the importance of digitising government human resources and payroll systems.

She said that the government and public service are “at a place where we must digitalise” for the sake of productivity, efficiency, and accountability.

“At the end of the process ,we will completely change the way government HR works,” she said. “After years of talk about digitalisation, we are finally making it happen across the entire government.”

She said that The Bahamas is “at a critical place” in its financial and HR

management system moving away from analog to digital and for the process to fully live up to its potential, it needs the buy-in of public servants.

“I know change can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but we know that

change is needed for progress,” she said. “The necessary change management and training processes are already under way to ensure that everyone is informed and equipped to take advantage of this process.”

LABOUR AND PUBLIC SERVICE MINISTER PIA GLOVER-ROLLE

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2024

A look inside the history of ‘brilliant but belligerent’ Wilson

By THE MONITOR

LET’S all agree that a journalist should not accuse someone of lying. While not illegal, it is certainly unprofessional more from the perspective of good form, than whether it is true or not. Certainly, if not proveable, it borders on defamation. It is just as easy to allow the reader/ viewer to determine who is being truthful through information provided by the reporter, rather than the reporter taking the position of judge and jury.

That being said, the response to the reporter’s ill-worded assertion was nothing short of thuggish. It is demonstrative of the inability to deal with conflict that has resulted in the violence we are witnessing in the country today. Not a good look! Had it not been for the actions of the Minister of Economic Affairs, how far would this have gone. So, who is Simon Wilson?

The most common alliterative description of Mr Wilson is that he is brilliant but belligerent.

Arguably, in many quarters he is seen as the most powerful entity in the public sector next to the Prime Minister, whom he is reported to have great influence over. Without exception he is referred to as the de facto Minister of Finance. His tentacles affect all of our economic affairs and financial status on a daily basis. Multiple sources have described him as wielding the power of the purse over all ministries, in ways unmatched by previous Financial Secretaries. He is viewed as intransigent, dictatorial and once his view is forwarded, one dare not oppose it. He is known for showing his disdain for dissent, as he views that as being disloyal to him, yet he has no loyalty to anyone but himself, said one senior official at the Ministry of Finance.

It is not uncommon for him to be disparaging to his subordinates, even in the presence of others as evidence in our possession shows. Foreign investors are often taken aback by his approach and very senior officials have had to offer apologies on behalf of the government. Some investors have refused to be in meetings with him due to his undiplomatic approach to negotiations. It is generally his way or the highway and aggressively so. He portends, through his affect and references, to be the smartest person in the room and will, often without reservation, state that others do not know what they are talking about.

His actions on May 30 corroborate all of the above, and a former official at the Ministry of Finance confirms that his superiors are more than aware of this and have been so aware for a very long time. Both he and Marlon Johnson were proteges of former Financial Secretary Ruth Millar and he has served under both FNM and PLP regimes. While Johnson was viewed as approachable, Wilson is considered to be socially awkward and lacking in interpersonal skills. No one feels a sense of ease when it becomes necessary to have an encounter with the FS. Not necessarily characteristics that lend to an environment that promotes consultative partnership with stakeholders,

So, who is Simon Wilson? The most common alliterative description of Mr Wilson is that he is brilliant but belligerent.

but rather tyrannical dictate over those stakeholders.

Said one prominent financial sector executive, “any audience with Simon Wilson or any public consultation exercise is nothing but a public relations checked box to say that there was consultation.” It is generally agreed that those audiences rarely move the needle on what was already decided by Mr Wilson.

Since the 2021 General Elections, people familiar with Mr Wilson say that he is coming from a very angry place due to the fact the Minnis administration banished him to the Central Bank, where reportedly he rarely set foot. It is alleged that not soon after the 2021 elections he stormed into the Office of the Prime Minister and with the use of profanities, told the Acting FS to get out of his office.

It is widely held that the basis for the reassignment were findings contained in a report prepared by FTI Consulting, and first reported on by The Tribune in October of 2018, where Mr Wilson was at the centre of a controversial contract that was awarded to a company to provide computers to the government.

The October 18, 2018 edition of The Tribune referenced a report tabled in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, prepared by FTI Consulting (“FTI”), a global

management consulting firm engaged by the Auditor General to identify “gaps and weaknesses in the procurement policies and procedures in place at the Ministry of Finance (“MOF”)”.

FTI advised that, “in order to achieve this objective, FTI worked with the Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) to perform an independent examination of select contracts executed by MOF during 2015, 2016, and 2017”. One of the contracts selected for review was one executed by Mr Wilson, which “raised concerns about whether the purchase adhered to the Financial Administration and Audit Act of 1973 and the Financial Regulations of 1975.”

According to the report, “on April 3, 2017, The Bahamas Ministry of Finance (“MOF) entered into a one-year leaseto-own agreement (the Agreement) contract which was issued to XUA Company Limited (XUA) in relation to the purchase of computer equipment for approximately $1.46m. XUA was incorporated in The Bahamas several weeks before the Agreement was executed, but was not issued its business license until afterwards. XUA is owned and controlled by Pete Deveaux and Judy Deveaux who are involved in the local gaming and real estate sectors.” The report went on to

say, “Financial Secretary Wilson (“Wilson”) currently on leave, stated that he signed the Agreement following a meeting he attended approximately three months earlier with a former senior elected official and Pete Deveaux.”

The contract was executed without bidding, did not at first deliver on what was promised, and XUA made a profit of over $400,000 for what appeared to be acting only as an intermediary. The contract did not call for installation or service of the computers. In fact, Mr Wilson “without FTI prompting referenced the computer purchase from XUA as an example of a problematic procurement”.

Mr Wilson implied during the interview conducted by FTI, “that the quantity and specifications for the computer equipment were dictated by external technology consultants working with the Bahamas Customs Department” as they were to be used for the Electronic Single Window (“ESW”) a portal that would streamline customs’ operations.

Wilson also noted that he had consulted with his colleagues at the Department of Information Technology. Carol Roach, acting director at DIT, who held the position of deputy director at the time, did not recall if she or “anyone on her team was consulted in advance about the prices or

specifications of the equipment, nor was she aware of the order or the scheduled delivery of the equipment until around the time it arrived”.

Charlene Laing, an IT manager who also reports to Roach and who oversees the procurement of computer equipment, also stated she was not consulted about the purchase from XUA. Roach nor Laing had any knowledge of how and why XUA was selected as the vendor.

Ironically, the “brouhaha” that occurred between FS Wilson and The Nassau Guardian reporter, was over questioning about another entity associated with Pete Deveaux. There are multiple questions about the process by which this $25m contract was awarded. There is no evidence that this contract was ever put out to bid, that JDL has any experience in the customs freight business and, how long JDL has been in business and what it does.

The contract has major financial upsides to the concessionaire. As one in the sector stated, it’s a licence to print money. “We import everything. Imagine getting 40 cents per pound for everything imported. Hell, I would not mind getting 1 cent for everything we import. It reminds me how one family had the benefit of getting a dollar for every bag of cement imported.

They became super wealthy and that was only one product.”

Why do we introduce this report into an article written due to a conflict between a civil servant and a journalist, where the journalist questioned the integrity of a public servant?

1. To display how truth can be determined based on information and,

2. As they say in court, when an assertion is made by one of the parties, the door is swung open for exploration.

After the incident at the OPM on Thursday went viral, Mr Wilson issued a well-crafted statement. Prior to extending his apology, he emphasised that it is important that in his role as a public servant, “I am seen to observe the highest standards of integrity and transparency both locally and internationally”. While we do not accuse Mr Wilson of anything, the report above clearly asserts that certain standards may not have been adhered to with respect to the execution of the computer contract with XUA. Also, according to those unimpeachable sources, the behaviour demonstrated on Thursday is not isolated nor an exception, but in this instance was on public display for all to witness and to determine if this public servant is seen as demonstrating the highest standards and transparency.

Did govt forget the golden rule?

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

ONE of the first manag-

ers I worked for was a smart

man. He was a straight dealer. He knew how to handle workers, and what to do to get the job done. He also knew what not to do, and what got in the way of that.

He was also wise. I remember him telling me one of his golden rules in management. He said:

“Whatever you do, don’t mess around with people’s pay.” He didn’t use the word mess, though.

He went on from that.

“You don’t. You just don’t. But if you absolutely have to, you tell them about it as soon as you can.”

The government has pulled a surprise move for the large number of public servants in the country by announcing that their salaries will be paid out every two weeks.

Now, many will appreciate this move, let’s be clear. Since the announcement, I have heard more than a few people in the private sector saying man, I wish they would pay me every two weeks too.

The trouble is that it’s come from out of the blue. Well, out of the clouds actually.

A “project” called Cloud Bahamas was launched last month to digitise the public service, and the paying out of salaries every two weeks will fall under its control.

We have not been told a lot about Cloud Bahamas yet – how it is operating, whose control it is under, and so on – which itself makes one wonder. Certainly a project launching last month and taking control of such a big task right away does seem like a very short lead-in time to make sure everything is tested and ready to go. Hand in hand with that is that the government seems to have also broken the golden rule about telling people about what is happening with their pay. At least two major unions have raised their hands and said hey, you forgot to tell us about this.

Changing the schedule of people’s pay is a material change in their terms and conditions of employment. Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s a big thing. People base their lives around when their pay comes in – and while they will be getting the same pay, they need to know when it is hitting their bank account so they can pay their bills. I don’t need to tell you readers how people do that – you do that yourselves.

“While you are at it, please let the public know who are the owners and shareholders of Cloud Bahamas.”

- Belinda Wilson, BUT president

There’s the big bill of the month – the rent or mortgage if you have one. If it’s rent, you pay when your landlord says you pay – is your landlord going to shift to picking up the money every two weeks instead of every month? Good luck with that, hope you’ve got a good landlord. And the bank for your mortgage – lots of people have that coming out right when your pay hits, sometimes through salary deduction. I don’t even know if the banks have been consulted on this – though I’m willing to bet they haven’t – but will they accept deductions on the

And here’s the thing – if it is good for the country, if it is good for the workers, how has the government managed to fumble the ball so badly?

new pay cycle? Will they impose an extra charge for each of those transactions along the way?

Then there’s all the other bills – the school fees, the car loan, the power bill, the cable bill, the food store, and everything else that fits under this and that.

Heck, the government elsewhere has just decided we should all be paying our car licence and insurance

in the same month for their own reasons and now you’ve got to figure that out with your salary split in two over the month.

In a voice note circulating around over the weekend, Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson pointed out that as it stands some teachers right now cannot even get a pay slip in a timely manner. She said that Prime Min-

ister Philip “Brave” Davis had “forgotten to consult with us”, although she also asked: “Is this another ill-advised directive from the wannabe minister of finance Simon Wilson?” She then listed a series of situations which needed clearing up – such as when the change will take effect, what happens regarding people on medical leave, have the banking days been adjusted, would salaries now be paid for 13 months, what happens in months with five weeks, what happens with loan and mortgage deductions,

glitches with the new Oracle system which allowed people to see others’ personal information, and so on.

She said, pointedly, and harking back to my old boss’ wisdom: “Mr Prime Minister, you are now touching the worker’s money.”

She also raised a pertinent point: “While you are at it, please let the public know who are the owners and shareholders of Cloud Bahamas.”

The move also apparently will allow, according to director of communications in the Office of the Prime Minister Latrae Rahming, “accurate tracking of employee attendance and performance, preventing salary payments to those who have abandoned their jobs”. Quite how was not explained – but keeping track of attendance and performance is a basic management function. If the government hasn’t been able to do that, then there’s a few managers it ought to be getting rid of.

The thing is with this change is that it absolutely could be a good thing – as I said, there were plenty of people wishing they could get the same deal. But the way it has been sprung on people makes them more than a little suspicious.

Kimsley Ferguson, the president at the Public Services Union, pointed out that no studies had been done to determine how people in the region will be affected.

Mr Davis says that the change will help small businesses because of the uptick in economic activity from government workers – well, it’s the same pot of money, changing the payment to every two weeks won’t mean more money for small businesses, just spread the spending across the month a bit more.

And here’s the thing – if it is good for the country, if it is good for the workers, how has the government managed to fumble the ball so badly?

Don’t mess with the people’s money. It’s a simple rule. An easy one. Surely in the discussions before launching this someone, somewhere had the wit of my old boss and piped up to say hey, you’re going to need to talk to workers about this. If they didn’t, then it explains the lack of consultation in just about every other area from government these days. If this really is a good thing, do it right.

SMALL STATES IN THE GLOBAL ARENANAVIGATING SURVIVAL AND SOVEREIGNTY

IN the international arena, small states consistently grapple with existential threats. The structures of the global economy, finance, and trade not only sideline them but are deliberately skewed against their favour. Despite these formidable challenges - including the acute threat posed by climate change - small states continue to persevere, albeit in grave circumstances.

For over five decades, since their emergence from the remnants of European empires, small states have faced several inherent disadvantages: limited land, small populations, and restricted access to development capital. These factors have often relegated them to a dependency on aid from larger, more influential nations. However, it is crucial to note that apart from emergency relief during natural disasters, aid is generally extended either to ensure continued dependency or to secure allegiance, serving the strategic interests of the donor country in the global arena. Confronted with internal pressures for economic and social development that their limited resources cannot meet, governments of small states often find themselves with little choice but to accept this aid. In some cases, they actively seek it. This reliance on external support comes at a significant cost: it compromises their sovereignty and forces them to align their policies with those of their benefactors.

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

we continuously face the question: How can these nations not only survive but thrive in a system so heavily stacked against them?

According to the World Bank, there are currently 50 small states worldwide, with significant concentrations in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Attempts to forge unified positions among small states have occurred but within groups of larger developing countries, whose interests sometimes conflict with those of smaller states. Consequently, these efforts have not proven to be effective

If AOSIS can be maintained, broadened, and strengthened, it has the potential to become a compelling and irresistible voice for small states.

However, without a global structure that responds to the development needs of small states by providing affordable financing based on objective criteria — like building infrastructure, enhancing climate resilience, and creating fairer trade terms — small states will continue to be compelled to accept aid under conditions set by donors. Some of these conditions are explicit, as seen in the agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific states, while others are continuously applied by donors. It should be noted that some small states provide backing to donors simply because they fear losing existing benefits.

This narrative of survival and adaptation forms the core of this discussion.

As we delve deeper into the resilience and strategic manoeuvres of small states,

vehicles for their aims. Global crises have profoundly affected small states and continue to do so. The World Bank notes that “the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already high fiscal imbalances and debt vulnerabilities in many Small States.” Moreover, the recent surge in fuel and food prices due to geopolitical tensions has further undermined their postCOVID recovery efforts.

High inflation has also led to higher international borrowing costs, disproportionately affecting highly indebted Small States.

From the Pacific to the Caribbean, small island states are on the frontlines of climate change impacts. The threats they face are varied—from sea-level rise threatening low-lying areas to increasingly severe storms devastating the economies of island states.

In recent years, small nations have found a voice through the Alliance of Small Island States

(AOSIS), which operates from the UN in New York. It has played a crucial role in developing collective strategies and negotiating positions. If AOSIS can be maintained, broadened, and strengthened, it has the potential to become a compelling and irresistible voice for small states. However, this would require AOSIS to expand its footprint outside the UN structure and the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) on Climate Change. For instance, AOSIS could have served itself and all its member states well had they collectively joined Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu in securing an Opinion from the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), regarding the specific obligations of States to prevent, reduce, and control marine environmental pollution stemming from climate change. Only 7 other member states of AOSIS joined the two founding countries. Nonetheless, the Opinion has now set a benchmark in international law from which all small island states can benefit in global negotiations.

The Opinion can also help in insisting that the polluting countries and the financial institutions that they control, implement the plan which emerged from the 4th UN Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Conference, which recently concluded in Antigua and Barbuda. The conference produced a Declaration for Renewed Prosperity that sets out an ambitious pathway for SIDS’ sustainable development, addressing the crippling debt crisis many face, and recognising their frontline position in the global climate crisis. The declaration calls for international pledges to support SIDS in developing their adaptation and mitigation efforts.

However, for small states to advance, they require visionary leaders with the resolve and political acumen to champion their causes globally. Their

strategy must be sharp and well-defined, supported by a clear set of objectives and a credible plan that highlights tangible benefits not only for their own nations but for the global community. In the face of

overwhelming global challenges, small states cannot afford to wait passively; their success in the international arena will not come from the existing global architecture’s benevolence but from their own concerted efforts to advocate

for change and justice.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com.

The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. The views expressed are entirely his own.

Connection between cultural maintenance and conservation

Continuing his series on the idea of cultural maintenance, JERVON SANDS writes about how it affects our everyday lives.

WE last left off discussing the proper upkeep of our national identity and the tools needed to achieve that goal. Strengthening the relationship between Bahamian youth and our cultural heritage has been identified as a crucial component. However, questions arise concerning how that cultural heritage manifests in our everyday lives and what are its tangible markers? Perspectives shared by young conservation scientist, Taylor Cargill, offers answers to these questions.

Cargill counts the opportunity she now has to appreciate and explore our natural environment and waters, in ways that not every Bahamian typically can, as what makes her work special. Like many Bahamians she grew up with a love for the beach and while she always appreciated the beauty of our Bahamaland she previously did so from a distance.

Cargill claims she once possessed a distinctive fear of “what’s out there”.

Many Bahamians can relate to that innate sense of fear that cautioned us in our youth not to swim too far from shore or go too far into the bush. However, there were times when culture intervened and converted that fear to joy thereby inspiring unforgettable stories of experiencing the richness of our cultural heritage through our connection to the land and the sea. Cargill found herself having these transformative experiences since starting on her current career path. So far, she has “learned to snorkel, SCUBA dive, become

comfortable swimming in deeper ocean waters, identify birds and plants in coppice ecosystems, and begin understanding at a deep level why our Bahamian ecosystems are so important and how best to protect them”.

The unfortunate reality for Bahamian youth today is that there are limited opportunities to engage with the tangible aspects of our culture on a level that affords them a deeper appreciation for what our natural world has to offer.

Cargill believes that Bahamian youth at large should be exposed to the experiences that her career choice has afforded her because “we all have a shared responsibility in stewarding our environment”. If we fail to pass on the knowledge of and love for the tangible aspects of Bahamian culture to the younger generation, they will be unable or uninspired to protect our land, our oceans, and the ecosystems dependent on them.

Cargill’s work makes her painfully aware that the Bahamas and our

ecosystems are currently under high climate stress from a variety of factors like intensifying storms, shifting weather patterns, sea level rise and increasing ocean temperatures. Currently, the coral reefs are experiencing severe impacts including “recent mass coral bleaching, ongoing coral disease outbreaks like Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), and overgrowth of algae on the reefs due to die-off of important ecosystem grazers”.

Through her current role with the Cape Eleuthera Institute, Cargill supports coral restoration research on the Bahamas Coral Innovation Hub team led by Natalia Hurtado and Silia Woodside in partnership with the Perry Institute for Marine Science. This positions her among many actors doing work to implement conservation and restoration strategies that counteract these active threats and protect our ecosystems. Nevertheless, she recognises that this work can benefit from increased youth involvement and

young Bahamians can benefit from improved access to these opportunities. She suggests greater outreach via schools, community engagement and a collective effort to disrupt traditional pipelines that draw Bahamian youth away from career paths which directly involve the natural environment. Climate change poses significant threat to the physical manifestations of Bahamian culture. It is an obstacle to cultural maintenance because if not properly addressed it will sever our connection to the natural world. It starts by amplifying preexisting fears of “what’s out there” with the prevalence of devastating storms and the repercussions of a global pandemic. It forces us to ostracise ourselves from the natural world and each other. Young people are most at risk of losing their connection to our tangible culture because so much is now vying for their attention. We must not allow

external influences and shocks to succeed in deterring Bahamian youth from developing their sense of national identity and engaging with the ecosystems that support that identity. Otherwise, we will lose many of our cultural practices that are tied to those ecosystems. Instead, we must nurture a closeness to our natural environment along with an understanding of the threats it faces which will help us to resist climate impacts and other external threats.

Please connect with these young Bahamian professionals via Linkedin if you have an interest in their work or would like to provide opportunities for them to continue strengthening The Bahamas within their respective fields.

• Jervon Sands is a Bahamian youth climate ambassador. Conserving our culture: The connection between cultural maintenance and conservation.

JERVON SANDS

TAYLOR Cargill - Conservation Scientist

WORKING with the Cape Eleuthera Institute, Taylor Cargill supports coral restoration research on the Bahamas Coral Innovation Hub team led by Natalia Hurtado and Silia Woodside in partnership with the Perry Institute for Marine Science.

Evangeline Jervis Hurricane Shelter completed and ready for 2024 season

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE first dedicated hurricane shelter constructed in Grand Bahama was officially opened on Friday, almost a week into the start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season.

The 4,200 sq ft multipurpose facility can accommodate 250 to 300 people during a storm. It has restrooms, showers, an industrial kitchen, a water well, and a generator.

The building was constructed at over $500,000 through donations from the government, local and international private donors, and NGOs.

The Evangeline Jervis Hurricane Shelter is located at the Freeport Seventh Day Adventist Church on Beachway and Gambier Drive. During a hurricane, it will be turned over to the Ministry of Social Services. All year round it will serve as a soup kitchen.

An additional $100,000 is needed for furnishings, including cots, partitions, air conditioning, and an emergency fire system.

Joel Lewis, permanent secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama, delivered

remarks on behalf of Minister Ginger Moxey. He mentioned that a year ago, the late Obie Wilchombe, former Minister of Social Services, had requested the Bahamas government to make a substantial contribution to the shelter project.

He noted that the Freeport SDA church has been “a lifeline” to thousands of families and individuals in crisis in Grand Bahama since 2009 when it initially opened the Evangeline Community Service Distribution Center.

“Their food and clothing distribution programs assisted residents from east to west Grand Bahama and throughout the city of Freeport and provided much-needed support during tough times.

“The new state-of-theart multi-purpose hurricane shelter will continue the valuable work at this centre,” said Mr Lewis.

He emphasized the need for safe and secure shelters for residents during and after a hurricane.

He thanked the Seventh Day Adventist and all the partners involved in the construction of the facility. In addition to their initial $25,000 contribution, Sarah

St. George, Chairperson of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, has committed to further donating.

She noted that the projected cost of $855,000 for constructing the shelter was reduced by nearly 25% “through discounts and voluntary work.”

“The expenditure to date is $520,000 which is phenomenal and such an achievement,” said Ms St George. The last phase requires a further $100,000. We know the God will provide, and the Port Authority will help.”

She promised that things would get better in Grand Bahama.

“While we have some wacky numbers being thrown around, it comes down to multiplying our two fishes and our five loaves,” she stated.

“The investments we prayed for are coming, and everyone will rejoice soon, I promise.”

Ms St George noted that the GBPA established the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation specifically to address the humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

After Hurricane Dorian, the GBDRF spent $2

million to assist vulnerable residents and families in Grand Bahama. This aid included home repairs, mold remediation, and the purchase of furniture and appliances for distribution.

Pastor Dannie Clarke, president of the North Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and Pastor of Freeport, West End, and Eight Mile

Rock Adventist Churches, said the shelter is being built for the benefit of the Grand Bahama community. Grand Bahama Christian Council President Kenneth Lewis and the Freeport SDA shelter project come in response to “the greatest disaster ever experienced by the island of Grand Bahama.” He added that the shelter expands the island’s capacity to respond to disasters.

“The number of donors that responded to his wonderful initiative is a testament to the commitment of the government, the Port Authority, citizens, and private international donors. The international donors were the Colony Tire Corporation and Micheline North America.

Thompson calls for transparency on $500m loan

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

EAST Grand Bahama

MP Kwasi Thompson

urged the government to be transparent with the Bahamian people regarding a $500m loan, insisting explanations provided do not make sense.

“If the government continues to insist that the $500m is all new borrowing and was not used to finance debt refinancing, then the government must provide evidence of the legal authority for them to do so and explain what it was used to pay for,” he said.

According to Mr Thompson, the Prime Minister had told Parliament and the people that the $500m loan proceeds were not by covenant agreement to be used for debt refinancing but for financing budgetary expenditures throughout the year.

However, he said the government’s published public debt statistical

bulletin report shows that the government had to use a portion of the $500m loan proceeds for debt rollovers and not just budget expenditures.

He further stated that the report on page 13 states that the government took on a total of $811.9m in foreign currency loans this fiscal year and used most of that to repay a total of $662.4m in existing debt.

Mr Thompson said the amount substantially exceeds parliament’s

authorised sum for new borrowing.

“Simple math would demonstrate that a substantial portion of that $500m loan would have had to be used to facilitate this debt refinancing, he stated. It would have been illegal for the government to use the full $500m for general budgetary expenses.”

He pointed out that on page five of its published Annual Borrowing Plan for the current fiscal year, the government only has

parliamentary authority for new borrowing totalling $131.1m.

Mr Thompson stated that the primary purpose of that loan had to help refinance or roll over existing debt.

“There was not and still is not any parliamentary authorisation for the government to borrow more than $131million,” he said.

The MP for East Grand Bahama said the country’s economic growth must be improved.

He said the government changed the midterm budget projections from 5.5% economic growth to 1.1% without explanation. When the Davis administration came to office, he said, it met a growth rate of 14 percent.

Mr Thompson said: “This is part of the problem why Bahamians are not feeling these so-called good times. We in the FNM are convinced that the Bahamas has the capacity for sustained three-plus percent economic growth. Indeed the country needs to target

this level of growth to accommodate the school graduates and to achieve higher wages and improved standards of living.”

The FNM MP stressed that more than 1.7 and 1.5 percent over the next three years is needed. He said debt is a big issue for the country. “Truth is that until we expand growth and fix our creditworthiness, we are in trouble. But this budget is not changing that status quo,” he said.

“This is why we need to see the economic growth plan. The growth potential of the country must be changed. Debt must be reduced for real, not transferred to PPPs. Cost of debt must come down. Policies must change to cause this to happen,” he stressed. Regarding the PPPs, Mr Thompson accused the Davis administration of ignoring government policy, parliamentary approvals, and lack of fiscal prudence.

He said the PLP administration continues to take on secret, hidden,

and unauthorised public debt, hiding behind socalled PPP arrangements to deliver infrastructure projects. The Davis administration is entering into more and more secret deals, he said.

Mr Thompson indicated that they are in breach of the present PPP Policy created and published by the FNM in 2018 to ensure transparency. He said: “On your secret off-book deals, you are contracting with the vendors to pay for the work in installments over several years, usually with interest rates much higher than the government would be able to secure from agencies that lend for public infrastructure. And they are no bid and secret!”

The 2018 Bahamas Government Policy indicates information about PPP projects and the programme’s performance is publicly available. The PPP information would be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day Parade in Grand Bahama

ARLENE Sands (far right), community service director at Freeport Seventh Day Adventist Church, and Estella Glinton, the daughter of Evangeline Jervis, cut the ribbon to open the shelter officially.

EAST GRAND BAHAMA MP KWASI THOMPSON

PEOPLE take part in the Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day Parade in Grand Bahama. Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

Celtics beat Mavericks

105-98, take 2-0 lead as series heads to Dallas

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — Jrue

Holiday had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Jayson Tatum made up for a rough shooting night with 12 assists and nine rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-98 last night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

Luka Doncic, who was listed as questionable to play less than two hours before the opening tipoff, scored 32 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists — the first NBA Finals triple-double in Mavericks franchise history. But he missed a onefooted, running floater from three-point range with 28 seconds left, ending Dallas’ last chance at a comeback. Game 3 is

DEVYNNE

CHARLTON FROM PAGE 20

Games’ champion LaQuan Nairn ended up fifth in the men’s long jump with his best leap of 24-7 (7.49m) on both his fourth and fifth leaps, well off the Olympic standard of 27-1 3/4 (8.27m). American Marquis Dendy, the winner of the world’s indoor championships, won the event with a season’s best of 26-5 3/4 (8.07m) on his fifth attempt.

The athletes are all preparing for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associatios’ National Track and Field Championships,

Wednesday night in Dallas. The Mavericks need a win then or in Game 4 on Friday to avoid a sweep and earn a trip back to the Boston Garden, where the local fans are already making space in the rafters for what would be an unprecedented 18th NBA championship banner.

The Celtics won the opening pair in the NBA Finals for the ninth time. They have won the previous eight, and have never been forced to a Game 7 in any of them.

Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, Tatum had 18 and Derrick White also scored 18 points for top-seeded Boston. Kristaps Porzingis limped his way to 12 points. Tatum was 6 for 22 shooting and 1 of 7 from 3-point range; the Celtics were 10 for 39 from long distance

scheduled for June 26-28 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Last week at the Josef Odiozil Memorial at the Stadion Juliska, Praha, Czech Republic, another Olympic qualifier Charisma Taylor clocked 12.81 to win the women’s 100m hurdles, well ahead of Jamaica’s Crystal Morrison, who ran 12.97 for second. Taylor, 24, joins Charlton and NAIA champion Denisha Cartwright in attaining the Olympic standard of 12.77.

The trio, along with former national record holder Pedrya Seymour, are expected to clash at the Nationals.

GUARDIANS GET 6-3 WIN OVER CHISHOLM JR AND MARLINS

MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Freeman hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 yesterday. Gabriel Arias also went deep and José Ramirez doubled and drove in his major league-leading 62nd run for the AL Centralleading Guardians, who improved to 42-22 and took the series.

After Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan singled with one out, Freeman connected off reliever A.J. Puk (0-7) with a drive over the wall in left field for his sixth homer and a 5-2 lead.

“It feels great, knowing that you got it,” Freeman said. “There’s no better feeling than that. I was able to get the ball up and it went out.”

Nick Sandlin (5-0) pitched the sixth for the win. He was one of five Cleveland relievers that retired 13 straight before Jake Burger homered off closer Emmanuel Clase with two out in the ninth.

“With a game like today, and we have an off day tomorrow, we had our full bullpen ready to go,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Man, they were special today.”

The Marlins have lost six of seven and dropped to an NL worst 22-43.

overall. Kyrie Irving, who’s drawn the animosity of the local fans ever since cutting short his stay in Boston in 2019, scored 16 points; he has lost 12 games in a row against the Celtics. Unlike their 107-89 victory in Game 1, when a fast

SHANNON HANNA II

FROM PAGE 20

Mitchell and trumped him 2-1 in the last match of the tournament.

This win would give Hanna his second gold medal finish for the season.

The Campbell University student spoke about his experiences in the three matches won.

“The first guy that I wrestled was from Costa Rica and that match lasted less than a minute. I was focused on scoring points in that match and I just happened to score

start from 3-point range staked them to a 29-point, first-half lead, the Celtics missed their first eight attempts from long distance and were around 20% for most of the game.

Tatum scored zero points in the first quarter and had

them very quickly. It felt good getting the win.

“My next match was basically the same thing against Guatemala and it lasted about 58 seconds.

“In the finals, I had to wrestle against a guy from Jamaica and I knew him and was wrestling with him all week.

“The mat was very slippery so it was a bit hard to wrestle but we were both happy to be there and represent our countries,” he said.

Next up for the gold medallist will be the Under-23 Pan-American Championships scheduled to take place June 21-22 in Rionegro, Colombia. Hanna remains confident

only five at halftime, when he was still 0 for 3 from 3-point range. Boston was still just 5 for 30 from long distance when Peyton Pritchard banked in a half-courter at the thirdquarter buzzer to give Boston an 83-74 lead.

but humble moving on to his next international wrestling event.

“Nothing has changed. It is just going out now and wrestling my best and using it as an opportunity to get better at the end of the day. Hopefully, we come out with the gold which is the ultimate goal but I just want to go out there, try my best and continue to get better,” he said.

The dedicated wrestler secured The Bahamas’ first international medal at the 2024 Pan American Championships back in February and will look to continue with this momentum at the end of June.

“There’s a reason why they’re 20 games over .500 or whatever it is,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said of the Guardians.

“They play really good defence, they strike people out, and they get the timely hits. The slug is there when they need it. They’re a really tough team to face. A really well constructed roster.”

Nick Gordon’s RBI single off Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco in the fifth snapped a 1-all tie. The Guardians tied it again in the sixth on David Fry’s single against reliever Andrew Nardi.

Carrasco pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, while striking out three. The 15-year veteran right-hander also understood why Vogt removed him after 55 pitches.

“I respect any decision he makes,” Carrasco said. “I think the most important thing is winning games. It doesn’t matter if I go there one, two, three, four innings. I just want to go out there and give my best.”

Marlins starter Trevor Rogers gave up one run and two hits over five innings. He walked four and struck out five. Arias’ solo shot in the second gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Arias drove

Rogers’ sinker over the wall in right centre for his second homer of the season.

“It all started in our hitters’ meeting and learning what approach to take against (Rogers),” Arias said in Spanish. “That was the pitch I was looking for on the outer areas of the plate.”

Retired pitcher Dontrelle Willis threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Willis made his major league debut with the Marlins’ 2003 World Series championship club and made an immediate impact, winning NL Rookie of the Year. The left-hander also finished second for the NL Cy Young Award in 2005, when he finished 22-10 and had a 2.63 ERA.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Guardians: Catcher Bo Naylor (left shoulder soreness) sat out the series. Naylor first experienced discomfort after a collision at the plate with Kansas

City’s MJ Melendez on Thursday.

UP NEXT Guardians: RHP Triston McKenzie (2-3, 4.16 ERA) starts the

Marlins:

for the New York Mets.

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones scored 29 points and the New York Liberty beat the winless Washington Mystics 93-88 yesterday to clinch homecourt in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.

The Liberty, who won the Commissioner’s Cup last season, will host the Commissioner’s Cup title game on June 25. New York, which has won seven straight games, will play the top team in the Western Conference cup standings. New York (11-2) came through a gruelling stretch with five games in eight days, including winning back-to-back contests on Saturday and Sunday.

The Liberty led by two heading into the fourth quarter before they extended the lead to 86-79 with 4:03 left on a putback by Jones. Washington scored the only basket over the next 2:30 minutes until Sabrina Ionescu hit a 10-foot floater from the wing that made it 88-81 with 1:30 left. Washington (0-12) scored the next five points and only trailed 88-86 with 24 seconds left. Ionescu hit the second of two free throws to make it a three-point game.

Jade Melbourne made a layup to bring Washington within one. New York then found Jones for a wide open layup after breaking the Mystics’ press with just over eight seconds left. Melbourne had a chance to tie the game, but missed a 3-pointer from the wing.

Washington has lost nine of its 12 games by single digits. The Mystics are still behind Atlanta’s record 17-game losing streak to begin the 2008 season. The Mystics have been playing without stars Brittney Sykes (ankle) and Shakira Austin (hip).

“I’ll say we’re holding up pretty well, not that anyone’s happy about it,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said. “You never want to get to the point where you feel like you’re accepting it, and I don’t think we’ve done that. But we’ve come back with each game and battled. We don’t look like a discouraged team. We don’t look like a team that’s mailing it in.”

Melbourne scored a career-high 21 points to lead Washington. It was an entertaining first half that saw the two teams tied at 45 going into the break. Julie Vanloo had a behind-the-back pass in the second quarter that led to a layup for Washington. Ionescu showed off her dribbling skills on the fastbreak before throwing a laser pass to Jones for a layin. Earlier in the quarter, Jones had a monster block a few minutes earlier that led to her getting fouled on the other end.

opener of a twogame road set at Cincinnati on Tuesday.

LHP Jesús Luzardo (2-5, 5.30) will start the opener of a threegame series at the New York Mets on Tuesday. RHP Tylor Megill (1-2, 3.00) starts

CELTICS forward Jayson Tatum (0) pressures Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, front right, during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series last night. (AP Photo/ Steven Senne)

MIAMI Marlins’ Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. reacts after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians yesterday in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

JONQUEL Jones reacts toward a referee after being called for a foul against the Chicago Sky on June 4. (AP)

BAHAMAS ATHLETIC PRIDE HAS INAUGURAL SIGNING DAY

By TENAJH SWEETING

Reporter

THREE young ladies from the Bahamas Athletic Pride (BAP) softball programme are now set to take the next step in their young softball careers after last Thursday’s inaugural signing day over at JBLN’s Field of Dreams complex.

Collegiate player Reghan Ingraham signed her national letter of intent (NLI) to join Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina.

Additionally, highschoolers Katelyn and Janae Bain will transfer to The Independent School in Wichita, Kansas for the remainder of their high school tenures.

For Ingraham, her journey playing softball began at Freedom Farm when she was 9-years-old. She is now 17-years-old and is excited to make a name for herself at Voorhees University. “It feels really good. I am really excited and thankful for my coaches for even having the BAP programme to help myself and other girls get this opportunity to go off to school and experience new things,” she said.

The Charles W Saunders graduate did not have a seamless journey as she had multiple offers going into her senior year but those plans were derailed. Despite being discouraged, Ingraham stayed the course and was overjoyed

on signing day. “It was hard. It was complicated sometimes and I wanted to give up but I just had to trust in the Lord and always remain hopeful and grateful. It really feels good knowing that all my hard work paid off. I want to thank my mother, brother, my second mother, my coaches and my entire family for their support,” she said. The Bain sisters are a special duo. K Bain started out playing softball at the T-Ball level at Freedom Farm. Initially, she was not fond of the sport but she eventually took a liking to it and joined the BAP softball programme in 2023 as a pitcher. During her time with BAP, she won the 2023 BAP 14U Most Defensive

Player Award and was the no.2 ranked 14U player in the BAP All-Star Rankings.

J Bain, on the other hand, plays the catcher position. She has been a part of the BAP programme for the last few years and has certainly made her mark.

During her tenure with BAP, the 14-year-old was the youngest player to play at the BAP All-Star Week, winner of the Golden Glove Award in 2022 and MVP in the 15U Division.

The former CH Reeves student was also the no. 1 ranked 14U player on the BAP All-Star rankings and was made MVP of the BAP travel team.

BAP programme director and head coach Dachye Stubbs was pleased to

see seven years of hard work with the softball programme finally pay off on signing day.

“It has been seven long years. It is a day that I have been dreaming of since the inception of the programme so it feels good. It feels good to even know we have the talent here to make it possible because we have girls going to college and high school which speaks to the diversity we have here,” she said.

Stubbs spoke highly of the three softball players and said the goal is to continue to develop and grow the BAP programme.

“These girls definitely set the tone. It is unbelievable that we have kids that are so young who could

Team Bahamas undefeated, now into playoffs of Caribbean & Latin American Zone Championships

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

THE Bahamas national team completed the round robin undefeated and are now into the playoffs of the Caribbean & Latin American Zone Championships in Panama.

The team, managed by James Clarke, will now be playing for the rights to advance to the World Series in Texas in August, if they are successful in winning the tournament.

On Sunday, Team Bahamas doubled up host Panama 10-5 as Grand Bahamian Jace Wilchcombe got the win on a complete game. That enabled The Bahamas to clinch pool three with a perfect 3-0 win-loss record. Today, the team will play the Dominican Republic at 9am in their semifinal match. A victory will advance the team to the championship game that will be played at 1pm.

Team Bahamas blasted Ecuador 8-1 in their opener as Shilo Henfield got the win. They came back and took care of Colombia in a 23-13 slugfest as Tre’Nardo Hart of JBLN was the winning pitcher.

Other members of Team Bahamas are Jacob Clarke, Raheem Adderley and Jovani McKinney, all from JBLN; Michael Sweeting, Bruce Russell, Email Knowles and Diondre Thompson from Grand Bahama and Tyler Smith and Reid Ingraham from Freedom Farm.

Clarke, who is assisted by Donovan Cox from Grand Bahama; Temico Smith from Freedom Farm and Terran Rodgers, the technical director of Pony Baseball Bahamas, said the team is in a good position in the tournament.

“The tournament has been very good. I think the guys really came together especially since we have a good core of players from Grand Bahama, JBLN and Freedom Farm,” said Clarke, who is a coach with JBLN.

“I think despite the challenges we had in putting this team together, the guys have really come together

and performed,” he said. “Our defence has been pretty good.

“One of the most monumental victories in the tournament came yesterday (Saturday) when we beat Colombia in the Caribbean. From a baseball standpoint, Colombia has always been a stable and we beat them.” And what has been the key to the team’s success so far?

“Our athletic abilities is something that all of the teams here are talking about,” Clarke said.

“We have a very fast team and our defence has been pretty solid. Our boys have been pitching very well and we have been trying to manage their arms to save them for the playoffs and the championship.”

After getting off to a slow start against Colombia, Clarke said the team showed its true image as they bounced back and out-slugged their counterparts to advance to the playoffs. “I really like how the guys came together and played as a unit,” Clarke said.

“I think the cultural experience is something that they are enjoying. They are almost like celebrities because everybody wants to take pictures with the Bahamas.”

With the team settled down and clicking on all cylinders, Clarke said if they come out firing today, there’s no reason why The Bahamas should not win the title and book its ticket to the World Series.

“We just have to continue what we’ve been doing, have fun, execute and play defence against

such a powerhouse like the Dominican Republic,” Clarke said. “It’s been a pleasure working with this team.

“It’s a very good crosssection of the players and the reality coming out of the Bahamas is we definitely have the talent. We have some politics in the sport but, at the end of the day, the kids just want to play.”

And, hopefully, that drive and determination will enable Team Bahamas to accomplish their feat today.

come and decide they have dreams and goals and want to work towards them. It is going to be hard to replace this group of girls because their talent alone is something out of this world and is totally different from any other kid I would’ve worked with over the last three to four years. It is going to be hard but we look forward to developing more kids and growing the programme,” she said. She added that next year the goal is to double the amount of signees and transfers. All three ladies expressed great appreciation for coach Stubbs and Sophia Cartwright as well as other coaches and relatives that supported them leading up to this point.

FROM PAGE 20

discussed. The federation, formerly the Baptist Sports Council, has already staged its walk/run race as well as volleyball this year.

BASKETBALL

PEACE ON DA STREETS

THE annual Peace On Da Streets Basketball Classic, dubbed “Shooting Hoops instead of Guns,” is scheduled for July 15-21 at the Michael ‘Scooter Reid” Basketball Center at the Hope Center. All games will start at 6pm each day.

Categories include 12-and-under, 16-andunder, 20-and-under, government ministry, church and open divisions. The event is being promoted by Guardian Radio and Radio House Outreach.

CLERGY VS POLITICIANS

AS a part of the annual Peace ON Da Streets Basketball Classic, organisers will once again stage the showdown between members of the Clergy against the Members of Parliament. The game is scheduled for 8pm Sunday, July 21 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

JOHNSON’S BASKETBALL

CAMP

GET ready for the annual Coach Kevin Johnson’s Basketball Camp 2024. Coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson has announced that his camp will run from June 24 to July 12 at the CI Gibson Secondary High School and will run daily from 9am to 1pm.

Campers will get a chance to play and learn the fundamentals of the game of basketball from professional instructors. Interested persons can sign up by contacting coach Johnson at 636-9350 or email: coachkjjohnson@ gmail.com

BASKETBALL

NEX-GEN

THE third annual

Nex-Gen Elite Training Basketball Camp, hosted by JR Basketball Academy, is all set for June 24 to July 13 from 9am to noon at the Telios Indoor Gymnasium on Carmichael Road. The camp, powered by Frazier’s Roofing, will provide training for game situations, shooting, passibng, ball handling, defense and footwork for boys and girls between the ages of 8-19 years. Registration is now open. Interested persons can contact Cadot at 535-9354, email jrcbasketballacademy.com or go online to www.jrcbasketballacademy. com

BAHAMAS DROPS MATCH 7-1 AGAINST TRINIDAD

FROM PAGE 20

second half the guys picked it up a little bit and started to play like we knew how but, by that time, it was a little too late,” coach Davies said. Trinidad and Tobago, who were coming off a 2-2 draw against Grenada, put together a 4-0 lead in the first half against The Bahamas, leaving the team without a chance of a comeback. Malcom Shaw got the initial goal for the Soca Warriors at the 6th minute

and Alvin Jones managed to find the back of the net at the 14th minute to give the away team a 2-0 advantage. Trinidad’s Duane Muckette would then join the scoring frenzy for the Warriors. He scored two goals for his team within the final minutes of the first half to give Trinidad a comfortable 4-0 cushion at the intermission.

Despite the early success of Trinidad and Tobago, coach Davies along with the rest of the coaching staff picked up some positive

takeaways from Team Bahamas down the stretch.

“It’s a lot of positives that we can take from the game. I think we can change our strategy a little bit and also our formation. I think we got the guys to understand exactly what we want them to do. I think we will see a much better performance in the next game,” he said. In the second half, The Bahamas was more aggressive against the Soca Warriors and it paid off for forward Wood Julmis. He gave The Bahamas their lone goal of the game at the

87th minute but it was not enough as the Soca Warriors had already created a seven-goal deficit.

Coach Davies said the coaching staff intends to ramp up the intensity during the warm-ups and focus on getting the team mentally focused to avoid in-game jitters.

“We had a brief talk yesterday. I think some of the guys were disappointed and some of the guys took on mistakes personally. Some mistakes have a bigger effect on others so it just takes a lot of talking to

players and rebuilding their confidence. Today, the guys are more upbeat, laughing and joking and overall in better spirits so I think we should be fine,” he said. Next up for Team Bahamas will be the host country, Saint Kitts and Nevis, competing at the same venue at 4pm on Tuesday. Currently, The Bahamas is last in the Group B standings with a 0-0-1 (win/draw/ loss record). Meanwhile, with the latest victory, Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the top of the standings with 1-1-0 record. The

BAHAMAS 10 and under national baseball team relaxing in Panama.

Swiatek reigns at the French Open again

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

PARIS (AP) — Iga

Swiatek’s made clear that she is a big fan of the TV series “Friends.” She even got a chance to hit some tennis balls with actress Courteney Cox — who played Monica Geller on the show — shortly before the start of the French Open. So on Saturday evening, a few hours after winning her fourth championship at Roland Garros and major trophy No. 5 overall, Swiatek was wearing custom-made white sneakers that her shoe sponsor stenciled with the words, “The One Where She Wins Her Fifth Grand Slam” in all capital letters, a nod to the names given to the sitcom’s episodes.

At the rate Swiatek is going, that celebratory flourish might need to be updated. And often. She only turned 23 a little more than a week ago, after all, and the way she is accumulating titles and

overwhelming most opponents, particularly on clay, make it easy to assume there are more on the horizon.

“She’s the queen here,” said French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, a former No. 1-ranked player who won two major titles. Even before this latest triumph, capped by a 6-2, 6-1 win against Jasmine Paolini in Saturday’s final, Chris Evert was prepared to say that her women’s record of seven French Opens eventually will be surpassed by Swiatek, observing: “She just has all the ingredients to be a champion. She really does. She checks all the boxes — the intangibles and the tangibles.”

Asked if she agreed with that assessment, Paolini let out a hearty laugh and replied, “Definitely.”

Swiatek is far less likely to offer any such pronouncements.

“It’s nice to hear such words about myself. But, still, I’m not thinking in these categories, because

even being here and winning five Slams seems pretty surreal. I would never expect it when I was younger,” said Swiatek, who is 35-2 over her career in Paris, including a current 21-match winning streak that made her the first woman with three straight titles there since Justine Henin in 2005-07.

“Getting to (double) digits here seems like still a long shot. So I’ll for sure work for it and you can expect that I’ll do my best to become a better and better player every year and to play my best tennis here,” Swiatek said. “Hearing this from Chrissie is really great, and I’m grateful for her and her words.”

In addition to winning four of the past five tournaments at Roland Garros, Swiatek collected the top prize at the 2022 U.S. Open. She’s been a semifinalist at the Australian Open and a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, where play begins on July 1.

Improving on grass is probably the next

logical step in Swiatek’s development.

But rather than look too far ahead, let’s examine what’s happened in the first half of 2024.

Swiatek is now 43-4 with five titles this season, which means she’s won more than half of the events she’s entered, while reaching the semifinals at two others. At her past three tournaments, all on clay, she is 19-0, becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to win the Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open back-to-back-to-back.

Her lead atop the WTA rankings is so massive that she would have remained at No. 1 next week even with a first-round loss in Paris.

“These numbers are not, let’s say, normal. (They) are something unbelievable,” Paolini said. “She’s an unbelievable player.”

What Swiatek does, Paolini explained, is stay right at the baseline and take balls early. She uses a lot of topspin. Her shots came back so much speedier

than those of other women. And her defence can be frustrating. Swiatek did have moments — if fleeting — when she faced a challenge over the past two weeks.

In the second round, she needed to save a match point against four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.

In the semifinals, Swiatek went down a break at 3-1 in the second set against 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff before taking five of the remaining six games.

In the final, Swiatek got broken to trail 2-1, but then reeled off 10 straight games.

What’s it like trying to stop her once she gets going like that?

“It’s hard,” said Paolini, who will jump from No. 15 to No. 7 in the rankings after her first Slam final.

The question on plenty of other people’s minds is how many more of these matches Swiatek can win. She is now 5-0 in title matches at majors and says she still feels pressure ahead of those biggest of moments. Including Saturday.

“It was an emotional win, because I felt a lot of stress yesterday and today in the morning. And I knew if I’m going to just focus on tennis, I can kind of fight through it, and at the end, it all went how I wanted,” Swiatek said. “So I just felt really proud of myself.”

Carlos Alcaraz wins his 3rd Grand Slam title at 21 by beating Zverev

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

PARIS (AP) — As Carlos Alcaraz began constructing his comeback in yesterday’s French Open final, a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Alexander Zverev for a first championship at Roland Garros and third Grand Slam title in all, there arrived the sort of magical shot the kid is making a regular part of his varied repertoire.

It was a running, then sliding, down-the-line, untouchable forehand passing winner that Alcaraz celebrated by thrusting his right index finger overhead in a “No. 1” sign, then throwing an uppercut while screaming, “Vamos!”

No, he is not ranked No. 1 at the moment — the man he beat in the semifinals, Jannik Sinner, makes his debut at the top spot on Monday — but Alcaraz has been there before and, although a “2” will be beside his name next week, there is little doubt that he is as good as it gets in men’s tennis right now. And more accomplished than any man ever was at his age.

Alcaraz is a 21-year-old from Spain who grew up running home from school to watch on TV as countryman Rafael Nadal was accumulating title after title at Roland Garros — a record 14 — and he eclipsed Nadal as the youngest man to collect major championships on three surfaces. Nadal was about 1½ years older when he did it.

“Different tournaments, different aura,” Alcaraz said when asked to distinguish among his trio of trophies, “but I’m going to say: same feeling. I mean, winning a Grand Slam is always special,”

This one from the claycourt major joins hardware from triumphs on hard courts at the U.S. Open in 2022 and on grass at Wimbledon in 2023. He is 3-0 in Slam finals.

“It’s an amazing career already. You’re already a Hall of Famer. You already achieved so much — and you’re only 21 years old,” said Zverev, who also lost the 2020 U.S. Open final, that one after being two points from winning. “Incredible player. Not the last time you’re going to win this.”

Zverev, a 27-year-old from Germany, exited the French Open in the semifinals each of the past three years, including after tearing ankle ligaments during the second set against Nadal in that round in 2022. Hours before Zverev’s semifinal

victory over Casper Ruud began on Friday, a Berlin district court announced that he reached an out-ofcourt settlement that ended a trial stemming from an ex-girlfriend’s accusation of assault during a 2020 argument.

On Sunday against Alcaraz, Zverev faltered after surging in front by reeling off the last five games of the third set. Alcaraz’s level dipped during that stretch and he seemed distracted by a complaint over the condition of the clay, telling chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein it was “unbelievable.”

But Alcaraz reset and ran away with it, taking 12 of the last 15 games while being treated by a trainer at changeovers for some pain and cramping in his left leg.

“I know that when I’m playing a fifth set, you have to give everything and you have to give your heart,” Alcaraz said. “I mean, in those moments, it’s where the top players give their best tennis.”

No. 3 seed Alcaraz and No. 4 Zverev were making their first appearance in a French Open final. Indeed, this was the first men’s title match at Roland Garros since 2004 without at least one of Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. Nadal, who is 38 and was limited by injuries over the last two seasons, lost to Zverev in the first round two weeks ago; Djokovic, 37, a three-time champion, withdrew before the quarterfinals with a knee injury that required surgery; Federer, 42, is retired.

There were some jitters at the outset. Zverev started with two doublefaults — changing rackets after the second, as though the equipment were the culprit — and got broken. Alcaraz lost serve immediately, too.

Let’s just say they won’t be putting those initial 10 minutes in the Louvre. Actually, lot of the 4-hour, 19-minute match was patchy, littered with unforced errors. Alcaraz was at his best when it mattered the most — the last two sets.

“I lost focus, and on my serve, I didn’t get the power from my legs anymore, which is weird. Because normally I do not get tired. I don’t cramp,” Zverev said. “Against Carlos, it’s a different intensity.”

Just like he did against Zverev, Alcaraz overturned a deficit of two sets to one against Sinner, making him the first man to capture the French Open by doing that in each of the last two

matches since Manolo Santana — also from Spain — in 1961.

Alcaraz showed off all of his skills: the drop shots, the artful half-volleys, the intimidating forehands delivered aggressively and

accompanied by a loud grunt. His 27 forehand winners were 20 more than Zverev’s total. Not bad for a guy who arrived in Paris saying he was afraid to hit his forehand at full force because

of a forearm injury that sidelined him for nearly all of May. He said Sunday that there were “a lot of doubts” entering the French Open and he was forced to limit his practice time — which is why he considers this victory the proudest moment of his still-nascent career.

In the fifth set, under constant pressure from Alcaraz, Zverev got broken to fall behind 2-1. The next game showed the grit and gumption that already are hallmarks of Alcaraz’s style.

Zverev — who argued about one line call on a second serve by Alcaraz that the German said afterward was out according to an unofficial video review — would hold four break points. He failed to convert any. Alcaraz didn’t let him, and wrapped up the game with a drop shot.

The crowd roared.

Alcaraz held his left index finger to his ear while waving his racket. He broke again for 5-2, then served it out and dropped onto his back, caking his shirt with clay — just as Nadal often

did after championship point. Alcaraz first learned to play tennis on the rustcolored surface, although he says he prefers hard courts. Alcaraz says he dreamed long ago of adding his own name to the list of Spanish men to win the event, including his coach, 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. And those red-andyellow Spanish flags that became such an annual fixture at Court Philippe Chatrier in the era of Nadal were there again Sunday, this time for Alcaraz. The difference? The cries of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” were now “Car-los! Car-los!”

CARLOS ALCARAZ, right, holds the trophy after winning the men’s final of the French Open tennis tournament yesterday against Germany’s Alexander Zverev, left, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France.

(AP Photo/ Christophe Ena)

POLAND’s Iga Swiatek kisses the trophy after winning the women’s final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

BASEBALL RESULTS:

JBLN CHAMPIONS

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

THE Community Baseball League turned out to be the spoilers, while the Junior Baseball League of Nassau lived up to their expectations as they emerged as champions of the Bahamas Baseball Association’s Andre Rodgers Senior Nationals Championships.

The three-day tournament concluded on Sunday at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium with the CBL whitewashing JBLN 2-0 in the 23-andunder final after the JBLN 16-and-under team routed Freedom Farm 9-1.

CBL 2, JBLN 0: In the bottom of the third, Community Baseball League broke up a scoreless game with a sacrifice fly from Amajh McPhee to score Perez Burrows, who got on base on a triple.

They came back in the sixth as Lindero Haven produced an RBI to plate McPhee for their second and final run of the game.

Mario Ford said he had a short time to put the team together, but he was quite happy with the way his CBL players came together and got the job done.

“We had a lot of veteran players who understood the game and they went out there and did what they had to do,” he said. “My concerns were my pitching, my catching and my middle infield.”

But the guys understood what they were supposed to do, we came out and executed the way we should and we got the job done.”

Ford, one of the country’s former talented baseball players, said it was good for the players in both divisions to get the opportunity to play in the new stadium named in

honour of The Bahamas’ first Major League baseball player, Andre Rodgers. Junel Bain was named the Most Valuable Player. He noted that he could not have done it without the talent-laden team that Ford assembled, “It was hard. I had a team of fellows who could hit the ball, so to be better than them, that’s an accomplishment,” he said. “This was the best team I played on. Everyone could hit the ball and play multiple positions and we did it in this huge stadium.”

Gabar Collie was named the best pitcher of the tournament and he was just as thrilled about their CBL team after he out-dueled JBLN’s Kendal Brown on the mound.

“We just came from the ground and we won it all,” he said. “Nobody expected us to be here, but we went undefeated. I’m just glad to be able to help this team win it.

“This was my first time playing in this stadium, I like the turf. I like what they did to the stadium. It’s amazing. It was even more amazing winning the title and the best pitcher award.”

Victor Cartwright said his JBLN team just simply blew the game, not once, but twice.

“We had two misplaces. Our outfielder lost the ball and it turned out to be a triple and they scored. Then we had a runner that got picked off at first. We could have had bases loaded, but hey, what can you do,” he stated.

Cartwright gave a lot of credit to CBL, especially Collie, their pitcher. Cartwright said his JBLN team just couldn’t figure him out and that made the difference in the final outcome.

“The boys really enjoyed playing in this stadium. It ain’t good for home runs.

We almost had one, but it went foul,” he said. “CBL just played better. They wanted it more than we did.”

23-and-under

bronze medal game

EABL 9, FFBL 5: The Ed Armbrister Baseball League, managed by Michael Armbrister, pulled off the victory as Caden Walker got the win on the mound over Dylan Culmer for the losers.

16-and-under final

JBLN 9, FFBL 1: Erupting for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Junior Baseball League of Nassau held on the rest of the way to seal the deal.

“The team came in strong. They played well.

I am extremely proud of them,” said Winston Seymour Jr, the manager for JBLN. “We came out with a vengeance this morning. We wanted to put our stamp on this game from the start and we did that.”

Third baseman Raivon Pinder want 2-for-3 with a RBI, walk, strike out and a run scored; catcher Kaizen

Dorsett as 2-for-3 with a run scored; left fielder Javan Smith was 1-for2; shortstop A Bain was 1-for-4 with a RBI and first baseman Jennyson Albury as 1-for-2 with a RBI, walk, stolen base and a run scored.

For Freedom Farm, outfielder Lamar Sealy was 1-for-2 with a run scored and T Davis was a perfect 2-for-2 with a RBI.

Dorsett, who attends the International Elite Sports Academy, was named the MVP. As the youngest member of the team at 14, he said he was proud of his accomplishment.

“This is my third time playing in the Nationals and my second time winning the MVP,” he said.

“So it was a good feeling, especially being one of the youngest members of the team.

“We had an excellent team. Shout out to our coaching staff. They put together an excellent team. From the first game, we were on top of things. In our five games, I think we only made two errors. Our

Rhema Otabor leads the way

FROM PAGE 20

place in the women’s long jump on Thursday with her best leap of 21-7 (6.59m) in the sixth and final round.

Ackella Smith, a junior at Texas, got the title with 22-3 ½ (6.74m) on her third attempt.

Keyshawn Strachan

The Auburn Tigers’ sophomore competed in the last of two flights in the men’s javelin on Wednesday. The strongman had a toss of 245-10 (74.95m) on his first attempt for fifth place. He scratched his second try, did 232-7 (70.91) on his third, 239-11 (73.11) on his fourth, scratched his fifth and closed out the competition with 241-3 (73.54m) on his sixth.

Winning the title was Marc Minichello, a senior at Georgia, with 264-9 (80.70m) on his second attempt.

Wanya McCoy

The Florida junior had to settle for sixth place in the final of the men’s 100m in a time of 10.03 seconds on Friday. The event was won by Louie Hinchiffe, a sophomore of Houston, in a personal best of 9.95.

Less than an hour later, McCoy came back and

finished ninth in the 200m in 20.98 as Cheickna Traore, senior at Penn State, took the title in 19.95. On Thursday, McCoy advanced to the sprint double for the Gators. His first individual feat came in the 100m where he placed third in his heat in 10.15 for the seventh fastest qualifying time for the final. He completed the preliminaries in the 200m where he was second in his heat in 20.22 for sixth place overall. Javonya Valcourt In her bid to advance to the final of the women’s 400m, the Tennessee sophomore fell short as she ended up seventh in her heat for 16th overall. Valcourt’s time 51.99. Her team-mate Brianna White

had the ninth and final qualifying time of 51.40. Men’s 4 x 100m relay While McCoy also helped Florida to pick up fourth place in the final of the men’s 4 x 100m relay on Friday, the duo of Terrence Jones and Antoine Andrews and Texas Tech did not finish the race. In the preliminaries on Wednesday, McCoy and Florida won their heat in 38.45 for second overall behind Auburn in their

leading season’s best of 28.38.

Texas Tech with Jones and Andrews running the second and anchor legs respectively, was second in their heat for sixth overall for the Red Raiders.

Women’s 4 x 400m relay

After falling short of qualifying for the final of the women’s 400m, Javonya Valcourt led the Tennessee women’s 4 x 400m relay team of Kyla RobinsonHubbard, DaJour Miles and Brianna White to second

team played very well in this stadium.”

Teagan Coleby, also a member of IESA, was named the best pitcher.

The 17-year-old felt he performed very well defensively, but offensively, he needed to get his bat more on the ball.

“It feels very good to have a team like this,” he said. “We were able to perform very well as a team in this fantastic stadium and that helped us to win it.”

It was a bitter pill for manager Jeff ‘Sangy’ Francis and his Freedom Farm team to swallow.

“In all of our games, we gave up the majority of our runs in the first few innings and that took us out of our rhythm,” Francis said. “We were playing in a new environment here in the stadium and the two teams were evenly matched.

“The outfielders on both teams were super. They ran down a lot of fly balls. It was a well-balanced game and the team was very competitive with Grand Bahama in town. JBLN was just eager to win.”

place in 3:23.32. Their time was posted as the sixth-fastest in NCAA history and third on the 2024 world list. The performance, however, was overshadowed by the incredible time of 3:17.96 that Arkansas’ quartet of Nickisha Pryce,

Kaylan Brown, Amber Anning and Rosey Effion,

the colle-

PLAY ACTION: The Bahamas Baseball Association Andre Rodgers Senior Nationals Championships concluded yesterday. Photos: Chappell Whyms Jr

KEYSHAWN Strachan at NCAA Championships.

ANTHAYA Charlton with her All-American award. WANYA McCoy displays his pair of All-American awards.

RHEMA Otabor in action at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

JAVONYA Valcourt with her All-American second place award she won on Teneessee women’s 4 x 400m relay.

SPORTS

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2024

Rhema qualifies for Olympics

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Rhema Otabor, the newly minted Bahamian strongwoman, couldn’t ask for a better way to cap off an impressive collegiate career for the Nebraska Huskies.

At the National Collegiate Athletic Association Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Otabor repeated as the women’s javelin champion, produced a collegiate lead, rewrote the meet, championship and Bahamas national

Devynne Charlton on track outdoors

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

COMING off her world

indoor 60 metre recordbreaking performance, Devynne Charlton is showing that she’s on track for a bigger outdoors as she prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France next month.

On Sunday at the USATF New York City Grand Prix at the Icahn Stadium in New York, Charlton highlighted the performances from a few Bahamians in action in the one-day meet.

The Bahamian national record holder at 12.44 seconds took the women’s 100m hurdles title in a winning time of 12.56 as she tumbled over completely after crossing the finish line just ahead of American Alaysha Johnson, who did 12.59.

After rolling to victory, Charlton laid down on the track and took it all in stride.

World record holder

Tobi Amusan of Nigeria was third in 12.66, while Jamaican Danielle Williams was fourth in 12.71.

Americans Masai Russell and Kendra Harrison were fifth and sixth in 12.73 and 12.77 respectively. Jamaican Yanique Thompson was seventh in 12.94 and American Anna Hall was eighth in 13.57. Veteran Grand Bahamian Donald Thomas, who has won a medal at every global competition except the Olympics, turned in a season’s best performance, clearing 7-feet, 3 3/4-inches or 2.23m for third place in the men’s high jump. He still needs to clear 7-7 3/4 (2.33m) to qualify for his fifth Olympics as he seeks to add to a résumé that includes world title in 2007; Commonwealth Games in 2010; Pan American Games in 2-11; World Continental Cup in 2018 and a pair of NACAC Championship bronze medals in 2018 and 2022. The Americans got a sweep with Dontavious Hill taking the crown with a personal best of 7-5 (2.26), while Earnie Sears had the same height as Thomas, but was the runner-up on fewer knockdowns. Commonwealth

SEE PAGE 15

THE SPORTS CALENDAR

records and booked her ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 21-year-old produced the fifth best throw in the world this year of 210-feet, 7-inches or 64.19 metres for her victory and led a field of Bahamians competing at the championships at the Hayward Field on Friday.

Her feat came on her fifth attempt as Otabor’s lifetime best enabled her to retain her title, rewrote the collegiate marks of 204-0 (62.19m) that was posted by Maggie Malone of Texas A&M to stamp her

approval on her final collegiate meet for the Nebraska Huskies.

As she also eclipsed the Bahamian record of (62.72m) that Lavern Eve threw way back on April 22, 2000 in Nashville, Tennessee, Otabor surpassed the Olympic cut of 209-11 (64.00m) to qualify for the games from July 27 to August 11 in Paris.

“It’s an amazing honour. This is something that I was hoping would happen, so I feel good that it actually happened,” said Otabor about her back-to-back championship crown.

“I couldn’t ask for a better way to end my collegiate season.”

As for earning all of the accolades that included making it to the World Championships last year in Budapest, Hungary and earning a silver medal at the Pan American Games last year in Santiago, Chile, Otabor said she had the Olympics on her list this year.

“I really wanted to do something special with this being my final collegiate meet, so the records were all something for me to cherish,” Otabor said.

June, 2024

BASKETBALL CLINIC

WOMEN’S national basketball

coach Yolett McPhee will be in town this weekend and will conduct a free basketball clinic at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The Ole Miss University women’s head coach will host the clinic in two sections. Students in grades 1-4 will be in session from 9-10am and 5-8 will go from 10-11am. All participants are asked to bring their own basketballs, but they will receive a t-shirt from the Coach Yo Foundation.

PRAYERS FOR THOMPSON

THE track and field fraternity is asking for prayers for Bahamas former national decathlon record holder Kendrick Thompson, who was injured in a boating accident last

week in Andros. Thompson is currently on bed rest as he recuperates from the accident that he had to be airlifted to the capital for treatment.

BBSF MEETING THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation will hold a meeting tonight at 7pm at the Bahamas Baptist College, Jean Street, for all teams wishing to participate in the upcoming slowpitch softball tournament. The meeting was postponed on Saturday due to the inclement weather. All churches interested are urged to have at least two members present. During the meeting, plans for the other disciplines - basketball, cycling and track and field - will also be

BAHAMIAN wrestler Shannon Hanna II secured his second gold medal of the season on Saturday at the 2024 United World Wrestling (UWW) Pat Shaw Memorial in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Hanna was impressive against opponents from the host country, Costa Rica and Jamaica in the 65kg freestyle division to leave Guatemala as a gold medallist. With the latest tournament victory, the 23-year-old has improved to 7-3 in his matches for the 2024 season. Additionally, he has scored 55 points overall and only conceded 32 points. The Pan-Am gold medallist said emerging as the champion felt good but he is more focused on improving

“But it was a dream for me to attain the Olympic qualifying standard. I still can’t believe that I did all of that in this meet.” As she closed out her final year in grand style, Otabor had to bounce back to surpass Lianna Davidson, a junior at Texas A&M, who led the competition from the first round with her mark of 199-2 (60.70m).

Anthaya Charlton Charlton, now in her sophomore year at Florida, had to settle for fourth

WHILE numerous sporting events in New Providence were postponed due to a severe thunderstorm on Saturday, The Bahamas national men’s soccer team were in action versus Trinidad and Tobago at the SKNFA Technical Centre in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The national team was unsuccessful against the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Soca Warriors and fell 7-1 in the Group B second round matchup for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. Assistant coach Kevin Davies shed some light on what went wrong for Team Bahamas against the Soca Warriors.

“It was a tough game. I think earlier in the game we took awhile to get into our game plan we talked about before. I think we allowed them to take us out of our game plan.

“We struggled a bit and gave up some easy unearned goals just from mistakes. I think once we were down by three goals it kind of killed the spirit of the team. However, in the

craft.

and

RHEMA OTABOR