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Volume: 120 No.121, June 27, 2023

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Bell ‘Improper’ Minister rejects call for resignation over oath given at funeral

...as FTX says ex-official got $1m bonus for permits

• Minister said oath given at funeral was unorthodox • Symonette says highly irregular move deserves resignation • Cabinet ‘had given approval’ to family

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell yesterday defended conferring citizenship to a woman and her two children at a funeral on Saturday even as one of his predecessors, Brent Symonette, said his actions were “highly improper” and warranted his resignation from Cabinet.

Audio of Mr Bell swearing in three people during a funeral at the Metropolitan Church of the Nazarene on Saturday went viral over the weekend.

In the recording, Mr Bell acknowledges that

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

conferring citizenship at a funeral was unorthodox.

He can be heard presenting the people with certificates, saying he was doing so on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, “and Bahamians everywhere”.

Mr Bell told The Tribune he was attending the funeral of Franck Racine, a man born in Haiti who came to The Bahamas in the 1990s. He said Mr Racine’s wife was also born in Haiti, and his two children were born in The Bahamas.

He said Mr Racine asked for help after his renal kidney failure diagnosis.

An attorney and “former Bahamian government official” was allegedly offered a $1m “bonus” to swiftly obtain the necessary licences so that FTX could move to this nation, it was asserted yesterday.

John Ray, head of the 134 FTX entities in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, in his second report to the collapsed crypto exchange’s directors, alleged that the unnamed attorney and former “official” obtained the required permits and licences “less than six weeks later” - well inside the ten-week target.

“In moving to The Bahamas, where they incorporated FTX Digital Markets in July 2021, the FTX senior executives sought to minimise any substantive change to or scrutiny of their business,” Mr Ray said.

SEE page three

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Audio of Minister of Immigration Keith Bell swearing in three people at a funerl at the Metropolitan Church of the Nazarene on Saturday went viral over the weekend, a move he acknowledged was ‘unorthodox’.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Lewis asks why UB president is not Bahamian BPL confirms load shedding exercises in NP

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis questioned why the University of The Bahamas has appointed another non-Bahamian president of the institution, insisting qualified Bahamians can perform the role.

His comment came as elected officials prepared to pass the 2023/2024 budget,

Minister of Education Glenys Hanna Martin which includes an allocation of $36M for the university.

Mr Lewis said: “We went from $23m in 2023, to $32m,

so my question like I asked last week, we in our policy, we do not have a Bahamian as the president. I know we talked about the board operating, we talked about Bahamianisation.

“We have a qualified Bahamian in this country who applies, who’s rejected.

Why isn’t it our policy where someone like Dr Ian Strachan can be the president of UB? When there is a Bahamian like Dr Sydney

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE page three

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Power and Light confirmed yesterday that it started load-shedding exercises because of challenges to several power stations in New Providence.

SEE page three

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Heavy rain leaves some Nassau roads flooded

Monday’s showers leave residents of Pinewood and Fox Hill more than ankle deep in water.

Photos: Austin Fernander

Emergency 911 and 919 Not working in Freeport THE emergency phone numbers 911 and 919 are out of service in Grand Bahama, the Public Hospitals Authority announced on Monday.

The PHS is advising persons wishing to call for an ambulance to dial the numbers 350-3019 or 727-2379.

In a brief statement issued, the management of PHA apologised for any inconvenience caused.

This is not the first time that such an issue has occurred.

The 911 and 919 lines are manned by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, which transfers emergency medical calls to the ambulance or EMS department.

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THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 3

Bell ‘improper’ says Symonette

from page one “He applied for citizenship under the former administration, but nothing was done,” he said.

“As he cried, he said that he did not want to die and his wife and children was left in ‘no man’s land’.

I told him I would look into his matter. It took some time, but his file was located.”

Mr Bell said he took the matter to Cabinet and the Immigration Board, and

that Mr Racine and his family were approved for citizenship. He said while Mr Racine was sworn in, several outstanding matters related to his wife and children prevented them from being sworn-in simultaneously.

“By the time as this was done, I was abroad on government business and he had to be admitted to hospital,” Mr Bell said. “He called me and said that he was in hospital. I told him that everything had been done and that as soon as

I returned home, I would swear in his wife in his presence. He said thank you and God bless you.

He died. In honouring my commitment to him, his wife and children received their citizenship.”

Nonetheless, Mr Symonette called for a full investigation.

He said when he was minister, swearing-in events happened at the Hawkins Hill office in a designated room with no press because the event was a “very solemn

occasion”.

He said a senior immigration officer –– either the director or the deputy director of immigration –– led proceedings, administered the oath, and did all the procedural work for the swearing-in.

Mr Symonette said he never administered an oath.

“I am unaware up to date of any swearing-in happening elsewhere than in, say, the Magistrate’s Court in Abaco, the immigration office in Freeport,

or sometimes you can do it in the administrator’s office in a Family Island, but it’d be in a government office.

“At the sidelines of a funeral, I don’t want to say –– if it’s not illegal, it’s highly improper at best.”

He said if an immigration official did not administer the oath, this would be “highly irregular”.

“So,” he said, “he obviously went to that funeral with the intention of giving this girl or woman her certificate and making a public

show for political reasons as a matter which is putting into ridicule the whole solemn issue of issuing citizenship, which is one of the greatest attributes that government has to give any national, any country.”

“I think the minister should step down, there should be a full investigation into this matter, and if his name is cleared, he can be reappointed. On the face of it, he has done an act which is totally improper for either political or personal gain.”

‘Not fair’ that child born to Bahamian woman married to foreigner can’t get citizenship

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net FORMER Immigration Minister Brent Symonette criticised the government yesterday for not presenting a plan to automatically grant citizenship to the children of Bahamian women born aboard to non-Bahamian men.

The Privy Council recently affirmed that children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are citizens at birth regardless of their mother’s nationality.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder had said the Davis administration was waiting on that ruling before moving with wider plans to address other citizenship inequities, including the failure to automatically confer citizenship to the children of Bahamian women born abroad to non-Bahamian men.

The administration has not said when it will address the issue, even as the Passport Office began accepting applications from some people affected by the Privy Council ruling.

“Just a separate story is that government hasn’t talked about married women,” Mr Symonette told The Tribune.

“Bahamian woman, married to a foreigner has a child overseas; that child is not automatically a Bahamian.”

“So they’ve had this decision. They say they’re going to do this for the illegitimate children. That’s fair enough, but they have yet to comment on what’s going to be done for the Bahamian woman who has a legal child to a nonBahamian father born outside the country, and they are still not Bahamian and that is not fair.”

Plane used for mail flights to Bahamas has a grisly history

Short SC.7 Skyvan A TURBOPROP plane once used to deliver mail to The Bahamas from Florida has been revealed to have had a grisly history – with political detainees in Argentina having been thrown from the vehicle to their deaths during the country’s 1976-98 military dictatorship.

The plane was one of five Short SC.7 Skyvan aircraft used for death flights in Argentina, according to a report by the Associated Press – and the vehicle later used for mail flights in The Bahamas has now been bought and flown back to Argentina where it will be put on display to help Argentines understand the reality of the dictatorship, according to activists.

Of the five Skyvan planes known to have been used in death flights, two had been destroyed in the 1982 war with Britain over the Falkland Islands. The three others were sold in 1994 to CAE Aviation, a Luxemburg-based firm. One of

those planes was sold to GB Airlink, which used it to provide private mail services to the Bahamas from Florida.

After a campaign by activists, Argentina’s government decided to buy the plane back – and it was located at a skydiving company in Phoenix, Arizona.

The plane’s return was enabled by Italian photographer Giancarlo Ceraudo, who spent years seeking out “death flight” planes. He said: “The planes had to be recovered because they were an important piece, like the (Nazi) gas chambers, a terrible tool.”

Argentina’s junta is widely considered the most deadly of the military dictatorships that ruled much of Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. It detained, tortured and killed people suspected of opposing the regime.

Human rights groups estimate 30,000 were slain, many of whom disappeared without a trace.

Brent Symonette, former Minister of Immigration.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Lewis asks why UB president is not Bahamian

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis questioned why the University of The Bahamas has appointed another non-Bahamian president of the institution, insisting qualified Bahamians can perform the role. Pictured inset Janyne Hodder, interim president of UB.

from page one McPhee, the president of Middle Tennessee State University in the US, but a qualified Bahamian is not heading our highest tertiary education institution in The

Bahamas? Why is that?

Don’t we have a say?”

Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin deferred to UB’s board, which she said is autonomous.

She said: “Allocation of $36,244,773 is an annual subvention by The

Bahamas government to support the university’s operations. The university is governed by legislation. It is autonomous.”

She said the university is seeking accreditation.

She said the government intends for it to eventually be ran by a Bahamian.

“Certainly the policy of The Bahamas government is that a Bahamian will lead the University of The Bahamas,” she said. “They’re currently in the accreditation phase and we trust that they move through that quickly.

“Yes, that that is the policy of The Bahamas government, but the university is created by statute, it is governed by law, it is autonomous, and it has a board on which you have a member and I didn’t see that there was any dissent from any decision made.”

UB recently announced that President Dr Erik Rolland was leaving, citing personal and family issues, and that a previous president of the College of the Bahamas, Joan Hodder, a permanent resident, would complete the remainder of his contract.

BPL confirms load shedding exercises in NP from page one Many residents have recently complained about power outages lasting up to two or three hours.

BPL acknowledged the interruptions were due to “strain on an already stressed network”.

“Late last week and over the weekend, we experienced challenges with several units in our fleet, at Clifton Pier and Blue Hills Power Stations,” BPL said in a statement. “These challenges were exacerbated by the unavailability of generation typically provided through a rental agreement.

“We lost approximately 60 megawatts of generation in the past few days, resulting in a generation shortfall and our inability to supply the entire island of New Providence. As a result, customers experienced periods of supply interruption throughout the weekend.”

BPL said power was fully restored throughout the island at 8pm on Friday after the restoration of 10 megawatts of generation and the typical nighttime load decrease.

BPL’s communications manager, Arnette Ingraham, said the generation issues are not expected to worsen or persist through the summer.

“We are at a critical juncture,” she said, “but are extremely confident that repairs and new generation by next week should provide us with sufficient generation for summer.”

BPL said it is working on adding more reliable units to its fleet of generators to provide reliable services.

“There are ongoing efforts to increase our generation capacity today (Monday, June 26, 2023),” the company said. “As of this morning, 4 megawatts of rental generation was returned to service, and an additional 15 megawatts, operated by BPL, should be available by the end of the day.

“We are cognizant of our network’s vulnerability and continue to work towards adding more reliable units to our total availability.

We anticipate the commissioning of 33 megawatts of additional rental generation

by July 5, 2023.”

BPL said New Providence demands a maximum of 270 megawatts of generation. Consequently, it is working to add 28 megawatts of generation to its fleet to better accommodate the power needs of the island.

“We are also actively working on one of our primary units that provides 28 megawatts of generation.

If successful, this will give us 276 megawatts of available generation that can adequately meet New Providence’s peak demand of 270 megawatts,” the company said.

“Repairs are underway on one of our units at Blue Hills Power Station that should be completed

by July 6, 2023. This 53 megawatts should provide generation stability for the island of New Providence.”

BPL has had a long history of issues over power supply –– although in December 2019, then BPL chairman Donovan Moxey said that seven new multi-fuel engines at the company’s Station A plant would mean “an end to load shedding” and that the facility along with other parts of the company’s strategy would “help make load shedding a thing of the past”.

In 2020, then Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister said that BPL could generate between 215 and 350MW of power during the summer, more than the anticipated peak of 250MW. However, last year Minister of Works Alfred Sears warned that BPL’s generation capacity of 241.1MW could not cover the peak demand of 260MW expected last summer.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 5

PM declares govt to crack down on work permits

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the government would crack down on granting work permits yesterday, declaring: “We’re not anti-foreigners.

We’re just pro-Bahamian.”

He did not say what the government would do differently: Labour Director Robert Farquharson has repeatedly said the Department of Labour is cracking down on issuing work permits.

Mr Davis said it is unacceptable for employers to seek work permit renewals for foreigners after ten to 15 years.

He said Bahamians should get the jobs after being trained. He said he had tasked labour and immigration officials with cracking down on employers seeking to take advantage of the system.

He made the comments while defending the government’s decision to increase work permit fees.

“We accept that foreigners are required to fill some positions,” he said while wrapping up the 2023/24 budget debate in the House of Assembly.

“And we accept that a foreign investor may want their key personnel here, but we can’t do it at the sacrifice of us, man, and we want them to come because we appreciate as well that we may not have the capacity or the expertise and experience locally to provide some of them. In those instances, fine.”

He added: “I want to make it clear to employers that in these instances, we expect a Bahamian to understudy

and be trained for that position. The Department of Immigration and, by extension, the government, should not find itself in a position where an employer is asking to renew a work permit after 10 or 15 years.”

“This is unacceptable, especially when our database at the Department of Immigration and at the Department of Labour are qualified to fill the post.”

“We’re not antiforeigners.

We’re just proBahamian.”

Labour director Robert Farquharson cited the government’s desire to reduce the 8.8 per cent unemployment rate further when asked about Mr Davis’ mandate yesterday.

He said a taskforce was formed two months ago to focus on work permits.

“Once a Bahamian is available, our job is to identify the Bahamian and choose Bahamians first,” he said. “In the event that no Bahamians is available, then the employer is mandated under the policy of the government to identify a Bahamian understudy and the Department of Labour is mandated to monitor that understudy to make sure the necessary training and transfer occurs.”

Three Bahamians and 18 migrants plead ‘not guilty’ on cocaine smuggling charges

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A GROUP of 18 migrants burst into tears when they were told they were going to prison after being accused of smuggling 100lb of cocaine into The Bahamas while en route to the United States of America.

Fifteen migrants are from Ecuador, with the remaining three being Chinese nationals. All 18 were charged with three Bahamian boat operators.

Jessica Choco, 35, Lorena Gonza, 30, Blanca Tenezaca, 32, Richar Solano, 24, Adan Ocampo, 25, Shayanara Redrovan, 22, Norma Calle, 33, Sandra Mendieta, 20, Nelly Naranjo, 33, Nallely Redrovan, 20, Jorge Alvarez, 33, Karla Pizarro, 24, Jenny Benitez, 37, Maria Chamorro,

28, and a 16-year-old boy make up the Ecuadorian defendants.

The Chinese defendants are Yuanfeng Ding, 46, Keqiang Lin, 50, and a 13-year-old girl.

Twelve of the foreign nationals were women and six were male.

They addressed Magistrate Samuel McKinney through an interpreter.

Alongside Bahamians Jonathan Gooding, 33, Lawpapito John Sands, 32, and Jason Rolle, 25, the defendants were all charged with possessing dangerous drugs intending to supply.

The three Bahamians faced further charges of conspiracy to export dangerous drugs and conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

According to police reports, shortly before 10pm on June 20, a

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the government would crack down on granting work permits yesterday, declaring: “We’re not anti-foreigners. We’re just pro-Bahamian.”

Photo: Moise Amisial

Davis: GBPA ‘needs a management and governance change’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he believes new management is needed at the Grand Bahama Port Authority to facilitate Freeport’s growth because the “status quo” is not working.

His comment further indicates his administration’s increasing discontent with the GPBA, but it is the first time he has explicitly called for new management of the company.

He said over the years the government has done the authority’s job.

“For many years,” he said, “the people have called for changes to the way the city of Freeport,

as the economic engine of Grand Bahama is managed.

You know I lived in Grand Bahama for several years, many years in the early 70s to the early 80s, so I know Freeport.”

“As the government, we have done what we can to make important investments in Grand Bahama.

We are investing in a new airport, a new hospital, and a multi-million-dollar jobs programme. While these initiatives are much needed –– and let me say that these were under the Hawksbill Creek agreement ya know –– this is the port’s responsibility, but they take those responsibility off them.”

“They do not address the more fundamental need for change. Grand Bahama lost nine per cent of its GDP

collaborative effort between OPBAT, the Police Marine Unit, the DEU, the DEA, and the K-9 Unit intercepted a white 30ft Cutty Cabin in waters west of Saunders Beach.

Upon searching the Bahamian registered vessel, officers discovered 18 foreign nationals and three Bahamian men.

Inside, officers uncovered 100lb of cocaine with an estimated street value of $800,000.

All 21 defendants pleaded not guilty.

Before bail consideration, Jessica Choco informed the court that she and the other migrants had paid $2,000 in cash to get from Nassau to Miami. She also said they had no idea about the drugs.

Upon hearing they had been denied bail because they had no status in the

country, some foreign nationals began to cry.

These defendants will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services while the underaged male will be held at the juvenile facility.

The three Bahamians were granted bail at $50,000. Despite the objections of their legal counsel, the defendants will be fitted with an electronic monitoring device which they claimed would jeopardise their livelihoods as sailors. Rolle and Sands are expected to sign in at Alice Town Police Station every Saturday by 6pm. Gooding is expected to sign in at Elizabeth Estates Police Station every Saturday by 6pm.

The trial is set to begin on August 14.

last year, and it’s continuing to lose more. Our position is clear: the Port Authority under its present structure is not realising Freeport’s enormous potential.”

“The status quo is not working, and the people of Grand Bahama deserve better.”

Mr Davis highlighted Section 1(5) of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which “specifies that costs borne by the government for certain activities and services provided are to be reimbursed by the GBPA for amounts in excess of customs duties and emergency taxes collected.”

He said the government has already started sending invoices to the authority for reimbursable expenses.

“To date, the port authority has not provided reimbursement in connection with any of these invoices,” he added.

“We need to have a serious conversation in this country about the best way forward. I am of the belief that the GBPA needs a management and governance change in order to realise real growth and opportunities in Grand Bahama.”

The prime minister also committed to consulting the people of Grand Bahama and the licensees of Freeport to determine their views.

Government officials declined to say how much money the authority owes the government.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

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Citizenship not a political favour BY his own admission, Keith Bell’s actions in conferring citizenship to a woman and two children at the funeral of her husband were unorthodox.

The news emerged after an audio recording was made of the unusual ceremony within a ceremony.

Mr Bell was attending the funeral of Frack Racine, a Haitian man who came to The Bahamas in the 1990s. While there, he administered the oath of citizenship to Mr Racine’s wife and his two children. Mrs Racine was born in Haiti, the two children were born in The Bahamas.

According to Mr Bell, it’s all above board. He says Cabinet approved the citizenship request, and Mr Bell swore to Mr Racine as he was in hospital that he would swear in Mrs Racine in her husband’s presence. That came at the funeral.

And so we got the spectacle – and the recording – of what should be a solemn undertaking to the country taking place amid cheers from onlookers and during an entirely separate ceremony.

It was administered by a minister rather than an officer – and while it might be touching in some ways, how many other applicants get the personal attention of the minister? How many get to call him directly as happened in this case with a personal call from Mr Racine to Mr Bell?

Brent Symonette, who knows the role very well as a predecessor of Mr Bell in that office, says Mr Bell should resign.

Mr Symonette points out that swearing-in events routinely take place in a designated room at the Hawkins Hill office with no press. He says it is usually carried out by a senior officer, either the director or their deputy. And the exceptions are for being carried out in official venues in Family Islands, such as the court in Abaco or the immigration office in Freeport.

To do such a ceremony at the sidelines of a funeral, Mr Symonette calls “highly irregular”.

He stopped short of saying it was illegal – though that certainly merits investigation.

But he made clear that this appears to have been done for personal or political purposes.

So can anyone get this treatment? Or is this just available to those who have Mr Bell’s phone number?

There is a poignant side to this tale, bringing a resolution to a dying man’s wish. But many such applciations have a poignant side.

The Tribune has heard over the years of many people seeking to have citizenship approved. Some have given up waiting and taken their lives and their careers abroad, to the loss of our nation.

What made this case more special than theirs? Will Mr Bell make his phone number available to people in those cases? Will he bring their cases to Cabinet to give them resolution too?

That this is a most unusual incident is clear. What is unclear is why Mr Bell felt the need to make such a remarkable exception in this case, not just in the granting of the citizenship but in the means of doing so.

Citizenship is not just a trinket to be handed out as a favour. It is not something that can be used for personal or political leverage. It is not something that should be given out to make a minister look good to those he is bestowing it upon. It is an aspiration in and of itself. It is something that should be held up for its importance to our nation, and those who wish to call themselves part of it.

In saying that he was bestowing citizenship on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, Mr Bell also places the onus on them to say whether or not they approve of Mr Bell’s method of doing so.

He also said he was doing so on behalf of “Bahamians everywhere”. There are more than a few who would question that.

Citizenship is important. People have fought for the right to be a citizen.

People are still fighting for the right for citizenship to be passed along to their children in cases where inequality reigns. It must not be cheapened. And someone who is seen to be cheapening it for their own gain is not fit to be minister.

Thank you, Bahamas EDITOR, The Tribune.

MY FAMILY migrated from the Turks and Caicos Islands to the Bahamas when I was six years old in 1953. I grew up in Grand Bahama. I had a wonderful childhood and an enjoyable young-adulthood.

I was educated at Mary, Star of the Sea School in Freeport and Queen’s College in Nassau. I had the great experience of working with former Senator and Commissioner V A Knowles in the

Commissioner’s Office in Freeport, and Ambassador Richard Demeritte in the Public Treasury there.

Subsequently, the late Julian Snowden, a partner with Coopers & Lybrand, gave me the opportunity to become a Chartered Accountant.

As The Bahamas looks forward to celebrating 50 years of independence, I’d like to take this opportunity to say, “thank you.” Thank you to the Bahamas and the Bahamian people for providing the means by which I

was able to be fed, clothed, and housed for 30 years of my life.

I don’t know what my life would have been like had my family not migrated to The Bahamas, but I do know that The Bahamas provided the foundation for much that I have achieved to date. May God continue to bless The Bahamas and its people. And happy 50th independence anniversary.

CHRIS G GARDINER Washington, DC, June 25, 2023.

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VISITORS watch the “Lights of Korea” exhibition as part of the celebrations of 60 years of Korean immigration to Brazil in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday last week.

Photo: Andre Penner/AP

Nation is preparing to celebrate EDITOR, The Tribune.

WITHOUT a doubt, The Bahamas will soon be abuzz with celebrations of all sorts related to 50 years as an Independent nation. Amidst the myriad of festive fervor will be a wide variety of individual interpretations of Independence. All the same, celebrations will abound here, there and everywhere.

For sure, too, celebrations will come in all forms of low and high fashions.

My guess is that many Bahamians will be earnestly proud and elated to celebrate the anniversary of our move away from British colonial domination to local political governance. Other Bahamians, I am convinced, will be demonstrating jubilation in superficial, token celebrations and simply “jumpin’ in der line ter have a good time”. This begs the real (not rhetorical) question “What are we celebrating, anyway?”

Is it the fact that this beautiful archipelagic nation has survived for 50 years? Are there some goals or agenda that were set 50 years ago that have now been achieved? Could there be some other measures which can be pointed to and give validity for the celebrations we are bound to experience in just a couple of weeks?

You may at some point before getting to my last word here suppose that I’m simply a party-pooper or outright cynic. Before jumping overboard with such a heavy supposition, please consider some of what follows.

Reading/listening to understand does not obligate one to agree. ‘Even the dull and the ignorant, they too have their stories.’

Also, as a general rule, isn’t it better to have an open mind (like umbrellas)?

Who knows, perhaps we

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net might find some corrections for our misdirections.

Our culture has indoctrinated us to celebrate our birthdays, for instance.

What do we actually celebrate on that anniversary date of our birth? Is it the coming out of our mothers’ wombs - which we had no control of? The fact is that we couldn’t stay there indefinitely, even if it was so comfortable that we didn’t want to leave. Could that also be a metaphor for some begrudging Bahamians in 1973? Anyway, from my perspective, mothers would have more reasons to celebrate the dates of our births than their children. Or, could our birthday celebrations merely be acknowledging how long we’ve actually been breathing on our own? In some way, that is worth celebrating.

Celebrations are going to happen throughout The Bahamas whether or not all those celebrating know or care about the meaning of our Independence.

Celebrating things like birthdays is one thing. But, celebrating things like graduations and anniversaries is quite another thing. After having set goals, sacrificing and then attaining certain accomplishments, there is definitely a legitimate and righteous cause for celebrations. Could 50 years of Independence in The Bahamas be seen in that light - with the brightness of our mid-day sun or brilliant midnight fireworks? Are we in 2023 any more certain, for example, about exactly who really has rights to Bahamian citizenship than we were in 1973?

There can be no denial that much has been achieved and attained in our

50 years as an Independent nation. On individual as well as national levels, there is much that we can celebrate. We may also take an objective and conscientious look to see whether or not many of those accomplishments could be attributed to Independence. Whatever answers or conclusions we come up with, they would not preclude us from celebrating where we are, where we have come from, and where we hope to go: forward, upward, onward together!

Celebrations of our nation’s birthday are already pulsating throughout our 700 island, rocks & cays, and will only become more intense in the days to come. Phil Stubbs, Ancient Man, Puzzle, among others have very fine renditions of birthday songs. We may dedicate them all to our still-developing nation at this festive time. Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration Time” might also be borrowed, as we celebrate with abandon. Even without music, partying or other such expressions of glee and rejoicing, Bahamians of all descriptions can use this momentous milestone on our calendar to contemplate a very meaningful resolve.

When more and more Bahamians think about what we can do for our country, rather than what it can do for us, the possibilities would be unlimited.

We would have more real and meaningful reasons to celebrate. Why not set targets and goals for, say, the year ahead, the next 5 years, the next 10 years?

That way, every anniversary of Bahamas Independence we could be celebrating true, true reflections of our National Anthem, National Motto & National Pledge.

MB Nassau June 25, 2023

Road hold-ups EDITOR, The Tribune.

BAY Street and surrounding streets at most times of the day are busy heavily trafficked and when police block off the majority chaos results.

Was the holding of the police recruit graduation

in Rawson Square necessary?

What usually takes me 30 plus minutes to get home, thanks it took an hour plus.

Surely the graduation could have been held at the usual location - Police College or Tommy Robinson Stadium or anywhere

where road diversions were not necessary.

Anyway for the next 50 years hoping will continue to be at Police College... isn’t that the campus?

ANDY MINNS Nassau, June 23, 2023.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 7

Former MP Lanisha Rolle denies charges of bribery and conspiracy to commit fraud

Minnis queries ‘Prime Minister’s slush fund’ increase of $6.9m

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

Former Minister of Youth Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net Former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle denied charges of bribery and conspiracy to commit fraud in the Supreme Court on Friday.

The charges stem from allegations of corruption after Rolle allegedly awarded contracts totalling $768,989.56 while serving as minister from 2019 to 2021 under the Minnis administration.

Rolle faced three counts of bribery and 13 counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretences before Senior Justice Bernard Turner.

Rolle and her husband, Vontenken Rolle, were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false

pretences after allegations relating to a $168,000 contract for work at Kendal GL Isaacs Gym. The former minister also allegedly received a bribe of $48,303.74 for awarding a contract for work at the Grand Bahama Sporting Complex to G&C Landscaping.

Wilfred Rolle and Godfrey Burrows are accused of conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretences in reference to a $34,600 contract for work at South Beach Pools.

Burrows was further accused of receiving that amount by false pretences.

All four accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

This case was transferred to Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns. The accused are expected to have their trial date fixed on July 5.

20-year-old charged with armed robberies and rape

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A 20-year-old man was jailed after he was accused of a series of home invasions as well as rape and attempted rape in New Providence over the past year.

Joel Strachan was charged with rape, assault with intent to rape, housebreaking, burglary, receiving and two counts of armed robbery.

He allegedly raped a woman in New Providence on May 6, 2022.

He is further accused of breaking into a woman’s home on June 16 around 7.40pm.

While armed

with a handgun, he allegedly attempted to rape the woman homeowner by force. He also allegedly stole $830 worth of jewellery during the incident.

On June 18, while armed with a handgun, Rolle allegedly robbed Alteniece Key of $180 and $100 worth of jewellery.

Finally, on June 19, Strachan allegedly broke into the home of Doreen Bain on Poinciana Avenue.

The accused was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. His case will be transferred to the Supreme Court through a Voluntary Bill of Indictment due for service on August 15.

Man denied bail while Facing 14 firearm-related charges

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN is behind bars after allegedly possessing ten illicit firearms and over 100 rounds of ammunition which were recovered in a raid on a courier company last week.

Rolando Thomas, 42, faced 14 firearmrelated charges before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.

These include ten counts of importation of firearms, possession of firearms with intent to supply, conspiracy to import firearms, conspiracy to import ammunition, and possession of ammunition with intent to supply.

Police reportedly executed a search warrant on a courier company in the

Tonique Williams Darling Highway area shortly before 3pm on June 20.

There, Thomas and others were arrested after they were allegedly found with ten unlicenced firearms.

During the same raid, police recovered 92 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 12 rounds of .40 ammunition.

Thomas pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During his bail application, his attorney, Bjorn Ferguson, said his client was not known to the court and is a married father of three with a good character. He said Thomas had the full support of his family, who were present in court, and was a fit candidate for bail.

The chief magistrate denied bail.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

A BUDGET line item that former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis called “the Prime Minister’s slush fund” received a 2023/2024 Budget increase of $6.9m compared to the year before.

The allocation for the line item, the Budget Reserve Appropriations, has increased significantly since the Progressive Liberal Party won the 2021 election.

For the 2021/2022 Budget, $3m was allocated for reserve appropriations.

The approved estimates for that Budget jumped to $49.3m in 2022/2023. The estimate for 2023/2024 is $56m. The preliminary forecast estimate for the 2024/2025 budget is $63.1m.

As the Budget exercise wrapped up in the House of Assembly yesterday, Dr Minnis noted that a line item addressing constituency allowances did not account for the expected increase in allowances from $100k to $150k.

“The extra funds,” he asked, “is that included in the Prime Minister slush fund, the Budget reserve appropriation fund?”

Although Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the budget is not a slush fund, members of the Davis administration did

Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis questioned a budget line item which he referred to as ‘the prime minister’s slush fund’ which he noted is receiving significant $6.9m increase. not seek to have Dr Minnis withdraw his remark or stricken from the record.

Responding to a comment from a seated MP, Dr Minnis said: “What do you

think Budget reserve is?

That’s a Prime Minister’s spending fund, man.”

PAGE 8, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Reflecting on Independence, remembering George Smith WHEN George A Smith passed away on May 26, it was a poignant moment in time. The end of one era is at hand, and the dawning of a new era is taking place right before our eyes.

It was pricking that Mr Smith passed away just weeks before the 50th anniversary of the Independence of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. He was one of the framers of the Constitution of The Bahamas, which is the supreme law, and which declares The Bahamas as a sovereign democratic state. The work that he and others did to carve out the tenets of the Constitution have brought us this far as a country.

During his era, Bahamians were fighting for the right to govern themselves.

They were seeking to topple the oligarchy and pave the way for a new Bahamas one in which the voice of the people would reign.

This was not an easy road.

The way forward required men and women of grit and determination - men and women who would fearlessly face the obstacles to independence and be willing to surmount them all.

With Mr Smith’s passing, there are only four surviving framers of the Bahamas Constitution - Sir Arthur Foulkes, A Loftus Roker, Sir Orville Turnquest, and Philip M Bethel.

Mr Smith joins the group of deceased signatories of the Constitution including: Sir Lynden Pindling; Sir Milo Butler; Paul L Adderley; Sir Clement Maynard; Carlton E Francis; Sir Kendal Isaacs, Cadwell C Armbrister; Henry J Bowen; Norman S Solomon; and Arthur D Hanna, who passed away on August 3, 2021.

On July 10, 1973, The Bahamas made a peaceful transition to nationhood.

Sir Lynden led The Bahamas to Independence under a new Constitution, with a new national anthem, national song, coat of arms, and national pledge. These symbols helped to create the new Bahamian identity - a people committed to moving “Forward, Upward, Onward, Together” - as stated in the motto of the coat of arms.

National pride was being formed and a sense of ownership of their country lifted the spirits of Bahamians. The Burma Road Riots, Women’s Suffrage Movement, the General Strike, Black Tuesday, the struggle for Majority Rule, and other pivotal events in Bahamian history helped to change the course of history from one of British rule to self governance.

Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

Former Exuma MP and one of the framers of the constitution, George A Smith The defining moment in history was the very first Independence celebrations on July 10, 1973.

Some 50,000 Bahamians descended on Clifford Park to witness the rising of a new flag - the beautiful Bahamian flag. The Union Jack of the United Kingdom would no longer wave with authority over the islands of The Bahamas.

The Bahamas Independence Secretariat was responsible for the Independence Celebrations of 1973. Hon George Smith served as chairman. He was the Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister at the time. He was assisted by Harold A Munnings, who served as coordinator of the celebrations.

Sir Lynden Pindling was the chairman of the Independence Advisory Council. Fifty years later, Mr Smith would serve as Special Advisor to the Independence Secretariat for the Golden Jubilee Celebrations.

Many talented Bahamians headed committees for the Independence celebrations, including: E Clement Bethel - folklore and music;

Hervis Bain, Patrick Rahming and James Rolle - arts and crafts; Bishop Michael Eldon - poetry, essay and drama; Horace Wright - the Independence Float Parade; and Gus Cooper - Track and Field. For the 50th anniversary, the country will also celebrate by hosting the Bahamas Games, from July 7-15.

Mr Smith spent his final days the way he had spent his entire adult life - in service to his country. As Special Advisor to the Independence Secretariat, he shared reflections of his time leading the very first Independence celebrations, while providing poignant advice on how to celebrate the golden anniversary.

“I was introduced to Hon George A Smith by Prime Minister Hon Philip Brave Davis,” said Ambassador Leslia Miller-Brice, chair of the Independence Secretariat.

“Mr Smith and I spoke often. He would tell me what he expects to see, what he expects us to do, and how he expects the 50th Independence Anniversary to be celebrated.”

“He always spoke for his country and what he

This collection of photos was granted to The Tribune for this publication by Allan Freeman Ingraham. They show Sir Lynden O Pindling and MP George A Smith during the early days, when The Bahamas was a newly-Independent nation. Mr Ingraham was serving as a technician for ZNS, Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas, working at the House of Assembly at the time. An avid photographer, Mr Ingraham always had his camera handy, and captured these moments that highlight the individuals who helped to move some of the first pieces of legislation in a new Bahamas through the House of Assembly, to the upper chambers of the Senate, becoming the Bills that shaped the way forward for the country. believed in. He just always wanted the best for his country. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family. He was definitely a pioneer, and he did all he could to serve his country.”

Permanent Secretary of the Independence Secretariat Jack Thompson referred to Mr Smith as a “gift to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas”.

“In fact,” he said, “He was a national treasure.”

“His passion for excellence and a brighter Bahamas will be long remembered.”

Prior to the 1973 Independence celebrations chaired by Mr Smith, the symbols of national identity were created. Timothy Gibson composed the national anthem: “March on, Bahamaland”. The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band recorded an album entitled: “March on, Bahamaland” in 1973 at Ace Recording Studios in Miami, representing the first-ever recording of the national anthem.

Rev Dr Philip A Rahming authored the pledge of allegiance. In February 1970, he was a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The pledge was inspired by the song he wrote: “God Bless Our Sunny Clime”. This song came first runner up to the national anthem. It was composed by Timothy Gibson and E Clement Bethel, and became the national song.

Bahamian artist Hervis L Bain created the preliminary design of the coat of arms. Two 11-year-old schoolchildren (Vivian F Moultrie of Inagua Public School and Melvern B Bowe of the Government High School in Nassau) won the competition for the motto of the coat of arms.

Prior to Independence,

on April 2, 1973, the Minister of Home Affairs, RF Anthony Roberts, announced in the House of Assembly that The Bahamas had a new flag. The flag was also created by Hervis L Bain. The black triangle, golden stripe and two aquamarine stripes represented the people of The Bahamas, the glorious sun, and the breathtaking sea which surrounds all of the 700 islands and cays in this archipelago.

On July 8, 1973, a formal reception was held at Government House. Dignitaries from 52 nations attended, hosted by Prince - now King Charles - of England and Wales.

The Rev Dr RE Cooper delivered the sermon at the Independence National Day of Prayer and Ecumenical Service, held on July 8, 1973.

On July 9, 1973, the Royal Bahamas Police Force held a display and flag raising ceremony at Clifford Park.

Police officers marched and performed routines enhanced by music, directed

by Supt Dennis Morgan.

“Pages from Bahamian History” - a musical and cultural display followed.

The show was coordinated and directed by Winston Saunders, while E Clement Bethel was its artistic and musical director.

The 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations at Clifford Park intends to bring back the nostalgia of national pride for The Bahamas, while sparking new levels of enthusiasm and love of culture in Bahamians. Expect a grandiose show, commemorating this country.

Upcoming events for this weekend include: Bahama Rock - All Bahamian Concert, Western Esplanade, Saturday July 1 - gates open at 6pm; The National Float Parade and Nationwide motorcade, Saturday July

1 (In Nassau, the parade begins at Arawak Cay at 2pm); and the annual Pre-Independence Beat Retreat, taking place on Bay Street, Sunday, July 2.

For more information, visit www.celebrate-bahamas. com or Celebrate Bahamas on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok. Following this past Friday’s state funeral for George A Smith, a memorial is scheduled in Exuma, where he served the people of that chain of islands for decades. He was born in Exuma on December 14, 1940. He was the tenth child of Richard and Mildren (nee Bullard) Smith.

He attended George Town All Age School, then later St Augustine’s College and Aquinas College.

Mr Smith was chosen along with Livingstone Coakley to contest the two seat Exuma constituency in 1967. Although they lost, they were both elected in the first universal single seat constituency system for The Bahamas in 1968. He served Exuma ever since, first for 24 years as representative for the Rolleville constituency, and then for the island of Exuma from 1992 to 1997, totalling 29 years of continuous meritorious service to the people of Exuma and the entire Bahamas. He is survived by his children - Gina Antionette, Dr Gigi Angelica, and George Andrew II; his four grandchildren - Amber, Alarie Asiah and George Andrew “Drew” III; two brothers - Robert (Danurys) and Philip (Hedda); and a host of other relatives and friends. In addition to serving as Member of Parliament, Secretary to the Cabinet and Independence Chair, Mr Smith also served as The Bahamas non-resident High Commissioner to Singapore.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 9

Will OceanGate’s liability waiver hold up in court?

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BEFORE they boarded the submersible that imploded near the Titanic wreck, the passengers who died this week were most likely asked to sign liability waivers.

One of the waivers, signed by a person who planned to go on an OceanGate expedition, required passengers to acknowledge risks involved with the trip on the Titan vessel and any support vessels. The waiver, which was reviewed by The Associated Press, said that passengers could experience physical injury, disability, emotional trauma and death while on board the Titan.

Passengers also waive the right to take action for “personal injury, property damage or any other loss” that they experience on the trip.

The form also makes it clear that the vessel is experimental and “constructed of materials that have not been widely used for manned submersibles”.

The waiver could play an outsized role as families of those who died consider their legal options. Legal experts said that what the investigation into the disaster uncovers will determine much about the case, including what caused the vessel to implode.

WHAT IS A LIABILITY WAIVER? Sometimes referred to as a release form, liability waivers are typical before doing recreational activities that carry some measure of risk, like sky diving or scuba diving. By signing the document, passengers generally accept the risk and dangers related to the activity and if they are injured, absolve the company’s owner of liability.

Matthew Shaffer, a trial lawyer with the maritime personal injury law firm Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, said the forms are commonplace before doing any kind of “ultra-hazardous recreational activity”.

“A good release will cover any and all potential harm and you are going to spell it out in simple language as possible,” he said. “You can get killed. You can get hurt. You can get maimed and you are not going to have any recourse.

You’re releasing us of any liability for anything bad that is going to happen to you as a result of you engaging in this activity.”

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THESE FORMS IN COURT? The legality of these documents depend on the state where they are signed, legal experts have said. Some states recognise them while others don’t. Signed waivers have been upheld in cases involving scuba divers in Florida and skiers in Colorado.

Either way, a court weighs the document against other factors, including whether the person signing it understood the form and the risks they were taking, as well as how unusual and dangerous the activity.

A court, Shaffer said, will also consider whether an owner or operator

withheld information from the passenger, or knowingly exposed the passenger to “probable harm”.

Another question is whether there was “gross negligence involved”.

Regardless of whether or not there was a waiver, Shaffer and others have said they expect families of those who died on the submersible to sue not only OceanGate, which operated the Titan, but also the maker of the vessel and companies that provided parts.

“The waiver is certainly going to be a significant factor stemming from this disaster and it depends a lot on the court and the facts that come out,” he said.

WILL TITAN WAIVERS HOLD UP IN COURT? In the case of the Titan, a complicating factor is that the disaster happened in international waters. According to the waiver the AP reviewed, any disputes would be governed by the laws of The Bahamas, where the company, OceanGate Expeditions, Ltd, is registered.

“If the law of The Bahamas is not favorable to the families, then I predict they will bring a lawsuit in the United States or their home countries,” said Kenneth Abraham, the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law, who is aware of the waiver’s terms.

Declaring the waiver to be invalid in the US could then become part of the legal argument, he said.

But Steve Flynn, a retired Coast Guard officer and director of Northeastern University’s Global Resilience Institute, said possible lawsuits might not succeed given the challenges of establishing jurisdiction.

The implosion happened “basically in a regulatory no man’s land”, Flynn said.

“There was essentially no oversight,” Flynn said. “To some extent, they leveraged the murkiness of jurisdiction to not have oversight.”

Another problem is whether OceanGate survives and, if so, who to sue, Flynn said. Among the five passengers dead was the CEO of the company who led the expedition, Stockton Rush.

Even if it does survive, OceanGate is unlikely to be held liable in court unless the company misrepresented the safety of the vessel, said Richard Daynard, distinguished professor at Northeastern University School of Law. Otherwise, the case is a prime example of assumption of risk on the part of the explorers, Daynard said.

The company, which closed its Washington office in the aftermath of the revelations about the implosion, might also not have the ability to pay damages, Daynard said. “If they were held liable, my guess would be they would be unlikely to have the many, many millions of dollars that if I were on a jury I would award,” he said.

This undated photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company’s Titan submersible. On Monday, June 19, 2023, a rescue operation was underway deep in the Atlantic Ocean in search of the technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic, the iconic ocean liner that sank more than a century earlier.

Photo: OceanGate Expeditions/AP

PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Putin says the aborted rebellion played into the hands of Russia’s enemies

In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday.

Photo: Prigozhin Press Service/AP Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday blasted organizers of a weekend revolt as “traitors” who played into the hands of Ukraine’s government and its allies. The rebellion by armed mercenaries, which lasted less than 24 hours, was the gravest threat yet to Putin’s authority.

Putin said the nation had stood united, and he praised the rank and file mercenaries for not letting the situation descend into “bloodshed.”

Earlier in the day, the rebellion’s leader, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, defended his short-lived insurrection. He taunted Russia’s military, but said he hadn’t been seeking to stage a coup against Putin.

Putin did not name Prigozhin in his televised address but said organizers of the mutiny had tried to force the group’s soldiers “to shoot their own.” Putin blamed “Russia’s enemies” and said they “miscalculated.”

The Kremlin a lso showed Putin meeting with top security, law enforcement and military officials, and early in the day authorities released a video of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose removal Prigozhin had demanded, reviewing troops in Ukraine.

Prigozhin said he was acting to prevent the destruction of Wagner, his private military company.

“We started our march because of an injustice,” he said in an 11-minute statement, giving no details

about where he was or what his plans were.

The feud between the Wagner Group leader and Russia’s military brass has festered throughout the war, erupting into a mutiny over the weekend when mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov. They rolled seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.

The Kremlin said it had made a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers. There was no confirmation of his whereabouts Monday.

Prigozhin boasted Monday that his march was a “master class” on how Russia’s military should have carried out the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He also mocked the military for failing to protect Russia, pointing out security breaches that allowed Wagner to march 780 kilometers (500 miles) toward Moscow without facing resistance.

His bullish statement made no clearer what would ultimately happen to Prigozhin and his forces under the deal purportedly brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Prigozhin said Lukashenko “proposed finding solutions for the Wagner private military company to continue its work in a lawful jurisdiction.” That suggested Prigozhin might keep his military force, although it

wasn’t immediately clear which jurisdiction he was referring to.

The independent Russian news outlet Vyorstka claimed that construction of a field camp for up to 8,000 Wagner troops was underway in Belarus, but the report couldn’t be independently verified. The Belarusian military monitoring group Belaruski Hajun said Monday on Telegram that it had seen no activity in the area consistent with the report.

Though the mutiny was brief, it was not bloodless.

Russian media reported that several military helicopters and a communications plane were shot down by Wagner forces, killing at least 15.

Prigozhin expressed regret for attacking the aircraft but said they were bombing his convoys.

Russian media reported that a criminal case against Prigozhin hasn’t been closed, despite earlier Kremlin statements, and some Russian lawmakers called for his head.

Andrei Gurulev, a retired general and current lawmaker who has clashed with the mercenary leader, said Prigozhin and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin deserve “a bullet in the head.”

And Nikita Yurefev, a city council member in St. Petersburg, said he filed an official request with Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office and the Federal Security Service, or FSB, asking who would be punished for the rebellion, given that Putin vowed in a Saturday morning address to punish those behind it.

It was unclear what resources Prigozhin can draw on, and how much of his substantial wealth he can access. Police searching his St. Petersburg office amid the rebellion found 4 billion rubles ($48 million) in trucks outside the building, according to Russian media reports confirmed by the Wagner boss. He said the money was intended to pay his soldiers’ families.

Russian media reported that Wagner offices in several Russian cities had reopened on Monday and the company had resumed enlisting recruits.

In a return to at least superficial normality, Moscow’s mayor announced an end to the “counterterrorism regime” imposed on the capital Saturday, when troops and armoured vehicles set up checkpoints on the outskirts and authorities tore up roads leading into the city.

The Defence Ministry published video of Shoigu in a helicopter and then meeting with officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine. It was unclear when the video was shot. It came as Russian media speculated that Shoigu and other military leaders have lost Putin’s confidence and could be replaced.

Before the uprising, Prigozhin had blasted Shoigu and General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov with expletive-ridden insults for months, accusing them of failing to provide his troops with enough ammunition during the fight for the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, the war’s longest

and bloodiest battle.

Prigozhin’s statement appeared to confirm analysts’ view that the revolt was a desperate move to save Wagner from being dismantled after an order that all private military companies sign contracts with the Defence Ministry by July 1.

Prigozhin said most of his fighters refused to come under the Defence Ministry’s command, and the force planned to hand over the military equipment it was using in Ukraine on June 30 after pulling out of Ukraine and gathering in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. He accused the Defence Ministry of attacking Wagner’s camp, prompting them to move sooner.

Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said on Twitter that Prigozhin’s mutiny “wasn’t a bid for power or an attempt to overtake the Kremlin,” but a desperate move amid his escalating rift with the military leadership.

While Prigozhin could get out of the crisis alive, he doesn’t have a political future in Russia under Putin, Stanovaya said.

It was unclear what the fissures opened by the 24-hour rebellion would mean for the war in Ukraine, where Western officials say Russia’s troops suffer low morale. Wagner’s forces were key to Russia’s only land victory in months, in Bakhmut.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday that Ukraine had “gained impetus” in its push around Bakhmut, making progress

north and south of the town.

Ukrainian forces claimed to have retaken Rivnopil, a village in southeast Ukraine that has seen heavy fighting.

U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of several of Ukraine’s European allies discussed the events in Russia over the weekend, but Western officials have been muted in their public comments.

Biden said Monday that the U.S. and NATO were not involved in the shortlived insurrection. Speaking at the White House, Biden explained that he was cautious about speaking publicly because he wanted to give “Putin no excuse to blame this on the West and blame this on NATO.” “We made clear that we were not involved, we had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Biden said the U.S. was coordinating with allies to monitor the situation and maintain support for Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg concurred Monday that “the events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter.”

And Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy had contacted Russian representatives Saturday to stress that the U.S. was not involved in the mutiny.

The events show the war is “cracking Russia’s political system,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“The monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now,” Borrell said. “The monster is acting against his creator.”

charge of manslaughter in shooting of Black neighbour by white Florida woman Associated Press A white woman accused of firing through her door and fatally shooting a Black mother in front of her 9-year-old son in central Florida was charged Monday with manslaughter and assault.

Susan Lorincz was arrested earlier this month following the fatal shooting of Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida. She was formally charged with one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault.

State Attorney William Gladson said his office contemplated filing a second-degree murder charge but that prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence that Lorincz had “hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent” toward Owens.

“As deplorable as the defendant’s actions were in this case, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second-degree murder,” Gladson said in a statement. “I am aware of the desire of the family, and some community members,

that the defendant be charged with second-degree murder. My obligation as State Attorney is to follow the law in each case that I prosecute.”

If convicted, Lorincz faces up to 30 years in prison. Amanda Sizemore, Lorincz’s attorney from the public defender’s office, said she had no comment at this time.

Anthony Thomas, an attorney for Owens’ family, said the decision against filing a seconddegree murder charge was disappointing.

“We firmly believe that justice demands nothing less,” Thomas said in a statement. “The failure of the prosecutor to charge Susan with what truly reflected her wanton, reckless behaviour undermines our ability to even get real accountability.”

Owens was killed June 2 in Ocala, about 83 miles (133 kilometers) north of Orlando.

After the shooting, Lorincz told investigators she had problems for two years with

being disrespected by children in the neighbourhood — including Owens’ children, who are ages 12, 9, 7 and 3.

According to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Lorincz said she had a headache the day of the shooting and that children were running and yelling outside her apartment. That night, while a few children were playing basketball, Lorincz threw a pair of roller skates at them, hitting one on the feet.

Owens then came over and knocked on her door.

Lorincz told investigators that Owens threatened to kill her and banged on the door so hard she feared Owens would break it down.

Lorincz fired a single round from her .380-caliber handgun, the sheriff’s report says, which went through the closed door and fatally struck Owens.

A judge has granted Lorincz a $154,000 bond while ordering her to wear an ankle monitor and to stay away from Owens’ family.

Pamela Dias, the mother of Ajike Owens, left, attorney Ben Crump and Africa Owens leave after the funeral for Ajike Owens, Monday, June 12, 2023, at Meadowbrook Church in Ocala, Fla. Susan Louise Lorincz, the white woman accused of firing through her door and fatally shooting Ajike Owens in front of her 9-year-old son in central Florida, was charged yesterday, with manslaughter and assault.

Photo: Alan Youngblood/AP

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 11

CAMPERS GET HISTORY LESSON FROM NATIONAL DISCUS RECORD HOLDER BRADLEY COOPER SR

DAY one of the Blue Chips Athletics Camp got underway yesterday at Queen’s College, despite the inclement weather. Camp participants got to hear a history lesson from Bahamas national discus record holder Bradley Cooper Sr, a two-time Olympian, shown above.

Rain doesn’t stop Blue Chips Athletic Camp

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia,.net COACH Corrington Maycock liked what he saw during day one of his Blue Chips Athletics Camp yesterday at Queen’s College, despite the down pouring of the rain.

The rain hampered the early session, but the more than 30 participants got to hear a history lesson from Bahamas national discus record holder Bradley Cooper Sr, a two-time Olympian.

The camp, which will run through July 1, featured NCAA women’s javelin champion Rhema Otabor and men’s national javelin record holder Keyshawn Strachan, both home from school, who joined in with coach Laquel Harris as instructors.

“Besides the weather, thank God we have these pavilions that we could use,” said Maycock, as they took a break from the rain.

“But the turnout was very good. This is the first one since COVID-19, so I am pleased.

“We are even expecting some more people out tomorrow (today), so it’s a great turnout.”

Now in its seventh year this is the first camp to be staged since 2018 when there were more than 50 participants and Maycock said he’s pleased with the camp, which he hopes to use as a feeder system for Blue Chips Athletics and to help groom the next throwers to follow in the footsteps of Strachan, Otabor and Harris.

“A lot of them come out because they want to see Keyshawn Strachan, Rhema Otabor and the rest,” Maycock said. “So it benefits us in a way because we can say they were once right here in the camp like them and now they can achieve the same things that they have achieved.”

Harris, a 25-year-old former student of James Madison and Shaw University, said they are pleased with the turnout and she hopes that they not only get the knowledge given out during the camp, but will retain it.

“Today, we did some introductory drills for the discus. Over the next few days, we will interchange with the shot put and javelin and possibly some hammer,” said Harris, a former shot and discus thrower.

“At the end of this camo, we hope to get all of these faces into track and field clubs so that they can train all year. I’ve seen a lot of faces that I’ve never seen before, so that’s a good thing. Hopefully this camp will prick their interest to continue.”

Kendal Turner, a 13-yearold 10th grade student of Kingsway Academy who wants to be an engineer, said he got involved in sports in January and he’s hoping to make the most of his attendance at the camp.

“I hope to be able to improve on my performances so that I can become a better thrower in the future,” he said. “I played baseball and softball, so I think that has given me the opportunity to be able to throw the javelin.

It’s natural.”

CAMPERS enjoy the first day of the Blue Chips Athletics Camp which began yesterday at Queen’s College, despite the down pouring of the rain.

Photos by Moises Amisial/Tribune Staff Ellianne Higgs, a versatile sailor, horseback rider and soccer player, said when she was competing for St Andrew’s Hurricanes at the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ Track and Field Championships in the shot put, Maycock approached her to get involved in the camp.

“I’m hoping to be able to throw better than I am doing now,” said the 15-year-old Higgs, who will be entering grade 10 in September.

“I’ve sailed in a lot of competitions internationally, so I hope I can do the same in track and field.”

The 20-year-old Otabor, home to celebrate with her family and friends as the new NCAA women’s javelin champion for the University of Nebraska, said she’s enjoying the time she gets to share her knowledge with the campers.

“I hope by me being here, I can inspire them to continue to work hard in the sport because it can take them a lot of places,” she said. “They can travel all over the place representing the Bahamas and even go to college to get an education.

“I also hope to share some of my knowledge and my experience with them as I encourage them to stay determined, be patient and work hard. Some things don’t come as easy as you expect, but if you stay

consistent, things will fall into place.”

Strachan, who got off to a sizzling start to his freshman year at Auburn University before he got hit with the injury bug, said he remembers when he was a participant, now he’s back as an instructor.

“It’s been a few months since I’ve been home for CARIFTA, so I’m just happy to be back,” said Strachan, who holds the Games’ under-20 boys record in the javelin at 262-1 (79-89m) since 2022.

“I’m happy to be here as a part of this camp.

“One time ago, I was just like this. But I believe that one day they can be just as great or even better than Rhema and myself.

So I hope to impact the fundamental aspects of the throw.”

The 19-year-old Bahamian national record holder at 276-5 (84.27m), said his message to the participants is a very simple one: “Just stay focused and stay disciplined. If they do, their success will be good in the long run.”

Cooper, who won both the shot put and discus at CARIFTA, was a prime example of Strachan’s statement.

Cooper went to Florida State and became a NCAA champion and eventually a Pan American silver medallist and a Commonwealth Games champion.

But he missed out on two

opportunities at both the Olympic Games and the World Championships to secure a medal.

“It was rough competing against them,” said Cooper, who admitted that his biggest rivals wherever he competed were the Cubans.

“But when you are motivated to become a winner, you do whatever you can in your power.”

Cooper, who will celebrate his 66th birthday on Friday, commended Otabor and Strachan for being the two forerunners in the

throws for the Bahamas right now.

He said there are others who can follow in their footsteps and that’s why he’s happy to be able to share his experience with the camp’s participants.

“They are just getting started and so they don’t know the ups and downs of the sport yet,” he stated.

“Some of them think throwing is easy and is very simple, but no, it’s a lot of work. They have to dedicate a lot of time to be the best.”

He is definitely the best the Bahamas has to offer, still holding onto the men’s national discus record of 220-1 (67.10m) that he established on June 14, 1966 here at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

With the technique they will learn during the camp, Maycock said he’s confident that there will be more throwers emerging to continue the legacy that got started with Cooper and continued with Strachan and Otabor.

PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

NBA superstars Durant, Devin Booker in town

HAWKS CLEAR CAP ROOM, TRADE COLLINS TO JAZZ FOR GAY, FUTURE 2ND ROUNDER, SAYS AP SOURCE

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer

NATIONAL Basketball Association superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, team-mates of Bahamian NBA star Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns, are in town.

Durant and Booker were at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium yesterday for a private workout session. Before they got into their session, they shared with the participants of the Denycko Bowles Summer Basketball Camp. Durant and Booker are shown flanked by some of the members of the camp, headed by Bowles. It’s not known how long they will be in town and whether or not Ayton and their newly acquired team-mate Bradley Beal will be joining them.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks cleared significant salary cap space yesterday by agreeing to trade forward John Collins to the Utah Jazz for veteran forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round draft pick, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

Collins, who was the subject of trade speculation during the offseason and again leading up to last week’s NBA draft, finally was dealt to Utah, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official before July 6.

The trade was first reported by ESPN. Collins, 25, was a firstround pick in 2017 and scored in double figures in each of his six seasons with Atlanta. He averaged 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds, both career bests, in the 2019-20 season and 17.6 points per game for the 2021-21 team that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.

ANALYSIS: WEMBY’S ARRIVAL BIGGER THAN TEXAS, AND HE SEEMS UP TO THE CHALLENGE

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer SAN ANTONIO (AP) — As Victor Wembanyama took the stage for his first news conference inside his new home arena, he couldn’t help but notice an accessory that the San Antonio Spurs commissioned for the occasion.

It was a replica of the Eiffel Tower — made from Legos. Hundreds of them.

Wembanyama loves Legos. He looked down at the 4-foot replica when he saw it and smiled. And then he sat next to Spurs general manager Brian Wright and started to talk business.

The scene was a perfect microcosm of Wembanyama’s world right now. He’s still a teenager, albeit a very big one, at 19 years old and not averse to saying that he enjoys building things with Legos.

And he’s also the player, who seems incredibly mature for his age, on a world stage that the Spurs are betting on to change their fortunes and help them return to championship contention.

“I feel like they’ve already started to take great care of me,” Wembanyama said.

They have to. The world is watching. And the hype level is already incredibly high.

The notion of basketball being a global game and the NBA being a global league is not new, with roughly one out of every four players in the league born outside of the United States. But there’s never been an international player coming into the NBA with the hubbub that Wembanyama has; he’s already a global brand and global phenomenon even without playing an NBA game.

Not even LeBron James had this much global attention when he came into the league 20 years ago.

The Kid from Akron, as he still calls himself, is one of the biggest success stories in the history of sports — grew up with almost nothing, instantly found fame and fortune as a teenager thanks to an enormous Nike contract that he signed when he entered the league, now is a billionaire,

the all-time scoring leader in NBA history and still going strong.

LeBron was a big, big, big deal in the U.S. in 2003.

Wembanyama is a big, big, big deal globally right now. That’s the difference.

Stories have been written about him in English, French and Spanish over the weekend. He speaks English just about perfectly, and now that he’s in San Antonio he wants to learn Spanish as well. If he plays for France in the Basketball World Cup this summer — something he wants to do, but time will tell if the Spurs are on board with that plan — he’ll be playing games in Indonesia and the Philippines.

And if he plays on that world stage, he will be getting as much attention as any player in the tournament. Same goes for when he plays at Summer League next month. And it’ll be the case when the NBA season opens; Denver will raise a banner and get championship rings on opening night, some free agents that’ll start agreeing to new deals in the next few days will

SAN Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 draft pick, handles a ball during an NBA basketball press conference on Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay) Stern would have loved be in new cities, but every finishers in that MVP race storyline to start the season this season were all inter- Wembanyama.

The teenager — already will have Wembanyama’s national players — Embiid, 7-foot-plus shadow loom- Jokic and Greece’s Gian- being mentored by past ing somewhere around it as nis Antetokounmpo of Spurs great big men like Milwaukee.

Duncan and David Robwell.

That trio has combined inson, along with French “Because of all the hype, he’ll have a target on his for the last five MVP Spurs Tony Parker and Dallas’ Luka Boris Diaw — is worldly, back,” Spurs coach Gregg awards; Popovich said. “So more Doncic of Slovenia should mature, engaging, funny than Os and Xs to begin be in the MVP mix for and somehow has stayed humble even with all the with, we’ll be most inter- years to come as well.

There’s even talk of a attention. His family shuns ested in setting a framework in an environment where World vs. the U.S. format the spotlight. They want he’s comfortable, where to the All-Star Game no part of the attention. he can be Victor. He’s not before long. That might be Wembanyama’s parents are LeBron or Tim (Duncan) a heck of a challenge for the almost always around, but never meddling. or Kobe (Bryant) or any- American side.

“We’re really seeing the “To my family, it’s got body else. He’s Victor and that’s who we want him to ongoing continued growth to be weird sometimes,” of this league,” Commis- Wembanyama said. “It’s be.”

His presence just adds to sioner Adam Silver said got to be strange. There’s a lot of new stuff. But they’re the level of international earlier this year.

“I know David Stern, really smart and grounded stardom in the league right who unfortunately is no people. Whenever I need now.

The reigning NBA Finals longer with us, but it was so to find stability, I can go to MVP is Denver’s Nikola much of his vision to turn them.”

He’s going to need those Jokic of Serbia, the reigning this into the global game league MVP and scoring it’s become today. If he’s bits of normalcy. The chalchampion is Philadelphia’s looking down on us, I know lenge that awaits him is as Joel Embiid of Cam- he’d be incredibly proud of tall as he is and the world is watching. eroon, and the top three those numbers.”

T-WOLVES, REID BEAT FREE AGENCY BY AGREEING TO 3-YEAR, $42M DEAL

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have kept centre Naz Reid off the market by agreeing to terms on a three-year, $42 million contract that comes with a player option after two seasons.

The deal, which was struck Sunday night, was confirmed yesterday by Reid’s agents, Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.

Reid was eligible to become an unrestricted free

agent this weekend following a breakout year on both ends of the court for the Timberwolves, who already have made major investments in big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns yet still valued Reid’s upside enough to make him a well-paid backup.

“When we struggled early, he was one of the guys that played well,” coach Chris Finch said after the season ended. “He made the system work with his decision-making, whether he played the ‘4’ or the backup ‘5’ or started. Then when KAT came back, he

naturally settled in as a key bench player. He was playing at a high, high level.

He just proved he can play in all these different roles, which is valuable, then obviously just a perfect system fit.”

Undrafted out of LSU in 2019, the 6-foot-9 Reid has become one of the most popular players inside and outside the team for his steady development, evenkeeled demeanour and ferocious dunks. He averaged 11.5 points and shot 53.7% from the floor in 68 games in 2022-23, both career bests.

When Towns missed 52 games with a strained calf, Reid proved his value while his status in the rotation was elevated.

In four games when his playing time topped 30 minutes, Reid averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds.

After he suffered a broken left wrist during the final week of the regular season, Reid was clearly missed in Minnesota’s firstround playoff series loss to eventual NBA champion Denver.

The Timberwolves had his Bird Rights and thus were able to pay him more

than any other team could have offered in free agency when the NBA’s negotiating period opens on Friday night, but consistent playing time was Reid’s highest priority. “I just want to be put in the best fit,” he told reporters last week.

“Obviously money plays a part, but I definitely want to be able to develop in a situation where I’m used to the best of my abilities.”

The Timberwolves also drafted 6-foot-10 project Leonard Miller in the second round (33rd overall pick) of the NBA draft last week.

The 19-year-old from Toronto averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds in 38 games last season for his G League Ignite team.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said yesterday at an introductory news conference for Miller that he envisions him being able to play both forward spots as well as at the centre position.

“I know he can guard three positions,” Connelly said, “and then offensively we’ll let coach Finch determine where he can best be employed.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 13

YOUNG baseball players in action over the weekend at Bahamas Baseball Association’s G-Ball National Baseball Championships.

Photo: Moises Amisial/Tribune Staff

BAHAMAS BASEBALL ASSOCIATION’S G-BALL NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS ‘WAS A SUCCESS’ FROM PAGE 16 With the 16-and-under and 20-and-under divisions playing in the new stadium, Sweeting said it was a joy to watch as many of the players got their first taste of the artificial turf and they did a tremendous job as they participated.

“It was also good to see how the players were able to interact with each other with their peers, so it was a very successful nationals for us. We had about 32 teams competing in six different age brackets. That’s the most teams we’ve had in the nationals for quite some time.”

Sweetiing said the BBA, headed by Sam Rodgers, will now sit down and critique the entire episodes and try to work out how best they can move forward in taking the nationals to a higher standard for both the players and the spectators to enjoy in the future.

“We met our goals. I think that was the most exciting thing for us,” he pointed out. “So we look forward to preparing for a lot of things to come this year and the next nationals when we go back to Grand Bahama.”

Grand Bahama, according to Sweeting, is now the home of the nationals and they only decided to stage this year’s event here because of the completion of the new stadium.

It was the second straight year that the tournament was back in New Providence after being hosted here last year, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Sweeting said the executive board has already agreed that they will continue to host the nationals in Grand Bahama where the Grand Bahama baseball community has received them with open arms.

“We want to move it around and give the two major islands the benefit of hosting the nationals,” Sweeting said.

“Their logistics in Grand Bahama are so easy for us when we host it there and so we just want to share the wealth over there.”

While they prepare for the nationals next year, Sweeting revealed that the BBA has partnered with Perfect Game and they will be coming to the Bahamas to host an event here this year.

Additionally, the BBA is preparing for the hosting

of the 18-and-under Youth Caribbean Baseball Cup in December and the senior men’s national team will travel to Puerto Rico to compete in the Caribbean Baseball Cup that was staged at the new stadium in December.

“We just got some exciting news from our governing body as we move forward going into 2024, there is an opportunity for the country to host the COCABA Pan American Games qualifier.

“There’s a lot of excitement as the doors start to swing open at the new stadium,” Sweeting stated.

“There’s a lot that we discussed with the college coaches who were here for our nationals.

“We will be looking at setting up a college summer baseball programme, similar to what they do in the United States where the players, once they have finished their college season, look for programmes that will help them to improve their game.”

Over the next year or two, Sweeting said they are now in consultation with the college coaches to get the programme up in running in the Bahamas as they

12 AND UNDER CHAMPIONS - Grand Bahama Little League. utilise what many consider to be one of the finer baseball facilities in the area.

“We want to continue to grow this game,” Sweeting said. “This is an exciting time for baseball and so we want everybody to stay tuned and come out and support the events as they unfold.”

He noted that only half of the players who play the sport globally get to make it to the show, or Major League Baseball.

For those that don’t, Sweeting said they want to provide an avenue where they can continue to hone their game. “The most important thing for

our young men is to get that college experience and eventually earn their degree,” he said.

“Then if they decide to go professional, to God be the glory.

“But we have to stress to the parents of these kids that while it’s good to go pro, they can be released if they don’t make the cut and so if they get an education to fall on, they can better strive in life.”

Not taking anything away from going pro because a lot of guys get drafted or sign pro contracts, but when they are released, Sweeting stressed that they need to have something to fall back

on and that is why getting an education is so important for these players and their future.

Sweeting congratulated all of the winners of the nationals. He noted that it was one of the most competitive with some level of parity with the various organisations winning the titles. Freedom Farm captured the 8-and-under and the 10-and-under. Grand Bahama won the 12-andunder, the JBLN took the 14-and-under, while Freedom Farm emerged as the 16-and-under champions and JBLN added the 20-and-under crown to their ledger.

LSU WINS 1ST COLLEGE WORLD SERIES TITLE SINCE 2009

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — LSU went from its low point of the season to the ultimate high in a span of 24 hours.

A day after it gave up the most runs ever in a College World Series game, LSU cranked up its offence and won its first national title since 2009 with an 18-4 victory over Florida last night in the third and deciding game of the finals.

LSU (54-17) staved off elimination three times in bracket play and bounced back from the humiliating 24-4 loss in Game 2 to claim its seventh championship, second to Southern California’s 12.

“We got punched in the mouth yesterday,” Tigers star Dylan Crews said.

“That’s the beauty of baseball. You wake up in the morning and do it all over again. We woke up today and you could see on everybody’s faces that we were ready to go. Nobody in the country was going to beat us today.”

The Tigers wiped out an early 2-0 deficit with a sixrun second inning against Jac Caglianone (7-4).

The runs kept coming until they finished with the

most in a title game since USC’s 21-14 win over Arizona State in 1998. The 14-run margin was the largest ever in a final. Their 24 hits were most in a CWS game.

“It wasn’t our day, all the way around,” Gators catcher BT Riopelle said.

Thatcher Hurd (8-3) gave up Wyatt Langford’s tworun homer in the first and then allowed no hits or runs while retiring 18 of the next 21 batters. Riley Cooper took over to start the seventh and gave up Ty Evans’ CWS-record fifth homer, and Gavin Guidry finished the combined five-hitter.

Cade Beloso said Johnson’s message to the team in the morning meeting was simple.

“It was, ‘One game for the national championship.

Are you in?’ Everybody was, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ You can’t let baseball get to you,” Beloso said. “The game is brutal sometimes.

You have to show up and play the next day.”

There was speculation after Sunday’s blowout loss about the Tigers bringing back ace Paul Skenes for a third start in Omaha.

He threw a combined 243 pitches over 15 2/3 innings in two spectacular appearances, and he would have

LSU celebrates after defeating Florida in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals last night. LSU won the national championship 18-4.

(AP Photo/Rebecca S Gratz) been working on three days’ rest.

It turned out Skenes was able to watch from the dugout in the comfort of his sneakers while LSU poured on the runs and Hatcher kept dealing.

Skenes headed to the bullpen to do some stretching and throwing in the seventh inning. He went back to the dugout after the eighth and stayed there until he and teammates rushed the mound when Guidry struck out Colby Halter to end it.

Skenes was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CWS. The overwhelmingly partisan LSU crowd included Kim Mulkey, coach of the national champion women’s basketball team and the

mother of Kramer Robertson, who played shortstop on the 2017 team that lost to Florida in the CWS finals.

The Tigers had been pointing toward a title run since their first team meeting last August. Coach Jay Johnson brought back the Southeastern Conference player of the year in Crews and the rest of the core of the2022 lineup.

Three key transfers took LSU to a higher level.

Skenes was the first college pitcher in 12 years with 200 strikeouts and could be the No. 1 pick in the amateur draft. Tommy White hit 24 homers and drove in a nation-leading 105 runs.

Hurd was solid as a starter and reliever and matched

his longest outing of the year in the title game.

“Right people, right place, right time,” Johnson said. “This is the way it was supposed to go.”

LSU joined Mississippi, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in a line of four straight national champions from the SEC. “Oh my gosh, this is what I dreamed of since I was a freshman, holding this trophy,” Crews said. “We’re champions, baby, bringing it back to LSU. It’s been a long journey for us. We dealt with a lot of stuff. Just to finally say we’re national champions ... I cannot wait to put another flag over the field. It’s going to be awesome.”

Florida (54-17) won the SEC regular-season title, was the No. 2 national seed and set school records for wins and home runs — the Gators hit 17 of the 35 homers by all teams in the CWS. But the Gators were unable to carry over the momentum from their record-setting production Sunday. “I thought our team was in a really good place,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I thought BP was good. They were loose. Put two on the board the bottom half of the first.

I thought the dugout was

electric. And then all of a sudden we had four walks and I think two hit-by pitches ... and then we had to go to the ‘pen earlier than we wanted to.”

Caglianone, Florida’s two-way star, struggled with his command for a second straight start and was done on the mound after 1 1/3 innings. He remained in the game as the designated hitter.

LSU got on the board when Jordan Thompson, who had been 1 for his last 30, singled in a run. It was tied after Caglianone hit Cade Beloso — his fifth hit batter in his 5 2/3 CWS innings — and a walk to Crews put LSU in front.

Cade Fisher relieved and gave up a couple RBI singles and a sacrifice fly.

Josh Pearson’s fourth homer of the season highlighted the Tigers’ four-run fourth inning.

The only down note for LSU was an injury to catcher Alex Milazzo, who landed awkwardly on his left leg when he had to hurdle Riopelle as he crossed home plate in the fourth inning. That didn’t stop Milazzo from celebrating. A teammate gave him a piggyback ride to the mound for the ceremonial dogpile.

PAGE 14, Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Tickets, merchandise for Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games on sale FROM PAGE 16

federations, executives, volunteers, and both Bahamasair and Western Air, who will be providing air transportation for all of the athletes and officials from across The Bahamas for their continued patronage and support.

Presently, more than 600 volunteers have signed up to assist with the successful execution of the Games.

According to Bowleg, the Bahamas Games Secretariat and Independence Celebration Secretariat are working together to ensure that there will be no conflict with the events and activities scheduled for our 50th Golden Jubilee Celebrations.

All morning sessions beginning at 9am will be

MINISTER BOWLEG SAYS PATRONS OF THIS YEAR’S GOLDEN JUBILEE GAMES INCLUDE FORMER PRIME MINISTER PERRY CHRISTIE, BEVERLY WALLACE-WHITFIELD free to all attendees, with the evening sessions starting at 3pm, and relevant packages are available for purchase at the Kendal G L Isaacs National Gymnasium along with merchandise.

Bahamians are encouraged to support their team of choice and come out and support the upcoming Games. The 10 teams forming the individual islands or grouping of islands include:

· Abaco Survivors · Andros Chiccharnies · Bimini and Berry Islands Marlins · Columbus Isles Arawaks (Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador) · Eleuthera Adventurers · Exuma & Ragged Island Navigators · Grand Bahama Lucayans · Long Island Sheep Runners · MICAL Flamingoes (Mayaguana, Inagua,

Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay) · New Providence Buccaneers The upcoming games reflect our national theme for our 50th anniversary of Independence, one of unity and progression as one people, as stated in the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games’ slogan, “Our Nation, Our Islands, Our Games.”

The excitement for Bahamas Games 2023 is

building, and everyone can participate and learn more about the Games by going to the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games website: thebahamasgames.org or following, liking and subscribing on social media for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @thebahamagames or TikTok and YouTube @ thebahamasgames.

Every Tuesday at 6pm, the public is encouraged to tune into the “Hype Tuesday” show streamed live

on the Bahamas Games’ Facebook and YouTube Channels to represent their island and team and show their support for who they feel will win the upcoming Games.

For more information on how to participate in the games or general information on the Games, persons can call (242) 3221029/69 or email info@ thebahamasgames.org or bahamasgamessecretariat@gmail.com.

Alcaraz replaces Djokovic at No. 1 ahead of Wimbledon, Swiatek stays atop the WTA

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer CARLOS Alcaraz replaced Novak Djokovic at No. 1 in the ATP rankings yesterday, meaning the 20-year-old Spaniard is expected to have the top seeding at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is coming off the first grass-court title of his career, which he won Sunday by beating Alex De Minaur in the final at Queen’s Club in London, and that helped him rise one spot from No. 2.

Djokovic, who picked up his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open this month, chose not to play any tuneup tournaments on grass ahead of Wimbledon and slid down one place.

It is the sixth time the No. 1 ranking has switched in 2023, the most since it happened seven times in 2018.

Play begins at Wimbledon on July 3.

The All England Club will announce the men’s and women’s seeds Wednesday and is expected to simply follow the ATP and WTA rankings for those 32 berths in each 128-player singles draw. That would put Alcaraz and the leading woman, Iga Swiatek, in the top line of each bracket.

POLAND’s Iga Swiatek hits a backhand to German Tatjana Maria during their first round WTA tour tennis match in Bad Homburg, Germany, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Michael Probst) Swiatek remained at No. 1 — as she has for every week since first climbing to that position in April 2022 — on Monday, a little more than two weeks after she won the French Open for the third time. Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka kept her hold on No. 2, and defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is at No. 3. Jessica Pegula moved up to No. 4, switching with No. 5 Caroline Garcia.

Wimbledon’s seedings used to be based on a formula that took into account players’ recent success there and at other events

contested on grass courts.

But with only the rankings mattering now, there is the unusual situation of even last year’s results at the All England Club not mattering — because the ATP and WTA chose to withhold all rankings points that would have been earned at Wimbledon in 2022 to protest the club’s decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine.

That war continues, but the club is allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete this time.

Djokovic has won Wimbledon each of the past four

CARLOS ALCARAZ, of Spain, kisses the trophy after defeating Alex de Minaur, of Australia, 6/4, 6/4 in the mens singles final match at the Queens Club tennis tournament in London on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) times it was held — in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022; the tournament was cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic — and seven times in all. “I mean, Novak is the main favourite to win Wimbledon. That’s obvious,” Alcaraz said.

“But I will try to play at this level, to have chances to beat him or make the final at Wimbledon.”

If they are indeed seeded Nos. 1 and 2, Alcaraz and

Djokovic could meet only in the championship match on July 16. At Roland Garros, Alcaraz was the No. 1 seed for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament, while Djokovic was No. 3, and they were drawn to meet in the semifinals.

The first two sets were terrific, but then Alcaraz faded because of full-body cramps he attributed, at least in part, to tension, and Djokovic took the last two

sets 6-1, 6-1 on the way to the trophy. There was no other major change in the men’s rankings yesterday, with Daniil Medvedev still at No. 3, followed by Casper Ruud at No. 4 and Stefanos Tsitsipas at No. 5. Taylor Fritz, who is from California, and Frances Tiafoe, who is from Maryland, were at Nos. 9-10, remaining the first pair of American men in the top 10 in more than a decade.

ENGLAND COACH AIMING TO ADD WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TO EUROPEAN TRIUMPH

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A year after winning Euro 2022, England is out for more at the Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses, playing under coach Sarina Wiegman, won their first major title last year by beating Germany in the final at Wembley Stadium. And they will be among the favourites to win this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand after qualifying with a perfect record of 10 straight wins.

The Dutch-born Wiegman led the Netherlands to victory at Euro 2017.

Her team then reached the Women’s World Cup final in 2019 but the Netherlands lost to the United States in France.

Wiegman’s preparations for this year’s tournament, however, have been disrupted by the unavailability of some of England’s key players. Beth Mead, who was the co-leading scorer at Euro 2022 along with Germany forward Alexandra Popp, is out because of ACL injury. Usual captain

Leah Williamson and midfielder Fran Kirby are also injured.

Still, it is an England squad with a winning knowhow, featuring 16 players who were part of last year’s European success.

Wiegman has also included some bright new talents, such as Lauren James — the sister Chelsea right back Reece James and one of the most exciting players to emerge since the last Women’s World Cup. Fresh from winning a league-and-cup double with Chelsea this season, Lauren James will be playing in her first major international tournament.

The same applies to Laura Coombs, Katie Zelem, Niamh Charles, Esme Morgan and Katie Robinson.

“We’re just going to make sure that we’re going to be at our best and then we see how far we get, but I think we’re still in a pretty good place,” Wiegman said of the squad.

A bonus this year has been the form of Tottenham forward Beth England with 12 goals in 12 Women’s Super League games.

ENGLAND’s Lucy Bronze in action during the women’s friendly soccer match between England and the US at Wembley stadium in London, on Friday, October 7, 2022.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

She has been named in an England squad for the first time since last September, having thrust herself back into Wiegman’s plans after joining Tottenham in January.

“She didn’t build that much credit for us because we hardly saw her play,” the England coach said.

“But then she made a move and she started playing in a hard situation because

Tottenham were having a hard time. “But how she did, and how she performed, and also how much resilience she showed, I think that made us make the decision to get her in the squad.”

Lucy Bronze is undoubtedly one of the stars of the women’s game and brings huge experience to the team. She secured her fourth Women’s Champions

League title when Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the final in June and is playing in her third Women’s World Cup, having helped England advance to the semifinals in 2015 and 2019.

Millie Bright has been named captain in the absence of Williamson, but is also overcoming a knee injury. “She’s still building, but we have some time,” Wiegman said when

announcing her squad in May. For all the talent England has on the field, Wiegman’s expertise may be the team’s greatest weapon. After taking over in 2021, she has gone on to transform the national team with that historic Euro 2022 title. On top of the success she achieved with the Netherlands, Wiegman has established herself as one of the world’s elite coaches. She bounced back from the disappointment of losing the last Women’s World Cup final by helping England qualify for this year’s tournament without conceding a goal, scoring 80 and rounding off their group with a 10-0 victory over Luxembourg.

England will face Denmark, China and Haiti in the group stage. The team’s first game is against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22.

“We learned a lot of positive lessons about how to get the players fit, fresh and ready from the Euro last summer,” Wiegman said, “and we know what we have to do to make sure we hit the ground running in the right way when the tournament starts.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, PAGE 15

MEET THE EINSTEIN OF MATHEMATICS AT BTVI ONCE described as the “Einstein of math”, instructor Stanley Gordon, is highly regarded by students and alumni of the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).

At last year’s New Providence commencement ceremony, he received the 2021-2022 Faculty of the Year Award, having received the honour based on student votes. The graduates roared followed by a standing ovation.

“I didn’t realise my colleagues and students admired me so much.

The response from my colleagues blew me away,” said Mr Gordon, who is affectionately called Mr G. The graduate of Mico Teachers College in Kingston, Jamaica, has been teaching mathematics for 38 years. He takes great pride in knowing those he taught are in various professions.

“I just love maths. I fell in love, not just with maths, but the teaching profession. I have taught doctors, attorneys, some of the

The BTVI Story

people I taught are now math teachers; they want to be like G. Many of my colleagues, I taught their kids. People still introduce me as their Math teacher,” said Mr Gordon, who has taught at BTVI for 17 years.

Soft-spoken and one to shy away from the limelight, Mr Gordon is a star for many BTVI students who feared math. Under a BTVI Facebook post about him, several of Mr Gordon’s students credited him for getting through math courses. The common saying was, “Best math teacher ever!” Others spoke of him going beyond the call of duty, being dedicated, simplifying algebra and calculus, and his jokes.

Mr Gordon acknowledges colleague Ron Clarke for

teaching him to be less tense in the classroom.

“Mr Clarke is an excellent math teacher. He taught me to not be so serious all the time. My students think I’m a comedian, but humour relaxes the students. It’s to break the ice, but when it’s time for business, we get serious. When people are doing poorly in math, you come down to their level,” emphasised Mr Gordon.

Meanwhile, Mr Gordon’s advice to other teachers is to plan.

“No matter how simple the lesson, you must plan - a flexible one at that because based on the lesson, the whole dynamic might change and segue into another topic,” he said.

Further, he noted the importance of simplifying topics to connect with everyday life.

“I was teaching gradient, so I took them outside to look at a building and point out the gradient, which is the rise and run of the roof. When I do measurement,

I walk the floor and show them.

All these trades teach math, including cosmetology. For example, they use colours and have to measure chemicals. Can you imagine someone using too much colour? Even auto technicians, the timing chain has to be gauged.

Otherwise, it doesn’t run properly.

I tell them the importance of what they are doing in relation to their work,” he added.

Mr Gordon said while patience is his secret, what gives him the greatest delight is, “Seeing my students achieve.” He considers himself fortunate to get up every day and do what he loves.

Excellence at Excelsior STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

BRETT Sawyer, 12 years old, received the valedictorian award from Agape Christian School in Abaco. Brett was a finalist for the 2023 Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year and winner of a $2000 Rubis scholarship. He received first place awards in arithmetic, language and reading as well as the Behavioral Honour Roll Award, the Bible Memory Verse Award and first place in the Friends of the Environment Science Fair Trivia Competition.

• Do you know a student you would like to see featured in Student Spotlight?

Send a picture and brief details to jsimmons @tribunemedia.net.

EXCELSIOR Elementary School held its graduation ceremony last week and awarded outstanding students.

Valedictorian and head girl Perianna Saunders was a Principal’s List, received outstanding performance certificates, a laptop and other awards.

Salutatorian and senior prefect Evan Martin, on the Principal’s List, received the Directors Award, a laptop and other awards.

Head boy and student of the year Ethan Martin, was on the Principal’s List, received outstanding performance certificates, a laptop and other awards. He was also a finalist for the 2023 Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year.

Deputy head boy Matthew Moss received a Leadership Award and was on the Honour Roll.

Deputy head girl K’mya Adderley received a Leadership Award, outstanding performance certificates and was on the Honour Roll.

Lauren Brice, Aleeya Johnson received Honour Roll awards.

SUMMER CAMP FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABILITY

THE Sustainable Me Summer Camp is running from July 3 to August 11 and will offer a unique and immersive experience for young participants to learn about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through engaging activities and hands-on projects.

Activities planned include androsia print making, building 3D city models, weekly beach visits, farming on a community plot, farm-to-table presentations art projects and more.

The camp will also offer opportunities for aspiring media personalities and artist through its camp youtube and camp song production.

Camp organiser Ava Turnquest noted the importance of students interacting with the environment after being indoors for the past three summers over the pandemic.

The camp is open to children aged 8 to 13, however, allowances can be made to accommodate siblings or children that fall out of the age range that are interested in sustainable activities.

To learn more about the camp, visit: https://www.sustainableme.org/ summer-camp.

SPORTS PAGE 16

NBA STARS, Page 12

TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2023

FORMER triple jumper turned coach Peter Pratt (white shirt) is flanked by family members, friends and members of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), including president, Drumeco Archer. Pratt was presented with a plaque at Christ Community Church with the “First Among Men’’ award.

Coach Peter Pratt honoured

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

W

hile he had hoped to be honoured during the hosting of the 50th anniversary of the CARIFTA Games for being the first Bahamian to win a medal, former triple jumper turned coach Peter Pratt said he was glad that his church gave him the recognition.

With his family and members of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, headed by president Drumeco Archer, Pratt was presented with a plaque at Christ Community Church with the “First Among Men’’ award.

The presentation was done by a trio of men of the church, including Elder Stephen Lindsay, pastor of the men’s ministry, Deacon Bertram Cartwright, the director of the men’s ministry and Elder Elvin Taylor, lead associate pastor.

Also in attendance were

Harrison Petty, the founder of the Parents Association of Track and Field Athletes, which assists athletes in getting off to college, triple jumper turned coach Antonio Saunders, a protégé of Pratt and Foster Dorsett, the first vice president of the BAAA. “Church is different from the country. The church did what it is supposed to do,” Pratt said.

“I’m alright with what the church did. I felt I would get it in other places if the country doesn’t do it.”

In 1973 in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, Pratt became the first Bahamian to win a medal at the CARIFTA Games, securing the bronze in the men’s triple jump.

Pratt, a versatile soccer, volleyball, basketball and track and field athlete, attended Mankato State where he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame twice.

He was an NCAA champion, a three-time

ELDER STEPHEN LINDSAY, Pastor for Men’s Ministry Deacon Bertram Cartwright, Director of Men’s Ministry, Peter Pratt, honoured as first Bahamian CARIFTA medallist in 1973, as a nation builder by Christ Community Church, Elder Elvin Taylor, Lead Associate Pastor, (from left to right)

All-American and was a 15-time winner of the North Central Conference champion from 1973-1977.

“I feel good about what I have achieved. A lot of people have recognised me internationally for what I did both locally and internationally,” Pratt stated.

“I remember when I was in Korea with the Asian Games, the people put me up on the screen and said where I came from. More than half a billion people watched it. That was a plus for me because I know it could never happen in the Bahamas.”

There’s a saying that a “prophet is not received in his own home” and Pratt, in agreeing to the term, said if he was recognised in the Bahamas for his achievement, then he would no longer be a prophet.

“I still remain a prophet in my country,” he said.

“If something happened, then I would no longer be a prophet.”

Now that he’s officially retired, Pratt, who started coaching in 1972 when he began teaching at Highbury High, now RM Bailey Secondary High, said he’s looking at embarking on a new venture.

“I’m helping some young adults to better their craft as jumpers,” said Pratt, who also works along with Petty with the Parents Association. “I’m just relaxing and enjoying the little bit of fruit that I get for my labour.”

The 68-year-old Pratt, known as the ‘Jumps Coach Specialist,’ has also worked with the Bahamas Association for the Physically

Handicapped and Special Olympics Bahamas, As a Level V International Amateur Athletic Association’s certified coach, Pratt has conducted a series of coaches’ education lecturing coaches and clinics for the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) and the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) regions.

Pratt said he just hopes that other persons who feel they have not been recognised for their accomplishments will not hold any grudges against the powers that be in the country. Instead, he said he hopes they will take it with a grain of salt and wait until their names are called.

Pratt is married to Mona Pratt and the father of four, Brent Moore (Thiombe) in Dallas, Texas, Rio Pratt (Jennifer) in North Carolina, Kirby Pratt-Thompson in Tampa, Florida and Jamieson Pratt (Chanel), who is in Nassau following in his footsteps as a coach.

Tickets, merchandise BAHAMAS BASEBALL for Bahamas Golden ASSOCIATION’S G-BALL Jubilee Games on sale NATIONALS A SUCCESS WITH just two weeks left before the opening of the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games, tickets and merchandise are now officially on sale.

The Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games is scheduled to be held from July 7-15 with the opening ceremonies on Saturday, July 8.

These games will host 14 disciplines and tickets are available online at thebahamasgames.org and in person at the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium.

Clay G Sweeting, Minister for Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, received the baton on behalf of Eleuthera, home of the Eleuthera Adventurers, as the baton makes its trip from island to island leading up to the opening ceremonies for this 6th Edition Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games.

The Bahamas Games, established in 1989 under the then Minister of Sports, Minister J Bethell, was the first of five games. The following games occurred in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2001.

For this 6th edition of the games, everyone is encouraged to show their national pride by wearing their Bahamian colours during the games or sporting their favourite island team colours or mascots.

Mario Bowleg, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, provided an update on the Bahamas Games last Thursday, stating

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

that over 3,000 athletes were registered and ready to participate.

According to Minister Bowleg, patrons of this year’s Golden Jubilee Games will be former Prime Minister Perry G Christie, a former track and field national athlete, and Beverly Wallace-Whitfield. Chancellors of the games will include Craig Flowers and Dr William Thompson.

Bowleg thanked all the staff of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Bahamas Games Secretariat, the sporting

SEE PAGE 14

BAHAMAS Baseball Association secretary general Theodore ‘Teddy’ Sweeting said the G-Ball National Baseball Championships was termed a success over the weekend.

The BBA hosted the four-day event with games for the younger age groups played at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex and the older groups in the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

The event came to a close on Sunday with the crowning of three champions from Freedom Farm, two from the Junior Baseball League of Nassau and the other from the Grand Bahama Baseball League.

“This year’s nationals had everything involved in it.

“It had excitement, challenges with the weather with our fields and some

YOUNG baseball players in action over the weekend at Bahamas Baseball Association’s G-Ball National Baseball Championships.

Photo: Moises Amisial/Tribune Staff keenly contested games,” “We want to commend Sweeting said. all of our partners who Despite the fact that they came on board and assisted had some challenges get- us in making all of our ting one or two of the four obligations. fields at the Baillou Hills “And I want to thank Sporting Complex in play- Clarence McKenzie and able conditions after the Shane Albury, who served rain subsided, Sweeting as the tournament direcsaid they managed to get tors, and they made sure all of the games completed that everything came off.” in time for the teams, who had to travel on Sunday.

SEE PAGE 13