By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
CENTRAL Grand
Bahama MP Frazette
Gibson has demanded a full investigation into an alleged housing scam in Grand Bahama, where several families reportedly paid up to $5,000 to people who claimed they could secure government homes for them.
During her contribution in the House of Assembly earlier this week, Ms Gibson said the allegations, if proven, would expose a serious breach of public trust and the exploitation of Bahamians struggling to fnd housing.
Grand Bahama police are searching for two women wanted for fraud by false pretences in connection with the alleged scam, according to police bulletins.
Both women are government employees, one with the Ministry for Grand Bahama and the other with the Disaster Risk Management Authority.
Ms Gibson said reports indicate that several families paid up to $5,000 to people who claimed they could secure government housing for them.
Two women allegedly posed as Ministry of Housing representatives after the government announced a housing project in July 2024.
The families were allegedly told that a $5,000 deposit was required, but that they could make instalment payments beginning in November 2024. They said they were told the full amount had to be paid before a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for March 2025.
The victims said they were shown housing layouts and models and made
monthly payments over several months without receiving receipts. They alleged they were told receipts and lot numbers would be issued once their payments were completed. One family was also told that additional paperwork would come from New Providence.
As families neared completion of their payments, communication with the alleged agents reportedly slowed. When the promised March 2025 groundbreaking did not happen and there were no signs of construction at the proposed site, the families began seeking refunds.
Ms Gibson said public housing should never become a vehicle for deception or the exploitation of vulnerable citizens.
“The Bahamian people deserve transparency, integrity and accountability,” she said.
FNM demands accounting for 50th Independence spending
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THREE years after The Bahamas staged lavish 50th Independence anniversary celebrations, questions still hang over how much public money was spent, with the opposition’s culture spokesman demanding a proper accounting as the country prepares to mark its 53rd anniversary.
Free National Movement shadow minister for culture Serfent Rolle said yesterday that the country must deliver greater transparency and accountability when public funds are used for national celebrations and similar events.
His statement comes as the cost of several Independence events held in the years after the 50th anniversary remains unknown, with officials unable to provide the information when asked.
“Sadly, there continue to be questions that linger regarding the difference between the national budget and expenditure for the 50th Anniversary celebrations,” Mr Rolle said. “Going forward we must ensure that greater attention and insistence is placed on delivering for the Bahamian people the levels of transparency and accountability which they reasonably expect and to which they are undoubtedly entitled regarding celebrations and similar events.”
“We should seek to not only deliver great and inspiring moments but also to deliver transparent accounting and a clear understanding of how the people’s money is being spent. While the pride we feel for our nation is infinite and oftentimes, particularly at these occasions, overwhelming, our national resources, sadly, are not.”
A total of $5.2m was budgeted for the 50th anniversary celebrations in the 2022 to 2023 budget. However, it remains unclear whether organisers overspent or stayed within budget.
When St Anne’s MP Adrian White asked why the Cabinet Office budget for ceremonial events increased from $750k to $5.2m, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said at the time the Independence anniversary would be a “big, big deal for us and we are going to celebrate it thoroughly”.
The celebrations included several local galas and events abroad in cities such as London, Miami and Atlanta. The calendar also featured a 50th Golden Soirée, a national float parade and a jubilee in Pompey Square with a night market and concert series.
Organisers of the 50th anniversary have repeatedly given excuses
Gibson warns of collapse in Grand Bahama dental care
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Frazette Gibson has accused the Davis administration of allowing public dental care in Grand Bahama to collapse, warning that only one dentist now serves the island through the public healthcare system.
During her contribution in the House of Assembly this week, Ms Gibson said residents are being shut out of basic oral healthcare because of staffing shortages, broken equipment and clinic closures.
when pressed about the cost of the elaborate celebrations.
Mr Rolle said public ofcials must be ready to account for their stewardship of public money.
“We, in positions of authority, must always be prepared to, and freely and voluntarily, account for our stewardship,” he said. “In so doing, we limit the distractions and lessen the potential for divisions among us at times when we should be uniting, celebrating, and focusing on the fact that we are Bahamians.”
Despite his concerns, Mr Rolle praised the organisers of the 50th Independence celebrations, describing the events as a proud moment for the country.
As The Bahamas approaches its 53rd anniversary, he said he welcomes another high-quality celebration that honours the country’s sovereignty and identity.
“There is no dedicated dental hygienist for children,” she added. “Clinics have closed. Essential equipment has remained broken for years, and communities are being denied access to basic oral healthcare.”
Ms Gibson urged the government to move quickly to fix the system, calling for fair pay for government dentists, modern equipment, more dentists and dental hygienists and
sustainable funding for public oral healthcare.
She also praised Dr Catherine Adderley for her dedication and service.
She said government dentists have been undervalued for decades, fuelling recruitment problems and leaving posts vacant.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville acknowledged problems in the dental programme and did not challenge Ms Gibson’s claim that Grand Bahama has only one public dentist. He said the government inherited a severely underfunded programme and has launched a dental internship programme while recruiting graduates from the University of the West Indies School of Dentistry at St Augustine.
He said the government also repealed and replaced the Dental Act to help bring newly trained dentists into the healthcare system.
Ms Gibson widened her attack to the country’s main public hospitals, calling conditions at the
Rand Memorial Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital “a national disgrace and shame.
She said the condition of the Rand Memorial Hospital has left many residents afraid to seek treatment there.
Ms Gibson said healthcare workers continue to struggle with inadequate bed space, under-resourced departments and staffing challenges. She also cited lengthy waits at speciality and outpatient clinics and said funding for the redevelopment of Rand Memorial Hospital has not been budgeted for during this term.
She said the hospital remains without a morgue and continues to face shortages of medication, personnel and ambulances.
Dr Darville said Phases 1A and 1B of the new Freeport Health Campus will be completed by April and delivered as a turnkey project. He said the government expects to go to tender for the multi-storey tower at Rand Memorial Hospital before the end of the year.
CENTRAL GRAND BAHAMA MP FRAZETTE GIBSON
SERFENT ROLLE
Simon • Front Porch
Mango: monarch of fruits and avour it’s time again to enjoy the “king” of the tropics
THE and juicy mango, with its signature fragrance, and the crowned pineapple, adorned with prickly armor, are mon archs of fruit and favor. A global symbol of hospitality, the pineapple majestically competes with the mango (Mangifera indica).
But for a child eating a mango in the sea, or some one letting the sweet golden juices of the fruit run down their hands and cheeks, the mango reigns supreme. A Bahamian boy of 12 excit edly recalled, decades later, visiting a farm off Soldier Road with his father and tasting a Champagne for the frst time.
He vaguely realized that there were two kinds of mangos, the so-called tian variety” and the (or Hayden) mango. The former, most notably the Francique (or Francis), is usually bright yellow green, with a peachy and spicy aroma. It’s very fbrous or hairy. It’s plenti ful in Haiti, forming a part of the rural economy in its native land.
Introduced in the early 20th century through South Florida, the Haden is a named cultivar, which went global and next door to The Bahamas, becoming the parent of other mango culti vars subsequently developed in Florida.
But back to the story of the 12-year-old enlightened about the abundant varieties on that summer day in Nassau: The farmer handed him a Champagne mango, which is a trademarked marketing name for the Ataulfo or honey mango. It was love at frst taste and it remains his lifetime and beloved choice of mango.
The mango was golden yellow. It was smaller, fatter, and sweeter than any mango he had before or since. It had a melt-in-your-mouth texture and honey-like richness. With a thinner seed, it was fber-free. There were no strings attached.
He never fell out of love with the Champagne goodness.
Mangos have a universal appeal. The fruit has a legendary history and royal status in ancient empires. Its reign and prestige have been earned through 4,000-5,000 years of cultivation.
The trees live between 40 to 100 years with proper care. Some have been known to live to over 300 years.
Asian region, which includes modern-day India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.”
It’s been a benign and benevolent colonizer, spreading through trade and exploration. Buddhist monks in Southeast Asia in the fourth and ffth centuries introduced the fruit to more of Asia, followed by Persian traders, who brought it to the Middle East and East Africa. In the 15th & 16th centuries, Portuguese traders introduced the fruit to West Africa and Brazil as part of a larger trade in spice and fruit. Spanish explorers brought mangos to Mexico and South America in 17th and 18th centuries. Then mango made its majesty known in the West Indies. By the 19th century, the fruit was introduced to Florida and California in the United States. Today, mango is the most eaten tropical fruit in the world. It’s the national fruit of several countries. Mughal emperors cultivated vast mango orchards.
goes are powerful symbols of prosperity, abundance, love, and friendship. As the country's national fruit, they are deeply woven into everyday life, mythology, and religious ceremonies, and are frequently exchanged as gestures of goodwill and hospitality.”
The iconic paisley (or boteh) pattern found in fashion, was developed in India, inspired by the swelling curved shape of some unripe mangos. Mangos come in a variety of shapes: oval or egg-shaped, heart-shaped, and kidney-shaped. There are 1,000 varieties cultivated globally, each with its own terroir and favour. Some of the better-known varieties are the Alphonso, the Kesar, the Sindhri, the Kent, and Tommy Atkins Mangos are high in sugar. Diabetics be warned. But they are good for those with low potassium. Those with high potassium and various
How to stay cool in a heat wave even without air conditioning
By CALEIGH WELLS and MELINA WALLING Associated Press
Heat can be dangerous, but health experts say there are ways to manage the threat.
Scorching temperatures, especially combined with high humidity, pose risks particularly for children, older people and those with certain health conditions. Anyone can suffer from heat-related illness.
Climate change is also exacerbating heat waves and heat stress.
So here are some tips to stay safe:
When heat becomes dangerous
Dangers posed by hot weather depend on more than the temperature. The most detailed measurement is called the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which includes temperature, humidity, cloud cover and wind. The heat index, which measures temperature and humidity, is less descriptive but easier to fnd on weather apps. Both explain why a shaded soccer feld on a 90 degree F day (32 degree C) in arid Phoenix may be less risky than an exposed park on an 80 degree F (27 degree C) day in soupy Little Rock.
Just based on heat index, NOAA has a chart that calculates how dangerous prolonged exposure can be. For example, a day in which temperatures reach 96 degree F (36 degrees C) and 45% humidity would fall into the "danger" category for prolonged exposure or strenuous activity.
The WBGT threshold isn't exact, but recent research suggests that even some young, healthy people can't endure hours of exposure to high heat and humidity.
How to cool down
Overnight temperatures can be a particularly dangerous part of a heat wave, said Ashley
kidney ailments should eat tional heavyweight, high in Vitamins A and C, calcium, and dietary fber. “The fruit is also rich in natural
Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University.
"Your body needs a reprieve," she said. "You don't get that overnight, we start the next day at a defcit." Heat can worsen labor productivity and lead to more visits to the emergency room.
"When we have overnight temperatures that don't drop below 75 degrees" F (24 degrees C), she said, "you start to see some pretty extraordinary outcomes with respect to heat illness and heat stroke, and even mortality." Ward said air conditioning can help, but she acknowledged that not everyone has access.
If you can't afford to cool the whole house, Ward said, create a "cool corner" and sleep there, so your body is prepared to tackle the next day.
Evaporative or "swamp" coolers can help in dry heat, but they increase humidity and can make it more diffcult to cool down. In humid places, just use a fan. If you don't have air conditioning, fnd public places that do, including movie theaters, malls and libraries. Some communities set up cooling centers. Depending on where you live, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program can help you buy a window air conditioning unit, according to the National Council on Aging. Some local nonprofts and civic organizations can also help. Know your rights if you work outside
Knowing what workplace protections you have is important. Some states have them, including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota and Maryland, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Other states don't have any.
If your state has work rules, try to learn them — though there are still challenges to ensuring regulations are actually enforced, said Bharat
are many of recipes in which mangos are The
contains ideas ranging from mangos in pasta, on veggie and hamburgers, on tacos, in salsas, in drinks with tequila or mezcal, candies, ice cream, sorbets, and a bakery of
Or making a mango vinaigrette dressing to put in the refrigerator? Or a chicken sandwich with mango relish? Or grilled mango and pineapple along with grilled fsh, shrimp, and chicken? Or mango syrup or curd for pancakes?
Summer reach. “Mangos scornful!” It’s a declaration of delight and frustration that only Bahamians understand to mean “plentiful.” Delight because we love ourselves some mango, and frustration because mangos are rotting on the ground and there are only so many one can eat, though some are going to eat fve, six, or more a day. Watch out for mango belly. You can hardly give mangos away.
A supervisor at one of the main grocery stores was overhead delicately chiding a tourist: “Darling, don’t buy them green American mangos. Go fnd some Bahamian mangos. If you lucky you can fnd them for free.”
Scores of mango trees are dropping, cum raining an uncountable number of feshy fruit throughout
parade of mangoes gone to bed (another Bahamianism foreigners won’t understand.)
With gratitude to the Father of Creation and Mother Nature, consider preserving and freezing mangos, instructions for which are easily found online. Don’t forget to squeeze lemon or
and fat than that yellow gooey addictive processed— yet delicious—cheese we
Any ripe mango will work Ataulfo Champagne mangos...are my frst pick for this
§ Red bell For color
§ Red onion and For sharp,
– It fecks the salsa with green and
§ Fresh lime juice and – For a bright, tangy
§ Jalapeño – For heat.
[Bahamians might prefer goat pepper]
The recipe describes how to peel and score a mango, something Bahamians don’t have to be taught.
The fnal instruction: “Next, chop the remaining ingredients—the red pepper,
lime juice on them before freezing.
Forget your worries for lil’ bit. And then forget the processed cheese on your nachos.
On their website, Love and Lemons, Jeanine Donofrio and Phoebe Moore, offer a salsa recipe that’s easy and healthy, with less salt, sugar,
onion, cilantro, and jalapeño.
Grate the garlic and zest and juice the lime. Finally, mix everything together and season to taste...”
A fnal suggestion: Enjoy with cold drinks, friends and family, and gratitude for the blessings you have. Happy Summer, dear readers
Venkat, director of the University of California, Los Angeles Heat Lab. He notes that sometimes shaded areas are too far away for workers to take breaks without losing wages, or that management can make it impossible for workers to advocate for themselves. "Most workers don't actually have control over their time or control over where they work," Venkat said. Within those constraints, fnding ways to stay hydrated and lower your body temperature are important. You can do this by drinking lots of fuids, wetting clothing or putting cold water or a cold rag on your hands, feet, armpits and neck. A portable handheld fan or a cooling vest can also help. If you're exercising, avoid the hottest times of day and bring more water than you think you need. Knowing heat illness symptoms
Heat illness symptoms can vary by person, Venkat said. Medications or existing health conditions can also make it harder to regulate body temperature or notice you're getting too hot. Early trouble signs include heavy sweating, muscle cramps and headache. That's when you stop what you're doing and cool yourself off, for example by splashing yourself with cold water or fnding an air-conditioned space. As heat exhaustion sets in, new symptoms arrive, including faster heart rate and dizziness. Next comes heat stroke, which can include confusion, slurred words and fainting. Ward said that's when to call 911. "Don't be embarrassed to call 911 or go to urgent care when you think you might have overdone it in the heat," he said.
Champagne mango.
Photo: Tropicaltree.com
Haden mango.
Photo: messalaciulla/pexels
Grace Chyuwei pours water on Joe Chyuwei to help with the heat Aug. 3, 2025, in Death Valley National Park, Calif.
AP Photo/John Locher, File
Family of crash victims hold emotional candlelight vigil
themselves together.
Diamond’s grief-stricken father Damien was consoled by friends as he crouched at the spot where his ‘baby’ died. It was a similar scene of distress for Stanley Webb, father of Stania.
The four girls were among eight people in a Mazda sedan rental that collided with a tree on Shirley Street in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Apostle Anthony Smith of Prophetic Voice of Victory Tabernacle, who said Diamond was his cousin’s daughter and Betrica was a member of his church, led prayers at the vigil and embraced grieving relatives.
Mr Smith said he watched Diamond and Betrica grow from small children into young women. He said the two had been part of the church’s dance ministry for nearly a decade and described them as good church members who were “very smart, very respectable”.
“Diamond was like the mother, she took care of everyone in her age group, always happy, always responsible, never caught her out no way,” he said.
Mr Smith said Diamond arrived from Cat Island on Friday and texted him to ask whether he was coming to see her because she had brought him a box of four cake. He told her he would collect it on Sunday.
“Sunday never came,” he said.
“This is hard for our family, our church, for the community But we believe the same God that kept us before will keep us through this,” he said. “I believe that they did what they were supposed to do and made the impact in The Bahamas that they were supposed to make for God to take them at such an early age, but in all things we give thanks and we pray that this be a lesson to not just people at large, but the younger people.”
Mr Smith praised Diamond’s upbringing, saying her mother’s investment in her future was refected in her accomplishments. He said parents should encourage their children to pursue their goals.
He also urged young drivers to use wisdom on the road, saying vehicles can
easily go out of control. Anthony Thompson, 34, previously told The Tribune he raised Betrica from the age of nine after their mother died in 2015.
At the vigil, he said Betrica wanted to become a physical therapist because of her love for sports. He said she hoped to remain involved in athletics by helping injured athletes, particularly those who could not aford treatment.
Mr Thompson said his last conversation with Betrica was about mangoes and her student visa. He asked her to bring him mangoes from Cat Island and to make sure she collected her visa.
He urged young people to give their lives to Christ and remember that life is not guaranteed.
“Everybody believes they have tomorrow. God has done so much for me, and I was a teenager raising a teenager when our mom passed and he’s given me the grace to do so, but in the blink of an eye, you’re here today, gone tomorrow,” he said.
“And if you don’t know the goodness of God right now that you’re here and you’re steady and you have the right state of mind, and like that, all it takes is one negligence or one mistake and you’re gone-so accept Jesus.”
Ciara Nabbie, Stania Webb’s sister-in-law, afectionately called her “Nia” and described her as a close family member whose presence brought warmth and energy to those around her.
She said Stania was “humble but sassy” and knew what she wanted.
“She had a quote that she said about excuses,” Ms Nabbie said. “Her main thing was: ‘Excuses are tools of incompetence used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness, and those who use them seldom specialize in anything else’. That was one of her main things, especially when it came to encouraging persons.
Ms Nabbie said Stania once supported a friend who had lost his father by calling him every day with words of encouragement when he was seemingly ready to give up.
“She just started to come into herself, she was getting ready to go back to pledge, she was enjoying the band playing the saxophone at Langston University, she was majoring in music, minoring in law,” Ms Nabbie said.
She said she had encouraged Stania to study law so they could become law partners.
She said: “She was just a joy, loved seafood boil - my card used to get run every day with Uber Eats for sushi! I’m like Nia, I’m over here eating noodles and you’re eating sushi.”
Ms Nabbie said Stania went to college at 16 after skipping two grades at Old Bight High School. She said the house was “bright” whenever Stania came around.
She recalled seeing Stania, Diamond and Betrica at her house on Saturday and telling Stania to call her if she needed a ride, no matter the hour.
“She came in the room and she said to me ‘I’m leaving’ and I said okay, and then I walked out there and I said no matter what time, no matter what call me, no matter what time. Y’all need me, call me because they know that no matter the hour, I’m coming to get them,” Ms Nabbie said. “She said when she come back, we can start ordering her stuf to go back to school, we were just preparing.”
Ms Nabbie said Stania often played the saxophone for her two-month-old nephew. The last song she played for him, she said, was Wind Beneath My Wings.
GRIEF-STRICKEN STANLEY WEBB father of Stania, 19, consoled by family at the scene of Sunday’s devastating crash. Photos: Shawn Hanna
Trump critique redux
Charlie Harper • Stateside even public golf courses are fair game
DURING his two terms in offce, US President Donald Trump has become known for sometimes reckless adventurism. He has cozied up to infamous tyrants and ruthless rulers such as Kim Jong Un in North Korea and Vladimir Putin in Russia. He has kidnapped a dictatorial sitting chief of state in Venezuela, initiated a deadly war with murderous theocrats in Iran, and relentlessly squeezed the stubborn Communist regime in Cuba.
In the process, he has precipitated an economic crisis that may yet nullify many of the strong gains achieved in the American stock market over the past decade or so.
exceptions, to be fair, appear to be Trump’s choices for
Corner at the
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he boards a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft at Bahrain International Airport after his visit to the Middle East, in Manama, Bahrain Thursday, June 25, 2026.
At the same time, he has attacked and eviscerated the American federal government in Washington DC; spearheaded what some feel is a discriminatory effort to retract voting rights for Americans of color; seized and maintained absolute control of one of the two major American political parties; reportedly enriched himself and his family by sums reaching at least $2 billion according to the latest accounts this week, and has generally treated the US Supreme Court as a friendly means of redress for multiple offenses against him, real and imaginary, mostly during the four-year interregnum between his two terms.
This president has normalized graft and corruption at unprecedented and previously unimaginable levels. He has aggravated and deeply antagonized allies whose support the US has enjoyed for 70 years.
Trump has remained steadfastly loyal to one institution, however. That is golf. We’ll get back to that shortly.
After his frst term, many of Trump’s initiatives were reversed under his successor Joe Biden. But the millions of Americans and hundreds of pundits and commentators badly miscalculated when they fgured that the 2020 election would rid the US of Donald Trump forever, and Trump returned to offce shorn of any sense of obligation to propriety or custom.
It seems likely that while many of Trump’s initiatives will be undone or outlawed once he is gone, some changes will properly survive.
During this second presidential term, Trump has behaved outlandishly. He has also routinely disregarded lack of their qualifcations in his determination to prioritize personal loyalty to him in selecting almost all of his cabinet members, agency heads, and key staffers.
The only important
Secretary of the Treasury (Wall Streeter Scott Bessent) and Secretary of State (Florida senator Marco Rubio). Quickly winning US Senate approval in January 2025, Bessent became the frst openly gay person to lead the US Treasury Department, the frst openly gay Senate-confrmed Cabinet member in a Republican administration, and the second openly gay Senate-confrmed cabinet secretary. While the Treasury Secretary has often repeated dubious claims made by Trump and otherwise played the required role of loyal sycophant, Bessent has largely avoided controversy and navigated the mayhem in Washington so far. Rubio has also successfully survived numerous crises as he has strangled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and stripped the State Department of numerous budgetary, staffing, and programmatic assets. But, now for many months also serving as National Security Adviser, Rubio is winning grudging respect from this administration’s many critics. Despite constantly being thrown into a hypothetical struggle with Vice President JD Vance over who would run in 2028 to succeed Trump, Rubio has maintained his position. While all of this has been going on, the president has found the time to try to rebuild Washington DC according to his own whims, perhaps to ensure that it remains a dramatic symbol of and testament to his tenure. He has repainted the 2,000-foot-long refecting pool to the east of the Lincoln Memorial, torn down and partially rebuilt the entire east wing of the White House, seized for a while complete control of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, proposed to construct a massive ceremonial triumphal
arch at the Virginia end of the Memorial Bridge, and taken over the nearby US Institute of Peace.
passion for – and expertise about – golf course devel-
Photo: U.S. Department of the Treasury - https://home. treasury.gov/about/general-information/officials/scott-bessent, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=187697622
This is not to say that some form of reconstruction was not necessary for most of these iconic structures, mind you. They have all suffered from prolonged neglect. But the scale of the proposed alterations and their skyrocketing costs have attracted much attention and criticism, even from loyal Republicans.
Trump has now focused his attention on a spectacularly situated public golf course.
Accompanied by the Secretary of the Interior whose National Park Service operates this course at East Potomac Park, the president visited the layout on Sunday. And a long-simmering dispute with residents of the capital burst into bitter controversy for the third time this year.
opment and management on one hand, and his narcissistic obsession to leave behind memorials to his presidential tenure.
Some golf course context may be helpful here, especially since the East Potomac Park course controversy neatly combines Trump’s
Federal board offers $3B settlement to restructure Puerto Rico power company debt
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico
(AP) — A federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico's fnances announced Tuesday that it has offered a $3 billion settlement to bondholders in a new push to fnally restructure more than $10 billion in debt held by the U.S. territory's power company.
The board is proposing paying cash and offering the issuance of new bonds to bondholders that have not settled and are seeking some $8.5 billion in claims.
The proposed settlement represents $1.4 billion more than previously offered.
Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority has been trying to restructure its debt for roughly a decade, after the U.S. territory announced in 2015 that it was unable to
pay its more than $70 billion debt load. That prompted U.S. Congress to create the federal board in 2016. A year later, Puerto Rico's government fled for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Since then, the board and bondholders of the power company's debt have been at odds over compensation, with multiple mediation attempts failing. "Puerto Rico must be able to close this last chapter of its fscal crisis and move forward," said Robert F. Mujica Jr., the board's executive director.
He stressed that restructuring the company's debt "is essential to Puerto Rico's recovery — to the reliable, affordable electricity and the
new investment its residents and businesses deserve."
The board said it has not yet identifed the source to fnance the proposed settlement.
Some worry that the source of funds could come from an increase in power bills, which already are among the highest in any U.S. jurisdiction as chronic outages persist.
The board noted that previous agreements reached with several creditors and some bondholders in the power company's case remain in place.
The board said that overall, it has completed 12 debt restructurings for Puerto Rico's government, eliminating more than $55 billion in debt payments over 40 years.
Some of the world’s greatest golf courses are distinguished by particular features. There are the prairie-like rolling fairways and the deep pocket bunkers at Royal St. Andrews in Scotland, for example. There is
Georgia, with its picturesque bridge and quietly menacing stream. There are the spectacular seaside cliff and rolling surf backdrops at several holes along the track of Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula near San Francisco. There is the island hole at the comparatively new Tournament Players Club championship course just outside Jacksonville in Florida. These are all world-famous golf courses with exclusive membership rolls and massive fees for outsiders who want the thrill of playing them.
These range from up to $900 for TPC Sawgrass to $695 at Pebble Beach to $430 at St. Andrews – all depending on which of several courses you play and what time of the year. At Augusta National, you
could pay $500 for a round if you secure an invitation from one of the members.
But in Washington DC, any of us may still, today, play 18 holes for around $40 at East Potomac Park golf course, which has been managed by the National Park Service for many years. The course is located downtown in Washington, on a long, narrow spit of land that divides the broad, tidal Potomac River and National Airport on one side, from the narrow channel that separates the park from the tributary Anacostia River and the dramatic new condo, restaurant, and entertainment district in Southwest Washington. From the ffth tee, it’s possible to line up a tee shot with the Washington Monument--the American capital city’s great obelisk--not more than a mile away to the northwest. The golf course complex at East Potomac Park has been a public course for 105 years. It was originally constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers and its frst holes were fnished not long after the end of the First World War.
The three courses on the property are all fat, as befts their riverbed location, and there is no water and not too much sand on the courses. But they have for generations served the national capital area, and particularly its lower-paid civil servant class of government workers, as a kind of haven from all the pressure and commotion of a major downtown district.
But this pleasant public course surrounded on both sides by water and spectacular vistas offers challenges of distance and landscaping that require good shot making.
East Potomac Park, though, now fnds itself in the crosshairs of US president Donald Trump’s relentless effort to remake the capital city in his own image. Trump, one of whose signature golf courses is located 25 miles west of the city in Virginia, also along the Potomac, has designs to close this public course and remake it into a spectacular, and signifcantly more expensive, place to play his favorite game.
The local community is up in arms. Thousands of fshermen cast from the current golf course’s edge, and in warm weather the whole area is crowded with happy picnicking families. Local bicycle clubs regularly stage races around the course’s perimeter. It’s a peerless community asset.
Numerous lawsuits have sought to frustrate Trump’s plans. The hope is to somehow delay his redevelopment until he gets distracted or leaves offce. But tons of dirt from the East Wing project are already being delivered to the East Potomac Park site. A bet on resistance might not be wise.
Amen
Augusta National Golf Course in
Photo: Eric Lee/Pool Photo via AP
East Potomac Golf Course Top Photo: Tripexpert
Left: Tripadvisor
A Puerto Rican national flag flies in front of the Capitol building in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 29, 2015.
Photo: AP/Ricardo Arduengo, File
Doctor testifies alleged rape victim was threatened with gun
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A DOCTOR testifed yesterday that a woman reported being threatened with a gun during an alleged sexual assault by a man who gave her a ride in western New Providence in 2023.
The doctor was the prosecution’s fnal witness before it closed its case without calling its remaining witnesses. The defence did not object.
Dr Jenna Butler testifed in the rape trial of Kennedy Ingraham before Justice Jeannine Weech-Gomez.
Prosecutors allege that Ingraham raped a 36-yearold woman, whose name is being withheld, after giving her a ride in western New Providence around 9am on March 20, 2023.
The defendant allegedly took the woman to a residence in Coral Harbour, where the assault allegedly occurred in his car. Afterwards, he allegedly drove the woman to her job at a grocery store. The defence has claimed the sex was consensual and transactional. It further claimed the complainant fabricated the allegation after Ingraham failed to pay her the $250 they had allegedly agreed on beforehand. Dr Butler said she performed a physical examination and rape kit on the complainant at 2pm on March 20, 2023. She also took the complainant’s history.
During cross-examination by defence attorney Indiana Fitzgerald, Dr Butler confrmed that the complainant said the accused allegedly
wore a condom. Dr Butler said the complainant indicated she had not had consensual sex within 72 hours.
The doctor said sperm could survive for 72 hours in the vagina.
The complainant told the doctor the assailant allegedly used a gun to coerce her into having sex with him.
However, the medical form indicated that the complainant did not say the accused threatened her.
The defence noted that the doctor did not write in her report that the complainant was crying.
Dr Butler said the complainant was solemn during the examination. She said the complainant was withdrawn, spoke little and made little eye contact.
The defence asked why
the doctor did not write those additional details in her report.
The doctor replied that solemn described all of those words.
The defence suggested the doctor added the details after the fact.
Dr Butler said the complainant did not appear to have difculty breathing during the examination.
She said there were no marks on the complainant’s mouth.
The doctor clarifed that she observed a natural discharge after using a plastic apparatus to open the complainant’s vagina.
While Dr Butler said such a discharge does not occur with every patient, she indicated it was still normal.
Dr Butler said that during the examination, a male ofcer and the
complainant’s pastor, who acted as a Creole translator, were on the other side of a screen.
Dr Butler said the complainant was wearing a torn green short-sleeved shirt.
The doctor could not recall where the shirt was torn, and her report did not indicate where the tear was.
During re-examination, Dr Butler told the prosecution that she does not always see trauma when a person says they have been raped.
The doctor previously said she observed no marks, cuts, bruises or abrasions on the complainant.
Dr Butler said the complainant had not bathed or changed clothes since the alleged incident.
The complainant told the doctor there was allegedly successful penetration
and ejaculation during the assault.
The complainant described her assailant as a light-skinned black man.
The complainant told the doctor that she caught a ride with the accused, was taken to a residence and was allegedly forced to have sex with him at gunpoint. The doctor said it was possible the complainant was crying during the examination without her seeing it.
Dr Butler said she did not know the complainant and that the complainant gave limited responses during the examination.
The doctor said she had no reason to make up the responses in her report.
Sonia Timothy Knowles and Crystal Stuart also represented the accused.
Shaneka Carey and Betty Wilson prosecuted the case.
DNA LINKS ACCUSED TO GUN IN 2020 POLICE STANDOFF Man remanded on charge of sex assault of teen girl
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
A DNA analyst testifed yesterday that samples taken from a gun matched an accused man who allegedly pulled the weapon on two police ofcers on Mutton Fish Drive in 2020.
Ms Melina, a DNA analyst for DNA Labs International, testifed virtually before Justice Loren Klein in the trial of Laseheno Cox, who faces two counts of possession of a frearm with intent to endanger life.
Cox is accused of exiting a vehicle and pointing a gun at Inspector Jermaine Flowers and Police Constable 4856 Travis Davis on November 5, 2020.
While no blood was found on the gun, the DNA analyst said Cox could not be ruled out as one of two possible contributors to samples taken from the weapon.
She said the sample was a DNA mixture from two sources.
Ms Melina said there was strong support for the proposition that Cox contributed to the DNA found on the gun.
During cross-examination by defence attorney Ian Jupp, Ms Melina said she could not speak to how the DNA samples were collected or stored while in The Bahamas. Mr Jupp suggested that someone placed prints on
Ms Melina said the frearm’s grip and trigger were swabbed for DNA evidence.
the gun, citing the high levels of DNA on it.
Ms Melina responded that the DNA found was on the lower end of the spectrum of tests they conduct.
She could not say how the DNA got on the gun or what actions deposited the DNA on the weapon. Her analysis could not determine when the DNA got on the weapon.
Former Corporal Rudolph Sweeting testifed that on November 5, 2020, he went to the scene on Mutton Fish Drive.
There, he observed a white two-door Honda Accord. He said the licence plate read AM5556 while the registration disc read AV0555. He said there was damage to the front end of the vehicle.
Mr Sweeting said a blue and black Samsung phone was in the centre console, and a mask was on the light handle.
He also went to a greenand-brown single-storey structure, house #68.
There, a bullet was recovered from the northern exterior front wall.
Mr Sweeting also saw a black and chrome Austria Glock pistol, serial number CFG758US, with a magazine containing 15 rounds.
Mr Sweeting said he photographed the scene, while Detective Constable Bell collected evidence.
Later, at CSI, he downloaded the images onto a CD.
The images were shown in court.
Basil Cumberbatch is prosecuting the case.
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in New Providence last week was remanded to prison yesterday.
Prosecutors allege that Kyle Edgecombe, 20, raped the teenage girl on June 23. Edgecombe was not required to enter a plea to the rape charge before acting Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans.
He was told that his matter would proceed to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment. Edgecombe was also informed of his right to apply for bail in the Supreme Court. He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until the service of his VBI on October 8. Inspector Deon Barr prosecuted the case, while Alphonso Lewis represented the accused.
Second chances: Prison inmates complete reintegration program
THE BAHAMAS Department of Corrections recognized graduates of its Pathway to Peace Institute Restorative Reintegration Program during a ceremony yesterday. Minister of Social Services Barbara Cartwright, Minister of Tourism Glenys Hanna-Martin, and institute founder Patrice Ellis presented the certificates. Attorney General Wayne Munroe delivered the keynote address. The program supports rehabilitation, personal growth, and community reintegration, reflecting the department’s commitment to restorative justice. Photos: Shawn Hanna
THORN COOPER KENDON BROWN
KEMBERSON HOMERE
Flag raising ceremony at Rawson Square
PHOTOS: CHAPPELL WHYMS JR
Authorities charge 4 adults after 16 children rescued from dilapidated Ohio home
By JULIE CARR SMYTH and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
SIXTEEN children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confned to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.
Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled — could not even write her name, investigators said.
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sherif Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”
The children’s parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said. Ofcials emphasized the case involved one family. Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio
Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.
“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” said Wilson, who was nearly at a loss for words in describing what ofcials found in the tiny village of Hamden that sits in one of Ohio’s poorest counties.
“It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.
Rescued children looked like “feral animals”
The sherif said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters). He didn’t disclose how the kids were kept inside the home, but said authorities didn’t fnd any cages in the house.
The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, ofcials said.
Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were fown by helicopters. One was in critical condition on Tuesday, Wilson said.
“They looked like almost feral animals,” Wilson said.
“It was terrible.”
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.
Neighbour saw “no kids at all”.
The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden.
Investigators said members of the family had
moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records.
They said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children.
“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson said.
Neighbour Joseph Stewart, 60, said he saw “no
kids at all” since the family moved in.
“It’s a sad situation,” he said. Stewart has lived on the street for six years and called it “a quiet neighbourhood.”
On Wednesday, the home’s doors and windows stood open to the sweltering heat. A tangle of discarded children’s items - two busted bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach
pail and two infant carriers - stood in a pile in the yard.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometres) southeast of Columbus. The discovery of the children is reminiscent of past horrifc cases of family abuse.
In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education. They were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The couple were arrested in 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the home and called 911.
Retro tted Qatari jet takes ight as Air Force One for Trump’s trip to North
WASHINGTON Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Wednesday took his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One — a retroftted Boeing 747-800 worth $400 million gifted by Qatar that embeds his personality more deeply into the institution of the American presidency.
Gone is the trademark light blue hull that helped Air Force One blend into the sky. The refurbished jet is painted in Trump’s preferred colour scheme: a navy-blue belly with red and gold stripes. It has the luxury features that the president believes a commander-in-chief’s entourage should have — plush carpets, lie-fat seats, wood panelling and a presidential seal on the seat belts, according to reported tours of the plane.
Trump told reporters that he was proud of the luxurious plane. “You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it,” he said.
The retroftted Qatari jet is intended to serve as a “bridge” between the aging Boeing jets that have served as Air Force One for the last 36 years and
two new aircraft, which are years behind schedule and expected to be delivered in 2028 at the earliest. Trump toured the new jet just weeks after returning to the White House last year and directed that it be prepared for his use for the bulk of his remaining time in ofce. The compressed timetable set by the president limited the modifcations to
the plane. Images of the jet captured since its unveiling and analysed by the Associated Press show that it is not equipped with at least some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the outgoing Cold War-era jets.
The Air Force has said that it did little to change the cabin layout of the plane and that it spent less than
$400 million on security upgrades.
Jeremiah Gertler, a senior analyst for Teal Group, an aviation and defence consulting frm, said that this absence, as well as a seemingly smaller number of communications antennas, suggested that the Qatari jet is better suited to only work as a domestic aircraft.
“If you’re going on a
long trip, you take the big fancy car, but if you’re just buzzing around town, you’ll settle for something less,” Gertler said, speaking of the new jet.
“If the idea was to do it as quickly and inexpensively as possible, it would seem to lead to the notion that there’s less content” in the jet’s modifcations, Gertler said.
Trump has said he plans to use the new plane next week when he travels to attend the NATO summit in Turkey.
The Air Force argued that the rapid conversion of the jet was done “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” but added that “several highly complex engineering modifcations required for the fnal (Air Force One aircraft) were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft.” The service acknowledged that it did not widen the doors leading out of the aircraft or include multiple stairs built into the hull of the plane.
Dakota
White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a photo of aides gathered around a circular table that had of-white place mats and leather captain’s chairs. Monica Crowley, the chief of US protocol, posted a picture of herself perched on a leather couch between a pair of Air Force One throw pillows. Mounted on the wall behind her was a framed photo of the Thomas Jeferson Memorial.
The jet carried Trump to North Dakota to see the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, its frst ofcial visitor ahead of its opening on the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The gift from the Middle Eastern power raised ethical concerns, but Trump saw the plane as a necessary replacement for the older planes that had previously ferried him as president.
“This is a gift from a country that has treated us very well,” Trump said. Trump has said in the past that the Qatar plane would end up in a presidential library.
Reporters are generally not permitted to take photos inside the plane unless Trump is present. But on Wednesday, Trump administration stafers shared images of the plane’s interior on social media.
MOURNERS ATTEND FUNERALS FOR 14 PAKISTANI CHILDREN KILLED IN TUTORING CENTER ROOF COLLAPSE
By BABAR DOGAR and KM CHAUDHRY Associated Press
MOURNERS gathered Wednesday in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore to bury 14 schoolchildren who were killed when the roof of a tutoring centre collapsed on Tuesday.
Police are investigating whether negligence during ongoing construction work caused the collapse that left another eight children injured and hospitalized in stable condition. Residents and preliminary police fndings indicate the tutoring center was operating in an aging building. Investigators believe the unfnished roof of the second foor may have collapsed because of poor construction.
At least two people,
including the building owner, were arrested as investigators tried to determine who was responsible, senior police ofcial Kamran Faisal said, adding that negligence by the owner and construction workers appear to have caused the collapse.
“We are still investigating to determine exactly whose negligence resulted in this tragic incident,” Faisal said. Funeral prayers for the children, who were up to 14 years old, began before dawn and continued through Wednesday morning. Most of the victims were buried in a local graveyard, while some families planned to take the bodies to their native towns for burial.
Ambulances transported the victims’ bodies overnight to their homes in Kahna, a neighbourhood on the
outskirts of Lahore. As the bodies were returned to their families, cries echoed through the neighbourhood. Mothers and female relatives sat beside the bodies throughout the night while classmates
and friends of the victims stood nearby in tears. The funeral mourners Wednesday morning included Mohammad Ashfaq, a labourer whose 7-year-old son and nephew
were killed in the collapse.
“I cannot express my pain and grief in words,” Ashfaq said through tears as relatives tried to comfort him.
Nearby, Muhammad Farooq mourned the loss of his young daughter.
“Yesterday she went to her tuition class at around 4 p.m.,” Farooq said. “Around 4:45 p.m., my family called me and said the roof of the tuition center had collapsed. They told me many children were trapped under the debris. Fourteen children were killed, and the injured were taken to the hospital.”
Local resident Mohammad Tahir said neighbours were the frst to respond after the roof gave way.
“Rescuers arrived quickly, but before they reached us, neighbours rushed in with shovels and even dug
through the debris with their bare hands,” Tahir said. “We also pulled children from the rubble, but many could not be saved.” Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced. Structures are frequently built with substandard materials and safety regulations are sometimes ignored to reduce costs
Grief has turned to anger for some people. Residents blamed the owner of the tutoring center for holding classes in what they described as an old and unsafe building despite ongoing construction and demanded strict punishment for those responsible.
“We don’t know whose funeral to attend frst or whose home to visit frst to ofer condolences,” Tahir said.
POLICE tape surrounds a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, yesterday.
Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP
THE NEWLY designated Air Force One is ready as President Donald Trump arrives to board, yesterday, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.
Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
PEOPLE carry the bodies of children, who were killed in a roof collapse at a tutoring centre on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan after a funeral prayer yesterday. Photo: KM Chaudary/AP
