07072020 NEWS AND SPORT

MONDAY TUESDAY McCombo McChicken $5.00 i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 90ºF LOW 79ºF

The Tribune Established 1903

24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM

Biggest And Best!

VOLUME:117 No.154, JULY 7TH, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

HEALTH: HELPING PARENTS TACKLE CHILD OBESITY

MINNIS’ KICK IN THE BEACH

PM announces holiday shutdown even though there are no more cases

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday that beaches and parks in New Providence, Paradise Island and Grand Bahama will be closed throughout the Independence Day holiday weekend, beginning 10pm on Thursday and ending 5am on Monday.

His action comes four days after Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, the

coordinator of the government’s COVID-19 response, said there is no more community spread of COVID-19 in The Bahamas as she explained why officials are not conducting more COVID-19 tests.

Dr Minnis’ announcement sparked criticism across social media. Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip Davis said the decision appeared arbitrary and devoid of a scientific basis.

ABACO’S labour shortages are causing post-Dorian reconstruction prices to “skyrocket” by at least 25 percent, Ken Hutton, the island’s Chamber of Commerce chief, warned yesterday.

Mr Hutton said the government “needs to pull out all the stops” to meet the

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

SEE PAGE NINE

CANNABIS REFORM - ‘GET ON WITH IT’ MEMBERS of the Rastafarian community say they want the government to stop “dragging their feet” on marijuana law reform, noting the drug, if legalised, could help aid the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

Head of the Ethiopia SEE PAGE FOUR

SEE PAGE THREE

island’s needs given that the lack of skilled trades persons could double the time taken to rebuild while “pricing out” many Bahamians.

With skilled contractors saying they have client waiting lists of “about a year”, he argued the extent of Dorian’s devastation meant the island needed an influx in the “hundreds” to speed up its rebound.

MY BAHAMIAN QUEEN IN YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ABACO STRUGGLES TO FIND NEW WORKERS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

FACE-TO-FACE

SADDLE UP FOR SUMMER

THE Camperdown Equestrian Centre’s summer camp began this week, giving children the chance to have riding lessons, groom horses and enjoy arts and crafts. The annual camp for children between five and 15 runs until early August.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

MARINAS ASK - WHY CHARGE EXIT FEE?

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net NEW Customs check-out processes, including imposing fees on exiting boaters, have created “another obstacle to encourage boaters not to visit”, Peter Maury, president of the Association of Bahamas Marinas, claimed yesterday.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

SPEAKER BACKS DOWN IN BLOCKING GLENYS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie had another tense clash with opposition members in the House of Assembly yesterday after he backpedalled on his order not to allow Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin into Parliament.

The latest confrontation came after he told Mrs Hanna Martin to withdraw from the House because of

MP Glenys Hanna Martin what she said from her seat during last week’s sitting.

Mrs Hanna Martin did not

leave the chamber during that sitting and the House of Assembly adjourned until yesterday.

Parliamentary clerk David Forbes wrote a letter over the weekend indicating that Mrs Hanna Martin would not be allowed to enter the House of Assembly unless she wrote an apology because of what he called the “defiance of the chair, the disrespect for the chair, the lack of respect

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE THREE

PETER YOUNG

IT WOULD TAKE A BRAVE MAN TO PREDICT FUTURE SEE PAGE TEN

PAGE 2, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

RBDF LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO DAMAGED BOAT

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force has launched an investigation after one of its vessels was damaged on its way to Marsh Harbour, Abaco on Friday morning.

This comes after a local tabloid reported that HMBS Nassau allegedly hit “a sandbank in low tide” outside the entrance to the harbour.

As a result of the crash, the tabloid claimed that

repairs to the boat could potentially cause “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

However, in a press statement released yesterday, RBDF officials did not say what caused the incident nor did the agency reveal the cost of repairs, only saying an investigation has been launched into the matter.

The RBDF also said while the vessel sustained minimal damage to one of its propellers, no one was hurt during the incident.

“The Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s Bahama

HMBS Nassau Class vessel HMBS Nassau, sustained minor damage to its port propeller while transiting the channel inbound to the pier in Marsh Harbour, Abaco on Friday morning,” the RBDF said.

“None of the crew members were injured in that incident. As per RBDF protocols, divers were deployed once alongside the pier to determine the extent of damage.”

The statement continued: “HMBS Nassau had undertaken corrective action in response to environmental forces during its final approach to the pier while conducting detachment replenishment mission to that island.

“The mission was completed and HMBS Nassau safely and comfortably

returned to Coral Harbour Base where further investigations are underway to determine the extent of damage, cost of repairs and cause of incident.”

In April 2018, a clip went viral of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis admonishing then Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Tellis Bethel about marines “mashing up” defence force vessels, adding that officers must “learn to navigate”.

Dr Minnis’ comment came after a set of propellers on HMBS Rolly Gray was damaged that

month after the boat departed Coral Harbour, the third time such an incident had taken place in a six month timeframe. At the time, Commodore Bethel said the commanding officers of two vessels involved in recent incidents have been reassigned.

It was also revealed in April 2018 that the cost of repairing HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna which sustained damage to its port shaft and gear box in November 2017, was $1.5m.

PRINCE Harry risked upsetting the Royal family by insisting the Commonwealth “must acknowledge the past” in a video call with his wife Meghan Markle and young leaders from across the Commonwealth. Pictured bottom left is Alicia Wallace.

Also taking part in the video call were Chrisann Jarrett and Mike Omoniyi (top left and right) from the UK, and Abdullahi Alim from Australia, bottom right.

By ALICIA WALLACE LAST week, I was one of four young people in conversation with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who serve as the President and Vice President of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT).

We were invited to speak with the Sussexes about equal rights and justice.

We put particular focus on racial inequality given the Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the US and all over the world and calls for defunding of police, abolition of police and other specific actions to end racial injustice.

Joined by QCT Trustee and co-founder of We Belong Chrisann Jarrett, founder and CEO of The Common Sense Network Mike Omoniyi, and Global Shapers network leader Abdullah Alim, I was in good company and confident in our ability to use the short time we had with the Sussexes to make strong points that would resonate with young people all over the world and, hopefully, inspire action for change.

Linking up with Harry and Meghan to try and inspire action for change As the edited recording of the call is being shared widely, I am reminded of our tendency to see these events as one-time occurrences with a distinct start and end, but they exist on a continuum. This conversation came after multiple series of events and involved people from different regions of the world who have been engaged in justice and equality work in various ways. We hope that it serves as a pivot point, not because of the power and personalities of the people

involved, but because of its relevance to current events.

We had a clear understanding that each of us came to the issue from different backgrounds and personal experiences, yet we agreed on the need to move beyond comfortable conversations and not only call for systemic changes, but reflect on our own value systems and actions.

The Duchess of Sussex said: “It’s in the quiet moments where racism and unconscious bias [lies, hides and thrives].” She noted

that people often passively participate in unequal, unjust systems. “In people’s complacency, they’re complicit,” she said.

Each of us spoke to the need for individuals to make the conscious decision to participate in making the change. Mike opened the conversation with notes on alliances and the role of white people — beyond using hashtags on social media — in ending racism.

Chrisann highlighted the work of young people who are having difficult

conversations and using the insights from those conversations to guide our work.

Abdullahi noted that we are not the first to try to address these issues and he encouraged us to not only acknowledge that we are contributing to work that started long before us, but study and learn from what our predecessors did.

In one of my comments, I focused on the nature of this moment. We can talk about and study an issue, but something changes when there is an incident or

series of incidents — like the murder of George Floyd and many other black people — that bring anger and grief.

The combination builds an energy that makes us desperate to act. When people feel that way, leaders, influencers, and organisers have to be ready. Conversations like this one are preparation. They are not final acts, but help to prepare us for the next action. There is always more to say, and so much more to do.

Editorial View - Page 6

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 3

Bannister challenges employers over using no-work visa ‘migrants’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister said yesterday Bahamians should reflect on hiring undocumented immigrants this independence season as he discussed the threat of a shanty town on Abaco.

Speaking to reporters at the House of Assembly, Mr Bannister said ministry officials are monitoring the Farm Road shanty town.

“What happened in Abaco is that the ministry was supposed to clear four shanty towns,” he said.

“We cleared three. We couldn’t clear the Farm because there were families actually living there and there are a number of court orders with respect to how you treat these places where there are families. I believe that the Attorney General’s Office and the appropriate authorities are seeking to get the appropriate authorisation so that we can clear the Farm. In the interim, I know there have been some new attempts at construction there. In every

No documents?

Don’t hire them

one of those places where people have started new construction, the ministry’s office in Abaco has gone there and fixed statutory notices.

“Before we demolish anything, the law requires us to affix notices to the residences so we have affixed those notices, our offices in Abaco are monitoring everything that happens there.

We have to follow a certain procedure to do what we have to do. If we don’t follow those procedures we’ll end up in court again so the challenge is to follow the process, to abide by the law, to follow the directions

that the law provide and do it in a lawful manner.”

Mr Bannister was asked if he is concerned that the community could grow substantially by the time officials secure the authorisation needed to clear newly constructed buildings.

“I think nationally we have to look at addressing this whole thing,” he said.

“We’ve allowed this thing to happen in this country for 50 years. Every island I go to I see these residences.

Our people have become a bit complacent in it because we hire people throughout this country.

“You have to ask yourself, where are these illegal residents working, what jobs are they going to, who’s hiring them? How do they have money to do these things? And when you ask these questions, you have to ask, are we working against ourselves as Bahamians?

Whether we really want to tackle the problems that affect the country, whether we really want to place the name and responsibility of government agencies as opposed to ensuring that we live up to our obligations as Bahamian citizens and I think it’s an appropriate time to ask that question

MINISTER Desmond Bannister coming up to independence. Who’s been hiring hundreds of hundreds of people? Eleuthera, Exuma, Andros, all these communities, people who are

undocumented (are being hired). It’s a very serious question for us to ask ourselves at independence.”

Last week, Abaco residents raised alarm over unsanctioned construction in shanty town communities on the island, saying it is unfair some people are being allowed certain liberties, while others are being treated like “fourth class citizens” in their own country. Residents are concerned if the matter is not dealt with soon it could mirror the pre-Dorian situation which saw several large unregulated shanty towns on the island.

Speaker backs down in blocking Hanna Martin from page one for honorable members of the House and the House of Assembly itself,” along with the breaking of several House rules.

However, Speaker Moultrie rescinded his order yesterday morning for unclear reasons. Police officers had erected barricades in Parliament Square and dozens of officers, some carrying guns, stood guard. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ismella Davis-Delancey and Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash were among the senior officers at the scene. Mrs HannaMartin expressed shock at the heavy presence of police officers, prompting National Security Minister Marvin Dames to stress in the House that Police Commissioner Paul Rolle has operational control of the RBPF, not the politicians.

During the House proceedings, Speaker Moultrie expunged from the record comments Mrs Hanna Martin made from her seat last week.

“The Parliament of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a member of the Commonwealth Parliament Association,” he said.

“It has more than 100 members. In that association

GLENYS Hanna Martin outside the House yesterday it has been agreed by the various parliaments that there are certain words and phrases that are forbidden as unparliamentary words and phrases. The five leading words that have been banned and restricted in those parliaments included blackguard…a reference to slaves working in kitchens…lies, liar, rats and swine. They are the five leading words that have been banned.

“On the occasion of the 30 of June the honorable member for Englerston uttered the words that the members are running like scared rats and those words

were audible to the ZNS broadcast, they were published all over the world, they went out to the world and it doesn’t matter in my estimation whether you are on your feet or on your seat when it comes to the rules of procedure and the fact is that in those rules the broadcast of the parliamentary proceeding are considered an official record of those proceedings. While in the member’s seat, the member uttered the words ‘y’all telling lies.’ On numerous occasions that was uttered on the broadcast tape. Those are two of the words that

are banned by the parliaments throughout our jurisdictions and our commonwealth association.”

He then ordered that the words Mrs Hanna Martin uttered from her seat last week be expunged from the record.

Official Opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis said in response that comments uttered when an MP is seated cannot be put on the record of the House.

“My position is that no record of those words should be in the record of the House because they were said when the member was sitting,” he said. “(Your position) is not

PM ORDERS SHUTDOWN EVEN THOUGH NO MORE CASES from page one

During a national address on June 27, Dr Minnis announced that beaches in the aforementioned islands and Bimini would be immediately closed if there are mass gatherings.

He also said that depending on the results of beach monitoring in the ensuing week, officials would determine whether the beaches will remain open or closed during the July 10 holiday weekend.

Since then, there have been no videos or reports of residents disobeying social distancing rules on beaches and Dr Minnis did not indicate in the House of Assembly yesterday that he has received reports of people failing to adhere to the policy.

He said: “We are quite aware of the surge of the COVID-19 virus that’s occurring in the United States, particularly Florida, Texas, Arizona, which I will speak to later, and we are also aware of what may have contributed to some of the surge. Taking these matters into consideration, so as to avoid such activities

within The Bahamas and possibility of introduction and subsequently spread, the beaches and parks of New Providence, Paradise Island and the surrounding cays and Grand Bahama will close on the 9th of July at 10pm until the 13th of July 5am on Monday.”

In response, Mr Davis said: “There’s no reason given for his action. You’d expect that all these decisions would be based on some scientific, medical rationale but the beaches are open all week, then you will close it down during the holiday? I don’t get it. There’s nothing to indicate that Bahamians have not been cooperating.

Families were clustered, three or four of them at a time, but there was physical distancing. When he said that (in the House of Assembly) I looked at him and said how does it make sense?”

Mr Davis continued: “It’s just also irrational and arbitrary because what is the purpose? Is it to prevent people from going out and enjoying themselves? Why shouldn’t they be allowed to go out once they are practicing the appropriate protocols that are in place?”

The Minnis administration began its controversial plan last week to reopen the country’s borders to international commercial travel even as COVID-19 cases in the United States skyrocket. Some critics blasted the move, saying it puts the country at risk.

There has not been a new documented case of the COVID-19 in nearly three weeks and the pace of new COVID-19 tests has dropped significantly.

Asked during a press conference last week why widespread testing is not being done, Dr Dahl-Regis said there is no need for it.

“We do not at this time anticipate widespread testing. We have no community spread of COVID-19 as evidenced in the data I presented,” she said.

Mr Davis said yesterday: “The two of these things don’t align. If there’s no community spread and you don’t have to test, why still have the lockdown, why still have the curfew, and why close the beaches?

These things I now believe are unrelated to the issue at hand, which is COVID-19.

They need to answer what

it is they are doing and why or is it just a case of dictatorial tendencies, I’m doing what I can do.”

Mr Davis questioned the basis of the assertion that there is no more community spread of COVID-19 in the country.

“I don’t know how they determine there is no community spread if this is an invisible enemy where people could be asymptomatic,” he said. “The only way to know if there is spread is if there is testing, so if they aren’t testing, how would they know there is no spread? They are acting only when someone presents with the COVID fever or symptoms so if you don’t have the symptoms you’re not tested but how can I be satisfied about the status of the virus in the country when you’re not testing?”

During last week’s press conference, Dr Dahl-Regis also said the prime minister would “shortly” announce changes to the 10pm to 5am curfew. However, yesterday was the fourth consecutive day where no changes were announced.

Editorial View - Page 6

a view that we have adopted because a lot of things are said from the chair. While I’m speaking, many members shout a lot of things and nothing is said to them.

I don’t engage them and it’s not on the record.

“I had a conversation with the prime minister on the matters that transpired on that day that moved a letter to be written by the

clerk on the direction of the speaker which (led me to think) that this (issue) would’ve been forgotten.

But since you have raised it, we are troubled as opposition members by the constant tension that exists between us and only for the simple reason that you just don’t listen.”

Ahead of yesterday’s House sitting, Mrs Hanna Martin told reporters that Speaker Moultrie lacked the legal authority to deny her entrance to the House of Assembly, describing his actions as disturbing.

“We have to query what is the thinking in this country,” she said. “What you’re seeing is a pattern of behavior that is very disturbing and offensive. I don’t know what the motivation is, it is disturbing. This is the one place where you should be able to speak and that is being more and more restrained and constrained in this country.

You look out here today, the police you see with big guns.

We should all be on high alert and watching what is happening in this country. It is very disturbing.”

PAGE 4, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CANNABIS REFORM - TIME TO GET ON WITH IT, SAY ACTIVISTS from page one

Africa Black International Congress (EABIC) Bahamas branch, Priest Rithmond McKinney said while he understands the health crisis might have put a wrench in the government’s plans towards reforming marijuana legislation, he feels the government should stop dragging its feet on the matter, especially given the potential economic benefits of the drug.

“We are watching, we are waiting, and we see the slow process,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “As you know, I am also a part of the (marijuana) commission and we all know that the during the pandemic and even before the pandemic,

the hurricane also put a halt in the commission’s process along with the government.

“We feel as though the AG (Attorney General), the AG’s Office is really dragging their feet. I know the Prime Minister is busy and the Prime Minister has taken it upon his office but also, the AG’s Office has the responsibility to set the laws.”

His comments come after Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana co-chairs Bishop Simeon Hall and Quinn McCartney told The Tribune on Sunday that group members intend to reconvene their work very soon. “Since we’ve been on pause for the past three and a half months or so, we need to reconvene,” Mr McCartney said. “So, I think the intent is to try direction from the prime

minister in terms of which way he would like to see us go. Then we will get together and have a better idea of the way forward.”

In 2108, the commission was given its mandate by Cabinet to comprehensively examine issues surrounding the use of marijuana.

After several delays last year, the group finally presented its preliminary report to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis in January, who later tabled it in the House of Assembly a month later. However, it is not clear what concrete steps have been taken in recent months to advance marijuana legalisation.

The religious leader also said because no further steps have been taken to progress the country towards marijuana reform,

too many young people are being hauled before the courts and burdened with criminal records. “I don’t think it’s fair and when we look to see what’s happening throughout our country and the world, our neighbour to the north to see how many states have been allowed to have the marijuana use for the persons and their states so we have to do the same,” he continued. “We can’t be oppressing especially in this kind of time when things is rough and things are hard and for persons to be dragged before the courts and fined.”

Speaking on the economic benefits that legalising marijuana could bring to the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Priest McKinney added: “I

feel as though the government must speed up the process and leave it in the commission because its revenue could bring more development to our country and slow down the persons who have no employment.

“This could make the employment (rate) much better and it’s a big industry and it really could help someone economically.

“I feel as though the whole Caribbean is looking into this matter and seeing how best they could benefit and help rise the economy so we shouldn’t drag our feet and be behind. We should find the best ways and means to find a way how to use it for the benefit of the Bahamian people economically and medically.”

In the meantime, Priest

McKinney said feels that police officers should use their discretion when it comes to arresting young people found with small amounts of the drug.

“We see a relentless campaign on our young people concerning being locked up for marijuana being searched and being dragged in front of the court,” he said. “The prime minister stated that he (wants to) expunge their records for small amounts so we’re trying to figure out and understand why this still taking place and why the commissioner of police and the minister of national security wouldn’t tell the police to use some kind of discretion when to comes to small amount of the cannabis amongst our young people.”

‘Brother had row before his death’

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE sister of a man whose body was found in a graveyard last week said he had an argument with a neighbour recently, which may have led to his death.

Charlotte Williams, 38, said her her sibling Fred Williams, 45, had a disagreement with a person concerning a stolen phone.

She alleged that the person was seen following the Rosebud Road resident sometime before his death.

“Well, he had an altercation with one of the neighbours... who had stolen his cell phone,” Ms Williams alleged. “... Plenty persons told us that (they) saw the same guy following him on that morning.

“He’s very disgusting and also known to say that he has plenty (friends) on the police force.”

Williams’ body was found at St Joseph’s cemetery around 6am on Tuesday June 30. ASP Audley Peters previously told The Tribune a man came across the deceased laying on the ground with severe head injuries and that it appeared the body had been there overnight.

Ms Williams recalled the family going to the graveyard that morning after being told of her brother’s death by someone who came by their home. Although not able to positively identify their relative at the scene, Williams’ loved ones knew it was him as his beloved dog called

“2 Face” was there. “One of the guys who recognised him passing through the graveyard went to the home and notified (the family) they say they think that’s him,” Ms Williams said.

“We all went by the graveyard but the police was done on the scene so we weren’t able to see his body until my mom was able to identify him in the morgue but we really did know it was him because he has a dog that he always travels with (sic).

“The dog stayed by his body and from when we see the dog we knew that was him because wherever he go his dog goes...he stayed with him until the coroner took his body away.”

His love for dogs was a trait his younger sister

fondly remembered about him. She admitted her brother did have trouble with the law and mostly got into problems when he was younger. However, she stated he settled down and has not gotten in trouble for around 10 years.

“My brother was more a little rebellious because of the fact of my father…

I think he had issues with not having more of a father figure in his life growing up,” she said.

“He wasn’t perfect but he was lovable. He always stood by his family. Never allowed anyone to bring harm to the family and most of all he was a dog lover.

The dogs were just like his children,” she said.

This is not the first loss the family has experienced.

The 45-year-old lost his daughter in December 2013 in a motorcycle accident she was only 17. He leaves behind a 17-year-old son.

No one has been arraigned yet in connection with the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 502-9991 or 328-TIPS.

FRED Williams with his dog, 2 Face

A Private Funeral Service for DR. DANIEL PAUL REILLY, 87 of Churchill Ave. and Wallace Road, will be held on Thursday, July 9th, 2020 at Holy Spirit Anglican Church, on Howard Street, Chippingham. Officiating will be Rev’d Fr. DeAngelo Bowe, assisted by other ministers of the Clergy. Cremation was held.

family & friends.

In compliance with current Government regulations, attendance will be limited to close

Dr. Daniel Reilly was predeceased by his parents: Thomas and Eileen Reilly and his one true love: Eleanor Babb-Reilly.

Left to cherish his memories are his Daughters: Siobhan Reilly-Laing and Nicole Reilly; Grand-son: Nicholas Reilly; Grand-daughter: Amber Pinder; Son-in-law: Anthony Laing; Other Children: Paul, Anthony, Suzi and Mark Reilly (United Kingdom); 11 Grand Children and 9 Great Grand Children (United Kingdom); Sisters: Aileen Burford-Mason (Toronto) and Ann White-Thompson (Ireland); Sisters-in-law: Garnel Babb, Melvina Gibson, Edith Babb, Patricia Babb and Monica Thomas; Brothers-in-law: Cresval Babb and William Thompson (Ireland); Nieces: Philippa Forde, Sherice Gibson, Tonya Gibson, Abigail Babb, Monique Babb, Estelle Gibson, Stanell Babb, Elaine White Whelan, (Ireland) & Lucianne Hughes (Ireland); Nephews: Allison Miller, Linton Miller, Sean Gibson, Steffon Gibson, Perez Babb, Charlton Babb, Terrence Pedigan, Stanley Babb Jr, AJ Munroe, Ritchie Richardson, Anthony Forde, Robbie White (Ireland) Oliver Burfurd Mason Totonto; Other family and friends: Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes, Dr. Ian Kelly, Rev. Kay Barret, Mr. & Mrs. Wenty Stubbs, Mrs. Violet Weech, Irene Moss, Paul & Tanya Hanna, Rose Stanislaus, Ron Devasto, Kerry Fink, Mrs. Joyce Drakes and Family, Mr. Michael Fernander, Ricardo Knowles, Jerome Sawyer, Hope Ratliffe, Richard Rudon, Vienna Johnson and Family, The Fernander & Armbrister Family, Anton Butler, Leslie Thompson, The Laing and Smith Family, The Guardian and Star 106.5 Family and other family and friends too numerous to mention.

Friends may sign the book of condolences at Bethel Brothers Morticians & Crematorium, #44 Nassau Street on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 5

GBPA WELCOMES GOVT HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Grand Bahama Port Authority’s small business recovery grant programme will receive matching grant funding of $100,000 from the government’s Small Business Development Centre to assist small businesses.

GBPA president Ian Rolle “welcomed” the partnership with the government and its support of their SBRG initiative, which was launched in May. “Today we are pleased to welcome the partnership of SBDC, which now joins the Bahamas Red Cross (BRC) and the GBPA partnership, adding $100,000 in funding to support this initiative,” he said on Monday.

“Working together in a

THE PEOPLE behind the GBPA partnership with SBDC for grant funding for business recovery. public-private partnership will further assist microbusinesses to redevelop and rebound post-Dorian and during this period of COVID-19. We thank BRC and SBDC for partnering with us for the betterment of our small business community,” he stated.

Davina Blair, executive director of the Small Business Development Centre, said the group is pleased to provide a match in funding of $100,000, joining a civic entity and a private corporate entity in assisting the recovery of Grand Bahama’s small business sector.

“These partnerships are really important,” stressed Ms Blair, who noted that government has invested nearly $4m in Dorian recovery and over $37m in COVID recovery.

Last September, many small and micro-businesses were adversely affected

‘CofE should join reparation talks’

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net A REPRESENTATIVE from the CARICOM Reparations Commission said it is time for the Church of England to join the discussion on reparations.

The group is also calling for a “reparations summit” as phase two of the exit of colonialism for Caribbean countries. This was announced by Sir Henry Beckles, chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and vice chancellor of UWI yesterday.

Sir Henry was a panelist at a media engagement held by the CARICOM Reparations Commission and University of the West Indies which was set to update regional and international media on recent developments in the region’s push for reparatory justice for the historical crimes of native genocide and African enslavement in the Caribbean region.

This comes in the wake of recent public statements of “apology” and “regret” by some European states and a number of British commercial enterprises for their role in the transAtlantic slave trade and in the 200-plus years’ practice of chattel slavery, the group said.

Sir Henry noted that the Church of England,

which owned enslaved Africans in the Caribbean, branded its slaves on their chests.

“It is also the Church of England’s time to join civil society’s conversation about reparations for development,” Sir Henry continued. “This is how we imagined this conference can be organised – an inter-governmental, civil society summit so that we can move into phase two of our exit from colonialism.”

In 2006, the Church of England voted to apologise to the descendants of victims of the slave trade. An amendment “recognising the damage done” to those enslaved was backed overwhelmingly by the General Synod, the BBC reported at the time.

Sir Henry said yesterday: “Apologies are not enough.

Apologies are precursors for reparations. Apologies are signals of an intent to participate in a reparatory process. Apologies are stage one of an effort that says, ‘we acknowledge the harm that we have caused and we are prepared to enter phase two which is a discussion and a negotiation about how to repair that harm and suffering that continues to be the legacy in the Caribbean today.’”

He also said that the colonial “mess” that Caribbean nations have inherited from Britain and Europe remains visible in every aspect of

the Caribbean world today.

“Britain and Europe chose to walk away from this mess that they have created,” Sir Henry continued. “They have left it entirely to the democratic leadership of Caribbean governments and civil society. This was a deliberate and strategic effort, to walk away and refuse to take the responsibility for the legacies and slavery and colonisation. The model which was used by Britain at the moment of the ending of colonisation, was that Britain should exit colonisation and its legacies on the cheap. That they should exit without responsibility; that they should walk away and not look back.

“The theory emerging from the British government and many other governments in Europe, is that those who continue to suffer and experience the harm from colonisation and slavery, should move on and get over it. The Caribbean governments have done well in confronting this legacy of harm and taking responsibility for cleaning up this mess, but the fact of the matter is that the inherited legacy has overwhelmed the best and greatest intentions of our civil societies and our governments.”

He said billions of dollars are spent in this region each year dealing with the consequences and the legacies

of an enforced diet of sugar and salt to which the people of this region are addicted.

Black people in the Caribbean, he said, are the sickest people in the world, because of the direct consequence of slavery.

Speaking of plans for the summit, he said: “The meeting and summit should be over three days, to discuss how to honour this debt owed to the Caribbean at this moment in history. Day one will be a conversation between the governments.

Day two in which there will be a conversation with the private sector. We have heard of late of major private sector that have emerged out of slavery, that emerged out of colonization that were enriched by the crimes against humanity with issues and comments of regret. The major institutions in the city of London, for example, have all made their statements. Time has come now to move to that summit with these major institutions to discuss their contribution to a development plan for the Caribbean.

“Day three will be where civil society institutions and individuals. Most of the universities of Europe participated in the enrichment from slavery. Some of the universities are now ready to discuss this legacy and to allocate resources for research for collective action.”

by Hurricane Dorian, and in March recovery was further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Recognising the difficulty being faced by many businesses, Mr Rolle said GBPA saw the need to provide “a push for this very

important segment of the local economy.”

The SBR programme will award 80 grants in amounts of $3,000, $4,500, and $6,000 to micro-licensees and vendor permit holders on Grand Bahama, operating within the sectors of fishing, farming, craft, and souvenir vendors, food vendors, micro-retail services and home-based service businesses.

Recipients will receive training in finance, marketing, and disaster preparedness, as well as a one-year membership with the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce. Training and business support are coordinated by the Invest GB Small Business Bureau.

“We thank BRC and SBDC for partnering with us for the betterment of our small business community,” added Mr Rolle.

COVID SCARE CLOSES BPL

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light temporarily closed its Peter I Bethel Building to customers yesterday for cleaning after an unsubstantiated COVID-19 scare.

According to a source, a customer was in a casual conversation with another person at the BPL building when the word “COVID” was mentioned. This in turn triggered a panic, the source said.

The source said BPL was trying to investigate whether there was more than that, but it appeared not to be so.

However, the premises was being sanitised at the time.

The building was closed to the public between noon and 2pm.

When contacted, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen said he had no information on the reported incident. The power company was apologetic in a release about the temporary closure of the building.

“Bahamas Power and Light wishes to advise that the Peter I Bethel Building has been closed to customers between the hours of 12pm and 2pm on Monday, July 6, 2020,” the release read. “We apologise for any inconvenience and remind customers that our offices at the Mall at Marathon remain open for business, as do our regular payment partners.”

A similar incident occurred in April when their Baillou Hill Road office was closed after a small number of staff were suspected of being exposed to someone who had been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient.

BPL indicated in a statement at the time: “The building was immediately closed. The staff potentially exposed were sent home under strict instructions to ensure they followed the recommended anti-infection protocols. We brought in a professional cleaning company to do a deep cleaning and fumigation of the building overnight.”

SMITH COMMITS UNTIL 2022

UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas President Dr Rodney Smith has stressed his commitment to the institution until the end of his contract in 2022. “I will not abandon UB’s faculty, students and staff, as some have suggested,” Dr Smith said in a statement. “Over the next two years, we will focus on surviving these difficult times together, rebuilding UB-North, and ensuring that UB has the right leader for the future, beginning in 2022.”

It has been previously reported that Dr Smith will not renew his contract at the university in August 2022

and has already started seeking other employment.

It was reported that Dr Smith, 67, had been shortlisted along with two other finalists to be West Virginia State University’s (WVSU) 12th president, however, he was not selected for the post.

Dr Smith said he withdrew his candidacy before their decision.

Dr Smithsaid he should have informed UB’s board of trustees sooner about his plans. He explained he has started to seek employment elsewhere because he does not have a pension to rely on when he retires.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES

News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax

(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com

@tribune242

tribune news network

We shall fight them on the beaches ...

THE community spread is over!

Everyone’s hard work has stopped the spread of COVID-19 in The Bahamas.

And your reward? The Prime Minister is shutting the beaches.

Without any explanation, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is putting up the beach closed signs again, just in time for the Independence holiday weekend.

It might just be the most miserable Independence in Bahamian history.

Parliament is normally bursting with Bahamian colours around now, but no sign of that. No parades. No gathering on Clifford Park. And now no beaches either.

Come on, Dr Minnis. We have been very supportive of the measures to stop the virus from spreading – but to shut the beaches with barely an explanation?

Right after opening them the weekend before? You’re stretching people’s patience, and that patience has already been stretched to its limits.

Has there been any indication of infection from last weekend’s reopening? The numbers released each day suggest not. Last week, the government’s top adviser, Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, insisted there was no need for widespread testing. So if there’s no virus present, what is the reasoning for closing the beaches?

And what of the visitors who we have just welcomed into our country on July 1? Come to our country, but you can’t come to our beaches? That’s not a very welcoming stance. Or will visitors be

allowed to go on the beaches but locals cannot?

How has the government done on tackling COVID-19? In conversations we have heard, it’s generally been considered a pretty good job at stifling the number of cases, but a poor job on communicating why the government is doing what it is doing – particularly after the resignation of Dr Duane Sands as Health Minister.

Now here we are again – a dictate from the Prime Minister, without explanation of the reasons why or any chance to question him on it.

If you’re going to limit people’s freedom, Dr Minnis, you’d better well explain why.

His only explanation is to point to surges in the US – in Florida, Texas and Arizona, saying “we are also aware of what may have contributed to some of the surge”. With that, he shut the beaches.

The virus surged in the US after beach openings because there was community spread taking place. The virus was out there, ready to leap to its next patient.

According to Bahamian experts, that’s not the case here. Is Dr Minnis saying Dr Dahl-Regis is incorrect? Is he closing the beaches because we let American visitors in?

This feels like a push too far, as if Dr Minnis has the power and feels he can wield it without accountability.

The doctor can insist that we take our medicine. But he cannot make us like it.

Own past wrongdoings?

You first, Prince Harry THE Commonwealth needs to acknowledge the past, says Prince Harry.

Speaking to The Tribune’s own Alicia Wallace among others, and joined by his wife, Meghan Markle, the prince said that the Commonwealth needs to follow others in “trying to right their wrongs”.

Meghan went further, saying that individuals should be putting their hands up to “own’ their past wrongdoings.

Easy to say. Not so easy to do. As Prince Harry’s own words and actions in the past have shown.

It’s easy to sit in a Los Angeles home and tell others what they should be doing, but it seems harder for the prince to live up to his own call for action.

He said: “When you look across the Commonwealth, there is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past. So many people have done such an incredible job of acknowledging the past and trying to

right those wrongs, but I think we all acknowledge there is so much more still to do.”

Prince Harry’s own wrongs in the past have been to use racially charged language himself, in a video in 2006 when he used a derogatory term to refer to a Pakistani soldier, and calling another officer a “rag-head”. Back in 2005, an apology was given on his behalf – when he dressed in a Nazi costume for a fancy dress party, complete with swastika armband.

Harry and Meghan seem to be making equality a focus of their life after stepping away from their royal duties – but no one responds well to being told do as I say, not as I do.

If he wants his voice to be heard, then he’s going to have to start with an apology for his own words in the past, words wrapped up in inequality themselves.

We’re listening, Harry.

Linking Canada with the US is plain wrong EDITOR, The Tribune YOUR editorial about reopening The Bahamas after the restrictions from the COVID-19 virus mentioned returning Canadian visitors must go into quarantine for fourteen days.

Of course this is a deterrent to travel. Regularly I come to Nassau from Canada to visit friends and family.

However I wonder how much research was done by your Tourism Ministry before Canada was placed in the same category as Americans when requiring a negative COVID test no older than seven days.

There are now very few

cases in Canada and none in most parts of the country, including where I live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia on the Pacific coast. There are very few test Centres because there are very few cases.

The difficulty in obtaining an appointment for a test, waiting for the written test results and then forwarding them to your Tourism Ministry website and receiving back the Health Visa is difficult to complete in seven days. Surely The Bahamas High Commission in Ottawa should have made that clear to your authorities.

Air Canada has cancelled most of their regular

schedule for July and the few available flights appear to be lightly booked. I believe that, sadly, most Canadians will just bypass visits to The Bahamas because of all the restrictions. This is unfortunate as The Bahamas has always been a favourite destination for Canadians since Air Canada began service to Nassau in 1947. Linking Canada with the USA is wrong. Canada’s border with the USA has been closed for months. It is an entirely different situation here.

ALAN MALCOLM Columbia, July 3, 2020.

The Columbus conundrum EDITOR, The Tribune BEING a diligent student of Bahamian history and a keen observer of events taking place in our young nation, I have been quite interested in the debate concerning the statue of Christopher Columbus.

For the cliché –“easier said than done” – can truly be applied to the suggestion that it should be removed from its prominent position.

There are, indeed, three major reasons why such a significant act requires most careful, and cautious consideration. First, whatever may be one’s “take” about Christopher Columbus, there can be no doubt that he was instrumental in bringing about one of the major events in the history of humankind—the rediscovery of the new world on October 12, 1492 on the island of San Salvador. As such he stands as a central figure in the history not only of the Bahamas but of the whole wide world.

Secondly, it is an historical landmark. Yes, the Columbus bust must be ranked with Fort Charlotte, Fort Montagu, The Sixty-Six Steps, The Pompey Museum, The Water Tower, and that of Queen Victoria as monuments of events that shaped the history of these “Isles of June.” In the Bible it is recorded that monuments were erected to remind the old, and inform the young of divine provision for the protection and prosperity of the people of God. Likewise, we need the monuments cited above so that our young Bahamian school children seeing them, can learn more about our exciting history! And take pride in it!

Thirdly, the imposing, impressive Christopher Columbus is a major tourist attraction. Visitors from the United States and Europe, especially from Italy, where the great admiral was born, and Spain, from where he set sail, are especially fascinated by it. Despite these facts, it has to be realised that attitudes and opinions about Columbus have changed.

The rejection of colonialism, the rise of nationalism and the reading of history from the perspective of the

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net oppressed have combined to bring about a much more critical assessment of Columbus and all European “Old World” heroes.

Bahamian historians such as Dr Gail Saunders, Father Rev Dr Sebastian Campbell, Dr Curry, and Wesley Campbell have all contributed to us taking more pride in our history. The challenge facing us now is how do we attribute due credit to Columbus while taking into consideration the thinking of our people in the post-colonial era?

Several questions of momentous consequence arise here. If we remove the statue of Columbus, what will we do with it? Surely, such an important historical monument cannot be hidden in some obscure location!

Someone has suggested that it be placed in a museum: What? Which museum anywhere in the region can accommodate such a colossal icon? And, finally, if it is removed what will replace it?

So now that we are a sovereign state in charge of our own destiny, under God, it would be most appropriate for the monument to Christopher Columbus to be replaced by that of Sir Milo Butler, first Bahamian Governor-General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas!

This leads directly to the third question. “What shall we do with Christopher Columbus?” As pointed out above, such an historical icon cannot be hidden, moreover, there is no museum to contain it, Well, what about the idea of removing it to the island of San Salvador. Indeed, it could be the central attraction of a huge theme park/ museum of the Americas, on the island of the landfall of Columbus. Such a gigantic project, jointly developed by the private sector and the Government of the Bahamas, would prove to be a major tourist attraction, visitors, from all over the world would want to come. It would

serve to give due credit to Columbus, a centre for historical research, and a mighty boost not only to the economy of San Salvador but also for that of the entire Bahamas.

All this leads us straight to the question, “What then should we do with the vacancy at Rawson Square?

Well, it is suggested that it would be the ideal location for a monument of some kind to Sir Roland Symonette. First he is the only one of our four national heroes for whom there is no such tangible memorial!

It is faithfully submitted that this eventual arrangement would prove beneficial because, I. It would give due recognition to Christopher Columbus as a pivotal figure in the history of our beautiful Bahamaland, and indeed of all humankind!

II. Due recognition would be attributed to our four national heroes with an appropriate monument to each of them: That to Sir Milo Butler on Mount Fitzwilliam, in front of Government House, seat of ceremonial authority.

That to Sir Cecil WallaceWhitfield being the Office of the Prime Minister, bastion of political power.

That to Sir Lynden Pindling, “Father of the Nation” being the airport, centre of communication between the islands of our young nation.

That to Sir Roland Symonette “Father of the House” at Rawson Square.

III. It would result in the creation of a brand new major tourist attraction/ history research facility theme park, which would jump start the economy of San Salvador with positive ripple effects for the entire Commonwealth!At this time, as we are making recovery from the devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian and COVID 19; and look forward to celebrating the 47th Anniversary of Independence, let us work together to rebuild our young nation by excelling in love and unity.

Yours-in-Christian-Bonds.

REV DR JOSEPH EMMETTE WEIR Nassau, July 1, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 7

Witness heard shots and says he saw the accused with a gun

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

question considering Mr Gibson’s history as a drug convict. He added that the fact that the body was discovered on a property that Brown maintained, did not make him responsible for the murder since the area was not “exclusive” and had a track road.

With that in mind, he argued that it was “highly likely” that Mr Bullard was killed somewhere else before his body was “deposited” in the yard where he was discovered.

He also noted that the lack of blood and gun casing at the scene supported his submission. Noting that a doctor reported that one of Mr Bullard’s fingers was missing after examining his dead body, Mr Smith argued that Mr Bullard’s death was drug related and he had “thug life” tattooed on his body, suggested that his finger could have been removed during an interrogation.

He further asserted that Mr Brown admitted to being on the property the day Mr Bullard’s body was discovered and stated that the fact that his client did not attempt to evade the question, proved he was innocent. Mr Smith claimed that a man who had just killed somebody would have denied being on the scene in question in the first place. He also said since Brown continued to visit the property, his behaviour signified the “acts of an innocent man.”

During the earlier stages of the trial, Mr Brown’s girlfriend at the time, Zainab Larrimore, testified that the accused had taken her to the property to show her the progress he had made in clearing the premises.

According to the Crown, this took place one day before Mr Bullard’s body was found. At the time, Ms Larrimore said that they arrived shortly after 1pm and stayed for 10 minutes, because she did not feel comfortable. Despite that fact, Ms Larrimore noted that Mr Brown had asked her to walk around the property “numerous times” that day. In his defence, Mr Smith insisted that although Ms Larrimore believed that Mr Brown had acted suspiciously that day, she had no basis to rest her allegations on besides her own intuition.

one went to the trunk to look for something. He said at the time, he noticed that the short man had something in his hand which looked like a gun.

Insisting Brown did not commit murder, Mr Smith asked the jury not to “make the same mistake” the investigating officer did when he “took Mr Gibson’s account as fact”. He also asked them to “examine the evidence akin to their own life experiences” in order to determine whether Mr Gibson was telling the truth or not.

Mr Smith argued the fact that Mr Gibson claimed he was 20 feet away from the yard and had nothing obstructing his view when he saw the two men, proved that the jury would be “misguided” if they believed his account. Asking the panel to examine one of the photos submitted into evidence, Mr Smith argued that the place where Mr Gibson claimed to be standing was “at least 80 feet” from where he said he had seen the two men. He also said the photo proved there was an “obstruction to his view”.

Mr Smith also noted that when Mr Gibson gave a description of Brown, he claimed the person was bareback and had a brimmed hat on. He said, “considering the vantage point” the jury could not rely on that evidence, since Mr Gibson did not describe any “distinguishable characteristics like body hair or tattoos”.

Stating that Mr Gibson claimed to have never seen Brown before, he also argued his testimony was not reliable since it was normal for people not to be able to identify their own family members at times.

Mr Smith also noted that Mr Gibson was the “sole person” to say he heard gunshots and said he found it “eerily suspicious” that Mr Gibson’s girlfriend or friend did not get up to observe the scene as well.

He claimed the fact the other two did not get up to see what Mr Gibson was looking at for six to eight minutes “defied logic”.

Mr Smith also questioned why the investigating officer did not seek to speak to Mr Gibson’s girlfriend or his other friend that day. He also stated that the investigation had to be called into

A JURY yesterday listened to the closing arguments from Crown and defence counsel on whether an accused man shot and killed another man who was found in a shallow grave on an undeveloped plot of land in 2018.

The panel is expected to decide the fate of Carlos Brown concerning the murder of Renaldo Bullard, whose body was found with injuries and partly covered with branches in a bushy area on Martin’s Close off Cowpen Road in 2018. Police say the crime occurred sometime between October 25 and 28 of that year.

The trial, which commenced before Justice Grant-Thompson in February, resumed yesterday. Due to social distancing measures, the accused tuned into the hearing via a video link while in custody at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Yesterday, Brown’s attorney Nathan Smith told the jury his client was an innocent man until proven guilty. He also said that Brown had only found himself in his current situation because of a “mere allegation” and argued that the same thing could happen to anybody under similar circumstances.

Mr Smith was referring to the testimony of Desir Gibson, a witness who identified Brown as one of the men he saw acting suspiciously the day he heard gunshots. According to the Crown, Mr Gibson was in his backyard with his girlfriend and a friend playing dominoes on October 26, 2018. At the time, Mr Gibson said he heard three bangs which sounded like gunshots, so he got up to investigate. When he did, he said he heard two more gunshots. During cross examination, he also told the police that he stood on an old gas tank and peered over a nine-foot wall. That is when he saw two men walking out of some bushes.

According to Mr Gibson, one of the men was shirtless, 5’6” and had a dark complexion while the other man was 6’3” and wore jeans. Mr Gibson said he saw both men head towards a vehicle before the short

JAMAICAN ‘HITMAN’ IS CAPTURED IN GB HOTEL

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

known as No Dollars No Cents and is a known contract killer from August Town, St Andrews, Jamaica.

A REPUTED Jamaican ri to police bune T TheBiggestAccording “hit man” was captured And Best! reports, shortly after noon neat a hotel in on Wednesday, a team of and Tarrested riAndbu heBiggTestGrand Best!

Lucaya, Bahama on officers from the Criminal OBITS Wednesday. INSIDE Investigation Department, e Tribenudne The man, according to Rapid ResponseTh and WeekSecuBahamian authorities, is a rity Intelligence Branch in notorious fugitive with ties Grand Bahama, went to to a known gang in Jamaica the Victoria W atch the Inn Hotel on y

Midshipman Road, where they arrested a male Jamaican national.

Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder reported that the “hit man” – who is suspected of being connected to a number of murders in Jamaica is believed to have entered The Bahamas for the purpose of a contracted murder.

A1MAIN

Established 1903

WEDNESDAY i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 92ºF LOW 78ºF

A1MAIN

Established 1903

THURSDAY

THE PEOPLE’S

4 No.208, SEPTEMBER

AKIN 24/7 BRE

UNE ON TRIB G NEWS

242.COM

PAPER: $1

20TH, 2017

The privileged

$1

BUSI NESS

4 No.118, MAY

VOLUME:11

242.COM

VOLUME:11

i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 88ºF LOW 73ºF

UNE ON TRIB G NEWS

AKIN 24/7 BRE

11TH, 2017

OFFICIAL SOURCE

TORCHED!

CLASSIFIED TRA

DER: CARS, CAR

S, CARS & TECH

Photo: Terrel

PLP fired as

OH, AND THERE’S AN ELITE WATER LIST TOO

es Revealed: Nam list and on the eliteowed what they

not be officials could T to press time. reached up

By AVA TURNQUES to sources Reporter of According .net Tribune Chief matter, as tribunemedia close to the Wells has since aturnquest@ Mr Progres- Monday his accounts FOUR former Cabinet paid $9,000 on balParty an outstanding ARNOLD sive Liberal more than with $8,600.

FORBES ministers owedat Bahamas ance of some also said as $62,023 The source Forbes was one $20,000 each Mr Light, with Power and in arrears of Monday the company former minister as of July, in talks with balance over settle the Mr for some $60,000 a list obtained to three-month period. a according to PLP Mount

by The Tribune.and Collec- Forbes, former appointed was MP, The Credit 2015, listing of Moriah in January the tions Department and board to Cabinet served as MPs, senators the period and previouslythe Bahamas of for members 31, revealed chairman and Industrial July ending State Minister Agricultural . that former of Works Corporation the “do not Others on are: former in the Ministry owed BPL list disconnect” Arnold Forbes Health Dr of $62,023.14.

by The Minister former Tall The list obtained delin- Perry Gomez, Leslie Miller, Tribune contains of six Pines MP Youth Minister of former quent accounts Cabinet minis- former Johnson, Dion former PLP PLP MPs, Dr Danny Village MP ters, two former Tourism DR DANIEL entities, and Nassau , two private Cabinet min- Smith, former JOHNSON Obie Wilchcombe one sitting $24,413 Town MP Minister South Beach MP and former ister: Bamboo Hamilton State Renward Wells. who owed Cleola of Mr Wells, $3,703.96 at former Minister Damian Affairs $9,277.07 and locations - for Legal two separatetotal – did not Gomez.

SEE PAGE EIGHT $12,981.03 in yesterwant to comment other former day, and the

T

By AVA TURNQUES Reporter t Tribune Chief ibunemedia.ne aturnquest@tr Sewerage WATER and Chairman Corporation yesterday Adrian Gibson existence the confirmed disconnect” of a “do not by scores list populatedthe governof elites at utility owned to ment he pledged provider as on initiate a crackdown accounts. delinquent told The Mr Gibson l “confidentia Tribune the 221accounts, of list” held total with a combined the period $175,000 for2017. ending June he plans He said that corporathe to direct all persons tion to notify arrears owing excessive or face debts to resolve n. disconnectio a list confi“There is the Long dential list,” Island MP said. think would I “In fact, s corporation that all the year or two, in over the last and more particularly year, there May of thisclose attenhas been that list by tion paid to t with the managemen changing the a view to lists usually way those operate. this con“As it stands, a number has fidential list on it, and of persons it’s being really and trulypersons by used to notify or letters. call courtesy that as the I can say toothe corporachairman of to direct tion I am going owing that all personswho are excessive arrears EIGHT SEE PAGE at the end of

DR PERRY GOMEZ $24,498

LESLIE MILLER $42,219

DION SMITH $9,275

RENWARD WELLS $12,980

BPL WHO RUNS is quite willCRUNCH DAY OVER utilityto operator from it “walk away”

e Staff

W. Carey/Tribun

win landslideCHRISTI E AS HE FOR FNM roars to

ing

By NEIL HARTNELL Editor $25m, five-year maximum t contract et Tribune Business ibunemedia.n BPL managemen nhartnell@tr and Minnis if the board wish it to go. on Power & BAHAMAS board will administrati which will The meeting,PowerSecure Light’s (BPL) by meeting” hold a “crunch e today, be attendedand their attorneys key with PowerSecurlikely crit- executives is viewed as the from the US, with the outcome whether the to determining whethermake and ical in decidingas manager. sides will “kiss latter remainsTribune Busi- two separate. up” or Multiple - SEE BUSINESS yesterday US FULL STORY ness sources that the confirmed

HUMILIATION AFTER 4O YEARS LOSES HIS SEAT

seats: Encaptured four Island and Cat were spent under to South Aners’ dollars administration. glerston; 1,900 votes and San Salvador; Christie the win with is evidence 2017 the as well as Exuma DORSETT Mr Christie’s 1,875.

He said if there”, the new dros VIRGIL ELECTION Islands.

By SANCHESKAReporter to the unofBy KHRISNA Reporter seat, Fox According the the Ragged of “criminality et Tribune Staff from the Parwill allow SPEAK An additional being reDeputy Chief bunemedia.n ficial results Registration government course.

THE PEOPLE nemedia.net sdorsett@tri PAGE 4 was still its kvirgil@tribu his Hill, law to take to press time. and liamentary , Mr Chipman after ON’ decounted up his parMoments DNA ‘TO GO PAGE 5 IN a surprisingat the Departmentout of 12 pollas the na- This marked the worst in AFTER leadinglandslide defeat party won seven maiden speech MinLOSE humbling leader, Dr Prime Min- ing divisions in the former ty to a stunning feat for a governing Mr tion’s next PLP BIG NAMESPAGE 7 dealing a parapolls, outgoing that under recent history. victory and to the ProgresChristie lost PLP stronghold, while will nis promised victory came MPS ister Perry Bahamians The FNM’s won five. lysing blow Party last night, years the Centreville his watch, YOUR PROJECTED his seat in last night by Christie a rocky five PAGE 9 to fear from Mr Christie sive Liberal challengIn 2012, have nothing , pointing to despite conPrime Minister constituency representing FAR included two incoming won the Centreville the government RESULTS SO PAGE 14 he said thatto Dr Minnis’ leadership, eighth votes after Minnis declared 40 25 the which than n, Hubert for Dr more of a fracstituency have abused victimisatio tional” “im- es the area for time with to unofthat those who trust “have continued reports ultimately consecutive He defeated is “unconstitu MORE COVERAGE of years, according party and the post “wrong”.

PAGES 2-18 positions 2,950 votes. moral” and to unofficial tured to fear”. ficial results. candidate Ella removal from has held Opsomething to thousands of According able his at the Mr Christie 1977 and the FNM’s of the Official FNM was Speaking by 1,349 votes at the Q House today. results, the stunning defeat of leader in the House of won all the Lewis the seat since a pledged that jubilant supporterslast night, ment Mr Christie leader of Dr Minnis on will give to pull off securing a mas- position has been Liberal Party time. polling division in E Sports Centre but one administrati Terrance of the PLP, constituencies. Assembly. a long fought National MoveProgressive 39 “This was victory is not the Free also announced his General 2012. it sive 34 of ry Regsince 1997. released a but the Prime he ment leader be sworn in as Auditor the resources battle, Parliamenta former is yours,” Although The did loss, The about the his seat to that he will fourth prime Bastianto probe how taxpay- istration Department re- mine - the victory thousands Minister lost Movement statement did not speak full election last Dr Minnis told on the carThe Bahamas’ at Govern- needs Christie not release 5pm Free National packed with the and po- Mr minister at SEE PAGE SIX sults last night, in from the of FNMs (FNM) candidate Reece nival grounds. people’s time numbers coming litical newcomer agency around “This is the and I who secured government from the and I am your servant Chipman, 11pm. However it apSEE PAGE THREE unofficial numbers, the PLP only of the conpeared that “The outcome trust according to vention did not inspireBahalast Mark Humes in the results, said coming afor confidence that’s “obvious” mian electorate but think sweeping defeat residents unofficial that it is I ROLLE have stood behind us now and they night ter Fort Charlotte

By RASHAD Reporter told him party would winning the the party has a wonderful repeatedly lead- the Tribune Staff stand the any a better chance rebuild and emedia.net could not he been victori- opportunity to rrolle@tribun election had of the country itself,” he said. for- ership despite their per- ous in the PLP’s leadership reengineer for adding that longer, him.

AS HE called SEE PAGE SIX RASPBERRY Minister Perry sonal affection for was pro- race in January, made a mistake” mer Prime who ICED TEA “the party resign as leader Mr Sears, Mr Christie.

Free NaChristie to Liberal in choosing to lose to the Al- jected Movement’s (FNM) of the Progressive last night, the tional Party (PLP) said he saw fred Sears

DAMIAN GOMEZ $3,413

OBIE WILCHCOMBE

CLEOLA

$4,911 HAMILTON they owed $6,118 list and the amount since that date. disconnect” BPL “do not made or further debt incurred named on the NINE individualsdo not include any payments July. The sums

PUT SOUTH ISLANDS T ON MARIA ALER

POLICE LAUNCH E FOX HILL OFFENSIV

A1MAIN

FRIDAY

i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 91ºF LOW 80ºF Volume:114

MEAL

65 9

SANDWICH

Incl. VAT

KING.BS

WWW.BURGER

ASSAU

/BURGERKINGN

PAPER: $1

Friday, September

Weekend

29, 2017

WEEK END: A

FOR THE CURE Page 21

29TH, 2017

JOUR NEY WHIC

H FULFI LLED

A MAN’ S DREA

Living the dream From Andros to the

boardroom Interview, pages 4&5

MS

film - ever agonising, wrenching, awful second.

Then give up Eugene’s killer

CHRIST

HURRICANE

PARTY LEADER IE TO RESIGN AS

INSURANCE:

?

Are you Covered

Covering The Bahamas for 40 years.

Nobody Does it

safeas well as of homicides A DORSETT guarding the residents

By SANCHESKReporter in Fox Hill. et Tribune Staff walkabout bunemedia.n During a Acting prepared. live national sdorsett@tri er Fox Hill on Tuesday, ROLLE During a Ferguson Commission his office

By RASHAD Reporter ACTING Fergu- Commissioner and address from Dr Minnis Tribune Staff Anti-Gang of Police Anthony emedia.net yesterday said the Inveslast night, Maria is rrolle@tribun Tracing and announced dev- son establishment of two Firearms Unit will operate fore- said: “Hurricane the potentially Bahamas tigation WITH we the DetecMaria another hurricane that separate Royal anti-crime out of the Central the cast for Hurricane Force storm to pass astating monitor.”

(CDU) while projecting the Baha- must carefully Though most Police aimed at eliminating tive Unit SEE PAGE 11 units the counHe added: near the Southeast Prime in spared was activity morning, of gang mas Friday Hubert Minnis of the Bahamas the number try, reducing Minister Dr of those SEE PAGE TWO and is urging residents be vigilant islands to

Better!

MENT INSURANCE MANAGE (BAHAMAS)

LIMITED. INSURANCE

BROKERS &

AGENTS

om

ntBahamas.c

ceManageme

www.Insuran

Woodside.

Photo: Yontalay

Nassau & Bahama

Islands’ Leading

Bowe

VIDEO OF PM’SAT VISIT ONLINE OM TRIBUN E242.C

EXUMA 242.336.2304

ELEUTHERA ABACO 242.332.3211 GRAND BAHAMA NEW PROVIDENCE 242.350.3500 242.367.4204 242.394.5555

Dr Hubert MinPRIME Minister Kendera Woodside, nis meeting murdered Eugene the mother of

this Yes I feel for y our countries.than I can say.” more ensure has a responsibilit one mother said he will Each citizen information Dr Minnis provided to and whatever that forward. medical attention is is pregnant. the composure. said he felt the fam- has we must bring among us.” who after feel live Dr Minnis Mrs Woodside, the grieving and days makes me Three These criminals who emphasised country’s he “You can see of those pushed the ily’s pain. “What through,” Mrs Minnis, that her appearis that most during murder that violent crime into ROLLE she’s going someI, even worse

By RASHAD Reporter not a pain “I assured her that the family the yard, struggle with spotlight yet again, them was doctor, to will have we see in Tribune Staff ance before called on women said. today (Friday) we to look the national as a medical emedia.net acute. rrolle@tribun come my my years political move,one day this week time her pain remained live a life, medical personnel she’s pregand comforting cried.

“He ain’t even to wear blackfor murder victims.

Dr THE hugs her because sure that Prime Minister wife God,” Mrs Woodsidegive my upon after in mourning I’m calling words of I have to make infant are and his a baby. I could my really nant.

“As a mother, Hubert Minnis couldn’t answer “He’s right now just for because I this,” her and her unborn will also make take all mothers can stop Patricia Minnis that consumed breath be right here. They well and we sure the to believe mothers who was tearful both ts to make the questions yesterday as babyheart out my body. arrangemen Minnis, personnel who Mrs They Woodside sons said medical my son. our eightKendera have on a only for her son, killed times. “We birth and as they necessary her and see her “This my my daughter too after she grieved of them at from the safety who was still with look almost shoot (the house) with would’ve delivered most knowing we cradle basis to ensure infant.” year-old Eugene, men we are to me with regular they inside four days ago. people ain’t tell- and What they do to my family? so they are closer patients,” Dr becomeWe have to speakshould of her and her unborn PAGE TWO SEE former them. these me. my son are “Why st by pro- them. I think all women week they do to us? carry me? I they bringing my we ain’ one day this ing me they she cried between What Minnis, a gynaecologi “The message “Why they wear black what’s happening in a baby.” tried to right now?” fession, said. the entire Bahamas 29 years, He’s Dr Minnis and mourn Eugene’s Rose- live screams as must send to this alone.

Tonio Woodside, family at theirEugene wife even is the police can’t fight console the consoled his home where on father, struggled to maintain bud Road a stray bullet as he was shot by did his homework. he Monday as

Nassau & Bahama

Islands’ Leading

Newspaper

PLP CASUAL HIRES COST EXTRA $10M

OMY AG WARNS ECON ER’ IN ‘GRAVE DANG

99

THE PEOPLE’S

gardening art theatre music film books fashion food culture RACE

No.215, SEPTEMBER

e n u b i r The T

ALFRED SEARS URGES

7

: KARA WAN

CEO AS ATLA NTIS LEAV ES ROLE

he told Parto In June, cost the ROLLE such liament of

By RASHAD Bahamians $10,149,738. by the Carib- Tribune Staff Reporter so alarmed Action Task rrolle@tribunemedia.net increases was comes after bean Financial draft The revision more than

By NEIL HARTNELL Editor Rolle, minForce’s (CFATF) BRENSIL et Tribune Business services he included that were not The Bahamas ibunemedia.n report on his staff ister of public nhartnell@tr 1,700 workers Gen- that he instructedaddressing and National Insurance, in his original count.

December Progressive THE Attorneyslammed to begin work on June.

Amid the said between 2017, the criticism May flaws from early eral yesterday

by Liberal Party’sadministrablasted the 2016 and in the nation’s the ballooned Mr Bethel deficiencies adminis- public purse laundering of the of the Minnisof its firings anti-money former Christie to tackle $16,532,738 because on’s tion because “entirely unacfailing administrati regime as SEE PAGE SIX they had tration for with the Christie public service ceptable”, warning “in great known weaknesses hiring of new that period.

Bahamas urgency.

The during put necessary BUSINESS workers danger”. told Trib- FULL STORY - SEE Carl Bethelhe had been une Business

Newspaper

Nassau & Bahama

Islands’ Leading

Newspaper

r s of no maste a m g o d e th to swear to The Tribune Being bound The Tribune The Tribune A1MAIN

Established 1903

WEDNESDAY i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 85ºF LOW 69ºF

A1MAIN

Established 1903

A1MAIN

THURSDAY

The Tribune

4 No.103, APRIL

VOLUME:11

UNE ON TRIB G NEWS

242.COM

t!

Biggest And Bes

i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 84ºF LOW 70ºF

AKIN 24/7 BRE

20TH, 2017

OBITS

Established 1903

i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 91ºF LOW 81ºF

4 No.202, SEPTEMBER

UNE ON TRIB G NEWS

242.COM

t!

Biggest And Bes

AKIN 24/7 BRE

THE PEOPLE’S

PAPER: $1

12TH, 2017

VOLUME:11

- SEE WOMA N

UNLIVEABLE

WOME N OF SUBST

ANCE AND BEAUT

Y TAKE ON THE

UNIVE RSE

TRADER: CAR

S, CARS, CAR

SEE LEAKED EMAILS INSIDE

ated Minister’s repe contracts requests for sed and deals expo SPECIAL A TRIBUNE

INVESTIGATION

medical treatment. were obtaineda from a ther’s The emails EMAILS leaked following of China Con- by The Tribune highdata breach (CCA) story in December of CCA struction America’s that from the breach servers show2013, Jerome lighting by a San Francisco n as early as king to servers na Constructio

INSIDE

S & TECH

Fitzgerald sought millions from Baha Mar

CLASSIFIED

i’m lovin’ it!

$1

OFFICIAL SOURCE

A1MAIN

UESDAY

4 No.99, APRIL

VOLUME:11

FRIDAY

FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE MAJOR NEW BLAZE AT LANDFILL

A DORSETT

By SANCHESKReporter et Tribune Staff bunemedia.n sdorsett@tri

TERS yesFIREFIGH a large blaze terday battled Providence at the New three weeks Landfill, nearly a massive that after tackling city dump fire at the nearly a month. burned for Charge of Fire Officer in Chief SuperinServices, Evans said tendent Walter is “not confire the the current any way to this nected” in and at previous blazedo not know time officials the fire. Howwhat caused t Minister ever Environmen told rehe Kenred Dorsett the site that in at porters “sabotage” said suspected the fire. He relation to the team he “instructed”to have the of firefighters “before and blaze extinguished day” today nomination Baha Mar’s certainly before Friday. on opening shortly The blaze started and Wednesday after 3am officEvans said Chief Supt battle the fire to expect but ers another day for at least wind is a “huge” he said the factor.

SEE PAGE SIX

ROBERTS: PEET A ‘POLITICAL ENEMY’ FOR ANDROS BID

SIVE Liberal PROGRES Bradley Party Chairmanout at his Roberts lashed colleague Vinformer party night, accuscent Peet last North Anrmer

HIGH 92ºF LOW 79ºF Volume:114

No.152, JUNE

30th, 2017

Weekend

W1WEEKEND

THE PEOPLE’S

PAPER: $1

Friday, June 30, 2017

entertainment puzzles film fashion gardening art books theatre

Weekend

BAHAMIAN PROJECT Pages 20&21

Picture perfect Seniors go big for

WEEK END: SENIO

N ARRIV ES

prom Fashion, pages 14&15

Christie denies claims on spending

IGHT RS IN THE SPOTL

AS PROM SEASO

FORMER PM TELLS OF LAST TALK WITH NOTTAGE

WELLS

By RICARDO Reporter Tribune Staff nemedia.net rwells@tribu G concern ADMITTIN Bernard Notin over what Dr have battled last tage may his isolation during Prime Minisdays, former yesterday for ter Perry Christie admiration the expressed forth by the effort put security to former national the build-up minister in election. general May the from his Breaking away since being public silence office in hisof a voted out last month, fashion toric Mr Chrishis visibly troubled portions of his tie detailed with last conversation and longfriend childhood colleague on time political Thursday.

Centreville The former Nottage as Dr MP saw “fought tehis someone who throughout naciously” he loved and life for thosetrait he said he a supported, their up to saw on display . last conversation PAGE SIX SEE

IS • FORMER PM BY DAVIS TRIBUTE TO LEGACY OF ‘DISAPPOINTED’ FNM ALLEGATIONS COLLEAGUE • SAYS GOVT DID NOTHING WRONGT OVER $8M PAYOU

ROLLE

By RASHAD Reporter Tribune Staff emedia.net rrolle@tribun Nottage’s DR Bernard forever be will “footprints the Bahamian etched on tal landscape” developmen work as a forthrough his of the Bahaesident

24/7

UNE ON TRIB G NEWS BREAKIN

242.COM

t!

Biggest And Bes

THE PEOPLE’S

PAPER: $1

12TH, 2017

IT’S MAY 10

SPORT S: REGUL

ATORS TAKE THE

LEAD IN MPBA

CHAM PIONS HIP

SERIES

Prime Minister rings the bellrace for election

traditions. just a short ROLLE “Earlier today,present ParBy RASHAD Reporter the while ago, Tribune Staff officially disemedia.net liament was Christie said. rrolle@tribun Mr of Perry solved,”seat in the House “Every PRIME Minister the prover- Assembly is now vacant. the to you, Christie rang morning, “It is now left beloved bial bell yesterday that the 2017 citizenry of our who will announcing be held on nation, to decide in the next election willMay 10. fill those seats In doWednesday, address, givof Assembly.

His televisedOffice of the House you will also be dethe ing so, en live at the came mowho will form Prime Minister, Commis- ciding of the BahaPolice government after five years. ments Greenslade, for the next that mosioner Ellison as provost mas “You will make in what ns in his capacity decision proclamatio pray marshal, readHouse of As- mentous hope and earnestly the I elecfair outside Governor Gen- will be free and a spirited Pinsembly from Marguerite Let tions following eral Dame Parliament. peaceful campaign. dling dissolving said he is but the forthcoming Mr Christie election will us contestwith all the vigour confident the and will fol- elections fair at our command.” be free and and peaceful SEE PAGE TWO low a spirited is consistent campaign that political with this country’s

the course of the trial. She noted that a 10-year-old boy said he was playing in his backyard with his sister when he saw some dogs coming into his aunt’s yard. He said the dogs had been licking a pile of grass, so he got a stick and brushed it. That’s when he saw something that looked like a dead body and ran to tell his mother. Mrs Munnings said that the boy’s mother had also testified.

She told officers that her son had woken her up that around noon that day and appeared to be “frantic and anxious.” He then took her to a property adjacent to their yard and led her to a “bunch of bushes or heap of some sort.” At the time, the woman claimed that she had smelt a scent which she assumed was a dead dog. Still, she said when her son began to brush the heap with a stick, she noticed plaid boxers, so she ran screaming to alert others.

Stating the act of murder was defined as intentionally causing the death of someone by means of unlawful harm, Mrs Munnings insisted that a crime had been committed since Mr Bullard was found dead with bullet wounds to his head and upper back.

The summation of the case is scheduled to begin today at noon.

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

TWO 35-year-old men were charged in the Magistrate’s Court with murdering another man last week. Marcello McKenzie and Jamaal Armbrister appeared before Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis yesterday charged with the death of Godfrey Sawyer on June 28.

According to initial police reports, shortly after 11pm that night, a man was standing on the porch of his residence on Jackson Street, Nassau Village when he was approached by two men. Police said when an argument ensued, one of the men produced a handgun and shot the victim.

The two suspects then left the scene in a white bus, fleeing in an unknown direction.

When Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene, they pronounced the male unresponsive. Acting on information, officers from an Operations Unit in the Pinewood Gardens area observed a bus fitting the description. A short chase ensued which ended in two 35-year-old men being arrested, police said.

During the hearing, McKenzie and Armbrister were not required to enter a plea and the matter was adjourned to September 30 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

Bail was denied and the accused were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Service in the interim.

Funeral Service For Mr. Edgar Nathaniel Wellington Hall, 75 of Golden Gates #2, New Providence and formerly of Lorimers, Middle Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands will be held on Wednesday, July 8th, 2020 at 11:00 am at Salem Union Baptist Church, Taylor Street. Officiating will be Rev. T. G. Morrison assisted by Rev. Heuter Rolle & Rev. Anthony Sampson. Interment will follow at Lakeview Memorial Gardens, J.F.K. Drive & Gladstone Rd. Due to the Government Orders and related restrictions placed on funerals, attendance is limited to (30) family members. The family apologizes for any inconvenienced caused. Everyone in attendance must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth.

Six feet physical distancing is required at all time.

There will also be a live streaming of the funeral service for the late Mr. Edgar Nathaniel Wellington Hall on https://salemubc.org/watch-live/ Left to cherish his memories are his wife of 44 years: Cynthia Louise Major-Hall; Children: Kevin (Theresse), Robert ‘Bobby’ (Janice), Camille (Darrell), Andrew (Ashley); Grandchildren: Nicholas, Cadreeo, Khaliah, Justin, Briana, Jasmine, Jade, Darrien, Robert ‘Breon’ and Darria; Brothers: Cuthbert ‘Kirk’ (Wendy), Reverend Lucien, Frank (Vernita), Chester, Calvin (Marilyn), Frederick (Janet), Hilliard (Debbie) & Donald Williams, (Predeceased by Collinwood, Allanladd and Brian); Sisters: Jeanne Dinham and Muriel Black; Aunts: Eulese Hall and Beatrice Hall; Uncles: Albert and Ernest Forbes; Mother-in-law: Matriarch Elaine Moxey-Major; In-laws: Atwell & Florida Pintard, Allworth & Mildred Pickstock, Ronald Major, Robert & Sandra Williams, Patricia Bethel; Nieces and Nephews: Gevon (Koya),Tajma, Ashwood, Aliah, Monique, Evan, Charrah, Khania, Kewell, Darieo, Monishka, Leonardo, Ricardo, Frank Jr., Shoron, Brian, Yefrey, Correy, Corrian, Cornell, Frederick Jr., Alana, Heidi, Janeen and Nicholas, Yvette (Eugene), Keith (Darria), Valaria, Mario, Osborne, Kareem (Angeline), Allyssia, Desiree, Denise, Howard, Xavier, Jordan (Tonya) and Jillian; Cousins: Daniel, Donovan, Neil, Bruce, Monty and Ricardo Hall, Leroy Penn, Frederick, Samuel and Peter Basden, Winston, Ervine and Peter Quelch, Julius and Culbert, Peter, Andrew, Daren and Robert Hall, Patronella, Rosalie, Carmen, Violet, Ruth, Norma, Lynette, Kate, Paige, Barbara, Sharon, Kim, Judy, Velma and Ruballe, Sherill, Patty, Eunice, Lois, Almartha, Rodney, Stafford, Philip, Dudley, Felton, Elaine, Alaston, Gustavus, Gladys, Joyclyn, Welly, Wilton, Eric, Starvie, Rosemary, Pandora; and a host of Other Relatives & Friends including: Patrick Barry Sr. & Family, Jose Johnson, George, Hilgove & Carlton Hall, Theo Farquharson, The Family of the Late Marion Hall, the Hamilton Family, Arthur Chase & Family, Janith Mullings & Family, Annie Frandieu & Family, Forbes Family, Willimae Salkey & Family, Gibbs Family, Outten Family, Rigby Family, Cambridge Family, Basden Family, Cartwright Family, Wilson Family, Families of Mrs. Opheisan Brown, Eloise Woods-Butler, General Taylor, Rory & Jean Culmer, Estelle Evans and The Golden Gates #2 Community, The Halls and The Middle Caicos Community, Ministry of Finance, Rev. T. G. Morrison and The Zion Baptist Church Family, Pastor Heuter B. Rolle and The Salem Union Baptist Church Family, East Street Gospel Chapel Family, Patients and Staff at Renal House, Patients and Staff at The Princess Margaret Hospital, The Lodge of St. Michaels and a host of other relatives and friends too numerous to mention, all fondly remembered.

Viewing will be held in the Celestial Suite at Restview Memorial Mortuary, Robinson and Soldier Roads on Tuesday, July 7th, 2020 at 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

TERED 170,000 HAVE REGIS NG DAY AHEAD OF POLLI

with correctnow engaged the voter ROLLE ing and editing it of its

By RASHAD Reporter register, ridding Tribune Staff ised errors. emedia.net much-public enough staff to rrolle@tribun “We have “We 170,000 peo- do this,” Mr Hall said.certiJUST over sure it’s to vote have to make after tople have registered 10 general elec- fied some 14 daysdate.” for the May ry Com(Tuesday’s) tion, Parliamenta Hall said day’s accordance with the In Elections missioner Sherlyn ry pubParliamenta yesterday. what he de- Act, Mr Hall will give of This follows election in a “mad rush” notice of the week, statscribed as to vote lic this of newspapers people registering place in conthe last day ing the date, times when on Monday, and registration. 172,000 peo- stituencies papers must be nomination There were ote in the

In her closing remarks, Crown attorney Jacklyn Munnings said Mr Gibson claimed he was standing 20 yards away when he saw the two men and not 20 feet as indicated by Mr Smith. She also told the jury that nothing was there to obstruct Mr Gibson’s view that morning, since the “bushes were low.” Mrs Munnings said that Mr Gibson did not deny his criminal record, but instead “owned up to it.” She added that during Mr Gibson’s cross examination, he also “maintained his demeanor” and noted that there was only “one way in and out” of Martin’s Close, after insisting that the area was not used as a track road. Stating that Brown and Ms Larrimore would have been dating for eight to nine months at the time, Mrs Munnings also insisted that Ms Larrimore would have been in a position to discern that Brown was acting anxious that day.

She also reminded the jury that the doctor who testified explained that there was a possibility that Mr Bullard’s blood could have been “absorbed into the ground,” since he had been dead for about 48 hours before he was found.

During her presentation, Mrs Munnings also highlighted “key portions” of evidence previously given by witnesses during

TWO MEN FACE MURDER CHARGES

nder way - as

pictured in this

cartoon from

Jamaal Rolle.

OMAR ARCHER

PAGE 8, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

The time for Independence 2.0 is now

By EDWARD FIELDS “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”

- Albert Camus (French author, journalist and philosopher)

through the branches.

(More on this at a later date).

2. The implementation of strong local government.

IN MY journey toward peace of mind, I have one last cause left of an altruistic nature before I dive headfirst into focusing on living life for my personal well-being.

It is a subject have become obsessed with and have been deliberating on how to go about encouraging government to move on the issue. It is an issue that speaks to the future of our beloved Bahamas.

I suppose I did not go to the lengths I needed to go to promote the issue of which I speak partly because of the shackles of party politics.

What better place to be unshackled but Eleuthera?

My recent trip to Eleuthera, not only personified its definition, but exemplified why it should be allowed to realize its definition.

FREEDOM. This goes for all our islands and all our people, including those in New Providence.

For all of those who think we live in a democracy, vanquish the thought. In fact, we do not have even a conceptual democracy.

The greatest detractor of our democracy has been our two-party system which serves as a feeder system for maintaining the lineage of our constitutional monarchy. The fault is ours collectively, as we have in a tribalistic, mindless and willing fashion participated in its continued existence.

As I drove from “down” North to “up” South over and over again in Eleuthera, the impact that REAL local government could have, became vividly evident. Local government is the embodiment of the people’s time. It’s now, more than ever before, that time to give the people their “chance to do better” for themselves.

We have experienced the inability for Father Central Government to do all and everything that we need to advance our freedom (and dare I say, happiness) and hence the people must be given the freedom to do for themselves.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of our Independence, the greatest gift leadership can give to the Bahamian people is more Independence. IT IS TIME FOR INDEPENDENCE 2.0!

Independence to date has seen little evolution and I contend that is why our “democracy” has not evolved since 1973.

The Final Report from the Advisory Committee on the Introduction of Local Government to New Providence is titled - DELIVERING ON A PROMISE: PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE. The preface of the report states, “The Advisory Committee’s recommendations are consistent with the FNM’s government’s theme - “It’s the people’s time.

The committee’s recommendations, if implemented...” - and would allow New Providence

There are two ways to change this.

1. For independents to overwhelm the party system

residents to shape the future development of their communities. The strength of the existing local government regime in the Family Islands will also allow for their development, above and beyond collecting garbage and mowing easements.

The Advisory Committee on Local Government completed its work and the preliminary template is in hand.

I wish to implore the Minister responsible for Local Government to heed the words of the Prime Minister in his reference to the work of another committee: “We cannot allow good ideas and innovative approaches put forward to wither on the vine because some politician or some bureaucrat is too timid, too rigid or too concerned with defending their turf.

“As Prime Minister, I am putting ministers, parliamentary secretaries, permanent secretaries and heads of departments and agencies on notice: “We do not have the luxury right now of doing the same old, same old.

“The recommendations of the ERC and its subcommittees are not being produced to be read and put on a shelf in the face of stubborn politicians and a sluggish bureaucracy.”

Minister, you have in your hands the power to go down in history as either advancing or hindering our democracy. I am confident you will do the former.

Take the report off the shelf and march it through the process. Be the General for the 2020 version of the fight for what it will mean to lift our heads to a rising sun - a Bahamaland for generations to come.

WHAT better place to be unshackled but Eleuthera where musician Lenny Kravitz enjoys relaxing

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 9

My Bahamian queen in the year of Independence THIS special Independence edition is dedicated to the very first person I ever saw face to face in this entire world – my mother.

As I reflect on my country, its achievements, and where it needs to go in the future, I continue to honour those who have paved the way.

My mother Agatha Watson is among them.

The year 1973 was a special time in our country.

Bahamians were proud and were embracing all the hopes and dreams of a newly-independent country. In every aspect of life where Bahamians were succeeding, they were celebrated. So when my mother won the Miss Bahamas title that year, she also won the adoration of thousands near and far. A beautiful 18-year-old girl from Long Island who was humble, sweet and sincere wore the crown that sent her around the world representing her newly-independent country.

The beautiful thing is, my mother has remained that way all her life. She is a petite, graceful, kindhearted woman who loves her country and is filled with Bahamian pride.

Throughout the years, she has proven that what she presented on that stage, and the way she was when she wore the crown, was real and true.

My mother was born to William and Olga Watson in the remote and southernmost settlement on Long Island, Gordon’s. There, my grandfather and his brothers Thomas, Edgar and Bruce raised their families. So, Gordon’s really comprised of all Watsons.

They enjoyed one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. There, my mother grew up with her six brothers and her cousins enjoying all the childhood bliss the islands provide.

They spent a lot of time on the beach, as my Papa and his brothers were fishermen and farmers.

“I loved to read and would sit under the lignum vitae tree every afternoon after school and on weekends and read whatever I could get my hands on,” mom said of her childhood days.

“I would imagine the far away places I read about and dreamed about visiting them one day. Every night before going to bed, I had to read a chapter from the Bible to daddy.”

Agatha attended Mortimer’s All Age School until she was 11-years-old. The Government offered scholarships to Family Island students to attend school in New Providence. She had taken the exams for three schools but choose St John’s College because she had heard that Father Pestaina was at that school and she was familiar with him as he was the Priest at Holy Family Anglican church in Mortimer’s in earlier years.

She found the transition to Nassau difficult. She was away from her parents and cousins and although she went to live with her older brother with his family, it was not the same.

“There was no one my age there, and I really missed my cousins, my parents and younger brother… and most of all, the sound

of the ocean at night. I think that reading the Bible, especially the 23rd Psalm, helped me through difficult times when I transitioned to Nassau. I had a New Testament given to most of us by our cousin, Pastor Rex Major, and I kept that and read from it every night as if I was reading to my father.”

At St John’s, Agatha made many friends and enjoyed her high school years. She believes she was fortunate to have had Father Neil Roach as the homeroom teacher for her form, because he treated all of them as if they were his children. During her last year of high school, the students were subject to career talks to help them determine their future path.

She was not sure of what she wanted to do, but she did know that she wanted to travel. She decided she would see how she could get into interior decorating, and she collected information on this field, but she knew that her parents could not afford to send her away for training.

“While I was contemplating this, one of my classmates, Buena Wright, telephoned me to say that there was an ad in the newspaper by Bahamas World Airlines for stewardesses,” she recalls.

“So together, we went and were hired on the spot!

Unfortunately for me, my brother with whom I lived, discouraged me and said that I should go to BTVI (Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute) and do a secretarial course. I did this, and at the same time I discovered that they had an Architectural Drafting course, so I took that course also.”

At BTVI, employers would often take on students as apprentices, and Agatha was fortunate to have been selected from the Architectural programme to work with Mr Howard Dobell, whose company Dobell Howard Humpreys was the engineer for a few Government schools at the time, including SC Mcpherson and LW Young. She accompanied him on site visits to these schools.

Eventually, she moved from her brother’s house and was living with a woman who would become like a sister to her, Mavis McCartney-Smith.

She used to babysit for her and she ended up moving in, because Mavis worked at a hotel and sometimes it would be too late to drop Agatha back home.

“One Sunday afternoon, two of her friends came to have lunch with us,” Agatha said.

“We were all sitting around the dining table and one of them mentioned that there was an ad in the newspaper looking for attractive young ladies to enter the Miss Bahamas pageant, and that the top

prize was a European trip.

She suggested that I apply.

Well I did not think I would be a good candidate as I did not have much experience… I had not travelled anywhere and basically lived a sheltered life. After much coaxing from Mavis, I finally called one of the members and went to the meeting. Well after meeting the other contestants, I decided I would do it just for experience, because I was much shorter than most of them and they already had their sponsor. I would have to find a sponsor.

However, Mr Dobell’s company ended up being my sponsor and so I was set!

I did not tell my family especially my older brother - because I felt he would discourage me again. They did not know until they saw the contestants in the newspaper!”

The Miss Bahamas pageant should have been held in early July, but because of the excitement and anticipation of our country becoming Independent, and with all of the events leading up to July 10, 1973, the pageant was not held until August 27.

“The night of Independence, I was among the thousands of Bahamians at Fort Charlotte waiting with baited breadth for the raising of the Bahamian flag,” Agatha recalled.

“During preparation for the pageant, the committee members shared with us the importance of being an Independent country, and pride was welling up in all our hearts.

So my reign as Miss Bahamas 1973-1974 was a special time, and completely different from any other queen’s. I felt a sense of pride and privilege to be able to represent the new Bahamas and at the same time, I was afraid that I would not be capable of representing well.”

However, she represented this country outstandingly, and continued to contribute to the Miss Bahamas pageant as a committee member, assisting in moulding young women to become ambassadors for their country for many years. She has also spent many years as a committed judge for the Junkanoo parades.

In 1974, the Miss Universe pageant was held in Manila, the Philippines: “I enjoyed the three weeks there among the other contestants touring the city, even though the rehearsals and schedules for events were tiring.

On the day of the parade through the streets of Manila, all contestants

LEFT: Agatha and her daughters, Alisa (left) and Felicity; Far left: 18-year-old Agatha takes the Miss Bahamas crown in 1973 for a newly-Independent Bahamas; middle: Agatha (centre) surrounded by family - seated (l-r) daughter Alisa and cousin Felice; standing (l-r) granddaughter Malia; grandsons Stameko (Jay-Jay) and Emmanuel; and daughter Felicity; above: Agatha’s parents, William and Olga Watson of Gordon’s Long Island. rode on vehicles with their country flag as identification, but when I was taken to my vehicle, the British flag was on it. I refused to go on the vehicle as I had brought a Bahamian flag with me and gave it to the organizers to be sure that I had our flag for the parade. I was upset and insisted that they find my flag. Up until that time, my photo was in the newspapers in Manila a lot. It seemed that after that, I was not very popular. I did not make the finals, but my roommate Miss Wales was the first runner-up and I was happy for her.”

As was the custom for the new Miss Bahamas, Agatha was hired by the Ministry of Tourism. Juanita Carey was her boss, and along with Athama Bowe, they made sure to give Agatha all the literature she needed to be well-informed about her country. She spent most of her reigning year travelling around the USA, Canada and Europe with Tourism officials and Tourism Minister, Sir Clement Maynard.

“On a trip to Chicago, I was in the hotel lobby with Al Collie and the VIPs,” she said.

“Sir Clement must have overheard us all talking and of course in ‘Bahamianese’ - because a day or so after our return to Nassau I was told that the Minister wanted to see me. I was nervous and wondered what it was about. Well to my surprise

he called me to compliment me. He said that he was pleasantly surprised to hear me speak in proper English and answer the TV show host confidently and knowledgeably. He just wanted to say I did a good job!”

“I am thankful for my parents who instilled in me the importance of being truthful and to always try to do the best at whatever you were doing, and I encourage my children and grand-children to do the same. My mother taught me to pray every morning as soon as I awake. She always said to ask God to help you through the day.”

These days are so different from the way they were 47 years ago: “We say we are proud to be Bahamian, but what does it really mean? I am not so sure that we are because we seem to take on the identity of the foreigners in our country instead of promoting our own culture and love for ourselves. Our young people, especially young men, seem to be so very angry and they are killing each other over simple things.”

Still gracious, and still true, the Independence queen of The Bahamas appeals to her fellow Bahamians to remember that manners, respect and love of country helped make Bahamians who they are and without these virtues, we could lose the very essence of being Bahamian.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

WE CAN’T ALLOW THE FIGHT AGAINST RACISTS TO BE HIJACKED IN writing two weeks ago about a minority group of demonstrators defacing and tearing down statues and monuments in Britain, I pointed out that removing reminders of the nation’s past would not help genuine efforts to right the wrongs of racial and social discrimination and injustice that still exist in the country. I also drew attention to how Black Lives Matter UK, which is raising funds for its activities through its GoFundMe webpage, was not only seeking an end to such injustice but - alarmingly - had developed a far-Left agenda with the aim of overthrowing capitalism and abolishing the police.

This deeply disturbing development is now attracting increasing criticism that BLM UK has been hijacked by a group of far-Left activists and that it is using the murder of George Floyd for political purposes.

There are signs of a backlash by

those who were willing to express solidarity with a high-profile antiracist campaign and its laudable objectives but who now fight shy of endorsing a political movement. Prominent among these critics is the UK’s Premier League of the top 20 professional football clubs in the country which has made clear it is keen to stay politically neutral. This could now lead to players being stopped from wearing BLM badges on their sleeve. The stance by the Premier League is significant because racism has been a scar on the nation’s football for years – including personal abuse of black players - though there have been serious efforts by the authorities to root out racism in top-class football. Meanwhile, the BBC has decided that visual symbols of support for BLM should not be worn on screen.

The controversy about racial discrimination took an interesting

The

Peter Young column FORECASTING is a tricky business at the best of times. Just look at the lack of accuracy in predicting the weather in Britain’s notoriously fickle climate.

Or what about the 2016 US presidential election when anyone who thought Donald Trump could win was simply laughed out of court? Then there were the economic predictions at the end of last year by august official organizations like the IMF and others which turned out to be wrong as they could take no account of the earth-shattering effects of coronavirus simply because, of course, nobody could have known about it.

So, you might think only the brave or foolhardy would now attempt to predict what will happen after the COVID-19 pandemic is fully over, not least because it is likely to continue in one form or another for some time. But, nothing daunted, there is a plethora of views on the internet about the subject. With a reasonable degree of certainty, they can be whittled down to a few likely scenarios though, like all predictions, they could be derailed by some wholly unforeseeable event in the future.

History shows that countries have survived the spread of disease – from the Black Death which ravaged Europe in the Middle

Ages to Spanish Flu in 1918 which was said to have killed as many as 50 million people across the globe and is regarded as the deadliest pandemic in history; and, more recently, epidemics like SARS and MERS. In today’s interconnected world, COVID-19 has put entire countries under lockdown, devastated businesses, killed hundreds of thousands and wreaked havoc to millions of lives, leaving the prospects for the global economy more uncertain than at any time since the 2008 financial crisis.

Despite the lockdowns being eased in many countries, including The Bahamas, the virus is bound to affect people’s lives in new ways in the foreseeable future. Although it has been partially contained in European countries, the danger of a second wave remains. It is becoming worse in some US states including Florida which, with the reopening of our airport, poses a potential risk of new infections here at home. Some people argue, however, that the higher number of reported new infections may not be that significant since many will have only mild symptoms or even none at all. Nevertheless, it is surely now incumbent on governments to tell people they must learn to live with COVID-19 which is not

turn last week when the British Prime Minister made it clear publicly that he would not ‘take the knee’ which has become a demonstration of support for BLM that has swept the world. Mr Johnson said he did not believe in such gestures and that people should not be bullied into making this one.

Rather, he argued, the emphasis should be on ‘substance’ and the need to change society and its attitudes in order to stop discrimination against ethnic minorities and improve their opportunities to get on in life. This followed an earlier statement by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that he would not be ‘taking the knee’ which was, in his view, a symbol of subjugation and subordination.

The origin of the gesture was, of course, an American football player who in 2016 knelt during the playing of the national anthem in protest against police brutality in the US.

It is notable that, after some UK police officers knelt during the recent demonstrations and riots in London, senior officers have instructed that this should not be repeated and the Armed Forces have taken the same line.

The police ‘taking the knee’ during demonstrations which all too often turn violent can be a powerful anti-racist gesture that calms the situation - and in certain situations there can be a natural human urge to show empathy with the protestors’ cause. But I, for one, am uneasy about this because such a gesture can undermine the role of the police whose job is to ensure a safe event and not to make political statements or to be seen to be taking sides.

As mentioned in my earlier article, there is a danger that the violence of the recent riots could be counterproductive insofar as it shifts the emphasis away from

reform measures to condemnation of its perpetrators. It must be hoped that the new cross-party parliamentary group at Westminster to look into the needs of minority communities following the Windrush scandal - which I wrote about last week - will be effective.

A certain level of bigotry and prejudice will always exist because, sadly, it is almost part of the human condition. But in the UK it is limited to a minority of people and government can control it by making those concerned accountable for their actions before the law.

More than 50 years ago, Britain passed legislation about racial discrimination – the Race Relations Act of 1965 – which outlawed discrimination on the grounds of colour, race or ethnic or national origin. But there is always more to do in relation to this important and controversial issue.

It’ll take a brave man to predict accurately what is coming next going away any time soon – and that they should take sensible personal precautions like wearing masks as much as possible and should protect, in particular, the old and infirm as well as the vulnerable.

People need to be realistic and calm rather than overly agitated about a virus likely to be with us at least until a vaccine is developed.

Amid all the horrors of coronavirus, it has also produced some benefits like lighter traffic flows and a ‘greener’ world with sweeter air and less pollution, while ongoing measures to control its spread might be good for the environment and a boost for renewable energy.

The lockdown has also unblocked a spring of good neighbourliness and community spirit that most

people will hope can be maintained. But perhaps the most important issue is the continuing need for social distancing. There has to be a balancing act between that and the need for the public to be able to enjoy certain freedoms while reviving national economies with people returning to work or the creation of new jobs.

Companies in the UK leisure industry have found innovative ways to meet the new distancing requirements. But the re-opening there of hotels, bars and restaurants on so-called ‘Super Saturday’ this past weekend was not a ‘riskfree’ next step in easing the lockdown and it appeared most people mingling outside pubs in the centre of London simply ignored the rules - as was the case during the Black Lives

TRUMP - surprise winner Matter demonstrations.

Social distancing rules are also a major headache for sports governing bodies where large gatherings of crowds are not allowed.

Another major longterm effect has been the enormous hit to the aviation industry. In a few short months this has gone from success to survival mode, with some airlines even facing possible bankruptcy.

People around the world just stopped flying, partly because of a fear of catching the virus in a confined space but also because of new security measures at airports together with new testing and quarantine rules. As well as holidaymakers staying at home, there has been a reduction of corporate travel so that business executives have had to learn the art of the video conference that used to be the poor relation to face-to-face meetings but has now become the norm - and one knows the digital world has really arrived when the European Parliament starts talking about permanent online voting and virtual committee meetings. Moreover, working at home could become increasingly standard practice, resulting in a lower demand for office space in city centres with

a consequent effect on the commercial real estate market. This would, in turn, mean less commuting and that would result in reduced business for shops, restaurants and other services in a city vicinity.

Among other on-going effects worldwide will be less reliance on China as a source of cheap goods and a shortening of supply chains for imports, not least food and medical items, as countries seek alternative sources and look to become more self-reliant about products that are key to national survival.

Here in The Bahamas, there are a number of other implications of the longterm effects of coronavirus; for example, in the education field more teaching online as school gatherings become more restricted.

There will also be enhanced contact tracing and surveillance measures and possible compulsory medical checkups. Such measures may be here to stay, but they are anathema to civil liberties groups as an assault on the privacy of the individual.

Overall, conditions postcoronavirus could demand a rethink of our way of life and how to reduce our reliance on other countries – including in relation to tourism and food and other supplies. This could lead to greater diversification of the economy, in particular development of the agricultural sector. Indeed, BAMSI as a relatively new project could take on a new significance by revitalizing the agricultural potential of the country that finally might be unleashed after long-term neglect and many failed projects over the years.

IMPERFECT BUT INDISPENSABLE

LAST month marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, but there has been little publicity about this significant milestone in world history. The UN Charter, which enshrined the guiding principles of the equality and dignity of all people, was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945 by the representatives of 50 countries including the main combatants in the Second World War while Poland signed later and became one of the original 51 member states.

This was the culmination of talks that started in April that year to discuss how to establish universal peace. The timing is interesting because these discussions began shortly before the ending of the war in Europe – VE-Day

on May 8, 1945 – and the signature was before the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific in August the same year, though the Charter was not ratified until October. To quote the Charter, the UN was conceived to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and its founding mission was to bring nations and people together, to preserve peace and security and to improve lives everywhere.

There is insufficient space in today’s column to examine this further apart from mentioning that, even though the UN is a force for good in the world, it has had its share of failures.

As former US President Barack Obama famously said, the UN is “an imperfect, but indispensable institution”.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 11

Hospitals near capacity as Miami closes restaurants FLORIDA Associated Press HOSPITALS rapidly approached capacity across the Sunbelt, and the Miami area closed restaurants and gyms again because of the surging coronavirus yesterday as the US emerged from a Fourth of July weekend of picnics, pool parties and beach outings that health officials fear could fuel the rapidly worsening outbreak.

The seesaw effect — restrictions lifted, then reimposed — has been seen around the country in recent weeks and is expected again after a holiday that saw crowds of people celebrating, many without masks.

“We were concerned before the weekend and remain concerned post-holiday, as anecdotal stories and observed behavior indicate that many continue to disregard important protective guidance,” said Heather Woolwine, a spokeswoman for the Medical University of South Carolina.

Confirmed cases are on the rise in 41 out of 50 states plus the District of Columbia, and the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus is increasing in 39 states.

Florida, which recorded an alltime high of 11,400 new cases on Saturday and has seen its positive test rate lately reach more than 18%, has been hit especially hard, along with other Sunbelt states such as Arizona, California and Texas.

In Miami-Dade County, population 2.7 million, Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered the closing of restaurants and certain other indoor places, including vacation rentals, seven weeks after they were allowed to reopen. Beaches will reopen today after being closed over the weekend.

“But if we see crowding and people not following the public health rules, I will be forced to close the beaches again,” the mayor warned.

Hospitalisations across the state have been ticking upward, with nearly 1,700 patients admitted in

A HEALTH care worker at a COVID-19 testing site in south Florida yesterday the past seven days compared with 1,200 the previous week. Five hospitals in the St Petersburg area were out of intensive care unit beds, officials said. Miami’s Baptist Hospital had only four of its 88 ICU beds available.

“If we continue to increase at the pace we have been, we won’t have enough ventilators, enough rooms,” said Dr David De La Zerda, a respiratory specialist at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Officials in Texas also reported hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed.

Hospitalisations statewide surged past 8,000 for the first time over the weekend, a more than fourfold increase in the past

month. Houston officials said intensive care units there have exceeded capacity.

Along the border with Mexico, two severely ill patients were flown hundreds of miles north to Dallas and San Antonio because hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley were full.

In Arizona, the number of people hospitalised with COVID19 topped 3,200, a new high, and hospitals statewide were at 89% capacity. Confirmed cases surpassed 100,000, and more than half of those infected, or over 62,000, are under 44 years old, state health officials said.

Health officials in South Carolina yesterday reported over 1,500 new

cases. If the numbers keep rising at their current rates, hospitals will probably have to adopt an emergency plan to add 3,000 more beds in places such as hotels and gyms, authorities said.

Alabama has been averaging about 1,000 new cases a day, two or three times what it was seeing in late April, when its stay-at-home order was lifted. “We set a record for highs over the holiday weekend, and, of course, given the number of people who were out and about over the weekend celebrating, we are certainly concerned about what the next couple of weeks are going to look like as well,” said Scott Harris, Alabama’s health officer.

6,300 VIRUS PATIENTS SENT TO NURSING HOMES IN NY NEW YORK Associated Press NEW York hospitals released more than 6,300 recovering coronavirus patients into nursing homes during the height of the pandemic under a controversial, now-scrapped policy, state officials said yesterday, but they argued it was not to blame for one of the nation’s highest nursing home death tolls.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration, which has taken intense criticism over the policy, instead contended the virus’ rampant spread through the state’s nursing homes was propelled by more than 20,000 infected home staffers, many of whom kept going to work unaware they had the virus. “Facts matter.

And those are the facts,” state Health Commissioner Dr Howard Zucker said in a news conference.

New York’s report came more than a month after The Associated Press did its own count finding that hospitals around the state released more than 4,500 recovering coronavirus patients to nursing homes under a March 25 Health Department directive that required nursing homes to take recovering coronavirus patients. The directive was intended to help free up hospital beds as cases surged. But several relatives, patient advocates and nursing administrators blamed the policy for helping to spread the virus among the state’s most fragile residents. To date, more than 6,400 deaths have been linked to the coronavirus in New York’s nursing home and longterm care-facilities.

MAXWELL TRANSFERRED TO NY FOR EPSTEIN-RELATED ABUSE CHARGES NEW YORK Associated Press

JEFFREY Epstein’s longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell was yesterday transferred to New York to face charges that she recruited women and girls, one as young as 14, for him to sexually abuse, the Bureau of Prisons said.

Prosecutors have asked a judge to schedule a Friday court appearance in Manhattan federal court for Maxwell, 58, who was arrested last week at a $1 million estate she had purchased in New Hampshire.

Maxwell was the former girlfriend and longtime close associate of Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail last August while he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell has been indicted on multiple charges, including that she conspired to entice girls as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein from 1994 through 1997.

Funeral Service For

George Robert “Barber J” Johnson, 86 BRITISH socialite Ghislaine Maxwell Several of Epstein’s victims have described Maxwell as his chief enabler, recruiting and grooming young girls for abuse. She has denied wrongdoing and called claims against her “absolute rubbish.”

In a letter to a judge, prosecutors said they have communicated with Maxwell’s defense lawyer, Christian Everdell, who would like a Friday bail hearing where she will be arraigned.

Prosecutors have said

Maxwell “poses an extreme risk of flight.” Maxwell has three passports, is wealthy with lots of international connections, and has “absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence,” they wrote in a memo.

Maxwell is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The jail has had its share of troubles in recent years, but not the specter of Epstein’s suicide.

CHINESE DIPLOMAT DERIDES UK’S MOVE TO OFFER HK CITIZENSHIP LONDON Associated Press

THE Chinese ambassador to Britain yesterday accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of meddling in China’s affairs by offering citizenship to 3 million people from Hong Kong following the imposition of a national security law.

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming defended his country’s new national security law against accusations it’s aimed at eroding Hong Kong’s considerable autonomy and curbing dissent.

Liu pointed out that the UK handed control of the city that was a British colony for more than a century back to Beijing in 1997.

“This move constitutes a gross interference in China’s internal affairs and openly tramples on the basic norms governing

BRITISH PM Boris Johnson international relations,’’ the ambassador said of the British citizenship offer, adding that the Chinese side has expressed “its great concern and strong opposition.’’

Johnson introduced the new visa and citizenship route for certain Hong Kong residents last week after deciding China had committed a “clear and serious breach” of the Sino-British Joint Declaration that set out the transition when Hong Kong was returned to China.

Johnson’s Downing Street office also urged China not to interfere if Hong Kong residents who are eligible to reside and seek citizenship in the UK want to come and said the government was “also reviewing extradition arrangements with Hong Kong.’’

The conflict over Britain’s response to developments in Hong Kong has soured relations with China, the world’s second-largest economy, at a time when Johnson’s government wants new trading relationships following the U.K.’s exit from the European Union.

The national security law China imposed last week makes secessionist, subversive, or terrorist activities illegal, as well as foreign intervention in the city’s internal affairs.

a resident of #88 Kemp Road, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday July 9th, 2020, at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Boyd Road. Officiating will be Fr. William Quiamjot, assisted by Deacon Dennis Mackey. Interment will follow in St. Bede’s Catholic Cemetery, Sutton Street.

Due to the Government’s Orders and related restrictions placed on Funeral Attendance as a result of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, the family will maintain the Government’s Regulations relating to attending any funeral gathering, and apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

Left to Cherish George ‘Barber J’ Memories are his Wife: Cynthia Johnson nee Bethel; Children: Robert Leon Johnson, Robert Augustine Johnson (Jesse), Thyra Johnson, Veronica Bethell, John Johnson (Inger), Beverley Rahming, Clothilda Saunders (Timothy), Thomas Johnson, Monica Best (Matthew), Andrea Thompson (Adrian), Andrew Johnson, Theresa Bastian (Vasco) and Terresitta Johnson; Grandchildren: Symphony Knowles (William), Melchizedek and Joel Johnson, Antonique and Johnathan Johnson, Taurean Curtis, Andrew, Mario and Luke Johnson, Jada Saunders, Summer Rahming, Seth Bethell, Giovanni Thompson, Gabriel and Gideon Saunders, Jeremiah and Benjamin Best, Andre, Andrian, Aidan, Adam and Aaron Thompson, Ayan and Asher Bastian and Melissa Johnson; Great-Grandchildren: Jonathan Cartwright, Isabella Knowles, Emery Johnson and Brielle; Nephews: Paul Kemp, Theodore Newbold and Albert Johnson Jr.; Nieces: Dorothy Kemp, Coral Duncombe, Shanell Newbold, Bernadette ‘Bonnie’ Johnson-Adderley, Andrea Johnson, Cecile Johnson, Dorothy Duckie and Carolyn Oliver; Grandnephews: Patrick Kemp Sr. Christopher and Carlington Bain, Derrick Jr, and Eric Marriott, Demeatrio, Camron, Civian and Giovanni; Grandnieces: Anastacia Thompson, Charlisse Kemp, Derricka and Ericka Marriott, Racquel, Belinda and Tyeisha; Other relatives including: RBPF Officer Cecile Johnson, Mr. Phil Johnson, Mrs. Catherine (Hubert) Storr nee Bowe, Mr. Cecil Bowe and Mr. Robert Bowe, Delerease, Raquel and Samantha Sully, John and Paul Ritchie, Mrs. Natanya (Peter) Fox nee Ritchie, Dr. Latoya Storr, Lavar Storr, Shanice Bowe, Nyoshie Symonette, Demeko and Tameka Reckley, Shemeka Gibson and Mrs. Angelique (Jermaine) Ferguson nee Bowe, Tymika, Tamar, Tia, Terrio, Takio, Brian and Dashanique Bowe.

Theresa Heastie & Family, Sabrina Bain & Family, Clyde Bethel & Family and Sheldon Duckie; Eleuthera Family: Ursula McCardy-Evans, Charles McCardy, Janette Burrows, Theresa Burrows, Valerie Fernander, Paul McCardy, Danny McCardy, Rosena Sands and John McCardy; Johnson Family Friends: Clifford Gray, Adrian McPhee & Family, Percival McNeil & Family, Aubynette Rolle & Family, Philip Roberts & Family, Kendall Beckford & Family, Jewel Bain & Family, McQueen Williams & Family, R.M.Bailey Class of 1982, Linda Symonette & Family, Michael Saunders, Alvinto Knowles & Family, Hans Fortune & Family, Derek Newbold & Family, Philip Sands & Family, Mayzie Johnson, Yasmine Johnson, Eugene Rahming, Ronnie Bethell, Charles & Agnes Thompson & Family, Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson & Family, Melony Aman & Family, Brenda Lamm & Family, Judy Pinder & Family, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Family, St. Bede’s Catholic Church Family, St. Margaret’s Anglican Church Family, Bishop Theophilus Rolle and Rhodes Memorial Methodist Church MCCA Family, Central Gospel Chapel Family, S.A.C. Class of 1978, Mariah Hepburn & Family, Min. Kirsten Fowler & Woman of Substance, Alfreda Johnson & Family, Bridgette Cartwright & Family, Brenda Lewis & Family, Dellarese Worrell & Family, Cherie Gilbert & Family, Kemp Road Community Family including Wenzel Gray & Family, Dave Spence, Kofi Dixon & Family, Mr. & Mrs. Major & Family, Kevin Rolle & Family, Ingrid Miller & Family, Sweeting Family, Cooper Family, Robinson Family, Hazel Brown & Family, Felton Rolle & Family, Colin Smith & Family, Lilac Sky Boutique Patrons, Esso East Street & Soldier Road Family and others too numerous to mention.

Relatives and friends may pay their respects at Cedar Crest Funeral Home and Crematorium Ltd, Robinson and Baillou Hill Roads on Wednesday, from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. and at the church from 10:00 a.m. until service time.

SPORTS SECTION E

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020

‘Kino’ Burrows retires from national basketball team play

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JARAUN “Kino” Burrows has announced his retirement from national team play which has included seven tournament appearances over 13 years at the senior level.

This surge of high level talent is hungry to come and play and represent their country.

In 2017, FIBA changed the competition format across the board for its international events and through the new format, including home-and-away series.

The cycle calls for a day of travel, another day of practice and then the game is played. The following day, the teams travel to the opposing country, get in a day of practice and then they play before they complete the first series of games.

Burrows said the changes in approach to the national team programme have reaped benefits on the court.

“Although at times it is difficult with the new FIBA format to get the college and NBA guys. I feel like we are headed in the right direction. Under President Bowleg things have been on the right track and also since Baha Mar came on board its been a huge difference with the programme with the way

we have been treated. Things like that matter and you can see from the results,” Burrows said.

“We beat a World Cup and an Olympic team in our last outings.

We continue to connect the dots and hopefully we get to see the Bahamas in the Olympics soon.”

This offseason, Burrows signed on for his second stint with the FOS Provence-Basket Byers which will mark his second stint with the team in the LNB French Pro B League.

The 6’ 8 forward spent last season with Aix-Maurienne Savoie.

In 22 games with the club, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

He was also named league Player of the Week twice.

Burrows has been a senior men’s national team member for the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships in 2007 and 2011.

He was also a member of the Centrobasket teams in 2012, 2014 and 2016 in addition to the World Cup

Qualifiers and AmeriCup Qualifiers for the last two years.

His pro career has also included stops in Israel, Sweden, Finland, Eastern Europe and South America.

He said he looks forward to continuing his impact in another capacity off the court and working closely with the Bahamas Basketball Federation.

“I think my role with the national team will stay the same as it’s been the last 10 years. I’ve been a big brother for most of the guys coming through the programme, including Buddy [Hield] and Deandre [Ayton] all the way up to the young guys like Nado [Dominick Bridgewater] so I’m going to continue to provide whatever experience, leadership and mentorship that I can and I definitely want to stay working with the federation,” he said.

“President Bowleg and I have some really good ideas in mind, hopefully some announcements should be made this summer.”

Weir had a very ‘productive’ tenure as BLTA president

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AS she demitted office, having served as president of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for the past two years plus, Darnette Weir revealed that she had a very “productive” tenure.

Weir left office as president on Saturday during the BLTA’s annual general meeting. Despite the pouring rain and health measures imposed by COVID-19, a large gathering of supporters turned out for the election of officers at the National Tennis Centre.

After a failed legal attempt in the Supreme Court earlier in the day to halt the proceedings, Weir’s brother-in-law Perry Newton won the presidency race 117-14 over former female national team player Dyphany Mortier.

Looking back at her tenure in office, Weir said her platform was about growing tennis in the Bahamas, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability and the importance of coaches education.

“Further, as an executive board, we have been very decisive in our decision makings which at times may have been unpopular,”

PRE-REGISTER NOW FOR DIAMOND LEAGUE BASKETBALL CAMP

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

J

araun “Kino” Burrows has suited up in the black, aquamarine and gold on the court as a member of The Bahamas’ men’s national basketball team for the last time.

The 34-year-old veteran forward announced his retirement from national team play which has included seven tournament appearances over 13 years at the senior level.

“It’s a very hard decision. It’s been 15 years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears and I’ve seen the programme come from the bottom to heading in the right direction.

I have always felt blessed to be a part of it,” Burrows said.

“I just feel like now, with the new FIBA format, leaving in the middle of seasons for two weeks at a time, flying across the world, having to adjust your schedule to how you eat, sleep and play games - then immediately fly back to Europe and adjust all over again.

As I’m getting older it’s been more challenging on my body. I don’t adjust as easily as I used to. It took me a long time to get back into the swing of things after the last window in Mexico and in Nassau and there’s no way I could commit to the next two rounds.”

Burrows was most recently a member of Team Bahamas at the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Qualifiers.

In his final national team appearance, he scored eight points off the bench to help The Bahamas to a 76-59 win over Mexico in February at the Atlantis resort to even the series between the two teams at 1-1.

The Bahamas is currently second in Group D at 1-1 with the advantage over Mexico on point differential. The USA leads the Group at 2-0 while Puerto Rico is 0-2.

In July 2018, Burrows finished with six points and 10 rebounds to help Team Bahamas to an 83-82 win over The Dominican Republic in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

“I do feel like it’s special to leave us headed in the right direction with wins in two out of my last three games with the national team against The Dominican Republic and Mexico so I’m excited about the future of Team Bahamas,” he said.

“As I’m getting older, there’s more fresh young talent coming into the programme and for now I think this is the right thing to do.

I feel like I will still be a positive part of the programme moving forward, but just now, off the court.

NBA, PAGE 16

Weir said. “However, this current administration, upheld the tenants of the board’s code of ethics, one of which is: “dedicated itself to leading by example in serving the needs of the association and its members and also in representing the interests and ideals of the International Tennis Federation and the tennis community at large.”

The ITF, according to Weir, continues to overwhelmingly support the BLTA’s national programmes and the body of work that they did as an association.

“This administration hosted two coaches education courses, one in March 2019 (4-day course) and the other in August 2019 (12-day course),” Weir noted.

“The response was amazing and the results outstanding with 14 participants and 12 participants respectively and a 100 per cent passing rate.

“These sessions included participants from Freeport and New Providence, facilitated by the ITF development officer for the Caribbean, John Goede, and sponsored by the Olympic Solidarity.”

As the new board takes office, Weir said she hopes that their membership in the Family of

DARNETT WEIR Islands would have the opportunity to participate in the next BLTA coaching education seminar.

“This year the ITF has recommended that the Bahamas be considered to implement a Recognition of Coaches Education system,” she revealed. “What this means is that no longer would we need an ITF representative to facilitate these coaching courses

for the Bahamas, but with such a system in place, our certified level II coaches will be allowed to serve as facilitators. This is certainly a big feat for our association.”

Expressing her gratitude to the men and women who served with her in office, Weir noted that their administration worked diligently over the past two years to promote and to grow the sport of tennis and set standards that augur well for the association.

“I take this opportunity to salute all of our national tennis athletes, along with our national coaches who have served on national teams over the past two years,” she lamented.

“We have fielded the Jr Davis Cup/Jr Fed Cup Teams, the World Junior Competition Teams, 12U Sub-region Caribbean Team, the Davis Cup Team and the Fed Cup Team. Noteworthy with honourable mention are our 2018 Davis Cup Team which won the tie in Costa Rica, our 2018 Fed Cup Team which emerged finalist in the promotional round in Ecuador and our 12U Sub-region Caribbean Team which placed third in Dominican Republic in 2019.”

SEE PAGE 14

“GONE, but not forgotten” are the words posted at the top of the banner to promote the Diamond League Basketball Camp for the late versatile athlete Jonique ‘Mini’ Webb and basketball coach Sherman Smith.

Yesterday, coordinator Terrance ‘Red’ Eye’ McSweeney, flanked by his instructors and members of both families, indicated that all systems are go for the summer girls’ and boys’ basketball camp that will run from Monday, July 13 to August 15 at the Hope Centre Church courts.

In preparation for the tournament, geared for girls between the ages of 8-16 from 9am to noon and boys 8-11 from 1-4 pm, McSweeney will hold a preregistration at the Hope Center from 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

“The only real concern, and that not just goes for our camp, but anyone in general, is that we can do as much as we can do and think that it is right. There’s always room for improvement,” said McSweeney when assuring the parents that they intend to follow the safety guidelines as imposed by the Ministry of Health.

“As simply as meeting and greeting, we can’t do that anymore,” he pointed out. “We are a country that loves to hug and shake hands and high five. That is a no-no with the camp.

“Once the camp is over, as they wait for their rides, the players will have to

SEE PAGE 13

QC SPRINTER PAIGE STUART SIGNS UP WITH UB MINGOES THE University of the Bahamas Mingoes have signed Queen’s College sprinter Paige Stuart for the upcoming fall semester.

“We are excited that Paige decided to join The Mingoes track programme,” said UB Track and Field head coach Ednal Rolle. “She’s a proven sprinter and we hope to develop her into one of the top sprinters in the country.”

Stuart won the silver medal at the 2020 BAISS Track and Field Championships in the 100m in 12.79 seconds and the 200m in 25.97 seconds.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity,” said Stuart, who intends to major in biology and chemistry. “I expect great things in the programme. I know I have to work on my endurance and consistency and I feel I will get it here.”

SEE PAGE 14

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 13

Tokyo Olympics seek COVID-19 defences, but what exactly?

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — As the president of the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshiro Mori knows experts will have to come up with defences against COVID-19 for the postponed games to open a year from now.

These include quarantines for athletes, and few fans at the venues among ideas being floated by the organising committee, the city of Tokyo, and the International Olympic Committee.

The Olympics are scheduled to open on July 23, 2021. So far local organisers and the IOC have talked only vaguely in public about how the games can be held.

They’ve proposed cutting out frills and simplifying, but have said the sports will be unchanged with 11,000 athletes competing from 206 national Olympic committees.

Add to this 4,400 Paralympic athletes and thousands of staff members, technical officials, and Olympic officials.

“What we are most worried about now is if we are

TOKYO’s newly reelected Governor Yuriko Koike, right, meets Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori at Tokyo Metropolitan Government headquarters in Tokyo yesterday.

(Kyodo News via AP)

told to limit people,” Mori said Monday, speaking with Yuriko Koike a day after she was elected to a second term as Tokyo’s governor.

“How do you separate tickets of those who already bought them?” Mori asked, throwing out an example of the challenges. “We have these kind of problems.”

In addition to talks with Mori — a former prime minister — Koike also met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday.

Koike, who is viewed as a future prime minister, said Abe explained the progress on vaccines being developed for COVID19. Some scientists believe

the Olympics can’t be held safely unless a vaccine is available. “Regarding the Olympics and Paralympics, there are various issues regarding what kind of form they will take, what will be done about costs and, above all, what will be done for coronavirus countermeasures,” Koike said.

In an interview last month, Olympic Games operations director Pierre Ducrey was optimistic the games would be held. But he was light on details.

“The future is not clear exactly as to what environment we will have next summer,” he said.

“Right now we cannot go with one plan and say this is our plan to the end. We need to develop different options.”

IOC President Thomas Bach has floated the possibility of limited fans, though he said it’s not his preference.

Ducrey said the same thing in the interview with the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology. “We all work in this environment to create circumstances where you can have spectators,” he said.

“But when this comes in the way of delivering the event safely, I guess there is not a lot to think about.”

Neither Japanese nor IOC officials have said what the postponement will cost.

Estimates in Japan have ranged from $2 billion to $6 billion, with Japanese taxpayers getting most of the bills.

NHL, PLAYERS’ UNION ANNOUNCE PLAN TO RESUME PLAY ON AUGUST 1

By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writers THE National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association announced a tentative agreement yesterday to return to play this season and extend their collective bargaining agreement by four years.

The CBA deal, coupled with both sides’ agreement on

protocols for training camps and games, paves the way for hockey to resume in less than a month.

Training camps would open next Monday, July 13, and games would resume August 1 if the league’s board of governors, players’ executive committee and full membership sign off.

The NHL is going straight to the playoffs with 24 teams resuming play. Those teams will travel to one of two “hub” cities July 26

COACH Terrance ‘Red Eye’ McSweeney with children of the late coach Sherman Smith - Sherzel Smith-Williams and Sherman Smith Jr.

CAMP from PAGE 12 distance themselves, keep their masks on. It’s a must that the camper brings his or her mask. Even though we are out in the sun and doing constant movement, the camp will afford your child three to four breaks in the three hours.”

Having gotten the approval and endorsement of the Bahamas Basketball Federation through the recommendations from FIBA, the global governing body for basketball, McSweeney said they are quite prepared to stage the camp in the next norm on and off the court.

“Normally the camp is ran by myself, but this year I will have two camp assistants,” McSweeney said.

“Raven Jones, a senior ball player at St John’s and Jasmin Roker, also from St John’s, are here to assist me.

“It’s a five-week intense camp, four weeks of basketball and one week of fun in the sun, doing drills as well as playing games. We will climax on August 15 with a fun night for the parents with awards and certificates for those persons who would have caught the eyes of my two assistants as well as myself.”

McSweeney said it’s anticipated that they will cater to no more than 90 participants in both the girls’ and the boys’ segments at a cost of $25 per day or a total of $180 for 25 days.

Two of Smith’s children, Sherzel Smith-Williams and Sherman Smith Jr, said they were really surprised when McSweeney contacted them to get their approval for honouring their father.

McSweeney said it’s not so much about the cost for the camp, but the fact that they can honour two persons in Webb and Smith for the legacy that they left behind in the short space of time that they functioned.

“Our father often had a camp himself, but obviously he passed earlier this year due to COVID-19, so that isn’t going to be happening,” Smith-Williams said.

“So we are excited now to let people know about this camp so that they can take part. “We also feel very honoured that a part of it is in his memory as well.”

Smith Jr thanked McSweeney for his constant effort in working with basketball from 1994 and must be commended and he advised all female and male players who want to develop their game to come out and take part in the camp.

for exhibition games. The qualifying round would begin August 1.

Extending the CBA — which will now run through the end of the 2025-26 season — was considered a necessary step toward hockey returning this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details of the CBA extension were not revealed.

Among the issues discussed were the league potentially returning to Olympic competition.

The NHL participated in five consecutive Olympics from 1998-2014 before skipping 2018 in South Korea.

Another major issue involved the share of escrow payments players would owe owners to even out hockey-related revenue at 50-50, something that had been a sticking point with players even before the pandemic cut into league revenues this season.

The agreement needs two-thirds

COACH McSweeney with John, father of the late Jonique ‘Mini’ Webb’, and sister Ariel Webb.

Ariel Webb, who attended the press conference with her father, John Webb, said like her sister, Jonique, she too was a part of the camp, which actually provided more than just basketball tips.

“On behalf of my family, we would like to thank coach McSweeney for having us here,” she stated.

“If your mind is not there, don’t bother with it because this is a lot of work.

“But if you love the sport, come out and have fun. You are going to work. Just do what he says. You will have a good time. So on behalf of my family, we are all in,” she added.

Ida Poitier-Turnquest, the president of the 56-year-old Bahamas based Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a member of the international service organisation made up of college educated women for more than 100 years, said they are delighted to be able to honour one of their very own in Webb.

“When coach McSweeney gave me a call and asked if we would take part, we jumped on the chance and the opportunity because when Jonique was with us, that was all he spoke about, her time with the Diamond League,” Poitier-Turnquest said.

“Our part we will be playing is that we will be coming in once a week and addressing certain topics like leadership, service, commitment and college education. In terms of education, we will be stressing that you attend the University of the Bahamas.

But if you plan on going away, we would be recommending that you attend the historic black colleges and universities where we do an opportunity for scholarships.”

Poitier-Turnquest also revealed that the Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will also provide a trophy to be presented to one of the outstanding campers.

The criteria for the award will be revealed during the camp.

Additionally, the Hope Centre will be lending its support to the boys by providing a speaker on a weekly basis, which will provide the same type of support as the Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority to bring some balance to the camp.

Raven Jones, the daughter of the late Grand Bahamian basketball player Oral ‘Big O’ Jones, is now entering the 11th grade at St John’s College. She first attended the camp in 2018, but is now

approval by owners, and on the union side a majority of the 31-representative executive board full player membership.

Over the weekend, the league and players agreed to an extensive series of return-to-play protocols involving training camps and games. Players will be allowed to opt out of competing in the expanded playoffs, and will have three days to make their decision once the agreement is ratified.

COACH McSweeney with Ariel Webb and Ida Poitier-Turnquest. making a contribution as an instructor.

“I decided to come back because it has really helped me and pushed me to my limits with skills and endurance,” she stressed. “I want to help the younger players get better and improve.”

And Jasmin Roker, who also started the programme in 2018, said after she left the junior team at St John’s College for the senior team, she felt she grew tremendously and wants to pass her experience on to others.

“I actually decided to help out with this camp because I feel I have a lot to offer,” said Roker, who will be entering the 12th grade and has been a member of the Diamond League programme, attending the Saturday sessions to improve her game.

Roker actually came to the Diamond League programme as a soccer player from HO Nash Primary School. But because of her rapid development under McSweeney, there were a lot of queries about her age as a junior when the Giants defeated one of the top schools in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS).

McSweeney said when he started the Diamond League programme in 1984, he said the sole purpose was

to develop the Suns girls’ basketball programme at Temple Christian where his daughter, Tamara Diamond McSweeney, was playing.

At the time, McSweeney said only St Anne’s Blue Waves, under coach Shayne Sweeting and Hattie Moxey at Jordan Prince Williams Falcons, joined in with Temple Christian to take advantage of the programme.

However, McSweeney said he eventually moved his daughter to St Augustine’s College to develop her skills in track and field, while he went to Jordan Prince Williams to help out with their basketball camp and he began coaching Webb.

As for Smith, McSweeney said he was invited to Carlton E Francis to assist him with his primary school girls’ team.

This year when he got sick and had to be admitted into the hospital, McSweeney said he ended up coaching Smith’s team.

While Webb passed away on January 19 due to lupus, Smith died on April 22, having been diagnosed earlier with sickle cell that led to complications with COVID-19.

McSweeney said he’s honoured to keep their memories alive though the camp.

PAGE 14, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Mourinho delighted by Lloris-Son clash during Tottenham victory

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — When Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris confronted Son Heung-min on the field at halftime, Jose Mourinho was far from annoyed.

The manager renowned for his own flashpoints and volatility was delighted to see tensions between teammates erupting in public view.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “Probably it’s a consequence of our meetings.”

Angered by the timidity of a 3-1 loss at Sheffield United in the previous English Premier League round, Mourinho saw the passion he wanted as Tottenham this time secured a 1-0 victory over Everton yesterday.

Just before the break, with Tottenham leading, Son lost the ball which led to Richarlison having a chance to equalise but striking wide of Lloris’ post. “I think to concede a chance a few seconds before halftime because we don’t make the pressing properly,” Lloris said, “that annoys me but it’s part of football. Move on.”

Only, Lloris didn’t when the whistle blew for

halftime, shouting as he raced over to Son. Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks intervened to split the clashing teammates before they headed into the dressing room.

Son had created the goal in the 24th minute.

The South Korea forward knocked the ball forward to Harry Kane who squared for Lo Celso to strike on the turn and Everton defender Michael Keane deflected the ball into his own net.

“An amazing kid that everyone loves like Sonny, a team boy,” Mourinho said.

“But in that situation the captain thought the last minute of the first half you have to do more for the team. You have to give a different effort than you give. A couple of bad words but I think it’s something very important for the team to grow up.”

In the dressing room, Mourinho told them: “I have no doubt you will stick together until the end.”

That they did. Tottenham moved up to eighth place with its second victory from the four games since the league resumed after a three-month suspension.

TOTTENHAM Hotspur and Everton FC teams take a drinks break during the English Premier League soccer match between at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, Monday, July 6, 2020. (AP) But it’s not only the hopes of returning to the Champions League that are in the balance for Spurs. Even qualifying for the Europa League is uncertain with five games remaining.

“If you want to blame someone for that it is me,” Mourinho said. “I was critical of my boys because they are not enough critical of themselves (in Sheffield) ...

I ask them to demand more from each other. That pressure to give for everyone.”

Mourinho was hired in November to rescue the season after Mauricio Pochettino was fired with a team that reached the 2019 Champions League final in 14th place.

“When you play a season like this one it is very easy to fall apart as a team,” Mourinho said. “Today we showed we are still together and ready to compete and ready to fight until the end.”

At the end of the game, Lloris and Son embraced

on the pitch — despite the need for social distancing to be maintained due to the coronavirus pandemic which means no fans are allowed into games.

“What happened between me and Sonny is just something that is part of football sometimes,” Lloris said.

“But there is no problem at all. You can see at the end of the game we are more than happy to be part of the team and to have these three points.”

ATP TOUR UPDATES RANKINGS PROCEDURE FOR RETURN TO PLAY PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (AP) — The ATP Tour has temporarily changed its rankings system because of the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to reward players who perform well when the 2020 season resumes without punishing those who can’t or choose not to play.

A player will be able to count his best 18 results over the 22-month period that covers March 2019 to December 2020. The traditional window covers only 52 weeks.

The tour’s rankings have been frozen since March 16, just days after the season was suspended. Play is set to resume in August ahead of the US Open.

The tour said yesterday it believes the revised system will allow for further changes in the calendar if necessary.

Players will not be able to count the same event twice if it was held in both 2019 and 2020. Points added through tournaments in 2020 will remain on a player’s ranking for 52 weeks or until the event is played in 2021, whichever comes first.

PGA TOUR, MEMORIAL SCRAP PLANS TO HAVE LIMITED SPECTATORS

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer THE PGA Tour and the Memorial scrapped state-approved plans to have limited spectators next week because of what it described as rapidly changing dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus at his Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, was in line to be the first tournament with spectators since golf resumed its schedule on June 11 in Texas.

WEIR from PAGE 12 Weir also noted that the BLTA gained a great social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, which allows us to showcase our work as an association to the world at large.

“This also allows the association to remain relevant in an ever changing world,” she stressed.

“Through this medium platform, many near and far have seen our passion for community based ‘grass root’ junior programmes (Play Tennis Programme for Beginners on Saturdays

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, last month approved a plan that would allow the Memorial to have 20 per cent capacity on property, which would include fans, private hospitality areas and essential staff to run the tournament.

“But given the broader challenges communities are facing due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, we need to stay focused on the No. 1 priority for our ‘Return to Golf’ — the health and safety of all involved,” PGA

and the Ranfurly Home for Children Outreach Programme/Nazareth Children’s Center Outreach Programme during the week).

“There have been many highlights of our athletes’ achievements; timely dissemination of information of tennis events/tournaments/etc.; a robust coaches education and a referee training programme. Our referee’s training programme offered included 12 participants from New Providence and 8 from Freeport. This increased the pool of eligible referees for our local tournaments.”

Additionally, Weir said her administration

Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement Monday.

The absence of spectators also means the tournament will not have a pro-am.

Muirfield Village this week is holding the Workday Charity Open, a one-time event that replaces the John Deere Classic, which officials chose to cancel this year and bring back in 2021.

No spectators were to be allowed this week. It’s the first time since 1957 a course has held different PGA Tour events in

promoted inclusiveness in tennis to grow the sport and to be a more united force. She said the BLTA has improved relations with their tennis associates over the past two years.

“We have been working closely with the Grand Bahama Tennis Association whose president serves as one of our committee members; we have ratified the Abaco Tennis Association (ATA) this year under the BLTA and we have been in talks with Eleuthera Tennis to do the same,” she outlined.

While Hurricane Dorian left its destruction behind last year, Weir said the BLTA was able to hold

consecutive weeks. The 157-man field this week includes Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay.

The Memorial has special status and features only a 120-man field.

Tiger Woods, who has not played competitively since the pandemic shut down golf, is a fivetime champion at the Memorial.

“We had a good plan in place, and I could not be more proud of everyone who contributed to it,” Nicklaus said. “In the end, we have the responsibility to

a fundraiser tournament and donated $1,800 to the Abaco Tennis Association for nine (9) displaced members in the tennis community and $1,400.00 to seven (7) displaced members in Grand Bahama.

Here in New Providence, Weir said the BLTA was also able to bridge the gap in promoting inclusiveness by inviting the IFT’s development officer and one of their council members to meet with executives of the Nassau Lawn Tennis Club and Gym Tennis Club.

“This administration has also given overwhelming support to the Southwest Tennis Club,” she further mentioned.

“This tennis club is also a community-based club that seeks to cater to the social needs of kids in the surrounding community who participate in its programme.

“Additionally, my administration reached out to the Lyford Cay Tennis Club and the Albany Tennis Club in inviting both clubs to be a part of any one of the association’s junior or senior events.”

Once they continue along this trajectory, Weir said tennis in the Bahamas would undoubtedly grow, as they seek to bring tennis back to the prominence it once was.

Under her tenure, Weir said her administration can boast of having the following “firsts” in tennis: 1) The first BLTA logo which displays a professional, identifiable imagery on our communications.

2) Implementation of BLTA’s first “In Good Standing” policy.

This allows for equity in

STUART from PAGE 12 She said choosing to become a part of the Mingoes family was an easy decision. “UB has a great programme and a great coach.”

recognise the health and safety of the players and all who attend the Memorial Tournament.”

The 3M Open outside Minneapolis on July 23-26 already has said it would not have spectators.

Meanwhile, the PGA Championship in San Francisco is being played without fans from August 6-9.

That leaves the World Golf Championships event in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 30 as the next opportunity for golf to have fans on the course.

enforcement as it relates to breaches and what is expected as BLTA members.

3) Ratification of BLTA’s first Family Island Tennis Association.

4) Implementation of BLTA’s subvention criteria for tennis that has been disseminated to the wider tennis community for the first time in the association’s history.

This promotes transparency and in this way, players would know what the requirements are and those who fall short would know what they need to do to reach the mark.

“This administration has also added a few 14s and 16s tournaments to the calendar to ensure that players are participating more to better their game,” Weir added.

“I would like to take this opportunity to give honourable mention to those auxiliary arms that have been an integral part of the growth and development of tennis during her administration.

They included the Grand Bahama Tennis Association, IC Bahamas (10s and 12s Tournament), the South West Tennis Club, Tennis Bahamas (Albany), Eleuthera Tennis (Hartie Johnson and others) and the Abaco Tennis Association.

Weir said her administration blazed the trail in sports administration in the trenches for over the past two years plus.

“As administrators, we were good stewards of the association’s resources,” she stressed.

“The positive contribution we continue to make to the sports arena is being echoed by many.”

“I take this opportunity to thank my executive team for unselfish services rendered during the 2018 – 2020 term.

They included Ceron Rolle, first vice president; Timothy Dames, assistant treasurer; Chilean Burrows, secretary; Nadine Munroe assistant secretary; Wesley Rolle, Philip Major Jr and Marvin Rolle, as council members.

She also expressed her gratitude to former presidents J. Barrie Farrington, Mickey Williams, Edith Powell and Vicky KnowlesAndrews, who supported her administration in some form or another.

Weir said it was former president Elwood Donaldson who gave her the opportunity to grow as a general secretary (for four years) under his presidency.

In becoming the president, Weir said the ITF, the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture, the Bahamas Olympic Committee and the media houses through their public relations team really made her tenure a rewarding one.

“I also wish to honour the memory of our fallen former president, Mary Shelley, who passed away last year and was a staple at each AGM and one who gave unselfishly toward tennis in the Bahamas,” Weir said.

“May her memories live on.”

With a new change in leadership during the pandemic in the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane from last year, she prays that God will continue to bless the BLTA and the Bahamas as it presses forward towards the 47th anniversary of Independence this weekend.

Coach Rolle added that he sees Stuart as a great addition to the programme and hopes to continue to strengthen the programme.

“Paige has shown her potential on the track and all we want to do is take her to the next level in terms of her technique and achievement,” he said.

The Mingoes compete in 11 disciplines, including: men’s and women’s track and field indoor/outdoor, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s volleyball, women’s softball, men’s basketball, men’s soccer and men’s and women’s judo.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020, PAGE 15

Chiefs, Mahomes agree to 10year, $503 million extension

By ROB MAADDI “With his dynamic play AP Pro Football Writer and infectious personality, he is one of the most THE Kansas City Chiefs recognised and beloved made sure they’ll have figures to put on the Chiefs Super Bowl MVP Patrick uniform. He’s an extraordiMahomes around as long as nary leader and a credit to possible. the Kansas City commuMahomes agreed to a nity, and I’m delighted that 10-year extension worth he will be a member of the $503 million, according Chiefs for many years to to his agency, Steinberg come.”

Sports. The deal is worth The Chiefs had the 2018 $477 million in guarantee NFL MVP under contract mechanisms and includes a for the next two seasons but no-trade clause and opt-out that wasn’t nearly enough. clauses if guarantee mecha“Here to stay,” Mahomes nisms aren’t met. wrote on Twitter.

It’s the richest contract in The Chiefs already professional sports history, had picked up their fifthsurpassing Mike Trout’s year option in April on $426.5 million deal with the Mahomes, who had been Los Angeles Angels. “Since due to make $825,000 on he joined the Chiefs just a the final year of his rookie few years ago, Patrick has contract this season, to developed into one of the keep him around at least most prolific athletes in all through 2021. of sports,” Chiefs chairman General manager Clark Hunt said in a state- Brett Veach said this ment about the quarterback deal has been a priorwho led them to their first ity for quite a while and championship in 50 years. thanked Mahomes’ agents,

CHIEFS quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on February 2. (AP) Chris Cabott and Leigh Steinberg.

“His abilities are so rare, and to couple that with an incredible personality is outstanding,” Veach said of Mahomes.

“We’re going to continue to do everything we can to surround him with talent, and this deal provides us more flexibility to do that.

He’s obviously an integral part to our success and we’re thrilled he’s going to be the quarterback of the

Kansas City Chiefs for a long time.”

Mahomes threw touchdown passes on consecutive fourth-quarter drives in rallying the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years and the first for coach Andy Reid. That comeback performance earned Mahomes the Super Bowl MVP award and only cemented his status as the face of the Kansas City franchise.

Reid said the best part is that Mahomes is still early

in his career. Mahomes won’t turn 25 until September 17. “He’s a natural leader and always grinding, whether that’s on the field, in the weight room or watching film, he wants to be the best,” Reid said.

“He’s a competitor and his teammates feed off his energy. He makes us all better as an organisation and we are blessed he’s going to be our quarterback for years to come.”

The Chiefs traded up to select Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 draft, and he spent one season learning the ropes under Alex Smith before getting the starting job.

Mahomes proceeded to shatter just about every franchise passing record while winning the league MVP award, and he had the Chiefs within overtime of landing in the Super Bowl that season. He also was The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the

Year. He dealt with numerous injuries this past season, including a dislocated kneecap on a seemingly innocent quarterback sneak that left him sidelined for a couple of games. He came back to lead the Chiefs to a long winning streak that culminated with a series of come-from-behind wins in the playoffs, including their second-half rally in the Super Bowl.

He is 24-7 as a starter, completing 65.9 per cent of his passes with 76 touchdowns and only 18 interceptions. Mahomes is 724 of 1,099 for 9,412 yards passing, averaging 303.6 yards per game with a 108.9 career quarterback rating.

He also has run 110 times for 500 yards with four TDs. He has led the Chiefs to back-to-back AFC championship games. In the postseason, Mahomes is 115 of 184 for 1,474 yards with 13 TDs and only two interceptions with a 106.6 rating.

KAEPERNICK, ESPN TEAM UP FOR DOCUMENTARY SERIES ON HIS LIFE

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer COLIN Kaepernick will be featured in a documentary series produced by ESPN Films as part of a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Co. The deal between Kaepernick’s production arm, Ra Vision Media, and The Walt Disney Co. was announced yesterday. The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity. It also will provide a platform to showcase the work of directors and producers of colour.

“I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to

elevate black and brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives,” Kaepernick said in a statement. “I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing.”

Despite being exiled from the NFL since the 2016 season when he took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality, Kaepernick still wants to play.

A person close to the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback told The Associated Press that Kaepernick is in excellent shape and ready to play but hasn’t received any calls.

COLIN Kaepernick (AP) Following the nationwide protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apologised to players for not listening to them earlier, encouraged them to

protest peacefully and denounced racism.

Kaepernick, who became the face of a Nike campaign in 2018, will work closely with The Undefeated, which is expanding its portfolio across Disney, to develop stories from the perspective of communities of colour.

His deal with The Walt Disney Co. will extend across all Disney platforms, including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar and The Undefeated.

“During this unprecedented time, The Walt Disney Co. remains committed to creating diverse and inclusive content that resonates and matters,” said Bob Iger, Disney’s executive chairman. “Colin’s experience gives him a unique perspective on the

intersection of sports, culture and race, which will undoubtedly create compelling stories that will educate, enlighten and entertain, and we look forward to working with him on this important collaboration.”

The docuseries chronicling Kaepernick’s journey and his last five years is the first project in development.

“Developing exceptional storytelling told through a wide array of voices is at the core of who we are at ESPN,” ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said. “Colin has had a singular path as both an athlete and an activist, and, as the nation continues to confront racism and social injustice, it feels particularly relevant to hear Colin’s voice on his evolution and motivations.”

PAGE 16, Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

The bubble awaits: NBA teams set to start Disney arrivals

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer AFTER four months of waiting and planning, the NBA bubble is ready to be tested.

The first six teams — Brooklyn, Denver, Orlando, Phoenix, Utah and Washington — are scheduled to arrive today at the Disney complex.

Another eight teams arrive Wednesday, the last eight arrive Thursday, and with that training camps will be on the cusp of beginning.

If the plan works, all teams will be at Disney for at least 5-1/2 weeks and some teams will be there for more than three months. And not everyone in the league has an abundance of optimism that the experiment — involving daily testing, separation from friends and family for weeks if not months, and strict regulations regarding just about everything imaginable at Disney — will be enough to complete the season. “I’m not very confident,” New Orleans guard Brandon Ingram said. “But they’ve got us going ... so we’ll see.”

The process for arrivals will be streamlined — players and team staff will be immediately taken to the testing room at their Disney hotel after clearing security when arriving on the premises. They’ll receive a short briefing on the testing programme and other matters, receive what will serve as their room key, then go through initial testing for both the coronavirus and the presence of antibodies.

Virus testing will continue daily; the antibody testing is intended to be a one-time event at Disney.

DEANDRE Ayton (22) and the Phoenix Suns are scheduled to arrive today at the Disney complex. Another eight teams arrive Wednesday, the last eight arrive Thursday, and with that training camps will be on the cusp of beginning. Buddy Hield (inset) and the Sacramento Kings are slated to arrive on Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) In their rooms, a welcome kit including a thermometer, pulse oximeter and two optional items — a physical distancing sensor and an Oura Ring that tracks sleep and activity — will be awaiting players and staff, as will some personal protective equipment such as wipes to clean the exterior of their luggage.

“I think we’re on the right path, we’re on the right plan,” Houston general manager Daryl Morey said. “But I think every day

there’s new information so ... I think if anyone’s certain about anything right now I think they’re making a mistake. I think we all have to intelligently continue to understand the risks, manage the risks versus the potential outcomes, and go from there.”

For some teams, the getaway comes not long after the reality of the virus struck yet again. Miami closed its facility late last week following positive test results, Milwaukee

and Sacramento followed over the weekend after the same circumstance, and now seven of the 22 Disneybound teams have had to shutter their practice gyms.

All this, of course, comes with coronavirus numbers in Florida still rising and the percentage of positive test results simply overwhelming what the standards were a few weeks ago.

“As long as we try to (abide) by the rules, I think that’s going to help get us through the season,”

Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball said. “I can’t really tell you whether it’s going to work or not.”

And not every team is having its entire travel party arrive at once.

Phoenix general manager James Jones said some Suns players will be arriving separately, adding that some decisions have yet to be made.

“The initial adjustment will be tough,” Jones said.

“The first five or six days – you’re talking about

quarantine, trying to get acclimated to new surroundings, trying to figure out your flow and rhythm.

“But once the games start, they’re every other day, I think the players will be fine. You play a game on Monday, you’re tired and recover on Tuesday, then you’re right back at it on Wednesday.”

And there are some teams, including Washington, that are still apparently figuring out who will go.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks said yesterday that the team is still waiting for a final decision on guard Bradley Beal, who has indicated that he is weighing whether participating in the restart would be his best move.

“No final decision,” Brooks said. “We’re all still day by day and he’s looking great. ... We hope that everybody goes down there.”

The Wednesday arrivals are scheduled to include Boston, Dallas, the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Sacramento.

On Thursday, Houston, Indiana, the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Portland, San Antonio and Toronto make their way into the bubble.

Spurs forward Rudy Gay has a son who happens to be a big Disney fan, and wanted to know why the family didn’t take its traditional Disney vacation this year. Gay hasn’t had the heart yet to tell him that he’s headed to Disney for several weeks, and was asked Monday if he has a special souvenir in mind to bring home.

“A healthy father,” Gay said. “A corona-free father, hopefully.”