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VOLUME:117 No.159, JULY 15TH, 2020

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FAKE COVID TESTS USED BY VISITORS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH officials say people have tried to enter The Bahamas with fake COVID-19 documents, prompting a police investigation.

Dr Merceline DahlRegis, coordinator of the government’s COVID-19 task-force, could not say how many people have used fake documents to enter or try to enter the country since the borders were reopened on July 1, but she said during a press conference yesterday that “government officials are on high alert for cases of suspected forgery, tampering or altering of required documents and are prepared to take action if necessary”.

Senior police officials

declined to comment on the investigation when contacted yesterday.

Dr Dahl-Regis also revealed that the country recorded three new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, including a female New Providence resident with a history of travel who is isolating at home and two men in Grand Bahama who are also isolating, bringing the country’s total to 116.

Although there have been two new cases of COVID-19 on New Providence in the last week, Dr Dahl-Regis said there is insufficient evidence to conclude an outbreak of the virus is happening on the island. Grand Bahama, however, is experiencing an outbreak, having recorded eight new cases in the last six days.

SEE PAGE THREE

POLICE INCREASING EFFORTS TO ENFORCE EMERGENCY ORDERS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net AFTER three tourists were filmed jumping a fence to get to Cabbage Beach, National Security Minister Marvin Dames maintained yesterday that anyone found in breach of the COVID-19 emergency orders will suffer the consequences. This also applies to tourists, he said.

Three women from the United States were seen jumping a locked fence at the entrance of Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island on Friday. The Boston

women told a man who recorded them, and later posted the video to social media, that they travelled to The Bahamas for the beach and were not deterred by beach closures in New Providence for the holiday weekend.

On Saturday, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said it “had no reports of people on the beaches” during Independence Day celebrations.

However, photos of the women scaling the fence spread on Facebook and were shown on a local SEE PAGE THREE

ALICIA WALLACE CELEBRATE ALL, NO MATTER THEIR GENDER SEE PAGE EIGHT

REMEMBERING DORIAN A MONUMENT was unveiled in Grand Bahama yesterday in memory of those who died in Hurricane Dorian.

Report and more pictures - Page 2 Photo: Derek Carroll

MP’S BROTHER DENIES $100K PAYMENT PROBLEMS? MADE TO ‘INFLUENCE’ PERMIT PROCESS ‘EXAMS ARE

GOING WELL’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net An MP’s brother has denied he was promised $100,000 “for local influence” in helping to secure the necessary government permits for a controversial Harbour Island marina project. Michael Johnson, brother of Stephen ‘Hank’ Johnson, the central and south Eleuthera MP, argued that the allegations made against him were part of a ploy by Bernard Ross, the former 4M Harbour Island project manager, to “impugn my integrity and that of the development” in a bid to force the latter’s principal into paying him off.

The Eleuthera-based businessman hit back after Mr Ross, who has a history of convictions and run-ins with US law enforcement, alleged in documents filed with the central California federal court that he “demanded $100,000” to help secure all the required permits for

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd yesterday dismissed claims that the national BJC and BGCSE exams had experienced some operational challenges on their first day MICHAEL WIENER, principal of 4M Harbour Island Limited, signing a heads of agreement with the government in 2018 4M’s Briland Residences & Marina development. And Mr Ross further claimed that Michael Johnson had worked closely with Joshua Sears, the prime minister’s senior policy adviser, and his MP brother, to obtain these approvals and smooth the project’s path through the government’s investment onboarding processes.

Mr Sears yesterday told Tribune Business it was “totally out of order” for Mr Ross to infer, or suggest by innuendo, that

anything improper had occurred regarding the permitting process or his involvement with it. “That’s part of the Bahamas Investment Authority process,” Mr Sears said in reference to the approvals obtained by 4M and its principal, Michael Wiener. “We are involved, as we usually are, with investment projects.

That’s part of our official responsibilities. That’s the only thing that happens.”

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

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SEE PAGE FIVE

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SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE Photos: Derek Carroll

Monument unveiled in tribute to the victims of Dorian

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister Peter Turnquest encouraged the Grand Bahama Port Authority to complete the clean-up of communities in Grand Bahama, gently telling an audience during a ceremony yesterday that there remains too much debris on the island.

He was speaking as the GBPA unveiled a monument in memory of those who died from Hurricane Dorian.

“The unveiling of this monument cements the fact that our recovery demands a unified approach,” he said. “We are in this together. And we will get through this together. So forgive me as I just nudge the GBPA and its partners just a little to redouble their efforts to complete the clean-up of our communities on the island. Too many streets in my community here, just up the street remain littered with boats, debris, poles and wire, hampering the rebuilding effort and indeed the mental recovery of residents. I humbly ask that we complete this project which will go a long way towards the recovery. We need our airport, at least one of them back in operation as soon as possible. The temporary facility is working but far from adequate.”

Those attending were gathered at the Sir Jack Hayward Bridge. Thirteen people in Grand Bahama have been confirmed dead because of the storm.

Nine bodies have been identified and 22 people are still reported missing.

The official Dorian death toll is 74, with the majority of those deaths coming from Abaco.

Mr Turnquest said many who died were his friends and that he knows some who are still missing.

He said: “This occasion pays tribute to those who died as a result of Hurricane Dorian. It reminds us not only of their loss, but also of the tremendous effort and courage the surviving families and friends have had to bear as they carry on and rebuild their lives and properties.

“We want them to know they are not forgotten also and their strength is symbolised in this monument.

As we travel in the area after today, this monument will celebrate each and every life claimed or destroyed by Dorian. This moment and the monument will highlight our resilience and determined drive to carry on for those who did not make it.

Their fight to navigate the historic winds and water is now our fight to build stronger communities in their honour.”

Editorial View - Page 6

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS from page one news broadcast, sparking public outrage over why the women were not arrested for breaching the COVID19 emergency orders while residents have faced harsh penalties for similar offences.

When asked about the issue yesterday, the minister replied: “... The greatest tool to any police organisation is the community and you demonstrated that in calling the police a few days ago. I would hope that they would’ve responded to your call for their service. “…The law is for everyone and when you’re in breach of it, there ought to be consequences.”

Noting police cannot be everywhere, the minister also said officials are working to beef up manpower on the streets to ensure everyone is complying with the orders issued by the Prime Minister to contain the spread of COVID-19.

He said: “Again, there is increased presence and you will continue to see an even greater presence as we move forward and as we move into this new normal but, as I said before, police can’t be on every street and corner and police can’t be on every stretch of beach, but we’re working to rectify that.”

Asked if police had enough men to send to Grand Bahama in the event that a lockdown were to occur on the island, Mr Dames replied that officials have a plan in place, adding the public can expect to see some changes shortly. His comments comes as the island continues to see a rising number of COVID19 cases.

“Listen, we don’t sleep.

Our Cabinet doesn’t sleep.

Police increasing efforts to enforce emergency orders

Our Prime Minister doesn’t sleep, we have to develop a new normal moving forward,” the Mount Moriah MP said.

“We can’t stay on lockdown forever and COVID is not going away today or tomorrow and so we have to plan accordingly.

“As a Cabinet, we have been doing that and it’s not a week that doesn’t go by that we’re not spending an inordinate amount of time on this problem and how do

we address it moving forward. I think you will hear some more things as the Prime Minister continues to update the public. But we have already taken care of that and very shortly, you will see some changes.”

Yesterday, Mr Dames also addressed concerns about police conduct after a Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer was among several people arrested last week, accused of drug possession.

Saying it’s “never a good reflection” when members of law enforcement are arrested, Mr Dames was adamant that any officer found not obeying the law will be held accountable.

“It’s never a good thing when a member of the law or a person in law enforcement is arrested for any crime. It’s never a good reflection,” he said.

“After having said that, I think it’s a clear demonstration too that our good

THE TOURISTS from Boston who climbed over the locked gate to get onto Cabbage Beach. officers be it police, defence (force) or the Bahamas Department of Corrections, customs and immigration are not afraid to arrest their own when they are in breach of the law.

“And that’s how it ought to be. We are not here to

condone the actions of any officer in violation of the law. If you are in violation of the law, there is a price to be paid. No one is above the law and that’s our stance and we will continue to move in that direction.”

Fake COVID tests used by visitors from page one Dr Frank Bartlett, head of Grand Bahama’s COVID-19 task force, said officials have not determined what kind of COVID-19 transmission is happening on the island, be it clusters or community spread.

He said: “At this point in time it’s very hard to say we have established sustained community transmission.”

Asked whether a lockdown of Grand Bahama is being considered, he said: “To make a recommendation, we still have to gather more information. At this point in time it’s too early to say what type of transmission (is occurring). We are dealing with the influx of people bringing disease into the country.”

He said the recent Grand Bahama cases included a 33-year-old unemployed woman who presented to an Accident & Emergency Department with a one day history of headache and diarrhoea; a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant who was intercepted by the US Coast Guard and detained for two days before being brought into the island; a 51-year-old man who was a known contact of a previous case; and a 46-year-old female employed at Pizza Hut who had a history of fatigue, fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea.

He said 26 co-workers of the Pizza Hut employee have been evaluated and five of them have been quarantined.

Another recent case is a 27-year-old man with respiratory symptoms and a fever who was in contact with his sister, a woman who returned to the country on a June 30 repatriation flight along with her 16-year-old daughter. Although the policy

DR Merceline Dahl-Regis was that ten-day old negative COVID-19 tests were required for entry to the country, Dr Bartlett said yesterday the women were allowed on the repatriation flight with 12 day old tests.

He said they were subsequently quarantined and then re-tested.

Dr Dahl-Regis said during a press conference nearly two weeks ago that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis would shortly announce changes to the 10pm to 5am curfew.

However, when he spoke

in the House of Assembly last week, the prime minister defended the curfew instead. Dr Dahl-Regis suggested yesterday that Dr Minnis has not yet accepted the recommendation of health officials that the curfew be adjusted.

“We have not changed our recommendations to the prime minister,” she said, “and we still await his final decision as to what he does with those recommendations and it is not really comforting to the health team, given this

new outbreak in Grand Bahama, that he is going to be minded to change it but stay tuned, I think he has an update to provide this upcoming weekend.”

Dr Minnis is expected to have a national address on Sunday.

Health officials were asked if they are considering banning travel to and from the United States in light of the new COVID19 cases that have a travel history. Dr Dahl-Regis said this is not the current recommendation.

“We determine the risk category for each applicant for a travel visa rather than have a determination of state by state,” she said. “We use a list as published by the World Health Organization where it’s determined where there is community spread and (if it is) greater than ten percent in the population you get a score. This is a moving target. We’ve had to adjust the risk stratification seven times already.

Because the experiences are changing constantly,

we have to make the necessary adjustments. What we see at the present time is the spread originating from Bahamians who have travelled to (certain states in the US).”

Health officials said over 350 people are being monitored by Hubbcat, the software that allows authorities to track people who are in quarantine. Twentythree of the people being monitored are in Grand Bahama.

Editorial View - Page 6

PAGE 4, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

DRIVER WITHOUT MASK FINED AFTER HE IS PULLED OVER

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 43-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday fined $200 for failing to wear a mask while he was outside of his home.

Bernard Cooper was accused of committing the offence while driving along West Bay Street around 11.35pm on July 9. He pleaded guilty to violating the requirement to wear a mask during his arraignment before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes yesterday.

Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie said on the night in question, officers pulled over Cooper’s Ford Explorer truck. When they asked the defendant why he was not wearing a mask, he told them he did not have one. As a result he was arrested. During an interview with police a short time later, he admitted to the offence.

After fining Cooper $200 or one month at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, Magistrate Forbes told the defendant while his mask

doesn’t have to cover his mouth and nose when he was driving alone, he should still have one on his neck or nearby to ensure that when he left his truck, he would not be in violation of the COVID-19 emergency orders.

Meanwhile, Willie Timothy, 50, was also charged after officers saw him on Arawak Cay without a face mask on July 12. He pleaded guilty, but was discharged after he explained that he had left his mother’s fruit stand to get a soda from across the street.

Timothy said when the officers questioned him, he asked them if he could return to the stand to get a mask but they told him no. He also claimed that the officers who arrested him were not wearing face masks, nor were the other people who were around him at the time.

Three people were also charged with violating the national curfew yesterday.

Anthony Thompson, 29, and Jerome Kelly, 28, appeared before Magistrate Forbes after officers found them on East Street around

10.25pm on July 10. They both pleaded guilty and were each fined $350 or two months in prison.

Likewise, two men who violated the national curfew on July 12 were also charged with unlawful possession after they were found with a red heavy duty car jack that officers believed had been stolen.

Adrian Hamilton, 48, and Theophilus Bonamy, 31, pleaded guilty to both charges in a hearing before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux yesterday, and were each fined

$350 or one month in prison for violating the national curfew and another $150 for unlawful possession.

Prosecutor Kendrick Bauld said when officers questioned the men that night, they could not give a satisfactory account of their whereabouts. Still, during the arraignment, both Hamilton and Bonamy claimed that they were having car problems and had taken the jack from a mechanic’s yard a few feet away to fix a tyre.

Still, Hamilton admitted that the two had no excuse for violating the curfew.

Thompson calls on GB residents to take COVID surge seriously

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net MINISTER of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson yesterday admitted he has received complaints that some residents returning to Grand Bahama from abroad have not been following self-isolation guidelines prescribed by officials to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

This comes amid growing concern about the rising number of COVID-19 cases on the island.

Dubbing the situation as a “wake-up call”, Mr

Thompson urged residents on the island to not let their guard down and to follow every health precaution to protect against the spread of the infectious disease.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday, he said: “We must comply with the COVID regulations.

We must comply with law.

There are still too many persons who are in public and who are not wearing their masks and they’re still too many businesses that are not ensuring that their patrons wear masks.

“We still have a number of complaints with persons who are returning home

and residents who are returning home, Bahamians and residents who are returning home and not complying with the quarantine regulations.”

He continued: “This is in our hands to be able to control. We did it before, we can do it again, but we need to send a clear message out to Grand Bahamians that we must be vigilant when it comes to these regulations.

“We cannot be relaxed and so I send a plea out to the entire community to ensure that you comply, wear your masks and keep your social distancing regulations. COVID is still here.

We are still in the middle

WE must comply with the COVID regulations, says Kwasi Thompson of the fight and we have to ensure that we do what is necessary to keep it under control.”

While outlining revised rules for entry protocols into the country last month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said residents travelling outside the country for “over a period of 72 hours or less” will not be required to produce a negative COVID-19 test to return home and instead will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. If they want to shorten the quarantine period, they would have to take a negative COVID-19 test.

However according to Senator Thompson, some residents on the island have not been adhering to the orders.

There have been eight

new COVID-19 cases on Grand Bahama reported in less than a week and on Monday, Pizza Hut announced that one of its workers on the island tested positive for the virus and is now in quarantine. This came after a more than two month lull in cases in Grand Bahama.

Health officials have previously said they are still conducting contact tracing on the island. But, given the recent spike of cases, some residents on Grand Bahama have been calling for drastic measures to prevent further community spread.

Asked yesterday if the government was considering implementing a lockdown, the minister replied that officials would have to be guided by health officials on the matter.

“So, again I think the medical officials will be able to advise us in terms of that,” Mr Thompson said.

“What is think is necessary for residents to do what they can and what is in their control which is when they go out in the public to wear their masks and to ensure that they have their social distancing and to maintain their hygiene and continue to wash their hands. “...If you do not have to travel internationally, do not travel internationally.

If you do and you come back home, ensure that you abide by the quarantine regulations but in respect to the additional lockdowns, I’m sure that the health officials will give us the proper advice and we’ll take action based on the advice given.”

HOSTING BIRTHDAY PARTY WITH 200 GUESTS WILL COST JAMAICAN $1K

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A JAMAICAN man was fined $1,000 yesterday after he admitted to hosting a party with nearly 200 guests in defiance of the physical

distancing protocols outlined in the COVID-19 emergency orders.

Lamar Walters, 23, was accused of allowing more than 30 people to attend a birthday party he hosted at the Marley Resort on

July 12, without the permission of a specified competent authority.

He pleaded guilty during his hearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes and was fined $1,000 or six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

The court heard that officers went to the West Bay Street resort around 8.20pm on the night in question. Upon arrival, the officers noticed about 200 people at the social gathering who were not wearing masks. An investigation to find out who was hosting the event led to Walter’s arrest. During an interview with police at a nearby station, he admitted to the offence and was subsequently charged.

When given an opportunity to speak yesterday, Walters told the magistrate he had only invited “about 20 people” to his party. He claimed he “turned his back for 15 minutes” and when he went back downstairs, more people had come.

Walters also admitted he did not know some of the people who attended his party.

In response, Magistrate Forbes told Walters the fact he decided to host his birthday celebrations in a public space while there was a “lack of entertainment” in the country, meant that people from the “east, west and south” were going to show up. He also told Walters while the 150 people who attended his party were probably gatecrashers who didn’t know him personally, he had to face the consequences since he was the one hosting the event. With that in mind, Magistrate Forbes encouraged Walters to “think first before the fact, then make a decision”.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 5

Exams are going well, says Lloyd from page one of sitting, insisting “the examinations went on very well” despite allegations otherwise.

This comes after Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson raised concerns over how the exams were held, saying she had been informed that ministry officials were late to some schools and that some exams started late at least at one centre. She also said there was “little to no social distancing and that workers were seen not wearing masks.”

Speaking to reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr Lloyd said he could not confirm the allegations and noted that officials have taken every necessary precaution to ensure that the exams are being administered in a safe manner.

“I have no confirmation of those allegations, none whatsoever,” he said.

“Every single investigation and assessment that I have uncovered as of this morning broaching on ten o’clock in the morning, is that the examinations went on very well.

“I also understand that some comments were made in regard to the number of students that attended the examinations. If you look at the exam schedule, the first exam was art and design.

“How many students take art and design? The largest cohort of students

take what we call the core subject – math, English and the sciences and social science, religious knowledge which is coming up beginning near the end of this week and certainly into the next one.”

Noting that there are some critics who just cannot be pleased, the education minister said he was very disheartened to see agents of change adopting such a “defeatist and disappointing posture”.

He said: “So, you know it is regrettable to me and personally disappointing that agents of inspiration and continuing transformation and motivation for our young people at this time, in our national circumstances would provide instead of the motivations and inspiration, more of a defeatist and disappointing posture.

“If COVID-19 isn’t enough of a despondent reality for so many people, why would those in the educational sphere, stakeholders and otherwise not be sparks of inspiration and motivation and encouragement for our young people who like all of us are in desperate need of such?”

BJC and BGCSE exams, which usually start in April, were postponed after the government closed schools in the country in March as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take effect.

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis gave an update on the examinations, saying the 2020 tests will begin on July 13.

SUMMER SUCCESS SEASON IS GETTING UNDERWAY COLLEGE-BOUND students face a great deal of uncertainty about their future because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Who would have thought that in 2020, students would take their graduation photos wearing masks, that graduation ceremonies would be online instead of in-person, and that many of them would be unsure if or when they would be able to go off to college?

For this reason, the Summer Success Series is taking place this week under the theme: “Crucial Conversations in Higher Education - COVID 19 Threats & Opportunities”. From July 14-17, youth leaders, educators, mentors, parents, and students will be working their way through current challenges to make students’ dreams a reality.

The four-day event will be hosted by event founder Monique Hinsey, pictured, of Global College Access, who promises four days of critical conversations to make the way clear for the students’ future. Day one will feature presentations from university presidents including Dr Richard L Dunsworth of the University of the Ozarks; Dr David C McCoy of King’s University; Dr Roslyn Clark Artis of Benedict College; Dr Mary Dana Hinton of Hollins University; and Acting President of Texas Southern University, Kenneth Huewitt.

They will speak on “Leading the Change through a Global Crisis”.

Executing these necessary changes will be discussed on day two, when university Vice Presidents, Admissions and Directors will present. Schools including the University of Arkansas, Georgia State University, Johnson & Wales, and St Leo University will join

the conversation. Co-host Jurelle Mullings represents Ballin’on the Beach Camps, which is an event partner.

Athletes will be the focus of the third day of Zoom sessions, and Athletic Directors and University Coaches will present. Our very own Chris Brown, head coach of track and field at Clayton State is among the presenters. Other presenters include: Dr Stephany Coakley of Temple University; Albert Roche, Athletic Director of Holland College; Tara Owens, Athletic Director of Central State; Kimberley Rolle, Athletic Director of the University of The Bahamas; and Edric Poitier, Head Volleyball Coach, National Junior College Athletic Association.

The final day of the Expanding Opportunities for Student Success will focus on Expanding Opportunities for Student Success, with educational stakeholders and community partners having their say. Global Affairs Strategist Mikhail Bullard will moderate. Presenters represent groups like Beta Stem Opportunities, Bahamas All-Stars Marching Band; the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships; Wichita State University. Director of Youth Sandena Neely will also present. Sessions are held from 6-8pm daily.

Global College Access is a college and career consulting centre provides college preparation, scholarship search, student and career mentoring. As a College and Career Coach and Strategist, Mrs Hinsey has assisted hundreds of students and secured of=ver $30 million in scholarships for students to attend colleges and universities throughout the US.

After the announcement, more than 8,000 students and parents across the country signed an online petition calling for the cancellation of the national exams. However yesterday, Mr Lloyd maintained that students have been “turning out in the numbers that (officials) expect,” adding that they feel hopeful that students “are going to acquit themselves excellently”.

In view of this, the education minister said he is choosing to focus on the positivity rather than negative news in the market.

He said to critics: “If you have rocks to throw at us and you wish to stand on the sideline and be a critic, you are entitled to do so but we have no time to absorb that or be interested in it.

“We have been in the business for decades, the Ministry of Education, and we accept and understand that these are different, challenging and unprecedented times. We have taken all necessary precautions to ensure that these exams are administered properly and effectively, and we are satisfied that they are being done so.

“So, I have no assurance to give to any critic. I invite those who are committed or sincere or interested in advancing the educational apparatus of our country and the beneficial future of our students to come and join us.”

Asked yesterday when the public can expect to

EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd hear about new changes that will be implemented for the new school year, the minister replied that officials are expected to make an announcement next week.

“Those plans are being finalised this week and an announcement will be made and disseminated across the spectrum of The Bahamas early next week and all parents and students and others will be clearly

informed as to what,” he said.

“Bear in mind that as we stand here today, we are looking at more than likely eight weeks before schools open so I know that people are anxious to know how schools are opening and I also would like to invite people to check and see that there’s not a single school system on this planet who can tell you with confirmation and

conclusion exactly how schools are going to open in September.

“They are all planning as we are, and they are all looking at the model that is most likely they will choose.”

Mr Lloyd has previously said education officials are considering class rotations and limiting face-to-face instruction between teachers and students when the new school year begins.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Faking test results can harm us all THERE are two parts to the measures we are using to prevent coronavirus. On one hand, there are the instructions on what we need to do to stop the virus spreading. On the other, there is the enforcement that needs to be done for those who break those rules.

It is alarming then to discover that people have tried to enter The Bahamas with fake COVID-19 documents.

The process to enter the country is fairly straightforward, whether you are a tourist or a Bahamian or resident returning home.

To get back into the country, you need to present a negative COVID-19 test from the past ten days. One of the recent cases in Grand Bahama, we learned yesterday, was someone allowed on a repatriation test with a 12-day-old test.

The shorter the time gap between taking the test and getting on the flight, the less chance there is for someone to catch the virus in the meantime.

The battle against COVID-19 is very much one of reducing the odds – and everything that makes it less likely for someone to catch the virus is a tool we can use.

To find out then that there have been cases where people have faked those documents is something that should not just be a shock, but an outrage.

All the effort that people have put in to prevent the virus from spreading here in The Bahamas could be put in jeopardy because someone faked papers to say they were clear, when in fact they had no idea whether that was the case.

We can only hope it wasn’t worse and they knew they were infected.

Minister of National Security Marvin Dames has spoken of stepping up measures to enforce emergency powers in recent times – and with the borders now open to visitors, extra vigilance is very much required.

That vigilance will help protect us – but we should also be aware it should not go too far. The case we report today of a man being pulled over by police and being fined for not having a mask when he was driving alone seems heavyhanded. That same story also, however, notes a case of another man fined for not having a face mask – who said that the officers who arrested him were not wearing face masks themselves. It should not be one rule for one, and one for another, and we hope that the police are following the rules themselves too.

We also hope that the police are able to conduct an investigation of those with faked documents – and bring them to face the court. Such behaviour puts us all at risk, and should be dealt with swiftly.

A MONUMENT was unveiled yesterday in memory of those who died from Hurricane Dorian.

The event was held in Grand Bahama, and we are glad to see that Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest was present to speak at the ceremony.

He said the occasion paid “tribute to those who died as a result of Hurricane Dorian. It reminds us not only of their

loss, but also of the tremendous effort and courage the surviving families and friends have had to bear as they carry on and rebuild their lives and properties”.

His presence at such an occasion, and his words, are very welcome. What a shame then that neither he nor the Prime Minister were present at the ceremony when the victims themselves were laid to rest.

Dorian tribute

Enlightened comments EDITOR, The Tribune IN YOUR July 9th 2020 edition there appeared a most enlightening and important letter under the heading ‘How we could have prevented pandemic’.

I hope as many Bahamians as possible have read this contribution as it is invaluable. I, for one, learned many things I didn’t know about vaccines.

I would like to add my own comments to supplement the letter by ‘Forward, Upward, Onward Together’. These are some facts which have not had great exposure either, as follow: Research released by the University of South Hampton by Dr Shengjie Lai found that if China had acted on December 30 when Ai Fen, a top director at Wuhan Central Hospital, and Wuhan Doctor Li Wen Liang posted information about a SARS-like virus on platforms such as WeChat, READERS have been posting their reactions to stories making the news on tribune242.com.

After Minister of Works Desmond Bannister revealed the government was forced to pump “millions” into Bahamas Power & Light during COVID-19’s peak due to customers’ inability to pay, Happyfly said: “Force people to lock down their

the cases of the coronavirus could have been reduced by 95%. Instead, the Chinese government reprimanded the two doctors for spreading information about what turned out to be the novel coronavirus.

If the Chinese government had acted on January 7th, when President Xi Jinping became involved in the response, Dr Lai’s study found that the incidence of the coronavirus would have been reduced by 85%.

Instead, China insisted at that point that the disease was not contagious and let it spread outside China.

Finally, if China had begun acting when coronavirus began to spread to other nations, it was detected in Thailand on Jan.13th, China could have reduced the number of cases by 66%. Instead, China continued its disinformation campaign, with the World Health Organisation insisting that

business and stop going to their job but insist that they keep paying their mortgage and light bill. We gonna save you from COVID but we can’t save you from the debt collectors. Remind me

Chinese health authorities had seen ‘no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus.’ As a result of this irresponsible coverup, the Annual Wuhan Lunar New Year banquet went forward on January 18th. Tens of thousands of people gathered from all over China for a potluck, which served as a breeding ground for the spread of the Wuhan Chinese coronavirus globally.

Thank you for your space and I hope many Bahamians who read the letter of ‘Forward, Onward….’ will also take the above comments into mind. We must be reminded that those who put privileges before principles are bound to lose both in the end. We must stay informed, our lives depend on it.

C P KNOWLES Nassau, July 10, 2020. to vote for these numbskulls again . . .”

Stuart Cove, principal of Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, said he expected to resume business with less than 10 percent of pre-COVID volumes, and pledged: “I’m no quitter.”

That prompted this from Truetruebahamian: “He’s good. No politics, just forward thinking and necessary preparation done!”

Time to stop this unjust destruction of Bahamas family life EDITOR, The Tribune “SO God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1 v27 NIV translation.

The season of Independence gives us many reasons to think about the meaning of citizenship. I join others, in standing proud, when I think of the historic and progressive strides made by Bahamians. These progressive strides do not extend to the provisions of the Bahamas Constitution, that in the grant of citizenship, still discriminate against women. In so doing, The Bahamas is a bird flying with one wing – one that cannot achieve full flight, nor its full potential.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Bahamian married women who do not live and work in The Bahamas, because their husbands cannot get a job or cannot become citizens of The Bahamas. Marriages have broken up because of the stress that this discrimination places on families.

We all know of families where one child in a family is a Bahamian, because he was born in The Bahamas (let’s call him Sam) and another child (let’s call him John), in the same family, of the same parents, is not Bahamian, because he was born in the United States.

Maybe John was born there when his married Bahamian mother (let’s call her Sue) was studying or while Sue was receiving medical attention.

If Sue’s married Bahamian brother (let’s call him Mike) has children abroad,

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Mike’s children are entitled to be registered as Bahamian citizens. Why should Mike’s children be treated differently from Sue’s children? Why should Sam and not John be Bahamian?

Both have the same parents. This discrimination causes stress and hardship in families. These unjust discriminatory provisions destroy family life. If we support family life, how can we allow this injustice to continue?

The Bahamas has held two referenda to remove this discrimination from our Constitution. Both referenda were defeated by citizens. Bahamians voted to uphold these discriminatory provisions of our Constitution. Books can be written about why this happened.

So what can we do?

Our national response to COVID-19 has demonstrated that, when necessary, we can act immediately and cause beneficial transformation.

I endorse the suggestions of others who have stated that the government should table in Parliament, the legislation, now in circulation, that would, by law, allow for the following persons to obtain Bahamian citizenship: a husband of a Bahamian woman; a child, born abroad, to a married Bahamian woman; and, a child of a single Bahamian man. Even though the law would not remove the discriminatory provisions of

the Constitution, it would remove the hardships that too many families now suffer. To those who say that a new government might bring forth laws to revoke these provisions, I say that, in my view, withdrawing these empowering laws would be highly unlikely. Let’s see all members of Parliament united in promoting strong family life by removing this injustice and discrimination.

If, as in 1973, we want the world to mark the manner of our 21st century bearing, justice dictates that Bahamian women and men should have equal entitlement to citizenship for their children and spouses. We need Bahamian women and men, both created in God’s image, at the table, as equals. All Bahamians have an interest in nation building and good governance as we march forward, upward and onward together.

Standing on the shoulders of the noble and courageous suffragettes, like my grandmother, Georgiana K Symonette, Eugenia Lockhart, Mary Ingraham, Dame Bertha Isaacs, Dame Doris Johnson and others of their generation, let us urge the government to table in Parliament the legislation mentioned above.

It is time to stop institutionalised destruction of family life. The time is now, for the government to take the just, progressive and bold step of tabling and passing that legislation. I commit my support. Do you?

ALLYSON MAYNARD-GIBSON Nassau, July 14, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 7

HATTI’S BIRTHDAY VISITOR

GOVERNOR General CA Smith visited centenarian Hatti Sweeting who celebrated her 102nd birthday at the weekend. He sang Happy Birthday to her and conveyed best wishes.

Photo: Letisha Henderson/BIS

Moxey denies claims former workers are still employed

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Power and Light chairman Donovan Moxey denied claims that some employees who took disengagement packages from the company remain employed with the same benefits and salary, however, he told The Tribune they were re-engaged on a contractual basis.

Concerns were raised by an irate source who said the government had to financially bail out BPL, yet the company is still employing its VSEP disengaged staff, alleging they are still enjoying the same salaries and benefits. However, Mr Moxey said to his knowledge people have been re-engaged as independent contractors — but not with benefits or the same salary.

“How can you need a bailout when you are forcing people to pay electricity bills during a pandemic and when you are paying out. . .salaries to people who you just paid millions of dollars to in separation packages?” the source asked. “It makes no sense.”

When contacted on these claims, Mr Moxey told The Tribune: “There were some employees after they took VSEP that the company engaged as independent contractors, not employees.

When you are an independent contractor you get paid a negotiated contractor rate which does not include benefits. So the company did re-engage some of the VSEP employees because those employees had skill

BAHAMAS Power and Light has spent over $30 million to date on Abaco’s power restoration efforts, according to the company’s chief operations officer, with full restoration expected by September.

During a virtual press conference yesterday, Ian Pratt addressed the island’s restoration progress, saying factors such as material and equipment, labour costs,

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 20-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday fined $25 for selling mangoes, coconut water and coconut jelly on the side of the street without a permit.

Marvin Joseph appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux charged with one count of hawking, after he was accused of trying to sell 29 bottles of coconut water, 12 bags of coconut jelly and 45 mangoes on the side of Harrold Road on July 8, without obtaining a permit from the Commissioner of Police.

According to the prosecution, when officers asked Joseph what he was doing on the side of the road, he told them he had some items for sale. When they asked him if he had a permit

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 31-YEAR-OLD man was remanded to prison over allegations he damaged his fianceé’s cell phone and published a naked photo of her without her consent.

Lemiko Johnson was accused of damaging his partner’s $199 Alcatel cellphone on June 28. The prosecution also alleged he published a photo of the woman’s private parts less than a week later on July

sets and expertise that the company recognised and needed from a transitional standpoint.”

Mr Moxey said allegations of “double dipping” are “not factual”.

“I am not aware of anybody who took the VSEP package getting full time employment,” he continued. “I can reach out internally to HR and see what the facts are and if it warrants putting out a statement then the company can certainly do that. But, for somebody to say that somebody was re-engaged as a full time employee who took the VSEP, then I am not aware of that. My understanding of the separation agreement does not allow for that. I am quite surprised someone would be saying that. That is not factual.”

Asked how many BPL

employees were re-engaged after taking the packages, Mr Moxey said he has no idea and did not want to quote an incorrect number.

He said the transfer of knowledge, or training of staff, is a part of the reengagement agreement and is expected to be carried out.

The Tribune contacted Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson, who said he puts the figure of re-engaged employees at less than 10 percent of those who took the package. Although not an advocate of re-engaging employees, he said sometimes their expertise is needed. Furthermore, he is looking to the BPL CEO to eventually phase them out “as he said they would.”

“From a union aspect, I am not an advocate of bringing people back to

work after they get packages,” the union president said. “I would love to see young people step up in these positions left vacant by those who took the packages. Now where there is a necessity for them to return, I am all for that and using our own instead of foreign labour.

We can live with that on a temporary basis. They can come back to train and assist where there is a vital need.

“So I understand it to a certain degree but hopefully they will phase them out as I heard the CEO say.

The CEO said they would try their best to phase these people out as the younger persons come up to speed.”

The union president said as far as he knows the re-engaged staff are not receiving the same benefits as the rest of the staff.

and shipping costs out of the US and Nassau have impacted efforts.

Power is anticipated to be restored in the areas of East Bay Street, Pelican Street, and Little Orchard by July 19; in Murphy Town (Murphy Town Boulevard) and Guana Cay by August 2; Treasure Cay North by August 6-16; the government subdivision

by August 9; Dundas Town

by August 16 and Leisure Lee/Bahama Coral Island by September 13.

In terms of customer

reconnection, Mr Pratt said over 3,000 of the metres on Abaco have been returned to service and noted some communities have more customers now than prior to the storm.

Central Abaco was identified as an area where the most damage was experienced. Although Mr Pratt said most of North and South Abaco are restored, Mr Pratt said some transmission lines need to be rebuilt.

He added: “So we had

two lines between Wilson City and Marsh Harbour.

One was a much newer line built to a much stronger standard and that line that withstood damage with just a few poles to replace whereas the other line which is a much older line to a much thinner standard, that line was eradicated. So we’ll have to rebuild that line.

“The transmission line between Marsh Harbour and Cooper’s Town has to be rebuilt.”

3. While he pleaded guilty to the first count, Johnson told the magistrate his fiancé gave him permission to take the photo. As a result, Magistrate Forbes recorded a not guilty plea for the second charge and adjourned his case for trial on September 1.

Bail was denied and Walters was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim. He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

BAIL DENIED TO PERSON, 20, ACCUSED OF THROWING ACID A 20-YEAR-OLD man who was accused of throwing acid on a woman during an altercation last year was denied bail in Magistrates Court yesterday.

Audley Martin was charged with causing harm and using a corrosive substance to harm Alanda Curtis on June 10, 2019. He was further charged with assaulting

BAHAMAS Power and Light chairman Donovan Moxey

to sell them, Joseph told them no. He was subsequently arrested and taken to a nearby station. In an interview with police there, he admitted to the offence.

During the hearing yesterday, Joseph pleaded guilty. He also told the magistrate things were hard for him at the moment because he had a little girl at home and had just been evicted from his apartment. He added he was currently living with his aunt and needed the money the officers confiscated from him to help pay his rent.

After listening to his explanation, Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux fined Joseph $25 or one week at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

She told him the money the officers confiscated from him would be returned.

31-YEAR-OLD REMANDED OVER CLAIMS HE PUBLISHED NAKED PICTURES OF FIANCEE

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

$30M SPENT SO FAR TO ASSIST ABACO

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FINED $25 FOR SELLING COCONUTS ON THE STREET

Kevin Hanna on January 10, 2020. During the hearing, Martin insisted he had acted in self-defence in both cases.

As a result, Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes recorded not guilty pleas for the charges and adjourned the matter to September 21 for trial.

Martin was denied bail and taken into custody in the interim. He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

YOU WON’T SEE ME AGAIN, MAN PROMISES COURT

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was yesterday fined $300 after officers found a quantity of marijuana in his bathroom earlier this month.

Peter McBride, 59, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with simple drug possession after officers found 2.18 ounces of Indian hemp in his toilet on July 9.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $300 or two months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

The court heard that on the day in question,

officers went to McBride’s residence armed with a search warrant.

Upon arrival, they informed McBride that they would be conducting a search of his home in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms. While searching the home, officers discovered a quantity of suspected marijuana in the toilet of McBride’s bathroom. He was subsequently arrested and taken to a nearby station. In an interview the police there, he admitted to the offence.

After being fined, McBride promised the magistrate that he would never appear in court for drug possession again.

POLICE HUNT ARMED ROBBER

POLICE are looking for a suspect who committed an armed robbery on Monday. According to reports, shortly after 8pm a man was leaving his home situated off Golden Isles Road when he was accosted by a gunman who robbed him of his wallet and cell phone. The suspect fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Will we ever learn to tolerate and celebrate every person no matter what their gender?

BAHAMIAN drag performer Anastarzia “Starzy” Anaquway is on the popular television show Canada’s Drag Race. Starzy, who is 37 and now living in East York, Ontario, has won more than 15 pageants in 17 years of competition. The reigning Miss Black Continental said in the introduction video, “My greatest asset is the fact that I am a self-sufficient queen.” Starzy is confident, funny and ready to win. There isn’t much Bahamians like more than competition and a Bahamian we know can bring the prize home. One of the only

The

Alicia Wallace column things that can get between us and a fierce competitor is the narrow, warped and hateful version of Christianity professed and practised by too many.

In episode two of Canada’s Drag Race, the theme was “Not My First Time”.

This prompted the sharing of memories among contestants and Starzy shared not only that homophobia exists in The Bahamas, but the story of being being shot, having to drive to the hospital and seeking asylum in Canada. Contestants

BAHAMIAN drag performer Anastarzia “Starzy” Anaquway rallied around her, showing support. The response from many Bahamians on social media, however, has not been supportive. People were not pleased to have dirty laundry aired for the world to see. Many, in fact, deny that LGBT+ people here experience targeted violence.

In a comment on Facebook, someone said: “If he come back home drag queening, he will be shot agin… the Bible say put them to death.” It is easy to find biblical support for hatred and oppression. It is important to remember The Bible was used to justify slavery and Christianity was a tool to indoctrinate and subjugate African people. In the Old Testament, numerous acts were to result in death, from adultery to blasphemy.

We do not spend as much time policing what people eat, how people spend the Sabbath, or make and worship idols as we do policing people’s gender identity, performance and expression. Even then, it is only the gender of certain people that concerns most among us. Tyler Perry, for example, has been allowed to create and portray a caricature of a Black woman for years, selling it to Christians as godly entertainment. He wears dresses, a wig, and make-up, wields a gun and turns Black womanhood into a joke, but with a few gospel songs thrown in, it is fine. People continue to buy tickets to watch his terrible movies, even if “How did Taraji get on the boat?!” is a running joke in response to a major inconsistency in his 2018 movie Acrimony.

The rules are applied differently to different people.

When people can steal from LGBT+ culture, they love it. They want to talk about the gag (as a punchline or a moment that leaves them speechless), use the gay friend as

a prop (a harmless man to dance on or the source of jokes for a night out), talk about throwing shade (an indirect insult), and integrate voguing into their go-to dance moves. They hate the people who created the culture they mimic and monetize. You do not have to look far to see the way LGBT+ people, particularly trans people, have influenced the performance of womanhood and what femininity is understood to mean. From Madonna to Beyonce, the influence of drag and voguing — created and dominated by gay men and transwomen — is evident. Their work and their creativity have value. How is it that their lives do not?

LGBT+ people in The Bahamas experience violence because of their gender and sexuality, especially when daring not to conceal them. Not only are members of the community targeted, but there is little recourse as police have been known to refuse to take reports. They participate in homophobia by suggesting LGBT+ people deserve to be threatened and violated. People act as though they are personally impacted by the way others perform gender. The gag is that we all perform gender as though we are in a show. The way we dress, walk, wear our hair, speak, dance, treat body hair, alter our bodies, choose fields of study and professions, serve customers, take selfies, date, travel, assert ourselves and contribute to our households are all connected to gender. We may not always be on stage, but we are almost always performing.

Some of us know it and some of us do it. Even when shown the mirror, many will refuse to see it and that is its own problem.

We learn what womanhood and manhood are supposed to look like and

we find our own versions of it, usually within the confines of what society finds acceptable. Is long hair more feminine than short hair? Do curves make the woman? Are heels required? Do we have to give birth? Does masculinity require a full beard? Are men allowed to show a full range of emotions? Can a two-year-old boy play with a doll? Who is congratulated and who is shamed for carrying a condom? Gender is an identity, a presentation and a performance and we create and refine our own over time. Some of us step outside of the constraints that keep others comfortable — maybe with a little eyeliner or clothing with a more loose, comfortable fit — and doing that can put us in danger. Someone can decide that, based on the Bible, someone’s gender performance or play — including drag — makes them deserving of death.

Even in the face of this, some decide to be true to themselves.

Starzy said: “I’m the strongest person I know[…]

The things that I’ve been through in my life made me the strong person I am.”

There are a lot of strong people in The Bahamas and many of them built that strength as a result of extreme circumstances.

What if being strong was not a prerequisite for surviving here? What if we could retain the talent that is forced to flee? What if our creative industry was given the resources it needs to displace tourism as the top industry? What if the people who could help us make it happen could stay?

What if we cared as much about the lives of other people as we do about the economy?

When will we be able to talk about people as though they matter and have value outside of what they can do for capitalism?

SKIPPED TESTS AND JUMPED FENCES WE WERE not happy about the closure of beaches on the Independence holiday weekend.

Some deemed it the right decision, finding it necessary for us to be restricted to prevent failure to comply with social distancing rules.

We had a nightime curfew with police stationed to keep people off the streets, far too many people trying to get into grocery stores and only a staff member or two to manage the crowd and a host of other happenings that call the decision to close the beaches into question.

The prime minister stressed he was “only” asking for three days. For many, those three days were — or one of those days was — among the only days they could access the beach. It

is easy to forget the people whose ordinary life was working five or six days per week, having one day off to conduct banking, pay bills, grocery shop, clean the house and any other necessary tasks. Sundays are often reserved for church and cooking for the family.

The beach only becomes an option for people on holidays. Everything is closed, it’s hot, and the beach is accessible by bus.

It was frustrating to see that tourists jumped a fence closing access to a beach while we suffered through compliance. They did it wilfully, know the beaches were closed and were unabashed in sharing that they felt entitled to beach access because they don’t have beaches where they live. It is clear many people do not regard

this as a real place. We are not real people, our laws are not real and no consequence is real for them.

Perhaps the precedent was set when they were allowed to enter the country without having taken the correct COVID-19 test. It was said there is no way to know who they are or how to find them. That is not true. We know what they look like, where they came from and that they should be on the list of people allowed to enter with the wrong test. They have to go through our airport again to get home. Identify them and fine them. The Bahamas is a real place, Bahamian life has value, no one should have greater access to The Bahamas than we do, and it’s time to start acting like it.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 9

TECHTALK

AMAZON UNVEILS SHOPPING CART THAT KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE BUYING

TOP PAID iPHONE APPS: 1. Minecraft, Mojang 2. Procreate Pocket, Savage Interactive Pty Ltd 3. Monopoly, Marmalade Game Studio 4. Bloons TD 6, Ninja Kiwi 5. HotSchedules, HotSchedules 6. Geometry Dash, RobTop Games AB 7. Dark Sky Weather, Apple

By JOSEPH PISANI AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has a new cure for long supermarket lines: a smart shopping cart.

The cart, which Amazon unveiled on Tuesday, uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in.

It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store. No cashier is needed.

It’s the latest attempt by Amazon to shake up the supermarket industry and offer a solution to long checkout lines.

The online shopping giant opened a cashier-less supermarket in Seattle that uses cameras and sensors in the

8. Five Nights at Freddy’s, Clickteam, LLC 9. True Skate, True Axis 10. Facetune, Lightricks Ltd.

TOP FREE iPHONE APPS: 1. Beat Blade: Dash Dance, 2. Doctor Care!, RUBY OYUN VE YAZILIM DANISMANLIK THE SMART shopping cart, which Amazon unveiled on Tuesday, uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in. It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store. No cashier is needed. (Amazon via AP) ceiling to track what shoppers grab and charge them as they leave.

Amazon.com Inc. also has roughly 25 cashier-less convenience stores with similar technology.

The cart, called Amazon Dash Cart, will first show up at a new Los Angeles

supermarket Amazon is opening later this year. The store will have cashiers, but Amazon said it wanted to give shoppers a way to bypass any lines.

In the future, it could be used at Amazon’s Whole Foods grocery chain or other stores, if Amazon sells the

technology, but there are no plans for either right now.

Several startups are already making similar smart shopping carts that are being tested in stores, but many require scanning groceries before dropping them in.

There’s no scanning on the Amazon cart. A screen

near the handle lists what’s being charged, and the cart can detect when something is taken out and have it removed from the bill.

And there’s also a way to let the cart know if you need to throw a jacket or purse in the cart so you don’t have to carry it around.

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DEMAND FOR ROBOT COOKS RISES AS KITCHENS COMBAT COVID-19

By DEE-ANN DURBIN and TERENCE CHEA Associated Press Writers

HAYWARD, California (AP) — Robots that can cook - from flipping burgers to baking bread - are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers.

Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. The robot, dubbed Flippy, is made by Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics.

White Castle and Miso have been discussing a partnership for about a year. Those talks accelerated when COVID-19 struck, said White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson.

Richardson said the robot can free up employees for other tasks like disinfecting tables or handling the rising number of delivery orders. A touch-free environment that minimizes contact is also increasingly important to customers, he said.

“The world’s just reshaped in terms of thoughts around food safety,” Richardson said.

Flippy currently costs $30,000, with a $1,500 monthly service fee.

By the middle of next year, Miso hopes to offer the robot for free but charge a higher monthly fee.

Robot food service was a trend even before the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals, campus cafeterias and others tried to meet demand for fresh, customized options 24 hours a day while keeping labour costs in check. Robot chefs appeared at places like Creator, a burger restaurant in San Francisco, and Dal.komm Coffee outlets in South Korea.

Now, some say, robots may shift from being a novelty to a necessity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the risk of getting COVID-19 from handling or consuming food outside the home is low. Still, there have been numerous outbreaks among restaurant employees and patrons.

“I expect in the next two years

A TECHNICIAN makes an adjustment to a robot at Miso Robotics’ White Castle test kitchen in Pasadena, California.

Robots that can flip burgers, make salads and even bake bread are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers. Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test the robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. The robot, dubbed Flippy, is made by Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics. (Miso Robotics via AP) you will see pretty significant robotic adoption in the food space because of COVID,” said Vipin Jain, the co-founder and CEO of Blendid, a Silicon Valley startup.

Blendid sells a robot kiosk that makes a variety of fresh smoothies.

Customers can order from a smartphone app and tweak the recipe if they want more kale or less ginger, for example. Once or twice a day, a Blendid employee refills the ingredients.

Hospitals Only a handful are now operating around San Francisco, but since the pandemic began, Blendid has started contract discussions with hospitals, corporations, shopping malls and groceries.

“What used to be forward-thinking - last year, pre-COVID - has become current thinking,” Jain said.

As salad bars shut down, Hayward, California-based Chowbotics started getting more inquiries about Sally, a robot about the size of a refrigerator that makes a variety of salads and bowls. Sally lets customers choose from 22 prepared ingredients stored inside the machine. It can make around 65 bowls a day before kitchen workers need to refill the ingredients.

Prior to this year, Chowbotics had sold around 125 of its $35,000 robots, primarily to hospitals and colleges. But since the coronavirus hit, sales have jumped more than 60%, CEO Rick Wilmer said, with growing interest from grocery stores, senior living communities and even the U.S. Department of Defense.

Wilkinson Baking Co., whose BreadBot mixes, forms and bakes loaves of bread, has also been getting more inquiries. Randall Wilkinson, the CEO of the Walla Walla, Washington-based company,

said the BreadBot serves shifting needs. Grocery shoppers no longer want self-serve options like olive bars, but they still want fresh and local food. Seeing how that food is made also gives them more confidence, he said.

Pizzas Robot cooks haven’t always been successful. Spyce, a Boston restaurant with a robot-run kitchen, closed in November to retool its menu. Zume, a Silicon Valley startup that made pizzas with robots, shut down its pizza business in January. It’s now making face masks and biodegradable takeout containers.

Max Elder, research director of the Food Futures Lab at the Palo Alto, California-based Institute for the Future, is sceptical about the future of food prep robots once the pandemic has eased.

“Food is so personal, and it needs to involve humans,” he said.

Elder is also concerned that focusing on automating food preparation during the pandemic will shift attention from other problems in the food system, like outbreaks among meat industry workers or produce pickers.

“We can’t automate our way out of the pandemic because the pandemic affects much more than what can be automated,” Elder said.

Automated food companies insist they’re not trying to replace human workers. At White Castle, Richardson says Flippy will allow managers to redeploy workers to drive-thru lanes or help them cover a shift if an employee calls in sick.

Wilmer, of Chowbotics, says Sally may actually create jobs, since it keeps selling food at times of day when it wouldn’t have been available before.

But robots can lower the demand for labour. At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, workers used to spend six hours per day prepping graband-go salads in the 24-hour cafe, said Tonya Johnson, the school’s director of nutrition services. But two years ago, the campus installed a Sally, which now makes an average of 40 salads per day. Sally allowed the school to eliminate a vacancy in its cooking staff, Johnson said.

Johnson said the campus is buying another Sally for students to use when they return this August, which will save four hours per day of grab-and-go salad prep in the college deli.

“I think the pandemic has made us realise how much we need more equipment like Sally,” Johnson said.

Miso Robotics co-founder and CEO Buck Jordan said fast food restaurants are already having trouble finding workers, due in part to a shrinking population of young workers.

“It’s our contention that automation is not a choice,” Jordan said.

“You must automate in order to survive the future.”

PAGE 10, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Six witnesses identified the killer - and all got it wrong

By LAURA SMALARZ Assistant Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University ON THE strength of six eyewitnesses’ line-up identifications, Lydell Grant was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for the murder of a young Texas man, Aaron Scheerhoorn, who was stabbed to death outside a Houston nightclub in 2010.

All six of those eyewitnesses were wrong.

New DNA testing on biological material collected from underneath the victim’s fingernails cleared Grant and implicated another man, Jermarico Carter, who police said confessed to the killing. Carter has now been indicted for the murder by a grand jury, and Lydell Grant was released from prison.

But his name has not been

cleared. Faith in eyewitnesses runs so deep that despite the overwhelming proof of Grant’s innocence, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused his exoneration request. Instead, the court wants the six eyewitnesses who originally testified against Grant to respond to his claims of innocence.

It’s a fact that eyewitnesses make mistakes.

There have been hundreds of cases in which mistaken eyewitness identification testimony led to the conviction of innocent people.

The puzzling question in this case, though, is why did six eyewitnesses independently identify Lydell Grant as the killer and then confidently testify in court?

One might assume that Grant was the murderer’s unlucky doppelganger. But a comparison of the pair’s

mugshots reveals they bear little physical resemblance to one another beyond both being Black men.

As an experimental psychologist who conducts research on eyewitness identification, said: “I’ve seen hundreds of examples of highly confident yet mistaken eyewitnesses – both in the laboratory and in actual court cases. My review of the transcripts from Grant’s trial suggests a simple explanation for these high-confidence mistakes: The police did not use scientific best practices for collecting the eyewitness identification evidence.

Conducting a line-up with the suspect in mind Scientific best practices for conducting eyewitness line-ups require that the person administering

the line-up not know who the police suspect is. Just as double-blind clinical trials in medical studies are intended to prevent patients’ and doctors’ expectations from affecting outcomes of the clinical trial, double-blind line-ups aim to prevent witnesses’ and administrators’ expectations from influencing the outcomes of the identification procedure.

The transcript from Lydell Grant’s trial revealed the homicide detective in charge of investigating the case administered the lineup to the eyewitnesses. Of course, he knew that Lydell Grant was the one under suspicion.

Psychological experiments have shown that line-up administrators who know who the suspect is end up cuing witnesses toward that person. Compared with

administrators conducting double-blind line-ups, these informed administrators are more likely to ask witnesses about the suspect and smile when witnesses are looking at the suspect rather than at another person in the line-up.

Such behaviours are often inadvertent; neither line-up administrators nor eyewitnesses may be consciously aware that they’re happening. Nevertheless, these subtle behavioural cues affect eyewitnesses’ decisions by making them more likely to choose the suspect.

But if the six eyewitnesses chose Lydell Grant from the line-up only because they were cued to do so by the case detective, why were they so confident in their identifications? According to the trial transcript, most of the eyewitnesses testified to having been positive when they picked Grant out of the line-up. One reported that he had identified Grant without doubt or hesitation. Another stated that the killer’s face was “burned into [her] memory immediately.”

Reinforcing what eyewitnesses ‘remember’ The witnesses’ trial testimony reveals a simple explanation for these highconfidence errors: All of the eyewitnesses received confirmatory feedback following their identification of Grant.

Three of the eyewitnesses reported that the detective told them they had picked the same person other people had, though the detective himself denied having made such statements.

Two other eyewitnesses, a couple, remembered discussing their selection with one another and confirming each other’s decisions. One eyewitness couldn’t recall whether the detective had told him anything after he identified Grant, but the detective acknowledged telling that particular eyewitness “good job” following the identification. The detective also admitted making a similar comment to at least one other witness.

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that simple confirming comments such as these have dramatic effects on eyewitnesses’ testimony. Not only do such statements inflate eyewitnesses’ confidence in the accuracy of their identification, but they lead them to falsely remember having been that confident all along.

As a result, witnesses who have received confirmatory feedback provide testimony that is highly persuasive to jurors.

In one study, people playing the role of jurors were able to reliably distinguish between accurate and mistaken eyewitnesses when the witnesses had not received any confirmatory feedback.

But when the witnesses had received a simple reinforcing comment following their identification (“Good job, you got the guy”), the mock jurors could no longer tell the difference between accurate and mistaken eyewitnesses.

In other words, the confirmatory remark made the mistaken eyewitnesses just as persuasive as the accurate ones.

Witnesses aren’t able to tell whether their testimony was influenced in this way. Moreover, confirmatory feedback can alter witnesses’ memories of the original crime, making them less able to recognize the actual perpetrator when they see him again.

So, there is little to be gained from speaking to the original eyewitnesses from Lydell Grant’s case.

How to run less biased line-ups The processes at play in Lydell Grant’s case are predictable and unfortunately common. The way to avoid these problems with eyewitness testimony is for police to adopt best practices based on the psychological research.

In addition to implementing double-blind line-up procedures, it’s essential that line-up administrators document eyewitnesses’ confidence immediately following an identification. Confidence collected at the time of an identification during a double-blind line-up procedure is informative regarding the eyewitness’s accuracy.

Confidence reported at trial after the eyewitness has received confirmatory feedback is not.

To date, 24 states have adopted these core procedural reforms, including Texas in 2011, one year after the investigation of Aaron Scheerhoorn’s murder.

Unfortunately for Lydell Grant, these reforms came a year too late. The remaining 26 states should act swiftly to prevent additional miscarriages of justice, and Lydell Grant should be exonerated.

theconversation.com

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 11

MAXWELL’S DENIED BAIL ON SEX ABUSE CHARGES

ENTERTAINERS WHO HAVE TO TRAIN AT HOME LAS VEGAS Associated Press CONCERTS, acrobatic shows and other performances that typically entertain thousands of tourists in Las Vegas are among the workplaces that have had to shutter from the coronavirus.

Though casinos have been allowed to reopen with rules about sanitizing, social distancing and mandatory face masks, hundreds of performers who round out the only-in-Vegas spectacle are still waiting. Many performers are waiting in Las Vegas for the shows to return, trying to keep their bodies in top form, practise their skills and find a way to perform.

NEW YORK Associated Press

JUGGLER Victor Ponce practises his spinning plates routine in the kitchen of his home

Florida hits record with 132 virus deaths FORT LAUDERDALE Associated Press FLORIDA surpassed its daily record for coronavirus deaths yesterday and Britain and France announced a requirement for people to wear masks in public indoor spaces, amid rising global worries about a resurgence of the pandemic.

Florida reported 132 additional deaths, topping the previous record for the state set just last week. The figure likely includes deaths from the past weekend that had not been previously reported.

With the virus spreading quickly in the southern and western US, one of the country’s top public health officials offered conflicting theories about what is driving the outbreak. “We tried to give states guidance on how to reopen safely. ...If you look critically, few states actually followed that guidance,” Dr Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday in a livestream interview with the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Redfield said people in many states did not adopt social distancing and other measures because they hadn’t previously experienced an outbreak. But he went on to say, without explanation, that he didn’t believe the way those states handled reopening was necessarily behind the explosive rise in virus cases.

In Florida, the new deaths raised the state’s seven-day average to 81 per day, more than double the figure of two weeks

ago and now the secondhighest in the United States behind Texas. Doctors have predicted a surge in deaths as Florida’s daily reported cases have gone from about 2,000 a day a month ago to a daily average of about 11,000, including a record 15,000 on Sunday. The state recorded 9,194 new cases yesterday.

In Britain, officials announced they will require people to wear face masks starting July 24, after weeks of dismissing their value.

“We are not out of the woods yet, so let us all do our utmost to keep this virus cornered and enjoy summer safely,” British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told lawmakers in the House of Commons.

French President Emmanuel Macron said masks will be required by Aug. 1, after recent rave parties and widespread backsliding on social distancing raised concerns the virus may be starting to rebound.

Even Melania Trump, whose husband President Donald Trump resisted wearing a mask or urging anyone else to do so, called on people to step up precautions. “Even in the summer months, please remember to wear face coverings & practice social distancing,” she said in a posting on her Twitter account.

Officials in the Australian state of Queensland said those breaking quarantine rules could face up to six months in jail. With higher fines and the threat of jail time, “I hope that will demonstrate to the public just how serious we are about enforcing these measures,” Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

A FLORIDA bar closes down yesterday, caused by the coronavirus pandemic • FACING eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration yesterday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of coronavirus.

The decision was announced at the start of a hearing in a federal lawsuit in Boston brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The announcement brings relief to thousands of foreign students who had been at risk of being deported from the country, along with hundreds of universities that were scrambling to reassess their plans for the fall in light of the policy. With the policy rescinded, ICE will revert to a directive from March that suspended typical limits around online education for foreign students.

ENCOURAGING INITIAL RESULTS IN US COVID-19 VACCINE TESTS Associated Press

THE first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the US revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported yesterday. “No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious disease expert, said.

The experimental vaccine, developed by Fauci’s colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will start its most important step around July 27: A 30,000-person study to prove if the shots really are strong enough to protect against the coronavirus.

But yesterday, researchers reported anxiously awaited findings from the first 45 volunteers who rolled up their sleeves back in March. Sure enough, the vaccine provided a hopedfor immune boost.

Those early volunteers developed what are called neutralising antibodies in

their bloodstream at levels comparable to those found in people who survived COVID-19, the research team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“This is an essential building block that is needed to move forward with the trials that could actually determine whether the vaccine does protect against infection,” said Dr Lisa Jackson of the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle, who led the study.

There’s no guarantee but the government hopes to have results around the end of the year -- record-setting speed for developing a vaccine.

The vaccine requires two doses, a month apart.

There were no serious side effects. But more than half the study participants reported flu-like reactions to the shots that aren’t uncommon with other vaccines -- fatigue, headache, chills, fever and pain at the injection site.

JEFFREY Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, will remain behind bars until trial after she was yesterday denied bail as a risk to flee rather than face charges she recruited girls for the financier to sexually abuse more than two decades ago.

Two Epstein accusers implored the judge to keep the British socialite detained after she pleaded not guilty to the charges during a video court hearing in Manhattan.

US District Judge Alison Nathan said even the most restrictive form of release would be insufficient to ensure Maxwell would not flee, particularly now that she has seen the strength of the evidence and realises that she could face up to 35 years in prison if she is convicted.

As the judge explained her reasoning for denying bail, Maxwell dropped her head repeatedly, appearing dejected. At one point, she appeared to wipe a tear from underneath one eye.

Maxwell, 58, has been held without bail since her July 2 arrest at her milliondollar New Hampshire estate, where prosecutors say she refused to open the door for FBI agents, who busted through to find that she had retreated to an interior room. Her lawyer, Mark S. Cohen, told the judge that Maxwell was in her pajamas and had been told that security protocol called for her to retreat to her room if there was any disturbance outside her doors.

The judge rejected Cohen’s claim that Maxwell was hiding from the public and the media rather than investigators when she purchased a $1 million mansion late last year.

SPORTS SECTION E

NBA, SEE PAGE 16

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

Moxey named head coach of volleyball team in Raleigh

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

T

he rich legacy of Bahamian student-athletes and coaches continued at Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) in Raleigh, North Carolina with Tacara Moxey being named the head coach of the Falcons’ women’s volleyball team.

The former track and field star, who excelled in volleyball for the Rattlers at CI Gibson, has been elevated from assistant coach to the head coaching job with immediate effect.

“It feels great. It feels great,” were the first words echoed by Moxey in her interview with The Tribune. “The love and support and people just believing in me is awesome. “I’ve been coaching for a while and when the opportunity

presented itself, I just spoke it into existence. A lot of people felt like I was the right person suited for the job and that they needed more people like me, so I’m very humbled to have been given this opportunity to carry on the Bahamian tradition here.”

Moxey, who graduated from St Aug in 2003, helped the Lady Falcons pad their conference championship total. As a standout player, she helped the volleyball team win three consecutive CIAA championships.

The Lady Falcons also claimed a conference crown during her first stint as assistant coach. Last year was her second tenure on the Lady Falcons’ staff. She was an assistant coach at then Saint Augustine’s College in the mid-2000s.

Last year was her second tenure on the Lady Falcons’ staff.

TACARA MOXEY Moxey is well known on the international and club levels as well. She was captain of the junior

national team and played on the senior national team in the Bahamas, her home country.

She follows in the footsteps of her former coach Edrick ‘Drip’ Poitier, the last Bahamian coach to head the Falcons’ programme.

Among the others who coached at St Aug were the late Tom ‘the Bird’ Grant, Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt and Leslie ‘Russia’ Cartwright.

“I know I have some big shoes to fill,” said Moxey, who thanked her high school volleyball coach Michelle Bailey, Margaret Albury, Edrick Poitier, Leslie Cartwright and Mother Pratt for the role they all played in pushing her in volleyball career. “This is not something that I am going to take lightly. I’m going to put my all into it and just develop the girls as I give back to the programme that has helped to develop me to where I am today.”

With one player currently on the Falcons roster in senior Chandra Mackey, a native of Abaco, Moxey said she will definitely be returning home to recruit some potential players to join St Aug’s.

“We’ve always had a volleyball legacy here at St Aug and so I want to get it back to where it used to be,” she said.

“I want to be able to give some more Bahamian ladies a chance to get a higher education and to display their volleyball talent at the next level.”

She has coached several club teams and currently coaches N.C. Academy, which captured the City of Oaks Challenge 16-andunder division crown this year.

All in all, Moxey has logged some 13 years of coaching on her résumé. After graduating from CI

SEE PAGE 13

‘Lately, I’ve been getting too many back and forth positive and negative tests’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net HE would prefer to be on the field in Miami, Florida, preparing to crack the line-up for the Miami Marlins for the upcoming 2020 Major League Baseball season on July 23.

Instead, Bahamian professional baseball player Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm found himself confined to his hotel room in Jupiter, Florida, waiting on the clearance to work out again after he had a series of positive-negative testing for the coronavirus.

“Lately, I’ve been getting too many back and forth positive and negative tests, so I’ve only been on the field for one day,” said Chisholm, the talented shortstop who is ranked at No.3 in the MLB prospects of the Marlins.

“I need two negative tests in a row to get on the field, but I’ve been getting a positive one day and a negative the next day. The test is just not accurate. I’m trying to get out there, but it’s not happening for me right now.”

The 22-year-old Chisholm, who was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Marlins on July 31, 2019, said it’s frustrating for him to have to be confined to his hotel room, rather than going out on the baseball field every day.

“It’s like they keep telling you that you can go out there and play and

BAHAMIAN professional baseball player Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm is confined to his hotel room in Jupiter, Florida, waiting on the clearance to work out again after he had a series of positive-negative testing for the coronavirus. then they take away that opportunity when the results come back,” said Chisholm, who admitted that he’s not the only player going through the ordeal with the coronavirus.

“It’s really frustrating for me as a player, who wants to be out there every day playing,” he said. “I am the only player on our team here in Jupiter who is experiencing this problem.

“I should be in Miami, but with all of these tests going on for the last three weeks, they sent me to Jupiter to get everything worked out so that I can be

ready for the season whenever they need me.

“With all these tests going on, it’s not happening. They test me every other day and after they test you, if you get a positive result, you have to stay inside and quarantine. The most I can do with the positive result is go out and jog to stay in some shape.”

With all that’s going on, Chisholm said if he didn’t have a positive mindset, he would really be depressed by now because he doesn’t have any symptoms. He just can’t get two negative tests to get on the field at

the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter.

“Every day, if I don’t have a test, I stay in my room or go on a run or a walk,” he said.

“I try to stay in some type of shape. I can’t really do anything to catch the virus, although I don’t know why I can’t get the two negative tests.

“I’m watching everybody and I’m really excited that we’re going to have a baseball season.

“So as soon as they let me out of the gate, I know that I will be ready.

I’m coming out with some

hatred in my heart because I’m in this room and I know I am healthy.”

Chisholm, who was invited to his second consecutive spring training albeit with a new team, said he expects that the Marlins will be a force to reckon with in the league this year.

“With the team and how they have been working out, I believe the Marlins have a chance to win the World Series,” Chisholm said. “I am watching the videos every day from practice and it’s been exciting.”

SEE PAGE 13

‘Get Better Basketball Camp’ rocks Carmichael

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH so much time on their hands to spare, former basketball player Jason Edgecombe said he decided to stage the ‘Get Better Basketball Camp’ to help improve the skills of the young boys in the Carmichael Road community.

The camp, designed for young boys between the ages of five and 18, got started in May at the basketball court on Mermaid Boulevard and will continue throughout the summer. “I decided to come back home and give back

to the game that has helped me to go off and get an education,” said Edgecombe, who graduated from SC McPherson in 1996 and went on to Walsh University and Langston University.

Edgecombe recalled how he met Judson Stubbs in the airport and after they discussed what they were going through, they became good friends and eventually played with the Real Deal Shockers in the New Providence Basketball Association.

Edgecombe said having had the opportunity to play college basketball, he wanted to make sure that he tried and helped some of the

other youngsters in his community to do the same.

He’s grateful for some of his friends like Mario Pickstock, Vernon Stubbs and Benson Young, who all have their children involved in the camp that is free of charge.

The camp runs from 5 to 7:30pm each evening and Edgecombe said he’s gotten support from veteran women’s basketball player Latoya Rolle, who hails from the community, to serve as the chief instructor.

During the day, Edgecombe said he finds the time to take the campers to the beach to have fun, feed them at local fast food restaurants

and on tours to some of the historic sites around town.

While there are no girls involved in the camp, Rolle said she can still impart her knowledge to the young boys. “We have a lot of young players with talent and as a product of this community, I don’t mind sharing the talent and the knowledge that I have in basketball with them,” she said. “I want to see them better themselves.”

Since she started working with the camp, Rolle said she noticed that a lot of the participants lacked the basic fundamentals of the

SEE PAGE 13

BABE RUTH: NEW POST FOR GREG BURROWS SR

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GREG Burrows Sr, founder of Freedom Farm Baseball, has ascended to one of the top positions of the prestigious Babe Ruth organisation as the Commissioner with responsibility for the Caribbean.

With immediate effect, Burrows Sr will have jurisdiction over the Bahamas, Curacao, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, St Kitts, Mexico and Bermuda.

Burrows Sr, a former senator in the Progressive Liberal Party, has revealed that he has already identified a commissioner to serve in Curacao, who will assist him in the development of Babe Ruth Baseball in the region.

Additionally, Burrows Sr will be looking at possible candidates to fill the role as commissioner in the rest of the member countries, including the Bahamas, with the view of forming a body for the further development of Babe Ruth in the region and ultimately to serve a Caribbean Championships.

“It gives me the opportunity to not only develop baseball and players in wholesome activities in the Bahamas, but to also interact with foreign leaders in baseball and bring together as plans to formulate and execute the way forward for baseball in the Caribbean,” Burrows said.

By virtue of sending teams off from Freedom Farm, the Junior Baseball League of Nassau and Grand Bahama to the Babe Ruth Tournament, Burrows Sr said the Bahamas is in a better position to help spread the brand throughout the other countries in the region.

And with the Bahamas government on the verge of completing the new national baseball stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Burrows Sr said he intends to take advantage of the sports tourism and turn it into a baseball mecca in the country.

“We have little leverage to host these types of tournaments so that we can showcase our kids right here at home,” Burrows Sr said. “So there is a lot of potential for the sport moving forward.”

With no term of tenure in office, Burrows Sr said his mandate is to get the Babe Ruth Baseball as a household brand just as it is in the United States, honouring

SEE PAGE 13

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 13

It’s the Power One Summer Basketball Camp

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net FOR the next four weeks, Neville ‘Manny’ Adderley will be holding court as he conducts his Power One Summer Basketball Camp at the St Gregory’s Anglican Church on Carmichael Road.

With the country coming out of the lockdown during the spread of the coronavirus, Adderley said they decided to begin the camp on Monday with daily sessions held from 9am to 1pm.

“We’re just teaching them the fundamentals of the game,” said Adderley, who also runs Manny’s Point Guard School for the younger players and a developmental club for the older players on Saturdays.

“We have an opportunity to put them in some small group training and strength training. It’s more personal for their ages.

We have kids who are 16.

We have 14-year-olds and we even have seven and eight-year-olds.”

With about two other instructors assisting him, Adderley said they get to provide the players with a more personal, hands-on approach.

As this is the summer, Adderley said he wants to provide some wholesome activities for the young ball players to participate in and, at the same time,

allow them to develop their skills. “We have strength training for most of our 16-year-old campers,” he said. “We watch them as they play. If they are deficient in shooting the ball, we provide him with the additional strength training.

As one of the premier point guards coming out of the LW Young Golden Eagles era, Adderley, who is also a personal fitness trainer, said he decided to give back to the community through his basketball club and summer programme.

“We’ve always had a challenge with legitimate shooters in the country, so that’s our main focus,” said Adderley, who was known for his shooting skills in high school, college, night league and with the national basketball teams.

“We want to get our kids to shoot the ball the way they should be shooting it. So after our strength training, we have a lot of shooting drills, which forces them to concentrate a lot more because they won’t have the energy that they had before they started.”

Randy McFall, one of the instructors and a 2013 graduate of Jordan Prince Williams High School, who went on to play division II football as a linebacker at Bowie State University, said he got to know Adderley through his son, Daejour. “Manny was like

CAMPERS get ready for a basketball drill. my father. He grew me up from I was a young boy, so it’s no problem coming back here and helping him out,” said McFall, who will graduate in December with a degree in digital cinematography. “Me and his son, Daejour, played sports all of our lives, trying to make sure that we got out here to further our education.

It worked for us, so I am happy to come out here and help out.”

McFall said he wants to encourage the campers to make the best of their opportunity through these sorts of camps, which are designed to help them improve their skills.

“We know everybody wants to play pro sports, but it’s not going to happen for everyone,” he said.

“So I want to encourage them to improve their skills and their grades so whenever the opportunity does

come for them to go to college, they will be ready.”

Once they can get into college, McFall said the possibilities are endless.

“You can ask yourself.

Do you want to go pro or do you want to pursue a craft or something,” McFall pointed out.

“Do I want to play basketball or football, am I studying media or politics?

Do I want to come back and help my country out and still be able to make money?

“If you believe in your dream, I want to encourage them to stick with it.

Your parents will always be there to support you in whatever you do, but they don’t always have to believe in your dreams.

You have to make them believe in it. But if you tell them about it, they will be right there behind you.”

As for the camp, McFall said Adderley is trying to use sports as a vehicle to get other young players off to school and that is why he decided to come back and assist him.

Nasir Hanna, a sevenyear-old student of Queen’s College, said he came to the camp to learn how to shoot. “It’s been good,” he said. “I like basketball. I like scoring.”

His younger brother, Sadiq Hanna, is only five but the Queen’s College student also likes the camp.

“The camp is good,” he said.

Jazz: ‘I’ve been getting too many back and forth positive and negative tests’ FROM PAGE 12 As a member of the Marlins’ 40-man roster, Chisholm said it’s one step closer to him getting a call to become the next Bahamian to play in the Major League, joining Antoan Richardson, Ed Armbrister, Tony Curry, Wenty Ford, Wilfred Culmer and Andre Rodgers, the pacesetters.

“It’s nice to know that they have you under their radar and that this team wants you to be here and they want you to be a part of their future,” Chisholm said.

It’s been five years since Chisholm began his pro career in baseball, but he felt he should have cracked the Major League at least a year ago.

“It was my fault that I’m not already there, so it’s my fault,” said Chisholm, who finished last year in Double-A baseball with 21 home runs, a bit down from the 25 he belted two years ago. He also drove in 54 runs last year. “I was more disappointed in myself because I felt I had a chance to get there and I didn’t take it.

“It was just me not having the right mindset and just going through the motion. I knew I was good last year, but I just had the wrong mindset going onto the field until I got traded. When I got traded, I had a different mindset.

When I got traded, I said ‘I was ready. Let me change my mindset.’

I went back to my old mindset.”

After leaving Faith Temple in grade seven, Chisholm went to Word of Life, now Life Preparatory

School Wichita, Kansas to continue high school where he played against Grand Bahamian Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield at Sunrise Academy in basketball.

As a typical Bahamian, Chisholm not only played basketball, but he also held his own in baseball and football. But he admitted that baseball was his first love and that was why he stuck with it.

“The coaches saw me playing in physical education and they asked me to come out to practice for the varsity and the junior varsity basketball team and I also played football in the ninth and tenth grades.

“I was in the ninth grade and Buddy was a senior when I played against him. His team won. I think Buddy had about 20-something points and I had about nine points.

I was really small back then, about 5-feet, 6-inches, but I could shoot the ball and dunk.”

In basketball, Chisholm played point guard and was a safety and wide receiver in football. But he admitted that after he returned home and concentrated more on baseball, he got signed as an international recruit and his career took off.

The son of Jazz Chisholm Sr and Martinique Coakley was setting the pace for his four sisters and two brothers, including Domonique Collie, his adopted brother, who is now in the pipeline in the minor league.

With minor league suspended for the rest of the year, Chisholm said he has already reached out to

the more than 20 Bahamian players to encourage them to stick with it and not give up hope of fulfilling their dreams.

“I sent all of the young guys a video of me talking to them and I was telling them to think about it as a longer offseason,” Chisholm said. “If you think about it as a longer offseason, you will only get better.

“So if they give you more than to get better during the offseason, you should be better by the time the league comes back. By the time you go back to play, you should be able to play next year. You should be better because you had over a year to get ready.”

Having his grandmother Patricia Deveaux as his role model when she played softball, Chisholm said he grew up around the sport and that extended to baseball when he got a chance to play.

“I have a few cousins playing college baseball, but I’m the one who really excelled so far,” said Chisholm of his family members Myron and Shannon Johnson and Wayde Beckford, who are following in his footsteps.

And with the new national baseball stadium expected to be completed by the end of the year, Chisholm said it won’t mean anything to him and the other pro players if they are not allowed to use it. “Are they going to use it for baseball and the professional players to participate in?, or are they going to use it for other events?” he asked. “If professionals don’t get to use it, then they can’t say anything about it.

“I personally would not speak on the stadium if I am not allowed to use it as a professional baseball player. That’s just me. I don’t know what they are going to use it for. If they say professional baseball players can’t use it to practice, then why should I come home to practice if I won’t be able to use the best field in the Bahamas to practice?”

Chisholm said it would be more convenient for him to stay in Miami where he can utilise the best facility available and to take advantage of the Marlins’ staff that is at his disposal.

In the meantime, Chisholm said he’s trying to avoid being a victim of the coronavirus where the state has seen an increase of cases on a daily basis.

“Normally, I just stay to myself.

I don’t go anywhere,” he said. “So for me, I don’t have a problem with what’s going on and I’m not worried about it. I don’t make contact with people unless me and you are really close.

“I know the people who I hang out with only hang out with me, so I’m not worried about it.”

While he’s going through his ordeal, trying to get his negative testing so he can get back on the field, Chisholm thanked the Bahamian people for their tremendous support and their prayers that they will all be great in their future endeavours.

“We will be great, trust me,” he summed up. “I know I can’t wait to get back on the field and prove that I deserve to be in the Major League.”

‘Get Better Basketball Camp’ rocks Carmichael FROM PAGE 12 game. But as she continues to work with them, she has seen some improvements.

Edgecombe’s former teammate at SC McPherson, Kirkwood Neely, said as an inspiration to the younger and older guys in the community, he couldn’t help but come out and lend his support.

“What he is doing has put a fire under the young kids, especially in this pandemic that we are in,” Neely said. “I noticed that the passion of a lot of the participants for basketball has grown tremendously.

“Their basketball IQs are continuing to grow and the sky’s the limit for them. This is something that I feel a lot of guys in other communities have been doing and are continuing to do.”

Neely, who attended St Gregory College in school in Oklahoma and North Carolina State, said since he’s been back home, he played in the New

Providence Basketball Association, but he wants to join Edgecombe in helping out the younger generation.

Benson Young, a former rival from AF Adderley, who played against Edgecombe and Neely, said they all became good friends off the court and when he found out about the camp, he decided to bring his son Benson Jr out to participate.

“I like what he’s doing with the kids so I decided to bring my son out to let him see that I was serious about him developing his skills in basketball,” Young said.

“He is nine years old and he has the fundamentals down, but he needs more help. With him coming here, I know that he will get better in his development of playing basketball.”

Edgecombe’s son, Kingsley, is also a part of the camp, which has attracted more than 30 participants who will all be ensured of engaging in some wholesome activities this summer.

BENSON YOUNG, Jason Edgecombe and Kirkwood Neely.

NEW POST FOR GREG BURROWS SR FROM PAGE 12 one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Babe Ruth, whose real name was George Herman, died on August 16, 1968 at the age of 53. He was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons from 1914 through 1935.

Nicknamed “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”, Babe Ruth began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees.

Among his list of achievements were twotime All-Star, seven-time World Series champion, American League most valuable player and batting champion. He produced a ,342 batting average with 2,873 hits, 714 home runs, 2,213 runs batted in (RBI) with a 94-46 win-loss record and an earned run average (ERA) of 2.28.

Burrows Sr, who has helped to mentor and groom countless numbers of Bahamian players who went on to continue high school or secure athletic scholarships to colleges and universities in the United States and even become professional baseball players, said he’s honoured to be serving as the commissioner for the region of such a legendary player.

Freedom Farm was founded by Burrows Sr in 1989 to help develop the skills of young baseball players. They now cater to players from the coach pitch to senior league.

Moxey named head coach of volleyball team in Raleigh FROM PAGE 12 Gibson in 1997, Moxey went to Oklahoma. Then in 2000, she enrolled at St Aug. After graduating from St Aug, she stayed on as an assistant coach and has also coached in the club system in Raleigh.

“I love it. Volleyball has done so much for me. I’ve been around the world and I’ve met people from different cultures, so it has afforded me a wealth of experience,” she stated.

“I would love to be able to be a blessing to somebody because of what it did for me and my family. So I will definitely be looking at helping out as many Bahamians as I can.”

Due to the coronavirus, the Falcons’ season has been suspended for the fall and will be pushed back to spring of 2021. Classes at St Aug, however, will commence on campus August 5.

Moxey, 40, now joins Grand Bahamian Yolett McPhee-McCuin as a Bahamian female head coach of a sports athletic programme in the United States. McPhee-McCuin is in her third season as the head coach of the Ole Miss Running Rebels women’s basketball team.

There are a number of men serving as head coaches on various athletic programmes throughout the United States, including Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene, Norbert Elliott, Derrick Atkins and Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

AP SOURCES: ABOUT 10 MLB UMPIRES OPT OUT OVER VIRUS CONCERNS

By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer ABOUT 10 Major League Baseball umpires have opted out this season, choosing not to work games in the shortened schedule because of concerns over the coronavirus.

Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press about the decisions yesterday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price,

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman are among a dozen or so players who won’t participate this year because of health issues.

The 60-game, virus-abbreviated season begins on July 23. There are 76 full-time MLB umpires and more than 20 of them are age 55 or over. Joe West and Gerry Davis are the oldest umps at 67.

Umpires who are deemed at risk — either for their age, health situation or other issues — and opt out will continue to get paid.

Umps get their salaries over 12 months and have already been paid through April.

A deal between MLB and its umpires reached during the virus shutdown ensured that if even

one regular-season game was played this season, the umps were guaranteed 37.5 per cent of their salaries.

Umpires recently began working intrasquad and simulated games at big league camps to sharpen up for the season. Teams are set to start exhibition games this weekend in preparation for opening day.

Minus 10 or more MLB umpires, many Triple-A umps will work the two-month season.

Most of them have previously called games in the majors as

fill-in for umpires who have been injured or are on vacation.

“It gives guys an opportunity,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Some younger guys are going to get to be major league umpires for a season. That’ll be fun.”

Just as MLB redrew the schedule amid the virus outbreak, umpires are certain to see a shift, too.

Crew assignments, travel arrangements and schedules were still under review at the start of the week.

BRAVES’ ACUÑA HAS EVEN BIGGER ROLE IN SHORTENED 2020 SEASON

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr isn’t letting the coronavirus pandemic silence his love of baseball.

The empty seats at the Atlanta Braves’ newly renamed Truist Park have left Acuña with more space to yell encouragement, sing and joke during workouts. Sometimes he teases or encourages his buddy, second baseman Ozzie Albies.

Acuña’s constant chatter means there will be cheering at Braves games, even without the fans.

“You can hear his voice,” Albies said. “It’s so clear. ...

He’s always singing, always loud screaming. He enjoys the game.”

Acuña, only 22, is an important lead voice for the Braves in the shortened 60-game season.

Outfielder Nick Markakis has opted out and first baseman Freddie Freeman has been absent following a positive test for the coronavirus, taking away two of the team’s leaders.

The Braves moved to fill the void left by Markakis when they reached an agreement on a oneyear deal with free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig on

Tuesday. The deal was pending a physical, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press.

Puig, 29, began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a combined .267 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs for Cincinnati and Cleveland in 2019. He had 19 stolen bases.

The Braves don’t know when Freeman, the fourtime All-Star, will return to the team. It seems increasingly unlikely he’ll be ready for the July 24 opener at the New York Mets.

Freeman set career highs with 38 home runs and 121 RBIs last season as Atlanta won its second straight NL East title before falling to St. Louis in the playoffs.

Markakis, 36, made his decision to skip the season after talking on the phone with Freeman and realizing Freeman was struggling with symptoms, including a fever. Another veteran, right-hander Félix Hernández, the former Cy Young winner with Seattle, also opted out.

Acuña, Albies and freeagent addition Marcell Ozuna must lead the lineup while Freeman recovers.

Acuña is regarded as one of the top outfielders in the game. He hit .280 with 41 homers and 37 stolen bases

others were Freeman, righthander Touki Toussaint and infielder Pete Kozma.

When he returns, Smith could push Mark Melancon for the closer’s role.

ATLANTA Braves centre fielder Ronald Acuna Jr (13) reacts after popping out to second baseman Ozzie Albies during a practice baseball game on July 9 in Atlanta.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore) in 2019, just missing a rare 40-40 season.

“It’s obviously going to be hard not to have Nick around and we don’t know what Freddie’s status is going to be or how much he’s going to be around,” Acuña said through a translator. “We just have to keep moving on.”

NEW LOOK The Braves hope Ozuna can return to his peak form of 2017 with Miami, when he hit .312 with 37 homers and 124 RBIs. Ozuna couldn’t match that production the last two years with St Louis.

Ozuna, 29, could split his time between left field

and designated hitter. He’s expected to hit cleanup.

Ozuna’s production is crucial to the team’s ability to endure the loss of Josh Donaldson, who signed with Minnesota.

The other key newcomers, setup reliever Will Smith and left-handed starter Cole Hamels, may not be ready for the start of the season.

Hamels, slowed by a sore left shoulder in spring training, was unable to throw a scheduled side session last week because of triceps tendinitis.

Smith was one of four players to test positive for the coronavirus at the start of summer camp. The

ROOKIES TO WATCH If Ozuna is the designated hitter, the outfield could include Acuña, Ender Inciarte and Adam Duvall.

Rookies Cristian Pache and Drew Waters could be needed for depth.

Hamels’ arm issues and the decision by Hernández to opt out creates opportunities for such rookies as right-hander Kyle Wright, who could open the season in the rotation.

CORNER COMBO Austin Riley opened spring in a competition with Johan Camargo to replace Josh Donaldson at third base. Manager Brian Snitker said he’s confident Riley, who hit 18 homers as a rookie in 2019, could make a smooth transition if needed at first base while Freeman recovers.

Duvall also can play first base. Other options include Yonder Alonso and Peter O’Brien.

DUVALL’S DETERMINATION Duvall, who has Type 1 diabetes, is a high-risk

candidate for COVID-19.

He said he made the decision to play after doing research and talking with his doctors.

Duvall said he needs his teammates to take proper precautions.

“It’s a collective thing.

Everybody has got to buy in,” he said.

“It’s a pretty tight-knit group here. We’ve all got each other’s back and we’re all looking out for each other.”

WASHINGTON’S TOE-TAP Players can’t hug or give high-fives, so third-base coach Ron Washington devised a toetap with players as a new way to celebrate during the pandemic.

“I just stuck my foot out,” Washington said. “Next thing I know we started doing it.”

Washington, 68, is at high risk for the virus. He remained with the team even after first base coach Eric Young Sr opted out.

To help his health, Washington said he stopped smoking on March 13, when MLB cut off spring training due to the pandemic.

“I trust Major League Baseball and the protocols they have in and I also trust me,” he said.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 15, 2020, PAGE 15

FORMER AFGHAN SOCCER FEDERATION PRESIDENT’S LIFE BAN UPHELD

Chelsea seal 1-0 victory over Norwich City LONDON (AP) — Olivier Giroud put Chelsea closer to Champions League qualification by sealing a 1-0 victory over relegated Norwich yesterday.

Giroud headed in Christian Pulisic’s cross from the left wing in first-half stoppage time.

“I was delighted with Christian’s movement to run behind and the little angle because that’s not what we were doing in the early stages of the game,” Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said. “The linkup is good.”

It was the 33-year-old Giroud’s fourth goal in

seven games since the league resumed after a three-month coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

“I missed some things sometimes I didn’t miss usually, a lack of confidence maybe, but my desire to score was bigger so I just tried to stay focused,” the forward said.

“A great cross from Christian I anticipated well.”

Pulisic was Chelsea’s most threatening player, having had an effort tipped onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Tim Krul before the opener. The American was also denied by Krul from a volley in the second half at

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer PLAYERS in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Norwich City at Stamford Bridge in London, England, Tuesday, July 14, 2020.

(AP Photo/Richard Heathcote) a supporter-free Stamford Bridge.

But Giroud’s goal proved enough to ensure Chelsea made an instant recovery from a 3-0 loss at Sheffield United on Saturday in the pursuit of one of the four

Champions League qualification places. With two games remaining, thirdplace Chelsea moved four points ahead of Leicester and Manchester United, who both play on Thursday. “I want a bit more

quality,” Lampard said.

“We need to move the ball quicker, not take time, not take touches to allow a team to be compact. We have to move them more and be more mobile in our rotations.”

GUARDIOLA ATTACKS RIVALS FOR ‘WHISPERING’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST MANCHESTER CITY

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer PEP Guardiola attacked his rivals for what he claimed had been a “whispering” campaign against Manchester City after describing the decision to overturn its two-year ban from European competition as a “great day for football.”

The City manager gave a robust defence of the club following arguably its biggest win of the season on Monday, when sport’s highest court upheld the appeal against a UEFA ban for serious breaches of finance monitoring rules.

Guardiola said his club was owed an apology by those rivals — he didn’t specify which ones — who said City “cheated and were lying — many, many times.”

“The presumption of innocence was not there,” Guardiola said. “And after, when (the decision) happened and it was right, of course we are incredibly happy because we can defend what we have done on the pitch.”

Turning on City’s critics, Guardiola said: “When you are not

agreeing, just knock on the door — to our chairman, our CEO — and talk. Don’t go from behind, whispering ... seven, eight, nine clubs, doing this behind (our backs). Go and do it on the pitch. Go and try it. Not behind.

“I would say to this kind of people, ‘OK, look in our eyes and say something face to face.’”

In the space of an hour, Guardiola and the two other most high-profile managers in the Premier League — Tottenham’s Jose Mourinho and Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp — spoke openly and passionately in Zoom calls about an issue that has caused fierce debate throughout soccer.

In the stunning decision, three CAS judges said some UEFA allegations that City violated finance rules dating back several years were not proven and others were “time-barred” because they were beyond a five-year statute of limitations.

City wasn’t completely exonerated, as some potential UEFA evidence was ruled out of being considered. CAS also said the club failed to cooperate with UEFA

and therefore was issued a fine of 10 million euros ($11 million), albeit one reduced from the initial 30 million euros sanction imposed

by UEFA’s judicial branch.

Mourinho, who has had a long rivalry with Guardiola in both English and Spanish soccer, questioned why City received a fine if the club was proved not guilty of the financial breaches.

“It’s a disgraceful decision,” Mourinho said. “If Man City is not guilty of it, to be punished by some million is a disgrace.

“If you’re not guilty, you’re not punished.

“In the other way, if you’re guilty you should be banned. So it’s also a disgraceful decision. In any case, it’s a disaster. If you’re not guilty, you don’t pay.”

Klopp, meanwhile, spoke of his concern for the future of financial fair play rules, which he said was a “good idea” to protect teams and competitions, and said: “I don’t think it was a good day for football.”

“If nobody has to care anymore, at all,” he added, “then the richest people or countries can do

what they want in football and that would make the competition really difficult.”

In fact, the Liverpool manager was happy to see City — his team’s biggest rival in the Premier League — eligible for next season’s Champions League once again.

“From a personal point of view, I am happy that City can play Champion League next year,” Klopp said, smiling, “because if I think about the (English) league and if City has 10-12 games less for resting players, I don’t see any chance for any teams in the league.”

For Guardiola, the CAS ruling was proof that City has played by the same rules as its rivals in England and in Europe.

“I said many times, if we did something wrong, we accept our ban, from any departments — FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, the FA,” he said.

“We are here. But we can defend ourselves.”

In what was perhaps a veiled retort to Klopp, Guardiola added: “Yesterday was a great day for football, not a bad day for football.”

GENEVA (AP) — The former president of the Afghan soccer federation lost his appeal yesterday against a life ban for sexually abusing women’s national team players.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the ban imposed by FIFA and said Keramuddin Karim committed “appalling acts” against players who accused him of sexual and physical abuse over a five-year period from 2013.

Special security measures were taken to protect the players while they testified in support of the ban, “The players testified from a secured place, by telephone, using a voice scrambler to protect their identity,” the court said.

FIFA said in a statement it “commends the bravery of those victims who, under dreadful personal circumstances in their home country, have come forward and allowed for justice to be served.”

CAS dismissed Karim’s appeal against the ban and fine of 1 million Swiss francs ($1.06 million). That is the maximum fine allowed by FIFA rules.

“The offences committed by Keramuddin Karim violated basic human rights and damaged the mental and physical dignity and integrity of young female players,” CAS said in a statement. “With his appalling acts, he had destroyed not only their careers, but severely damaged their lives.”

PAGE 16, Wednesday, July 15, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

BARNES ISN’T AT NBA RESTART, SAYS HE HAS CORONAVIRUS

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has the coronavirus, making the announcement yesterday and saying he has hopes to join his team for the league’s restart later this summer.

Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings’ games this season. To extend that streak, he’ll need to be cleared and arrive at Walt Disney World before Sacramento’s season resumes with the first of its eight seeding games on July 31 against San Antonio.

“Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for COVID-19,” Barnes wrote on social media. “I’ve been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I’m quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so! Stay safe out there.”

Barnes is averaging 14.7 points this season for the Kings.

SACRAMENTO Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) looks to pass while defended by Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on February 28, 2020. Barnes became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has coronavirus, making the announcement yesterday, and saying he has hopes to join his team at the league’s restart later this summer.

(AP Photo/Nikki Boertman) The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those tests being done before teams began arriving at Disney on July 7. Based on the timetable Barnes used in his message, it’s likely that he was one of those 19 players in the NBA’s latest count.

The Kings have gotten Buddy Hield and Jabari Parker back after each had

positive tests. Alex Len, however, remains out after his positive test, and now Barnes is in that situation as well.

“We have to prepare as if we’re not going to have either one of those guys,” Sacramento coach Luke Walton said. “That’s just getting ready for whatever the worst-case scenario may be.”

Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who tested positive last

month, is now at Disney and the Nuggets are waiting to see when the All-Star is going to be cleared to get on the floor.

“I have seen Nikola. It’s been somewhat limited and his interaction with his teammates and other coaches has been very limited as well,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Tuesday night. “That’s kind of where we’re at with it right now.”

Houston’s Russell Westbrook said Monday that he has tested positive and has yet to join the Rockets at Disney.

Many players have chosen to not make their diagnosis public, including two players who tested positive after arriving at Disney last week — but never got out of quarantine and into the NBA’s socalled bubble.

“This is the reality of the world that we’re living in right now, with the virus,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re putting together something that we think really is safe and has everybody’s health as the No. 1 priority. But we know that nothing is 100 per cent guaranteed.

You have to adhere to the protocols. Everybody has to be mindful of it and respect what we’re trying to get done here.”

Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr, who tested positive for the virus last month and has since recovered to be part of Miami’s workouts at Disney, said he never exhibited any signs of illness.

“Physically, I felt great,” Jones said. “I never felt a symptom at all.”

AP SOURCE: CHIEFS, JONES AGREE TO 4-YEAR, $85M EXTENSION

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones agreed yesterday to a four-year contract that could be worth up to $85 million, the latest in a lavish spending spree by the Super Bowl champions as they continue to lock up their core pieces as training camp approaches.

The deal for Jones, which comes on the heels of a record-setting 10-year extension for quarterback

Patrick Mahomes, includes $60 million in guarantees, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Chiefs had not announced the extension.

The two sides had been working on an extension since last year. But they were never very close, even when Jones showed his displeasure by skipping the entirety of the offseason programme — including the mandatory summer minicamp.

Jones returned in time for training camp, though,

CHRIS JONES (AP) and his unique ability to rush the passer from the interior of the defensive line was instrumental in helping Kansas City beat

the San Francisco 49ers to win its first Super Bowl in 50 years.

Jones said afterward that he wanted to help the Chiefs establish a dynasty, but the euphoria of that victory in Miami soon wore off. Contract negotiations continued to stall and the Chiefs had to buy time by placing the franchise tag on Jones, and establishing a deadline of Wednesday for working out a deal.

And once the contract with Mahomes was done, the Chiefs had a better idea of their salary cap situation and that allowed

negotiations with Jones’ representatives to pick up.

“Listen, I think (general manager) Brett Veach has done a nice job of getting and retaining our players,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said recently, “and that’s not an easy thing to do with the way the salary cap is set up in today’s world.”

The length of Jones’ contract works out for the Chiefs in that it expires before the big-money years begin for Mahomes, whose baseball-like contract could surpass $500 million total over the 12 years that he is under contract.

EX-NBA SUPERSTAR SHAQ ASSISTS STRANDED FLORIDA DRIVER GAINESVILLE, Florida (AP) — A woman whose car was left stranded along a Florida interstate when her tire blew out got a little unexpected help from former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, sheriff’s officials say.

O’Neal, who lives in the Orlando area, was travelling on Interstate 75 near Gainesville on Monday when he saw the woman pull onto the side of the road, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said on a Facebook post.

He stayed with the woman until deputies arrived at the scene.

In the video posted to Facebook, deputies thanked O’Neal for his assistance. The driver is heard telling deputies that the tire blew out, forcing her to pull over and that O’Neal stopped to help.

“He fist-bumped Deputies Purington and Dillon before going on his way,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. “Hey Basketball Cop Foundation you’re not the only one that knows Shaq.”