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Delaying burial of loved ones in Independence Day plane crash
SOME grieving families of victims killed in the Independence Day plane crash have been told they may wait up to eight weeks for DNA results before they can identify and bury their loved ones, deepening their anguish and renewing calls for The Bahamas to establish its own national forensic laboratory.
Relatives submitted DNA samples last week
after several victims reportedly could not be identifed because their bodies were severely burned in the July 10 crash near San Andros Airport.
Police told some families the samples would be sent to a laboratory in the United States and that eforts would be made to expedite the process. Lavonia Burrows, whose brother Rashad Storr was among the 10 people killed,
A WEEK after losing one relative to gun violence, a family was struck by tragedy again on Saturday when a 50-year-old man was shot dead while sitting in his car outside his home.
Police said Omar Miller was sitting in his red Volkswagen outside his Cowpen Road home just before 1pm when a darkcoloured SUV pulled up. A gunman got out and opened fre, fatally wounding him. Responding ofcers found Miller unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His family was left devastated, with his killing coming just one week after the murder of his frst cousin, 33-year-old Delano Miller.
Delano was one of fve people shot in Bain Town on Independence Day. His relatives believe he was an innocent bystander caught in a barrage of gunfre.
A relative told The Tribune the back-toback killings have left the family shaken and struggling to cope with another
WITNESSES who fear they may be killed must report the threat to police before authorities can decide whether to protect them, Attorney General Wayne Munroe said as he defended the country’s witness protection system after the killing of businessman
James McPhee ahead of his testimony in a robbery trial.
McPhee, 59, was found with severe upper-body injuries last week after police believe he was deliberately struck by a vehicle near Spikenard and Carmichael Roads.
Two of-duty police ofcers reportedly witnessed the incident, pursued the vehicle and exchanged gunfre with its occupants. One suspect was wounded
A 70-year-old man says he was mauled by fve dogs as he walked home on Friday night, sufering wounds to his neck, arm and leg that required surgery, while his sister warned that someone could be killed unless authorities move decisively against dangerous animals roaming neighbourhoods.
and arrested, while others escaped. Relatives said the arrested suspect is the same man accused of robbing McPhee last year before being released on bail pending trial.
McPhee, who owned a heavy-equipment and environmental health business, was expected to testify in the robbery case later this year. His family believes his killing may have been linked to his upcoming
Jackie Livingston Thompson claims he was attacked by his neighbours’ dogs on Balls Alley at about 11pm after returning from a store. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, only hours after being discharged from hospital, Mr Thompson remained visibly injured.
testimony, although police have not confrmed a motive. His death prompted relatives to question whether greater protection should have been available before he was killed.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force base on Friday, Mr Munroe
Royal Bahamas Defence Force celebrates historic milestone with graduation of 104 recruits
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) has surpassed 2,000 ofcers and marines for the frst time in its history following the graduation of 104 recruits from New Entry 63 and Woman Entry 32 on Friday.
The graduating class consisted of 62 males and 42 females, with women accounting for 40 percent of the entry — a milestone Commodore Floyd Moxey said refects the force’s commitment to gender optimisation and international military standards.
The passing-out ceremony featured drill demonstrations by the newly trained marines, with family members cheering as the recruits showcased the discipline, teamwork and skills developed during their training.
RECRUITS • SEE PG14
Photos:
Nikia Charlton
Disabled dialysis patient accuses PMH of ‘victimising’ him
A DISABLED dialysis
patient says Princess Margaret Hospital is jeopardising his life by transferring him to a treatment centre he cannot aford to reach, but Public Hospitals Authority managing director Dr Aubynette Rolle said he requested placement outside the public system and was “quite happy” when she discussed the arrangements with him.
Marvin Johnson, 62, accused PMH of victimising him in retaliation for years of outspoken criticism, claiming the transfer to Renal House of West Bay Street could cause him to miss the treatment he needs three times a week.
Mr Johnson, who is partially blind and uses a wheelchair, said he lives within walking distance of PMH but has no reliable
way to travel to the new centre.
“My pension is only 600 something dollars a month, so it’s impossible for me to aford transportation,” he said outside PMH on Friday. “If I don’t go for treatment two or three times, I might as well pick out my casket.” Dr Rolle appeared surprised by his account, saying she had personally discussed the new arrangements with him.
“He himself told me to remove him out of the public sector and put him in the private sector,” she said. “But, he can’t go to the Doctor’s Hospital because that was only an interim.”
Dr Rolle acknowledged Mr Johnson’s transportation concerns but said the authority is responsible for medical care, not transporting patients to appointments.
She said patients who need transportation assistance are referred to social
services. “The hospital cannot be blamed for the transportation element,” she said.
Mr Johnson has received dialysis at PMH three times a week for the past seven years. Although he has repeatedly criticised what he considers substandard treatment at the hospital, he said its proximity to his home makes it the most practical place for him to receive care.
He said he was shocked earlier this month when he was told he would be moved to Renal House after initially being transferred temporarily to Doctors Hospital.
“Mrs Rolle and I never had a conversation about me going to Renal House, never,” he said. “Why would I agree to something where I know I can’t get there?”
Mr Johnson said he does not oppose receiving dialysis at another facility, but cannot manage the cost of
travelling there. He called on the authorities to provide full transportation assistance if they insist on transferring him.
“I am requesting that those who made the decisions against my constitutional rights, against the patient bill of rights of PHA that if you request that I go to Renal House, that you provide me 100 per cent transportation assistance in getting there,” he said.
“That is my plight today because it’s unfair to treat a legally blind, confned to a wheelchair, handicapped patient of the public hospital system in that manner.”
Mr Johnson said he sought help from several people without success. He also contacted a ride-sharing operator and claimed he was told a round trip would cost about $80 a day, an expense he said he cannot aford.
Coalition of Independents deputy leader Dr
Veronica McIver joined him outside PMH on Friday and condemned the decision.
Mr Johnson believes his transfer stems from a dispute dating to 2020, when he complained that the head of PMH’s nephrology department refused to treat him after ordering him to remove his shoes.
The Tribune reported on the dispute at the time. Mr Johnson said he was ultimately vindicated, but claimed the doctor had refused to put the matter behind him and may have infuenced the transfer.
Dr Rolle frmly rejected that allegation, saying an internal review found no wrongdoing by the doctor.
“He just alleges without
nothing concrete,” she said. “I’ve said it to him. If it is so, go through the courts as well as I laid over to my employee because of defamation etc.”
Dr Rolle said Mr Johnson was temporarily transferred to Doctors Hospital after recent power outages disrupted PMH’s dialysis unit. She said the decision to move him permanently to Renal House was intended to separate him from the doctor and prevent further allegations. “I removed the fear and the stigma because he said they were going to kill him,” she said. “That’s his words and so I got the doctors in charge of the kidney centre to accept him under the terms.”
70-year-old man says he was mauled by fve dogs on his walk home
MAULED - FROM PAGE ONE
The back of his neck, right arm and right leg were bandaged, and smaller cuts and bruises covered other parts of his body. Sitting in a yard chair, he recalled that some of the dogs attacked his right arm and leg while others lunged at his neck.
Mr Thompson said he feared for his life and could do little more than cover his face as the animals surrounded him.
He claimed he cried out for help as the dogs’ owners arrived home, but they walked away while he remained on the ground.
He said another neighbour eventually came outside and helped him.
He was later taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery on his neck and received treatment for his other wounds.
Mr Thompson described the dogs as pit bull-potcake mixes. He said one was named Trigger and that he had sometimes fed the animals.
Police took a statement from him, but Mr Thompson said he does not intend to press charges.
He also said the same dogs attacked him two or three years ago.
His sister, Margo Thompson, said her brother was too small to fght of fve dogs and praised the neighbour who came to his aid.
“Had it not been for her he might’ve been dead,” she said.
Ms Thompson said pet ownership carries a duty to prevent animals from endangering others.
“When I think about fve attacking him, that could’ve been someone’s child out there. That child would’ve been dead. You see how small he is?” she said.
“He can’t fght them of, all he could is cover his face. He’s all bit up. And the persons who own these animals it’s as if they don’t care.”
She urged the relevant government agencies to
confront the problem before another attack ends in death.
“I know about four animal attacks in the past year where people were really mauled and mauled badly. No one seems to be doing anything,” she said.
“The police come they took a report, what they do with the report? They fle it or they give it to the appropriate authorities to deal with. But until the authorities deal the situation it’s only going to get worse.”
Attorney General Wayne Munroe defends witness protection system after recent killing of businessman James McPhee
- FROM PAGE ONE
noted The Bahamas already has a witness protection system, but witnesses are not automatically placed under protection. Instead, he said, they must report threats or other circumstances that make them fear for their safety so police can assess the level of danger and determine what measures are needed.
Mr Munroe said it would be impractical to place every witness in every criminal case under protection because of the volume of matters before the courts.
Ms Thompson said residents must also speak out when neighbours allow dangerous animals to roam, even when they fear intimidation.
Tensions fared as reporters prepared to leave the family’s yard.
A female relative of Mr Thompson and a female neighbour began arguing after the neighbour claimed the Thompsons’ dog had attacked people previously.
The family strongly denied the allegation as their dog walked unchained
through the yard. The attack came about a month after 66-year-old Kemp Road resident Don Smith was hospitalised after being mauled by a pack of dogs. Mr Smith required stitches for his wounds after that attack.
He said a report could lead to the revocation of an accused person’s bail, depending on the circumstances, while witnesses in extreme cases could be placed under protection by prosecuting authorities.
“Sometimes it will lead to a revocation of bail, depending on why you feel threatened. In some extreme cases, people have been taken into witness action by the prosecuting authorities. So, the important thing to notice, if you’re a witness and something happens that causes you to feel threatened, contact
“If you feel threatened, you can go to the police,” he said. “Let’s assume, for instance, that you have 400 outstanding cases in which each one has a witness, you are not really suggesting that you have witness protection with 400 people. So the distinction is, if you feel threatened, you report it to the police.”
the police immediately,” he said.
Mr Munroe said the protection ofered depends on the circumstances and can range from additional police patrols to moving a witness from his or her home and placing the person in secure accommodation. “As far as I’m aware, there have been a number of cases where people have been asked for it, and witness protection has ranged from just providing additional patrols to taking people from where they live and housing them separately,” he said.
He said participation in witness protection is requested by the witness and recalled one case in which a person later decided to leave the programme.
WITNESS
Police: Omar Miller reportedly shot dead while sitting in his car outside his home
devastating loss. When asked whether the recent shootings could be connected, Chief
Superintendent Sheria King said it’s too early to tell. She also could not say whether the vicim was known to police.
Miller’s death has pushed the country’s murder count to 42 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.
ACCORDING to police reports, Omar Miller was sitting in his red Volkswagen
pen Road home when a dark-coloured SUV
wounding him.
Man’s medical condition not enough to keep him out of prison for possessing unlicensed firearm
imprisoning him in light of his medical conditions would be tantamount to a possible death sentence.
sufered multiple pulmonary emboli and remained on lifelong anticoagulant medication.
A MAN’S diabetes, morbid obesity, history of pulmonary emboli and warning that prison could expose him to life-threatening complications were not enough to spare him from returning behind bars for possessing an unlicensed frearm and ammunition.
The Court of Appeal dismissed Thomas Jean-Baptiste’s challenge to his prison terms, revoked the bail he had been granted on medical grounds and ordered him back to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services to complete his sentence.
Jean-Baptiste was sentenced to three years for possession of an unlicensed frearm and two years for possession of ammunition, with the sentences to run concurrently.
He had already served one month and 14 days before receiving bail pending appeal. The appellate court ordered him to serve the remaining two years, ten months and 16 days on the frearm charge and one year, ten months and 16 days on the ammunition charge concurrently.
Jean-Baptiste did not challenge his convictions. He argued only that the sentences were unduly severe and that the magistrate failed to give sufcient weight to medical evidence supporting a non-custodial or reduced sentence. His attorney contended that
However, the three-member appellate panel ruled that his illnesses did not amount to exceptional circumstances requiring the court to overturn or reduce the sentences, particularly after a prison physician said the correctional institution could manage his conditions.
The court said a convict’s medical condition is a relevant mitigating factor and may justify a shorter or non-custodial sentence in an appropriate case. However, it must be weighed against the seriousness of the crime and the public interest in punishment and deterrence.
Jean-Baptiste was convicted on November 10, 2025, over an incident dating to April 11, 2023.
Police stopped him while he was driving a heavily tinted vehicle and searched the car on suspicion. Ofcers found a gun containing fve rounds of ammunition between the visor and sunroof.
He was arrested, cautioned and later tried in the Magistrate’s Court.
Jean-Baptiste relied heavily on a report from consultant urologist Dr Robin Roberts, who warned that his combination of medical problems placed him at high risk of serious complications.
Dr Roberts said Jean-Baptiste was diabetic, morbidly obese, had
He said those conditions placed Jean-Baptiste at very high risk of a severe urinary tract infection originating in the perineum and increased the danger of Fournier’s gangrene.
Dr Roberts said Jean-Baptiste had been referred to the University of Miami Medical Centre for a second opinion and that doctors there agreed with the recommended treatment.
However, Jean-Baptiste had no health insurance and lacked the fnances to obtain the surgery promptly.
Dr Roberts asked that Jean-Baptiste not be sent to prison, saying he feared the inmate would be unable to maintain the personal hygiene needed to reduce the risk of a urinary infection or avoid another pulmonary embolism.
He also said imprisonment would leave Jean-Baptiste unemployed and unable to raise the money needed for surgery.
Jean-Baptiste’s attorney argued that the magistrate should have concluded from the report that imprisonment was inappropriate.
The Court of Appeal accepted that serious medical conditions must be carefully considered at sentencing and that a court may impose a reduced or non-custodial sentence where the circumstances justify it. However, it said
medical hardship must be balanced against the gravity of the ofence, the need for public protection and the wider goals of punishment and deterrence.
The court placed greater weight on the assessment of Dr Scavella, a physician assigned to the correctional institution, who said the prison commonly treated the diseases afecting Jean-Baptiste.
Dr Scavella said Jean-Baptiste could be transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital for specialised treatment if an emergency arose.
He recommended that Jean-Baptiste be provided with a bed, placed on a daily exercise programme to maintain proper circulation and given access to bath and toilet facilities.
The court said Dr Scavella’s opinion carried greater weight because he was familiar with the prison’s medical capabilities.
It also said there was no evidence that Dr Roberts had inspected or assessed the correctional institution’s facilities before warning against imprisonment.
Dr Roberts’ report was dated September 8, 2025, and the court said it had received no evidence that he examined Jean-Baptiste after that date or that Jean-Baptiste obtained an updated report from another doctor.
Jean-Baptiste was granted bail on December 18, 2025, based on his medical conditions and satisfed the conditions six days later.
However, the court stressed that the test for bail pending appeal difers from the test used when deciding whether to disturb a lawful sentence.
It said the grant of bail on medical grounds did not determine whether his prison terms were excessive.
The court distinguished Jean-Baptiste’s case from an earlier frearm appeal involving Ronald Ralph Moorhead Jr, whose prison terms were reduced to the three days he had already served.
In that case, prison authorities themselves confrmed they could not manage Moorhead’s medical condition.
By contrast, the prison doctor in Jean-Baptiste’s case said the correctional institution was equipped to treat his illnesses and could send him to hospital if specialised care became necessary.
The court found that the magistrate had considered reports from both Dr Roberts and Dr Scavella before imposing sentence.
It said there was no basis to conclude that the magistrate overlooked the medical evidence or that Jean-Baptiste’s conditions justifed replacing his prison terms with shorter or non-custodial sentences.
The panel also ruled that the terms imposed fell well within the lawful and commonly used sentencing range for illegal frearm and ammunition ofences.
The court referred to previous rulings stressing
the seriousness with which Bahamian courts must treat illegal frearms.
“The gravity of gun crime cannot be exaggerated. Guns kill and maim, terrorise and intimidate,” one passage cited in the judgment said.
The court said Parliament intended frearm ofences to attract custodial sentences, with magistrates empowered to impose terms ranging from 12 months to ten years for unlawful possession. It said sentencing courts must consider the type and quantity of frearm or ammunition involved, how the weapon was used, the ofender’s apparent intention, criminal record and other aggravating and mitigating factors.
The court found Jean-Baptiste’s three-year and two-year concurrent terms were within the range regularly imposed in similar cases and disclosed no legal error requiring appellate intervention.
It said that should Jean-Baptiste’s condition deteriorate during imprisonment to the point where the prison could no longer provide adequate care, he could seek relief through the Prerogative of Mercy.
The court therefore dismissed the appeal, afrmed the convictions and sentences and revoked his bail.
Sheanda Cooper-Rolle represented Jean-Baptiste, while Janet Munnings appeared for the Commissioner of Police.
outside his Cow-
pulled up. A gunman got out and opened fire, fatally
A MACK truck with failed brakes barrelled through trafc on the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge on Friday morning, shoving one vehicle towards the toll booths and smashing into several others in a chaotic pile-up that stunned motorists but caused no serious injuries.
The truck was travelling north towards Paradise Island when its brakes failed near the crest of the bridge, according to Chief Superintendent Sybrina Porter, ofcer-in-charge of the Trafc Division.
“When he got to the top, the brakes on the vehicle failed, and he went, he went forward and causing damage to multiple vehicles,” she said.
“He stopped right at the toll booth. The vehicle came to stop there, but prior to that, he caused damage to quite a number of vehicles.”
Chief Supt Porter could not immediately provide an exact count of the damaged vehicles, although videos from the scene appeared to show at least fve caught in the collision.
Footage showed motorists confronting an extraordinary scene as the heavy truck advanced towards the toll plaza, horns blared and drivers desperately tried to move out of its path.
A white vehicle trapped ahead of the truck was pushed forward as the truck continued towards the booths. Later footage showed the vehicle crushed near the toll plaza, wedged against another booth with extensive damage to its front end.
Other vehicles appeared scattered near the toll
Mack truck with failed brakes ploughs through tra c on Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge
“When he got to the top, the brakes on the vehicle failed, and he went, he went forward and causing damage to multiple vehicles.”
booths and against the bridge’s side walls. Despite the scale of the wreckage, police reported no serious injuries.
One woman was seen sitting on the ground beneath an umbrella as several people gathered around her. Other motorists and bystanders stood along the pavement, appearing stunned and confused as they surveyed the damaged vehicles.
“Oh my God,” one person could be heard saying.
The crash brought trafc across the bridge to a crawl, leaving motorists trapped in lengthy delays while police investigated and the damaged vehicles obstructed the approach to the toll booths.
Images and videos of the collision quickly spread across social media, with news outlets posting footage of the wreckage and trafc at a standstill. The publicly visible reaction was marked largely by bewilderment over how the truck had ploughed through so many vehicles before stopping at the toll plaza, along with immediate speculation about its speed and failed brakes.
The videos appeared to capture the collision from diferent stages.
In one, trafc was still moving towards the toll booths when horns began sounding and vehicles attempted to clear the truck’s path. The white vehicle directly ahead could not escape and was forced forward.
Another recording showed the aftermath at the toll plaza, where the Mack truck had fnally stopped and damaged vehicles were clustered within feet of the booths.
A leading accounting frm is seeking suitably qualifed professionals to join its Audit and Assurance team as Audit Juniors.
The successful Audit Junior candidate must be a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from a recognized university.
The qualifed candidate must possess the ability to meet tight deadlines, perform engagements with minimal supervision and have excellent communication skills.
The applicants must also have the ability to work in a team-based environment and possess analytical and organizational skills.
All candidates that demonstrate the ability to work under pressure, meet reporting deadlines, and work in a challenging environment will be favorably considered.
Suitably qualifed professionals should email their resumes (please place Audit Junior in the subject line) to the following address: hr@bakertilly.bs by Friday, July 24, 2026.
Photos by Kevin Salabie, Tribune First Alert Weather
A MACK truck with failed brakes barrelled through trafc on the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge on Friday morning, shoving one vehicle towards the toll booths and smashing into several others in a chaotic pile-up that stunned motorists but caused no serious injuries.
The truck was travelling north towards Paradise Island when its brakes failed near the crest of the bridge, according to Chief Superintendent Sybrina Porter, ofcer-in-charge of the Trafc Division.
“When he got to the top, the brakes on the vehicle failed, and he went, he went forward and causing damage to multiple vehicles,” she said.
“He stopped right at the toll booth. The vehicle came to stop there, but prior to that, he caused damage to quite a number of vehicles.”
Chief Supt Porter could not immediately provide an exact count of the damaged vehicles, although videos from the scene appeared to show at least fve caught in the collision.
Footage showed motorists confronting an extraordinary scene as the heavy truck advanced towards the toll plaza, horns blared and drivers desperately tried to move out of its path.
A white vehicle trapped ahead of the truck was pushed forward as the truck continued towards the booths. Later footage showed the vehicle crushed near the toll plaza, wedged against another booth with extensive damage to its front end.
Other vehicles appeared scattered near the toll
Mack truck with failed brakes ploughs through tra c on Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge
“When he got to the top, the brakes on the vehicle failed, and he went, he went forward and causing damage to multiple vehicles.”
booths and against the bridge’s side walls. Despite the scale of the wreckage, police reported no serious injuries.
One woman was seen sitting on the ground beneath an umbrella as several people gathered around her. Other motorists and bystanders stood along the pavement, appearing stunned and confused as they surveyed the damaged vehicles.
“Oh my God,” one person could be heard saying.
The crash brought trafc across the bridge to a crawl, leaving motorists trapped in lengthy delays while police investigated and the damaged vehicles obstructed the approach to the toll booths.
Images and videos of the collision quickly spread across social media, with news outlets posting footage of the wreckage and trafc at a standstill. The publicly visible reaction was marked largely by bewilderment over how the truck had ploughed through so many vehicles before stopping at the toll plaza, along with immediate speculation about its speed and failed brakes.
The videos appeared to capture the collision from diferent stages.
In one, trafc was still moving towards the toll booths when horns began sounding and vehicles attempted to clear the truck’s path. The white vehicle directly ahead could not escape and was forced forward.
Another recording showed the aftermath at the toll plaza, where the Mack truck had fnally stopped and damaged vehicles were clustered within feet of the booths.
A leading accounting frm is seeking suitably qualifed professionals to join its Audit and Assurance team as Audit Juniors.
The successful Audit Junior candidate must be a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from a recognized university.
The qualifed candidate must possess the ability to meet tight deadlines, perform engagements with minimal supervision and have excellent communication skills.
The applicants must also have the ability to work in a team-based environment and possess analytical and organizational skills.
All candidates that demonstrate the ability to work under pressure, meet reporting deadlines, and work in a challenging environment will be favorably considered.
Suitably qualifed professionals should email their resumes (please place Audit Junior in the subject line) to the following address: hr@bakertilly.bs by Friday, July 24, 2026.
Photos by Kevin Salabie, Tribune First Alert Weather
The Tribune Limited
NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI
“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972
Contributing Editor 1972-1991
RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.
Publisher/Editor 1972-
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Addressing delays in justice and closure
The news that family members of those who died in the Independence Day plane crash have to wait eight weeks to bury their loved ones is a heartbreaking reminder of the very real pain caused by the lack of DNA testing facilities in our Bahamaland.
Sadly, the reason for such testing is that some of the victims were so badly burned they could not be identifed. Testing is being done to ensure no mistakes are made in identifcation prior to the remains of loved ones being returned to families for burial.
The problem is not with that process; but, where we stand in securing said equipment and developing the vital expertise necessary to conduct such analysis in The Bahamas.
Last year, Bahamas Crisis Centre director, Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, said the lack of a national forensic lab was also a factor in the delays being experienced by rape victims.
Speaking at a forum in September, Dr. Dean-Patterson commented: “we need to do all that we can to ensure that victims can feel supported and feel that they can get justice”.
“We have to prioritise it”, she exclaimed. Further recognising the Government has “many, many needs and very many demands,” Dr Patterson added one thing that is not changing is the incident of sexual violence.
Whether it is the families of crash victims or the survivors of rapeboth are instances of our citizens being left to wait – even when they have to cope with efects of trauma.
The only area where Dr DeanPatterson is mistaken is in the demand for such testing.
After the Privy Council ruled that people born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are Bahamians at birth, regardless of their mother’s nationality, the government announced that their solution to verifying such claims would be genetic testing. Thus the need for a forensic lab has grown exponentially.
Responding to such concerns,
Minister of Health Dr Michael Darville announced in 2024 that sending samples to a lab in the United States would be an interim solution.
He said samples would go “to one of the reputable labs in the United States, and the results would come back which will confrm within 99.5
percent the paternity testing for that particular case”.
Although that would by its nature rely on however quickly such testing could be done by another country’s facilities, it’s a start.
Having such facilities in our own country are not a new idea. Back in 2018, then National Security Minister, Marvin Dames, talked about creating a state of the art forensic lab within the next four years. One of the keys, he claimed, was that it would allow the money being pumped into sending samples abroad to be directed toward other crime-fghting initiatives in our country. While we disagree with such a simple assessment of the situation, there can be little doubt the absence of such facilities means the wheels of justice turn slower. Investigations take longer. Being able to resolve grief takes longer. Not to mention a victim availing themselves of their rights as a citizen.
For families dealing with the aftermath of this crash, it is prolonging their agony. They need and must have the right to say farewell to their loved ones in a dignifed manner. Surely, this is the very least we should be able to do for our fellow brothers and sisters
After-all, any one of us could be the same exact situation. However the investigation plays out in terms of determining any blame or responsibility, the innocent people on board will have no say.
But, as Dr Dean-Patterson notes, there are many ways in which the Government can spend its money. This is one use that would make a fundamental diference to Bahamians going through the worst times in their lives. Perhaps it is a choice we should prioritise?
Whether ( or not) Mr Dames was correct in that it would save some of the money we are spending at the moment, we could ofer such a services to other nations in our current predicament; helping to subsidise its cost.
While we are aware of the realities of government and the need for spending in just about every area, would it not be valuable to further the conversation about what it would take to set up a state-of- the art forensic labs. At the very least, we may be able to mitigate these delays and the harm that they bring.
If Pia Glover-Rolle becomes persona non
grata, the FNM should court her
EDITOR, The Tribune.
Pia Glover-Rolle surprised non-Progressive Liberal Party supporters when she publicly called out Bahamas Power and Light for the chronic blackouts plaguing New Providence over the past several weeks. With a sweltering heatwave that has settled over the northwestern and central Bahamas, the disruptions to the electricity grid have compounded the sheer misery of thousands who cannot aford the luxury of purchasing a standby generator like wealthy and well-to-do Bahamians and expatriate citizens. What stood out in the Golden Gates MP's Facebook communication is that Glover-Rolle is Minister of Labour and Public Service. BPL does not come under her portfolio. Her calls for accountability and a permanent solution to the problems at BPL on behalf of her Golden Gates constituents break Cabinet protocol, which could quite possibly lead to her becoming persona non grata within the PLP. This all depends on how Prime Minister Philip Davis reacts to Glover-Rolle's direct constructive criticism of BPL. Her comments can also legitimately be interpreted as a halfhearted rebuke of her own administration, leading certain PLP hardliners to accuse her of going against the Westminster convention for Cabinet ministers.
If this possible scenario materialises, these PLP critics will call on her to do the honourable thing and resign as Labour Minister. Glover-Rolle would then be following in the footsteps of the late Vaughn Miller (Golden Isles) and Travis Robinson (Bain and Grants Town) – two former Free National Movement MPs who were sacked from their respective positions within the Dr Hubert Minnis administration after both stood up in the House of Assembly and criticised the legislation to increase the value added tax rate from 7.5 percent to 12 percent. This was in 2018. That rebellion would then snowball into greater internal issues for the FNM administration, which has yet to recover some eight years later. As for GloverRolle, she's one of the best ministers in the Davis Cabinet. Her willingness to break tradition by indirectly criticising her government on behalf of her Golden Gates constituents is commendable. It shows that Glover-Rolle understands that her true bosses are her constituents. Without their support, she wouldn't be in the House of Assembly. And it wouldn't be too far-fetched to suggest that she wouldn't be sitting in
the Davis Cabinet had she failed to win Golden Gates.
In the event her relationship with the PLP top brass goes south and she is isolated and victimised, this unfortunate series of events should then lead the FNM to give serious consideration to courting Glover-Rolle over to its side, which would increase its parliamentary caucus of eight seats to nine. GloverRolle could ofer the FNM a much-needed shot in the political arm as it continues to fnd its way. She has Cabinet experience; she's a hard worker and she places the interests of her constituents above that of her own party. She has demonstrated the will to stand up for her people, risking the ire of her bosses in the process. Glover-Rolle reminds me of a group of PLP MPs who stood up to their political boss in 1970, leading to the formation of the Free PLP and subsequently the FNM. I believe she would be a perfect ft for the FNM. True, all of the foregoing is hypothetical. But I have seen stranger things happen in politics. And besides, the PLP has 33 of the 41 seats in the House of Assembly. To the PLP hierarchy, losing one MP won't cause its members to lose sleep.
KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama July 16, 2026.
BPL downtime: an invisible and unrecoverable tax
EDITOR, The Tribune. ELECTRICITY doesn't need to be of for long before an economy starts to feel the strain. Every interruption carries a hidden cost.
Production halts, employees remain on the clock but cannot work, and refrigerated goods begin to spoil. Clinics and hospitals postpone treatments, digital systems disconnect, and trafc becomes chaotic.
Backup generators use fuel that was never accounted for in the operating budget, while machinery, appliances and sensitive equipment can sufer damage from abrupt outages, brownouts and voltage fuctuations.
None of these costs show up on a BPL electricity bill.
Yet Bahamian households, businesses and public institutions incur these costs every day in the form of lost productivity, damaged equipment, wasted inventory, generator expenses, missed transactions, delayed services, reduced
investment and time that can never be regained.
This makes unreliable electricity more than just an inconvenience; it is an invisible tax.
This tax is imposed without legislation, collected without accountability and paid without compensation.
Unlike ordinary taxes, it does not fund public services or create national assets. Instead, it destroys economic value.
Reliable electricity provides more than just continuity; it protects productivity, conserves time, reduces operating costs, strengthens public services and allows businesses and communities to function smoothly without unnecessary friction.
The true cost of downtime is not only the moment the lights go out. It includes the investment that was deterred, the customer who didn't receive service, the product that could not be completed, the income that was lost and the economic value that
was never created because everything else had to stop.
Therefore, BPL downtime is not just a failure in the energy sector; it is a national productivity crisis, a competitive disadvantage and an invisible and unrecoverable tax on the Bahamian economy.
BPL downtime acts as a non-legislated, of-bill tax on every household, business and public service.
BPL reliability should not only be measured by outage hours but also by the estimated economic value lost due to those outages.
After decades of the same routine each year, BPL can undoubtedly state: "We do not know enough to recognise what we do not know, and we have surrounded ourselves with people who are equally unable to correct us."
Shockingly Unsurprised.
AMUN DUNAMIS Freeport, Grand Bahama July 15, 2026.
EDITOR, The Tribune.
THERE'S always two sides to a coin. Here we have the Government of The Bahamas and the US Ambassador. The matter at hand being the plight of the local water sports/jet ski industry. Having been so very vocal regarding...Let's begin with the "hall of famer". At best, the ambassador's approach has been direct and engaging. However, it is also coupled with hypocrisy and bias. He leads with his commitment to assist, only to conclude by "advising" American citizens to not
engage in such activities (whilst here). Is this his idea of working together?
Question(s), if I may. Are they, in turn, advised to not solicit illicit drugs and controlled substances? Does he discourage those who are here on private vessels to not engage in activities in which they are not licensed or entitled to? And, most importantly, in all matters to conduct themselves according to ethics and civility? And now for our Government. Thus, the Government's response has been to implement laws that have adversely afected
the industry. That is both unreasonable and discriminatory. Diametrically opposed to our civil liberties and the very nature and culture of the (water sports) industry. And therefore, can and should be questioned or challenged on the basis of constitutionality. Apparently, and most unfortunately, this is where we are at. From a very confused and concerned Bahamian citizen and businessman.
CONFUSED BAHAMIAN Nassau, July 15, 2026.
American tourist
ned for resort ght that injured another guest
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
AN American tourist was fned on Friday for injuring another guest during a fght at Baha Mar last week.
Amir Babaaeian, 24, of California, injured
Collin Krickl after the two became involved in a physical altercation at the resort on July 15.
The defendant pleaded guilty to causing harm before Deputy Chief Magistrate Shaka Serville.
After Babaaeian expressed remorse,
Suspect charged with rearm assault granted bail
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
Magistrate Serville fned him $750 or ordered him to serve one month in prison.
Magistrate Serville told the defendant to exercise better restraint in the future.
Inspector Cordero Farrington prosecuted the case.
A MAN accused of assaulting another man with a frearm last week was granted bail. Prosecutors allege that Kelly Williams, 59, assaulted Jamarl Anderson with a handgun during an altercation in New Providence on July 14. Williams pleaded not guilty to assault with a deadly weapon before Magistrate Abigail Farrington. His bail was set at $6,500 with one or two sureties. Under the terms of his bail, Williams must sign in at the Elizabeth Estates Police Station every Friday by 7pm. His trial is scheduled to begin on October 9. Bjorn Ferguson represented the accused, while Assistant Superintendent of Police Kendrick Bauld prosecuted the case.
Jamaican woman ned for hammer attack on exboyfriend amid claims of self-defence
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A JAMAICAN woman was fned on Friday for injuring her ex-boyfriend by hitting him in the head with a hammer during a fght in which she claimed he stabbed her.
Melissa Coke, 18, reportedly injured Keano Rolle during a fght at their residence on Quintine Alley on July 8. Rolle claimed Coke took his phone during an argument before the dispute escalated.
Although Coke pleaded guilty to causing harm before Deputy Chief Magistrate Shaka Serville, she claimed she acted in self-defence.
Coke alleged that Rolle stabbed and struck her during the same altercation.
Magistrate Serville acknowledged that Rolle is also before the court in connection with the incident and referred to the extreme provocation Coke endured. However, he said he wanted the sentence to deter similar incidents.
Magistrate Serville called the situation described by the complainant abhorrent.
Although Coke was told the ofence carried a maximum sentence of one year in prison, she was fned $500 or faced three months’ imprisonment.
After paying the fne or completing the prison term, Coke will be handed over to the Department of Immigration.
Inspector Cordero Farrington prosecuted the case.
62-year-old sentenced to 15 years for attempted sexual assault of niece
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 61-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week for attempting to sexually assault his 13-year-old niece in 2024. The defendant was sentenced before Justice Dale Fitzpatrick after being convicted of attempted incest. His 15-year sentence will refect time already spent on remand at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.
He was also sentenced to three years for indecent assault, to be served concurrently.
The convict reportedly grabbed his niece while she
Man dies in suspected electrocution in Bimini
A 68-year-old man died after reportedly coming into contact with a high-voltage electrical transformer while painting in Bimini on Saturday.
According to preliminary reports, ofcers were alerted shortly before 2.35pm that a man had come into contact with a high-voltage electrical wire
was cleaning a family home in the Family Islands on June 25, 2024. He removed her clothes and sucked her breast before attempting to rape her. The girl resisted, and he stopped after she began to cry.
The man then tried to bribe the girl into silence by giving her $10. The girl immediately told her grandmother about the assault, and she notifed the authorities. Justice Fitzpatrick admonished the convict for violating the girl’s trust and body.
Vincent WallaceWhitfeld represented the accused, while Janessa Murray and Akire Nichols prosecuted.
and was unresponsive at a business establishment along Kings Highway.
Police and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene, where a local physician examined the victim, found no signs of life and pronounced him dead.
Initial investigations indicate the man was painting alongside another worker when he reportedly came into contact with a high-voltage transformer located between a building and the ground.
Police said the contact allegedly caused the victim to become engulfed in fames. His co-worker reportedly ran to retrieve a fre extinguisher and seek assistance, but found the man unresponsive when he returned.
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
Myles Munroe’s son remembers his own family tragedy after plane crash in North Andros
WHEN Myles Chairo Munroe Jr frst heard about the fatal Independence plane crash, he was instantly reminded of the overwhelming grief and heartbreak he felt after losing his parents in a similar tragedy more than a decade ago -a loss he says “you never really get over” but just learn to live with.
The 42-year-old, who is expecting his second child with his wife, told The Tribune yesterday that news of plane crashes is never easy to hear, but said this tragedy struck especially hard because of the number of lives lost.
Ten people died when a Flamingo aircraft crashed near San Andros airport on Independence Day — one more than the nine people
killed in the 2014 Grand Bahama crash that claimed the lives of his parents, Dr Myles Munroe and his wife, Ruth.
Munroe and his party were heading to Freeport to attend the Global Leadership Forum before the tragedy struck.
“Man, it it really really took me back,” his son, Mr Munroe Jr said yesterday.
"And I think one of the things that stands out the most is a lot of the misinformation that that circles during like the early stages of the reporting and you know I could remember the many things that I was hearing at the time.”
Mr Munroe Jr said he hopes people will be more sensitive to "the realities" families face in the aftermath of devastating tragedies.
He described hearing the stories that emerged after
this month's plane crash as "surreal," saying he was especially moved by the residents who rushed to comfort the lone survivor in the fnal moments.
At the same time, he said his heart ached for the victims' families, who now have to live with those images.
“That had to be a really difcult situation so I really feel for the families," he said. "I tell people all the time like even though I personally may have like gone through a similar experience, like it's not the same so every every situation, every incident like related to a plane crash is diferent.”
He said while they share the experience of losing a loved one, every tragedy is diferent and each person copes with grief in their own way.
He said moving forward means living each day with
purpose while carrying on his family's legacy.
That mission now centres on building the Munroe Institute of Leadership, a vision he said his father had big dreams for.
Today, Mr Munroe Jr and his team are working to achieve those goals step by step, developing leadership and personal development programmes that continue the work his father started.
He said other initiatives are in the pipeline to honour his parent’s legacy - with more announcements expected soon.
As for his advice to the afected families, he said:
“Don’t rush your grieving process.”
He stressed there is no set timeline for healing and encouraged those hurting to remember the good memories of their loved ones, saying that is what has helped him cope.
He said: “It's not gonna feel diferent, you know two days from now, two weeks from now, two months from now, two years from now, right? There's no telling how long it'll take for you to feel maybe not over it,
Families
but a little more at peace because you really never get over it, right? You just learn how to live with this new reality.”
“This November will make 12 years, but it doesn't feel like 12 years,” said Munroe Jr. Mr Munroe Jr said accepting that some things in life are beyond our control has also helped him heal. He said his father often reminded the family that life is unpredictable and encouraged them to live each day with purpose.
of North
Andros plane crash
victims must wait six to eight weeks for DNA results
DNA - FROM PAGE ONE
said her family was told results could take six to eight weeks. The family of 16-year-old Nicholas Oliver Jr said they were told to expect a wait of four to six weeks after spending hours at the morgue to submit DNA samples. Police could not confrm yesterday how many bodies remained unidentifed.
Ms Burrows said her family cannot begin to heal or make fnal burial arrangements until her brother’s remains are identifed and released. She said the prolonged uncertainty repeatedly reopens the emotional wounds of the crash.
“After a while,” she said, “you start to level of, and then here comes a call that says, ‘We just wanted to let you know that so and so is released, or blah blah blah.’ but then that’s when that wound opens up again, and you’re like, “Oh my God! It’s almost like you’re going through the same process over again, it hurts.”
The family plans to hold a memorial service to accommodate relatives travelling from abroad, but cannot proceed with Storr’s burial until his body is formally identifed.
Ms Burrows said the tragedy has exposed the urgent need for a national forensic laboratory capable of conducting DNA testing in The Bahamas rather than forcing authorities and families to depend on overseas facilities.
Advocates have long called for such a laboratory, which could provide DNA testing, pathology, drug analysis, frearms examinations and other forensic services.
Government ofcials have previously acknowledged that establishing the facility would be costly, but have maintained that the delays involved are linked to technical requirements rather than money alone.
“In the times that we are living in, it is so important that we have these things in place,” Ms Burrows said. “It will defnitely help the nation, because we all are gonna go through
this someday, one day and so having a lab here is so important, and so I am praying for the day that you know we will get our priorities together so that we can make sure that we help families.”
Storr, 35, was a member of the well-known Da Pond Band and worked as a mechanic at Western Air.
He and bandmates Giovanni McKenzie, Mateo Winder, Toniquea Gilot and Tra’vis Johnson boarded the Flamingo Air fight to North Andros to perform at a regatta.
The trip was expected to last less than 20 minutes, but the aircraft crashed near San Andros Airport, killing everyone on board.
Melvin Henfeld, known as DJ Fresh International; Andros natives Quintin Myers and Macaro Rolle; pilot Franklyn Cambridge; and Oliver Jr also died.
Ms Burrows said her brother was far more than a guitarist and mechanic. She described him as a devoted family man and a source of strength for her and their mother.
She said Storr treated his nieces and nephews as his own children and spent the day before the crash with them.
“I was so shocked,” she said, “because he spent that whole day with them and I shouted out and I said,
“Boy, you is the uncle of the year. He even taught my son Ledre. He taught him how to go in the car, how to change the tyre, how to change the brakes, how to start beating the drum. He was a family man.” For the families still waiting, the absence of identifed remains has prevented the fnal rituals that normally follow a death and left them suspended between memorial and burial.
“There is still no closure until we make sure that we have his remains, and then you know after even after we do the memorial, and once we get his remains, we will come together as a family, you know, pray and and bless the body and do what needs to be done at the end,” Ms Burrows said.
Proverbs 29
1
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.
4 The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
5 A man that fattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.
8
Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.
9 If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.
10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
12 If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.
13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the Lord lighteneth both their eyes.
14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.
17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
19 A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer.
20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
21 He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.
22 An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.
25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
26 Many seek the ruler’s favour; but every man’s judgment cometh from the Lord.
27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
The KDK Report
Monday, July 20, 2026
Questions we leave behind Best time to answer them? Today!
BY DR KENNETH D KEMP
TOGETHER over the past few weeks, our nation has grieved. First came the devastating motor vehicle accident that claimed the lives of fve young Bahamians. Days later, a plane crash took 10 more. Fifteen families forever changed on days that began with promise. For one, a graduation ceremony. And for the other, a concert planned on a Family Island to mark our nation's 53rd year of independence. Both promises of celebration that ended with families broken and a nation in mourning, asking why, but unable to change the outcome. Like so many Bahamians, I watched these tragedies unfold with a heavy heart. As a physician, however, I found myself thinking not only about the lives that were lost, but about what happens next. Medicine teaches us how to fght for life. It also gives us a front-row seat to what happens when life changes in an instant.
After the ambulances leave, the funeral ends and the fowers begin to wilt, another journey quietly begins. One of the greatest misconceptions about tragedy is that it’s over after the burial. Trauma splits your life into before and after and the grieving period that follows is compounded by questions. What would they have wanted us to do?’
I've watched close, caring families struggle, not because they lacked love, but because they were left trying to interpret the wishes of someone who was no longer here to explain them. Grief has a way of making even the simplest decisions feel insurmountable. I've seen intelligent, capable people forget conversations they had only hours before. I've watched husbands and wives stare silently at forms they would normally complete in minutes. I've watched adult children agonize over whether they were honoring their parent’s true wishes or only their own. We spend months planning weddings. We save for retirement years before we need it. We carefully research schools for our children and hotels for our vacations. We are meticulous planners when the occasion is a happy one. Yet many of us never spent 15 minutes preparing our families for the one event none of us can avoid. Not because we're careless, but because we assume there will always be
another opportunity. So, we push it aside until later.
The recent tragedies remind us that tomorrow is a promise, not a guarantee. We can ask for a guarantee or warranty on a new air conditioner or washing machine, but there is no such promise on the day that follows this one. And because of that, if we care about the ones we say we love, we need to make it easier for them to cope should tragedy strike.
Somewhere in your home are the documents your family will desperately need if something were to happen to you. Perhaps they're neatly fled away or tucked inside a drawer. Perhaps they're stored on a computer or locked behind a password only you know. For your loved ones, that information could one day become a guiding light through the darkest weeks of their lives.
Does your spouse know where to fnd your insurance policy? Your will? Your banking details? If your phone holds the answers to everything, could someone you trust unlock it? Have you ever told your family what kind of medical care you would want if you were unable to speak for yourself?
I’ve never once had a family tell me they regretted having these conversations too early. I’ve only seen the pain of having them too late.
Beyond that, perhaps the most important questions have nothing to do with paperwork. Did your parents know how grateful you were for the sacrifces they made? Have your children heard not just that you love them, but why you're proud of them, specifcally in words they can hold onto? Is there someone you've been meaning to forgive? Someone you've been meaning to thank? Someone you've been meaning to call? The deepest questions families carry after a loss are rarely about money or documents. They are the ones that echo for years.
"Did they know how much they meant to you?" "Did they know you were proud of them?" "Did they know you forgave them?" The questions that matter most to the heart are questions no lawyer can answer. Love isn't measured only by what we do while we're alive. Sometimes it's measured by the burdens we prevent after we are gone.
When I think about the 15 lives we lost this month, I don't dwell on how they died. I think about the families who woke that morning expecting an ordinary day. None of them imagined their lives would change forever before the sun set.
Perhaps that’s the real lesson that tragedy leaves behind. It doesn’t simply remind us that life is fragile.
Tech tip: How to soothe thumb pain when texting and scrolling
By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP SCIENCE WRITER
NEW YORK (AP) — Do your hands hurt when you use your phone? All that texting and scrolling might be stressing out your fngers. The term texting thumb can describe a wide range of phone-related pains caused by tired-out tendons and achy joints — like general stifness, throbbing near the knuckle and a clicking sensation when bending the thumb. If left untreated, repetitive typing and swiping can lead to more serious issues like carpal tunnel and arthritis.
People have pecked away at devices for decades with warnings about overuse injuries — think BlackBerry thumb. Today's smartphones have gotten larger and heavier, and the way we use them has also shifted: Beyond talking and texting, it's common to doomscroll for hours, pay medical bills and even watch full-length movies and TV shows.
“Mobile devices are here to stay. So rather than saying ‘you
can’t be on your device,' we really just need to learn and think about ways to make the devices compatible with modern life,” said Dr. Maureen O'Shaughnessy with the University of Kentucky HealthCare Hand Center. To avoid texter's thumb, switch up your posture Locking wrists and elbows in the same position for hours can lead to soreness in places like the base of the thumb or wrist. Holding phones upright for long periods can also tire other fngers.
O'Shaughnessy said people tend to realize the painful efects when they're not on their device as much, such as being on vacation. That is when phone-related irritation or dull aches go away.
The simplest way to ease this pain is to go touch grass — that is, limit phone time or take short breaks in between scrolling spurts.
But that's easier said than done. If a detox feels difcult, try to mix up postures, switch hands to type and use the index or other fngers. Built-in accessibility features can also minimize thumb overuse.
Try sending messages using the voice-to-text feature and enlarge the text size so you don’t have to hold the phone so close. There are also circle and ringshaped grip accessories that attach to the back of the phone and more evenly distribute the weight across the hand. They can also double as a stand to prop up your phone to watch videos and TV. Simple thumb and wrist stretches can ofer relief
If your hands are throbbing after a long day of screen time, stretch them out daily. Flex the wrist by tilting your palm toward and away from you, pulling and pushing down with the other hand. O'Shaughnessy also recommended fexing each of the fngers and making small circles with your thumbs. For pain at the base of the thumb, you can place your hand on a fat surface and pull the thumb away from the other fngers, holding that for about 30 seconds.
It reminds us that the ordinary moments we take for granted are often the last opportunities we’ll ever have to make life easier for someone else. The last chance to explain, to prepare, to forgive or to say ‘I love you’.
This week, give your family something more valuable than another afternoon together. Give them clarity. Give them peace. Give them 15 minutes. Put the phones away. Sit around the table. Share where the important documents are. Talk about your wishes. Tell someone how much they mean to you. Say the words you've been postponing because you assumed there would always be another chance. One day, every one of us will leave something behind. My hope is that what we leave behind are cherished memories not unanswered questions. Because the questions we leave behind should never become the heaviest burden our loved ones have to carry. This is The KDK Report.
A PERSON uses a smart phone in Chicago, Sept. 16, 2017.
Transparency, sovereignty . . .
and the challenge of power
FEW issues test the sovereignty of small states more severely than requests made by powerful friends. How should a country respond when cooperation is expected, but the proposed terms exceed its legal, fnancial and institutional capacity? That question lies at the centre of the discussions between the United States and several Caribbean governments over Third-Country Nationals (TCNs).
These are persons whom the United States wishes to remove but who are not nationals of the country to which they are being sent. Instead, they are transferred to a third, unrelated country under arrangements negotiated for the purposes of U.S. immigration enforcement.
The terms the United States has been seeking are worth understanding clearly.
The original U.S. proposals envisaged a standing, programmatic arrangement under which transfers would occur on a monthly basis. Critical information about individuals was to be provided only "where available." Financial responsibility for the costs of reception, accommodation, healthcare, and eventual return was left unresolved. And persons subject to expedited removal, meaning they may never have had a proper hearing, were included among those eligible for transfer.
These proposals generated understandable concern among Caribbean governments and their peoples. A small island state that accepts persons in these circumstances assumes potentially signifcant legal responsibilities under international refugee law, obligations relating to stateless persons, and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face persecution or other serious harm. Yet many Caribbean countries simply do not possess the legal infrastructure, administrative systems or fnancial capacity that larger states can more readily deploy.
Antigua and Barbuda is, in fact, already home to a substantial migrant population. Signifcant numbers of nationals from
By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press
the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, Jamaica, Guyana, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and elsewhere reside in the country. It is against that reality, not any absence of goodwill, that capacity must be measured. Antigua and Barbuda has always been willing, and remains genuinely open, to reaching an agreement with the United States on Third-Country Nationals. But any such arrangement must be grounded in the practical realities of what a small island state can responsibly absorb, physically and fnancially, without imposing hardship on its own people. Against this backdrop, Antigua and Barbuda stands apart from its Caribbean counterparts in one important respect. It is the frst Caribbean government and, to my knowledge, remains the only one to have fully disclosed the substance of the U.S. proposals, published its own detailed counter-proposals, and issued a comprehensive
White Paper for public consideration. That White Paper, posted on government websites and made available to every citizen, explains the background, the legal concerns, the operating procedures proposed by the United States, and the principles on which Antigua and
fnancial capacity, absorptive capability, constitutional arrangements and the nature of their bilateral relationships with Washington. Each country must make decisions appropriate to its own circumstances. A one-sizefts-all approach to an issue of this sensitivity was never
not simply endorse the Government's approach. It established the framework within which negotiations may continue: no standing programme; complete sovereign discretion in every individual case; full prior funding; strict eligibility criteria; and the preserved right
Barbuda's own counter-proposals were constructed. Any opportunity for the region to engage through a common framework has largely passed, because several member states entered bilateral discussions before any collective position could be developed. The absence of comparable public disclosure also made any meaningful prospect of a coordinated CARICOM approach increasingly diffcult. In any event, and this should be acknowledged honestly, a single CARICOM agreement would not have been practical even if the United States had been willing. Caribbean countries differ enormously in size,
a realistic option. The Government of Antigua and Barbuda had a clear purpose in publishing its White Paper: to inform its Parliament and people fully and honestly about what was being proposed and how the Government intended to respond. Democracy demands that matters touching sovereignty, national security and public fnance should be debated openly, not resolved quietly behind closed doors.
The subsequent parliamentary debate, culminating in the adoption of a Resolution by the House of Representatives on 15 July 2026, refected the same principles. Parliament did
to suspend or terminate any arrangement at any time.
This episode, however, is about more than Third-Country Nationals. It illustrates a much older and more enduring reality that small states have always had to navigate. Throughout history, and no less today, powerful countries, regional groupings and the institutions they infuence have exercised disproportionate authority in shaping international rules to which smaller states are expected to conform. The OECD and related bodies, for example, have imposed standards affecting Caribbean fnancial services and tax systems, backed by the threat of blacklists and other
penalties, while often applying more accommodating standards within their own membership.
The pattern is familiar. Large states possess greater capacity to shape international norms and stronger means of enforcing compliance. Small states must therefore balance the legitimate defence of their sovereignty against the practical consequences that powerful countries can impose. Tourism advisories, tariffs, visa restrictions and fnancial sanctions are not theoretical possibilities. They are instruments that have been used before and remain available.
The lesson Antigua and Barbuda has chosen to draw is neither one of defance for its own sake nor of submission for the sake of convenience. It is the lesson of principled and transparent engagement. States are equal in law, but not in power. That disparity cannot simply be wished away.
What small states can do, and what Antigua and Barbuda has sought to do, is negotiate with a full understanding of its rights, defne clearly the limits beyond which it will not go, place its decisions before its own people and legislature, and insist upon reciprocity as a condition of cooperation.
The true measure of friendship between sovereign states is not whether one country always says "yes" to another. It is whether each respects the legitimate interests and genuine constraints of the other. Cooperation should never require a small state to assume another country's burden without appropriate safeguards, adequate fnancial support and clear accountability. Where those conditions exist, cooperation is not only possible; it is desirable.
For small states, transparency strengthens sovereignty. For larger states, respect strengthens partnership. Only where both are present can genuine cooperation endure.
The writer is the Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States of America and the Organization of American States. He is also the Chancellor of the University of Guyana. The views expressed are his own.
LONDON (AP) — Veteran Labour Party
politician and popular former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is set to become Britain’s next prime minister on Monday, formally taking over from Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month.
Burnham was the only candidate to secure enough support from his fellow Labour lawmakers to replace Starmer as leader of the governing party. Because Labour holds a majority in government, its leader also becomes the U.K. prime minister.
Burnham received support from 349 out of 401 Labour Party lawmakers, and was announced Labour leader at a special party conference on Friday. He didn't offcially become prime minister right away, though — that happens on Monday, when he meets King Charles III at Buckingham Palace for a formal go-ahead. Until then, Starmer remains caretaker prime minister.
A look at how and why Britain is getting a new prime minister just two years after Starmer led his party to a landslide election victory:
Why is there a change of leader without a general election?
Britain’s parliamentary democracy allows governing parties to change leaders midterm, with the winner becoming prime minister without the need for a general election. Prime ministers can be replaced if one has resigned as leader of their party, or been forced out by a leadership challenge.
The next national election does not have to be held until 2029, fve years from the last election in 2024.
Starmer announced he was quitting as Labour leader on June 22 after barely two years in power, ending a tenure marred by a series of political missteps -- most notably his
decision to appoint a man with close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.
Heavy losses suffered by Labour in a midterm set of local elections in May prompted many lawmakers to demand Starmer's resignation. And when Burnham — favored by many within Labour to lead the party and the country — won a special election for a seat in Parliament, Starmer gave in to the mounting pressure to quit.
His resignation automatically triggered a Labour leadership contest. Under Labour rules, a lawmaker can challenge the leader if they have the backing of a ffth of the party's House of Commons lawmakers. There was no other contestant other than Burnham, who comfortably surpassed that threshold.
Burnham will be the 7th prime minister in a decade
It’s not unusual for prime ministers to come to power without a broad election under Britain’s parliamentary system.
In fact, four of the six British prime ministers in the past decade took the top job by winning internal party leadership contests to replace their predecessors, not by public vote.
In the 2010s, both Theresa May and Boris Johnson became prime minister after winning Conservative leadership races when their predecessors resigned midterm.
When Johnson announced he was quitting in 2022, the Conservatives held a leadership contest and the party's members chose Liz Truss to replace him. And when Truss stepped down, just 49 days later, she was in turn replaced by Rishi Sunak via a similar process.
Burnham will thus become the seventh prime minister in a turbulent decade of U.K. politics, marked by a rapid succession of leaders who all, to some extent, failed to successfully manage the messy aftermath of Britain's decision to divorce from the European Union.
Power changes hands in a well-rehearsed ritual
After years of leadership churn, the sequence of traditional events involved in the transfer of power has become familiar for many in Britain.
On Monday, Starmer will say his farewell speech to the public before going to Buckingham Palace to hold a short meeting with the king and formally resign.
After Starmer leaves, it's Burnham's turn to arrive at the palace, where Charles will formally ask him to form a government. The private ceremony is known as the “Kissing of Hands,’’ in accordance with historic tradition, though no hands are actually kissed and the men are more likely to shake hands. When Burnham leaves the palace he will have become the 59th person to hold the offce of British prime minister. He then
in a
to his offcial home at No. 10 Downing Street, where he is expected to make
ment in offce.
Photo: worldatlas.com
ANDY Burnham after being confirmed as the Labour Party’s new leader and the country’s next prime minister, during ‘Labour’s Special Conference’ in central London, Friday July 17, 2026.
Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP
Japan enshrines male-only succession
MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament enacted a historic revision to the 19th-century Imperial House Law on Friday by insisting only paternal-lineage men can become emperor, sparking concern that the measure could doom the already shrinking imperial family.
The revisions include adoption of distant male relatives to father future heirs and allowing princesses to keep their royal status after marrying commoners.
Royal watchers and experts fear the new measures could doom the 1,500-year-old hereditary institution by insisting that only males can be emperor.
Emperor Naruhito ’s 24-year-old daughter is hugely popular, and many Japanese want her to be his successor, but Princess Aiko is ineligible because she is a woman. Japan’s maleonly succession rule means the line must move to the emperor's younger brother, then to his 19-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito. Next in line after him is the emperor's 90-year-old uncle.
In an imperial family that places a premium on male royal babies, Hisahito is the frst such boy to be born in four decades. Only fve of the 16 adults in the imperial family — there are no children — are men.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other conservatives insist the male bloodline is “the only source of the emperor’s authority and legitimacy,” which is the basis for the upcoming measures.
“I'm deeply moved,” Takaichi told reporters after the enactment.
While an emperor's mother can be a commoner, as is the case with the current one, only boys born to men with royal blood can be heirs to the throne, according to the Imperial House Law.
The revision to the antiquated law is meant to solidify the principle of that crucial bloodline by allowing the adoption of distant royal male relatives
to father future heirs, pushing the Emperor's daughter to the side. It will also allow princesses to keep their royal status and serve duties if they marry a commoner. “It’s a declaration to pre-
for the shrinking imperial family
Gosakuramachi, who ruled from 1762 to 1770.
The paternal-line male succession was stipulated for the frst time in the 1890 Imperial House Law, when
‘childbearing machines’ to produce male ofspring.”
After Aiko’s birth, her mother Empress Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat and a commoner,
vent female monarchs … and to defend the male lineage at all costs,” said Hideya Kawanishi, an expert on monarchy at Nagoya University. “They cannot say it’s male chauvinism, so they call it tradition.”
Imperial Household Agency chief Buichiro Kuroda said in a statement that his agency “will do everything it can appropriately to support smooth activity for the Imperial Family members in line with (the revisions), while fully taking into consideration their feelings.”
Takaichi supports maleonly succession There have been eight female monarchs. The last was Empress
Japan promoted patriarchal systems. That law was largely carried over to the current 1947 version.
Friday’s revisions have led to protests from Japanese who see the government eforts as meant to eliminate Princess Aiko from ruling and to justify discrimination against women and a patriarchal system.
“It’s very ironic that the frst female prime minister herself is the leading proponent of the obsession with male succession,” Chizuko Ueno, a prominent feminist scholar, wrote recently referring to Takaichi.
Ueno said the new measures “treat male royals as stallions and put female royals under pressure as
developed a stress-induced mental condition, apparently over criticism for not producing a male heir.
Imperial family is shrinking Because of the maleonly succession rules and the dismissal of princesses who marry commoners, the monarchy after Hisahito is “extremely unstable,” former Imperial Household Agency chief Shingo Haketa told Kyodo News recently.
Historians say the current system is unworkable, as Japan more broadly faces a fast-aging, dwindling population. It only worked in the past because concubines produced half the emperors until about 100 years ago, when the practice
ended under Naruhito’s great-grandfather, Emperor Taisho.
A government proposal in 2005 to allow female monarchs was scrapped following Hisahito’s birth.
Naruhito's two male heirs are his brother, Crown Prince Akishino, 60, who is only six years younger than the emperor and has reportedly said he would be too old to serve, and Hisahito, Akishino’s 19-year-old son. Third in line is Naruhito's uncle, Prince Hitachi, who is 90.
Distant relatives
The more controversial of the two measures allows unmarried male descendants, aged 15 or older, of distant imperial relatives — but only of paternal lineage — to be adopted into the royal family.
Fifty-one members from 11 branch families renounced their royal status in 1947, mainly to ease the postwar fnancial burden on the monarchy, Imperial Household Agency ofcial Yoshimi Ogata told a recent parliamentary session.
Those people are at least 36 generations removed from Naruhito because they split from a common maleline ancestor 600 years ago, Ogata said. There is criticism of what some see as the government's extraordinary eforts to make sure that male royals are producing male emperors.
“Who wants the son of an adoptee who nobody knows to be emperor instead of Aiko?” asked Yoshinori Kobayashi, a cartoonist campaigning for Aiko’s succession. It may also be unrealistic to ask former royals to reenter a very strict family known as “an enclave without human rights.” Royals cannot choose their jobs or homes, and must follow other serious constraints.
“I wonder if anyone would raise a hand,” 81-year-old Asahiro Kuni, whose family renounced its royal status when he was 3, told TBS television. “I imagine many people, by age 15, have some idea about their future. It’s cruel to tell them … to change the course of their life.”
Kuni, who worked as an engineer at a major
Japanese company, said he would tell his family to decline if asked by the palace. “You are asked to sacrifce your life for the happiness of the people. I can’t tell my family to choose such a difcult life.”
He expressed support for female monarchs in interviews with other Japanese media.
Princesses who marry commoners can keep royal status
Aiko, known for her engaging smile, enthusiasm and witty conversation, is a public favorite.
Five single princesses, including Aiko and her popular cousin Kako, 31, may be afected by the other main revision to the Imperial House Law, which would allow them to keep their royal status and continue serving ofcial duties if they marry commoners, although their spouse and children wouldn't be accepted as royals.
Aiko’s elder cousin Mako renounced her royal status and moved to New York after marrying her college boyfriend, a commoner who now is a lawyer. The move was largely seen as her attempt to fee from the restrained imperial life.
Ueno calls the system inhumane and urges the princesses to follow Mako's example and leave when they can.
Hisahito, possible adoptees and their future wives will face enormous pressure to produce male ofspring, Kawanishi said.
Many Japanese want Aiko to be emperor
“The emperor is a symbolic fgure, and I don’t see why women cannot serve in the role,” said 78-year-old Junichiro Tsujimaru, a sushi chain founder.
Yoshio Iwase, 78, said Aiko, as the daughter of the emperor, is the legitimate successor. “I think it’s fne because there used to be female emperors in the past.”
There is worry that the government's push will upset former Emperor Akihito's legacy, which included making amends for the victims of World War II, fought in his father’s name.
JAPANESE EMPEROR NARUHITO, center left, Empress Masako center right, and Princess Aiko, right, listen to Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki as they visit the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims at the peace park in Nagasaki. western Japan, Sept. 12, 2025.
Kyodo News via AP, File
JAPAN’S PRINCESS AIKO, left, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, arrives to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of the wife of former emperor Meiji at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, on April 10, 2024. Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool Photo via AP, File
VICE PRESIDENT, TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS
Position Summary
The Vice President, Transmission & Distribution Operations provides executive leadership for the Company’s
transmission and distribution network, ensuring the safe, reliable, and effcient delivery of electricity across the service territory. This executive role oversees feld operations, maintenance, construction, outage restoration, asset management, and operational readiness while supporting BGC’s long-term strategic objectives and grid modernization initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership for transmission and distribution operations.
Oversee feld operations, construction, maintenance, and system restoration activities.
Drive operational excellence through safety, reliability, and performance improvements.
• Lead emergency response and outage restoration efforts.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Project Management, Finance, and other stakeholders on capital projects and infrastructure modernization.
Develop and mentor high-performing operational teams while promoting a strong safety culture.
Monitor operational performance, budgets, and key utility reliability metrics.
Minimum Qualifcations
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, Utility Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in electric utility transmission and distribution operations.
• Minimum 7–10 years of senior leadership experience managing feld operations, construction, maintenance, and outage restoration.
Demonstrated knowledge of utility reliability metrics (SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI), regulatory compliance, and utility safety standards. Valid driver’s license required.
DIRECTOR, TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS
Position Summary
The Director, Transmission & Distribution Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the daily execution of BGC’s transmission and distribution operations. Reporting to the Vice President, Transmission & Distribution Operations, this role is responsible for overseeing feld operations, maintenance, construction, outage restoration, and system performance while ensuring the safe, reliable, and effcient delivery of electrical services. The Director plays a critical role in driving operational excellence, workforce performance, and infrastructure modernization.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the day-to-day operations of the Transmission & Distribution department, ensuring safe, reliable, and effcient service delivery.
• Oversee transmission and distribution construction, maintenance, switching, substation operations, and outage restoration activities.
• Direct feld operations, including overhead and underground distribution, contractors, and operational supervisors. Champion a culture of safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous operational improvement. Coordinate emergency response, storm restoration, and operational readiness initiatives. Partner with Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, Finance, and Customer Operations to support capital projects and grid modernization. Monitor operational performance, workforce productivity, and utility reliability metrics to achieve departmental objectives.
Minimum Qualifcations
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, Utility Management, Business Management, or a related discipline.
Minimum 10–12 years of progressive experience in electric utility transmission and distribution operations.
Minimum 5–7 years of leadership experience managing feld operations, construction, maintenance, and outage restoration. Strong knowledge of transmission and distribution systems, utility safety standards, regulatory compliance, and reliability performance (SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI). Valid driver’s license required.
Position Summary
DIRECTOR, ENGINEERING
The Director, Engineering provides operational leadership for Bahamas Grid Company’s engineering functions, supporting the planning, design, development, and reliability of the Company’s transmission and distribution network. Reporting to the Vice President, Engineering & Planning, this role oversees engineering operations, system planning, protection and control, technical standards, and engineering support for capital projects. The Director plays a key role in ensuring engineering excellence, operational readiness, and the successful execution of grid modernization initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead the daily operations of the Engineering Department, ensuring safe, effcient, and high-quality engineering services. Oversee engineering design, system planning, protection and control, and technical support for transmission and distribution operations. Provide engineering leadership for capital infrastructure projects, system upgrades, and network expansion initiatives. Develop and maintain engineering standards, technical specifcations, and regulatory compliance programs. Support the implementation of grid modernization technologies, including automation, SCADA, and distributed energy resources.
• Collaborate with Operations, Project Management, Finance, Procurement, and other stakeholders to support infrastructure development and operational reliability.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineering teams, and promote continuous improvement and innovation. Minimum Qualifcations
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation or equivalent professional certifcation preferred.
Minimum 10–12 years of progressive experience in power system engineering, utility engineering, or transmission and distribution operations.
• Minimum 5–7 years of leadership experience managing engineering teams within an electric utility environment.
• Strong knowledge of power system planning, engineering design, protection and control, utility regulations, and grid modernization initiatives.
Position Summary
SENIOR SUBSTATION COMMISSIONING ENGINEER
The Senior Substation Commissioning Engineer is responsible for leading the commissioning, testing, energization, and operational acceptance of transmission and distribution substations, protection systems, SCADA systems, and associated electrical infrastructure. This role ensures all substation assets are commissioned safely, reliably, and in accordance with engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices while supporting the successful delivery of capital projects and grid modernization initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the commissioning, testing, energization, and operational acceptance of substations, transformers, switchgear, breakers, and protection systems. Develop and execute commissioning plans, procedures, and system energization strategies.
• Oversee testing and commissioning of protection, control, communications, and SCADA systems.
• Coordinate commissioning activities with Engineering, Operations, Project Management, contractors, and equipment vendors.
• Ensure compliance with engineering specifcations, utility standards, safety requirements, and regulatory obligations. Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineers, technicians, and commissioning personnel. Support emergency response, outage restoration, and continuous improvement initiatives related to substation and system reliability.
Minimum Qualifcations
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive engineering experience in substation commissioning, protection and control, power systems, or utility operations. Professional Engineer (P.Eng./PE) designation or eligibility for professional registration preferred. Demonstrated experience with protection relays, SCADA systems, utility automation, and substation commissioning. Strong knowledge of IEEE, IEC, and utility protection standards, with experience using power system analysis software such as ETAP, ASPEN, or CYME.
SENIOR ENGINEER, PROTECTION & CONTROL
UTILITY POWER CABLE JOINTER/SPLICER (SPECIALIZED)
•
Position
responsible for the installation, jointing, splicing, termination, testing, maintenance, and repair of underground transmission and distribution cable systems across BGC’s electrical network. This specialized role supports the safe, reliable, and effcient operation of underground electrical infrastructure by performing precision cable jointing, fault diagnosis, system restoration, and commissioning activities in accordance with utility standards, engineering specifcations, and industry best practices.
Key Responsibilities
Install, joint, splice, terminate, and repair low-, medium-, and high-voltage underground power cable systems. Perform cable fault locating, testing, diagnostics, and acceptance testing using specialized equipment.
Support the installation, maintenance, commissioning, and restoration of underground electrical infrastructure. Respond to planned and emergency outages, including storm restoration and after-hours callouts. Ensure all work is completed in compliance with Company safety policies, utility standards, and regulatory requirements. Operate specialized
Minimum
• Strong knowledge of underground distribution construction methods, cable fault diagnostics, electrical safety practices, and utility standards. Valid driver’s license required.
LEAD CONTRACTOR SPECIALIST
Position Summary The Lead Contractor Specialist is responsible for supervising and coordinating Bahamas Grid Company’s Contractor Specialists while providing day-to-day operational
a key role in driving contractor performance, quality assurance, safety compliance, and the reliable delivery of services across Street Lighting, Customer Services, Vegetation Management, and other contracted utility programs.
Key Responsibilities
• Supervise and provide leadership to Contractor Specialists responsible for contracted feld operations.
• Coordinate daily contractor work activities, scheduling, and
standards, and safety requirements.
Conduct feld inspections, validate completed work, and support
initiatives.
Coordinate contractor activities with Engineering, Transmission &
Operations, Procurement, and other internal stakeholders.
Support
Promote
contracted operations.
Minimum Qualifcations
Associate’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, Construction Management, Utility Operations, Business Administration, or a related discipline; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in utility operations, contractor management, feld operations, or transmission and distribution.
Minimum 2 years of supervisory or team leadership experience.
Experience managing contractors within an electric utility or regulated infrastructure environment preferred.
• Valid driver’s license required.
Strong knowledge of utility feld operations, contractor performance management, safety standards, and customer service practices.
CONTRACTOR SPECIALIST – STREET LIGHTING
Position Summary
The Contractor Specialist – Street Lighting is responsible for coordinating and overseeing contractors performing the installation, inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement of Bahamas Grid Company’s street lighting infrastructure. Reporting to the Lead Contractor Specialist, this role ensures all contracted street lighting activities are completed safely, effciently, and in accordance with Company standards, engineering specifcations, and contractual requirements. The incumbent plays a key role in improving asset reliability, service delivery, and customer satisfaction while supporting BGC’s infrastructure modernization initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Coordinate contractors responsible for the installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of street lighting infrastructure. Monitor contractor performance, productivity, and compliance with Company standards, service level agreements (SLAs), and quality expectations.
• Conduct feld inspections, validate completed work, and support contractor performance improvement initiatives. Coordinate planned maintenance, emergency repairs, and outage restoration activities related to street lighting assets. Support the management of street lighting assets, inventory, LED conversion programs, and infrastructure improvement projects.
Collaborate with Engineering, Customer Operations, Municipal Authorities, and internal stakeholders to ensure timely and effective service delivery.
Promote compliance with Company safety policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices. Minimum Qualifcations
Diploma or degree in Electrical Technology, Utility Operations, Engineering Technology, or a related discipline preferred. Minimum 5–7 years of experience in utility operations, electrical distribution, or street lighting maintenance. Experience coordinating contractors and overseeing feld operations within an electric utility or infrastructure environment. Strong knowledge of street lighting systems, utility construction standards, electrical safety practices, and contractor performance management. Valid driver’s license required.
CONTRACTOR SPECIALIST – SERVICES
Position Summary
The contractor specialist – services is responsible for coordinating and overseeing contractors performing customer service installations, new electrical connections, service upgrades, temporary services, disconnects, reconnects, meter-related feld activities, and maintenance of customer electrical infrastructure. Reporting to the lead contractor specialist, this role ensures contracted customer service work is completed safely, effciently, and in accordance with company standards, engineering specifcations, regulatory requirements, and customer service expectations. The incumbent serves as the primary liaison between customer operations, engineering, contractors, and feld personnel to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality customer services.
Key Responsibilities
Coordinate contractors performing customer service installations, new service connections, upgrades, disconnects, reconnects, and meter-related feld activities.
Monitor contractor performance, productivity, and compliance with Company standards, service level agreements (SLAs), and quality expectations.
• Conduct feld inspections, validate completed work, and support contractor performance improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate work activities with Customer Operations, Engineering, System Operations, and other internal stakeholders to ensure timely completion of customer requests.
Support new customer developments, service upgrades, emergency restoration efforts, and infrastructure improvement projects. Promote compliance with Company safety policies, engineering specifcations, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
Assist in resolving customer concerns while supporting continuous improvement in service delivery and operational performance.
Minimum Qualifcations
• Diploma or degree in Electrical Technology, Utility Operations, Engineering Technology, or a related discipline preferred.
Minimum 5–7 years of experience in utility operations, electrical distribution, customer service feld operations, or contractor management. Experience coordinating contractors and overseeing customer-related feld work within an electric utility or infrastructure environment.
Strong knowledge of utility service connections, electrical distribution systems, customer operations, and utility safety standards. Valid driver’s license required.
CONTRACTOR SPECIALIST – VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
Position Summary
The Contractor Specialist – Vegetation Management is responsible for coordinating and overseeing contractors performing vegetation management, right-of-way maintenance, tree trimming, hazard tree removal, and vegetation clearance activities across BGC’s transmission and distribution network. Reporting to the Lead Contractor Specialist, this role ensures vegetation management programs are executed safely, effciently, and in accordance with Company standards, environmental regulations, contractual requirements, and utility reliability objectives. The incumbent works closely with Operations, Engineering, Environmental agencies, municipalities, and contractors to maintain system reliability, public safety, and regulatory compliance.
Key Responsibilities Coordinate contractors performing vegetation management, right-of-way maintenance, tree trimming, and hazard tree removal activities. Monitor contractor performance, productivity, and compliance with Company standards, service level agreements (SLAs), and environmental requirements.
• Conduct feld inspections, validate completed work, and support contractor performance improvement initiatives.
Identify vegetation hazards affecting transmission and distribution assets and coordinate mitigation activities to improve system reliability.
Position Summary
The Senior Engineer, Protection & Control is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and optimization of protection, control, and automation systems across BGC’s transmission and distribution network. This role provides advanced technical expertise to ensure the safe, reliable, and secure operation of substations, feeders, SCADA systems, and associated electrical infrastructure while supporting grid modernization and system reliability initiatives.
Key Responsibilities Lead the design, confguration, and implementation of protection and control schemes for substations,
Support annual vegetation management programs, storm preparedness initiatives, emergency response, and post-storm restoration activities. Collaborate with Engineering, Transmission & Distribution Operations, Environmental agencies, municipalities, and internal stakeholders to ensure effective program delivery.
Promote compliance with Company safety policies, environmental regulations, and industry best practices while maintaining accurate operational records and reporting.
Minimum Qualifcations
Diploma or degree in Forestry, Arboriculture, Environmental Science, Utility Operations, or a related discipline preferred. Minimum 5–7 years of experience in vegetation management, utility operations, right-of-way maintenance, or contractor management.
Experience coordinating contractors within an electric utility, infrastructure, or environmental services environment.
Strong knowledge of utility vegetation management practices, ISA arboricultural standards, environmental regulations, and utility safety requirements.
• Valid driver’s license required.
The recruits completed a 20-week, four-phase progressive training programme designed to maximise training efectiveness through a structured delivery and evaluation process. The programme prepares recruits physically, mentally and professionally for service in the Defence Force.
Commodore Moxey said the graduation brought the Defence Force’s total complement to 2,005 ofcers and marines, marking the frst time the organisation has crossed the 2,000-person threshold.
“Today is a proud day for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force,” he said.
“With the graduation of this entry, we now have a complement of 2,005 ofcers and marines, and that is we hit the 2,000
Royal Bahamas Defence
Force celebrates historic milestone with graduation of 104 recruits
mark for the frst time in the history of the country and the history of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.”
He said the number of female graduates
represented another signifcant achievement for the organisation.
“For the frst time in the history of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force,
40 percent of this entry are female, and this is in keeping with our gender optimisation policy, which we try to align with best practice and our international military protocol,” Commodore Moxey said.
Former PM Dr Hubert Minnis applauds Minister Pia Glover-Rolle for standing up for constituents amid BPL power cuts
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
He added that as the role of the Defence Force continues to expand under the Defence Act, the organisation will require additional personnel, with a long-term goal of increasing its complement to about 4,000 marines over the next four to fve years.
Commodore Moxey said the force continues to maintain a strong retention rate, with attrition estimated at about two percent.
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper congratulated the graduates, describing their achievement as the result of weeks of demanding physical and mental preparation.
“You were tested physically, mentally and emotionally. You learned to follow instructions, work as a team, remain focused under pressure and place the mission above personal comfort,” Mr Cooper said.
He noted that the recruits, who entered training on February 28, 2026, came from New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera, Inagua and Exuma, but were united by a commitment to serve the country.
Mr Cooper said the new marines were joining the Defence Force at a critical time as the country continues to face challenges including illegal fshing, drug and weapons trafcking, human smuggling and other forms of transnational crime.
He said the government remains committed to modernising the Defence Force through improved maritime surveillance, stronger intelligence capabilities, advanced technology and continued training.
Mr Cooper encouraged the graduates to serve with courage, integrity and professionalism, reminding them that the uniform represents the sovereignty, security and dignity of The Bahamas.
complaints from residents struggling through the persistent outages.
FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has praised PLP Cabinet minister Pia Glover-Rolle for demanding answers over Bahamas Power and Light’s repeated blackouts, declaring that elected ofcials must put the public ahead of party loyalty.
Dr Minnis said Mrs Glover-Rolle had gone “beyond politics” by publicly confronting BPL over the outages that repeatedly plunged New Providence into darkness earlier this month.
He said her intervention should mark the beginning of a broader shift in which parliamentarians defend the people who elected them rather than simply follow their parties.
“I was very proud of Pia to be honest with you. What she demonstrated to me was she was
listening to the people,” Dr Minnis said during an interview on Friday.
“And yes she is a Minister and yes she is government, but her people and the populace at large, still have concerns,” he said. “And as a representative, her frst
priority is the people. And she demonstrated clearly that she was defending the people, she went beyond politics.” Mrs Glover-Rolle, the Golden Gates MP, issued a surprising statement last week after residents endured repeated outages, in some cases several times during the day and night. She demanded that BPL explain the disruptions, identify the measures being taken to reduce them and provide a timetable for permanent corrective work.
Mrs Glover-Rolle said her constituency ofce had been inundated with
She said constituents had lost refrigerated food and endured dangerous, stifing heat, while vulnerable senior citizens and small businesses faced heightened risks and fnancial losses.
Her public challenge attracted signifcant attention online, where some interpreted it as evidence of possible tension between Mrs GloverRolle and Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis.
Dr Minnis said Mrs Glover-Rolle may face resistance from within the Progressive Liberal Party, but insisted she had fulflled her duty by placing her constituents frst.
“Now yes, her party may give her some challenges for that or problems, but the point is when you are elected to parliament you are elected by and to defend and support the people,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Honourable I. Chester Cooper, served as the keynote speaker and inspected the Guard of Honour. Photos:Nikia Charlton
FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis
PLP Cabinet minister Pia Glover-Rolle
By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer
CHRISTOPHER
Nolan's "The Odyssey" launched with an estimated $124.5 million in domestic ticket sales and another $139.6 million from overseas, notching an even better debut than "Oppenheimer" and marking the flmmaker's best opening since 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises."
Nolan fexed his singular box-ofce might with a global debut unlike any other. Few flmmakers alive could pull of a starry, big-budget adaptation of Homer's epic poem. But in a Hollywood where intellectual property rights rule most hits, Nolan turned one of the world's oldest works of literature into an unlikely summer blockbuster.
The Universal production was no small gamble on Nolan, coming of the 2023 best picture-winning "Oppenheimer." With a production budget of $250 million, it's among the most expensive R-rated movies ever made. Universal is spending some $125 million to market it. But no behind-thecamera name turns out audiences more than Nolan's. So great was the hype on "The Odyssey" that IMAX put tickets on sale for some 70 mm showtimes a full year in advance.
To satisfy the extraordinary demand for Nolan's preferred format, IMAX 70 mm, some theatres added midnight and 3 a.m. screenings — and sold them out.
"It's incredibly rewarding to see the palpable excitement in theatres this weekend," said Jim Orr, head of domestic distribution for Universal. "Nolan has crafted an epic adventure. It's on a scale that audiences have responded to extraordinarily well."
IMAX drives ticket sales
Billed as Nolan's frst feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the format drove a huge slice of ticket sales. That included $29.6 million domestically on IMAX and $51.8 million globally, leading to the company's best weekend ever. IMAX is dedicating its screens entirely to "The Odyssey" for three weeks. Though only 41 IMAX screens can screen "The Odyssey" in 70 mm, they
Nolan's 'The Odyssey' storms the box o ce
million global debut
of marketplace trends for Rentrak. "Nolan is a director who's a star as much as any movie star in front of the camera."
The audience for "The Odyssey" was notably male, accounting for 59% of tickets sold. But Orr said moviegoers were otherwise "ridiculously broad," playing across demographics and geography.
"It's delivering for a 17-year-old dude, and it's delivering for a female that's 55 and up," said Orr. "It points to what I'm convinced will be a very long, very successful run throughout not only the rest of the summer but into the fall, too."
accounted for $6.3 million in ticket sales.
"The IMAX of it all helped turn it from not only a blockbuster, but a global cultural event," said Rich Gelfond, chief executive of
IMAX. "We have tickets on sale for week fve in some theatres, and some of them have already sold out."
Since the pandemic, Nolan has been at the forefront of reviving cinemas.
His "Tenet" was one of the frst big releases to wade back into theatres in 2020. Three years later, "Oppenheimer" and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" combined to create arguably the movies' signature moment of the decade. "Oppenheimer" ultimately grossed $975 million worldwide.
"The Odyssey" arrived in theatres during Hollywood's best summer since 2019. Ticket sales are
running 10.4% ahead of last year, according to Rentrak.
The industry is expecting the frst $10 billion year at the domestic box ofce since the pandemic.
Universal sees 'The Odyssey' playing into the fall
The only question for "The Odyssey" will be how front-loaded it is, given that many moviegoers have had this weekend circled for months. The flm faced no new-release competition over the weekend, and it won't next weekend, either.
Gelfond said that presales for the movie's second weekend would rank among their 10 best presales, proof that many moviegoers are waiting to see the flm in their preferred format.
IMAX 70mm screenings, he said, are largely sold out for the next month, except for some front row seats.
"Christopher Nolan and Tom Cruise may be the two most high-profle ambassadors for the bigscreen experience," said Paul Dergarabedian, head
The next movie to pose any competition, ironically, also stars Tom Holland and Zendaya: Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" on July 31. Casting controversy has no apparent efect "The Odyssey" stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and features Holland as his son, Telemachus; Anne Hathaway as Penelope; Zendaya as Athena; Robert Pattinson as the suitor Antinous and Charlize Theron as the sea nymph Calypso. Nolan's casting of "The Odyssey," including Lupita Nyong'o as Helen and Elliot Page as a soldier, was controversial to some conservative commentators. Elon Musk called Nolan a "coward" over Nyong'o's casting.
But that criticism had little to no efect on "The Odyssey" becoming one of the big-screen cultural events of the year. Reviews (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) are among the best of Nolan's career. Audiences gave it an "A" CinemaScore.
PG-rated flms followed in the wake of "The Odyssey." The Walt Disney Co.'s "Moana" landed in a distant second place with $19 million in its third weekend. Following its disappointing $43 million launch, the live-action remake slid 56% on its second weekend. In two weeks it collected $178 million worldwide, a poor result for a flm that cost $250 million to make.
"Moana" was trailed by Universal's "Minions & Monsters" and Disney's "Toy Story 5," both of which grossed about $15 million.
Matt Damon as Odysseus, left, and Zendaya as Athena, in a scene from "The Odyssey."
Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures/AP
Zendaya attends the premiere of "The Odyssey" at AMC Lincoln Square on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in New York.
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Invision/AP
Director Christopher Nolan, left, and Emma Thomas pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'The Odyssey' on Monday, July 6, 2026, in London.
Photo: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
Matt Damon, from left, director Christopher Nolan, and Anne Hathaway attend the premiere of "The Odyssey" at AMC Lincoln Square on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in New York.
Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Shakira, Madonna and many Muppets take the World Cup stage, along with BTS and Bieber
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
MADONNA, Justin
Bieber, BTS and Shakira each brought a bit of one of their hits to the World Cup's frst halftime show in a whirlwind performance Sunday that also squeezed in Burna Boy, Ted Lasso and many Muppets.
The show at what's otherwise known as MetLife Stadium, outside New York, was an attempt to bring Super Bowl vibes to the World Cup, but the 11-minute performance was considerably more packed than the usual one-headliner, 13-minute American football counterpart. Each headliner here spent about two minutes performing.
Madonna opened the show with her 2000 dancepop hit "Music," joined by star Brazilian soccer players
of yesteryear, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. It started with an apparently prerecorded piece in a roller rink before she rode into the stadium on a dune buggy, singing, "Music, makes the people come together."
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel led an orchestra through the White Stripes' sports anthem "Seven Nation Army," while the Muppets house band — including drummer Animal in lieu of Meg White — provided furry shakes in the background.
K-pop sensations BTS took to the feld in variations of red and black moments later, singing "Dynamite" following a nod to Norway's Viking row.
Promoting the upcoming season of "Ted Lasso," Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, in character, pumped up Justin Bieber, who
‘Sifu French Kung Fu Challenge’ unites practitioners at Anatol Rodgers High School
SATURDAY, June 20th, saw the event of the summer, “The Sifu French Kung Fu Challenge” martial arts tournament.
The event was held at the Anatol Rodgers High School located on Faith Avenue South and lived up to expectations. The tournament saw the coming together of martial arts practitioners from throughout the country. Participating clubs included Bahamas Karate and Kickboxing Center, led by Sensei John Davis.
The school was represented by a small contingent that amassed a commendable number of medals during the competition, including frst-, second-, and third-place fnishes. Participating students included:
RENARD NEWMAN – BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE
ADULT MALE DIVISION (1ST PLACE KATA); SHANTAE
DAMALLIE – BEGINNER ADULT FEMALE DIVISION (1ST PLACE KATA); BEGINNER 13 TO 15-YEAR-OLD BOYS
DIVISION - KEVANO BROWN (2ND PLACE KATA & 2ND PLACE FIGHTING) - SETH NEWMAN (1ST PLACE KATA & 1ST PLACE FIGHTING); BEGINNER 10 TO 12-YEAR-OLD BOYS DIVISION - KINO LUNDY JR. (2ND PLACE KATA, 2ND PLACE FIGHTING)
Bahamas Karate and Kickboxing Center is headed by Grandmaster Alex Penn, who is the Chief Instructor. He is also head of the Nisei Goju Ryu Karate system in The Bahamas. Master P, as he's commonly known, is assisted by Sensei John Davis.
The school thanks the parents, partners and supporters of the students and the martial arts community as a whole, as it continues to build on the legacy of martial arts in The Bahamas.
changed the tempo with "Everything Hallelujah," performed with an acoustic guitar and a casual feel.
"Alright young man, let's go! It's your big shot!" Sudeikis said to Bieber. "Go out there, don't be nervous, nobody's watching."
Shakira and Burna Boy followed with their ofcial World Cup anthem "Dai Dai," heard before all 104 kickofs during this tournament. The Colombian superstar was barefoot, wearing a dress of yellow and pink feathers and surrounded by similarly clad dancers — including a group of children — before the Afrobeats icon joined her in the song whose refrain is an Italian version of "Let's go!"
Shakira has virtually made a genre out of World Cup songs, including 2010's "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)."
The show wrapped with the PS22 Chorus of elementary-school students from Staten Island, backed by Dudamel and joined by Chris Martin — the Coldplay singer who curated the performance — along with Shakira and many more Muppets and "Sesame Street" characters, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Count von Count and Cookie Monster.
Dudamel and about 40 musicians — about half from the New York Philharmonic and half from Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra — were on the feld, though their music was prerecorded Wednesday at the Manhattan Center.
Afterwards, Javier Bardem was among the
Spanish fans at the stadium celebrating their home country's second World Cup win. Bardem danced and pumped his fst as he celebrated the win.
Other stars at the game included Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, and Matt Damon, who was having a big weekend with the epic opening of "The Odyssey." He was with his wife, Luciana Barroso Damon, who wore the colours of her native Argentina.
Jennifer Hudson, Post Malone and Tom Cruise opened with closing ceremony
Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams and others performed a slew of anthems, Post Malone brought an old hit and a new tune, and
Tom Cruise gave an ear-
nest hype-'em-up speech in the pre-match closing ceremony.
British singer and former Take That member Williams performed his FIFA anthem "Desire," wearing a blue bedazzled tracksuit. He was joined by Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger and Italian singer Laura Pausini in blue spangled gowns. Williams had released the song a year ago but dropped a new version with the two women earlier in the week.
The streamer IShowSpeed took the feld frst to perform his World Cup-themed song "Champions," atop an image of the Empire State Building. Next was Post Malone, who walked onto the New York/ New Jersey Stadium pitch covered with a tarp showing the New York skyline. He sang a brand new song, "Chrome Heartbreaker," and was joined by Swae Lee to perform their 2018 duet "Sunfower" on a hexagon-heavy stage in the centre of the feld. Cruise, who was also part of the Paris Olympics' closing ceremony, followed them with a speech delivered in a polo shirt and jeans.
"Today only two teams remain: España!" Cruise said, pausing for cheers before adding, "y Argentina!"
Standing from left to right: Kevano Brown (2nd place kata; 2nd place fighting), Seth Newman (1st place kata; 1st place fighting); Renard Newman (1st place kata); Shantae Damallie (1st place kata); and Kino Lundy Jr. (2nd place kata; 2nd place fighting); Kneeling: Sensei John Davis
GRANDMASTER ALEX PENN
Robbie Williams sings before the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Photo: Seth Wenig/AP