07262023 NEWS AND SPORT

‘ERRORS’ ON PAYROLL COST GOVT $120M

L EWIS CHARGED IN NY WITH ‘brazen insider trading’ SCHE ME

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PAYROLL errors could be costing the government

as much as $120m a year,

Financial Secretary Simon Wilson said yesterday. He said some employees received a salary for decades even though the government could not account for them or their

work. It is the kind of irregularity he hopes to solve with a new digital system.

The Ministry of Finance hosted a training workshop at the National Training Agency yesterday to introduce finance officers to the Oracle ERP Fusion system.

“Our payroll accounts for 60 per cent of the government’s budget,” Mr Wilson

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas-based billionaire who spearheaded Albany’s development was yesterday charged with orchestrating a “brazen insider trading scheme” that allegedly netted millions of dollars in illicit profits for his closest associates.

MITCHELL

TELLS BELL NOT TO RESPOND ON IMMIGRATION

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Min-

ister Fred Mitchell said he told Immigration Minister Keith Bell not to respond to recent immigration controversies because it would not be beneficial to do so.

He also suggested someone at the Department of

Immigration –– “a wellknown ingrate who was disciplined before” –– is behind recent leaks about Mr Bell’s actions. His comments came after the Office of the Prime Minister said it is examining claims about Mr Bell’s actions and will provide a detailed response.

S HACK FOR GUESTS ONLY UNTIL 5P M

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SHAKE Shack, Atlantis’ newest restaurant, will not open to non-Aquaventure guests until 5pm daily.

According to a press statement from the resort, only Aquaventure guests can access breakfast and lunch services.

This news comes after several social media users claimed the restaurant

CORONERS INQUEST INTO evans’ death BEGINS AGAIN

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE Coroners Court inquest into the death of Deangelo Evans began yesterday –– five years after his police-involved killing sparked a firestorm in Masons Addition, prompting hundreds to attend a vigil where they mourned his death and demanded answers.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

does not welcome Bahamians before 5pm.

Atlantis said the Shake Shack restaurant is among several major developments within the resort’s dining collection, the opening of which is tied to the 25th anniversary of the Royal Towers.

“Shake Shack Atlantis is the first Shack to open in a resort location

‘Some had salary paid for decades without records’

Bahamas Mangrove Alliance sets goal to plant millions of mangroves by 2025

AS World Mangrove Day is celebrated today, a Bahamian alliance has announced a goal of putting “millions of mangroves in the ground” by the end of 2025.

The Bahamas Mangrove Alliance (BMA) was founded in April this year by three conservation groups – the international non-profit organisation Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT) and local non-profits the Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS) and Waterkeepers Bahamas (WKB) – and has already planted tens of thousands of new mangroves in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

The alliance says much work lies ahead, however, as the country continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian.

“As the BMA continues to grow and attract new partners, we are scaling up our restoration efforts and aim to have millions of new trees planted by 2025,” said Jim McDuffie, president and CEO of BTT. “We will accomplish this through

the twin approach of community-based plantings fed by the establishment of many new nurseries across The Bahamas, and, by the large-scale distribution of propagules (baby mangroves) by sea and by air.”

Speaking in detail of restoration numbers since 2019, WKB executive director Rashema Ingraham said: “We have made great progress in a very short time. Working with communities, fishermen, scientists, and other NGO partners, our three organisations have planted nearly 100,000 new mangroves thus far. We plan to have another 20,000 propagules in the ground by the end of the week in celebration of World Mangrove Day.

Through the efforts of the BMA our funders and allies, replanting in Grand Bahama and Abaco has grown exponentially, putting us on target to exceed 200,000 by the end of 2024 and, as Jim said, scale up to many millions in the future.”

She added: “On World Mangrove Day, our mission

is to increase awareness about the immense importance of mangroves while acknowledging the urgent threats they face. We take this opportunity to celebrate the remarkable work of conservationists worldwide, dedicated to safeguarding these invaluable resources. Education is a vital aspect of our mission, and today, we unite with the global conservation community to commemorate this significant day, championing the protection and restoration of wetland habitats and the diverse life they nurture.”

Dr Craig Dahlgren, a 30-year veteran in local marine science research and executive director of the Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS), said: “Mangroves are vanishing globally at an alarming pace, surpassing the rate of loss seen in forests and other crucial ecosystems. Within The Bahamas, mangroves play a crucial role in supporting a wide array of flora and fauna, including numerous marine species that are

vital to our economy. I’m glad to report that nearly 10,000 mangroves were planted just this last week end in Abaco in our World Mangrove day push.”

Mr McDuffie added: “Hurricane Dorian caused significant damage to wet land forests across our archipelago in 2019, and we are steadfastly engaged in restoration efforts. This monumental task calls for collective effort, and the support we have been receiving, along with the growing number of new partners, fuels our determination. The BMA remains commit ted to expanding our endeavours across The Bahamas —this is just the beginning!” said McDuffie of BTT.

World Mangrove Day, July 26, was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) in 2015.

BAHAMAS Mangrove Alliance has announced a goal of putting “millions of mangroves in the ground” by the end of 2025.

‘Errors’ on payroll cost govt $120m

told reporters after the event’s opening ceremony. “And if we have an error rate of 10 per cent, that’s roughly $120m. Those small errors, overpayments or underpayments and so forth, if you minimise those errors, you can have tremendous savings from the government.”

Mr Wilson said all employees would be captured in the new system, preventing cases of people getting a salary under dubious circumstances.

“Everyone knows of the employees who get lost in the system,” he said. “In the Family Islands, they work for local government, they work for the school board, but they are hired irregularly, i.e., they’re not in the pay sheet, they’re paid by some other mechanism or some other means.

“Every employee is going to be captured in this system. That is for us critical cuz we assume, sometimes wrongly, that we know of every employee, that we know the details of every employee. But every year,

we find instances where we do not know an employee existed or was being paid or has been paid by the government or the ministry.

“I know from my own experience in the Ministry of Finance we had employees in Andros who we paid for 40 years, every month, employees of the Ministry of Finance. We don’t know what he did, never did an ACR of those employees, but they were paid every month, and they retired.

“And what they did when they retired? They took a flight and come up to the

Ministry of Finance and said I retired, where is my gratuity? And we had no answer. We checked their records and, yes, surely enough we paid them from 1974 up until 2014, every month, but we had no record. “And we have too much instances like that and persons go undetected and then we have to go through this long, arduous process of trying to regularise them.”

Mr Wilson said the last time the ministry tried to modernise the accounting

and financial management system, success was limited because of insufficient support from workers.

“We cannot succeed unless there is buy-in from finance and accounts officers,” he said. “We’ve done this before, with JD Edwards, which we purchased at great cost and great fanfare and because there was not enough buy-in, what we were left with was simply a payroll system.”

“We can’t afford a repeat of that.”

Mr Wilson said the next

few months will be intense as staff learn the system before it is launched early next year.

He said salary reassessments and pension payments are among the government services requiring too much manual work.

“All these things take time, and to compensate for time, we hire a lot of people,” he said. “We have large accounts departments, and even with extra manpower, we’re still shortstaffed because even with extra manpower, we need trained officers.”

Wilson: Govt ‘ WorkinG on’ complyinG W ith public procurement Act

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FINANCIAL Secretary

Simon Wilson could not say when the government would comply with the Public Procurement Act’s requirement to disclose contract awards but said officials are working on doing so.

The law requires government to disclose the name and address of

winning bidders, the procuring entity, the procurement selection method and the award amount within 60 days of the contract award.

Mr Wilson said in April that the government would fulfil this obligation when the reporting capacity of its procurement system is improved. He said information was being backfilled on the new Bonfire procurement portal.

Asked for an update

yesterday, he said: “That’s a work in progress. So, we have made great strides. We have most agencies have their contracts reported. There are one or two ones which we think are critical to be included before we publish. So, we are waiting for those agencies to upload their last contracts awards, and once that’s done, we’ll be able to publish.”

Asked about the delay in complying with the law,

Mr Wilson said: “The Act came into effect July 1st. This is the 24th. So, I don’t know what’s too long.” He said the government is committed to compliance.

“We are doing more public procurement than ever before,” he said. “If you go on our portal, you’ll see many opportunities that were never there, so we do everything that we should be doing. It’s always a work in progress.

Yes, we can improve. The publication of contracts is a long-standing item that we’re working on, but we are actively working.”

Mr Wilson said he believes the public will be pleased when the publication process is completed.

“We are just trying to get the first publication right because once the first publication is right, the other ones should follow,” he said.

Last week, the Bahamas

Contractors Association president, Leonard Sands, criticised the government’s failure to publish contract awards and accused the administration of deliberately ignoring the requirement.

“The government and the minister of public works by choice are deciding to break the law,” he said. “The law says what should happen and they do not do what the act and the law says.”

riGhts Groups should file civil c A ses for people A lleGedly be Aten by police, s Ays munroe

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said groups concerned about human rights abuses should file civil cases for the people alleging brutality by law enforcement officers.

He suggested they take this approach rather than wait for the outcome of investigations.

Human Rights Bahamas urged the government last week to be more forthright about the status of investigations into alleged misconduct by officers.

The group cited some recent claims of official misconduct.

“These,” the group claimed, “include two Haitian barbers allegedly beaten by immigration officers; children in Bimini allegedly beaten by police; and a man hospitalised after being beaten and suffocated in police custody.”

Responding yesterday,

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said his ministry is still pushing for construction to begin on a new high-medium security correctional facility by the end of the year even after finance officials told them to reduce the costs of construction plans.

“We’re still pushing for it because it’s being designed

Mr Munroe said: “When I was in the UK, their human rights groups, they actually advanced cases for people, so if you are a rights group and you think Wayne Munroe has been abused by the state and there’s evidence of it, they have a group of lawyers who they engage to sue on behalf of the individuals. If you can show that you have been assaulted, the court gives you an award.

“I got an award for, I think it was $150,000 for a fellow who was beaten in custody, and we were able to show it so asking these questions. If you have a criminal case where the accused says he was beaten, the officers say they did not beat him and the matter is before the court, one, if you’re a rights group and you’re really concerned about humans rights, do what they do in the UK, get a team, get somebody to file a civil case, a human rights case. It’s as simple as that.”

“The police investigate

what is reported to them and somebody has to write a statement. The reason you have to write a statement is if they then investigate your statement and found that you had willfully lied, there are consequences but this thing about sending stuff on social media where nobody is responsible, that’s not just the way business is done.”

The Tribune recently reported that more than four months after two immigration officers allegedly assaulted two Haitian barbers in an attack that went viral, Immigration Minister Keith Bell said the investigation was still ongoing.

Nearly two weeks ago, this newspaper also reported that there was no meaningful update from police about its investigation into a police officer who allegedly beat and bruised several Bimini Primary School students more than four months ago.

In these cases, people filed an official complaint.

to meet a number of urgent priorities,” he said yesterday before a Cabinet meeting. “One, the Mental Health Act being brought into force. There are components designed directly to that. The continual reports about the conditions of the existing prison, which is what we have, drives us to have to improve it and the need to move from a prison to a correctional facility where we turn out people better than what they were when

they went in.”

Mr Munroe revealed in May that the government expanded its construction plans for the corrections facility, moving from a $40m high-medium security facility to a $90m “correctional institution, administrative, housing and medical facility”, inclusive of a virtual court.

However, Acting Corrections Commissioner Doan Cleare told reporters recently that the government had asked officials to

reduce the project’s cost.

“Finance has said that it’s not satisfied with the dollars and cents and sent the parties back to come up with something that they may find acceptable,” Mr Munroe said yesterday. “I’m due to have a presentation on that, whether that relates to issues around the scope for instance, asking for VAT or customs duties exemption. That would be matters that would be addressed. But at the end

of any procurement, the Ministry of Finance has to be satisfied before it will provide funds and so that is my understanding of what has happened. It is not unusual.”

The state of the prison has been subject to criticism for years. The 2022 US Human Rights report on The Bahamas said: “Prison conditions were harsh due to overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, poor nutrition, and inadequate

medical care. The facility was designed to accommodate 1000 prisoners but was chronically overcrowded. Maximum-security cells for men measured approximately six feet by ten feet and held up to six persons with no mattresses or toilet facilities. Inmates removed human waste by bucket. Prisoners complained of the lack of beds and bedding. Some inmates developed bedsores from lying on bare ground.”

PAYROLL errors could be costing the government as much as $120m a year, Financial Secretary Simon Wilson said yesterday.

‘s till pushinG for’ correction A l fAcility thouGh fin A nce told minister to reduce the costs

from page one

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said groups concerned about human rights abuses should file civil cases for the people alleging brutality by law enforcement officers.

Security being hired for Family Island clinics after hostage incident in May, says Darville

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SECURITY officers are being hired for Family Island clinics after an incident in May that saw a doctor and nurse held hostage following a stabbing.

Health and Wellness

Minister Dr Michael Darville said Cabinet approved hiring and deploying 162 security officers to Family Island clinics after the incident in Eleuthera.

Dr Darville noted many clinics are staffed with women nurses working at night at facilities, which could be unsafe.

Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) president Muriel Lightbourn gave further details on the two medical professionals who were held hostage on May 27.

“There was a stabbing incident,” she said last

week. “The perpetrator came into the clinic as a victim, I guess, to finish what he had started.

During that, the nurse and the doctor were held hostage in the clinic, now, along with one of the victims.

“Now my take is this. When it came to me, I thought we were talking about the clinic, but we’re actually talking about a house — a threebedroom, two-bath house — that the clinic is presently utilising.”

She said the structure was initially only supposed to house nurses.

Dr Darville said when health officials learned about the incident, they investigated and found that clinics throughout Family Islands had a shortage of security officers.

“Most of our healthcare facilities in the Family

Islands are under complete control of females,” he said. “I want to let the general public know that the Cabinet of The Bahamas approved to hire 162 security officers to be deployed throughout the Family Islands.

“That particular recruitment exercise is ongoing and we should have it completed in a few months. The time has come for our nurses in the Family Islands to have that security support for two reasons.

“One, sometimes they are called upon at night and sometimes they have to present themselves to the clinic and I’m concerned about it and so we want Cabinet to get the necessary funding to hire security offices, as well as maintenance facility support staff throughout the Family Islands.”

ATL A NTIS S AYS SH A KE SH ACK FOR GUESTS USE ONLY UNTIL 5PM DA ILY

from page one

anywhere in the world. Guests will enjoy Shake Shack’s classic menu items and new offerings that exemplify the flavours

and customs of The Bahamas,” said Audrey Oswell, president and managing director of Atlantis.

Shake Shack sells madeto-order Angus beef burgers, crispy chicken,

hot dogs, hand-spun milkshakes, house-made lemonades and more. The Shake Shack Atlantis menu also features a salad made with fresh ingredients.

HA ITI A N M A N DROWNS IN POOL AT RESORT IN HA RBOUR ISL A ND

POLICE are investigating the death of a Haitian man who reportedly drowned in a pool at a resort where he worked, police said.

According to reports, shortly after 8pm Sunday, police received information that a man was found submerged at the bottom of an 8ft pool at a resort on Colebrooke Street, Harbour Island.

Despite administering CPR, local medical technicians were unable to resuscitate him and he was later pronounced dead.

Police said the victim was a Haitian national and an employee of the resort.

They do not suspect that foul play is involved;

however investigations are continuing.

In other crime news, authorities are investigating a police-involved shooting that left a man in hospital Monday.

Police said they were responding to a shop breaking incident when they found a 20-year-old man armed with a knife.

The suspect reportedly engaged one of the officers, who fearing for his life, opened fire on him.

The suspect was shot in the right leg and was taken to hospital, where he has been detained.

Meanwhile, police reported a shooting incident in Bimini that left a man seriously injured.

“Preliminary reports revealed that shortly before 1am on Monday, officers attached to the Alice Town police station received information that a male was standing alone on outside the establishment in Bailey Town when he heard the sound of gunshots and later discovered that he had been shot in the right thigh,” police said, “The victim was transported to the Bimini clinic, where he was examined by the local doctor who listed him in stable condition. He is expected to be airlifted into New Providence for further medical attention.” Investigations are continuing.

A VIEW inside Atlantis newest restaurant - the Shake Shack.

SEC URITYofficers are being hired for Family Island clinics after an incident in May that saw a doctor and nurse held hostage following a stabbing.

Mitchell tells Bell not to respond on immigration

from page one

The Free National Movement has claimed Mr Bell superseded the authority of senior immigration officials many times.

In one case, it is claimed, he allowed 65 Chinese nationals at the British Colonial Hotel to be released despite irregularities. FNM leader Michael Pintard also claimed Mr Bell approved a work permit for someone on a restricted list a day after the person was deported for overstaying.

“We put every PLP candidate or wouldbe candidate through a module to teach folks how to be public figures,” Mr Mitchell said in a voice note. “One lesson that I shared with folk is that you ought to know how to keep your own counsel, know when to hold them, how when to fold them, know when to walk away and know when to run.

I shared in the lectures a number of experiences that I had that taught me there could be no rational discussion by a minister on immigration

in this country. The country is hopelessly split on the issue, with one side accusing the next of being

traitors, and so no minister can put a point with a logical argument within this matter.

“So you had now this recent issue of the nonnationals interdicted on a worksite in Nassau which

happens every day the Lord sends when there are rational actors on the scene. The leader of opposition Michael Pintard knows it, the former prime minister Hubert Minnis knows it and yet they would pretend that what transpired is somehow some big, unforgivable faux pas. It is made worse by the fact that there is no buffer between the decision-maker and the event.

“The rules, the conventions, the practices are the best defence. They’re neutral, they’re normative, and they work. Yesterday, the chief of the coalition, his idiots was at it again, claiming he had documents to show something amiss at the Department of Immigration. I won’t waste my time on it. You can bet your bottom dollar it’s nonsense generated by a well-known ingrate at immigration who was disciplined before for acting ultra vires of rules of the department.

“But you know the coalition of idiots, The Tribune, anything that they put down would stand still for nonsense to be written on it. The safest

choice for the PLP in all circumstances is something I said to the accused MP, keep your counsel, keep your head down, do your work, you can’t straighten out any bet with some things and the folk who oppose us are not interested in the truth. They’re bound to duty to cause confusion so let’s not fall into that trap.”

Responding to Mr Mitchell yesterday, Mr Pintard said some PLP members do not believe in accountability.

“Some members of the Progressive Liberal Party do not believe that they have an obligation to give an account of their stewardship of the work that they’re doing supposedly on behalf of the country to the Bahamian people and such a statement is further evidence of this,” he said.

“Minister Bell has an obligation to answer a wide range of questions put to him and accusations made against him by members of the public service, in whose job he has been consistently interfering, as well as members of the media and the opposition.”

GOVT AND GBPA INSPECT FISHING HOLE ROAD BRIDGE FOR SA FE REOPENING

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A JOINT inspection was conducted by the government and Grand Bahama Port Authority officials on Tuesday at the Fishing Hole Road Bridge to ensure it is safe to reopen. The causeway was closed in December 2022 for emergency remediation work to address hazardous driving conditions and an engineering issue in the road construction.

Following their inspection, recommendations were made for additional safety measures to curtail speeding at the bridge.

Mr Joy John Mwalugaja, senior traffic and transportation engineer at the Ministry of Works and Utilities, said the Grand Bahama Port Authority was also invited to inspect the bridge with them. Bahamas Hot Mix completed asphalt resurfacing at the causeway.

An oil slick and rainy conditions made the initial concrete road surface slippery and hazardous and caused motorists to slip and slide on the bridge.

In December, the Grand Bahama Port Authority became aware of the safety concerns and contacted the Ministry of Works. Both parties decided to close the bridge and open the secondary access road for motorists while the bridge underwent emergency remediation work.

Mr Mwalugaja reported

that the entire bridge road surface has been repaired to the standard where it is skid-resistant.

He said several traffic safety features were installed, including rumble strips on the approaches at the bridge.

Traffic signs with the speed limit are up in the area.

“We are urging the public to adhere to the 30mph speed limit traffic sign. No overtaking signs, and the centre line markings prohibit overtaking.

“So the public and citizens are asked to please drive safe and observe all regulatory signs and markings,” stressed the MOW official.

According to Mr Mwalugaja, there are only final touches remaining.

“The contractor is supposed to be finishing today, but we are giving him a little time to tighten up on each end of the bridge towards the roundabout and at the other end.

He said that the GBPA official recommended more road safety measures.

“We are going to instruct the contractor to add those ideas,” Mr Mwalugaja said.

The Fishing Hole Road at Hawksbill Creek connects Freeport and West Grand Bahama. A new bridge causeway was constructed to address years of ongoing flooding, especially during bad weather and hurricanes. All Bahamas Construction (ABC) was awarded a $7.2m contract in 2015 to build the causeway.

MINISTRY of Works officials including Joy John Mwalgaja (wearing all Khaki); Mr Cox from the Nassau office; Ms Toni Hudson Bannister, the officer in charge of the MOW in Grand Bahama; Troy McIntosh, deputy director and manager of City Maintenance of Building & Development Services at Grand Bahama Port Authority (wearing all black) and Bahamas Hot Mix representatives at the Fishing Hole Road bridge during a joint inspection on Tuesday.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

Ginger Moxey misspoke during her speech in the

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said he told Immigration Minister Keith Bell not to respond to recent immigration controversies because it would not be beneficial to do so.

The Tribune Limited

So much for transparency and accountability

THE words of Margaret Mead come to mind as we sit to pen this editorial.

Mead was a famed American cultural anthropologist – and while her name may not ring a bell, perhaps some of her words might.

It was Mead who notably said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

However, it is another quote of hers that dwells on the mind today. She said: “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.”

Let us turn then to the modern PLP – and examine what is said, and what is done.

In May of this year, as the current government brought forward its budget, the Office of the Prime Minister touted that it reflected “the highest ideals of governance, transparency, and accountability”.

Indeed, the Prime Minister himself, Philip “Brave” Davis, in his first speech on taking on that role, called for an end to secrecy, and a building of trust.

He said: “I also commit to lifting the veil of secrecy on that which has gone before us, so that all of the arrangements under which we have to live are transparent, and those who authored them are accountable.”

He added: “We will uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and ensure that everyone is treated fairly, so that it’s not one rule for one set of people and another for another set of people.”

Noble words, but let us turn then to the advice of Fred Mitchell given to Immigration Minister Keith Bell as he finds himself mired in recent controversies – Mr Mitchell has urged Mr Bell not to respond.

Mr Mitchell, in his typical fashion of going on the attack when the PLP finds itself on the defensive, said there could be “no rational discussion by a minister on immigration in this country”. He said one side would accuse the other of being traitors and “so no minister can put a point with a logical argument within this matter”.

Mr Mitchell is muddying the waters with this argument, of course. There is no discussion on immigration taking place. There is no policy change. Mr Bell is not being shouted down by those advocating a different approach. The discussion is about procedure, whether Mr Bell has told the truth and whether he may even have broken the law.

But for Mr Mitchell, while dismissing everyone asking for answers as idiots, The Tribune included, his advice is to “keep your counsel, keep your head down, do your work”.

So much for transparency and accountability.

Which is it? Is this an administration that is committed to the ideals set out in Mr Davis’ very first speech as Prime Minister? Or is it an administration that feels it owes no answers to the public when genuine concerns are raised about procedures that at the very least are unusual, have been suggested to be improper and may be considered to be illegal?

Consider this: The Prime Minister “may well pay political hell with voters, many of whom are angry at his administration’s smugness, arrogance and betrayal of the democratic trust, to name a few political sins”.

These lines do not refer to the current administration, but rather were written about a previous PLP Prime Minister, Perry Christie, by columnist Simon, who pens the regular Front Porch column in The Tribune He was writing in 2014 in the wake of the gambling referendum that led to a feeling he would break promises and break trust. Politically, Mr Christie paid a significant price for losing the confidence of the electorate, and was drummed out of office by voters.

In the aftermath of that election, the word arrogance was used on a number of occasions to describe the PLP, and a feeling that it had become separated from the electorate was a common observation.

Did the PLP learn its lesson from that? Or will Mr Mitchell’s advice –to ignore calls for answers from the public – lead it back along that path?

Either way, the public declarations of accountability and transparency are entirely inconsistent with a refusal to give answers on issues of public concern.

So take note of what people say, and what people do. If a government of any political colours refuses to be forthcoming on issues, do not believe that same government when it claims transparency and accountability.

No one made Mr Davis say those words in his very first speech – that was his choice. He presumably thought it was important to mark the start of his administration in such a fashion.

Now his administration has to live up to those words. Or else those words mean nothing. That too is a choice. We shall soon see which choice the government makes.

ONL INE POLL RESULT S

THE TRIBUNE’S latest online poll mentioned that the Prime Minister had said Immigration Minister Keith Bell didn’t need to resign for overseeing a citizenship swearing-in ceremony at a funeral – and asked readers: Following that and another controversy regarding workers at the British Colonial Hotel, do you think he should resign?

The majority of those voting – 88 percent – thought Mr Bell should indeed resign, with 12 percent saying he should stay in his role

Easy to f x issues at LPIA

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I HAVE concluded, perhaps disgruntedly, that there is something broken in the Customs process at LPIA. The lines in the Customs Hall are outrageous, which has been an ongoing issue even before the busy summer travel season started. I travel two to three times per month, and get caught up in the long lines on almost every occasion. Does the issue relate to the new Exempt app? Indirectly, yes; meaning that the app works fine and generally returning residents can complete their declaration forms and pay online, but the process around how Customs processes clients through the line is broken.

First, there is no real line for people with “nothing to declare” or an express line for people with just a few items to declare. Sure, Customs has a sign near one of the lines that reads “nothing to declare” but other customers also use that line. This means that someone with nothing to declare or with just a few items to declare who have already paid online can spend one or two hours in line waiting to see a Customs agent

for what amounts to a 40-second interaction with that agent. There ought to be a true Express Lane for people with nothing to declare or those with fewer than, perhaps, five items to declare who have already paid online.

Second, Customs has two lines leading to the agents with two monitors, but the call sequence from the agents is inconsistent. It seems, from my dozens of interactions with this process, that the “west line” is generally called by Agents three-eight and the “east line” is called by Agent nine (and sometimes Agent 10).

I suspect that this is because the “east line” was intended for people with nothing to declare, but the lines are not used that way. If Customs were to establish a true Express Lane, this line management process would work fine. Under the current process, it’s bedlam.

Third, Customs Agents continue to assist customs too much at their windows. I could be wrong, but I

think I have been using the Exempt app since early in the year, and Customs’ move to fully eliminate paper-based declaration forms was not an ad hoc one. The app works, if you use it, but customers wait until they get to an agent to announce that they haven’t done anything - not even downloaded the app. If Customs can establish one or two lines for people who need help setting up the app and completing their declarations, this would help the process tremendously. In summary, the Exempt app works, the online payment process works, and the Customs agents seem comfortable with the systems. Small tweaks to the process would have tremendous efficiency improvements, in my view. The simple recommendation is: three lines for returning residents. One line would be an Express Lane for people with nothing to declare or people with fewer than five items to declare, one line for people who need help, and one line for everyone else.

DORIAN D ROLLE Nassau, July 25, 2023.

Freeport and prison system

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THERE is a serious complaint about prisoners being transported to Freeport in order to attend court in a timely manner.

All the years that this situation existed, by now the government and Grand Bahama Port Authority should have come to

an amicable agreement to set aside a 10 acre parcel of land and build a small Correction centre to house prisoners who are sentenced to prison rather than the continued problem of transporting between Nassau and Freeport.

This would be cheaper and safer. It is my firm

belief that if this idea would be given serious consideration everybody would be happier, the prisoners family would be able to visit them on a timely basis.

GRANVILLE MCMINN Nassau July 20, 2023.

FLAMES burn a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece yesterday. A third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 104 degrees Fahrenheit across parts of the country yesterday following more nighttime evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days.

Photo: Petros Giannakouris/AP

Coroners inquest into Evans’ death begins again

from page one

Acting Coroner Kara Turnquest-Deveaux and jurors heard testimony from Evans’ mother, Beverly Lee, and two officers who took photographs of the scene and Evans’ body. This is the second inquest into the matter –– the first ended without resolution in March because of a juror issue.

Evans, 20, was an avid junkanooer and a member of the Shell Saxons Superstars. He was killed on Sandy Lane off McCullough Corner on May 27, 2018. His killing in the densely populated neighbourhood –– one of 11 police-involved killings in 2018 –– inflamed tensions between residents and the police. Former Prime Minister Perry Christie attended his vigil.

Evans’ relatives became distressed yesterday when Inspector Lawrence Smith revealed photographs of the man’s body, taken on June 8 as it lay in the morgue. Evans sustained gunshot injuries to his lower back, extremities and right chest.

Detective Constable Austin Bowles testified that

Campbell shows support for White Dove organisation

he photographed the scene of the incident around 10.50am the day of the killing.

His photos showed four 9mm bullet casings scattered along the road. A single bullet near a pool of blood was opposite the casings.

Ms Lee said her sister called her early the morning of the incident to say Evans had been shot.

She rushed to the scene only to find that the ambulance had left with her son.

On her way to the hospital, she encountered the ambulance but was forced to remain in the waiting room as medical staff took her son away.

Ms Lee recalled when staff told her Evans was dead. She said she only saw her son briefly as he lay in a hospital bed.

K Melvern Rolle represents the two officers in the case, Corporal Wright and Inspector Wilson.

Romona Farquharson Seymour and Ryzard Humes represent Evans’ estate.

Patrick Sweeting is marshalling the evidence.

The inquest continues next week.

M AN CHARGED WITH MURDER

OF MURRAY WALKES REMANDED

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded in custody after allegedly killing a missing person found inside a vehicle off Cowpen Road earlier this month.

Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Ashton Sweeting, 32, with murder.

Sweeting is accused of shooting and killing Murray Walkes sometime between

July 8 and 12 in New Providence.

The victim’s family reported the 34-year-old man missing on July 7.

Police found Walkes’ body in a car off Cowpen Road on July 12, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

The accused’s case will be moved to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment to be served on October 24.

Attorney Racquel Huyler represents Sweeting.

M AN GETS BAIL AGAIN AFTER ANOTHER VIOLATION OF BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN on bail for murder was again granted bail after allegedly failing to charge his electronic monitoring device four times.

Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis charged Owen Williams, 22, with four counts of violating bail conditions.

Williams initially received bail for his alleged involvement in the death of Richard Fowler in Fox Hill on February 12, 2019.

Williams allegedly failed

to charge his EMD four times between June 2 and 24.

Williams was fined $1,250 for a previous bail violation charge under similar circumstances in March.

He pleaded not guilty to his new charges.

He was granted bail at $5,000 with one or two sureties. Under the bail conditions, he must sign in at the Grove Police Station daily by 6pm.

Troy Kellman represented the accused.

The trial will begin on August 17.

BUSINESSMAN CHARGED WITH 14 FIREARM-RELATED OFFENCES

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A BUSINESSMAN who allegedly imported ten firearms and over 100 rounds of ammunition through a courier company last month was charged with 14 firearm-related offences yesterday.

Magistrate Lennox

Coleby charged Rolando Thomas, 42, with ten counts of importation of firearms, possession of firearms with the intent to supply, conspiracy to import firearms, conspiracy to import ammunition, and possession of ammunition with intent to supply.

Thomas faced an additional charge of false declaration. Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson Pratt originally arraigned him

for the same charges last month.

Police reportedly executed a search warrant on Secure Import Services off Tonique Williams Darling Highway shortly before 3pm on June 20. Thomas and others were arrested after they were allegedly found with 10 unlicensed firearms.

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

While Thomas maintained his not guilty plea, his $30,000 bail conditions were amended. He must now sign in at the South Beach Police Station every Sunday by 6pm. His trial will begin on September 21.

Bjorn Ferguson represents him.

THE WHITE Dove organisation, supported by Centerville MP Jomo Campbell, has existed for 20 years to meet the needs of inner-city youth. Every year the organisation hosts a two-to-three-month camp free of charge at Columbus Primary School, teaching martial arts, health and wellness, conflict resolution, biblical topics and academic subjects like mathematics and English.

Ending sexual violence begins with education

COMPREHENSIVE sexuality education in all schools is an absolute necessity. It is a preventative measure that can and does protect children from sexual violence in various forms including incest and rape by people known to them. The absence of comprehensive sexuality education and the ongoing refusal to implement it in all schools is not only a disservice to children and the people who have gone through the system, but an act of violence. It is withholding information that is critical for people to assess risk, make good decisions, identify acts of violence, and report threats, intimidation, and acts of violence toward them by (would-be) perpetrators. The children of this country need access to information. We need to acknowledge and respond to the fact that they will not be children forever, and they cannot be expected to responsibly participate in a world they do not understand. Providing them with information gives them the ability to make informed decisions. It does not promote or encourage recklessness. Comprehensive sexuality education does not teach children how to have sex. It increases their ability to

By Alicia Wallace

prioritise their health and wellbeing, not only when they decide to engage in sexual activity, but as they navigate relationships.

Below are ten facts that are important for us to know about comprehensive sexuality education.

1. It is scientifically accurate. It includes biology and uses the proper names for body parts including penis, vagina, vulva, and anus. Knowing these words and being able to identify these body parts is critical for children as it enables them to clearly communicate about what is happening to their bodies and report acts of sexual violence against them.

2. Contraception, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are covered. Students are introduced to condoms (both external, known as male condoms, and internal, known as female condoms), oral contraceptives (commonly

known as birth control pills), implants, injections, patches, and intrauterine devices. They are taught about pregnancy and how it happens, how it can be prevented, and which contraceptive methods also protect against STIs. It is important for young people to know the proper names and common names of STIs, the symptoms, how they are transmitted, and the available treatments. At least as important as this information is national statistics on the prevalence of STIs.

3. Comprehensive sexuality education is for all ages and curriculum is designed to be age-appropriate. Those in the first grade do not receive the same information as those in the tenth grade. Younger students are taught that their bodies belong to them, that there are good touches and bad touches, and that they can trust their own instincts and feelings about which

touches are good and which touches are bad. They are taught about consent in simple, relatable ways and given permission to say no when anything is uncomfortable, and encouraged to talk to their parents or another authority figure if someone makes them feel uncomfortable. High school students are taught more about biology, relationships, and making the distinction between sex and rape.

4. Comprehensive sexuality education has a human rights approach. It focuses on the humanity of people and does not aim to shame them for the changes in their bodies and their curiosity about sex. It affirms young people’s identities and how those identities affect the way they experience the world. They learn about discrimination and violence, and they are taught the value of empathy and being able to resolve conflict in nonviolent ways.

5. Self-determination is a critical part of the curriculum. By providing this information, young people are empowered to make their own decisions. They are given life skills that they will need and use forever. These include condom negotiation, which can be difficult for people of all ages, and firmly, confidently saying no, even under pressure to say yes.

6. Power dynamics are included in comprehensive sexuality education. Young people, especially children, need to know that people in positions of authority and older people do not get to automatically do whatever they want to their bodies. They learn that they own their bodies. They also learn that people sometimes misuse and abuse power. Adults may use age or positions such as teacher, religious leader, or relative to convince young people to do something, to not talk about something that happened, that something terrible was okay, or that no one would believe them. They need to be aware of this and to know that it is manipulation and it is wrong.

7. Discussions about healthy relationships are an important part of comprehensive sexuality education. Young people often start thinking about, observing, and entering relationships before the adults in their lives know or talk to them about it. Navigating relationships is difficult, and they need to be equipped with tools that help them to be clear about what they want, clearly communicate what they do and do not

want, set boundaries, see red flags, prioritise their own wellbeing, and get help from an adult when needed. They need to know that relationships should be mutually beneficial, should not involve pressure to do anything, and should not involve any form of violence.

8. Sexual and reproductive health and rights are deeply connected to comprehensive sexuality education. Having this information is a right for everyone. Young people need to know the age of consent. They need to know what consent means and what does and does not constitute consent. They need to know when and how they can access healthcare on their own and what that healthcare should include.

9. Gender, discrimination, and violence have to be included in comprehensive sexuality education. Gender is a factor in various parts of the curriculum including power dynamics and the legal age of consent. Discrimination is also relevant in those components. Violence is, unfortunately, always relevant and the risk of violence can change with age, gender, socio-economic status, and various other identity markers.

10. A sex-positive approach is critical to the success of comprehensive sexuality education. Sex should not be presented as bad or negative, and people who have sex should not be characterised that way either. It needs to be acknowledged that sex involves pleasure. It is not exclusively for procreation, nor is it for the enjoyment of one person. It should be mutually enjoyable. This is important as it makes clear that sex should be a good experience for the people involved and not a sacrifice that is made for or to someone else. This is helpful for people as they make a distinction between sex, which is consensual and enjoyable, and sexual violence which is nonconsensual and in many cases, though not all, does not feel good. This is not the same as encouraging sexual activity. It is providing important information that they can use to assess situations, both in the future and in the past. It is our responsibility to ensure that children are protected from predators, young people have the information and confidence to make good decisions and access to the services and resources they need, and perpetrators of violence can be identified, reported, and appropriately charged.

We cannot do this by pretending young people will be immune to their own sexuality and abstain from sex unless we acknowledge the existence of sex and sexuality. It is unrealistic to expect them to accept the directive to abstain without any further information or the explanation of other options and the related risks and benefits. Reports on sexual violence are in the news every day. There are cases of incest, statutory rape (reported in very incorrect, misleading terms as “unlawful sex with a minor”, conflating rape with sex), and rape that get very little attention unless we hear specific details. Sometimes the age of the survivor or the circumstance of the assault cause alarm and upset, but every case does not get the same response. People have become and are becoming desensitised. People are finding ways to excuse sexual violence. Rape culture continues to dominate, leading adults to blame children for being preyed upon by adults. Adults demonstrate their complete ignorance about consent every day. Young people are not the only ones who need comprehensive sexuality education, and that is obvious, but they certainly need it immediately.

Many parents are unwilling to talk to their children about sex. Many are unequipped. Many do not want anyone else to do it. What ends up happening is young people learning from other young people, and young people using the internet and turning to popular culture for answers to their questions. Depending on the sources they find, they could get accurate information, or they could be misled. We have the opportunity to ensure that they have accurate information and access to resources and services. This should not be squandered in the name of fear. Adults have to get past their discomfort, and they need to prioritise their children. The government needs to take responsibility for the education and health of the people in this country.

Comprehensive sexuality education needs to be in all schools and at all grade levels. We cannot afford the consequences of not making this decision. We need to end rape. We need to end incest. We need to end all forms of sexual violence against everyone. This begins with education, and this is the only way to truly empower the people who are at the highest risk.

AM A ZON, GOOGLE, META, MICROSOFT, TECH FIRMS AGREE TO WHITE HOUSE AI SAFEGUARDS

By MATT O’BRIEN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)

— President Joe Biden said Friday that new commitments by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other companies that are leading the development of artificial intelligence technology to meet a set of AI safeguards brokered by his White House are an important step toward managing the “enormous” promise and risks posed by the technology.

Biden announced that his administration has secured voluntary commitments from seven U.S. companies meant to ensure that their AI products are safe before they release them. Some of the commitments call for third-party oversight of the workings of the next generation of AI systems, though they don’t detail who will audit the technology or hold the companies accountable.

“We must be clear eyed and vigilant about the threats emerging technologies can pose,” Biden said, adding that the companies have a “fundamental obligation” to ensure their products are safe. “Social media has shown us the harm that powerful technology can do without the right safeguards in place,” Biden added.

“These commitments are a promising step, but we have a lot more work to do together.”

A surge of commercial investment in generative AI tools that can write convincingly human-like text and churn out new images and other media has brought public fascination as well as concern about their ability to trick people and spread disinformation, among other dangers.

The four tech giants, along with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and startups Anthropic and Inflection, have committed to security testing “carried out in part by independent experts” to guard against major risks,

such as to biosecurity and cybersecurity, the White House said in a statement.

That testing will also examine the potential for societal harms, such as bias and discrimination, and more theoretical dangers about advanced AI systems that could gain control of physical systems or “self-replicate” by making copies of themselves.

The companies have also committed to methods for reporting vulnerabilities to their systems and to using digital watermarking to help distinguish between real and AI-generated images or audio known as deepfakes. Executives from the seven companies met behind closed doors with Biden and other officials Friday as they pledged to follow the standards.

“He was very firm and clear” that he wanted the companies to continue to be innovative, but at the same time “felt that this needed a lot of attention,” Inflection CEO Mustafa Suleyman said in an interview after the White House gathering.

“It’s a big deal to bring all the labs together, all the companies,” said Suleyman, whose Palo Alto, California-based startup is the youngest and smallest of the firms. “This is supercompetitive and we wouldn’t come together under other circumstances.”

The companies will also publicly report flaws and risks in their technology, including effects on fairness and bias, according to the pledge.

The voluntary commitments are meant to be an immediate way of addressing risks ahead of a longer-term push to get Congress to pass laws regulating the technology.

Some advocates for AI regulations said Biden’s move is a start but more needs to be done to hold the companies and their products accountable. “A closed-door deliberation with corporate actors resulting in voluntary safeguards isn’t enough,” said Amba Kak, executive director of the AI Now Institute.

“We need a much more wideranging public deliberation, and that’s going to bring up issues that companies almost certainly won’t voluntarily commit to because it would lead to substantively different results, ones that may more directly impact their business models.”

While voluntary, agreeing to submit to “ red team” tests that poke at their AI systems is not an easy promise, said Suleyman.

“The commitment we’ve made to have red-teamers basically try to break our models, identify weaknesses and then share those methods with the other large language model developers is a pretty significant commitment,” Suleyman said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he will introduce legislation to regulate AI and is working closely with the Biden administration “and our bipartisan colleagues” to build upon the pledges made Friday. A number of technology executives have called

STELL AN TIS TO BUILD SECOND US ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PL AN T IN JOIN T VEN TURE WITH S A MSUNG

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis says it will build a second U.S. electric vehicle battery factory in a joint venture with Samsung.

The automaker didn’t disclose the location but said Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung SDI under its existing joint venture called StarPlus Energy.

The new plant will open in early 2027, joining a jointventure facility in Kokomo, Indiana, that’s already under construction and scheduled to start production in early 2025.

CEO Carlos Tavares said in a prepared statement that the second plant will help the company offer at least 25 new battery-electric vehicles in North America by the end of the decade.

for regulation, and several attended an earlier White House summit in May.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post Friday that his company is making some commitments that go beyond the White House pledge, including support for regulation that would create a “licensing regime for highly capable models.”

Some experts and upstart competitors worry that the type of regulation being floated could be a boon for deep-pocketed first-movers led by OpenAI, Google and Microsoft as smaller players are elbowed out by the high cost of making their AI systems adhere to regulatory strictures.

The White House pledge notes that it mostly only applies to models that “are overall more powerful than the current industry frontier,” set by recent models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and image generator DALL-E 2 and similar releases from Anthropic, Google and Amazon.

NASA POWER OUTAGE TEMPOR A RILY H A LT S CON TACT WITH SPACE S TATION

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA power outage disrupted communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station on Tuesday.

Mission Control couldn’t send commands to the station and talk with the seven astronauts in orbit. The power outage hit as upgrade work was underway in the building at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.

Space station programme manager Joel Montalbano said neither the astronauts nor station were ever in any danger and that backup control systems took over within 90 minutes. The crew was notified of the problem through Russian communication systems, within 20 minutes of the outage.

It’s the first time NASA has had to fire up these backup systems to take control, according to Montalbano. He said NASA hoped to resolve the issue and be back to normal operations by the end of the day.

NASA maintains a backup control centre miles from Houston in the event a hurricane or other disaster requiring evacuations. But in Tuesday’s case, the flight controllers stayed at Mission Control since the lights and air-conditioning still worked.

Stellantis is planning for half its U.S. passenger car and light truck sales to be battery electric by 2030.

The company wants 100% of its sales in Europe to be electric in the same time frame. No financial details of the new venture were released.

The Kokomo plant, about 60 miles (97 kilometres) north of Indianapolis will employ up to 1,400 workers and cost about $2.5 billion.

FIRS T-GEN iPHONE SELL S AT AUCTION FOR $190K — A BOUT 380 TIMES IT S ORIGINA L PRICE

A FIRST-GENERATION iPhone has sold at auction for $190,373, almost 380 times its original price of $499 when the groundbreaking device went for sale in 2007.

LCG Auctions, which hosted last week’s sale, said the 4GB iPhone model was 20 times rarer than the 8GB model released at the same time for $599. That’s largely because the 4GB model was discontinued two months after launch given customer preference for the larger memory size.

“A new bar was set Sunday night,” said Mark Montero, the founder of LCG Auctions. “We are thrilled to be a part of this fantastic record breaking sale.”

It is the third original iPhone to sell for record prices at auction in the past year.

An 8GB model sold for $63,356 in February and another 8GB model fetched $39,340 in October 2022. All were factory sealed in their original packaging.

The iPhone is one of the world’s most successful electronic products and helped make Apple the first publicly held company with a $3 trillion market value. The Cupertino, California, company reached that milestone 16 years after the first iPhones were sold.

PRESIDENT Joe Biden speaks about artificial intelligence in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, in Washington, as from left, Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services; Greg Brockman, President of OpenAI; Nick Clegg, President of Meta; and Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Inflection AI, listen. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

THIS undated photo provided by Roscosmos shows the International Space Station. A NASA power outage disrupted communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station on Tuesday. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

WASHINGTON

Associated Press

HOUSE Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct, responding to enormous GOP pressure to demonstrate support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Speaking Tuesday at the Capitol, McCarthy said the questions House Republicans are raising about the Biden family finances need to be investigated.

So far, he acknowledged, the House’s probes have not proven any wrongdoing, but an impeachment inquiry “allows Congress to get the information to be able to know the truth.”

An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment.

Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.

“We will follow this to the end,” he said, first floating the idea late Monday on Fox News.

It’s the strongest comment yet from McCarthy on a potential Biden impeachment after the Republican leader sidelined earlier efforts by House conservatives to launch such an inquiry.

With a slim majority in the House, McCarthy faces demands from Trump allies to elevate their priorities.

Trump himself questioned at a Fox News town hall last week why Biden has not yet been impeached.

McCarthy has not yet endorsed Trump, who is the GOP’s early frontrunner for president, or any

other GOP candidates. He denied a report that he is considering House votes to expunge Trump’s two impeachments as another way of showing support.

McCarthy on Tuesday gave no timeline for launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden and said he hadn’t spoken to Trump about a potential inquiry. He declined to say if he would be making a presidential endorsement.

Asked if he felt pressure from Trump, he scoffed, “Do I look like I’m under pressure?”

White House spokesman Ian Sams said the House GOP’s “eagerness to go after POTUS regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless,” using shorthand for the President of the United States.

“Instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs, this is what the House GOP wants to prioritise,” Sams said on Twitter.

Republicans in Congress have ramped up investigations of Biden and his son Hunter Biden. House Republicans are digging into the family finances, particularly payments the younger Biden received from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that became tangled in the first impeachment of Trump.

Hunter Biden has since reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to misdemeanour charges of having failed to pay income taxes for several years. He is set to appear in court this week in that case.

But Republicans continue to pursue a debunked theory stemming from the first Trump impeachment about Burisma. An unnamed confidential FBI informant claimed that

Burisma company officials in 2015 and 2016 sought to pay the Bidens $5 million each in return for their help ousting a Ukrainian prosecutor who was purportedly investigating the company.

The Justice Department launched a review of the informant’s claims in 2020 under Trump’s Attorney General William Barr. The probe was closed eight months later with insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

Still, last week, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released the FBI’s so-called FD-1023 form — with unverified claims from the informant — providing a full, public look at the allegations.

Grassley, working with House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., want further investigation.

Comer had subpoenaed the FBI for the document.

Democrats on the Oversight panel countered Monday with a four-page memo rebutting the allegations.

In the memo, Democrats point to other documents, including from Lev Parnas, a former associate of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani who claimed to have first-hand knowledge of some of the conversations and disputed the allegations. Parnas said one of the Burisma officials told him the claims are not true.

The Democrats also note that it wasn’t just Biden who wanted Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin ousted, but other Western allies were also raising concerns that Shokin was failing to investigate

corruption in Ukraine.

Biden has repeatedly said he never speaks to his son about his overseas business dealings. McCarthy’s brief comments late Monday on Fox appeared intentional rather than simple banter with the show’s host, Sean Hannity. He said that Biden’s actions are “rising to the level of impeachment inquiry.”

The speaker’s appearance came as Trump was meeting at his Bedminster, NJ, club with Ohioans including Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who would presumably lead an impeachment inquiry. A spokesman for Jordan said the visit was about unrelated Ohio matters.

McCarthy has declined to outline a timetable for launching any

impeachment inquiry and said Tuesday that the committees will continue their investigations.

The Oversight Committee is expected to hold a closed-door interview Monday with Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, who was convicted of securities fraud in a separate case. “We will continue to move forward,” McCarthy said. Republicans have complained about the administration’s slow response to some committee queries. McCarthy said that if the administration “denies us the ability to get the information we’re asking for, that would rise to an impeachment inquiry.”

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee Jaime Harrison said Tuesday in a statement that McCarthy “has made sure the House majority is little more than an arm” of Trump’s 2024 campaign.

“It’s clear that Donald Trump is the real Speaker of the House,” Harrison said. “This is another political stunt intended to help Trump.”

Trump’s first impeachment by the House, which resulted in charges that he pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens, all while threatening to withhold military aid President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to deter Russia, lasted several months in 2019. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate.

Trump’s second impeachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was swift — he was charged by the House a week later for inciting an insurrection. He was again acquitted by the Senate.

SPEAKER of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-California, talks to reporters outside his office about calls for an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, at the Capitol in Washington yesterday.

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Bahamas undefeated after marathon win

By BRENT STUBBS Senior sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After a successful opener in four sets against Curacao, the Bahamas men’s team had to go the distance in their match-up yesterday against Jamaica to secure their second win at the Senior Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Paramaribo, Suriname.

The men prevailed with a 18-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-28 and 15-11 marathon win over Trinidad & Tobago to push their record to 2-0.

The ladies’ team had another nail-biter, but suffered a five-set loss to Trinidad & Tobago in their second game. The final score was not available, but the fifth and deciding set ended up 15-12 in favour of Trinidad & Tobago.

The Bahamas was coming off a 28-26, 26-24, 21-25, 22-25 and 15-12 win over host Suriname on Monday.

“This was the first time since 2010 that the Bahamas won any sets against Trinidad & Tobago when that team also played to five sets,” said Bahamas head coach Jason Saunders on their powerhouse arch rivals in the region. “I think our girls did a wonderful job.”

Saunders, who is assisted by Glen Rolle, said this is the first time that the majority of the women are playing together.

“The core group of girls, particularly the starters, didn’t have sufficient practice sessions, so these early games are basically tools for improvement,” Saunders said.

“Hopefully by the time we get to the medal round, we will be prime and ready to go.”

Men’s national volleyball team making waves in Suriname

Jonquel, Page 15

MIKE SANDS RE-ELECTED UNOPPOSED AS NACAC PRESIDENT

By BRENT STUBBS Senior sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a successful initial term in office, Mike Sands has been returned as president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean for his second four-year term.

The election was held over the weekend during the Under-18 and Under-23 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Sands, the former president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, said he wasn’t surprised that he was re-elected unopposed, considering what has transpired since he assumed the chair and relocated the office to the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

“I’m very humble by the expression of confidence by the members to re-elect me unopposed,” Sands said.

“It suggests to me that the membership has been very satisfied with what me and the executives have done. I could not have done it alone. I could not do it without their support, so I’m very humbled in the vote of confidence.”

During his first tenure, Sands and his executives amended their constitution to keep it in line with World Athletics, the governing body for the sport.

As a result, there will be two vice presidents instead of one and they have made it mandatory that one has to be a woman.

Cydonie Mothersill, one of the top former sprinters from the Cayman Islands who is now general secretary of the Cayman Islands

Team Bahamas will play today against Barbados before they close out round robin play against Jamaica on Thursday. Their playoffs will start on Friday with the finals on Sunday. “I’m expecting for us to win both of these games and then we would go into the semifinal, win that

game and go into the gold medal game on Sunday against whoever is there, more than likely Trinidad,” Saunders stated. “We had one of two miscues. Had it not been for those miscues, we could have won the game in four sets.”

The women’s team consists of middle blocker/

Women’s national soccer team making exciting comeback

AFTER a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, the Bahamas women’s national soccer team is making an exciting comeback with their eyes set on the inaugural 2023 Road to CONCACAFW Gold Cup.

The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) has kick-started the team’s training at the Roscow AL Davies Soccer Field. Under the watchful eyes of their coaches, the players are enhancing their skills, agility and tactical understanding of the game.

In a much-anticipated return to the football field, the women’s national team will play a series of matches against Grenada and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Their first match is a home game scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, against Grenada.

This will be followed by an away match against the same team on Sunday, September 24.

October will see the team play against USVI away on Sunday, October 29, with the final match scheduled at home on Wednesday, November 29.

Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the women’s national team has been putting in rigorous efforts and hours of training, displaying an unwavering spirit and determination.

The final team roster will be announced approximately a week before the competitions kick-off in September.

The road to CONCACAFW Gold Cup serves as a qualifier for the CONCACAFW Gold Cup.

This is a highly esteemed tournament within the world of women’s football.

It presents teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean with the opportunity to compete for the prestigious Gold Cup title.

The upcoming matches are seen as a significant opportunity for the women’s national team to showcase their talent and the progress they have made since their last international appearance in 2021.

The BFA is optimistic about their performance and encourages all Bahamians to extend their support to the team.

right side hitter Sari Albury, outside hitters Melinda Bastian and Brittany Bonamy, middle blocker/right side hitter La’Tavia Braynen, right side hitters Jannelle Curtis, Raechel Knowles and Venessa Sawyer, setters Laval Sands and Je’Nae Saunders (captain), middle

blocker Ashley Webb and liberos Franceska McBride and Chandra Mackey.

As for the men’s success, head coach Lloyd Davis said Team Bahamas did what they had to do.

“The team played very well. Trinidad is a pretty

SEE PAGE 15

Breezes resort ‘the top pick’ resort for athletes around world

By LEESHAN MORLEY Tribune Intern

AS international sporting events are ongoing here in New Providence, SuperClubs Breezes Resort & Spa continues to be the top pick resort for athletes around the world.

Hedda Smith, sales manager at Breezes, expressed that Breezes has unofficially become “the sports hotel due to being the choice for large sporting events over the past five years.”

The hotel has recently accommodated teams for the Bahamas Games and just over the weekend, international teams for the Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships and Invitational.

Smith went on to talk about how the hotel has been able to accommodate all of the teams coming in.

“We are uniquely suited I think for sports groups because we’re all exclusive. This means that once they pay that one price everything is included, so it will be easy for the sports teams,” says Smith.

The hotel has 400 rooms which can accommodate around 1,200 persons depending on room capacity. There is also food, recreation and entertainment

provided in the price which helps to relieve some stress from the coaches. Smith was able to elaborate on how staff have been a great help.

Due to having experience of working with teams over the past five years, the staff of 300 persons has become great assets to the hotel and have made guests feel at home by being able to accommodate them and also being flexible.

According to Smith, the hotel is doing great, and they have hit the ground running since the start of the year. Smith also emphasied that if there is anyone looking to bring in groups, they can just contact her at any time and that they can count on her.

SEE PAGE 15

ROAD RACE RBDF FUN RUN/WALK

THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force, through its title sponsor Fidelity Bank, will hold its annual Fun Run/Walk Race on Saturday, starting at 6am from Goodman’s Bay.

The runners, who will complete a six-mile course, will traverse from Goodman’s Bay and head west to the round-a-bout point at the beginning of Sandy Port bridge and return east to the starting point.

The walkers, who will complete three miles, will turn right at the round-about at Melia, travel west to the loop and return to the starting point.

Registration is $20 per person and includes a t-shirt, bag, water bottle and souse. Group rates, however, are available at $15 per person for 10 or more and $10 per person for 20 or more.

BASKETBALL

THE Bahamas Government Departmental Basketball Association played a double header on Monday night at the AF Adderley Gymnasium with the Police Crimestoppers and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture winning the two games played.

The Crimestoppers arrested the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rampage with a 93-68 rout as Michael Bain Jr led the attack with 20 points. Kemsey Sylvester scored 21 as the MOYSC paraded past the Airport Authority Avengers 95-78.

HEDDA SMITH

WINNING WAYS: Bahamas men’s national volleyball team members celebrate their victory yesterday at the Senior Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Grand Bahama teams win the Bahamas flag football nationals

By MALIQUE WALLACE Tribune Intern

THE Bahamas Flag Football Assocation took its national championship to Grand Bahama over the weekend and president Bianca Lee noted that she was extremely pleased with how everything turned out.

Lee said they hadn’t had nationals since 2018 and were very excited about the event which saw teams from Grand Bahama and New Providence competing against each other.

There were both male and female styles of play that took place during the championship.

She said that both leagues had a regular season and the winning teams of those seasons teams battled it out for the title.

The New Providence team in the women’s league are the Carol Contractors Avengers.

And for the men, it was the EDLC Lions.

Lee explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had two years of no play, but returning in 2022 they were blessed with 11 teams - five male teams and six female.

After this season, there are four other teams that are interested in joining the league for the 2024 season. There will be a tournament called the Heroes tournament October 7-8.

Last year, there were 21 teams, including teams from the Cayman Islands, Abaco, Freeport and New Providence.

And finally, this year, there is the possibility of a Mexico team joining Bahamas Flag Football as well as teams from Italy and Amsterdam.

BARKLEY, GIANTS SETTLE ON 1-YEAR DEAL WORTH UP TO $11M

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD,

N.J. (AP) — Saquon Barkley and his contract are not going to be a distraction in training camp for the New York Giants.

The two-time Pro Bowl running back and the Giants surprisingly came to an agreement on a oneyear, $11 million deal on Tuesday as players reported to camp and looked forward to getting back to the playoffs for the second straight year under coach Brian Daboll.

Those plans seemed in jeopardy for the past week as the Giants faced the prospect of their star back missing camp. Barkley was unhappy having a franchise tag put on him in March and his mood probably didn’t improve on July 17 when the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a long-term extension. It

meant Barkley would have to play for the $10.1 million value of the franchise tag, if he chose to play.

There was speculation he might sit out all of camp and maybe even miss some of the season. That would have been a major disruption because Barkley is well liked by teammates and fans and his absence would have forced Daboll to constantly field questions about him. The coach doesn’t like to discuss missing players.

The concern ended Tuesday with the Giants confirming Barkley signed his franchise tender. The potential value of the contract was bumped up to $11 million with $909,000 worth of incentives, a person close to the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Giants did not release the incentive details.

“Obviously we are glad we were able to work things out with Saquon,” general manager Joe Schoen said in a statement. “We all recognize the player and person Saquon is and what he means to our team. He is a good teammate, a leader and a really good player. We are looking forward to getting on the field tomorrow.”

The Giants did not make Barkley available on Tuesday. Emails to his agents Ed Berry of Creative Artists Agency and Kim Maile of Roc Nation Sports seeking comment were not immediately answered.

The Giants and Barkley, who is entering his sixth season, cannot discuss a new contract again until the end of this season. New

York maintains the right to franchise him again in 2024.

Barkley ran for a careerbest 1,312 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season in helping the Giants (9-71) make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He also shared the team lead in receptions with 57.

The $11 million salary puts Barkley among the NFL’s highest-paid running backs. San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey ($16 million) New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara ($15 million), Tennessee’s Derrick Henry ($12.5 million) and Cleveland’s Nick Chubb ($12.2 million) are the top four earners among running backs in average annual salary.

Barkley’s injury history was a concern during negotiations. He was spectacular as a rookie out of Penn State, rushing for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 91 passes for 721 yards and

four more TDs. An ankle injury caused him to miss three games in 2019. The devastating injury was a season-ending torn ACL in the second game of the 2020 season, and he wasn’t the same player coming off the injury in 2021, rushing for 593 yards. He returned to form in 2022.

Barkley was one of six players franchised after last season. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson got a five-year, $260 million contract. Washington defensive lineman Daron Payne got $90 million over four years and Jacksonville tight end and former Giants player Evan Engram received $41.25 million in a threeyear deal. Barkley and fellow running backs Josh Jacobs of Las Vegas and Tony Pollard of Dallas didn’t get deals in a market where the value of running back has fallen dramatically. Pollard signed his tender offer. Jacobs did not.

NEW York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) warms up before an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

A VIEW of the teams as the Bahamas Flag Football Assocation took its national championship to Grand Bahama over the weekend.

MEN’S CHAMPIONS - EMR Skyes, of Freeport, Grand Bahama, won the men’s national flag football title.

Aruba captures another gold as Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships close

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ARUBA added the 16-under title to the 12-under crown as they outduelled Puerto Rico in the two matches as the Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships came to a close on Monday.

Following their 11-0 whitewashing of Puerto Rico in the 12-under gold medal game at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, Aruba with their fans rolled into the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium where they pulled off an 8-1 rout for the 16-and under title.

Unlike the 12U, where the top two teams advanced to the Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series at Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri in two weeks, the 18U was for bragging rights.

It was an invitational tournament where teams got to display their skills before a number of visiting baseball scouts from high school, college and the pros.

The Bahamas, whose 12U team ended up in fifth place, saw their 16U team claim the bronze medal with an 8-2 decision over North Netherlands.

But the day didn’t go without incident as their playoff game earlier in the day against Puerto Rico was marred by a hour anda-half interruption due to the ejection of manager Greg Burrows Jr.

Greg Burrows Sr, the commissioner for Babe Ruth Caribbean, admitted that it was an incident that should not have occurred, but it didn’t in any way diminish the success of the tournament.

“Everything went according to plan,” Burrows said. “We look forward to next year, if the Bahamas Government allow us to do it. If they do, it would be more

under a Caribbean banner. We want to get that aspect of the tournament off. But I was pleased with what happened.

“A lot of people who were here were pleased with the hospitality, they felt the competition was tough, so overall, I was very pleased with what happened.”

In providing a brief description that resulted

in his son getting ejected from the game, Burrows Sr said Burrows Jr asked the umpire, Dave Canister from Curacao, in the first inning not to allow the Puerto Rican player to play with a band on his head. He took it off to bat, but eventually put it back on. Burrows Sr said when Burrows Jr questioned Canister to ascertain why the Puerto Rican player

was still wearing the band, the umpire ejected him from the game.

Burrows Sr said he and other officials went on the field to question Canister, who didn’t feel it was the right place or time. Canister, a 60-plus yearold who indicated that he had more than 40 years of officiating all around the world, had a slightly different story.

“After the first pitch, the Bahamas manager asked for time and he told me that the pitcher had something on his head that he could not use,” he said. “I told him from what I see, it’s not white so he could continue because he was not disrupting anything. So let’s continue to play ball. “He (Burrows Jr) went back into the coaches’ box and the inning went by and we

came to the second inning and he came back with the same issue. I went to the pitcher and double checked it and I told him (Burrows Jr) that there was nothing wrong. I told him he could wear it, let’s play ball.” Canister said Burrows Jr came back and protested again in the third and he advised him to continue. They went to the fourth and Burrows Jr returned and this time he was ejected. Burrows Jr refused, claiming that the umpire could not eject him. After Burrows Jr refused to leave, a three-man protest committee that included Burrows Sr approached Canister to ascertain what transpired. After giving an explanation, Canister told the committee that the only way they would continue is if Burrows Jr is removed from the stadium because of the ejection.

After insults were hurled at him, Canister subsequently walked off the field. After consulting with umpire-in-chef Andrew Burrows, the umpire eventually returned to official the conclusion of the game, despite the fact that Burrows Jr was still in the stadium.

Puerto Rico held on for a 6-5 win. Burrows Sr, however, refuted claims that the Bahamas team and officials were quite unruly and the incident erupted into a fight behind closed doors in the locker room behind Burrows Jr and Canister, who has made an official report that has been circulated to the media.

The loss put The Bahamas into the bronze-medal game, while Puerto Rico got into the gold medal game. Aruba beat North Netherlands 5-3 in the other playoff game to book their ticket in the gold-medal game, sending North Netherlands into the bronze-medal game.

OHTANI BUZZ DOMINATES MLB TRADE DEADLINE, EVEN IF SMALLER DEALS ARE MORE LIKELY

By DAVID BRANDT AP Baseball Writer

PHOENIX (AP) —

MLB’s trade deadline is rapidly approaching on August 1 and with less than a week remaining, it’s sometimes hard to figure out which teams are the buyers and which are the sellers.

Could two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani be on the move from the Los Angeles Angels? Could the New York Mets and San Diego Padres — two hugely disappointing teams with some of the game’s highest payrolls — really turn into sellers?

Few scenarios seem too far-fetched.

The sport’s expanded 12-team playoff bracket, which was introduced last season, means that at least 20 teams have legitimate playoff aspirations more than halfway through the season. However, that doesn’t mean all of them will be buyers.

Take the Arizona Diamondbacks: They were the darlings of the National League for much of the first half of the season, ascending to the top of the NL West for a big chunk of June. But a 5-13 mark in July has sent them spiraling back to the pack.

Entering yesterday’s games, they were one of five teams in the NL — including the Cincinnati Reds (55-47), Miami Marlins (54-47), Diamondbacks (5447), San Francisco Giants (54-47) and Philadelphia Phillies (53-47) — that are in an incredibly close race for the league’s three wildcard spots. And the calculus changes daily.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said the communication with general manager Mike Hazen is constant.

“Mike’s like my second wife — we talk every day on the phone,” Lovullo said.

“We talk about everything under the sun involving the Arizona Diamondbacks. That’s our job. We have some easy conversations and we have some aggressive conversations. That’s just how we are.

“I try to give him a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening in the dugout. He’s got some decisions he needs to make.”

OHTANI’S FUTURE

Ohtani is in the final year of his contract with the Angels, who have had

some good moments this season but at 51-49 through Monday are far from a certainty to make the postseason. It doesn’t help that fellow superstar Mike Trout is on the injured list with a broken bone in his wrist.

It’s unclear whether Ohtani would be willing to re-sign with the Angels during the offseason, so owner Arte Moreno could instead trade the 29-yearold, which undoubtedly would bring back a sizable haul of talent.

But the Japanese star is a one-of-a-kind talent who can’t be replaced — on the field or when selling tickets.

BIG MONEY, LITTLE RESULTS Money can’t buy everything in baseball — just ask the Mets and Padres.

Mets owner Steve Cohen is spending upward of $350 million for a team that had a 46-53 record through Monday’s games. With that in

mind, it feels like the Mets could part with some veterans — like reliever David Robertson or outfielder Tommy Pham — who would be useful pieces for just about any contender.

The Padres cost nearly as much and have been nearly as disappointing at 48-53. General manager A.J. Preller hasn’t been shy about making big deals in the past, so it’s fair to wonder if pitchers like lefty starter Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader might be available for the right price. Both are free agents after this season.

PITCHING A PREMIUM

Pitching is almost always a hot commodity at the trade deadline, and this year is no exception.

The disappointing Chicago White Sox could be shopping Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito while the St. Louis Cardinals might move Jack Flaherty, Jordan

Montgomery or reliever Jordan Hicks.

Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman has had a great year and could be a gamechanger for a contender.

The same goes for Detroit Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who has a 2.69 ERA over 14 starts.

OTHERS TO WATCH

— It makes sense that the last-place Colorado Rockies would be sellers at the deadline. They’ve got a few veteran bats like C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk who could provide some pop.

— The New York Yankees could use another good bat or two as they continue to fight in the brutally tough AL East. Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger or Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario could be good fits. Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP with the Dodgers, has had a great bounce-back year in Chicago, batting .319 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs.

ARUBA’s 16U championship team with their medals and awards.

SHOHEI Ohtani

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP: Players from the 16U gold, silver and bronze medal teams pose together at the Babe Ruth Caribbean Championship yesterday at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

PUERTO Rico’s 16U runners-up team.

Roadrunners Track & Field blaze through an epic AAU

ANOTHER track and field season has come to an end with the Roadrunners Track & Field Club blazing their way through an epic performance at the annual AAU Club Championship in Orlando, Florida.

Known for hosting the fastest and fiercest youth from national and international destinations, the AAU Championships is a great way for athletes to test their mettle against international athletes and to close out their season with peak performances.

The AAU Championships is also a great way for athletes to gain exposure and prepare themselves for international competition, especially the ones that are looking to make national teams.

What is also great is that it is very inclusive of younger talent, allowing the younger athletes to participate in any event of their choosing, including the longer races like the 800 metres and 1500 metres that are often excluded from certain age divisions at local meets.

Out of 221 entrants and teams, the Roadrunners club came in an impressive 42nd place beating out over 80% of the competition.

For some of the athletes, it was their first time travelling and many of them are celebrating new personal bests and other personal achievements.

In the female divisions, the club secured three finalists - A’karee Roberts, Tamia Taylor and Chyanne Hepburn.

A’karee Roberts won three gold medals in the

800m and 1500m and along with her team, secured 1st place in the 4x400m.

Tamia Taylor finished 6th place overall in the 400m and also won gold with her team in 4x400m.

Chyanne Hepburn took 2nd place in the 400m and along with her relay team, came in 4th place in the 4x400m.

The overall scores for the club in the female division:

Age 8 under girls 14 of 26

Age 11 girls- 20 of 44

Age 12 girls- 32 of 45

Age 15-16 girls- 8 of 48

The club’s male division boasted two finalists - Shawne Ferguson and Ashley Demeritte.

Shawne Ferguson placed 5th overall in his 100m and 100m hurdles respectively and 6th in the 200m. He along with his team placed 5th in the 4x100m.

Ashley Demeritte competed as a finalist in the 800m and secured 5th place along with his team in the 4x100m.

The overall male division scores are as follows:

Age 10 boys- 33 of 36

Age 13 boys- 25 of 48

Age 14 boys- 47 of 50

Age 15-16 boys- 40 of 49

Head coach Dexter Bodie and his assistant coaches are proud of what the athletes were able to accomplish at this competition.

“It is always a win when athletes can travel, acclimate to different temperatures, environments and time schedules and still be able to execute during competitions both mentally and physically.

“Unlike local meets, you never know what the other competitors are capable of,

so it is always a surprise and a delight seeing the athletes take on the competition and face these challenges with 100% of their abilities.”

Bodie is also very proud of his assistant coaches and the endless amount of hardwork they put in to see the athletes come this far.

“Their dedication to planning and commitment to each individual athlete’s goals is impressive and inspiring,” he said.

After the team’s successful week of competition, they closed out with a bit

of fun together at Orlando’s various theme parks.

The coaches and the athletes put in a lot of hard work over the past season and enjoyed some muchneeded relaxation.

The athletes’ hard year of work will be honoured at the club’s annual awards and presentations banquet later on this year.

The Roadrunners Track and Field Club is looking forward to greater things in the next 2023/2024 season when practice sessions resume in the fall.

PHILIPPINES SHOCKS CO-HOST NEW ZEALAND 1-0 FOR ITS FIRST WIN AT THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

By STEVE MCMORRAN AP Sports Writer

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Philippines made history at its first Women’s World Cup with its first goal and first win yesterday, holding on under pressure to upset cohost New Zealand.

The New Zealanders only five days earlier had celebrated their first win in six trips to the Women’s World Cup.

Sarina Bolden scored the historic match-winner in the 24th minute and goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel — one of 18 United States-born or based players in the Philippines squad — produced a tireless performance to

frustrate New Zealand as it desperately tried to rally. For the tournament co-hosts, the jubilation that surrounded their 1-0 win over Norway in the tournament opener and transformed a rugby-mad nation into one suddenly besotted by soccer, melted away too soon. A victory over Philippines would have meant New Zealand was the first of 32 teams at this World Cup to advance beyond the group stage. But after conceding Bolden’s goal against the run of play, New Zealand was unable to recover. It had enjoyed 80% of possession before Santa Clara-born Bolden scored from the

Philippines’ first shot on goal.

New Zealand ended with 67% of possession and 14 shots on goal to the Philippines’ three, but couldn’t find an equaliser, let alone a winner.

Hannah Wilkinson went close on a couple of occasions and Jacqui Hand hit the post in the 64th.

In the cruelest blow for the home team, Wilkinson crossed in the 68th to Hand, who headed into the net for what appeared to be goal. But a review showed Wilkinson was a fraction offside and the goal was disallowed. For the rest of the match, McDaniel was a sentinel in front of the Philippines’ goal.

“I’ve got everyone else’s tears all over my eyes, it’s so emotional,” Philippines coach Alen Stajcic said.

“You saw how long New Zealand had to wait for its first win — six World Cups — and (for Philippines) to get it today was incredible.

“We made our own luck but we also had a lot of luck. New Zealand were on the front foot the whole game and deserved something. But football is cruel sometimes.”

When the final whistle sounded after five minutes of added time in which McDaniel pulled off two outstanding saves, there was only joy and celebration for the Philippines. Their fans were numerous

— New Zealand has a substantial Philippines population — but apart from Bolden’s goal when they gave full voice to their support, they had been subdued; afraid it seemed to tempt fate.

Those fans must have watched some of the second half through their fingers as New Zealand pressed forward on attack and tested McDaniel with shot after shot.

At the end they let their cries of joy rise out of Wellington’s Sky Stadium and into a fine but cool Wellington night.

New Zealanders, so optimistic after the win over Norway, were briefly shaken, silent but at last

the saluted their team. A loss was unexpected but not terminal.

Switzerland and Norway had a 0-0 draw later Tuesday in Hamilton in a result that leaves all four teams in Group A still able to advance.

The Swiss lead with four points, New Zealand and the Philippines each have three and Norway has one. New Zealand will play Switzerland and Philippines is against Norway on Sunday. New Zealand’s match in Dunedin is sold out, making it a third consecutive capacity crowd as New Zealanders embrace soccer and the Ferns in unprecedented numbers.

BRINGING HOME THE MEDALS: The Roadrunners Track & Field Club show off their medals won at the annual AAU Club Championship in Orlando, Florida.

KNOWN for hosting the fastest and fiercest youth from national and international destinations, the AAU Championships was a great way for the Roadrunners to test their mettle.

DOUBLE DOUBLE! JONQUEL JONES POSTS 13 POINTS AND 17 REBOUNDS, LIBERTY ERASE 18-POINT DEFICIT TO BEAT STORM

NEW YORK (AP) —

Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, Sabrina Ionescu had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for her fourth career triple-double and the New York Liberty overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to beat the Seattle Storm 86-82 last night.

Jonquel Jones contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds for New York (17-5).

Jewell Loyd scored 22 of her 32 points in the

New York’s Ionescu secures her 4th career triple-double

first half for Seattle (4-19), which has lost a franchiseworst 10 straight games. New York trailed 55-37 with 5:55 left in the third quarter. But the Liberty scored 11 straight points during a 15-2 run to get within 57-52 after 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney.

Stewart sank a jumper from the free-throw line with 2:52 remaining in the fourth to give New York its first lead, 74-72, since it was 30-28 in the first half.

Sami Whitcomb answered at the other end with Seattle’s 10th 3-pointer.

Whitcomb gave Seattle a 77-76 lead on a shot in the lane, but Jones banked in a wide open 3-pointer at

Men’s national volleyball team undefeated after marathon victory

FROM PAGE 11

good team. We went five sets and came out with the win,” said Davis, who is assisted by Tonny Simon and Augusto Sabbitini.

“The tournament is wide open. There’s no dominant team here. “So we’re right in the mix and have a very good chance to win it.”

As they prepare for their final round robin game in the tournament today against Jamaica, Davis said they have to improve on their performance in the service box.

“Our service is not consistent,” he said. “We’re probably the best serving team out here, but we are not consistent.”

Davis said if they are successful against Jamaica, they will win their pool and head into the playoffs. And with a good chance of getting into the medal round.

The men’s team is made up of captain and middle blocker Byron Ferguson Jr, middle blockers Shonari Hepburn and Donovan Wilmott, libero Jamaal Ferguson, setters Renaldo Knowles, Je’Vaughn Saunders and Gaege Smith, right side hitter Eugene Stuart and outside hitters Jesse Delancy and Prince Wilson

Also travelling with the teams are Lanza Miller as a referee and Kurkwood Greene, who is the head of the delegation.

SANDS RE-ELECTED UNOPPOSED AS PRESIDENT OF THE NACAC

FROM PAGE 11

Athletic Associations, was elected as the female vice president and will serve along with Garth Gayle, the president of the Jamaican Amateur Athletic Association.

The immediate past vice president was Catherine Jordan of Barbados, who chose not to seek re-election.

The other new addition to the returning board is Trevor Wells of Barbados as treasurer. The previous treasurer did not seek re-election. There are two females and two males elected to serve as council members, as stipulated in the ratified constitution.

“We have a mixture of veterans and young people, who make up the executive board,” Sands pointed out. “This bodes well for the future for NACAC.”

The new executive board will not officially take office until the completion of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, August 27-26 as the previous executive board will be allowed

to participate in the Congress of World Athletics during the championships.

“We have already started talking and while I may have a strategic plan for the way forward, I will share it with them,” Sands said.

“We will ask for the imput of all the elected members because they were elected on the basis of their canvassing membership for their votes.

“So there’s no longer an individual goal objective. We have to now put together a strategic plan, based on the newly elected members and what their vision is for NACAC so that there is an all-inclusive plan going forth for the next four years.”

Sands, however, said it is the intent to solidify the New Life Invitational as a staple event in the Bahamas and Grand Bahama, in particular, as it becomes a part of the circuit of events for the NACAC region, similar to what is being done on the European circuit. This will help to continue to bring the sport in the region.

the other end to give New York the lead for good. Laney finished with 19 points.

Ionescu was just 2 of 14 from the field, but made all six free throws to help secure her first triple-double of the season.

Ezi Magbegor had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and Whitcomb, in her second straight start,

added 11 points. Rookie Jordan Horston did not play due to personal reasons.

Loyd, who scored 12 points in each of her past two games, made five 3-pointers to help Seattle lead 45-35 at halftime.

Loyd didn’t make a field goal in the second half until the closing seconds of the fourth.

TEAM Bahamas’ girls are on the board as they won today over Dominican Republic at the ITF/ COTECCU-12 Sub Region 3 competition in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Caitlyn Pratt won 6-4, 6-1 in the number one spot and Danielle Saunders won 6-7(2) 6-2, 7-6(5). In the doubles, Marina Bostwick and Caitlyn Pratt won in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.

On Monday the team played DR 1 and lost 0-1.

The rebound win yesterday will be a boost as they play their final match today against Puerto Rico. The winner of that match will join the DR 1 in the U12 finals.

The girls’ team of Saunders, Pratt and Bostwick is captained by coach Paula Whitfield.

Team Bahamas’ boys had a rest day yesterday.

On Monday, they played DR but lost 0-3. The team will continue in round robin play today against Puerto Rico.

The Bahamas boys’ team consists of Chase Newbold, Kingston Rees and Cameron Ferguson.

The captain is coach Philip Major.

“The BLTA congratulates Team Bahamas’ girls on a great win yesterday and wishes both the boys and girls all the best as they play Puerto Rico today.”

GOOD EFFORT: The Bahamas women’s national volleyball team at the Senior Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Paramaribo, Suriname.