08072020 NEWS AND SPORT

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The Tribune

Volume:117 No.175, AUGUST 7TH, 2020

Established 1903

Weekend

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

OBITS OFFICIA

WEEKEND: STUDENT’S A STAR AT SCHOOL AND HER COMMUNITY

INSIDE

23 PATIENTS GET VIRUS ON WARD

Single Sandilands employee passes on COVID as health officials deny PPE shortage

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Public Hospitals Authority confirmed yesterday that 23 people have tested positive for COVID19 on the male ward of the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

PHA said this happened after a staff member who worked across three wards at the institution tested positive for the virus. Six of the positive cases are symptomatic; the other 17 are asymptomatic, PHA said.

“All affected patients are now being cared for on isolated wards,” PHA added.

“Aggressive sanitisation of wards at the institution continues as scheduled.”

It is not clear when the patients were tested and when their results were confirmed.

Yesterday’s COVID-19 dashboard indicated there were 10 new confirmed cases: seven in New Providence, two in Bimini and one in Abaco.

The dashboard also indicated one new case in hospital, increasing the figure from 18 to 19.

The country now has 761 confirmed cases overall.

To minimise the spread of SEE PAGE THREE

THE Bahamas yesterday became the only country in the English-speaking Caribbean to receive a level four travel advisory from the United States indicating that US residents should not travel here because of the “health and safety measures and COVID-19 related conditions”.

Most other countries in the region received a level three advisory which advises US residents to

reconsider travelling to those places.

The Bahamas is joined by a list of regional countries that include Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guyana and Cuba.

The country recorded ten confirmed cases of COVID19 yesterday, including seven on New Providence, two on Bimini and one on Abaco. There was one additional hospitalised case for a total of 19. This pushed the nation’s total to 761.

The United States SEE PAGE FOUR

IF THE ANIMALS COULD TALK TO FARMER MINNIS

SEE PAGE EIGHT

GB LOCKDOWN EXTENDED BY 12 DAYS

BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson announced yesterday the lockdown implemented in Grand Bahama will be extended to August 19.

According to official data released yesterday, there are some 336 confirmed COVID-19 cases in GB. Additionally, there are approximately 900 people in quarantine and 310 in isolation to date on the island.

SEE PAGE THREE

US PUTS BAHAMAS ON ‘DO NOT TRAVEL’ LIST

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

L SOUR CE

FAMILY GRIEF AS MAN IS SHOT DEAD

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

TOADASAURUS

NEARLY 400 cane toads have been caught as the battle against the invasive species continues. Read the full story of the fight on page seven.

A FAMILY has been left grieving after their loved one was fatally shot on Wednesday afternoon.

The deceased was identified by his sister as 46-year-old Rhodrigo Gray, who mostly lived in Nassau but was from Exuma.

Police did not release information about the murder until Thursday morning, hours after the man was shot.

SEE PAGE TWO

LUCIANO’S STAFF WILL RECEIVE THEIR CASH

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

FORMER staff members of Luciano’s have threatened to take legal action over severance pay, but a spokesperson for the popular high-end eatery says it’s a “non-issue” that will be taken care of in the weeks ahead.

The restaurant first closed its doors in March when the COVID-19

pandemic hit The Bahamas, jolting the economy to a stand still. Sadly, after a ten year run, it never reopened for business and some 72 employees were informed of the closure shortly before reports of the same hit the media in May. They were not given severance pay at the time information of the closure was given to them.

George Meyers and Susan Lawrence are the chief shareholders in Luciano’s restaurant.

HR Solutions is the company that manages Luciano’s.

“We are out here with no money,” said a former staff member, speaking to the Tribune on behalf of the disengaged staff.

“We are speaking to a lawyer on this. They paid off all the foreigners who worked there, but the Bahamians are not being paid,” the worker alleged.

SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

COCOONING IN THE TIME OF COVID

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Family grieves as man is gunned down

RHODRIGO GRAY from page one In a release, police said shortly before 3pm, a male driver of a Honda Edix was parked in front of a residence on Pine Yard Road and was awaiting the return of his passenger when a burgundy Nissan Cube pulled alongside his vehicle.

“A male passenger exited the Cube, he produced a handgun and discharged it in the direction of the driver injuring him,” the release stated.

“The gunman returned to

the vehicle and the driver sped off. The victim was transported to the hospital by the Emergency Medical Services where he later succumbed to his injuries.”

A police investigation is ongoing.

His sister, who asked not to be named, said she learned her brother was shot Wednesday afternoon, but did not know why the 46-year-old was at Pine Yard Road.

“No, I don’t even know (why he was there) that’s what we trying to find out right now. We still trying to find out the story as to why he was there because we don’t even know,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

“My sister called. We

wasn’t quite sure. We wasn’t 100 percent sure of the information as yet but that’s when my sister called me and she tell me to see if I could find out if it was true.”

His sister said the news is a “blow” for the family.

“That’s a hard pill to swallow right now. It’s really hard on them, especially my mom because that’s her only son,” she said. “Everybody could say he was a fun caring loving person. Alway cracking jokes.”

Mr Gray leaves behind four children.

Anyone with information on this killing is asked to call police at 919, 5029991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.

JAILED FOR SPITTING IN STRANGERS’ FACES

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 51-year-old man who said he spat in the faces of two strangers because that’s what he felt like doing at the time was sentenced to two months in prison yesterday.

Owen Strapp appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with two counts of assault, after he spat at Kevin Robinson and Michael Johnson on August 4.

The court was told Mr Robinson was in the parking lot of Home Fabrics on Carmichael Road, when he got into a verbal altercation with Strapp. The prosecution said it was at that time that the defendant spit saliva in Mr Robinson’s face.

That same day, Mr Johnson also went to the Carmichael Road Police Station to file a complaint against Strapp. In his report, he told officers he was at the Royal Bank of Canada Carmichael Road branch when an unknown male approached him without a face mask. Mr Johnson said the man then made a disturbance, before spitting in his face. Both men requested police action, and as a result of their complaints, Strapp

was arrested.

After pleading guilty during the hearing yesterday, Strapp told the magistrate he had “no reason” to spit at the men, but did so because that’s what he “wanted to do at that period of time.”

In response, Magistrate Forbes noted the defendant did not seem “remorseful” for his actions, but instead, appeared to be “prideful” about the ordeal.

As a result, he sentenced Strapp to two months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. He also fined Strapp $500 for failing to wear a face mask in public at the time of the incident.

After sentencing Strapp, Magistrate Forbes told him he was fortunate the men he assaulted that day did not retaliate. Strapp agreed.

Yesterday, Renaldo Williams, 35, was also charged after he was accused of assaulting his mother and threatening to kill her on July 30.

He denied the allegations during his hearing before Magistrate Forbes and the matter was adjourned to October 8 for trial.

Bail was denied and the defendant was remanded into custody in the interim.

He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 3

Luciano’s staff will receive their cash from page one “From May until now, nothing. If you decided to close your company, then why you didn’t just pay us our money when you made this decision? Luciano’s is a restaurant that has made millions of dollars. Where did the staff money go?

“We went to NIB to see if we could get some money, but NIB said there was no money there for us and sent us back to check with Luciano’s. . .Now we are in a position when we (are) getting turned around from this company and cannot get anything.

This is so unfair, but this is what Bahamians are going through in this country, today. It’s like we have no rights.”

The Tribune contacted Sonja Toote, proprietor of HR Solutions, who said she normally does not speak to the media and could only offer commentary after speaking with the restaurant’s shareholders. She later returned a call to The Tribune.

“So far, from where I sit it’s a non-issue as far as them being concerned if something was paid or isn’t paid,” Ms Toote said.

“Three weeks ago they have already started picking up their vacation pay.

I know one of them who expressed being angry in the past, he is one of the first ones who came in to get his vacation cheque.

This is just our people and our culture, they rattle up the crew and they are the first with the double standards. The seat that I sit in, I am quite aware of what’s going on.

“Once they calm down, they will come in and apologise and say they are not a part of this or that. It does

THE CLOSED gates at Luciano’s. not matter to me. We are here to do what we have to do for them and this is the way we are going to do it.

It’s not like we are saying, ‘no, we don’t have anything for you’. Yes we do have something for them. It’s been acknowledged and we are not running from anything. We never said that they won’t receive anything.

That was never said.”

Ms Toote also said despite concerns, NIB contributions for the staff have been paid. She said if the staff went to receive benefits and

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff were turned down, it could only be because they did not qualify.

“Nobody was held back from receiving NIB payments because of lack of contributions being paid from the company,” Ms Toote continued. “Everything was done for everyone to receive funds from NIB due to COVID-19. If they didn’t get it then obviously they didn’t qualify. As far as vacation pay is concerned, I have been issuing vacation pay for the last three weeks from my office. We emailed

everybody and those who didn’t come in right away we sent out a second email to them or got on the phone and called them. So that’s not a problem or has it been an issue.

“As far as the payout is concerned, we are still looking at that. Some of the people we spoke to already. . .(know) what they will be receiving. So that will be something that once we go back in next week into the office, I will be speaking with them on those payments. We will then reach

out to the staff letting them know what is what. I will be telling them how much they will be receiving first.”

Speaking to negotiations on the payouts, Ms Toote indicated that even if one follows the guidelines on coming up with a figure, there are always perceptions of what it should be.

“Our key is wanting them to come in one by one and have that conversation. We will send out a general email and they will be invited in and we will

share with them, individually. As soon as they see the payout and say they are accepting it then I am sure within a week after they say ‘yes’ and I have to gather the information to send in to Luciano’s shareholders, they will be paid.

I am sure it will be a week after.”

Asked if there was a reason why the staff was being paid ‘piecemeal’, Ms Toote said she could not answer that and indicated that it was the decision of the shareholders.

GB LOCKDOWN EXTENDED BY 12 DAYS from page one Minister Thompson, during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport, stated that after consultation with health and other officials, it was decided the lockdown implemented from July 23 to August 7, would be extended.

“This decision was taken in order to continue the slow and controlled community spread of COVID-19 on GB,” he said. “The extension of the lockdown is necessary in order to save and protect the lives of the residents of GB.” Dr Frank Bartlett, coordinator of the GB Health Services COVID-19 Task Force, reported that a total of 1,038 swabs have been completed to date on GB. Of the 336 cases, five deaths have occurred, he said.

In evaluating the impact

of restrictions after completion of one incubation period or 14 days quarantine, he indicated that GB’s cases have not shown a decline.

“The current assessment revealed that a downward trend in the number of cases we have seen in GB has not been established. There is still not strict compliance to public health and social distancing measures that are in place,” he said.

Dr Bartlett noted the public health measures and social distancing measures, along with lockdowns, have proven to be effective.

He explained that based on changes in clinical indicators, such as hospitalization, ICU admissions, number of positive cases, a determination is made as to whether the restrictions and other measures are required to curtail the increase in positive cases.

“Daily patients are assessing our healthcare system with symptoms that are compatible with COVID-19.

“Challenges with the response to increasing hospitalizations are impacted by the hospitalisation of COVID suspects, which are surpassing the number of patients we have that are non-COVID,” he said.

He indicated ICU bedcapacity for the past two months has been at 100 percent, or near 100 percent.

“This becomes important because if we do have a COVID-19 person that needs critical intervention we would not have the capacity to deal with that person,” Dr Bartlett said.

Minister Thompson is urging residents of GB to stay home and follow the health guidelines protocols.

He stressed that residents should not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.

“We are again pleading

23 PATIENTS GET VIRUS ON WARD from page one COVID-19 across its hospitals, meanwhile, PHA said it has implemented visitor restrictions.

Meanwhile, lab technicians at Princess Margaret Hospital became the latest group of healthcare professionals to walk out of the institution amid concern about safety.

Stephanie Braynen, a senior lab technician, complained that lab techs are often the last to be informed about COVID-19 issues affecting the hospital.

She said workers do not have proper personal protective equipment. “You

close a ward, but the lab is not informed,” she told Eyewitness News yesterday. “We are very, very, very upset with management because we’re the last to know. They give us one mask per shift. We don’t have proper PPE. The same coat the phlebotomists go on the wards with are the same coats they come back down in the lab and mingle with the rest of the staff. If they was exposed, then all of us is exposed.”

In a general statement yesterday, PHA branded reports that there is a lack of PPE to support healthcare workers “false and malicious.”

“As a matter of

infectious disease protocols, the PHA via its supplies management agency secured and continues to restock elevated quantities of PPEs to equip persons across the entire health care system inclusive of hospitals and clinics in New Providence and the Family Islands,” the PHA said. “At no time was this resource under threat and as a matter of standard operating procedures the supply levels of PPEs is closely monitored. The authority finds it regrettable that some would seek to generate false reporting which can only be designed to engender panic amongst members of the public.”

with residents to stay at home. That is the only way we will be able to curb this pandemic and ensure that we have a successful destination after we’ve completed this.

“An extension of the lockdown is not something that would have been

preferred, but it is absolutely necessary. We must work together to stop the spread of the virus on GB I think residents in advance for their cooperation,” he said.

In terms of food assistance, Senator Thompson stated that some 5,366

vouchers were distributed by the GB Food Task Force, which will continue to provide vouchers to residents in need during the lockdown.

He reported that 1,202 vouchers were distributed yesterday on Grand Bahama.

PAGE 4, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

PAHO DONATES EQUIPMENT AND TESTS TO HELP FIGHT THE Pan American Health Organisation presented the Ministry of Health with equipment and COVID-19 tests to assist in the fight against the disease.

The donation included laboratory equipment, COVID-19 tests, laptops, mobile phones and modems. A handover ceremony was held at the ministry yesterday.

Minister of Health Renward Wells thanked PAHO/ WHO representative to The Bahamas Dr Esther de Gourville, who oversees the PAHO/WHO Country Office for The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organisation

PAHO/WHO representative Dr Esther de Gourville with Minister of Health Renward Wells.

Photo: Derek Smith/BIS (PAHO), have established and continue to maintain a robust partnership,” he said.

“With over 40 years of experience in coordinating relief efforts, distributing supplies,

deploying expert personnel and helping countries advance their healthcare systems, the proficiency of PAHO is truly appreciated here in The Bahamas. The commitment and experience that PAHO offers, especially during times of emergency, is colossal.”

Mr Wells said that the donation from PAHO of two GeneXpert machines and 1,800 test cartridges would considerably increase the country’s incountry diagnostic testing capacity and ability to deliver timely results.

Also, the donation of six Samsung Galaxy A20 mobile phones and three Alcatel 4GLTE mobile Wi-Fi hotspots would aid in technical connectivity.

During the ceremony, Dr de Gourville, gave a brief description of the donated equipment, utilising a pictogram to explain how the items could be used.

“The laboratory equipment is ideally suited to low workload or acute care settings to provide rapid real time PCR test results within 45 minutes. Three sites are being equipped by PAHO: Princess Margaret Hospital and Flamingo Gardens Clinic in New Providence and the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama.

This will expand the country’s COVID-19 testing capacity and increase the number of persons that can be tested daily. The same donated laboratory equipment can be used in future

by the MOH for tuberculosis, hepatitis and influenza testing,” she said.

She said the donation of communication equipment is to be used in the ministry’s COVID-19 contact tracing programme, which is being expanded in response to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. She also confirmed commitment to provide technical advice and support to the country’s ongoing COVID-19 outbreak responses in the areas of laboratory testing, surveillance, risk communication, mental health and infection prevention and control.

PAHO has also launched an infection prevention and control training course for 35 Bahamian health care workers.

concerns that there are more infected people in the community.

“People walking around here with symptoms and shame to tell people, exposing everyone,” a local told the Tribune.

Attempts to reach health officials on the issue have not yet been successful.

However, when contacted yesterday, island administrator for North and Central Abaco Terrece Bootle-Laing denied claims information is being withheld, saying test samples are being sent “immediately” to the capital for further processing.

“I am in communication with the health officials and those who manage (the

dashboard) and exactly what you see on the dashboard is what I’m privy to and they are monitoring the situation,” she said. “…As it is, once persons exhibit any symptoms, they present themselves or the medical team made contact with them because of their possible exposure and they are tested, and those samples are sent into Nassau immediately and they await for the competent authority and the medical COVID team there to release the results of the test kits.”

She added: “So far, all of the samples taken for the individuals in Abaco who have been tested or being demitted to Nassau and but once they are completed

with their test kits, they release to us and we are guided by the numbers on the dashboard.”

“Anything else is not available to me in terms of what the public assume or what the public may think they have privy to. I don’t go on assumption, I go on consultation and numbers and I work hand in hand with the medical teams to get information that they are prepared to release to my office.”

When asked how many people are in quarantine on the island, Mrs BootleLaing said just before Hurricane Isais she was informed that some 100 people on Abaco were under quarantine.

Customs officers in quarantine SEVERAL customs officers in Abaco have been placed under quarantine after a worker was reportedly exposed to a COVID-19 positive patient on the island, prompting officials there to close the Customs Department at the Leonard M Thompson International Airport on Thursday.

Customs Comptroller Dr Geanine Moss confirmed to The Tribune that some three customs officers were placed on a two-week quarantine on the island after being in close contact with a co-worker, who recently had been displaying some COVID-19 symptoms.

The worker, she said, is the roommate of a positive COVID-19 patient.

The Tribune understands the confirmed patient had tested positive for the virus earlier this week and had to be flown to the capital after experiencing severe symptoms.

The patient is currently being hospitalized, The Tribune was also told.

Health officials announced a new case for Abaco yesterday, but did not provide details. According to the latest dashboard, the Abaco chain now has 21 confirmed cases: 10 in Moore’s Island, nine on Great Guana Cay and two on mainland Abaco.

Yesterday, Dr Moss maintained that none of the other officers have displayed symptoms thus far.

“I have not gotten any reports that anybody else

is positive,” Dr Moss said when contacted by The Tribune.

“As far as I’m concerned, the only person who is displaying any kind of symptoms is the roommate to the person who tested positive. None of the officers are displaying symptoms. However, because they were in close contact, they have been advised to stay at home and the surveillance unit has been in contact with them speaking to them about the protocols they should follow.

“It’s not many of them, it may only be three…

This place (the airport) is being deep cleaned this morning..”

Sources close to The Tribune say officials are still awaiting the test result of the customs officer to decide whether or not to close the local airport, which is currently undergoing deep cleaning.

The Tribune also understands that officers there are concerned about a possible outbreak on the island, which is still experiencing challenges as a result of Hurricane Dorian last September.

“They said she was sick from last week,” one local, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Tribune. “She was working at (Marsh Harbour) dock and was transferred to the airport on Tuesday. She (allegedly) called in sick (Wednesday) because she wasn’t feeling well. The

results of (her roommate) were supposed to come out Friday, but I heard they came out Tuesday and she had to get flown out.”

There have also been

US PUTS BAHAMAS ON ‘DO NOT TRAVEL’ LIST from page one meanwhile has nearly six million confirmed COVID19 cases and more than 150,000 deaths.

The US advisory came as both the United Kingdom and Switzerland added The Bahamas to lists of countries from where people must quarantine for 14-days upon arrival.

The latest US travel advisory came as the United States, in conjunction with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, lifted the global level 4 health advisory that had been in place since March 19.

The US State Department announced that it has returned to its previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice as health and safety conditions improve in some countries

while deteriorating in others.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for the Bahamas due to COVID-19,” the US advisory says. “Travelers to The Bahamas may experience travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures, and other emergency conditions within The Bahamas due to COVID-19.

The advisory also maintained previous warnings about crime in The Bahamas - much of which is grossly out of date.

Yesterday, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Daniel Durazo explained the rationale behind the advisory update.

“With conditions improving in some countries while potentially deteriorating in others, the department has

returned to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travellers detailed and actionable information they need to make informed travel decisions,” he said in a statement to The Tribune. “We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when travelling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.

“Under this return to country-specific levels of travel advice, the travel advisory for The Bahamas is now Level 4 (do not travel), due to health and safety measures and COVID-related conditions; US citizens are advised to exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime (the same as before the pandemic).”

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 5

Tributes paid to Black Tuesday veteran Walkes

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party stalwart councillor Effie Walkes, famed for her role in Black Tuesday, died yesterday at the age of 96.

Ms Walkes, a political activist of her era, is known for the vital role she played in organising Black Tuesday, an event that led to Majority Rule.

PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis, mourning the loss of one of the party’s faithful soldiers in a tribute, referred to Ms Walkes as the guardian of the legacy of Black Tuesday.

“Today I mourn the passing of a freedom fighter and a significant personality in the local struggle for civil rights and social justice in the name of Effie Walkes,” Mr Davis said.

“Blessed with long life and a courageous and fighting spirit, Ms Walkes was an ardent supporter of the progressive movement and is distinguished with being the only female member of the planning committee of the events that marked the iconic Black Tuesday in April 1965.

“Ms Walkes would later become the guardian of the legacy of Black Tuesday. In classic Bahamian oral tradition, Ms Walkes would be called on to tell the story of Black Tuesday for many years to come as the PLP celebrated and reflected on the journey to Majority Rule and the modern political development of The Bahamas. Ms Walkes’ political activism made her a powerful and influential role model for other women in politics.”

Mr Davis said like so many of the country’s “freedom fighters”, Ms Walkes was an unsung hero who sacrificed much in the struggle for social justice and equality. He said the country has a solemn responsibility to memorialise her life and work and defend her noble legacy.

Former Prime Minister Perry Christie remembered Ms Walkes as a “personal,

political and ideological guardian” who kept him grounded during his years of leadership.

“I am equally proud of her singular legacy in the many social enfranchisement campaigns of the PLP - against racial and economic injustice; and in particular, her instrumental hand for women’s suffrage, majority rule, and throughout her life, the empowerment of ordinary Bahamians,” he said.

“It is well known that Effie was the only female member of the planning committee of events that marked Black Tuesday. It was her superb judgment about human and institutional dynamics that settled the PLP leadership’s confidence in her. Her unique impulse was an understanding of how to amplify an idea, a moment, a person, a movement. She could be a verbal sword.

“Effie kept me grounded.

There is no price that one can put to her devotion once she had decided upon you. . .May she rest in peace.”

Member of Parliament for Englerston Glenys Hanna Martin touted Ms Walkes as playing an integral role in the planning of Black Tuesday. In her tribute she said Ms Walkes was brilliant and indefatigable.

“It is with a profound sense of loss and sadness that I have learned of the passing of the legendary, beautiful Effie Walkes,” Mrs Hanna Martin said.

“Effie Walkes was brilliant, indefatigable, hugely articulate (oftentimes with brutal frankness) and fearless.

She was part of that army of men and women who courageously confronted the powerful oligarchy and boldly resisted injustice and oppression in our country.

“I came to bond with her in her latter years when she adopted me and brought me into the embrace of her wise counsel. She and I both made history when, from her wheelchair and at 93 years of age, she moved in the 53rd National General Convention my nomination for leader of the Progressive Liberal Party.”

Mrs Hanna Martin said she admired Ms Walkes’ “vivacious spirit”.

“It is indeed a sight to see a 90 plus year old, confined to a wheelchair, ready to get up and fight yet another righteous cause,” she said.

“It is because of people like Effie Walkes that I love the Progressive Liberal Party.

Effie was famously the only woman in the room when that historic high level meeting was held which resulted in Black Tuesday, a turning point in our political history and a forerunner to Majority Rule.

“It is reported that it was she who urged senior members to engage in radical action - something ‘dramatic’. The next day the mace went flying out of the House of Assembly window shattering on the ground below where hundreds were gathered in Rawson Square.”

Mrs Hanna-Martin called Ms Walkes a true patriot and the best of the best.

On January 10, 1967, both the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the United Bahamian Party (UBP) won 18 parliamentary seats during the general election, with the remaining two going to Randol Fawkes, of the Labour Party, and Alvin Braynen, an Independent.

Both sided with the PLP, helping the party to form the first black-led government. Mr Braynen became Speaker of the House.

January 10 is now recognised as Majority Rule Day. The events of Black Tuesday in 1965 helped pave the way for Majority Rule. During a debate in the House of Assembly on boundaries at time time, then opposition leader Sir Lynden Pindling picked up the mace, the ultimate symbol of the Speaker’s authority.

He said the mace “is supposed to belong to the people of the country and the people are outside” before tossing the mace through the window to the crowd below. This helped increase the PLP’s popularity helping the party gain more traction in the 1967 election.

FORMER FNM CHAIRMAN AND SENATOR FERGUSON DIES

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman and past Senator Johnley Ferguson died yesterday morning. He was 69-years-old.

Mr Ferguson was appointed senator in May 2007 and was elected vicepresident of the Senate. He resigned from the upper chamber in early 2011.

Born in Acklins, the former educator served as a principal in several schools throughout the country and for several years as an island administrator.

He was a candidate for the FNM in two general elections, contesting the MICAL seat in 2002, and South Eleuthera in 2007.

Current FNM Chairman Carl Culmer said he and Mr Ferguson were close friends and he would often spend time at his home in Eleuthera.

“In fact, I spoke to his son yesterday when he was in hospital…. He told me that Johnley was sick and you know we could expect anything,” Mr Culmer revealed.

“I also was with him when he was sick and was down here. He and I had many conversations and I would talk to him over the telephone many times.

“We would talk about different strategies and he would give me ideas on how to do certain things.”

JOHNLEY FERGUSON He said Mr Ferguson was one of those people that worked closely with all of the prime ministers including former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

Progessive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell released a statement yesterday noting Mr Ferguson’s accomplishments, calling him a “worthy opponent”.

“He was an educator by profession; he made his mark there before entering front line politics. He made his legislative contributions to The Bahamas as a senator. We considered him a worthy opponent. Mr Ferguson clearly loved The Bahamas and gave of his talents to facilitate its advancement. We thank him for his public service.”

EFFIE Walkes with former Prime Minister Perry Christie.

PAGE 6, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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US cheek to issue travel warning IT takes some audacity for the United States to issue a “do not travel” alert for The Bahamas because of the risk of catching COVID-19.

Yet here we are, with the US Embassy public affairs officer explaining yesterday that “the travel advisory for The Bahamas is now Level 4 (do not travel), due to health and safety measures and COVID-related conditions”.

We should note that the US is not alone in imposing restrictions on our nation. The UK and Switzerland have both added The Bahamas to their lists of countries from which travellers have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.

What is worth noting is that both of those countries have driven down their numbers of new daily cases. We, of course, are experiencing our second wave, a surge in numbers that has resulted in the two-week national lockdown we are now under.

The US, however? It still tops the world in most cases, most deaths and more. There have now been more than five million cases in the US alone, more than a fifth of the world’s total.

In Florida, there have been more than 500,000 cases – and with the spike in The Bahamas being blamed on residents from here travelling to that state and returning, bringing the virus back with them, it begs the question, is the US State Department urging residents not to jump into the fire, but rather stay in the frying pan?

Yesterday, Florida had 7,650 new

cases of COVID-19. The Bahamas had ten.

Now none of this is to say that we should be resting on any laurels – far from it. That total of ten cases is a relief compared to recent days, and we hope that continues. We know we must keep working to keep numbers to an absolute minimum. But our new cases have come from the US, it would seem, not the other way round.

We would also note that the travel advisory issued by the US warned of the dangers of crime – despite crime falling as a result of the enforcement measures such as curfews and lockdowns. Worse, some of the specific warnings are again out of date. They mention the Sand Trap as an area of concern – there’s been nothing in that area for years now.

We sincerely hope there is no part of this warning that is in any way a titfor-tat measure in response to The Bahamas’ earlier measure of stopping commercial flights from the US. Indeed, we hope that as neighbours and major partners, there would be understanding of any measures needed to stem the spread of the virus.

There is nothing we would like better than to see the US replicate our early success in defeating the first wave, and hopefully emulating our efforts to suppress a second wave. After all, there should be no rivalry to see who is dealing with this better – rather we should learn from one another so that we can all succeed. The only enemy here is the virus.

Time for Minnis to be ousted EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT seems that our system of governance has devolved into a discretionary representative democracy.

Politicians get elected claiming they will represent the interests of the people and somewhere along the way they seem to only represent their own interests.

I don’t know when it happened, but it has been that way for decades.

Over the past four months, I have taken great pains to listen out for representatives articulating the concerns of their constituents during this COVID-19 crisis; I am still listening to no avail! Every constituency office I have seen post election is consistently closed, while some of the people’s representatives heartily endorsed

the prime ministers unforgettable statements that governments sometimes have to make unconstitutional decisions!

I am not aware of one government MP (without a personal political agenda) questioning the two-tier system the government has freely abused to the advantage of a well connected select few, over the destitute, oppressed many. Nor have I heard one MP (without a personal political agenda) highlight the consistently cognitively deficient, unscientific and disjointed decision making of the prime minister with the detrimental socioeconomic affect of those decisions on their constituents and the country.

If more of these MPs did their jobs they would

Premature opening of borders EDITOR, The Tribune.

hear the cries of “we can’t take no more”, from many of their constituents. But if they listened really closely they would find that people have no confidence in this prime minister and if they really represented their constituents’ interests, they would have no confidence in him either. This would lead the honourable and rational, if they still exist, to do one thing.

If the FNM desires to save their ship during this storm, they must throw Jonah overboard, for he serves no useful purpose.

They still have a chance, because for now at least, the people still have no appetite for the PLP! JB Nassau, August 6, 2020.

THE Competent Authority and his disjointed cabinet made the decision, collectively, to prematurely open the nation’s borders and to permit Bahamians to travel in and out of the USA (inclusive of hot spot areas like Florida) and to re-enter the country without being tested or quarantined if the travel period was less than 72 hours.

Within days we noticed an upward tick in the number of confirmed cases of the pandemic, especially in the Grand Bahama area where scores, if not hundreds of Bahamians were allowed to flock overseas via a fast ferry boat.

Some say that they had to travel to the USA to prepare for back to school items. Others say that they had to seek medical attention. Others just wanted to get away and chill. For whatever reasons, it is clear that this second surge directly resulted from the intemperate decisions made by the Competent Authority and his crew...

Big Time.

At least two or three recent deaths have been attributed to travel to the USA after the borders were reopened. It is reported that a woman and her daughter living in Grand

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Bahama travelled to Florida recently and upon their return they are suspected to have exposed close to a dozen or more of their relatives to the disease. No one is sure just how many other persons might have been exposed unwittingly.

There may well be blood on the collective hands of this administration and cabinet if additional Bahamians who would have travelled to the USA were to die from COVID-19 related issues that were contracted after travelling. In my opinion the Competent Authority and his ministerial colleagues made a bad judgment call and now the entire nation is being resubmitted to a national lock down through no fault of the majority of Bahamians, but as a direct result of this inept crew.

The FNM spin doctors and there are not that many of them any more will try as much as they like to cast the blame for this second surge on ordinary Bahamians, but the buck stops with them collectively and at the desk of the Competent Authority in particular.

From the early months of this year they all knew of the pandemic, but did next

to nothing to prepare for the inevitable onslaught.

Duane Sands has gone home as Minister of Health, but he too is to be blamed for gross miscalculations and preparations. Before his resignation (or involuntary expulsion) from cabinet he was to be seen all over the place waxing about this and about that.

Now, he’s picked up his marbles and gone home.

Minnis in my view wanted to get rid of Sands a long time ago but waited for the right opportunity.

Sands, it was claimed, facilitated six or seven individuals coming into the country with no related COVID deaths. Minnis and his kitchen cabinet – as I understand it – allowed scores of Bahamians, if not hundreds to simply waltz over to the USA for no good reasons and now we are in excess of 700 known infections.

Surely, the Competent Authority and his yes men/ women should shoulder more blame than Sands and they should come back to the people now if they dare.

Bahamians cannot and will not take much more of this halter-skelter regime. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE Jr, Nassau, August 4, 2020.

Trump reduces US to Third World EDITOR, The Tribune.

IN MY opinion US President Donald Trump, who is going through many twists and turns to be re-elected President of the United States, has certainly succeeded in reducing the status of the US presidency to third world status.

Imagine a US rapper like Kayne West seriously thinking that he is sufficiently qualified to campaign for president of the United States. He probably

thinks that if Trump can do it, so can he!

I wonder if before Trump came on the world stage — with his apparent difficulty of telling the truth — whether in his wildest dreams Kayne would have thought that he had the knowledge, experience and background — except, perhaps a fast-foot shuffle – to bring anything of worth to the world’s deliberations?

I was in such disbelief on hearing that such disrespect was

to be another burden for Americans — and the world — to bear that I did a bit of research to find out who this man Kayne was. The following is what I found: Born in 1977, he is “an American rapper, production, and fashion designer… he has been a frequent source of controversy for his conduct at award shows, on social media, and in other public settings, as well as for his comments on the music and fashion industries, US politics

and race.”

And, believe it or not his wife, Kim Kardashian, equally well known in the entertainment world, says that her husband suffers from bipolar disorder — “brilliant, though complicated”, says his wife, as she struggles to try to save their tumultuous marriage.

To think that there is any American who would entertain this travesty to represent them before the world forum is indeed an insult to this once great

country.

I pray that on November 3, Americans will have the wisdom to elect as president a man who has experience, will know what he is doing, understands world affairs, will understand the important position of his country in the world’s deliberations and is able to recognise truth when he sees it!

TIRED OF THE NONSENSE Nassau, August 4, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 7

Nearly 400 invasive cane toads caught

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

NEARLY 400 cane toads have been caught as the battle against the invasive species continues.

The Bahamas National Trust in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environmental Health and the Best Commission have captured 392 toads as of July 21.

The species, now established in Western New Providence, is harmful to humans and even deadlier to pets, especially dogs.

Scott Johnson, science officer, Avian and Terrestrial Matters, Bahamas National Trust, told The Tribune that the species was

ONE of the captured cane toads.

“The cane toad task force first discovered in Lyford Cay in 2013 and has now began in 2013,” Mr Johnson made its way to the Old said. “There was a lull in Fort Bay area. the cane toad numbers at

first, but numbers picked up and the task force had to be reinstituted in June 2020.”

Although the task force found the toads in Western New Providence, it did a full investigation of the entire island of New Providence and found no trace of toads in other areas.

“The area that we caught them is in Old Fort Bay,” said Johnson. “We found them in the plaza area not too far from Venetian West.

From what we know with the toads, they were found in that area and outer wall of Charlottesville and at a lot near Windsor School.

“Before locating them in the west, we went around and checked various parts of the island and found nothing there. We have only found them in that area in the western part of

the island. Our find in the west includes eggs, tadpoles, adult toads.”

Johnson said that the population of toads in Lyford Cay is being regularly monitored. He also said there is a strong possibility that they could have been transported to the Old Fort Bay area by landscaping, or vehicles or there is the random chance that due to the close proximity of Lyford Cay to Old Fort Bay, the toads could have just dispersed there on their own.

“These cane toads are toxic,” he said. “They produce bufotoxin which is a potent toxin that affects the heart. It can be problematic to humans. And, the creatures that are most at risk are native wildlife and pets, especially dogs.

“If you see a cane toad

you should not panic. You should not try to chop it with a machete either due to the bufotoxin that it will squirt. You may want to call the Department of Environmental Health or the Department of Agriculture.

It is very helpful if you can take pictures and send them in so we can confirm that it is actually a cane toad because we have come out and it was just large frogs.”

Mr Johnson said the cane toads are easy to catch.

He said one should put on gloves and place the toads in a plastic bag. The bag, he said, should be put in the freezer for 48 hours in order to euthanize the creatures.

At this point, Mr Johnson said the chances are the task force might never fully eradicate the toads, but they will be monitored regularly.

‘WE NEED ANSWERS ON COVID-19’ MAN JAILED OVER ILLEGAL GUN

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Customs, Immigration & Allied Workers Union officials say union members want better communication from government officials on efforts to protect workers from contracting COVID-19.

The union’s comments to The Tribune came hours before the Immigration Department revealed only six workers have tested positive for the infectious disease and not 30 as “inadvertantly” suggested this week by Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson.

In late July, Bahamas Customs Superintendent Tyrone Sands told this newspaper at least one customs officer was COVID-19 positive. Officials confirmed to The Tribune yesterday that several customs officers in Abaco have been placed under quarantine after a worker was exposed to a COVID-19 positive patient on the island.

“From our standpoint, my colleagues in the Immigration Department have said to me and the Customs Department that we have no difficulties seeking to work, it’s just whether we have reasonable equipment to better protect ourselves,” BCIAWU president Sloane Smith said yesterday.

“You may still get sick but at least give ourselves a fighting chance and I think that’s the concern of the doctors as well. The idea is they have no difficulty functioning, but the concern is they want the best possible equipment and I think that’s across the board in the service where people have to interact.”

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson told reporters that “no less”

than 30 officers had tested positive for the virus. However, in a statement released yesterday, Immigration Director Clarence Russell sought to clarify Mr Johnson’s remarks, noting that only six workers had tested positive for the disease to date.

He said Mr Johnson had “inadvertently categorised 30 immigration officers who are quarantined as having tested COVID-19 positive.”

In an effort to help worker’s safeguard against the virus, Mr Russell said the department has activated its COVID-19 prevention protocols and had secured personal protective equipment for its workers.

“In March, the department developed a business continuity plan following safety and social distancing protocols. The department has also acquired standing sanitising stations and customer friendly protective shields at all high traffic enrolment stations and cashier cages,” he said.

“Infrared thermometers have been installed for staff temperature checks and sanitising sterile fogging measures have been conducted, which will continue weekly. The department maintains an inventory of PPE gowns, disposable masks, face shields, hand sanitiser and disinfectant cleaners for customer and staff protection in the work environment.”

The statement was issued hours after Mr Smith spoke to The Tribune, revealing that members had not been notified by immigration officials on exactly how many workers had tested positive.

“We do know by virtue of talking to some of our members the status of some persons, but that does not in any way say we know the exact numbers,” he said.

“You would think that

the government certainly, as these officers are on the frontline that they would say to us what is happening.

That is a part of their obligations of our contract, to advise exactly what is going on at all points.”

He continued: “We understand the challenges that government is tasked with and we also know the limitations that they may have but what cannot be lost in all of this is we wish to work with our leaders, but at the same time there are some fundamental things that ought to be given the workers and the work environment that seeks to mitigate potentially life threatening event that is COVID presently.”

The union leader also said he would like to see a training manual implemented on COVID-19 safety protocols for all government agencies. “(The Prime Minister) asked the labour movement to put together a training manual, a training process to better deal with all of these persons who are going to be confronted with this pandemic head on,” he noted.

“And that’s all of the agents I named previously and not only that but even in the tourism industry.

The idea is to do training obviously through Zoom and other mediums so that the whole community who is going to interact with the Bahamian populace is aware of this level of training so we can better help the government manage this COVID matter.

“And that is something still on the table. I believe the prime minister is allowing the labour movement to pursue it. It’s just a matter when we are able to do this in light of the recent lockdown and what have you.”

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 24-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday sentenced to 15 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to illegal firearm and ammunition possession.

He is the brother of the man who attempted to plead guilty for the same crime to protect his mother on Wednesday. At the time, the family of five were remanded into custody after they denied being in possession of an unlicensed silver and black .380 pistol and five unfired rounds of .380 ammunition on August 3.

When the charges were read again a day later during a hearing before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, Shane Davis Jr admitted to the offences while the rest of his family maintained their not guilty pleas.

Yesterday, the court was told officers, acting on information, proceeded to a residence on Alexander

Boulevard to conduct a search. During their investigation, officers found the illegal firearm and ammunition in a dresser drawer in a bedroom. The prosecution said Davis Jr occupied the room where the gun was found, but was not present at the time. He was contacted by phone, but drove past the residence while officers were there. Officers pursued the defendant but were unsuccessful in apprehending him at the time.

Davis Jr turned himself in a short time later. In an interview, he said he got the gun from “one of his boys” who was involved in an “incident” and had dropped the firearm off at his house. He said the rest of his family was not aware the gun was in the home.

During the hearing, Davis Jr was represented by attorney Krystal Smith. She noted her client had turned himself in on the same day and insisted he was “full, frank and forthcoming”.

She said the incident Davis

Jr mentioned during his interview with the police, involved a relative and friend. Mrs Smith said the defendant sought to conceal the weapon to prevent the death of anyone he knew, after he learned about a feud that had taken place.

After listening to the plea in mitigation, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt asked Davis Jr why he would allow someone to use him as a storage for their garbage.

She also noted the defendant bore the brunt of the consequences and his friend was not even present at the hearing. As a result, she sentenced Davis Jr to 15 months behind bars.

She ordered him to pay a $6,000 fine. If he fails to do so, he will spend an additional 12 months in custody.

Meanwhile the charges were dropped against his brother Craig Delevaux, 30, and other relatives Shane Davis Sr, 55; Ashley Robinson, 27; and Miriam Thompson, 51, who were arraigned on Wednesday.

PAGE 8, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

If the animals could talk to Farmer Minnis IN THE days following the outbreak of COVID-19 at the Grand Barn, many areas of the Farm started to deteriorate quickly.

Farmer Minnis held a meeting on a Friday and told all the animals that he would lock down the farm for the weekend starting on Saturday.

“No more than FIVE animals at weddings or funerals!” Farmer Minnis said, causing the sheep and goats who had planned ceremonies to baa, bleat and boo in displeasure. When the animals learned Farmer Minnis allowed a visiting group of American Boulonnais to throw a spectacular wedding feast with teams of horses, swimming pigs, Junkanooing flamingos, no masks and no social distancing, some went mad.

“Why do they get special treatment?” the hens clucked. “Why can’t we do what the visitors can on our own farm?” the bulls bellowed. That’s when the Andalusian, that fancy horse who controls the comings and goings on the farm, stepped forward and neighed: “It was I who gave them permission. But pay that no mind, I’ll do the same for you -but probably not - if you ask me nicely next time.”

Bravis, the Mountain Goat who led the faction opposed to Farmer Minnis and his top animals, called

A Comic’s View

By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA

a meeting and bleated: “Look how badly they treat us! Farmer Minnis must answer for this!” That’s when the top horses, all on Farmer Minnis’ team, sent the bees out to buzz about how Bravis had requested a special wedding favour for his friends too.

It was at that moment the animals started viewing Farmer Minnis and all his top animals on the farm with suspicion. Bravis and his faction were viewed with suspicion as well.

By the next week, the number of animals infected with COVID-19 had doubled. Then tripled. Then quadrupled and more.

“Where is Renny the Racehorse?” the ducks quacked.

“He’s the new farm doctor but we can’t find him anywhere!”

“Perhaps he trotted off,” the buzzards laughed. “We should too. This farm is broken and, worse still, it’s going broke!” they snarled.

The seagulls were upset because the gazillion conch they had fished up for the farm lay rotting, unsold.

For some reason, Farmer Minnis had forbade the seagulls from selling the usual way. Desmond the Draft horse, who was put in charge of the fireflies, threatened to withhold light from any animal who could not ‘pay up,’ even though many animals no longer had jobs. The Andalusian then issued - before rescindingorders barring the native farm animals from seeking a temporary escape in the farm’s hotel barns. “He only cares for visiting animals!” the dogs barked. “Why are we treated so unfairly?” they howled.

On the animals’ yearly holiday to celebrate their freedom, Farmer Minnis ordered the farm completely locked down. “You can only shop for feed three days a week. Other than that, stay in your styes, pens, dens and nests. Keep to your hills, hives, huts and holes!” he decreed. “As for the gates to the farm... uh... let’s just leave things as they are, open!”

The animals were becoming angry. Farmer Minnis

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis - or is it Farmer Minnis? had many problems on his “We can’t afford another hands. lock down!” the bulls The security boars, who bellowed. patrolled inside the farm, “Farmer Minnis, how will were getting sick with we pay our bills and rents?”

COVID-19. The warthogs, the cows mooed. who patrolled the border “We’re running low on of the farm, were getting feed donations,” the doves sick with COVID-19. The cooed. sparrows, those nursing “Too many of us are birds, were getting sick sick,” the sparrows worried. with COVID-19. The Grey “This place is a police parrots, learned in heal- farm!” the pigeons warned. ing, were getting sick with “Where are the owls?

COVID-19. Some of these Why won’t they help us?” animals left their posts, the ducks quacked. upset Farmer Minnis and The animals wanted to Renny the Racehorse were be free of COVID-19, and not protecting them from there was much confuCOVID-19. sion on the farm. So much

so that some started to listen to Stella, a foreign Grey parrot who tried to convince the animals all their healers were actually trying to kill them!

Meanwhile, the virus was still spreading fast while the top animals (including the farm doctor, Renny the racehorse) were silent.

“What will Farmer Minnis do?” the sheep baaed once again.

Then a single voice rose above the noise, “No. It’s time to ask, ‘what will we do?’”

• To be continued

READERS HAVE THEIR SAY ON ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 AFTER Bahamian retailers warned that the latest COVID-19 lockdown will be “the nail in the coffin” for multiple companies and jobs in a sector that employs more than 22,000 people, readers posted their responses on tribune242. com.

Observer2 had this to say: “Public service employees will be paid.

The government is far from broke. With $2 billion in foreign reserves, $500 million in new loans coming in from the IMF and other multilateral organisations, the issuance of tens of millions local Bahamian dollar bonds at rates significantly higher and attractive than fixed deposits to monied locals, the commercial banks awash in liquidity as there is nothing to invest in, the blocking of Bahamians moving funds out of the Bahamas for capital

account purchases, the freezing of Canadian banks taking profits out of the country by dividend.

“My argument is that the government is very wealthy. Actually they are crying poor mouth while their paychecks are wired to their bank accounts, their cars are filled with free gas and their entertainment allowances continue while entertainment has ceased.

They just don’t care about the working class. In fact I think they feel the middle class is ungrateful for all they are doing for them.

They also know, no one will vote for their visionless leadership in 2022.”

That prompted this response from Moncurcool: “Sadly your argument doesn’t hold water. A loan does not make you wealthy, you have to pay it back.

Foreign reserves are not owned by the government, they cannot just walk into the Central Bank and take the money. And every bond is a loan that they have to pay back. All the loans show that the government is broke and has to borrow money to survive.

“Additionally, the civil service, which makes up the government, is made up of middle class people – I would think that paying them each month means the executive branch of the government cares about the working class. The sad truth though is that this visionless leadership is better than what Philip Davis offers. Better for the FNM to dump Minnis and let

Turnquest lead.”

There was this comment from Wisdom4: “This second lockdown will definitely hurt working class families and local business.

Sad to say, this virus is NOT going anywhere. Why can’t people understand that?

The only solution is to continue to practice social distancing, wearing masks and healthy hygiene to prevent spreading of the virus.

“People already struggling to make ends meet.

Other nations, are NOT having an outrageous lockdown. Instead they realise this virus is NOT going away. People will need to cope with this virus and take extra precautions.

People have to take responsibility for their own health and community safety.

“The Bahamians are living in a free democracy and the government needs to have faith in its

people. Meanwhile, the economy, local business and working-class families need to go back to routine living. 22,000 people and more unemployed, jobs are being cut. Continuous lockdown will increase mental health issues. How are these lockdowns and restrictions with limited conditions helping the economy and workingclass families?”

Tell_it_like_it_is supported that view: “I agree with you. Before this silly 24-hour curfew they had the 10pm curfew (before the borders were open to the US). When the 10pm curfew was in place the virus was not spreading rapidly, even with limited testing. All businesses were allowed to open until 8pm and the virus was under control. So they know what caused the dramatic increase . . . so stop only

that and see the impact.

Why you have to stop commercial travel and all these other things when it was only commercial travel to and from the USA that caused this??? SMH.” And there was this from Truetruebahamian: “Downtown property taxes will have to be forgiven/cancelled as there has been no business - only expenses that have drained the reserves of the property owners. Businesses there are either directly or indirectly dependent upon the tourism factor and have been dead for what will soon be half of the year.

Insurances the same too.

Government will have to tax itself as that is the only functioning money making entity.”

• Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 9

Cocooning in the time of COVID

By Diane Phillips STAYING at home is changing our lives in ways we never imagined. We grew up thinking we had to go to school, get into and through college if we were able, so we could “go out” into the world and find a job and later, when we were old, be able to retire and stay home.

Suddenly, our going out into the world puts us back in the place where we started and where we are supposed to end up, plunked down in our home with nowhere to go and plenty time to get there.

Only now, for those of us who can work remotely, it’s also our office, our gym, our best and only choice for lunch, along with all other meals and it’s pretty much where everything in our daily lives happens.

So it makes a lot of sense that we are spending more money making that home our own cocoon.

Like others around the world, we are fixing up that space where we huddle safe from the invisible enemy.

We are adding personal touches, paint, new plants, pots to put them in, a fresh set of blinds, a whimsical pillow or throw.

While the

economy is suffering and the future is anyone’s guess, we’re spending a bundle making our cocoon inviting enough that we are okay with staying in it.

According to creditcard. com, we are actually spending more staying at home than we did before, averaging $182 a month more in groceries and $121 in utilities, and that’s in the US where prices are considerably lower.

As we trade that fast food lunch for yet another trip to the food store, families at the lower rung of the economic ladder who are less likely to be able to work remotely feel it the most.

More mouths to feed more times a day, more children to manage more hours of the day creates its own stress regardless of panic associated with worrying about where the money is going to come from.

Many believe we are relieving our stress by doing the only shopping that is readily available, grocery stores and pharmacies, and disbursing our pentup energy by painting and fixing.

I think there is more to it. I believe we are nesting and that’s why our cocoon

THE EMPTY streets of New Providence yesterday. is so important. If we had a DIY big box store here, we would beg, borrow or plunder Asues to buy shares.

In the US, Home Depot, which caters more to professionals, and Lowe’s, more to the do-it-yourself homeowner, have both hit the kind of record sales only matched by fleeting natural disasters.

Who would have guessed

KODI LEE

THE AMAZING KODI LEE KODI Lee is all the reason you ever need to believe that everything is possible. Kodi was born with optic nerve hypoplasia.

At five days of age, he survived life-saving surgery, emerging a tiny fighter with all odds stacked against him. He would not only grow up blind, but with autism and Addison’s disease, an adrenal deficiency so rare that it affects only one in 100,000 people.

There is no simple explanation for how this unlikely California child turned out to be a musical prodigy so stirring that the world tuned in, literally, to watch and listen in wonder.

In 15 years of the popular TV reality show America’s Got Talent, Kodi’s golden buzzer performance outperformed every single act in the show’s history, racking

up 432 million views.

Kodi fascinates and mesmerizes in a way that is hard to explain unless you understand you are looking at perhaps the only savant you will ever see, that you are witnessing inexplicable genius complemented by emotional overload. With large eyes that wander before they settle on something and a hesitation in his then-rushed speech, Kodi’s intensity makes your heart beat faster for his safety.

And when he sits down at the piano or plays the drums or his latest, tap dances, and opens his mouth to sing, he takes you along on a ride you will never forget as long as you live.

At seven, he sang Alicia Keys, by his teen years, he was playing Chopin and Bach, now at 22, with AGT’s Season 14

Championship behind him, he has signed record deals, is performing live at major venues and strikes gold when he sings and plays Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” with the same perfection as Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You”.

Something took Kodi Lee’s sight and robbed him of the many pieces that could have made him an average young man.

Instead, it left an unforgettable talent, a voice with perfect pitch, a musical photographic memory and an ability that makes him only one in 25 people in the world. Would he have developed it if his parents had not spent their lives loving him so? We will never know, but we can thank them for giving him to the world as an inspiration reminding all of us we can do better.

that a virus could make such a difference? Not since the Spanish Flu of 1918 has there been such a clean sweep of the streets with families closeted, guarding against the evil that lurks outside.

With all the together time, you’d think the birth rate would surely be months away from climbing to an all-time high, a

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff spike like the baby boom of the 1940s when men returned home from war to arms that could not wait to embrace, a fact that worked for them.

Oddly enough, researchers predict that instead of a boom, there will be a bust. A Brookings Institute study predicts a 300,000 to 500,000 drop in the number of births next year with a

higher number in 2022.

The reasons: economic loss, uncertainty and insecurity. That, of course, may or may not apply in The Bahamas where all that nesting is quite likely to produce the chirp of a new generation which, God willing, will never have to face the need to stay home when you don’t want to again, but only when you do.

PAGE 10, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

GN-2415

LOST FOR WORDS - MAY BE MORE STORMS THAN NAMES ALREADY smashing records, this year’s hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season is about to get even nastier, forecasters predict. In the coming months, they expect to run out of traditional hurricane names and see about twice as much storm activity as a normal year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration yesterday upped its seasonal forecast, now predicting a far-above-average 19 to 25 named storms — seven to 11 of them to become hurricanes and three to six of those to become major hurricanes with winds of at least 111mph (178kph).

That’s a few more storms than the agency’s May forecast. The agency increased the chance of an above average hurricane season from 60 percent to 85 percent.

“It looks like this season could be one of the more active in the historical record,” but it’s unlikely to be beat 2005’s 28 named storms because the oceans were warmer and other conditions were more conducive to storm formation 15 years ago, said NOAA lead forecaster Gerry Bell.

This year’s forecast of up to 25 is the highest number NOAA has ever predicted, beating the 21 predicted for 2005, Bell said.

Colorado State University, which pioneered hurricane season forecasts decades ago, on Wednesday amped its forecast to 24 named storms, 12 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes — all higher than their June forecast.

An average year, based on 1981 to 2010 data, is 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Lead Colorado State forecaster Phil Klotzbach said all the factors that cause hurricane seasons to be busy are dialed up, including increased storminess in Africa that seeds the biggest hurricanes, warmer water that fuels storms and reduced high level winds that kill storms .

“Everything looks ready to be a pretty huge year,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy, who said it’s likely that there will be more storms than names. There are 21 names assigned to a hurricane season. If there are more than 21 storms, meteorologists turn after Wilfred to the Greek alphabet — Alpha, Beta, Gamma and so on.

In a normal year, about 90 percent of storm activity comes after August 6, with mid-August to midOctober as peak season.

So far this year, there have been nine named storms, with most setting a record for being early. The most destructive so far has been this month’s Hurricane Isaias which killed at least nine people and left millions of people without power - though left The Bahamas relatively unscathed.

“Nine storms to this date is crazy,” Klotzbach said. Since 1995, when the Atlantic started a more active period for hurricanes, the average season has seen 12 named storms forming after August 5, he said.

RECENTLY filled graves in the Olifantsveil Cemetery outside Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday.

Photo: Jerome Delay/AP

AFRICA PASSES 1M COVID CASES - BUT TOTAL MAY BE MUCH MORE JOHANNESBURG Associated Press AFRICA’S confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 1 million, but global health experts say the true toll is likely several times higher, reflecting the gaping lack of testing for the continent’s 1.3 billion people.

While experts say infection tolls in richer nations can be significant undercounts, large numbers of undetected cases are a greater danger for Africa, with many of the world’s weakest health systems.

The World Health Organization calls the milestone a “pivotal point” for Africa as infections in several countries are surging. The virus has spread beyond major cities “into distant hinterlands” where few health resources exist and reaching care could take days.

Immediately knowing they were at a disadvantage, African nations banded together early in the pandemic to pursue badly needed testing and medical supplies and advocate for equitable access to any successful vaccine. Swift border closures delayed the virus’ spread.

But Africa’s most developed country, South Africa, has strained to cope as hospital beds fill up and confirmed cases are over a half-million, ranking fifth in the world. The country has Africa’s most extensive testing and data collection, and yet a South African Medical Research Council report last week showed many COVID19 deaths were going uncounted. Other deaths

were attributed to other diseases as people avoid health centers and resources are diverted to the pandemic.

It’s all a warning for Africa’s other 53 countries of what might lie ahead.

While dire early predictions for the pandemic have not played out, “we think it’s going to be here at a slow burn,” the WHO’s Africa chief, Matshidiso Moeti, said yesterday.

Just two African countries at the start of the pandemic were equipped to test for the virus. Now virtually all have basic capacity, but supplies are often scarce. Some countries have a single testing machine. Some conduct fewer than 500 tests per million people, while richer countries overseas conduct hundreds of thousands.

Samples can take days to reach labs. Even in South Africa, turnaround times for many test results have been a week or longer.

“We are fighting this disease in the dark,” International Rescue Committee expert Stacey Mearns said.

In addition, Africa has just 1,500 epidemiologists, a deficit of about 4,500.

African nations overall have conducted just 8.8m tests since the pandemic began, well below the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s goal of 13 million per month.

Africa likely has at least five million infections, said Ridhwaan Suliman, a senior researcher at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He believes the true number in South Africa alone is at least three million.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 11

NRA leader spent $0.5m on trips to Bahamas NEW YORK Associated Press NEW York’s attorney general sued the National Rifle Association yesterday, seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organisation out of business over claims that top executives illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips including to The Bahamas, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures.

Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, filed in Manhattan state court, highlighted misspending and self-dealing claims that have roiled the NRA and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, in recent years — from hair and makeup for his wife to a $17m postemployment contract for himself.

“It’s clear that the NRA has been failing to carry out its stated mission for many, many years and instead has operated as a breeding ground for greed, abuse and brazen illegality,” she said at a news conference.

“Enough was enough. We needed to step in and dissolve this corporation.”

Simultaneously, Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine — like James, a Democrat — sued the NRA Foundation, a charitable arm of the organisation designed to provide programs for firearm safety, marksmanship and hunting safety, accusing it of diverting funds to the NRA to help pay for lavish spending by its top executives.

In a statement, NRA President Carolyn Meadows labeled James a “political opportunist” who was pursuing a “rank vendetta” with an attack on its members’ Second Amendment rights.

“You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle,” said Meadows, who announced a countersuit by the NRA in federal court in Albany that could set the stage for a drawn-out legal battle lasting well past November’s election.

The New York lawsuit made only civil claims, but James said the investigation was ongoing and any criminal activity discovered would be referred to prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service.

The NRA’s financial troubles, James said, were long cloaked by loyal lieutenants but became public as deficits piled up. The organisation went from a nearly $28m surplus in 2015 to a $36m deficit in 2018.

James argued that the organisation’s prominence and cozy political relationships enabled a culture where nonprofit rules were routinely flouted and state and federal laws were violated. Even the NRA’s own bylaws and employee handbook were ignored, she said.

NATIONAL Rifle Association executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre.

Though it is headquartered in Virginia, the NRA was chartered as a nonprofit in New York in 1871 and continues to be incorporated in the state.

Republican Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson sent a tweet defending the NRA, saying if New York doesn’t want it, then the organisation should “move south, where people respect and value the Second Amendment. Arkansas would be a natural home.”

The Washington, DC, attorney general’s office has been investigating the NRA Foundation for more than a year. It said its investigation determined that low membership and lavish spending left the NRA with financial problems and so it exploited the foundation to remain afloat.

“Charitable organisations function as public trusts — and District law requires them to use their funds to benefit the public, not to support political campaigns, lobbying, or private interests,” Washington Attorney General Karl Racine said in a news release.

His lawsuit sought not to have the NRA destroyed, but to have a court-appointed monitor supervise financial transactions and a trust created to recover money diverted from the foundation.

The New York lawsuit also named LaPierre and three other current and former executives as defendants: corporate secretary and general counsel John Frazer, retired treasurer and chief financial officer Wilson Phillips, and LaPierre’s former chief of staff Joshua Powell. While the lawsuit accuses all four men of wrongdoing and seeks fines and remuneration, none of them have been charged with a crime.

LaPierre, who has been in charge of the NRA’s dayto-day operations since 1991, is accused of spending millions of dollars on private travel and personal security, accepting expensive gifts such as African safaris and use of a 107-foot (32-meter) yacht from vendors and setting himself up with a $17m contract with the NRA, if he were to exit the organisation, without board approval.

The lawsuit said LaPierre, 70, spent NRA money on travel consultants, including luxury black car services, and private jet flights for himself and his family, including more than $500,000 on eight trips to The Bahamas over a threeyear span.

Some of the NRA’s excess spending was kept secret, the lawsuit said, under an arrangement with the organisation’s former advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen.

The advertising firm would pick up the tab for various expenses for LaPierre and other NRA executives and then send a lump sum bill to the organisation for “out-of-pocket expenses,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit comes at a time when the NRA is trying to remain relevant and a force in the 2020 presidential election as it seeks to help President Donald Trump secure a second term.

An ongoing factional war within the organisation is pitting some of its most ardent gun-rights supporters and loyalists against one another.

The internal battles reached a fevered pitch at its 2019 annual meeting where its then-president, Oliver North, was denied a traditional second term amid a tussle with LaPierre as he sought to independently review the NRA’s expenses and operations.

He accused LaPierre of exerting “dictatorial” control.

Chris Cox, the NRA’s longtime lobbyist and widely viewed as a likely successor to LaPierre, left after being accused of working behind the scenes with North to undermine LaPierre.

James’ lawsuit portrayed the NRA as the victim of its own leaders, and she was asked during a news conference why she would seek to shut the organisation down entirely, rather than take less drastic actions like removing or fining the officers responsible for misconduct.

James said the “breadth and the depth of the corruption and the illegality” justified seeking a the organisation’s closure.

OHIO GOVERNOR POSITIVE FOR VIRUS OHIO Governor Mike DeWine, an early advocate among Republicans of wearing masks and other pandemic precautions, tested positive yesterday for the coronavirus just ahead of a planned meeting with President Donald Trump.

The Republican governor said he took a test arranged by the White House in Cleveland as part of standard protocol before he was to meet Trump at an airport in Cleveland.

He had planned to join the president on a visit to the Whirlpool Corp plant in northwest Ohio.

Instead, he received the news he was positive, called his wife, Fran DeWine, and returned to central Ohio.

“A big surprise to me and certainly a big surprise to our family,” DeWine said at a late afternoon news conference broadcast from his porch on his farm in Cedarville in southwestern Ohio, where he plans to quarantine for 14 days.

Dewine, 73, said he didn’t know how he contracted the coronavirus and that he’s already been spending much of his time at his farm, keeping his distance from family members and staff.

DeWine said he feels fine with no symptoms. His only health concern is asthma he’s had since he was a teenager, for which he uses an inhaler daily.

“The lesson that should come from this is that we’re all human, this virus is everywhere,” he said.

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2020

Ayton: ‘Respect us’ DEANDRE POSTS ANOTHER DOUBLE DOUBLE IN WIN OVER PACERS

PAGE 14

POITIER: ‘I’M JUST COACHING CLUB VOLLEYBALL RIGHT NOW’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER completing his tenure at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Bahamian coach Edric ‘Drips’ Poitier turned his attention to his Powers Volleyball Club in Jacksonville, Florida in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Poitier, who left FSC at the end of the Bluewaves’ season in November, is contemplating his next coaching move at the collegiate level. But he was happy to work with his PCV team as they participated in an under-15 girls’ AAU Tournament in Orlando, Florida two weeks ago.

“I have some offers on the table but their season was cancelled because of Covid-19, so they are not hiring anybody until January,” Poitier said.

“So I’m just waiting to see what happens.

There’s not a whole lot going on right now. I’m just coaching club volleyball right now.”

PHOENIX Suns’ Deandre Ayton (22) drives to the basket as Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner (33) defends during the first half yesterday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

SEE FULL STORIES BELOW AND ON PAGE 15 (Kevin C Cox/Pool Photo via AP)

SEE PAGE 14

‘Buddy’ Hield scores 3 points in season low 11 minutes

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

he Sacramento Kings finally got into the win column while the Phoenix Suns became the only 4-0 team in the NBA restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

The Suns continue streaking and Deandre Ayton continues to deliver dominant performances.

Ayton finished with another double double - 23 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals in the Suns’ 114-99 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Chavano “Buddy” Hield played sparingly in the Kings’ 140-125 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in yesterday’s first matchup on the schedule.

He scored just three points on 1-5 shooting in a season low 11 minutes.

It was just the second time he played less than 20 minutes in a game after his previous low of 15 minutes in a February loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Hield has averaged just 9.5 points on 28.5 per cent shooting from the field and 25.4 per cent shooting from three-point range.

The Kings continue play against the Brooklyn Nets (August 7), Houston

Rockets (August 9), Pelicans (August 11), and Los Angeles Lakers (August 13).

“It hasn’t looked great at times, but we haven’t looked great at times,” Kings head coach Luke Walton said of Hield’s play during the latest episode of the “Purple Talk” podcast.

“We also need him to continue to focus on playing defence, do coverages,” Walton continued.

“He gets blitzed, so we need him to continue to work on his playmaking ability and being able to pass out of those blitzes, which he’s gotten much better at.”

Kings play Nets today.

NEW Orleans Pelicans’ Nicolo Melli (20) goes up for a shot against Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield (24) and Kent Bazemore (26) during the first half yesterday. Hield scored three points.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 13

AP Was There: Black fists raised at 1968 Mexico City Olympics

By The Associated Press Negroes Level Bitter Blast From Victory Stand MEXICO CITY (AP) -Tommie Smith and John Carlos leveled a bitter racial blast at the white social structure Wednesday night after winning the gold and bronze medals respectively in the 100 meter dash of the Olympic Games.

Explaining their demonstration on the victory stand, where they held clenched fists in black gloves high over their heads, they said the reason was to show the solidarity of black America.

“White America would not understand,” said Carlos, of San Jose, Calif., the militant spokesman for the occasion. “The recognize me only when I do something bad and they call me ‘Negro.’”

In the middle of the press interview after the awards ceremony, Carlos took the bronze medal from around his neck and passed it on to his wife standing in the background.

“This is yours,” the black athlete said. “I do not want it.”

Then Carlos told the newsmen he never again would attend an Olympics unless he paid his own way there. This represented a virtual announced boycott of the 1972 Games in Munich, Germany.

Carlos did most of the speaking but Smith, from Lemoore, Calif., nodded his head in agreement.

Carlos said when he and Smith mounted the victory stand he heard applause from the crowd of about 60,000, but also heard a lot of boos and saw people gesturing with thumbs down, like a crowd at a bullfight.

“They look up us as nothing but animals -- low animals, roaches and ants,” Carlos said. “We are sort of showhorses out there for the white people. They give us peanuts, pat us on the back and say, ‘Well, boy, you did fine.’”

Then Carlos, his eyes glistening, added: “I want you to print this and print it right. If white people don’t care to see black men perform they should not come out to the stadium.”

EDITOR’S NOTE — With the Tokyo Olympics postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Associated Press is looking back at the history of Summer Games. This story was transmitted from the 1968 Olympics on the day of the 200 metre dash. Gold medallist Tommie Smith and bronze medallist John Carlos, both Americans, each raised a black-gloved fist to protest racial injustice in the United States. They would be expelled from the Olympic village and suspended by the IOC. The story by AP Sports Writer Will Grimsley is reprinted here as it ran in The (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Morning Advocate on October 17, 1968, using the contemporary style and including any published errors.

He said the reason for wearing the black gloves was to demonstrate their point for both the whites and blacks back in the United States.

“The reason for the closed fist,” he said, “was to show that black men in America are united. We are gradually -- no I mean rapidly -- getting closer together.”

Carlos and Smith wore one pair of black gloves between them, Smith on his right hand and Carlos on his left. They held their hands high during the playing of the National Anthem with fists clenched. They said the reason they wore only one glove was that they could get only one pair of black ones, which they shared.

They wore knee-length black stockings as an added gesture of protest against treatment of Negroes in the United States and green and white buttons which said “Olympic Project for Civil Rights.”

They also got the silver medal winner, Peter Norman of Australia, to wear a similar button on the victory stand.

Carlos was asked why all the Negroes were not following the same procedure.

“Each will protest in his own way,” Carlos said.

Smith, who pulled a muscle in his groin during the semifinals, said there was an 80 per cent chance he would not be able to race in the final.

“When they put me on the stretcher, my coach (Stan Wright) asked me if I wanted to be scratched. I said ‘No, I want to run.’

EXTENDING gloved hands skyward in racial protest, US athletes Tommie Smith, centre, and John Carlos stare downward during the playing of the national anthem after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze for the 200 metre run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City on October 16, 1968. Australian silver medallist Peter Norman is at left. (AP) “It was a hundred per cent try for me or nothing,” Smith said.

Carlos who faded in the stretch was asked why he appeared to look at Smith during the final strides of the race.

“My upper thighs were very tight,” Carlos said. “I wanted to see where Tommie was. If he was not in position to win it I was going to gut it out.

“But he won, and I am glad.”

LONDON MARATHON TO FEATURE ONLY ELITE RUNNERS LONDON (AP) — The pandemic-delayed London Marathon will be staged on October 4 using a different route than usual and with only elite runners participating.

Rather than starting in Greenwich in east London, there will be a looped 26.2mile (42.2-kilometre) course around St James’s Park within a biosecure bubble with spectators excluded.

Times will be eligible for qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, which had to be rescheduled until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele are expected to feature in the men’s race.

The women’s field is headlined by world record holder Brigid Kosgei. Manuela Schär and David Weir will feature in the wheelchair event.

The London Marathon usually takes place in April, but organisers have already pushed back the 2021 event until October 3 to maximise the possibility of a mass race returning after being deemed not possible this year.

“The biggest challenges were not those involving participants,” London Marathon event director Hugh Brasher said, “but the multiple issues of managing spectators, ensuring the emergency services had access across London with the recent changes to the roadscape, the increased likelihood of a second spike that has led to the recent cancellation of spectator trials at major events and the ongoing concern about the pressure even a reduced size mass participation marathon might put on the NHS (National Health Service).

66 PLAYERS OPT OUT OF NFL SEASON DUE TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer A TOTAL of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen.

Twenty offensive linemen and 11 on defence opted out before yesterday’s deadline.

Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend, while those voluntarily opting out receive $150,000 as an advance against future salaries.

No team has come close to New England in losing players for the upcoming season, which begins September 10 with Houston at Super Bowl champion Kansas City.

The Patriots, already minus several stars who left in free agency — including,

of course, Tom Brady to Tampa Bay — saw eight opt outs: running back Brandon Bolden, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, safety Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tight end Matt LaCosse, wide receiver Marqise Lee, offensive lineman Najee Toran and fullback Dan Vitale. Hightower, Cannon and Chung were key contributors in recent seasons.

Cleveland was next with five players skipping the season: defensive tackle Andrew Billings, tackle Drake Dorbeck and guards Drew Forbes, Colby Gossett and Malcolm Pridgeon.

Only three teams had no one opting out: the Steelers, Falcons and Chargers.

“Those are not easy decisions to make as a player, especially when you love

HARDEN’S 39 HELP ROCKETS PAST SHORTHANDED LAKERS 113-97 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — James Harden had 39 points and 12 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 113-97 victory last night over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were playing without LeBron James.

The Lakers, who clinched the top seed in the Western Conference on Monday, didn’t have James because of a sore right groin.

The Rockets were also short-handed, missing Russell Westbrook because of a bruised right quadriceps. But the combination of Harden’s big game and Houston’s long-range shooting were enough to take care of the Lakers.

The Rockets made 21 of 57 3’s while Los Angeles hit just 2 of 19.

The Lakers scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 94-89 with about eight minutes to go. Houston had three turnovers and didn’t score in the fourth until a

layup by Harden with just more than seven minutes remaining to allow Los Angeles to make it close.

Harden’s layup jumpstarted Houston’s offense and was the start of an 11-0 run that pushed the lead to 105-89 with five minutes remaining. Harden, Austin Rivers and Robert Covington each made a 3-pointer in that span.

Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 21 points and Anthony Davis added 17 points with 12 rebounds.

A shot by Quinn Cook got the Lakers within 10 with midway through the third quarter. Houston scored the next seven points, with a 3 by Harden, to extend the lead to 86-69 about a minute later.

Rockets used a 5-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from P.J. Tucker to make it 91-73 later in the quarter. LA wrapped up the 3rd with a 6-3 spurt to cut the deficit to 94-79 entering the fourth.

the game,” said Broncos safety Justin Simmons, who will play this season. “But family will always come first. And I’ve had a lot of difficult conversations with my wife and, yeah, it’s not ever going to be easy. Just like for the rest of America, it’s not easy on anyone right now.”

The rest of the breakdown by positions: There are 11 wide receivers; eight linebackers, six cornerbacks, four running backs, three tights ends and safeties. There were no quarterbacks, kickers or punters opting out.

Should a player decide to walk away after Thursday’s deadline because of a changed medical circumstance, he would get a stipend — unless he already exceeded the value of the stipend in the time he was active.

Otherwise, there will be no financial compensation for voluntary future opt outs.

There also are salary cap relief machinations attached to opt outs. Contract bonus payments due to be applied to the cap in 2020 will be delayed a year even though the bonus has

been paid. Denver’s Simmons saw two teammates, Von Miller and Kareem Jackson, contract COVID19. Both are back and planning to play, which aided Simmons in deciding not to opt out.

“Speaking just in my family, my wife is the one that’s the most nervous,” he said, “and we understand everything going on with numbers and statistics. But just having conversations with guys like Kareem and Von, people that have had it and had to endure that and work through it. It’s a scary time. And the reality

is this is affecting a lot of families.

“And so, my wife and I have had really difficult conversations about opting out and what the season’s going to look like. And do you really think measures are being taken that you guys are being cared for in the best way possible? And obviously I haven’t seen a lot of the places around the NFL, but just being here you can really see the effort in the Denver facilities to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make sure we can play football in a safe manner.”

PAGE 14, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Jason Day leads PGA as Koepka continues to be a major force

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jason Day took his first step toward a return to the spotlight in the majors yesterday at the PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka never seems to leave.

Day took advantage of a TPC Harding Park that never felt this accommodating during the practice rounds.

With only a mild breeze and a welcome appearance by the sunshine, he finished his bogey-free round of 5-under 65 with an approach to 6 feet for birdie on No. 9, the toughest hole on the course at 518 yards.

That allowed him to break out of a large pack one shot behind, a group that included major champions from years gone by, a PGA Tour rookie and the one guy — Koepka — who shows up at every major no matter what kind of shape his game is in.

Koepka is the two-time defending champion, presented the opportunity this week to become only the seventh player in the 160-year history of major championship golf to win the same major three years in a row. It was last done 64 years ago.

He’s still a little annoyed that he missed a similar chance last year down the Pacific coast at Pebble Beach, when he finished runner-up in his bid for a third straight US Open.

He hasn’t won in more than a year. His left knee has been bothering him since last August. No matter. After a slow start, Koepka powered his way to six birdies and made a series of key putts for par — and one 12-footer for bogey — that gave him an ideal start to this major.

He was at 66 with eight other players, a list that included former major winners Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Zach Johnson, rising star Xander Schauffele and tour rookie Scottie Scheffler.

“It’s only 18 holes right now,” Koepka said. “I feel good. I feel confident. I’m

Tiger Woods has solid start, opens with a 68

LEADING OFF: CARDS BACK IN ACTION, YANKEES SEIZING AL EAST

By The Associated Press A look at what’s happening around the majors today: BACK IN THE SHUFFLE The Cardinals are set to resume their season by hosting the Cubs. St Louis has been off since last Friday, when two players returned positive coronavirus tests. Seven players in total have tested positive, including star catcher Yadier Molina. Ace Jack Flaherty (1-0, 2.57), who said he kept his arm fresh this week by throwing baseballs into a hotel mattress, is set to pitch against Chicago veteran Jon Lester (1-0, 0.82)

TIGER Woods watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at TPC Harding Park yesterday in San Francisco.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) excited for the next three days. I think I can definitely play a lot better. Just need to tidy a few things up, and we’ll be there come Sunday on the back nine.”

Tiger Woods ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch toward the end of his round that offset a few mistakes. He opened with a 68, a solid start for a 15-time major champion who has played just one tournament in the last six months.

Woods put a new putter into play — this one is a little longer, which he says helps him practice longer without straining his surgically repaired back — and it came in handy. He made a 30-foot birdie early. He was most pleased with a 20-foot par putt on No. 18 as he made the turn. And he was thrilled with the weather.

“I thought anything today in the red was going to be good,” Woods said.

Instead of the wind and chill and the thick marine layer, it was pleasant

enough to make this feel like a casual round of golf.

It sounded like that, too.

Woods is used to tournament golf in the COVID-19 era.

Spectators have not been allowed at any tournament since the PGA Tour returned two months ago.

So that was nothing new.

Still, there was a starter speaking into a microphone on the first tee, and he stuck with the tradition when introducing past PGA champions. Woods has won it four times.

“It still funny,” Rory McIlroy said. “You know, ‘99, 2000, 2006, 2007 PGA champion, Tiger Woods.

And then there’s nothing.

That’s pretty interesting.

That’s definitely different.”

McIlroy, Woods and Justin Thomas, the No. 1 player in the world, each started with a birdie on No. 10 to no applause. They still had the largest following in two months, some 60 people — reporters, photographers, camera crews, a few park rangers. And

there were fans along the road beyond the fence on the 12th hole shouting for Woods.

McIlroy overcame three straight bogeys early in his round for an even-par 70.

Thomas was going along fine until a pair of double bogeys, one on the seventh hole when his ball never came down from a Monterey Cypress tree. He shot 71.

Thirty-one players managed to break par from the morning group.

Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm were among those playing in the afternoon as the wind began to increasing, making the start of Day — and Koepka — look even better.

It was a good sign for Day, the former No. 1 player in the world, because he has struggled so much since his last win two years ago.

His back gives him trouble. Off the course, his mother was battling lung cancer in Australia. And then he finally made a

clean break from his longtime coach and lifetime mentor, Collin Swatton.

But he registered three top 10s coming into the PGA Championship, and his confidence is growing.

Ditto for Koepka. He missed the cut at the 3M Open in Minnesota two weeks ago, went home to Florida and during one range session was so frustrated he heaved a few clubs.

But a quick video review and some technical work revealed his weight was on the wrong side.

He made the adjustment and tied for second last week at a World Golf Championship.

And this is a major. Big Game Brooks is at his best in these.

“He seems to find his comfort zone in these tournaments, in these environments, for whatever reason that is,” McIlroy said.

“I think we are all just lucky that he doesn’t find it every other week.”

Poitier: ‘I’m just coaching club volleyball right now’ FROM PAGE 12 Since he left FSC, Poitier has been involved in the PVC programme in Jacksonville, but he could be moving back to West Virginia at the end of the month with his wife and family to coach another club programme there if he doesn’t secure a collegiate coaching job.

Poitier, who has amassed 14 years of head coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and II as well as the junior college level, took PVC to the AAU Nationals in Orlando where they won their bracket.

In the new norm created as a result of the pandemic, Poitier said they played in a similar bubble like the NBA and the WNBA are doing.

He noted that they get their temperature checked before

every game and if one player has any symptoms, the entire team is eliminated.

“They had the gym set up unusual from having the courts side by side,” he noted of the fourday tournament. “They staggered them almost like a checker board with one court here and the other spaced out. Even the chairs were separated. I thought it was well organised.

“They didn’t allow all of the teams in the gym all at once. There was a morning wave, a mid-morning wave, an afternoon wave and an evening wave in a big convention centre where they sanitised it after every game. Everybody had to wear a mask unless you were a player on the court playing.”

If this is any indication of what to expect moving forward, Poitier said he could see the process working for volleyball, which won’t be

adversely affected because it’s a non-contact sport.

“You only have players on the opposite side of the court, but those players on each team practice and play together,” he stated.

“So they have been around each other the entire time.

“Even when they get to the arena, they don’t have to mingle with the players from the opposite team.

“So it’s a lot safer than basketball where they have to get on the court and mix and mingle with other kids. So I think it could work. I think the AAU tournament was the prototype for teams to see how they can run their tournaments and championships to get through a season.”

Volleyball, however, is one of those sports in the collegiate ranks that has been put off until January because of the spread of the

coronavirus since the outbreak in March when all sports worldwide came to a halt.

In the meantime, Poitier said he’s weighing out all of his options, which includes a return to junior college where he gets to spend more time developing players as he does with his PVC programme.

Prior to going to FSC, Poitier enjoyed a sting of coaching experience at Savannah State University, Bluefield State College, Winston-Salem State University and St Augustine’s College, now St Augustine’s University where Bahamian Tacara Moxey, who played for him, is the new head coach.

Poitier, a former officer in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, played as a setter from 1979-92 before he served as the head coach for the women’s national team from 1992-99.

PULLING AWAY The season is only two weeks old, but the New York Yankees could have a commanding lead on AL East-rival Tampa Bay by the end of the weekend. The reigning AL East champions Yankees are 9-3 to start this 60-game season and four games ahead of the Rays entering their four-game weekend series.

Tampa Bay was supposed to be New York’s biggest obstacle to a repeat but already has work to do.

Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka (0-0, 3.38) faces Rays lefty Blake Snell (0-0, 5.40).

RED-HOT RAMIREZ Indians slugger José Ramírez seems to have found his vintage form after a down 2019. The switchhitter has homered from both sides of the place twice in the first 15 games of this season, a first in major league history, according to STATS. Coming off three straight wins against Cincinnati, Cleveland is set to open a three-game series in Chicago against the AL Central-rival White Sox. LET’S TRY THAT AGAIN MLB announced changes to the regular season schedule yesterday to account for 21 games postponed in the first two weeks by coronavirus issues, and a few clubs are looking at unusual finishes. The Phillies and Marlins are set to play seven times in five days next month, and Miami will finish the season playing 27 games in 23 days, a stretch featuring no days off and four doubleheaders in a 10-day span. Philadelphia — which has not even had a player test positive since opening day — is slated for six doubleheaders in 60 games.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, August 7, 2020, PAGE 15

BOG’S CAREER-HIGH 35 LEAD KINGS PAST PELICANS 140-125

AYTON AND SUNS WIN 4TH STRAIGHT LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) — The NBA bubble appears to have given the Phoenix Suns new life.

Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the Suns continued their improbable run in Disney World yesterday, beating the Indiana Pacers 114-99 for their fourth straight win.

The Suns have now climbed out of the basement in the West among the teams in Orlando, while keeping their postseason hopes alive.

Devin Booker added 20 points and 10 assists and Cameron Johnson had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Suns pulled away with a 21-0 run that bridged the end of the the third quarter and the start of the fourth.

“The sky is the limit right now,” said Dario Saric, who was instrumental in the big run.

Malcolm Brogdon had 25 points, six assists and six rebounds to lead the Pacers, who fell to 3-1 in Orlando.

Trailing 75-72 with 2:10 left in the third quarter, Saric scored nine of Phoenix’s 14 points and Cameron Payne added the other five as the Suns finished the quarter on a 14-0 tear.

Saric also had four rebounds during the stretch.

“We were playing with a bench that hasn’t really played together,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said of the team’s scoring drought. “We didn’t have a flow all night long.”

The Suns did most of their damage with Booker on the bench with five fouls.

Saric finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Payne chipped in with 15 points.

“We are feeling great,” Saric said. “This hasn’t happened overnight. Since the first week of May guys have been working hard every day. We really worked on our games and it has paid off for us. We are playing without pressure and playing freely.”

The win pulls the Suns out of the basement in the Western Conference among the teams in Orlando, passing Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. New Orleans lost to the Kings 140-125 earlier in the day.

SUNS’ Deandre Ayton catches a pass for a dunk against the Indiana Pacers yesterday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

(Kevin C Cox/Pool Photo via AP) The Suns started strong, jumping out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter, but it quickly evaporated as it turned into a back-andforth game until late in the third quarter.

T.J. Warren was limited to 16 points on 7-of-20 shooting for the Pacers.

Warren had been red hot since his arrival in the bubble, scoring 32 points in a 120-109 win over Orlando.

His 119 points over three games stand as the most in franchise history for a three-game span. “We can’t forget we have been playing well up until this point,” Pacers guard Victor Oladipo said. “It’s just one loss.”

TIP INS Pacers: Were outrebound 53-38.

Suns: Booker made more free throws (six) than the entire Pacers team (five) in the first half.

AYTON LEARNING Booker said Ayton is getting better with each game.

“He is doing an unbelievable job of screening and

we are making good reads,” Booker said.

“He’s grown. Every time out is a new experience for him to learn and he is picking it up. We still have four games left and we have to keep fighting though.”

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a career-high 35 points to help the Sacramento Kings beat the New Orleans Pelicans 140125 yesterday.

De’Aaron Fox had 30 points and 10 assists and Harrison Barnes added 22 points for the Kings, who got their first win in four tries since the restart. The Kings shot 54 per cent.

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored 24 points for the Pelicans. Williamson made his first eight shots and ended up making 10 of 12 overall in just under 22 minutes.

JJ Redick scored 18 points and Jrue Holiday added 17 for the Pelicans, who shot 57 per cent. New Orleans fell to 1-3 in the restart.

Both teams are chasing a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The Kings pulled even with the Pelicans in the standings and now are 2 1/2 games behind eighthplace Memphis with four games remaining. A team needs to be in ninth place and within four games of the eighth-place team to force a playoff.

The Kings play the Brooklyn Nets today.

PAGE 16, Friday, August 7, 2020

THE TRIBUNE