SWIM instructors have echoed police warnings to parents to make cer tain that their children are supervised while swimming. Dionisio Carey, a former competitive swimmer and swim instructor at Evolve functional fitness, said that recent drownings and water incidents have caused a spike in people wanting to learn to swim. “We’ve had a TO SWIM’
- SEE PAGE EIGHT
SPORTS for
SEE PAGE THREE THURSDAY HIGH 89ºF LOW 79ºF i’m lovin’ it! Volume: 119 No.179, August 11, 2022 THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1 Established 1903The Tribune CARS! CARS! CLASSIFIEDS TRADEROBITUARIES The Tribune Monday, February 8, To Advertise Call 601-0007 or 502-2351 Starting $33.60 Biggest And Best! LATEST NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM Happy 6pcCheeseburgerHamburgerMeals:Nuggets
PM says priority must be tackling causes of crime not just catching criminals
PRIME Minister Phil lip “Brave” Davis has described as “alarming” this year’s current rise in cases of murder. On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Clayton Fer nander revealed homicides were up by 21 when com pared with 2021. He also said there was a rise of 49 percent in armed robberies so far this year. In response Mr Davis said his administration plans to tackle escalating violence by placing more focus on crime prevention rather than detection. “We don’t embrace it and we will do all that we can to try to reverse that trend,” Mr Davis told reporters. “And we start not from after the murders would have taken place, but we’re going to put more emphasis in prevention rather than detecting because we think that if we work to identify the root causes of the chal lenges our young people
OFFENCEFORGERYPLAYERNATIONALIN
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
- A TOWARNINGPARENTS
A MEMBER of the national women’s basket ball team appeared in court yesterday accused of trying to use a fake police record to travel through Lynden Pindling International Airport.Leashja Grant, 27, and Antonio Percentie, 27, both faced Acting Chief Mag istrate Subusola Swain on fraud charges. Grant was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretences, possession of a forged document and utter ing a forged document. Percentie was charged with abetment to posses sion of a forged document.
PRIME Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis says plans are underway to set up vaccination sites at school campuses in an effort to get more children inoculated against COVID-19. Mr Davis gave the com ments to reporters after touring several government schools under renovation in the capital yesterday. He was asked whether his administration planned to lift the mask mandate for children in schools for the newCurrently,semester.children aged five and older are eligi ble to receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country.Last month, France donated 24,000 paediatric
SCHOOL REPAIR TO MEET DEADLINE
LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper toDedicated...goodservice! 242.397.2100 | www.jsjohnson.com PREVENTION PROSECUTION?OR
THE Ministry of Educa tion is moving full steam ahead with plans to revamp and redevelop public schools, according to Edu cation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin.Theminister said yes terday at least two schools - including Government High - were in “deplorable condition”. She also said T A Thompson Junior High had significant challenges.
‘LEARN
By LETRE SWEETING ANOTHER gold for Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, as she wins the final of the women’s 400m during the Diamond League athletics meeting at the Louis II stadium in Monaco yesterday. See the full story.
VACCINE FACILITIES TO BE SITED ON CAMPUS
SEE PAGE FIVE SEE PAGE FIVE SEE PAGE SEVEN SEE PAGE FOUR DIAMONDSPREFERLADIES EDUCATION
LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
Despite the task at hand, Mrs Hanna-Martin said the repairs of all schools will be completed by the start of the new school year. The minister said a key priority for her ministry is not only to get children safely back in the class rooms, but to also create an environment conducive to learning.Hercomments came as she toured several schools
Photo: Daniel Cole/AP Minister Glenys Hann-Martin speaking yesterday. Photo: Austin Fernander
opportunity’unique
PARTICIPANTS in the Bahamas Coalition for Disability Awareness and Services’ Camp Inclusion ‘22.
THE Bahamas Coalition for Disability Awareness and Services’ Camp Inclu sion ’22 is underway at the Anatol Rodgers High School - providing a unique opportunity for disabled and not so disabled persons to come throughproblemsphonessaid.medicalsomeexplainretfromplacethatmiseoningcampareBahamasbeep.haveactuallybeepactivitiesalsointhesecondinabilitiespublictobasicallycentJasmineonerickningsputthrough,ofabilitiesthatabilitiesourmuchtheybutforrewardingweek-longtheasrelations,BCDAS’Rosemarietogether.Munnings,directorofpublicwhoalsoservesoneofthedirectorsofcamp,saidthisfirstevercamphasbeenaexperiencesofarnotjusttheparticipants,instructorsaswellasbothgettolearnsofromeachother.“Therearestudentsinschoolswhohavedisandwerecognisepersonswithoutdisaremadeawarewhatsomechildrengosowedecidedtothiscampon,”Munsaid.“WeareledbyKendRolle,whoisblindandiswheelchairbound,FrazerandVinWallaceandwhatwewantedtodoissensitisetheBahamiantochildrenwithdisinourschoolsandspecialschools.”OnTuesday,duringthedayofthecamp,studentswereengagedartsandcraft.TheywillparticipateinsportingonthatincludeballwheretheballbeepsandtheytolistenforthesoundMembersoftheRoyalDefenceForcealsoinvolvedintheandwillbeconductasurvivor’sskillssessionSaturdaytohelpminithecasesofdrowningiscurrentlytakinginthecountry.“WealsohadthenursesthePrincessMargaHospitalcomeinandtothecamperstipstodealwithanyemergencies,”she“Theyshowedtheirtocommunicateanytheyaregoingorwriteitdownon
Joshua Miller, a 16-yearold from the Beacon School in Grand Bahama, said he love to cook, espe cially chicken and fries and making sandwiches. “This is as good opportunity for me to get off the island and come to Nassau to see kids that I have never seen before,” he said. “I get to interact with so many people. It’s been a lot of fun so far for me. So far, Miller said he’s learn something new and he made some new friends. He said he hope to go back to Grand Bahama and build on this experience, but he want to start practicing soccer with his team, who is pre[paring to go to Ger many in June. “I want to be able to make that team,” said Miller, who play the striker position.Kayne Kemp is not disa bled, but the 17-year-old St John’s College gradu ate decided to come out and get some experience because his mother is actu ally disabled and he want to be able to better take care of “Myher. mother, Jasmine, had to use a wheelchair ever since I was in the eighth grade, but after a while she suffered another accident and so I have to be able to assist her,” he said. “But I came here too because I wanted to learn a lot more about people with disabilities.“Ijustfeel like a lot of people don’t understand what persons with disabili ties go through. So this is a goods opportunity for me to learn a little more. I’ve learnt a lot dealing with my mom, but there is still so much more that I need to know.”Sofar, Kemp said the camp has provided him with an opportunity to know a lot more about persons with disabilities and he’s looking forward to the completion of the Withcamp.daily sessions run ning from 9am to 1pm, BCDAS will close out the camp on Sunday with a pining ceremony that will take place at 3pm at Ste phen Dillet Primary School where all of the campers, instructors and supporters will be awarded for their participation.
Camp offers ‘a
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
PAGE 2, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE
social media so persons can reach out and assist them.” Georgette Pratt and Labron Minnis, two 2022 graduate of the Aaron Gil more School, are among the more than 60 people enrolled in the camp, which has also attracted at least ten from Grand Bahama. There are at least 30 instructors, along with the RBDF officers, who are assisting the campers. While BCDAS, accord ing to Munnings, intend to launch a similar pro gramme in Grand Bahama, hence the need for the persons from that island to be involved in the camp. Additionally, she said they also will be looking ways to further enhance in other islands in the near future. Pratt, who was born blind in 2003, said although she went through multi opera tions, she can discern some things around here, includ ing light and darkness. She was able to point out that she was in an open air atmosphere with the sun shinning.“Being a part of this camp, seeing that I am a little self centered, has really helped me to reach out to persons who does not have any disabilities and make them aware of some of the things that we have to go through with our dis abilities,” she said. As a blind person, Pratt said she’s been at a dis advantage when it comes down to choosing her career part because she’s had to switch so many times after losing interest in each one. She hope that now that she’s graduated from high school, she can focus a little more on her future endeavours.Prattsaid she has enjoyed the camp so far and she’s looking forward to the rest of the sessions before they are done on Sunday.
THE Exuma diesel spill site was given the all clear to reopen yesterday. Last month, 35,000 gal lons of diesel spilled into waters off an Exuma bay as a vessel contracted by Sun Oil was offloading fuel to Bahamas Power and Light at George Town. As of last month, Exu ma’s oil spill recovery efforts were said to be down to the last 10-15 percent. Roston McGreggor, owner/ operator of Valiant Marine Salvage, the company lead ing the effort to remediate the 30,000-gallon spill, told Tribune Business last month that while they started off seeing a two-inch thick diesel film on top of the water, most of this has been pumped out and recovered in just over 24 hours after the incident. In an update yester day from Dr Rhianna Neely-Murphy, director of the Department of Envi ronmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), the agency conducted an inspec tion of the site of the diesel spill in Exuma and it is concluded that the site and surrounding areas are prod uct free. She said marine animals were also observed to have returned to the site. Investigations are contin uing to determine whether any fines will be levied against the parties involved in the spill, she said. Following the incident, multiple Cabinet ministers and government officials raced to Exuma to assess the site of the oil spill and itsInimpact.astatement, Sun Oil confirmed that the vessel MT Arabian, owned by D&T Shipping, discovered a leak during the discharg ing process and activated its crisis management protocol shortly afterwards. The company further stated: “Sun Oil cares about our environment and commits to providing addi tional relevant information regarding this incident. Local media will be briefed further as we have access to more details.” MUNNINGS lmunnings
THE TRIBUNE Thursday, August 11, 2022, PAGE 3 are having that lead them to do what they’re doing, we will be more successful. “I think over the years, we have put too much emphasis on detecting crime rather than seeking to prevent crime and that’s going to be our emphasis movingAccordingforward.”to Commis sioner Fernander, there have been 85 murders recorded in the country to date, equating to a 21 percent increase when com pared to the same time in 2021.He also revealed that 55 percent of the victims killed this year were out on bail. Despite the increasing crime rates, Mr Fernander said he believes police will be “able to hold the line” when it comes to fighting crime.“Istill believe that we will be able to finish the year strong,” the police chief added. “still under 100. In 2018, before I went on leave, we had the count under 100 after two dec ades. We will do it again… and we intend to fix that and do just that and still under“There’s100.” still a few more months to go and I believe that we will be able to hold the line and finish strong.”MrDavis previously told reporters that one of things his administration has been looking at to tackle crime is the possibility of enacting an anti-gang bill. He has told Attorney General Ryan Pinder to look at regional gang leg islation to determine if a standalone new law should be enacted or if changes should be made to the PenalThisCode.comes amid height ened suspicions from police that many of recent homi cides could be gang related. When asked for an update on the issue yes terday, the Prime Minister said: “We are collaborating now with the Commissioner of Police and other stake holders in this initiative as to what we come in with and when we come up with a plan, you will hear from me.”
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday.
OLYMPIAN MILLER: STILL MUCH TO DO
CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis believes fires at the Inter national Bazaar in Freeport have been “deliberately” set and that arson is “cer tainly in However,play”.Chief Superin tendent Walter Henderson, press liaison for Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas, told The Trib une yesterday police could not confirm this and urged people not to jump to conclusions.“Theinvestigation is still trying to ascertain that information,” Mr Hender son“Wesaid. just try to cau tion people not to jump to conclusions. We have to find evidence to support an assertion. Once that is found, then we’ll make an official statement concern ingMrthat.”Lewis’ press state ment was released after another fire struck the mostly shuttered Bazaar on Tuesday. Structures at the site were struck by fires last November and December. The former minister said the Free National Move ment is concerned with the frequency of fires at the Bazaar.“Apparently these are not random fires. As it appears, these fires are being set deliberately, arson is certainly in play,” accord ing to his statement. “Our concern is not for the structure or whatever will remain to the owners at this time. Our concern is that no one is trapped in these buildings and also that there are no toxic fumes emanating from these fires that can harm the public and those resid ing in the area. We would like the powers that be to be more vigilant, and more observant in terms of patrolling the area and ensuring that the arson ist, if that is the case, to be brought to “Perhapsjustice.itistime now for the owners of this structure to go ahead and completely demolish it and level the site. As it is right now, it is no use to the community. It is an eye sore; a health hazard and it is a place where home less people reside in some instances. The fact that these fires are happening so frequently even those who may be using it as shelter may now be in danger of losing their lives. “It is high time for the owners of this structure to now level it and to make room for future develop ments and to ensure that no life is compromised as a result of persons going into these buildings to find shelter and perish in a fire or perish as a result of the building collapsing due to the fire weakening the structure.”
ALL CLEAR FOR EXUMA SPILL SITE By LYNAIRE
Photo: Austin Fernander advertise in The 502-2394contactTribune, Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
OLYMPIAN Ramon Miller said there is still much more work to be done with the infrastructure and development of Olympia Heights, despite the fast-approaching deadline forWhencompletion.the $1.2m contract was signed in February, it stated that the works would be completed in 250 days, according to the Olympic gold medalist.MrMiller and his family live on 20,000 square ft of land at Olympia Heights, which is in Tropical Gardens. He had previously exclusively told this newspaper of his struggles with having no electricity for years and having to use a generator so that they could live comfortably, however, he is still cur rently facing this issue. “I have all the essentials, but that’s just running on a big diesel generator, and it is becoming costly,” he told this newspaper yesterday. Given the current gas prices, the Olympian said on average he spends about $35 to $40 a day on diesel and it has become burdensome. “The prices of fuel have skyrock eted, and it’s put a bit of strain on myself, but all I could do is try to be as patient as possible,” Mr Miller said yesterday.Hesaid while he is grateful to the government for starting the process, they have faced a lot of “technical issues”. “I thought it was going to be simple - you put the road, the water, and so on and so forth, but it doesn’t seem as easy as I said. It started, but the work is going much slower than I anticipated,” he said. When asked to explain the chal lenges faced by the contract workers, he said: “It’s been some boundary issues. I guess person’s homes are built in the road. The road is supposed to be a certain length and width and I guess due to the process being hin dered so long I don’t know if persons were aware of the road boundaries and that’s one of the obstacles they areAccordingfacing.” to Mr Miller, infrastruc ture development has been at a halt for the past six weeks. He remains hopeful that the matter will be resolved soon. “I just hope everything is done in the appropriate time, I’ve been wait ing this long. So, 250 days isn’t long compared to how long I have been waiting. I am pretty sure the minister of works and his team will get this sub division sorted out, not just for myself, but all the athletes,” he said. When asked by The Tribune, if his neighbours are experiencing simi lar challenges he said: “I have a few neighbours down the hill. They have electricity and I need infrastructure so that’s a little depressing because I could look right down the hill and see persons with lights.” He is thankful to the Minister of Works for intervening, but he is look ing forward to its completion.
LEWIS BAZAARARSONSUSPICIONRAISESOFOVERFIRES
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
Prevention or prosecution?
To
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
@ tribunemedia.net from page one
THE BLAZE at the International Bazaar this week.
‘LEARN TO SWIM’ - A WARNING TO PARENTS
CONSUMERS are still concerned about high food prices. Photo: Austin Fernander
CONSUMERS faced with inflationary costs say they are doing their best to cope. The Tribune yesterday canvassed buzzing grocery stories where shoppers expressed concerns over the continued inflation and the government’s lack of infla tion relief, while others said they had no complaints. Part-time University of The Bahamas professor Natasha Turnquest, who teaches political economy at the university, said she forecasts the continued rise in food prices after hearing of the Russian attack on Ukraine.Shespoke to this news paper at Solomon’s Fresh Market where she was picking up a few grocery items.“Based on the dynam ics,” Ms Turnquest said, “Ukraine is one of the major exporters not only of sunflower oil but of wheat. So, I said obviously, if you’re going to have a major disruption of one of your major sources of grain, which is the basis of bread, you’re going to have a rise in prices. I said, mark my words, in about 30 days, a month to six weeks, the price of bread is going to go up. And within that time the price of bread went up. So, when you see things happening, you have to try and anticipate and prepare.”Sheadded that while the government may be doing their best, sometimes a radical change is needed to affect those below the pov erty line.
“Since the beginning of this year and toward the summer months we’ve also had an increase in our kid’s learn-to-swim programme as Hewell.”advised that nei ther children nor adults should ever swim alone, “because anything can happen”.“Wewant someone to be able to help you or call for help,” he said. “Even with the kids, if they’re swim ming, we don’t encourage them to play breath hold ing games, because this increases the risk of them passing out underwater and the situation can turn very direJohnquickly.”Todd, who teaches swimming everyday as an instructor and founder of John Todd Swimming School, said parents should know where their children are at all times. He said: “I feel bad for the parents. Parents should know where their children are at all times. “We got a lot of calls, because of it, like a spike of about five or six calls. But I think we need more programmes at the schools, teaching our young people to Nancyswim.”Knowles, is a pro gramme director for Let’s Swim Bahamas, which has been providing free swimming lessons to government schools with certified swim instructors for a number of years. She said that drowning prevention is key in teach ing young people to swim because some accidents can be prevented, while others cannot.
“People always will com plain, but you have to figure out what are the immediate needs. So, my thing would be to try to find a radical way to just reduce the cost of one or two items that everybody uses everyday. Just focus on bread. People will then see the change and could eat the change. They are able to say, ‘OK, I could buy two loaves of bread now instead of a half of a loaf’ and that’s a reality, and we only could do the best that we can. We can only do ourKymbest.”Gilbert, a local nail technician and mother, who was shopping at the Cen terville Food Store shared similar sentiments. Ms Gilbert added that while she refuses to let the rising food and gas prices due to inflation cause her to have added stress and worries, most Bahamians cannot avoid the negative effects of rising food prices. She said: “Even bread basket items, the most important things, the prices are ridiculous, yes. But what can you do? I am not about to stress myself, so I just roll with it. But they (Mr Rob erts and the government) really should be considerate of the lower income homes. I don’t worry about it. I keep it moving. It is what it is.”However, another con sumer, 44-year-old P Ophelia Sherman, who was shopping at Super Value said that she understood why the prices are rising and will continue to rise and insisted that Bahami ans can solve some of the issues that arise from infla tion through natural means.
“I empathise with people who have children and who have a large family, but I understand why it keeps going up, because we’re an open economy,” Ms Sher man said. “I don’t know if they’re doing like myself, I do gardening and stuff. You can complain if you have a fixed income, but the thing is we have an open economy and we import everything, so when you import it’s a trickle effect. We grow suf ficient things whereby we can make a dent. We grow our own bananas, pumpkin, potatoes cassavas, things like that. But you have a lot of people over here that don’t even want to eat that anymore.”Oscar Moss, another Super Value shopper, also had no complaints about the inflation of food prices. Mr Moss said: “I don’t have any complaints, because I do home garden ing myself. Years ago, we used to plant everything. I grew up with my parents and grandparents grazing stuff. My grandfather had pigs, goats, sheep, chick ens, you know. I grow sweet peppers and lettuce, my wife and I grow them, because we grew up like that. In my yard right now I have about five or six bunches of bananas. That’s what we need to get back to,” he said. Last week, the All Items Index for June 2022 report from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) showed that there is a 6.2 percent rise in food prices in The Bahamas, compared to the same period last year. In April, the Davis administration asked for suggestions from consum ers on what to lower duty on to help mitigate the cost of living crisis and inflation. At the time, the major concern was the price of chicken and eggs; slashing chicken import tariffs from 30 percent to 10 percent and with eggs falling from 30 to five percent. Other items which saw big percentage cuts of 10-30 percent or complete elimination of tar iffs this past July included protein powder, flours of vegetable base, prepared beef, pork and turkey, raw ground nuts (peanuts), pre pared salmon, herring and caviar. one
Photos: Austin Fernander STAFF AID
PAGE 4, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE
“Even a strong swim mer,” Mrs Knowles said, “if they don’t react right or they get into a situation where they’re overpowered they are going to drown. So, you can’t prevent eve rything, but then rules that we have on them should be able to help people not make a mistake and that could save their lives.”
CORRECTIONS
BISHOP’S WORK
Consumers still struggle with costs By LETRE SWEETING from page
THE SINGING BISHOP, Laurence Rolle, held a meal donation event at his church yesterday - and the Commissioner of the Bahamas Department of Corrections, Doan Cleare, and other senior administrators of the Department of Corrections, presented two grills to aid his work.
The instructors’ concerns follow several incidents in recent weeks. On Tuesday, a teenage boy drowned while swim ming with friends in the Seabreeze Canal. Last Tuesday, 11-year-old Gerodo Atwill Taylor Jr, was found dead and suspected to have drowned in a pond near the golf academy opposite the national sports stadium. On the same day, the body of a juvenile male was pulled from waters near Paradise Cove, Deadman’s Reef, Grand Bahama. He had gone swimming at Celebrity Beach near Para dise Cove with four boys but did not return to shore when the others did. A woman also drowned last Tuesday after she tried to assist a child who was in distress in the waters in the Staniard Creek area.
under renovation with Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis, Works Min ister Alfred Sears and other government officials. Schools visited by the delegation included Government High, TA Thompson Junior High, CH Reeves Junior High and Sybil Strachan Primary. According to Mrs Hanna-Martin, some of those schools were left in a deplorable condition and are now in need of serious repair.“The level of extraor dinary commitment and dedication, this is beyond a commercial enterprise what you see happening there with the contractors and the school administration,” Mrs Hanna-Martin said. “This is an absolute all-on commitment includ ing the state to revamp our school plan, to ensure that the children and young people of this nation go into an environment where they feel comfortable, they can learn, where they can be spectacular.“Thatis what we are interested in. We want a renaissance in education where our children blow our minds in terms of their high performance because we know it’s possible. “And so, the schools we’ve seen so far, the two of them they were in close to, particularly Government High, in many instances deplorable conditions and students were coming to thoseConstructionenvironments.”works being conducted at some of the educational institutions include installation of ele vators and ventilators and balcony and stairway repair. Works and Utilities Min ister Alfred Sears said many of the structural issues at schools had existed for many years. “The Minister of Educa tion has mandated really that this not be a cosmetic exercise,” he said. “So, in so many of the plans, you have structural problems which have existed for many years and as the repairs are being done, some of those long standing structural defects, challenges, deterioration are being addressed.”
While the Education Minister could not give a price tag for repairs, she said it is expected that all renovations will be com pleted by the start of the new school year. “The objective is to get school open and that is a mandate, and you know a lot of the work has been truly significant. This par ticular campus and the Minister of Works can speak more to it was seri ously a huge enterprise as you can see,” she said at TA Thompson.“It’sa three-storey building and there were significant challenges and work is underway, prob ably more than was initially anticipated but the objec tive is to get school open and we’re trying very hard and everybody is working veryMrhard.”Davis thanked the minister, her team as well as the contractors involved for their hard work in getting schools ready. He said: “There is a psy chological truth that if we are in squalor, our minds become squalored and if you are in a clean and pris tine environment so will your mind be clean and pristine and so the mandate expressed by the Minister of Education that we ensure that these environments and venues where are chil dren are being taught and teachers are teaching in such a state that it helps to relieve the minds of our people to want to learn and to watch to teach.” As it relates to school repairs on the Family Islands, Mrs Hanna-Martin said works are still under way there and should soon beShecompleted.alsospoke specifi cally to Patrick J Bethel High School in Abaco, which suffered extensive damages from Hurricane Dorian in 2019. While renovations at the school have been largely completed, she said there remains some plumbing issues at the institution which are being addressed.
Photos: Austin Fernander GOVERNMENT High School principal Pavla Rolle showing offi cials around the campus yesterday. Mr. Sean McCarroll 327-1575
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis visiting TA Thompson Jr High to view renovations yesterday.
or sean@mccarrollrealestate.comEmail:359-2957
THE TRIBUNE Thursday, August 11, 2022, PAGE 5
deadlinetorepairSchoolmeet doses of the Pfizer vaccine to The Bahamas through the COVAX facility. Mr Davis said: “As far as the children is con cerned, there are vaccines for children and we have been vaccinating children and as soon as we see the demographics of how many children are vaccinated, we too can consider lifting the masks and I urge again parents to seek to have children vaccinated so that we can move to lifting the masks.“As you quite pointed out, these are suffocating times because of the heat, and we want to see how we could help to ensure that our children are comfort able in this environment. So, I ask you and I urge you, tell your friends and tell your neighbours and tell anyone who you come into contact with – do get vaccinated to help each one of us to live more comfortably.”Asitrelates to the gen eral mask mandate, Mr Davis said he plans to eliminate the public health measure once a certain per centage of the population is vaccinated.Hesaidhe will also con sult with health officials. “The reason I have been urging persons to get vac cinated who have not been vaccinated is because we don’t want an avalanche of sick people that will burst our hospital at the seams again,” Mr Davis added. “And in keeping with that, the lifting of the mask will happen once I’m satis fied from the experts and the advice from the medi cal team that has been assembled and working all through the pandemic when they say to me that the level of the percentage of Baha mians vaccinated is such that we can lift the masks and that’s what I’ve been urging persons to see to get themselves vaccinated and then we will look at lifting theAccordingmasks.” to the government’s latest vac cine tracker, more than 170,000 people have been fully vaccinated in The Bahamas to date, while more than 159,000 people have received their first dose.Earlier this month, Health and Wellness Min ister Dr Michael Darville told reporters the govern ment is hoping to achieve a 70 percent vaccination rate among the public by year’s end.“One of the things that we’re committed to is the World Health Organi sation’s mandate for 70 percent of the population to be vaccinated by the end of the year,” he said at the time.“It’s out there. Many other Caribbean countries are trying to meet that par ticular target. The reason why that’s important is because we believe that if we get at that level, it will prevent a large influx of individuals to our hospital systems in the event that we start to see higher instances of COVID in country.” There have been 36,853 cases of COVID-19 con firmed in the country as of August 8. Of that count, 296 cases are still active.
SCHOOL renovation work under way yesterday. Caves Village Premium Office Space for Lease 1,056 sq.ft. 4 offices, reception, conference room, kitchen $2,640.00 pm. plus CAM and VAT Contact
VACCINE FACILITIES TO BE SITED ON CAMPUS from page one from page one
Prevention is the right path on crime
POPE Francis poses for a family picture with a group of Mexican pilgrims wearing traditional clothes during the weekly general audience at the Vatican yesterday.
STEVEN KASZAB AugustOntario,Bradford,Canada.10,2022.
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master” LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt . Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991 EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES News & General Information (242) 322-1986 Advertising Manager (242) 502-2394 Circulation Department (242) 502-2386 Nassau fax (242) 328-2398 Freeport, Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608 Freeport fax (242) 352-9348 WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com @tribune242 tribune news network PAGE 6, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE
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AFTER Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis reaf firmed his government’s commitment to ensuring Grand Bahama lives up to its potential, readers of orOrShowatheyanEastportstartWhenshame.FreeportthinkfantasticEastairportingBasethewithoutoutsideentireoperateNOBODYAgreementinisPort?yallthehavepromisebackinLeadercerelyexpressedwww.tribune242.comtheirviews.Sickenedsaid:“IsinwishthePLPandourtheverybestofluckgettingGrandBahamaontrack.It’sadifficulttokeepbecauseweverylittlecontroloverportarea(thehub).”JokeyJackadded:“WhyworryingabouttheAllyouhavetodoREMOVEtheclausetheHawksbillCreekthatstatesthatcanbuildandanairportontheislandofGB(eventhePortArea)permissionfromPort.“Then,usetheMissilerunwayasastartpointtoconstructanthereanddevelopEnd.MakeEastEndaplacethewayyouthePortshoulddoandputthemto“Doit,don’tjusttalk.FreeportpersonsmovingoutofFreetoliveandworkintheEndthenthatwillbeincentivetothePort-orcanjustletFreeportbeghosttown-theirchoice.“Butdosomething!!!themhowit’sdone.developsouthEleutheraNorthEleutheraor
MURDERS up, armed robber ies up and the Police Commissioner hoping we won’t go over 100 murders for the year – it’s a bleak situation, make noButmistake.amid it all, what is our Prime Min ister saying? Yesterday, Philip “Brave” Davis said his administration wanted to place more emphasis on crime preven tion rather than detection. Putting all cynicism about party poli tics to either side for a moment, there is sense in that. Take, for example, the much-vaunted Shotspotter technology brought in to help police react after shots are fired. The key word there is react – it helps police get to the scene faster, but it doesn’t do a thing to stop the trigger being pulled in the first place. It’s a Shot spotter not a Shotstopper. The current murder count, 85 at the time of writing, shows it is doing nothing to slow down the massacre taking place on our streets thisSoyear.what Mr Davis is saying makes sense – as long as he follows through. He said: “We start not from after the murders would have taken place, but we’re going to put more emphasis in pre vention rather than detecting because we think that if we work to identify the root causes of our challenges our young people are having that lead them to do what they’re doing, we will be more successful.“Ithink over the years, we have put too much emphasis on detecting crime rather than seeking to prevent crime and that’s going to be our emphasis movingInterestingforward.”ofhim to say that, given his own role in politics over the years – but he is right in saying that we need to prevent crime in the first place rather than always rushing to the scene in the aftermath.Hesays we need to work to identify the causes of the challenges – although those should be well known. Crime is nothing new, and the reasons people are drawn into the criminal world are well known. What we need to hear from Mr Davis next is not more about identifying causes, but on offering solutions. Will that be anti-gang legislation? Well, that is still in the early stages, to hear Mr Davis say it, with consultation under way with the Police Commis sioner and other stakeholders. He said: “When we come up with a plan, you will hear from me.” One would have hoped that Mr Davis’ administration would have had such a plan already prepared from the cam paign trail before coming into office. Still, these are the right noises from Mr Davis in terms of the direction to be leaning – and we encourage such steps. These steps must come faster, they must be more purposeful, but they are going the right way. We wish him every success – and we also hope Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander’s hope that there will be no more than 15 murders between now and the end of the year is true. The stakes are high – and the cost of failure can be measured in lives.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Lost, dazed and con fused is how one feels like one is nursing a cold like feeling that persists daily too. We cry out to others in my mind, help me, save us.
Please.Aloving touch, with a hug needed true. Are others aware of our need, our issues, feelings andLikethoughts?aspell is upon us, a feeling of helplessness and dread.Words are not enough to convey our OUReyefly.handthis.longeroppressivelyEverythingfeeling,isirritating,clear.Don’tknowhowmuchwecangoonlikePleasestretchoutyourandletlovingcharityOnlyinourmindscanYOUhelpsavesoul.
Abaco or make some other place in the Bahamas a great place and put the Port to shame. If you can’t do any better, then keep quiet. Yall might start by trying to keep the power on in Abaco, then you might get some money in the Treas ury from Flyingfishthere.”replied: “GB development has always been a struggle. The whole reason it has the Port is because it was histori cally under-developed. GB investment is almost like beating a dead horse. They need a 10+ year plan to stabilise the island, not just throwing cash and hoping the problems wont stay.” Moncurcool expressed doubts, saying: “The gov ernment already controls West End and East End in Grand Bahama. Look at what they are doing that? Nothing! If they take control of Freeport, you will see the exact same thing happen - Nothing. “As bad as the Port is now, Grand Bahama would be worst with the govern ment controlling Freeport. Just look at what they have done with developing other Family Islands. Rather than try take control, just make the Port owners live up to their“Andobligations.ifBrave had any sense, he would realize that the bend or break speech crippled Freeport. The bull dog in china shop approach does not Realfreethinkerwork.” said: “One thing with Bwave, he never gives a definitive answer. It’s always “we are working on something” Jeez man get your ass to work and get things done. Stop flying all over the world trying to solve other people’s problems.”
LONELINESS casts gloom and darkness like a raging and merciless tornado.Itsucks away life’s happi nessTheindeed.Heart’s barely limp ing through, yet we are not asking for much, all we need is truth and happiness withThererelief. are times when one feels delusional, times when one feels let down, weak and a thought to smile wiped away with only a frown appearing to all.
By PAVEL TribuneCourtBAILEYReporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
THE University of The Baha mas partnered with Commonwealth Brewery Limited (CBL) to host an open forum on responsible drinking yesterday.Withthe formation of UB’s newest department, First Year Experience, which falls under the division of the Student Affairs Department, this event represented the aim and future initiatives of the department. Nyisha Tilus, first year experience and programme manager, said events like this will assist UB in enforcing positive behaviour for students in and outside of the classroom. “For us, we want to be able to use this time to ensure that we are enforc ing the positive behaviours we want to see and ensuring that they’re being responsible even when it comes to alcohol consumption,” she said. “We have so many different events and programmes that we offer here at the University of The Bahamas, and alcohol is sometimes present, so we want to ensure that we are enforcing and reinforcing the need to be respon sible when you do drink.”
By PAVEL TribuneCourtBAILEYReporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
Mr Lockhart said the Road Traf fic Act was amended in 2016, to give police the authority to arrest motor ists who are presumed to be under the influence. However, the law has not been gazetted.
FORUM HELD ON DRINKINGRESPONSIBLE By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net from
FOAM APPEALS FOR MORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPORT
ASSISTANT Superintendent Leonardo Burrows speaking yesterday.Photo: Moise Amisial
A MAN was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 in a Magistrate’s Court yes terday after admitting to violating bail conditions. Waileck Medurerk, 36, of Mini Street, represented by attorney Sonia Timothy, stood before magistrate Samuel McKinney on a charge of violation of con ditions of bail for charges of murder, attempted murder and two counts of armed robbery.OnAugust 8 at around 10.02pm, Medererk was arrested as he failed to comply with his daily curfew of 6am to 6pm by leaving his residence. The accused pleaded guilty. The magistrate ordered the accused to pay a fine of $1,500 or risk six months in prison. Medurerk was fur ther bound over to keep the peace for six months or risk six months in custody.
NATIONAL PLAYER IN FORGERY OFFENCE
MAN ACCUSED OF INDECENT ASSAULT OF 18-YEAR-OLD
A BOY was charged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with stealing $1227.20 worth of goods from a church. The 13-year-old, in the presence of his mother, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on charges of stealing and receiving.Hepleaded guilty to stealing a gas jug, gas trim mer, blower and karaoke system from Bahamas Faith Outreach Ministries between August 6 and 8 in NewTheProvidencemagistrate granted the boy $2,000 bail with one or two sureties. He is expected to return to court for a report from social ser vices on November 23.
By PAVEL TribuneCourtBAILEYReporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
THE TRIBUNE Thursday, August 11, 2022, PAGE 7
$1,5O0 FINE FOR BAIL BREACH
When asked how this collabora tion came about, Kendria Ferguson, corporate relations and sustainability manager of CBL, said UB has been a long-standing partner and it is their mandate to have public campaigns for responsible consumption. As the distributor of Heineken, CBL highlighted the recent launch of Heineken’s non-alcoholic beer, Heineken 0.0 at the forum. “It’s the same great taste but its non-alcoholic, so it’s a great option for people who do not want to indulge in alcoholic beverages, but it’s also an option to know that if I do have to go behind the wheel, I have a non-alcoholic version to enjoy prior to getting on the roadway,” Ms Fer guson said. page one
DESPITE generous contributions from Sena tors last week, founder of Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM) says much more help is still needed to support the organisation’s two backto-school initiatives. Khandi Gibson said yesterday the senators’ contribution assisted ten children in receiving resources, however she made a plea to the com munity to give so that many more can receive what they need.She said there had been a major decline in funding to the“Iorganisation.appreciate the sena tors for their kind donation toward the back-to-school initiatives for the children of murder victims and we appreciate it,” she said yes terday. “But we also need more sponsors and more donors to help us with these initiatives.“Iamnot going to lie, but after the pandemic things started to dwindle down a lot, like right now I am paying rent for a building that nothing comes into, so right now I am operat ing at a loss. Right now I don’t have staff or anyone to give a stipend to, because I just can’t afford it. With no funding what could you do?”This summer, FOAM continued its ten-year summer initiative of back-to-school uniform assistance, where people can adopt a child and donate at least $75 to the organisa tion or to Janaees Uniform Centre, with whom FOAM is partnered.Thiswould mean chil dren will get assistance by receiving a new school blouse, skirt or pants, socks and neck FOAMtie.isalso planning a food drive to take place at its headquarters in Nassau Village on August 29. The event is called “Mama, No Need to Rush”. From 7am to 8.30am, free breakfast and snacks will be available for all children. Ms Gibson said she hopes the organisation can feed at least 500 children.
A MAN was charged in a Magistrate’s Court yester day for allegedly indecently assaulting an 18-year-old woman.Sheldon McMinns, 26, represented by attorney Keith Seymour, stood before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on a charge of indecent assault against the woman on August 3 in New Providence.Theaccused was not required to enter a plea yesterday. McMinns was informed his case would pro ceed by way of Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI). The accused was told he could apply for bail through the Supreme Court. Until then, he will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. He will return to court for service of his VBI on November 25.
By LETRE SWEETING
Sometime between July 27 to August 4 in New Providence the two alleg edly conspired to commit fraud as Percentie forged an RBPF Police Record numbered 108582 for Grant dated 27/07/22. Then on August 4 Grant used the fake police record as she attempted to travel through LPIA.Both accused pleaded guilty to all charges against them. The prosecution revealed that Grant had prior convictions for dis orderly behaviour and resistingLawyerarrest.attorney Fer guson, representing Grant, said her client had accepted responsibility for her actions at the earliest opportunity. It was also pointed out that she was a single mother after the murder of her fiancé. In addition to being a member of the female national bas ketball team, she is both employed and studying for an online master’s degree. Mr Ferguson begged for the court’s mercy in the matter and implored that a custodial sentence not be imposed, suggesting a fine or probation as alternative punishment.Similarly, Percentie’s lawyer, Rhrodreka Stra chan, after pointing out that her client cooperated with police investigations and did not waste the court’s time or resources by plead ing guilty early, asked the court to exercise justice and mercy on him. Lawyer Strachan said a non-custodial sentence or fine would be a fitting punishment.Magistrate Swain imposed a combined $3,000 fine on Grant for all three charges. Should Grant fail to pay the $1,000 fines for the second and third charge, she would face a one-year sentence at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) for both to be servedPercentieconcurrently.was fined $2,000 for his offence or risk a similar one year in custody at BDCS. The convictions of both accused will be recorded. They were both told of their right to appeal the court’s sentence within seven days.
The panelist for this event included chief superintendent David Lockhart, chief of police and security at UB Sol omon Cash, assistant superintendent Leonardo Burrows, Heineken brand manager Michaela Munnings, student government representative Chante’ Deal, UB’s campus police Quinton Bethel, and emergency medical tech nician Richardo Woodside. As one of the panelists, Royal Bahamas Police Forde chief superin tendent David Lockhart, spoke to the challenges police frequently face in regard to motorists driving under the influence.“Initspresent state if you were to be stopped on the road, an officer would have to get your consent to be able to take a urine sample or blood sample from you to determine whether you are under the influence of alcohol,” he said. “So, that makes our job a little bit difficult because if you don’t consent then I can’t determine if you are under the influence of alcohol,” he added.
13-YEAR-OLD ON THEFT CHARGE
The 99-year-old former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, who likely knows more about and understands China as well or better than any Ameri can foreign policy thinker, continues to warn the US foreign policy establish ment about its needlessly bellicose approach to China.China is a rival to the United States. But it need not be seen sim plistically as an enemy, especially as many global economic, environmental, public health and other challenges will demand cooperation from China. The two super states need avenues for dialogue and cooperation not skir mishes which might lead to Themiscalculation.politically savvy Pelosi allowed her arro gance and the increasing bellicosity and hysteria in the US toward China to upend her judgment. Like many in Congress who are typically better at domes tic rather than foreign policy, Mrs Pelosi belliger ently waded into a foreign affairs matter she likely worsened.Theexecutive and legis lative branches in the US are constitutionally coe qual. Still, the executive, namely, the presidency is given more deference and has more power in foreign policy. The executive has increased its powers in this arena, though there is con siderable debate about war powers.
UNNECESSARY
Foreign policy mandarins and elites often misjudge and misinterpret the inten tions and worldviews of the elites and mandarins of other countries. From Vietnam to the Iraq War, the US foreign policy establishment has had spectacular blunders and failures of intelligence and imagination.Muchof the inner workings of the Chinese government and the Com munist Party are likely unknown and misunder stood by US foreign policy elites, especially elites who frame their judg ments based on thereandcanthereoperate.dentwhicherationsandcalinternalappreciateUSconsiderations.knowledgeof–blindprejudicescertainandspotsandalackhistoricalandSomeintheseemnottothepolitipressuresconsidunderPresiXimustJustasisAmerinationalismjingoism,issimi lar nationalistic fervour in China.Having been humili ated in its history by the West and Japan, China is sensitive to threats to its homeland and sovereignty, as any country, great or small, would be. Weibo is a leading social media platform in China. During the debate on Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, the platform crashed with Chi nese citizens asking why the government had not responded more fully to the trip, which many viewed as humiliating.AsThe Guardian in the UK reported: “The discrepancy between Bei jing’s words and actions had triggered the public’s fury. The Chinese people are not warmongers. They had simply been watching to see if their country was as powerful and determined to enforce its sovereignty as Beijing said it was. Later that day, Beijing announced the People’s Liberation Army would be undertaking an historic series of military exercises over several days.”There are questions as to whether the response by the Chinese govern ment was disproportionate. Whatever one’s judgment on this, the Pelosi trip needlessly inflamed ten sions. “Disproportionate” is often in the eye of the beholder.Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is an expert on China. He is cur rently President and CEO of Asia Society and has been president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. He believes Pelosi’s trip was a misjudgment. He argues for the need to maintain a certain status quo on Taiwan. He wor ries that the visit may have pushed the countries toward greater “potential conflict”.Rudd, like other foreign policy experts, also argues for a sustained frame work for the two countries to “manage strategic competition”. Needless stunts, like Pelosi’s trip, do not advance dialogue and peace. Her intention to demonstrate US strength and resolve may have backfired.
‘A smart domestic political operator, Mrs Pelosi got the
PAGE 8, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE
THE ill-advised trip to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of US House of Representatives, show cased the deep-seated tensions and intensifying rivalry between the world’s two leading powers. It also revealed the mindsets of the leadership classes and the domestic politics of bothMrsnations.Pelosi, a progres sive, is admired by many, including this columnist. It is telling that the most vocal domestic support in the United States for her visit came from hawks in the Republican Party and the foreign policy estab lishment, including former House Speaker Newt Gin grich, a strange political bedfellow for Mrs Pelosi. A number of mod erate Democrats and Republicans were more tepid or remained quiet as her controversial trip unfolded.AsPresident Biden pub licly noted, the civilian and military leadership of the Pentagon was report edly opposed to the visit at a time of considerable tension with the People’s Republic.Heunderstood that in the lead-up to President Xi Jin ping’s intention to “secure a third term at the Chinese Communist Party’s national congress later this year”, that any provocation from the US was ill-timed and might play into the political calculation of the Chinese leader.Inthe event, the Speaker appears to have handed the Chinese Communist Party a gift, demonstrating the unintended conse quences of ill-conceived decisions, which often boomerang when not strategically planned and executed.Herdecision to go to Taiwan was described by various critics as “a vanity project” and “a last hurrah” as Speaker, with the Democrats likely to lose the House in the upcom ing midterm elections in November.NewYork Times col umnist and author Thomas Friedman bluntly described her trip as “utterly reckless, dangerous and irresponsi ble”. He posited that the “purely symbolic” visit will make Taiwan less secure. GlaserBonnieis direc tor of the statements.inency,lacksay,pline,lackconsistency,lackhasweek:podcasteignCouncilpositedtank.aMarshalltheProgrammeAsiaatGermanFund,USthinkSheonaonForRelationslast“Therebeenaofclarity,aofdiscishallweandevenaofcoherIthink,USpolicy“TheBiden
BLUNDERS
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, right, and Legislative Yuan Deputy Speaker Tsai Chi-chang arrive for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday last week.
Glaser added: “So Speaker Pelosi going to Taiwan doesn’t really, I think, in and of itself cross a red line, but I think the Chinese see a slippery slope.”
administra tion continues to say that the United States has a One China policy, that the United States does not support Taiwan independ ence, but then there are other things that the US does, which from China’s perspective and using their language, looks like we are slicing the salami.”
thetheDemocratssuccesseslegislativevariousothersUSdistractingwrong,politicsinternationalmostlywhilethemediaandfromdomesticbytheinlead-uptomidterms.’
Mrs Pelosi’s trip proved to be an unnecessary and unwelcome foreign policy and domestic politics prob lem for the White House. The Biden Administration and the US appeared inco herent and shambolic in its messaging on the visit. David Stilwell, a former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs explained: “By openly argu ing among ourselves about Pelosi’s travel, we made the trip a public spectacle, forc ing Beijing to react. Had we done the trip quietly, as we usually do, it would have generated none of the brinkmanship we’re seeing now.”President Biden also had to contend with a domes tic political balancing act: trying to appear strong in the face of domestic hawks; seeming not to interfere in the rights of Congress; and trying to ease tensions in a private two-hour conversa tion with President Xi. A smart domestic politi cal operator, Mrs Pelosi got the international politics mostly wrong, while dis tracting the US media and others from various domes tic legislative successes by the Democrats in the leadup to the midterms. Mrs Pelosi has rightly faced down misogynists and bullies in the US But if this was the frame she was using to supposedly con front President Xi Jinping, she does not understand the moment nor grasp the wider historical context. Her trip was not about a faceoff with President Xi. Long-term she will prove an inconsequential figure in US foreign policy. President Xi is already proving one of the more consequential ChineseMoreover,leaders.the moment and the future are not simplistically a struggle between democracy and autocracy, as she and others have bellicosely thumped. China is a global power and an ancient civilization that is re-emerging.AndAmerica’s rhetoric on democracy rings hollow given the brutal dictator ships it has historically supported, as well as its current alliances with coun tries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt.Many will have differ ences with China in terms of certain values and its abysmal domestic human rights violations, includ ing its treatment of the Uighurs.Still,China is a global power that must be engaged and respected for the sake of realpolitik, the national interests of countries, small and larger and for the sake of global peace and strate gic cooperation.
BELLICOSE
PELOSI’S VISIT TO WORLDVIEWSRIVALRYSHOWCASEDTAIWANAND
To advertise in The 502-2394contactTribune,
BILL Russell died on the last day of July. He was 88 years old. He was also in many minds the great est basketball player of all time.The greatest of all time? Yes. Bill Russell was the greatest player ever. He racked up the most cham pionships and was at times as great a coach as he was a player. He also was a social justice trailblazer. The NBA is a league whose greatest stars - with the exceptions of George Mikan, Bob Pettit, Jerry West and Larry Birdhave all been black. For even casual basketball fans, names like Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Rob ertson, Magic Johnson, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan are comfortably familiar as stars whose luminescence transcends particular eras. If you’re more than a casual hoops fan, you can readily add a dozen names to the list above, and the chances are that most or all of them will be black players. In the world of pro sports in the United States, the NBA is the pacesetter in social consciousness, by far, despite some superstars like Jordan who only rarely entered the arena of social and racial justice. And par ticularly since the on-court brilliance of such talents as Johnson, Jordan and James captured the attention of the entire world and turned basketball into an interna tional powerhouse sport. Exceeded only by soccer, black players have led the way to stupendous wealth, individual power and even franchise ownership. We regularly see such contemporary talents as the Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr and peerless sharpshooter Stef Curry, and the Spurs’ highly successful coach Gregg Popovich offering their views on matters rang ing from abortion rights to the murder of AfricanAmericans by the police. And James himself, the greatest player of his gen eration, regularly takes on controversial issues, often with sensible perspectives, and has regularly defied politicians such as Donald Trump.Such outspoken activism is practically unheard of in the other American pro fessional sports. Hockey is dominated by white expa triates, many of them from Canada and Russia. Base ball is increasingly played and managed by Latins, many of them also from abroad. And because of the brutality of the game and resultingly short careers of most of its players, the NFL largely consists of politi cally cautious – or, like Tom Brady, quietly conservative – players and coaches. It’s widely believed that most pro sports owners are Republican sympathis ers and often significant donors, but this is largely keptThediscreet.NBA players are very much outliers in this environment. It is not at all uncommon for them to comment openly on social and other issues of the day. And their outspokenness has become acceptable to the degree that it has virtu ally no effect on the sport’s growing popularity. One of the big things about Bill Russell is that he played a huge role in making all of this possible. Here’s Michael Jordan himself, certainly in many minds a rival for the title of greatest of all time: “Bill Russell was a pioneer - as a player, as a champion, as the NBA’s first Black head coach and as an activist,” Jordan, now the chairman of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, said in a state ment. “He paved the way and set an example for every black player who came into the league after him, including me. The world has lost a legend. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.” Over a 15-year period, beginning with his junior year at the University of San Francisco, Russell had what has often been described as “the most remarkable career of any player in the history of team sports”. At San Fran cisco, he was a two-time All-American, won two straight NCAA champion ships and led the team to 55 consecutive wins. He also won a gold medal at the 1956DuringOlympics.his13 years in Boston, Russell led the Celtics to the NBA Finals 12 times, winning the cham pionship 11 times, the last two titles won while as both a player and serving as the NBA’s first black head coach. In Boston, he faced and overcame rabid racial hatred from some fans. Sto ically, he Russellpersevered.becamethe first black player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, and in 1980 he was voted Great est Player in the History of the NBA by the Profes sional Basketball Writers Association of America. He was part of the 75th Anni versary Team announced by the NBA last October. During much of Russell’s illustrious playing career, his great rival and foil was the massive, prodigiously talented Wilt Chamberlain, another indomitable centre and scorer without equal. In the eight post-season series between the two players, Russell and the Celtics won seven. Russell has 11 championship rings; Chamberlain has just two. “I was the villain because I was so much bigger and stronger than anyone else out there,” Chamberlain told the Boston Herald in 1995. “People tend not to root for Goliath, and Bill back then was a jovial guy and he really had a great laugh. Plus, he played on the greatest team ever. “My team was losing and his was winning, so it would be natural that I would be jealous. Not true. I’m more than happy with the way things turned out. He was overall by far the best, and that only helped bring out the best in me.” Perhaps the best example of Bill Russell as a social activist and fighter for racial and societal justice came early in June, 1967. At the time, the greatest prizefighter in the world was Muhammad Ali of Louisville, Kentucky. Ali, fighting as Cassius Clay, had shocked the world in Feb ruary 1967 by beating then world champion Sonny Liston so badly through six rounds of a title fight in Miami Beach that Liston could not come out for the seventh round. Liston, an 8-1 betting favourite before the fight, was Mike Tyson long before the world ever heard of BritishTyson.boxing pro moter Harold Conrad said, “People talked about [Mike] Tyson before he got beat, but Liston was more ferocious, more indestruct ible... When Sonny gave you the evil eye — I don’t care who you were — you shrunk to two feet tall.” Before his loss in Miami, Liston was so dominant that boxing writers fretted that he would eliminate compe tition and ruin the sport. Three years after his Miami triumph, however, the hero Ali had become a pariah in American society because he refused to join the US army after he was drafted; his boxing license had been revoked, and he faced up to five years in prison. Ali declared that he could not join the military service due to his religious beliefs. The Viet nam War was raging, and its unpopularity was lead ing many young American men to try desperately to avoid the military draft. There was initial suspicion of Ali’s motives, includ ing by many of his athletic peers.Several of the greatest athletes in American his tory gathered in Cleveland in June 1967 to talk with Ali about his situation. Among his most dogged inquisitors was Bill Russell. Others in attendance included the Cleveland Browns’ Jim Brown, viewed by many as the greatest player in NFL history; the great Bucks and Lakers center Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, and other lesser stars. One of these was Sidney Williams, then an NFL special teams’ player and friend of Brown who became the US ambas sador to The Bahamas 27 years later. Ali persuaded them all of the sincerity of his beliefs, and they decided to stand with him in support of his defiance of his draft orders from participants to stand with Ali in support of him and his position was thus an act of courage that put their reputations and their careers at risk. Russell was leading the way throughout theThemeeting.Cleveland Summit has been called “a signifi cant turning point for the role of the athlete in soci ety” and “one of the most important civil rights acts in sports history.” Bill Russell was there in Cleveland. And for over fifty years afterward, long after he had retired from basketball, Bill Russell was relevant. His presence made both protests and dis courseRussell’srelevant.laugh, hearty and infectious, lightened many moments both festive and harrowing. Basketball, and America, has suffered a great loss.
A andofchampiontruethecourtcauses
PRESIDENT Barack Obama reaches up to present a 2010 Presi dential Medal of Freedom to basketball hall of fame member Bill Russell in 2011. with Charlie Harper
BOSTON Celtics star Bill Russell flies past Syracuse Nationals defender John Kerr during a basket ball game at Boston Garden in 1963.
THE TRIBUNE Thursday, August 11, 2022, PAGE 9
STATESIDE
PAGE 10, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE KYIV, AssociatedUkrainePress UKRAINE’S air force said yesterday that nine Russian warplanes were destroyed in a deadly string of explosions at an air base in Crimea, amid speculation the blasts were the result of a Ukrainian attack that would represent a signifi cant escalation in the war. Russia denied any air craft were damaged in Tuesday’s blasts — or that any attack took place. Ukrainian officials stopped short of publicly claiming responsibility for the explosions, while mock ing Russia’s explanation that a careless smoker might have caused ammunition at the Saki air base to catch fire and blow up. Analysts also said that explanation doesn’t make sense and that the Ukrainians could have used anti-ship missiles to strike the base. ‘9 DESTROYED’WARPLANESRUSSIAN
POLIOOFFEREDSHOTS
SEASAME PLACE IN AFTERTRAININGDIVERSITYMOVELAWSUIT
AssociatedPHILADELPHIAPress
CHILDREN IN LONDON TO BE
SESAME Place has announced the implemen tation of diversity and inclusion training for its employees following a $25m class-action lawsuit alleg ing multiple incidents of discrimination after outcry sparked from a video of a costumed character snub bing two six-year-old black girls went viral online. The Sesame Streetthemed park, operated by SeaWorld Parks, in a state ment on Tuesday said all employees will be mandated to participate in training created to address bias, pro mote inclusion and prevent discrimination. The training will also be integrated for all newOutrageemployees.ensued online in July when a video went viral showing a Sesame Street character waving off the two black girls during a parade at Sesame Place. Jodi Brown, the mother of one of the girls, posted the video on PresidentInstagram.of Sesame Place Philadelphia Cathy Valeriano said the park has already begun implement ing measures.
NEW AssociatedYORK Press DONALD Trump invoked his Fifth Amend ment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath yesterday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investi gation into his business dealings, the former president said in a statement. About an hour after arriving at Attorney Gen eral Letitia James’ Manhattan offices, Trump announced that he “declined to answer the ques tions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution”.“Ionceasked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question,” the statement said. “When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors and the Fake News Media, you have no choice.” During more than six hours at the office build ing, Trump used Truth Social, the social media platform he founded, to review the decor — “very plush, beautiful and expensive” — and to suggest the attorney general was squandering time investigating him instead of attending to crime in New York. But after leaving around 3.30pm, he described the encounter as “very professional” and added a plug for his “fantastic” company. As vociferous as Trump has been in defend ing himself in written statements and on the rally stage, legal experts said answering questions in a deposition was risky because anything he said could potentially be used against him in a par allel criminal investigation by the Manhattan district attorney. The Fifth Amendment protects people from being compelled to be witnesses against themselves in a criminal case. Also, if the attorney general’s investigation leads to a civil case against Trump and it went to trial, jurors could be told that he invoked his protection against self-incrimination.
RISING smoke can be seen from the beach at Saky after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea, on Tuesday.
FORMER President Donald Trump waves as he de parts Trump Tower yesterday on his way to the New York attorney general’s office for a deposition in a civil investigation. Photo: Julia Nikhinson/AP
New York University law professor Stephen Gillers said he was surprised that Trump had done so, given his previous experience with dep ositions, a legal term for sworn testimony that’s not given in court. “Jousting with lawyers at depositions, while avoiding lying, is something he’s proud of,” Gill ers said. “Perhaps his lawyers feared that his impetuosity would imperil him.” Trump has undergone many depositions, dating to his career as a real estate developer. He has sometimes seemed to relish giving answers: For example, he said he was “pleased to have had the opportunity to tell my side” last October in a lawsuit brought by protesters who say his security guard roughed them up outside Trump Tower in 2015. However, Trump invoked the Fifth Amend ment to refuse to answer 97 questions in a 1990 divorceMessagesdeposition.seeking comment were left with James’Yesterday’soffice. events unfolded two days after FBI agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of an unrelated federal probe into whether he took classified records when he left the White House. New York’s investigation is led by James, a Democrat who has said in court filings that her office has uncovered “significant” evidence that Trump’s company misled lenders and tax author ities about the value of prized assets like golf courses and skyscrapers. The company, the Trump Organization, even exaggerated the size of Trump’s Manhat tan penthouse, saying it was nearly three times its actual size — a difference in value of about $200m, James’ office said. Trump has denied the allegations, contend ing that seeking the best valuations is a common practice in the real estate industry. He’s also accused James, who is black, of racism in pursu ing the investigation. In May, James’ office said that it was nearing the end of an investigation against Trump, his company or both. The Republican’s deposition was one of the few remaining missing pieces. The attorney general could decide to bring a lawsuit seeking financial penalties against Trump or his company, or even a ban on them being involved in certain types of businesses. Two of Trump’s adult children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, gave depositions in recent days, two people familiar with the matter said. It’s unclear whether Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump Jr invoked the Fifth Amendment. Eric Trump, their brother, did so more than 500 times during a deposition in the same investigation in 2020, according to court papers. People generally don’t have a constitutional right to avoid questions in a civil lawsuit, but Trump’s legal team fought James’ attempt to question him for months, arguing that the dis trict attorney’s parallel investigation created a risk that Trump could face criminal charges. Lawyers in James’ office have assisted with that criminal investigation.
Trump: I took the Fifth in New York investigation
AssociatedLONDON Press CHILDREN aged one to nine in London were made eligible for booster doses of a polio vaccine Wednes day after British health authorities reported find ing evidence the virus has spread in multiple areas of the city but found no cases of the paralytic disease in people.Britain’s Health Security Agency said it detected viruses derived from the oral polio vaccine in the sewage water of eight London boroughs. The agency’s analysis of the virus samples suggested “transmission has gone beyond a close network of a fewTheindividuals”.agencysaid it had not located anyone infected with the virus and that the risk to the wider population was low. The decision to offer young children boost ers was a precaution, it said. “This will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help reduce further spread,” the agency said.The agency said it is also expanding surveillance of sewage water to at least another 25 sites in London andMostnationally.people across Brit ain are vaccinated against polio in childhood. Accord ing to the World Health Organization.
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net SHAUNAE MILLER-UIBO, of The Bahamas, wins the final of the 400 metres during the Diamond League athletics meeting at the Louis II stadium in Monaco yesterday. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
CAL ELIMINATEDTEAMSBAHAMASWORLDMAJOR/70BASEBALLRIPKENSERIES:ARE
Pro basketball player Aaron Levarity signs in France
AARON Levarity will be headed to France’s Nation ale Masculine 1 League for the third season of his pro fessionalLevaritycareer.has signed with CTC LYONSO Basket Ter ritoire for the upcoming 2022-23 season. The Grand Bahama native spent his last two seasons with the Svendborg Rabbits of the Basketli gaen, the highest level of basketball in Denmark. Last season he averaged 14.9 points and 11 rebounds per game in 36 contests. He also averaged 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In his first season with the Rabbits, Levarity aver aged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with the club. “LYONSO is happy to announce the arrival of Aaron Levarity within the club. This powerful and scoring 4-5 position comes from Svendborg Rab bits, a Danish first division club, and reinforces Max ence Broyer’s squad,” the organisation said in a press release. “The whole Team LYONSO welcomes Aaron and can’t wait to see him in action on the Canopée floor.”Levarity played colle giately at Milligan College in the NAIA where he became the team’s leading scorer and rebounder in his final two seasons under head coach Bill Robinson. The Bishop Michael Eldon graduate, who later attended the University of the Bahamas, became the Appalachian Ath letic Conference leading scorer with 19.1 points per game, top rebounder with 12.5 rebounds per game and top shot blocker with 1.47 blocks per game in his senior season. His field goal percentage ranked seventh in NAIA Division II. He also ranked within the top 10 in four other categories, including both defensive and offen sive rebounds per game.
By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net AARON Levarity DONALD THOMAS FALTERS SEE PAGE 12
SPORTS PAGE 11 THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022 Jonquel, Page 14
Miller-Uibo wins 400 in Monaco
BRANSON, Missouri — Both Bahamian teams were eliminated in the Interna tional Bracket quarterfinals at the Babe Ruth League’s Cal Ripken Baseball Major/70 World Series. The Caribbean Region champions suffered a 7-0 loss to Taiwan and Free dom Farm lost 1-0 to Aruba yesterday at the Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri.Theevent featured 28 of the top teams representing various regions across the United States and countries around the world. Aruba and Puerto Rico will face off in one half of the International Bracket while Taiwan and Mexico will meet in the other half.
Although she indi cated that she’s done running the 400 metres, two-time Olympic gold medallist and world champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo continued her quest for the 2022 Wanda Diamond League title by winning the women’s onelap race in Monaco in grand style.As one of two Bahami ans competing in the meet yesterday, Miller-Uibo clocked 49.28 seconds for her victory, while Donald Thomas failed to clear any of his three attempts at the opening height of 7-feet, 2 ¼-inches or 2.20 metres in the men’s high jump. Miller-Uibo, coming off her second place finish in the 200m on Saturday in Chorzow, Poland where she ran 22.35 behind Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson in 21.84, was par ticipating in her first 400m since she won the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Using her domi nating 6-foot, 1-inch frame to obliviate the field as she ran out of lane four, MillerUibo made up the stagger on the majority of the field through the first 200m. She came off the final curve with a huge lead as she surged down the home stretch with no woman in sight. As she started to slow down at the finish line, there was a race within the race for second place as Jamaica’s Candice McLeod trailed in a season’s best of 49.87 to hold off Common wealth Games champion Sada Williams of Barbados in 50.10 for third. “We tried something different tonight so I am grateful for the next victory. It has been a long season and we are pretty happy with it,” said the 28-yearold Miller-Uibo, who opted not to compete in the Com monwealth Games. “To achieve 49.2, I think we did a really good job tonight. We gave it a good effort and overall I am very happy about this per formance. I will just try to jump at the end of the season.”Withher victory, MillerUibo pushed her qualifying standard for the Wanda Diamond League Final in September to 22 points to trail Jamaican StephenieAnn McPherson, who got fourth in the race in 50.52 to maintain a slim lead with 25 points.Athletes are compet ing for points in 13 series meetings from May to September, with the most successful qualifying for the two-day season finale in Zurich and a shot at the prestigious Diamond Trophy September 7-8. Without landing a mark in the men’s high jump, Thomas has yet to get on the scoreboard with any points.Canadian Django Lovett leads the list with 19 points after he placed fifth with 7-2 ¼-(2.20).Winning the men’s title in the high jump was Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar as he edged out Woo Sang hyeok of Korea on fewer knockdowns on the count back after they both soared 7-6 1/2 (2.30m). The 32-year-old Thomas, who just missed getting on the podium in Birmingham with a fourth-place finish, is coming off a sixth-place finish at the 12th Gyulia Istvan Memorial in Székes fehérvár, Hungary, after he was tied for sixth place with Péter Bakosi after they both cleared 7-0 1/4-(2.14). The focus now switches to the Bahamas where the Bahamian athletes are expected to compete in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships August 18-21 at the Grand Bahama SportsFollowingComplex.that, it’s back to the Wanda Diamond League for the next meet ing in Lausanne on August 28.
The Caribbean Region champions suffered losses to Aruba (5-1), Taiwan (10-0), and Mexico (10-0) before concluding pool play with an 11-2 win over Canada.Major/70 is a level of baseball beyond Little League but before profes sional baseball that allows players to play on 70-foot base paths with a 50-foot pitching distance. It also allows runners to take leads and steal for the first time, playing mainly by official baseball rules.
Photos: Rotary Club of East Nassau, Rotary After Dark
PAGE 12, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE BABE RUTH’S CAL RIPKEN MAJOR/70 WORLD SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
The Caribbean Region teams were the gold medal lists from July’s Babe Ruth Regional Championships and the Freedom Farm team had an automatic bid into this year’s field. Freedom Farm opened with a 4-2 win over Aus tralia followed by losses to Mexico (10-0), Puerto Rico (5-0) and Taiwan (10-2) in pool play.
CAL RIPKEN FROM PAGE 11
GOOD EFFORT TEAM BAHAMAS: Both Bahamian teams were eliminated in the International Bracket quarterfinals at the Babe Ruth League’s Cal Ripken Baseball Major/70 World Series at the Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri, yesterday. The event featured 28 of the top teams representing various regions across the United States and countries around the world. The Caribbean Region champions suffered a 7-0 loss to Taiwan and Freedom Farm lost 1-0 to Aruba.
2012 — Candace Parker scores 21 points and the heavily favoured US wom en’s basketball team wins a fifth straight Olympic gold medal with an 86-50 victory over2013France.— Ashton Eaton of the United States wins the decathlon world cham pionship title to add to his Olympic gold medal. He completes his collec tion with a season-leading total of 8,809 points in a 10-event competition.
2013 — Jason Dufner wins his first major title with a two-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.2016—Michael Phelps wins his fourth gold medal of the Rio Olympics and 22nd overall with a victory in the 200-metre individual medley.Itwas Phelps’ 13th indi vidual gold and 26 medals overall.2016 — Simone Biles soars to the all-around title in women’s gymnastics at the Rio Olympics. Her total of 62.198 is well clear of silver medallist and “Final Five” teammate Aly Raisman and Rus sian bronze medallist Aliya Mustafina.
THE TRIBUNE Thursday, August 11, 2022, PAGE 13
Frank Rutherford finds some raw talent
Rutherford is also rec ommending that the government seek and find the coaches who are will ing to be paid to go to the Family Islands and work with the talent there. “It’s not going to start this year, obviously. It can start next year where we can pay these coaches so that they can go to these Family Islands and work with the athletes,” he said. “We need to take this thing away from the government and have a self-sustained programme to get these athletes to the next level.” Unlike what he’s done with football and basket ball, Rutherford said it’s a lot more difficult to get the track athletes off to the United States but, through the government, they can develop a sustainable pro gramme to get the coaches into the Family Islands to enhance the work being done there by the physical education teachers in the schools.“We need at least 10 national track and field coaches to make this work,” Rutherford said. “We have to set them up on these islands and the communi ties will assist them because they want to see their ath letes get to the next level in representing the country.” “The programme can be set up similar to what coach Anthony Williams is doing in Abaco where he was able to produce Stevie Gar diner. We just need to look at more of these potential athletes that we have on the islands. They want the betterment for their kids, but we need a driving force rightBeforeaway.”Gardiner, Ruther ford said there have been a number of outstanding athletes who came from the Family Islands like Chris Brown, the late Vernetta Rolle, Sevatheda Fynes, Troy McIntosh and Carl Oliver, just to name a few. Rutherford said it’s obvi ous that the Bahamas could do better in their quest to compete against Jamaica at CARIFTA, but every effort must be made to add the talent that is available in the Family Islands to those that are typically looked at in New Providence and Grand Bahama.
WITH the hosting of the 50th anniversary of the CARIFTA Games during the 50th Independence cel ebrations of the Bahamas, legendary Frank Ruther ford and a few athletes are giving their assistance in seeking out the talent in the Family Islands and will make some recommenda tions on how the country can be successful at home againstRutherford,Jamaica.
AUGUST 11 1929 — Babe Ruth is the first MLB player to hit 500 home1974runs.— Lee Trevino beats Jack Nicklaus by one stroke to capture the PGA Championship.1979—Peter Haugh ton wins his second International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway by driv ing Doublemint to victory. 1984 — Britain’s Sebas tian Coe sets an Olympic record in the 1,500 metre with a 3:32.53 winning time. 1985 — Hubert Green beats defending cham pion Lee Trevino by two strokes to take the PGA Championship.1986—Bob Tway’s bunker shot on the final hole gives him the PGA Championship over Greg Norman.1991— John Daly, the last alternate to make the field, wins the 73rd PGA Championship with a 1-under 71 to finish three strokes ahead of Bruce Lietzke.1995 — Michael John son wins the 200 metres in 19.79 seconds in the World Track & Field Champion ships to become the first runner to capture the 200 and 400 metres in a major championship.1996—Mark Brooks makes a 5-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Kenny Perry to win the PGA aWomen’sthree-timestrokes66,2000whichasrentlythethelencealatest2002Championship.—KarrieWebb’scomebackestablishesnewstandardofexcelontheLPGATour:SuperSlam—winningfourtournamentscurregardedasmajorswellastheduMaurier,lostitsmajorstatusinafter21years.Webbshootsa6-underrallyingfromthreebehindtothefirstwinnerintheBritishOpen.2012—UsainBoltisperfect3for3atthe
SPORTLIGHTBABE RUTH FIRST TO HIT 500 HOME RUNS
the first Bahamian to win an Olym pic Games track and field medal and now an assistant coach at the University of Houston, will be joined by Rolando Greene, head coach at the University of Kentucky, Norbert Elliott at Purdue University and Fritz Spence at Penn State, just to name a few, have been approached by former coach Neville Wisdom to assist in a talent search programme.NowinHarbour Island, Eleuthera, where he’s conducted a number of bas ketball camps and has been able to recruit both Lashan Higgs and Winslow Barry Jr in the past, Rutherford said he’s found some raw talent in track and field that he hopes will not only be able to compete at CARIFTA, but become international stars in the future. “We have been embar rassed and totally outclassed by the Jamaicans over the past years and we can’t allow them to come here and do the same thing to us again in our back yard,” Rutherford said. “We have countless, huge amount of athletes in these Family Islands. “So over the next 10 years of my life, I’m going to dedicate myself to build ing a foundation because I’ve talked to so many of these winter home owners in Eleuthera and Harbour Island, who want proper facilities for basketball, track and field, baseball and softball that they are used to seeing in the United States.”Informing his founda tion, Rutherford said he was assured by the winter owners that they would gladly make their con tributions to assist in the development of the facili ties through his series of meetings with them over the past few days. He noted that they would also like to see the development of health facilities as well. “One of the things I’m going to dedicate myself with over the next 10 years is that we have at least five to 10 track and field facili ties built on these Family Islands as well as the base ball fields and basketball facilities and medical facili ties where people can go and have the proper medi cal care on these islands. “We have too many bil lionaires, persons who have the money, but want to see the facilities built on the islands. They need some leadership. So that is what I’m doing here, while I’m looking at the talent that is available on the island.”
Rutherford said he’s seen a number of athletes on Eleuthera, whom he feels can make a valuable contri bution to the success of the CARIFTA team, but they just need to have their skills harnessed and given the opportunity to display their skills.“We obviously need a national sports programme, but I’m one who is sick and tired of us just lean ing on the government to do everything,” he said. “I am going along with others to try and put together a sports development and civic foundation where bil lionaires will donate to this fund over years to make these facilities possible.”
London Olympics — three events, three victories — just like Beijing four years ago.Almost even with the last US runner when he gets the baton for the anchor leg of the 4x100 metres, Bolt steadily pulls away down the stretch to cap his perfect Summer Games by lead ing Jamaica to victory in a world-record 36.84 seconds.
Allyson Felix wins her third gold medal, giving the United States a 20-metre lead after the second leg of the 4x400-metre relay. DeeDee Trotter, Felix, Francena McCorory and Sanya Richards-Ross bring home the victory for the Americans’ fifth straight Olympic title in the event.
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
Sports
FRANK RUTHERFORD, far left, is now in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, where he has conducted a number of basketball camps. He says he has found some raw talent in track and field that he hopes will not only be able to compete at CARIFTA, but become international stars in the future.
REAL Madrid’s David Alaba celebrates with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema after scoring his side’s opening goal during the UEFA Super Cup final soccer match between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium, Finland, yesterday. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
NBA
Rüdiger and Aurelien Tch ouameni to watch from the bench.Frankfurt was keen to make amends for a 6-1 rout at home to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga opening game last Frankfurt’sFriday.Jesper Lind ström drew a save from Thibault Courtois early on, though the flag went up for offside, giving the Danish midfielder the dis tinction of being the first in a European club com petition to force UEFA’s new semi-automated off side technology into action. Lindström then set up Daichi Kamada, who was onside before Courtois blocked his effort. They were to be Frankfurt’s only real chances. Vinícius Júnior had Madrid’s first big opportunity, but Brazil ian compatriot Tuta slid in to deny Frankfurthim. keeper Kevin Trapp produced a fine save to stop the next Vinícius Júnior effort in the 37th, but Madrid scored from the resultant corner when Benzema and Casemiro combined to give Alaba an easyBenzemafinish. went close shortly afterward as Madrid ended the first half in the ascendancy, and Vinícius Júnior tested Trapp again early in the second.TheBrazilian cut inside to set up Benzema’s goal, when the French forward let fly with a direct shot pastComfortedTrapp. by the twogoal cushion, the Spanish champions began turning on the style with intricate passing combinations — albeit without adding to their tally. “We didn’t play a spectacular game, but we were really solid. Our usual,” Ancelotti said.
HELSINKI (AP) — This time, there were only two goals.David Alaba and Karim Benzema scored in each half for Real Madrid to win the UEFA Super Cup with a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt yesterday. Alaba prodded the opener home from close range in the 37th minute when Casemiro cushioned Benzema’s header back after a corner. The French star then sealed Madrid’s record-equalling fifth Super Cup title in the 65th thanks to an assist from the lively Vinícius Júnior. It was Benzema’s 324th goal for Madrid, over taking club legend Raúl. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has more after scoring 450 goals for the club between 2009-18.Benzema, who also joined Madrid in 2009, lifted the trophy for Madrid, his first as cap tain after taking over from Marcelo.Barcelona and AC Milan are only other clubs to have won the Super Cup fiveButtimes.the game between the Champions League winners, Madrid, and Europa League champions, Frankfurt, failed to match the spectacle of their previ ousTheirmeeting.only other com petitive game was the 1960 European Cup final, when Alfredo Di Stéfano scored three goals and Ferenc Puskás chipped in with four to give Madrid a 7-3 win and fifth consecutive European ingestablishedAncelottitheyembracedcelebratedfinalMadridria93-year-oldyearssinkiDieterErwinFrankfurtcrown.goal-scorerSteinandteammateStinkawereinHelfortherematch62later,butitwastheJoséSantama—theonlyremainingplayerfromthatinGlasgow—whoanotherwin.Thethreeveteranswarmlywhenmetbeforekickoff.MadridcoachCarlostartedwithhisplayers,forcnewsigningsAntonio
A DIVERSITY report found the NBA posting nearly across-the-board gains in hiring of minorities and women after a small, one-year dip in its overall grade.Yesterday’s report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the Uni versity of Central Florida gave the NBA an overall A grade, with an A-plus for racial hiring and a B-plus for gender hiring. The report annually examines hiring for positions with franchises and in league leadership, with this study using data from the 2021-22 season.Ayear earlier, the league saw its overall grade dip to a B-plus despite its status as the leader among men’s professional leagues evalu ated by TIDES. It was the first time the NBA had failed to register at least an A-minus since 2006, though institute director and lead report author Richard Lapchick noted then that the decrease had been due largely to a methodology change to include team ownership.“Ithink it’s significant that they got back to that kind of (level),” Lapchick said in an interview with The Associated Press. “They were still in the lead, but this is a show of marked improvement over the course of the past 12 months. I think clearly this is really good news for the NBA.”The league’s scores in each major category increased multiple percent age points, reaching a 91.8 overall (up 3.5 from 2021), a 97.0 in racial hiring (2.2) and 86.5 in gender hiring (4.6).Notably, the league has significant representa tion by people of colour in leadership positions. That included 15 head-coaching jobs, 12 general managers and 50% of assistant coach ing positions among the league’s 30 teams, accord ing to the study. “They are the public face of the franchise for the most part,” Lapchick said of coaches and GMs. “It’s who most people think about when they think about their team other than the players. “And they’re the sig nificant decision-makers. They’re the ones who are going to make the draft calls, make the trades. Obviously the coaches are going to decide who’s play ing and the rotation. So to have such representation by people of colour is very significant.”Thelist of prominent names in those roles include Boston head coach Ime Udoka — who led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season — along with the tandem of coach Monty Williams and gen eral manager James Jones in Phoenix, which finished with a league-best 64 regu lar-season wins. The number of head coaches of colour will increase to 16 next season, tying the record from 2011-12.
WOMENMINORITIES,JOBSTUDYDIVERSITYFINDSGAINSBY
PAGE 14, Thursday, August 11, 2022 THE TRIBUNE
By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer
Jonquel Jones’ double-double leads Sun past Sparks 97-71 By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
REAL SUPER2-0FRANKFURTEINTRACHTDEFEATSMADRIDFORUEFACUP
JONQUEL Jones scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds - both game highs - to lead the Sun to a 97-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday night. (AP)
THE reigning MVP is playing her best basketball of the season and the Con necticut Sun have secured a top three seed for the WNBA playoffs as the regular season continues to windJonqueldown.Jones posted 21 points and 10 reboundsboth game highs - to lead the Sun to a 97-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday night before 5,789 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. It was Jones’ fourth con secutive double double and their 11th of the season. Jones was the force behind the Sun’s domi nance on the boards as they had a 17-rebound advantage and shot 50 per cent from the field. With the win, the Sun improved to 23-11, second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Chicago Sky who lead the conference and league at 25-9. The Las Vegas Aces lead the Western Conference at 24-10.The Sun have two games remaining in the regular season, tonight against the Sparks for the second con secutive game and against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.Las Vegas, concludes the season with matchups against the Sky today and the Seattle Storm on Sunday.Following the matchup with the Aces, the Sun will face the Phoenix Mercury in the finale. In Tuesday night’s matchup, the Sparks trimmed the deficit to just five points at the five-min ute mark in the first half. The Sun would respond with an 18-2 run, to take a 53-32 lead at the half. Jones scored 10 of the Sun’s 18 points during the run. Connecticut stayed a game behind second-place Las Vegas in the playoff chase.Los Angeles (13-21) sits in 11th, with an outside shot of passing three teams for the final playoff spot. Los Angeles was undone by 20 turnovers and Con necticut’s 40-23 edge on the boards. Brionna Jones added 14 points, Natisha Hiedeman scored 13 and Alyssa Thomas had 11 points, seven assists and four steals for Connecticut. DeWanna Bonner scored 10Lospoints.Angeles turned it over 13 times in the first half and got outre bounded 23-12. Brittney Sykes scored 18 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 16 for Los Angeles. Jordin Canada added 15 points. Ogwumike moved past Diana Taurasi for 22nd on the WNBA career steals list with 485. A top-four seed in the WNBA postseason will secure home-court advan tage for the first round. Jones’ recent streak began with 10 points and 10 rebounds, followed by 14 points, 10 rebounds in back-to-back wins over Phoenix. She also posted 17 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Chicago.
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