09042023 NEWS AND SPORT

BELL SHUFFLED IN DAVIS SHAKE-UP

‘Mother’ Pratt sworn in as new Governor General

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

By LETRE SWEETIN G Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

ALMOST two years into his administration, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has shuffled his Cabinet, with Keith Bell and Alfred Sears being moved to new ministerial posts. Mr Davis yesterday announced seven new ministerial appointments and portfolio adjustments as

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

well as two shifts in state ministers.

The new appointments will take effect immediately, with Cabinet meetings to be held on Tuesdays as usual.

Many of the new roles come following calls for the resignation of several of the ministers, though Mr Davis has defended his Cabinet ministers, shutting down those calls for resignation.

FTX’s US chief is accusing his Bahamian counterparts of seeking to “shield from scrutiny” details of their interviews with Sam Bankman-Fried and other key insiders that he now wants handed over. John Ray, who heads 134 FTX entities

currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is urging the Delaware Bankruptcy Court to “compel” FTX Digital Markets and its Bahamian provisional liquidators to disclose their “discussions” with the crypto exchange’s embattled founder and other key staff on the basis that the contents

CYNTHIA “Mother” Pratt was sworn in on Friday as the 12th Governor General of The Bahamas as she spoke of the need to “support the weak, and lift up the fallen”. Her call has been supported by community leaders, with one telling The Tribune: “This could be a turning point for our country”.

During her remarks at Government

BPl workers Union votes stronGly in favoUr of strike

By LETRE SWEETIN G Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 1,000 Bahamas Electrical Workers Union members voted to strike in a ballot on Friday, resulting in a 99 percent “yes” vote unofficially, according to union president Kyle Wilson.

The ballot voted on by Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) members on September 1 asked three “yes” or “no” to strike questions concerning former Wartsila employees receiving better terms and conditions

The Commonwealth of The Bahamas’

‘Mother’ Pratt sworn in as new Governor General

to be law-abiding citizens.”

House, the former national security minister thanked Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis for the confidence placed in her by nominating her as the 12th governor general of The Bahamas.

“Today, before all of you, I am turning a significant page in my own story as I set off on this new adventure with unwavering hope and determination and a profound commitment to continue to serve the people of our nation as I have during the years,” Mrs Pratt said.

“Firstly, I give thanks and praise to Almighty God who has brought me thus far, and who gives me the will and ability to serve all our people. It is against that backdrop, ladies and gentlemen, that I pledge to give the best of my service as I occupy this lofty office for which I have so kindly been deemed worthy. I believe it important to observe that appointment to the position of governor general is proof that without aspiring to this high office by the grace of God, I am here dedicated to continue serving my beloved country and my people to the best of my ability.”

She added: “As I assume this distinguished position, I come therefore with a determined heart and mind to promote and encourage the fullest application of those time-honoured principles of mutual respect, self-discipline, sharing with others in our commitment

Mr Davis said that Mrs Pratt has served her way to “greatness”.

“As she now rises as our nation’s governor general, it is my distinct pleasure to speak in support of an unparalleled nation-builder, community leader, and civic icon. Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt’s life is a testament to the capacity for love within the Bahamian spirit.”

“Hers is a career marked by selfless service, rooted in a profound commitment to conveying hope to people who need it the most. She has inspired our youth as an educator, tended to our sick as a registered nurse, lifted the spirits of the lost as an ordained minister, and, of course, served the residents of St Cecilia as a Member of Parliament for fifteen years. In each of these roles, compassion was the hallmark of her approach.”

He mentioned Mrs Pratt’s perceived nurturing nature as the “Mother of a Nation” and emphasised her strength.

“You see, she isn’t just a comforter, she is also a defender of those who cannot defend themselves and there can be no mistaking her kindness for weakness. Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt is a force of nature with a passion for people. Her own story is a testament to her resilience, but even as she relied on that strength to move forward and to overcome hardship, she also shared it to uplift the people around her.”

“There are countless stories of young women

whose only pathway to a college came through Cynthia “Mother” Pratt. Take a walk through the Grove and you will meet young men who will tell you that it was ‘Mother Pratt’ who helped them to get a job, turn their life around, and break a cycle of poverty and imprisonment.”

Bishop Hubert Kemp, of Prayer and Praise Assembly, who said he is Mrs Pratt’s bishop, considered her a woman “worthy of praise” and “lives above reproach”.

“I am looking forward with great anticipation and enthusiasm for the finished product that she will produce at the summation of her leadership, representing King Charles. This is really going to be probably one of the most exciting things the Bahamian community has had an opportunity to bear witness to, and to be recipients.”

He said Mrs Pratt “is a cat of nine lives and definitely to God be the glory I feel like she is anointed of God, called of God, appointed of God for this season and this time and of the increase of His government upon her shoulders - there shall be no end and this could be a turning point for our country”.

He added; “I think that it’s God’s way of showing his face in his favour and his kindness and His mercy towards us, and given us a governor general, like Mother Pratt and a woman of prayer, a woman of spirituality, a woman who loves God, and who has a common

touch, like the founding fathers of this country.”

According to Bishop Anthony Roker, she has made a great impact in the Coconut Grove community.

“They are so happy for her. There’s no one else I

believe in The Bahamas deserves that at this present time,” he said.

Bishop Roker added: “She has done well in that community - helped children to go to school who unfortunately don’t have

parents, clothing, food, shelter - she has done it all.” As for his personal experience, he recalled: “She has been an example to me in that community as a pastor. We have done a lot of work together.”

BPL WORKERS UNION VOTES STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF STRIKE

from page one

than BPL’s BEWU employees, as well as fixed monthly hazardous pay and lack of increments which they say both go against what is in the industrial agreement signed on September 8, 2021.

The agreement includes provisions for salary increases in 2022, 2023 and 2024, with increases in 2025 and 2026 to be considered on appraisals.

On Friday, Mr Wilson released a video in celebration of the overwhelming yes vote, calling it

a “resounding absolute yes vote”. He thanked union members for “standing with him” in solidarity to see the issues with BPL resolved. He also promised further action would be communicated to them upon receipt of the strike certificate.

Yesterday, Mr Wilson told The Tribune: “Out of 1,000 plus yes votes from the three questions, less than ten votes were no. We still await the final count. We expected some no votes from the alleged 100 plus friends, family and lovers they hired over the past two years. But even they seem to vote in support of

the union.

“We are tired of the disrespect, poor and unsafe conditions. BPL has become a friends, family and lovers club,” Mr Wilson said.

Tensions have been high between the power supply company and the BEWU since the union issued a 30-day ultimatum for Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to address workers’ concerns related to hazardous pay, pension and medical benefits, poor working conditions at BPL’s substations, among other issues.

On August 23, Mr Wilson released a work to rule advisory to union

Women United voices disapproval of making false reports of abuse

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A WOMEN’S rights advocacy group has voiced its disapproval of false reports made to police and is calling for stiffer penalties for those who make those false reports.

In statement released by Women United yesterday, the advocacy group said providing false information leads to mistrust of future legitimate claims.

These comments follow the false report to police of two attempted child abductions in recent weeks.

Last month, a woman allegedly reported to police that a man tried to snatch her young child from a grocery cart while she shopped at a store in the southwestern district of New Providence around 9am on August 29. This report led authorities to detain 50-year-old Darren Major.

However, after a thorough investigation by police and a review of surveillance footage, it was determined that her report was a fabrication.

The woman has since been charged with making a false report and granted $2,000 bail.

Several days earlier, police took Sidney Cooper, a serial groper whose prison release authorities publicised, into custody for his own protection on August 24, after he was wrongfully accused of

trying to abduct a 12-yearold girl.

“Residents, assuming the culprit was Sidney Cooper, converged at his residence on Fifth Street, Coconut Grove, armed with rocks, bottles and cutlass,” police said in a statement advising that Cooper was not the culprit.

A viral video showed Cooper in cuffs as an officer detained him. The man recording the video threatened to attack him.

However, police said the real culprit was a tall, baldheaded, “bright” man who tried to abduct the girl.

In its statement Women United said yesterday: “Such incidents erode public trust in the justice system; and, unfortunately where they are made by women, they feed the fear that women will make false reports against men out of spite.

“They lead to increased scepticism towards all future claims, creating an environment where genuine victims may fear coming forward. By making false statements, individuals impede the fair administration of justice and erode public trust in law enforcement agencies.

“To combat this issue, it is crucial to educate the public about the consequences of making false reports and to strengthen penalties for those found guilty of such actions. Currently under section 175 of the Penal Code

a person making a false report to the police faces a maximum $500 fine and/or six months in prison.

“Consideration needs to be given to increasing the maximum fine and possible term of imprisonment.

“We accept that any false report of rape is very damaging to the person falsely accused and to true victims of rape for whom we advocate. We are therefore particularly sensitive about any such false report and do not support such reports being tolerated. Any person making such a false report should face the full force of the law.

“At the same time, we must ensure that individuals who genuinely need the protection of the police feel safe and confident in reporting crimes. We must all condemn false reports, take steps to prevent them, and work collectively to maintain trust in our law enforcement agencies to uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and community safety,” said Women United.

False statements to the police can include false accusations, fabricated evidence, or misleading information.

These statements “divert valuable law enforcement resources away from genuine cases, potentially delaying or preventing the resolution of real crimes. This diversion of resources not only endangers public safety but also wastes taxpayer money”, said Women United.

members. BPL workers went on work-to-rule, raising questions about how the company would function in emergencies.

At the time, Mr Wilson told The Tribune that armed officers have been sent to Family Islands to protect BPL substations.

“This is proof that they are intentional about not resolving our issues,” he said.

Office of the Prime Minister deputy press secretary Keishla Adderley said it was not unusual for officers to be deployed at BPL sites when “there is a perceived threat” of industrial action.

She noted BPL officials have been concerned about various workplace conditions.

Mr Wilson said yesterday: “We have tried every industrial avenue possible to resolve the issues, but the leadership of BPL has taken an attitude or arrogance and directed the union to the courts to seek resolve.

“This was disrespectful and arrogant. We signed an MOU in August of 2021 stating we will work together and move issues from the court.

“I was shocked to hear that statement from the leadership of BPL. We welcomed CEO (Shevonn) Cambridge back to BPL, but he has disappointed the workers with an attitude not in keeping with the MOU. CEO Cambridge came in on a Trojan horse, only to attack the union.

“You can’t unilaterally renegotiate the registered and certified benefits of the workers and tell them you’ll interpret it as you see fit. The health and safety conditions are deplorable, but that was not their concern,” Mr Wilson said.

Christopher Hanna, president of the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUTM), told The Tribune last week that a similar strike vote could be held for BEUTM members as early as this week, as they face the same problems as BEWU members, and have not had a contract with BPL for five years. The union has been without an industrial agreement since the last one expired in 2018.

CYNTHIA “Mother” Pratt was sworn in on Friday as the 12th Governor General of The Bahamas as she spoke of the need to “support the weak, and lift up the fallen”.

Photo: Mosie Amisial

‘We know we can do more because Abaco deserves more’, says Davis

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AS the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Dorian was marked on Friday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said “we can do more” to help the island of Abaco.

Mr Davis gathered with locals at the annual wreath laying on the island on Friday, and said September 1, 2019, is a day that will be forever “etched in our hearts”.

In the immediate aftermath, many locals complained about the response from government - some saying they felt forgotten by officials.

Mr Davis acknowledged this grievance during the memorial.

He said: “There has been understandable frustration spilling over from the government’s response in 2019 and continuing into 2023, where there is still more vital work that needs to be done.

“We know that we can do more because Abaco deserves more and building a stronger Abaco is the most powerful way we can honour the memories of those who are no longer with us.”

He noted the family, friends, and colleagues lost, saying: “Today is a day to cherish their memories and uplift one another even as we mourn. Grief is such a heavy burden to bear, and it is only made bearable by the love and support we extend to each and to another.

“The anniversary of Hurricane Dorian will always

bring with it a surge of emotions, re-awakening the pain that we felt so deeply. To those of you who lost family members, friends, classmates, and colleagues, I wish to express my deepest sympathies. I know that today is very difficult for you. I stand with you in honouring and preserving their memory.

“Among the most significant ways we can honour the memories of our loved ones is by providing the support necessary for Abaco to thrive. We will do this by continuing to bring in investments and develop opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and homeownership.”

He highlighted the need to invest in protective measures such as the Abaco Sea Wall completed earlier this year and the Abaco Hurricane Shelter and Community Centre.

Speaking to reporters at the island’s government complex, he said that part of the challenge was the supply chain as well as being able to access the necessary resources and materials to have the work move more quickly.

He said officials are working on those logistics, saying: “So there’s still a logistical challenge because of the other external factors that impact our ability to source materials - source the necessary resources to be able to accelerate the work.

“But I must say over the last several months, we have been able to solve a number of those logistical problems and you’ll see that work is continuing. It’s been

four years and the scars of Dorian are still seen.

“The wounds are still seemingly not healing as quickly as they ought to and I think we owe people in Abaco that those resources [that] help to ensure healing could come a bit faster.”

It was somber day for the island, with some stores closed to obverse the tragedy. To this day, some buildings and homes can be seen to have major structural damage.

Vaindie Humes recalled the storm sounded like a “freight train” when came to the island.

“When I look again, my mommy was inside so after the outside shook and the plywood came off, she said she was getting wet so I moved her… when I look again the front part start tearing off.

“We make attempt to my brother’s house and just when I got out of this house to get in this house this next side fell down and I got down in time. When I knock on this door at the time, all could see the house went down flat.”

He lost many of his friends - some were found while others were still missing.

“When you see something like that before you know you’re shaken up when here about something coming like that. All you gotta do is be ready and look for the safest place because you don’t know when it’s gonna happen again. I don’t want to see not like that happen again because that was a serious thing. I never see nothing like that before.”

His sister, Carolyn, could

Commission of inquiry into response to Hurricane Dorian is ‘not ruled out’, says PM

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said a commission of inquiry over Hurricane Dorian has not been ruled out. He said officials await the police’s report to make a determination.

When he was the leader of the Opposition, Mr Davis called for an independent inquiry either by outside police investigators or through a commission of inquiry to determine the fate of those missing in Abaco and Grand Bahama after the Category 5 storm.

There was considerable confusion at the time over the number of people still missing after the storm. In June 2020, then National Security Minister Marvin Dames said in a press statement 279 people are missing. However, then

Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash said 33 people were still missing. It was reported in October 2021 that an ongoing assessment of the impact and recovery efforts of the storm would determine if an inquiry is needed.

Speaking to the press on Friday in Abaco, Mr Davis said: “We have not ruled out the possibility of a commission of inquiry in respect to Dorian, the Dorian episode and trauma because I feel that there are lessons to be learned from the experiences at what to do, what not to do in times of trials and tribulations visited by external shocks like a hurricane of the nature and size of Dorian.

“So that’s not been ruled out. We have been having ongoing investigations to determine whether or not it is necessary to have a full blown inquiry and those investigations are

continuing and where we are unable to get answers through the normal investigative tools then and answers are required and there are answers to be had.

“If we cannot do it through the normal investigative tools, then of course, the next step would be to consider whether or not we move to having a commission of inquiry.”

A Coroner’s Court ordered in May 2021 that death certificates be issued to the families of five victims who died during Hurricane Dorian in 2019 after ruling that drowning was their most likely cause of death.

In a written ruling handed down, Coroner Jeannine Weech-Gomez ordered for death certificates to be issued to the families of James Capron, Jeffrey Danis, Melida Almazie, Antonio Outten and Claudine Byfield Etienne.

not stay on the island.

“I told my mommy I had to go to Freeport. I can’t stay here. So I just packed everything in a bin, pack them neat, and just leave them in the house. I just went to Freeport. It was one more seat and I say I have to go on because I have panic attack, anxiety attack.”

She ended up staying in temporary domes made available for storm victims, but the structure leaked and she was experiencing coughs. She was advised by a doctor to move.

Disaster Reconstruction Authority executive chairman Alex Storr said it was found the dome was mouldinfested. Ms Humes has been assisted by the HARP (Homeowners Assistance and Relief Programme) and has been in her home for about two weeks.

Mr Store said: “What we did was we came in, we

made the necessary repairs to the house that includes the siding to waterproof the house and other repairs to enable her to move out of the dorm, which we then carted away and she’s now living back inside her house.”

The government initially pumped a million dollars into the HARP programme and the funds have not been expended yet. Mr Storr said they hope to get the next tranche as soon as possible so officials could go on to the next phase homes.

In this phase, he estimated that on Abaco there were ten homes at various stages of repairs.

As for the next phase, he indicated: “Well, we’re reviewing the files right now. It depends, you know, we trying using $250,000 to repair as many homes as possible and so the various sizes so I couldn’t give you a

picture of how many homes right now but that would be the dollar amount for that phase.”

Meanwhile, Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder recalled the feeling locals had seeing the first private boats and government officials, and Bahamians coming to bring in much-needed help, supplies and support.

He added: “Many families were split as they had to leave Abaco. Many of us stayed and did what we had to do to rebuild Abaco. Together, we brought Abaco to where it is today.

“Together, we will continue to bring it forward and rebuild better than before. Together, Abacocians are resilient and together we will stand strong but we must remember September 1, 2019 - the day that changed all of our lives.”

Police investigating if any ‘criminal conduct’ is involved in construction of shelter in a baco

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip

“Brave” Davis said police have been asked to investigate issues over the construction of a hurricane shelter in Abaco.

Mr Davis said that the Disaster Reconstruction Authority had “engaged police officers” to see if there was any criminal conduct involving the shelter’s construction, though he did not specify what those allegations might be.

Mr Davis and other government officials toured the shelter on Friday, which is due to be completed by December 2024. The price has escalated to around $4m from an original cost of $2.2m.

There has been a series of delays in the construction. Mr Davis said on Friday: “The progress was slow. The reason why I visited the site is to get some explanation as to why it has sort of stalled and that explanation was given to me. I think you saw and heard some of the reasons why the progress has been as slow as it has been.

“The initial site on

which the foundation rests was full of caverns. We saw where slabs of concrete had been poured yet still over cavernous areas and so there is a complete almost reworking of the site which took a lot of time I am advised.

“The engineers were pointing out to me… there was some terrible mistakes made at the beginning of that site and I am advised as well that the DRA has engaged police officers to look at what was going on

to determine whether there was any criminal conduct that attended the exercise of what has happened.”

Mr Davis said the original design was for a shelter resilient up to 150mph winds, but that has now been increased so it can withstand winds of 250mph.

He added: “The remedial work, the corrective work that was necessary to ensure that the foundation was solid, correcting and filling in the caverns that they found, doing a proper geotechnical study on how the ground lay, that also increased the cost, I think they’re now saying, it looks like it’s escalating to around $4m.”

Christopher Symonette, the project manager, said workers have been building now for around a year and a half.

“We ran into significant delays after we had discovered there was some stuff in the foundation that was not done correctly. We had to mediate that work, get up to speed and move on with the new construction to upgrade the centre for 250mph wind.”

As for the capacity of the shelter, he told reporters: “It’s designed to seat comfortably 250 but you know in a hurricane you can get more people in so they have systems, water systems and bathroom facilities that actually accommodate more people.”

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis tosses a wreath in to the water at a remembrance ceremony in Abaco marking the fourth aniversary of the devasting impact of Hurrincae Dorian which made landfall September 1, 2019.

Photo: Earyel Bowleg

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis reviews plans of a hurricane shelter currently under construction in Abaco. According to Mr Davis olice are investigating ‘issues’ related to the shelter’s construction

Photo: Earyel Bowleg

Bell shuffled in Davis shake-up

During his national statement, he outlined several serious and longstanding issues, sought to be addressed with this shuffle, including the price of light bills, the need for reformation and transformation of the energy sector, more support on the family islands, more affordable housing, crime and bail reform.

Mr Davis said the new portfolio and responsibility adjustments of Cabinet would “strengthen policy execution, and balance continuity and experience with renewal and fresh perspective”.

Labour and Immigration Minister to become the new Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal.

Obie Wilchcombe, whose portfolio at Social Services previously included Urban Renewal, is now Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting.

Mr Davis said as Mr Bell was a part of the team that originally launched Urban Renewal his “experience and commitment” will be vital in his new role as Housing and Urban Renewal Minister.

allegations about actions during Mr Bell’s tenure have been raised, including his involvement when a number of Chinese workers were released from custody after an immigration operation.

Mr Davis said that moving forward his administration will prioritise taking a closer look at immigration policy, which will include a review of work permit needs in the financial services sector.

He said: “As I announced over the summer, we will be conducting a comprehensive review of immigration procedures, with the goal of strengthening them, so that Bahamians can be confident that the rules promote efficiency and fairness.

“We are also reviewing agreements made with investors in years past, to ensure they are carrying out the commitments they have made to our communities and country.

“And we are reviewing work permits in our financial services and tourism industries, to make sure opportunities for Bahamians are not being unfairly blocked.”

With Housing now part of Mr Bell’s new portfolio, former Transport and Housing Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis will now serve as Minister of Energy and Transport.

Mr Davis said she was granted this new portfolio to “do the critical work of bringing together and coordinating experts and teams from throughout the government to tackle the energy transition.

Mr Sears to resign, pointing to what he called a “failure of the government to act appropriately to reduce the cost of electricity”.

Mr Pintard made the remarks outside the Office of The Prime Minister where he led a press conference in the parking lot, after urging ministers at Parliament earlier that week to admit to the public that they received recommendations on how to avoid a 163 percent increase in BPL’s fuel surcharge for consumers.

Mr Pintard told Tribune Business at the time that he and other opposition MPs were left “stunned” after Mr Sears said that the Ministry of Finance, headed by the prime minister, had dismissed recommendations to continue the trades, calling

his new role as substantive Minister for Agriculture and Marine Resources,” Mr Davis said.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance: Philip “Brave” Davis

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation: Chester Cooper

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Fred Mitchell

Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training: Glenys Hanna-Martin

Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly: Obie Wilchcombe

Minister of Immigration and National Insurance: Alfred Sears

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs: Ryan Pinder

Pia Glover-Rolle, who was the Minister of State for Public Service has been promoted to Minister of Labour and Public Service for wide accomplishment in the sector as State Minister, with Prime Minister Davis saying he is “confident she will serve with distinction”.

Former Minister of State for Education Zane Lightbourne is now Minister of State for Environment to “help drive this push for more sustainable development” and “ to strengthen the work” of the ministry, Prime Minister Davis said.

Former Minister of State for the Environment Basil McIntosh has also been moved to Minister of State for Aviation.

BPL’s fuel hedging initiative “not in the interests of the country at that time.”

Minister of Economic Affairs and Leader of Government Business in the Senate: Michael Halkitis

Minister of Health and Wellness: Dr Michael Darville

Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs: Clay Sweeting

Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal: Keith Bell

Minister of National Security: Wayne Munroe

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources: Vaughn Miller

Minister of Energy and Transport: JoBeth Coleby-Davis

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture: Mario Bowleg

Minister for Grand Bahama: Ginger Moxey

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources: Jomo Campbell

“I know he will bring his trademark energy and determination to his new role, as Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal. Building affordable homes and building stronger communities is a priority for us, and doing it in a big way requires strength and focus.

“Keith Bell was part of the team that originally launched Urban Renewal. His experience and commitment to that mission will help to drive the programme to even greater success,” Mr Davis said.

Calls for Mr Bell’s resignation or removal from Cabinet from the Coalition of Independents and the Free National Movement (FNM) came after Mr Bell, in an unorthodox way, at a funeral, oversaw the ceremony granting citizenship to the two children of the deceased man and their mother.

Former Immigration Minister Brent Symonette called Mr Bell’s actions “highly improper” and agreed they warranted his resignation from Cabinet.

This caused widespread controversy as many called into question Mr Bell’s commitment to valuing Bahamian sovereignty and citizenship.

Several weeks later, Prime Minister Davis came to Mr Bell’s defence saying Mr Bell does not need to resign for overseeing a citizenship swearing-in ceremony at a funeral.

A number of other

“Minister ColebyDavis, whose dissertation for her Masters Degree focused on overcoming barriers to renewable energy deployment in The Bahamas, is going to be a formidable advocate for our country as we transition to clean energy,” Mr Davis said.

Mrs Coleby-Davis’ new appointment comes more than eight months after Wesley Ferguson, President of The Bahamas Taxi Cab Union called for her to resign as Minister of Transport, claiming that her decisions since assuming office have caused utter “chaos” and “turmoil” in the industry. The union’s grievances stemmed from the minister’s decision to issue hundreds of taxi plates last year which the union says has caused the market to become oversaturated.

However, Mrs ColebyDavis denied this, saying she had always left a line of communication open to the union.

Former Works Minister Alfred Sears is now the new Minister of Immigration and National Insurance.

Prime Minister Davis said Mr Sears, who has served in previous administrations as the Attorney General, and as a Minister of Education is uniquely qualified to oversee reforms to the National Insurance Board as well as reforms which emerge from the review of immigration procedures.

In November 2022, Mr Sears too received calls for his resignation. FNM leader Michael Pintard called for

Mr Sears responded: “The Minister of Finance communicated that based on what was presented, it was not supported. That determination was communicated in October 2021. What is the relevance of this new revelation?”

Mr Sears has since declined to speak further on the issue.

The National Insurance portfolio had previously been part of Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister Myles Laroda’s remit, but is now removed. He retains his post as Minister of State, however.

Meanwhile, the new title of Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs has gone to former Agriculture Minister Clay Sweeting who had vowed to make agriculture “sexy” in October 2021.

Following the announcement of the Cabinet shuffle, FNM leader Michael Pintard released a statement voicing his dissatisfaction with the new appointments, saying little has changed.

He said: “This desperate move is an admission of the Davis administration’s declining favour with the public. The name attached to the government plates may be different, but little has changed.

“When these ministers finally return to work, there will still be over 100 unanswered questions on their desks form the Opposition. The Bahamian people’s confidence in this long-talking crew will still be low.

Minister of Labour and the Public Service: Pia Glover-Rolle

Minister of State for Aviation in the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation: Basil McIntosh

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister: Myles Laroda

Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Renewal: Lisa Rahming

Minister of State for the Environment in the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources: Zane Lightbourne

“No amount of pomp, pageantry and public relations will change what even their endless consultants can see clear as day; the PLP (Progressive Liberal Party) government is running out of time and they will soon be

out of office.”

The shuffling of Cabinet has been widely anticipated following the proroguing of Parliament on August 12, with a new Parliament session beginning on October 4.

In addition, former Minister of State for Legal Affairs Jomo Campbell has been promoted to Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources.

“He has contributed wise counsel on a range of complex legal and policy issues,” Prime Minister Davis said. “He has shown he can do the hardest and most important thing in government, which is take a plan on paper and make it real.

“His ability to drive change will be essential in

MINISTER of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting

MINISTER of Labour and Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle

MINISTER of Immigration and National Insurance Alfred Sears

MINISTER of Housing and Urban Renewal Keith Bell

The Tribune Limited

Will Davis’ reshuffle be a benefit or not?

THE much-rumoured, long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle has arrived – and those expected to get the chop have instead simply received a new title and desk. This is a reshuffle that has moved the non-performers around rather than getting rid of them entirely.

Despite a host of questions surrounding his performance at Immigration, Keith Bell finds himself with a newly bolted together ministerial post. He gets a bit of Housing and the Urban Renewal portion is removed from Social Services and attached to it instead. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis was also at pains to praise Mr Bell despite the catalogue of unorthodox moves during his tenure at Immigration, that seemed to bring him into conflict at times with senior officers there. Mr Davis made particular mention of Mr Bell’s leadership in that post.

Alfred Sears has seemingly been given a hefty demotion. Out he goes from Ministry of Works – replaced by Clay Sweeting, who has impressed at Agriculture – and instead he becomes Minister of Immigration and National Insurance. Half of that is a ministry in which PLP chairman Fred Mitchell recently said there can be no rational discussion on immigration, and the other is NIB, which is heading for a significant increase next year, which is not likely to make any announcing minister wildly popular.

Myles Laroda, meanwhile, who was previously responsible for the NIB fund, finds that stripped from his title to leave him as just Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, with no sign of a portfolio to administer.

There are other, positive movements – Pia Glover-Rolle has been rewarded for her success and becomes a full minister, of Labour and Public Service, and Jomo Campbell is given the vacant spot at Agriculture and Marine Resources following Mr Sweeting’s upward movement.

That is as it should be – those who are seen to have done well should be rewarded with greater responsibility.

But there have to be questions that if Bell and Sears have to be moved from their posts, for whatever reason

the Prime Minister feels they need to be relocated, should they be rewarded with another full ministerial role at all?

The questions that dogged Mr Bell will only follow him to Housing, where no doubt the Opposition will keep a close watch on contract awards and ask whether there are any conflicts with his previous role as general legal council at Arawak Homes.

So has the Prime Minister moved ministers rather than axing them?

The size of the Cabinet is an issue in that there is no depth to draw on from the back bench to replace underperforming ministers, and the shuffling of various ministers of state suggests those are not ready to take a step up to a full role if the substantive minister falls short.

There is certainly little incentive for a minister to perform if the worst they face is being shuffled to a new role rather than face the chop. If worst comes to worst, there will be a new desk, a new office, perhaps a new licence plate on your ministerial car.

That will be the challenge facing the Prime Minister if indeed this is a reshuffle based on performance – getting his team to produce the best for the Bahamian people if there are few consequences for not delivering.

That two of those moved are those that the FNM have called to be reshuffled seems to show a consensus of sorts that a change was needed –although Mr Davis defended both Mr Bell and Mr Sears in his speech.

What matters of course is what the outcome of this shall be for the citizens of The Bahamas, who will have their own views on which ministers are performing and which are not. And as many governments have found over the years, the electorate can be very unforgiving if people feel that government is serving its own interests over those of the voters.

Mr Davis certainly knows some of the challenges ahead – he referenced light bills in particular as people feel the heat in their payments to BPL. This is the team he thinks can lead the party as it moves through the next administrative session and towards the next election. He’s shuffled his pack, now it’s time to deal the cards.

Marital rape law about protection of women

This letter is addressed to Pastor

Dear Pastor, We hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. We understand that your perspective on the proposed amendments to the Sexual Offences Act is rooted in your beliefs and values, and we respect your right to hold them. However, we believe it is important to engage in a thoughtful dialogue about the concerns raised by the women of our community who are advocating for this law.

The stance you and some of your fellow church pastors have taken to reject the law has left many saddened, particularly those women who have been passionately advocating for its implementation. It is vital to recognize that this law is not about weaponising sex in marriage or undermining the sanctity of marriage. Instead, it is about safeguarding the fundamental human rights of individuals within a marriage and promoting a culture of respect, love, and equality.

Our community has been grappling with the distressing reality of sexual assaults, including rapes and child molestation. These deeply disturbing incidents underscore the urgent need for legal measures that protect vulnerable individuals within their own homes. It is within families and communities that the moral fabric of our society is woven, and we must ensure that our sons and daughters are brought up to understand the importance of consent, respect, and empathy.

You aptly mention the beauty of the teachings within the Bible, which encourage us to respect and honour one another. These teachings should never be distorted to justify heinous acts of abuse, whether they occur between spouses or anyone else. Instead, they should serve as a moral compass guiding us towards

compassion, understanding, and kindness.

You have expressed a concern that enacting the proposed bill will result in less marriages. We draw to your attention the recent UB study, “In The Bahamas She Must Give It Up”, which publicly revealed that married women are more likely than single women to have experienced non-consensual intercourse; and, where this occurs those women are more likely to have suffered physical harm at the hands of their partners. This study, and its publication makes it patently clear to all women that in the current state of affairs we are safer if we do not wed. After all, to restate your question, who wants to get married when it is so dicey and dangerous as your husband can force himself upon you without your consent? It is, therefore, clear that the failure to amend the law, and not its amendment, will result in less marriages with the resulting societal impact that you fear.

The incidence of adultery is already a plague upon this nation and we welcome the church consistently dealing with the matter and not just as a tool in this discussion. It also ought to be accepted that with respect to all laws on the books there is the potential for misuse of the law. The truth is that if a wife wishes to make false allegations against her husband she can do so now. So, while there may be concerns about potential misuse of the law, it is crucial to remember that reporting instances of rape or abuse is not an easy task for victims nor is it one which the authorities would just issue charges on. Before there can be “wrongful convictions” there must first be a charge; and, just as there may be “wrongful convictions” there may also be just ones.

The legal process exists to carefully evaluate and determine the truth, and it is our responsibility to ensure that victims are heard and supported throughout this process. By acknowledging the hardships they face and offering our empathy, we can help pave the way for change that is both just and compassionate.

The cry of “rape within a marriage” is not just a signal that the marriage is in trouble and is headed to the divorce court. It is a signal of the commission of a crime against her person. We note that you have indicated that the marriage contract is for “consent to cohabitate”. Sexual intercourse without consent is not cohabitation. It is rape.

As leaders, it is our duty to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are suffering and marginalised. We must reflect on the impact our decisions have on our daughters, sisters, and mothers. God’s protection is meant to shield us from harm, not to enable the abuse of our fellow human beings.

We commend all women who have spoken out and championed this cause, and we implore other women to join their ranks and ours. The call for equality and justice is a call that resonates with many women, and it is only by standing together that we can create lasting change. Let us remember that progress often requires difficult conversations and introspection, but it is through these efforts that we can build a stronger, more compassionate society for all.

In closing, we want to express our gratitude to those leaders who have shown support for these necessary changes. Let us move forward together, guided by a shared commitment to protecting the dignity and rights of every individual in our beloved archipelago.

HAPPY as a pig... at the beach. This pig looks to be content in the salt are in the shade at beach in The Bahamas.

Photo: Roberto Nickson

Public school attendance is down four percentage points since last year

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE public school attendance rate is at 91 percent this year, according to Acting Education Director Dominique Russell.

As most public schools opened as scheduled on August 23, Mrs Russell told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Friday afternoon that attendance rates have decreased slightly from 95 percent in December 2022 to 91 percent.

Mrs Russell noted the importance of attendance officers, individuals tasked by the ministry to follow up and provide support for parents and students to ensure the students attend school regularly. She said through targeted

walkabouts, the ministry has been able to determine those students who have been absent and assist them with getting back to school consistently.

She said though certain areas of New Providence had attendance rates as low as 54 percent, programmes and initiatives are being implemented to address these issues.

“In some districts, it was down to 54 percent, our attendance,” Mrs Russell said.

“So, we would have done the walkabouts, we would have done some really targeted supports, so that children who needed uniforms, who may need breakfast and lunch, etc, that they were given those so that they could remove those barriers from

MOTHER ON BAIL ACCUSED OF FALSE KIDNAPPING REPORT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 33-year-old mother was granted $2,000 bail after she was accused of making a false kidnapping report claiming that a man tried to abduct her two-year-old daughter at a food store last week.

Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans charged the woman with making a false report. She allegedly reported to police that a man tried to snatch her young child from a grocery cart while she shopped at a store in the southwestern district of New Providence at around 9am on August 29. This report led authorities to

detain 50-year-old Darren Major.

However, after a thorough investigation by police and a review of surveillance footage it was determined that the report was a fabrication.

The woman, whose name is being withheld to prevent the identification of her daughter, pleaded not guilty to the offence. After being granted $2,000 bail with one or two sureties, the accused was informed that she is expected to sign in at the Carmichael Road Police Station on the last Sunday of every month. She was also warned not to interfere with any of the witnesses in this case.

The trial will begin on October 25.

T EEN ON BAIL FOR MURDER CHARGE ACCUSED OF MULTIPLE BAIL BREACHES

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN 18-year-old youth is behind bars accused of breaching his bail 24 times in the last year. The teenager, whose name is being withheld because he was a minor when the initial offence was committed, was charged with 24 counts of violation of bail conditions before Magistrate Kendra Kelly.

The accused while on release for a pending

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted $7,000 bail after he was allegedly caught with a loaded gun on a motorcycle after a police chase near Robinson Road earlier last month.

Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Berkley Fowler, 33, with possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

Alphonso Lewis represented the accused.

Police reportedly engaged Smith in a chase as he rode his motorcycle in the area of

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A Jet Ski operator was granted bail after he was accused of groping a female tourist’s private parts on Paradise Island last week.

Magistrate Kendra Kelly charged Akeeme Smith, 20, with indecent assault. Smith is accused of inappropriately touching a 24-year-old woman’s

education.

“We also sought to ensure that those who were chronically absent, that our attendance officers, they went door-to-door and searched to make sure we could find those children.

“At one point we were really at 94 percent in terms of attendance. But when you consider consistency, we’re at 91 percent.

“When we say chronic absence, we mean a child who may come to school for four days, but they don’t

come on a Friday. So we go and we look for those children, and we use moral persuasion to ensure that parents get their children in school,” she said.

Mrs Russell highlighted some of the issues that chronically absent students may be experiencing, which the ministry is working to address, including provisions for a feeding programme, which was launched this year.

“Some of the issues that some of our children are

experiencing, you have children who don’t have lunch, children who don’t have breakfast, children who do not have uniforms,” she said.

“So, we have programmes and in fact, we are putting on now a pilot programme that will allow us to provide breakfast for those children who are chronically absent in some of our schools.

“The idea is that their parents won’t have to search or look for lunch

or breakfast, so they can come to school. We meet that need, feed that brain, feed the body and then, of course, we want to feed them with the educational opportunities.”

The Ministry of Education supports more than 40,000 students throughout The Bahamas. Mrs Russell said the ministry’s main focus this year is literacy and numeracy, with a Back to Basics theme for students from primary school, straight up to Grade 12.

murder charge allegedly failed to obey his residential curfew or charge his monitoring device between December 27, 2022 and July 31 on 24 separate occasions.

After the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges, Prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom objected to him being granted bail. With his bail denied the accused was sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. His trial is set to start on October 4.

Robinson Road and Minnie Street at around 7.20am on August 13.

After the accused crashed into another vehicle police allegedly found on him a Glock 17 Gen 5 pistol with the serial number erased. This weapon was also seized with three unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges. His bail was set at $7,000 with one or two sureties on condition he signs in at the Western Police Station every Sunday by 7pm. Smith’s trial begins on December 12.

genitals while near the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island on August 29.

After pleading not guilty to the charge, the accused was granted $3,000 bail with one or two sureties. Under the conditions of this bail the accused is expected to sign in at East Street South police station every Monday and Friday by 6pm. Smith’s trial starts on November 17.

MAN GRANTED BAIL ON CHARGE OF INDECENT ASSAULT OF TOURIST

MAN ALLEGEDLY CAUGHT WITH GUN AND A MMUNITION GRANTED BAIL

For better or worse, change is in the air

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

CHANGE is in the air, it seems. Perhaps it is the rest between sessions of Parliament. Perhaps it is the return of children to school. Perhaps that feeling of the changing of the seasons as summer moves to an end –but something is in the air.

Already, we have seen a notable change – out with the former Governor General and in with the new.

Sir Cornelius has taken his leave and “Mother” Pratt is the new incumbent. She is well thought of, a long-time figurehead in the Coconut Grove community and beyond. In as much

as the office is needed, she will do well, though that feeling of change has some people wondering whether or not a Governor General is needed at all. Why do we need to pay all that for someone who just goes around cutting ribbons and sipping tea, some say. Perhaps, but if the role was

removed and, say, we had a president instead, you can bet that wouldn’t save anything on the annual budget.

In her first speech, “Mother” Pratt said “Support the weak, lift up the fallen”, which is as good a mission statement as we could hope for from someone filling that office. If she indeed lives up to that and puts the focus on those who have fallen by the wayside in our society, then that will be a lot more than some of those previously in her office have achieved.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis pointed out her track record already, saying: “The lives she has touched number in the thousands.” It’s true. She has been a mentor, a teacher, a leader – her time as Acting Prime Minister is too often overlooked. She has also long had an involvement with Urban Renewal – although whether you regard that as good or bad probably depends on your opinion of Urban Renewal. I’ll confess that while there are positive elements from that scheme – supporting children, providing band equipment and so on – we can all look around our urban areas and they look far from renewed.

Change too was in the air in the pages of The Tribune, I see, with a series of guest editorials from people in different parts of society answering the question what is one thing you would change. I particularly liked the suggestion in passing from educator Shar Hanson to create a reliable public transportation system, while PLP youth branch member Jordan Clarke’s suggestion to reduce the eligibility age to 18 for the House of Assembly was a solid suggestion too. My personal preference would be to speed up the courts system so perhaps we would not hear so much of court cases lasting years and years, and

people accused of grievous crimes would not be perpetually out on bail waiting for the judgement of a gang member’s bullet rather than a court gavel, but it was good to hear ideas being put forward for positive change in our country.

Then of course there is the Cabinet reshuffle. As I write this, we await the national statement from Prime Minister Davis – but a change is definitely in the air.

With stories of arguments in Cabinet, and a series of ministers who have been caught up in scandals, underperforming or just plain invisible, a change has definitely been warranted.

But it’s too easy to point at those who haven’t been doing a good job – there are also ministers who have excelled who perhaps deserve a bigger portfolio. For every Keith Bell bringing negative headlines, there’s been a Clay Sweeting whose agriculture portfolio has been far more prominent than under most previous administrations.

For every invisible minister – anyone seen Environment Minister Vaughn Miller lately? – there has been a Pia Glover-Rolle shining in her role as Minister of State for Public Service.

Then there are steady hands such as Glenys Hanna Martin at Education, or Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper with his tourism portfolio – and aspiring MPs such as Jomo Campbell, say, who might take on grander duties.

Retooling the Cabinet ahead of a new session is an opportunity to move away from some of the issues dogging the first session of Parliament, and take a new team into the legislative agenda ahead. A New Day 2.0, perhaps.

The advantage of such change is that it rewards those who do well, and shows that performance at the very top level of our

government is a requirement – you can’t just coast along on your laurels for winning the seat, you’ve got to actually do something with the job. If this was a sports team, you have to perform or you’ll be benched.

Government also needs to make a change to live up to its own words – too many issues of lack of transparency keep cropping up. There is a consistent failure to publish contracts, a failure to provide clarity on the issue where roof trusses collapsed at a school and how many more such deals were done on an oral basis without insurance in place, and now apparently we don’t even get to find out what fines are given when a major fuel spill damages our environment.

So there are plenty of changes required – that is for certain. Is a change gonna come? Hoping for change and seeing actual change are two different things.

One thing is for certain, however, the honeymoon period for this government is long gone. We are not at the point where we are on the election trail again yet, so this next phase is where the administration can get done what it wants to get done. Fall short on that, and when we do hit the election countdown, it will affect where people put those votes when the time comes. They will weigh up what the government has achieved, they will feel what the impact has been in their pockets – and BPL certainly isn’t helping in that regard right now – and they will vote accordingly.

One place change has been a near constant in recent years has been the ballot box – parties each taking their turn before being tossed out. That’s what is at stake for the next phase of this administration – continue bringing a New Day, or become old news.

CHANGE is in the air, and first among those changes is the demitting of office of Cornelius Smith and the installation of Cythia ‘Mother’ Pratt as The Commonwealth of The Bahamas’ newest Governor General.

Photo: Moise Amisial

For small businesses reliant on summer tourism, extreme weather is the new pandemic

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer

FOR small businesses

that rely on summer tourism to keep afloat, extreme weather is replacing the pandemic as the determining factor in how well a summer will go.

The pandemic had its ups and downs for tourism, with a total shutdown followed by a rush of vacations due to pent-up demand. This year, small businesses say vacation cadences are returning to normal. But now, they have extreme weather to deal with — many say it’s hurting business, but more

temperate spots are seeing a surge.

Tourism-related businesses have always been at the mercy of the weather. But with heat waves, fires and storms becoming more frequent and intense, small businesses increasingly see extreme weather as their next long-term challenge.

For Jared Meyers, owner of Legacy Vacation Resorts, with eight locations, including four in Florida, Hurricane Idalia’s landfall on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm led to a loss in revenue as he temporarily closed one resort and and closed another to

new guests. It also means a lengthy clean-up period to fix gutter and other damage and beach cleanup, including replanting of sea grass, sea grapes and other plants to protect against the next storm. “Even when the hurricane doesn’t hit directly, it wreaks havoc economically, emotionally — to those that have suffered previous losses — and to our way of life,” he said.

A lifelong Florida resident, he’s used to hurricanes, but fears their intensity is getting worse. In fact, the number of storms that intensify dramatically

within 240 miles of a coastline across the globe grew to 15 a year in 2020 compared to five a year in 1980, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

“It does feel like and probably will continue to feel like we’re just hopping from one emergency to another based on climate change,” Meyers said.

For Steve Silberberg in Saco, Maine, who runs Fitpacking, a company that guides people on wilderness backpacking trips in national and state parks and forests, extreme weather is becoming a serious obstacle. National Park Service Research has shown that national parks are experiencing extreme weather conditions at a higher rate than the rest of the country because of where they’re located.

Historic snowfall in March at Yosemite - followed by a wildfire - affected one hike Silberberg had planned. Another hike was canceled due to unusually large snowfall rendering the Narrows — part of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park in Utah — impassable due to a high volume of meltwater. He had to cancel a trip to the Los Padres National Forest in California due to wildfires and subsequent flooding, which destroyed trails and made them impassable.

“We are quickly approaching a crossroads as to how to keep the business viable,” he said. “It seems that almost half of our trips are affected in some way by increasingly extreme weather events.”

Silberberg is trying to find ways to make climate

change work for him, however. He is thinking about starting a company that helps people visit places that may disappear due to climate change, such as Glacier National Park in Montana or the Everglades in Florida, which is threatened by rising sea levels.

In Southern California this summer, businesses faced sweltering heat, followed by Tropical Storm Hilary, the first tropical storm the region had seen in 84 years.

“Definitely extreme weather is here to stay,” said Shachi Mehra executive chef and partner at Adya, Indian restaurant in Anaheim, California. The restaurant is located in the Anaheim Packing House, a food hall in a historic 1919 citrus-packing house near Disneyland.

The restaurant closed for a day proactively during Tropical Storm Hilary, losing a day of sales. Heat has been more of an issue, as business slowed in late July this summer during a surge in temperatures. Mehra said she suspects the heat is behind the slowdown since typically things start to slow in late August or September.

Media focus on extreme weather can hurt business, too. Dan Dawson, owner of Horizon Divers in Key Largo, Florida, saw business boom during the pandemic. Now it’s back to pre-pandemic levels. But when storms like Idalia close in, tourists flee — even though Dawson’s spot in Key Largo was 300 miles (480 kilometers) from where Idalia hit.

Once a storm is coming close we stop diving and

once it goes by it can take up to two weeks for tourists to come back, and that is if we don’t have any damage,” he said.

Still, in some places that offer a respite from the heat and storms, businesses are getting an unexpected bump.

At Little America Flagstaff, a hotel set in 500 acres of private forest celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, temperatures in the 90s felt pleasant compared to the record-breaking heat in Phoenix, a two-hour drive to the south, which had temperatures of over 110 degrees Fahrenheitplus for 31 straight days.

“When you see temperatures rising to the amount they were in Phoenix you immediately saw, not just with our hotel but all the hotels in the area, our occupancies all went up,” said Fred Reese, the hotel’s general manager.

Similarly, at Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island, a historic island in Lake Michigan that doesn’t allow cars, temperatures have hovered in the temperate 70s while other places around the country have seen triple-digit heat. That leaves Michigan tourists often rubbing elbows with visitors from other states.

“It has been brutally hot in most of the country and it has been very, very nice up here in northern Michigan,” said Liz Ware, sales and marketing executive and part of the family that owns Mission Point. “And so we have seen a lot of people from the Texas, Florida, Georgia area coming up north to northern Michigan because it is so temperate up here.”

AN UNSTILTED home which came off its blocks sits partially submerged in a canal, in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Friday, two days after the passage of Hurricane Idalia.

Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Dire health consequences of extreme heat on the body

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

EVERY year, Bahamians from one end of the archipelago to the other lament the relentless broil of the summer’s heat. And this summer’s simmer has been particularly ruthless. Some of the hottest days on record occurred during July of this year with a heat index (feels like temperature) that oscillated between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. But unlike other, less tropical, locales we are often shielded from the intense heat by the shade of palm and coconut trees and cooled by the balmy breeze of our turquoise ocean.

Despite such enviable conditions, even the healthiest amongst us can fall victim to the heat and become at best exhausted or at worst medically compromised unless we have proper hydration. The most vulnerable to heat stroke are children, the elderly, the homeless, patients with high blood pressure and individuals who take any range of medications that directly or indirectly cause alterations in fluid or electrolyte balance.

For the past two years, I’ve shared stories of my patients anonymously and always with their permission. The information they share and the stories of their struggles and successes, resonated deeply with individuals throughout our country because these are the stories of our family, neighbours and friends. Today’s report, however, isn’t based on one of my patients. It was inspired by a news article that I read recently and I’m sharing it in hopes that the message impacts whoever sees it and the awareness is sufficient to negate a similar tragedy.

A few days ago, on August 29, a 12-year-old boy in Southern California named Yahshua Robinson, returned to school following an enjoyable summer break. He had physical education (PE) class that morning but his parents forgot to pack his PE clothes. According to fellow classmates, his PE teacher made him run outside in his school uniform. The weather at the time was in the low to mid 90s.

A short while later, Yahshua allegedly experienced shortness of breath, felt dizzy and asked for water before collapsing. Paramedics arrived on the scene at 11am and Yahshua was quickly transferred to a hospital ten miles from his school but was pronounced dead approximately two hours after he collapsed.

The irony is that Yahshua’s mother is a PE teacher at another school and earlier that day she’d informed school administrators that it was too hot for her students to exercise outdoors. Yahshua is survived by his two loving parents and three siblings.

An autopsy is pending to officially confirm his cause of death but no answer will be enough to negate their anger or soothe their pain.

Closer to home, a little more than a year ago at age 85, former governor general CA Smith was airlifted from Eleuthera to New Providence after suffering from heat exhaustion. He was outside taking pictures when his symptoms began. Fortunately, he recovered quickly. And, just this year, several local priests who are frequently bedecked in multiple thick robes also suddenly fell ill with similar symptoms.

All too frequently, we learn of another death of a child left unattended in a closed car. A child’s body temperature rises up to five times as fast as that of an adult, meaning the time it takes to suffer heatstroke is condensed and can be fatal in minutes. So far this year, 15 children in the US have died in a locked, hot car, losing their lives tragically in a totally preventable accident.

In its early (prodromal) stage heat exhaustion manifests as headache and fatigue but quickly progresses to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, unsteady gait, muscle cramps, an increasingly rapid heartbeat and eventually fainting. This occurs because the body temperature becomes elevated and incapable of cooling down despite excessive sweating.

Heat stroke is much more concerning and can lead to death if left untreated. It occurs when the body is no longer capable of maintaining core temperature, which ranges between approximately 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for a typical adult. A core temperature between 100 and 104 degrees F can result in exhaustion while a temperature above 104 degrees F can lead to stroke. Symptoms of heat stroke may include altered mental status, slurred speech, combativeness, seizures and coma. If treatment is delayed, the condition is inevitably fatal.

Experts recommend that for anyone suffering from symptoms of either heat exhaustion or heat stroke, treatment should revolve around removing the patient from direct heat and rapidly cooling the body. Applying ice packs to neck, groin and underarm regions are particularly effective. Then once able, cool liquids should be administered to improve hydration.

The Bahamas meteorological department regularly updates locals with regards to climate and weather information and advises the public to consume water to avoid dehydration. Coconut water if available has the added benefit of

replenishing

electrolytes. Limiting outdoor activity during peak hours and taking frequent breaks are other recommendations along with staying in the shade when outdoors as much as possible, wearing a hat and loose, light-coloured clothing made of breathable fabric like cotton. It is no accident that field workers wore big floppy hats, fishermen and fisherwomen are rarely seen without something atop their head and ballplayers and golfers hit the field or course with caps. Taking cool showers and ventilating vehicles before driving, particularly when travelling with children are other important tips. If you know you are going somewhere in your car or truck at a certain time, take the extra minute to open the door and let some of that hot air out before you and your passengers get in.

Worthy of note is that

animals, like dogs with thick manes, are also and perhaps more so vulnerable to increasingly hot weather. The Bahamas Humane Society cautions pet owners to be on guard for signs of dehydration in their pets. Just imagine how unbearable it would be to walk outside all day with a heavy fur coat on. But even ocean fauna are at risk since record high temperatures are not only isolated to land. Climate change specialists are equally concerned that sea temperatures are rising to unprecedented levels resulting in coral bleaching and reports suggest that there has already been a mass death of fish off the coast of Florida as a result. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, more than 11,000 Americans died from heat-related causes between 1979 and 2018. A research study published in

2020 in the journal of Environmental Epidemiology, however, suggests that the number of deaths related to heat in the United States is substantially higher than previously reported. Nonetheless, it’s hard to imagine that with just a fan and shade, a life, perhaps young Yahshua’s life, could have been saved.

My take home message is for parents to speak to their children and educate them about properly staying hydrated. I’m also advocating that schools heed the advice of Yahshua’s mom and prevent children from exercising on days outside when the sun is at its peak and the temperature index is above a certain point, as determined by administration and weather experts. School auditoriums, if available, can be used temporarily for gym class on exceptionally hot days with alterations in physical exercise focusing on

jumping jacks, skipping to music and a myriad of similar activities that will have minimal damage to the area. As temperatures continue to rise, finding unique ways to protect our loved ones from heatrelated emergencies will become increasingly more essential not just in The Bahamas but in every nation throughout the world.

This is The KDK Report. of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-vice-chairman.

YAHSHUA ROBINSON, 12, a middle schooler at Canyon Lake Middle School in Lake Elsinore fell down to the field around 11am on Tuesday and became unresponsive

FOUR YEARS ON, PAYING TRIBUTE TO THOSE LOST IN DORIAN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ON the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Dorian, families gathered at memorial monuments in Grand Bahama to lay wreaths for their loved ones who died or went missing during the storm on September 2.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper and his wife, Cecilia, Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey, and East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson also attended.

Thirty-one people perished on Grand Bahama when the catastrophic Category Five hurricane stalled over the island for 40 hours. Dorian generated 180mph winds and produced 18 to 23 feet of storm surge and flooding.

The first ceremony commenced at 2pm at the Jack Hayward Bridge, where Pastor Kenneth Lewis prayed for the families.

“We pause to remember that fateful day when they lost their lives; we are here to memorialise their memory, and place their families before God and pray a special blessing on them,” he said.

Indira Forde, accompanied by her grandson, Lasiah Sturrup, placed a flower at the monument in memory of her daughter, J’Vonaje Forde, who lived at Windemere Drive in the ‘over the bridge’ area.

J’Vonaje left behind a son who is now five years old.

“It is emotional. My daughter was 24 years old when she passed away,” said the mother, who also lost her mother last year and an uncle two weeks ago. For Dorian survivor Arlington Farquharson, losing his mother-in-law, Irene Saunders, is still painful for him and his wife, Roslyn, who did not attend.

“This day brings back so much painful memories,” he said. “My wife could not even make it out to the memorial because it was just too overwhelming. She misses her mother and still cries every day. This is so hard for us.”

Mr Farquharson said they are trying to rebuild and are still awaiting assistance. “Nothing has come forward yet and we just pray that something will soon happen,” he said.

In Freetown, wreaths were laid at the monument site in memory of Albert Bridgewater and Freeman (Lonnie) Carey. East End resident Marsha Saunders Cooper said although it is hard, being able to remember them brings some comfort.

“Mr Albert Bridgewater was a personal friend of mine,” she recalled. “We, in East End lost 23 persons, and I socialised with some of them two days before (the storm). They will always be remembered and we will always remember the rough times that Dorian put us through,” she said.

Ms Saunders-Cooper, who resides in Gambier Point and survived the ordeal, said they are still recovering from the storm.

Moving further east to High Rock, elderly resident Odetta Cooper, who lost three children, Adam, Aaron, and Daniel Cooper, wept loudly during the ceremony.

The community sustained the highest loss of lives, many of whom are still missing after being swept out to sea. Despite her pain, Ms Cooper continues to trust in God.

“I am grateful for today to see where the Lord brought me from. My children, my babies, I searched and I can’t find my children. But someday in heaven, I shall be with them,” she said.

Her daughter, Maydon Cooper-Swann, said it has not got any easier year after year.

“I thought it would, but it hasn’t. And coming up here and doing this all over again, it just opens up all the wounds again,” she said.

“So, it is a process and you have to take it one day at a time. We are trusting in God. We are not here to question Him, but someday we will understand what happened.

“But as for now, we are just living with the memories we have of them. It is very rough and it is not the same; our lives have never been the same,” she said.

Kwasi Thompson, Member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama, said he felt it was important to show his support and to stand with residents and constituents during this difficult time.

“We still remember those who lost their lives during Hurricane Dorian. It is my prayer that as time passes it may be easier for residents.”

“This year I applaud the will and strength of every community in East Grand Bahama as they continue to work to rebuild their community,” he said.

Following the final wreath ceremony in McLean’s Town, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the memorial marked a solemn day for Grand Bahama, particularly in East Grand Bahama.

“This is the fourth anniversary of the devastation of Dorian. It’s solemn, it’s still a difficult thing … and I hope it is becoming easier for the families to cope with their losses,” he said.

He extended condolences and prayers on behalf of the Prime Minister, his cabinet colleagues, and the people of the Bahamas to the families who lost loved ones.

“I wanted to come here today … to let them know we have not forgotten their grief and struggles,” he said.

“Prime Minister Davis visited Abaco expressing the same sentiments on behalf of the Bahamas. And I am delighted to be here with my colleagues to show support for the people of the Bahamas on this important occasion.

“We will never forget the devastation of Dorian, we will never forget the people who suffered, and the Government of the Bahamas will provide whatever support within our powers that we can. We are delighted that these monuments are here as some physical tangible memorial for the souls that we lost,” Mr Cooper said.

The names of those who died are: Catherine Armstrong, Clarissa Collie, Daisy Cartwright, Freeman Carey, Irene Saunders, Kenel Joseph, La’travalia Williams-Daniels, Agno Daniels, and Marvin Rolle. Still missing: Aaron Cooper, Adam Cooper, Albert Bridgewater, Clarence Jones, Darnita Cooper, Donluck Munnings, George Laing, Hennilee Mackey, Howard Bevans, J’vonaje Forde, Mateo Bethel, Monique Munnings, Omarion Munnings, Philip Thomas, Philip Thomas, Jr, Raphaela Munnings, Remeille Thomas, Roswell Pinder, Shirlene Cooper, Sybil Pinder, Tanae Pinder, and Terrell Lightbourne.

ODETTA COOPER, accompanied by her twin daughters and grandchildren, carries a wreath to lay at the memorial monument at High Rock in memory of her children, Aaron, Adam, and Daniel Cooper.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

MOURNERS comfort one another at a wreath laying at the Jack Hayward Bridge.

WREATHS being laid at the Free Town Missile Base Corner.

A WREATH being laid at High Rock at the Bayshore Town entrance.

TEARS at McClean’s Town as tributes are paid.

Musician and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffet dead at age 76

MUSICIAN and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett

– who turned his song Margaritaville into a restaurant and resort empire including in The Bahamas – has died aged 76.

Mr Buffett reportedly passed away on Friday at home in Sag Harbour in Long Island, New York. He died from skin cancer, which he had been battling for four years.

A statement posted to Buffett’s official website and social media pages said: “Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs. He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”

The Margaritaville Beach Resort in Nassau paid tribute to Mr Buffett on its social media pages, saying: “On behalf of everyone (who works, visits, or lives) in Margaritaville, we mourn the loss of Jimmy, a true national treasure, and express our heartfelt condolences to his family and everyone around the world who loves him.

“Artist, performer, writer, navigator, friend, and entrepreneur - it is hard to imagine anyone who has ever brought so much fun to so many.

“What Jimmy loved most was getting on a stage - big, small, indoors, outdoors, anywhere in the world - and changing the attitude and latitude of audiences to a vacation state of mind.

Jimmy lived his life like his songs: from beaches to boats to bars, sailing, surfing, and flying. He knew how to have fun and cared deeply about bringing everyone else along with him for the ride. When he

flashed that signature smile one-on-one or to 100,000, somehow you just felt happy to be in his orbit.

“His original idea for Margaritaville was to expand the opportunity for as many people to experience the lifestyle immortalized in his iconic song as possible.

“We celebrate his life, believe his spirit lives on like a never-ending encore, and will see his radiant smile and that twinkle in his eye when we look towards the sun and will continue to share his way of life wherever, whenever we can.

“Fins Up Forever.”

Margaritaville was chosen as the flagship brand at The Pointe development in downtown Nassau, becoming the operating partner in 2018 in China Construction America’s $250m six-acre development.

In July this year, it was

announced that the Margaritaville at Sea cruises would resume sailing to Grand Bahama – while it was also revealed last year that Margaritaville’s Beach Resort was among the largest creditors by Alameda Research after the FTX collapse, owed $55,319.

Mr Buffett’s song Margaritaville, released in 1977, quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a state of mind for those “wastin’ away”, an excuse for a life of low-key fun and escapism for those “growing older, but not up”.

The song spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at Number 8. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016 for its cultural and historic significance, became a karaoke standard and helped brand Key West, Florida, as a distinct sound of music and

EL EUTHERA SCHOOL DIRECTOR CALL S CRITICISMS on lack of teachers a ’misunderstanding’

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

GREEN Castle Primary School in Eleuthera has enough teachers and online criticisms are a misunderstanding, according to acting education director Dominique Russell. Following the circulation of a video and photos on social media of a classroom of students in the Green Castle Primary School, with no teacher in the room, Mrs Russell said the ministry has looked into the issue and addressed it.

Mrs Russell said for the school of 60 students, some of the classes have been combined so the three teachers on the campus can serve the students better. She said: “We would have investigated that. The teacher was in the classroom. She was called out by the principal for some reason. And when she was called out that picture or video was taken.

“That school is what we call a multi-grade school, which means that it’s quite small. So, it means that some classes are amalgamated. So, grades one and two will have a teacher. Grades three and four will have a teacher. Grades five and six will have a teacher.

“So Ms Greene who was the teacher there, she’s still there. She’s what we call an itinerant teacher. She will remain there until we get another teacher, because we want her to serve in other areas as well.

“For now, they have three teachers. They also have two aides at the bottom level, at lower primary and they have the principal is the principal teacher who’s teaching the preschool.”

Mrs Russell’s comments on Friday came one week following the opening of most public schools on August 28.

With some schools on the Family Islands still experiencing a shortage of teachers, Mrs Russell said the ministry is continuing to address this need, which may include the hiring of retired educators.

She said: “We would have engaged 343 teachers, teachers’ aides, and of course, special services like a speech pathologist and we have school psychologists. However, we are still in need of 50 teachers in key areas like mathematics, physical education, science and language arts.

“So what we are doing now is we are engaging our retirees, our supply teachers. They are supporting our efforts and we have already started putting them in the classroom. We are also looking, once we get the budget approved, to employ some of them on a contract basis.

“We’re also seeking to address our policy in regard to hiring retirees, but I can’t speak too much to that. But we are looking at redoing our policy.”

a destination known the world over.

“There was no such place as Margaritaville,” Buffett told the Arizona Republic in 2021. “It was a made-up place in my mind, basically made up about my experiences in Key West and having to leave Key West and go on the road to work and then come back and spend time by the beach.”

The song soon inspired restaurants and resorts, turning Buffett’s alleged desire for the simplicity of island life into a multimillion brand. He landed 18th in Forbes’ list of the Richest Celebrities of All Time with a net worth of $1 billion.

President Joe Biden sent condolences to Buffett’s family.

“Jill and I send our love to his wife of 46 years, Jane; to their children, Savannah, Sarah, and Cameron; to their grandchildren; and to the millions of fans who will continue to love him even as his ship now sails for new shores,” Biden said in a statement. “We had the honour to meet and get to

know Jimmy over the years, and he was in life as he was performing on stage – full of goodwill and joy, using his gift to bring people together.”

Former President Bill Clinton wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Buffett’s “music brought happiness to millions of people. I’ll always be grateful for his kindness, generosity, and great performances through the years”.

Tributes on Saturday came from all walks of life, from Hollywood star Miles Teller posting photos of himself with Buffett to former US Sen Doug Jones of Alabama, who wrote on X that Buffett “lived life to the fullest and the world will miss him”. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys wrote: “Love and Mercy, Jimmy Buffett” and Paul McCartney called him “one of the kindest and most generous people”.

Buffett’s evolving brand began in 1985 with the opening of a string of Margaritaville-themed stores and restaurants in Key

West, followed in 1987 with the first Margaritaville Café nearby. Over the course of the next two decades, several more of each opened throughout Florida, New Orleans and California.

The brand has since expanded to dozens of categories, including resorts, apparel and footwear for men and women, a radio station, a beer brand, ice tea, tequila and rum, home décor, food items like salad dressing, Margaritaville Crunchy Pimento Cheese and Shrimp Bites and Margaritaville Cantina Style Medium Chunky Salsa, the Margaritaville at Sea cruise line and restaurants, including Margaritaville Restaurant, JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, 5 o’clock Somewhere Bar & Grill and LandShark Bar & Grill. There also was a Broadway-bound jukebox musical, Escape to Margaritaville, a romantic comedy. Buffett is survived by his wife, Jane; daughters, Savannah and Sarah; and son, Cameron.

MUSICIAN and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett – who turned his song Margaritaville into a restaurant and resort empire including in The Bahamas – has died aged 76.

ONE of the pictures that circulated showing students in a class with no teacher at Green Castle Primary School on Eleuthera. The school director said the photo was taken when the teacher stepped outside the classroom for a moment.

Bodybuilders earn their pro cards

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Jimmy Norius and Tarran Knowles can now hold the distinction of being the first two Bahamians to earn their professional bodybuilding cards from two different organisations.

The pair added their latest honours at the IFBB Professional League in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week where Norius’ wife Serena Salis DeciusNorius fell short in her bid to secure her first pro card.

Norius, who clinched his IFBB Elite pro card in 2018, captured the men’s Classic and Men’s Physique as the overall champion. He said he wasn’t surprised when he went on stage and they placed him in the middle and surrendered all of the other competitors around him for their comparisons.

“When I stepped on stage, they took one look at me and put me in centre stage,” Norius said.

“They looked at everybody else to determine who got second, third, fourth and fifth.

“I’m an old dog, so I knew I had the performance to win it,” said the 49-year-old Norius.

“I just wanted to get my pro card on this site because this would give me a chance to compete in so many more events than I would with my IBFF Elite card.”

Eventually, Norius said he will have to make a decision on which of the cards he will keep.

He noted that he would be writing to the IBFF Elite to indicate to them that he would like to relinquish the card and focus on his IBFF League card.

This was the second event in the month that Knowles has competed in.

On August 3 at the Tim

Italy, Latvia, Serbia, Canada clinch spots in Basketball World Cup quarterfinals

FOR the first time in 25 years, Italy is going to the quarterfinals of the Basketball World Cup. Latvia is going for the first time ever, and Serbia is on its way there as well.

So is Canada — which ousted defending champion Spain to claim the last spot.

The final spots in the knockout round were decided Sunday, with Italy, Latvia, Canada and Serbia grabbing their quarterfinal spots.

Slovenia, Germany, Lithuania and the U.S. all qualified on Friday. And Lithuania pulled off a stunner on Sunday, topping the U.S. in its second-round finale.

ITALY 73, PUERTO RICO 57

At Manila, Philippines, Stefano Tonut and Giampaolo Ricci each scored 15 points and Italy reached the World Cup quarterfinals with win over Puerto Rico on the final day of second-round play at FIBA’s biggest tournament.

Italy (4-1) will play either the U.S. or Lithuania in Tuesday’s quarterfinals in Manila. The Italians are assured of their best World Cup finish since placing sixth in 1998. They were ninth in 2006, 10th in 2019 and didn’t qualify in 2002, 2010 and 2014.

Simone Fontecchio added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Italy, and Luigi Datome scored 11. Italy

JAZZ, page 19

WORLD ESPORTS: LUCIUS FINISHES 33RD OVERALL

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

AFTER advancing to the first round of the playoffs, gamer Johnathon Lucius fell to Peru to end his journey in the International Esports Federation’s (IESF) World Championships this past weekend.

The Tekken 7 player squared off against Peru’s Sergie Mazter on Friday following his wins against Norway and Iraq one weekend prior.

Despite a tough loss, Lucius improved on last year’s performance by advancing to this level at the championships.

Additionally, he helped The Bahamas to be ranked 33rd out of 91 countries for Tekken 7. Although his stint in the competition has now ended, the 25-yearold gamer was grateful for the experience in Iasi, Romania.

“My overall experience for the World Esports Championships this year has been a learning and exciting experience. I got to compete and socialise with other countries and to be able to share ideas and perspectives with them was the best thing about the event because it’s like a big happy family,” Lucius said.

The Bahamas placed fourth in their bracket after the Bahamian gamer dropped 0-2 to Peru.

The latter was represented by Mazter, who finished second in the 2022 Tekken World Tour in the South America Regionals.

Peru’s gamer also won the 2021 Evolution Championship Series (Online).

Lucius credited his opponent for his prowess in the tournament and said Mazter threw a gamechanging curveball at him during their match.

“When it came time for the match, I was preparing

SEE PAGE 16

Gauff tells coach Gilbert to ‘stop talking’ during her US Open win

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) —

The second set was slipping away from Coco Gauff in the US Open’s fourth round yesterday, so maybe she was frustrated by that... or the stumble that left her doing the splits while getting broken... or the pair of double-faults that helped Caroline Wozniacki take that game.

four consecutive games to go up a break in the third set.

And then, just as the match seemed to be slipping away thanks in part to a slew of unforced errors, Gauff straightened out her strokes and pulled way.

She collected the last six games for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Wozniacki, the 33-year-old mother of two who recently came out of retirement.

used a 15-0 run in the first quarter to take some control, wound up losing that lead in the third quarter, rallied to take a slight edge into the final period and pulled away from there.

Tremont Waters scored 13 points and had nine assists for Puerto Rico (3-2), and Jordan Howard scored 11.

Puerto Rico was bidding for its first World Cup quarterfinal trip since 2002.

CANADA 88, SPAIN 85

At Jakarta, Indonesia, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points

and Canada rallied from 12 points down entering the final quarter to not only clinch a quarterfinal berth but grab a spot in the Paris Olympics as well.

Dillon Brooks scored 22 points and RJ Barrett added 16 for Canada (4-1), which watched Alex Abrines’ shot from near halfcourt bounce off the rim as time expired.

Willy Hernangomez scored 25 for Spain (3-2), Santi Aldama had 20 and Abrines added 11.

Or perhaps it was simply that the last thing she wanted to hear at that moment was the near-constant chatter coming from Brad Gilbert, one of her two coaches sitting in the front row at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Either way, Gauff turned toward Gilbert and said, “Please stop.”

Then, during the next game, which allowed Wozniacki to force a third set, Gauff told him, “Stop talking.” That was while Wozniacki was grabbing

During her on-court interview, the sixth-seeded Gauff described the interaction with her entourage as a “stress reaction.”

“Sometimes I tell them to chill a little bit,” the 19-year-old from Florida said, “because I like to think and figure out matches my own way.”

She seems rather adept at that. Gauff became the first American teenager since Serena Williams more than

SEE PAGE 15

VETERAN bodybuilder Jimmy Norius showing off his two professional cards.

LATVIA guard Arturs Agars (55) drives against Brazil guard Georginho de Paula (32) during the Basketball World Cup second round match in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday. (AP Photo/Tatan Syufana)

Eugene Horton and his slate returned to office

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH a resounding vote of confidence, president Eugene Horton and his entire slate of officers were returned to office as the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s executives for the next four years to complete the job they started.

Horton, a former president of the New Providence Basketball Association, had taken over during the mid-term of the last executive board when president Mario Bowleg was elected as the Member of Parliament for Garden Hills and subsequently named the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture. Now he’s been mandated to serve for a full four-year term during the federation’s annual general meeting and the election of officers on Saturday in the Ministry of Education’s Conference Room.

Horton, challenged by Grand Bahama’s junior national boys team coach Quentin ‘Three Ounce’ Hall, won with a landslide 18-1 victory as read by Bahamas Olympic Committee’s president Rommel Knowles, who presided over the elections.

Joining him on the board are Moses Johnson as first vice president; Freddie Brown as second vice president; Andros’ Brian Cleare as third vice president; Latoya Silver as secretary general, assisted by John Marc Nutt and Simone Beneby as the treasurer with Natsha Miller as her assistant. The other members making up the team are Joemond Jones, Caraon Mitchell, Dereck Smith and Rodney Wilson as officers and Dominique Fernander as the public relations officer.

Immediately following the elections, Horton said he was delighted to be able to get the process out of the way and now they can get on with the unfinished business that they started.

“As anticipated, it went smoothly, no major hiccups and we expected these results,” Horton said.

In the interim, Horton said the focus will be placed on getting his executives together so that they can chart the way forward.

“We want to be proactive and begin with the end in mind,” Horton said.

“To get to the end, we now have to get the national teams together, contact the Family Islands and put figures to make everything happen.

“Once we get those final figures, we can go out and source some funding.

While the men’s national basketball team is now on the verge of becoming the first team sport to advance to the Olympic Games, Horton said their focus will be on trying to get the women as well as the junior boys and girls teams to the level that they can be a formidable force on the international scene as well.

“That’s one of the things we want to put in place,” Horton said.

“The coaches selection committee is going to be important to put the right people in place for our national teams. Once we have everything that’s needed, we hope to ride this wave of the men’s national team and contact sponsors and try to get everybody on board.”

National Team Success Johnson, who serves as an assistant coach on the men’s national team, thanked the delegates, who expressed their faith in voting for him to return to the board. He said he’s very thrilled to be back.

“There’s no rest for the wary. We want to meet urgently,” he said. “I think one of the biggest things for us is to build synergy among all of the associations, seek out talent. Also to get our national teams moving, dealing with the coaching selection committee, get that rolling and get the coaches for several junior teams as well as senior women.

“We want to balance the scale now. The men have started to excel, but we don’t want to leave anybody behind, so the balancing act will commence and we hope that we are able to bring everybody up to a level of supremacy.”

With the men having advanced as the champions of the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament last month in Argentina, Johnson said they are now preparing the team for the Qualifying Tournament in July for the Olympic Games in August in Paris, France.

“The team hasn’t stopped celebrating since,” Johnson pointed out. “But they know that the preparation has begun, players have started to play in their leagues (in Europe) and the NBA players are getting ready.

“We’re thrilled to see where we’re at. We’re going to try to see how best we can add a few pieces. Information will come a little later. But I think we’re good where we’re at. We have a good nucleus. Putting one or two more

pieces in there could really mean something special for the Bahamas in having a team sport in the Olympics. So we’re looking forward to making things happen.”

Since the success of the men’s team, coached by Chris DeMarco and led by NBA players Buddy Hield, DeAndre Ayton and newly acquired Eric Gordon in Argentina, Johnson said they have been seeking the assistance of so many other players with ties to The Bahamas, but the federation knows they won’t be able to acquire all of their services, but they will go after those they can include.

As for the other national teams, Johnson said the executives will announce shortly their plans for the other national teams in their quest to get them the best opportunity to follow the men on the global stage.

Family Island

Development

Cleare, the lone Family Islander selected, said he’s just as elated to be back to continue to help in the development of the Family Islands.

“One of my goals is to make sure that the Family Islands get assistance, especially technical assistance,” he said.

“I would like to see the coaches and referees in the Family Islands become certified, so that when the national teams are chosen in the future, we can get coaches from the Family Islands to be on the teams.

WORLD CUP

LATVIA 104, BRAZIL 84

At Jakarta, Latvia — in the World Cup for the first time — ran away from Brazil in the second half to turn a close game into a rout and made the quarterfinals.

Andrejs Grazulis scored 24 for Latvia (4-1) and Arturs Zagars added 17 for the winners, who will play Germany or Slovenia in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Latvia led by three at the half, then outscored Brazil 36-21 in the third quarter. Davis Bertans scored 14 for Latvia, which outscored Brazil 48-21 from 3-point range. Bruno Caboclo scored 20 for Brazil (3-2), which was seeking its third quarterfinals trip since 1990.

“The coaches on the Family Islands may not be able to deal with the Xs and Os, but they can get the opportunity to sit on the bench and get the exposure with teams travelling abroad and they can bring that to the Family Islands and share with their counterparts.”

As the chairman of the Andros Sports Council for the sixth Bahamas Games in July, Cleare said he was extremely proud of how Horton managed the basketball competition and he was even more impressed with the financial report presented.

“We need some basketball clinics on the Family Islands,” said Horton when asked how they can get more exposure for his counterparts on the islands.

“The basketball clinics on the Family Islands need to be structured.

“So we’re going to seek professional help in setting up those clinics, making sure that the proper fundamentals are given to the kids on the Family Islands. I always thought that the Family Islands have the best athletes.

“We’re bigger and stronger and once we get the technical assistance that is needed, we will produce some high quality players.”

At the end of the Annual General Meeting, Horton presented Jurell Nairn with a token of appreciation for the role she played in assisting the federation in the past.

Alcaraz’s variety makes it tough to choose shots at US Open - he still keeps winning

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Ever

since Carlos Alcaraz was 12 or so — OK, not forever ago, considering he’s still just 20 — he made sure variety was a key element of his game.

Back then, he explained, there were so many options at his disposal that he might encounter a bit of trouble figuring out which to employ. And, he acknowledged, that can even be the case to this day.

Alcaraz was by no means perfect during a 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over the 26th-seeded Dan Evans in the US Open’s third round on Saturday — there was that wayward set, after all — but the defending champion produced enough moments of brilliance to keep himself smiling and his many fans in New York roaring in approval.

To hear the No. 1-seeded Alcaraz explain it, “a lot of different” possibilities enter his mind in the midst of a point — “the dropshot, big forehand, go to the net, multiple things” — before he selects which stroke to try.

“It can make things “difficult” on occasion, he said.

“Most of the time, I find the right one,” the Spaniard said, “but sometimes I struggle to hit good shots because of that.”

His opponent in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday noticed.

“If anything, he probably plays too many shots,” Evans said. “He let me out of jail a few times playing the wrong shot, which was good for me.”

But there also were those “How did he do that?!”

highlights that Alcaraz conjures up with frequency.

One in particular helped swing Saturday’s match his way for good. Evans was seemingly in control of what would become a 12-stroke point, sending Alcaraz scrambling to his left for a defensive backhand.

On his follow-through, Alcaraz stumbled a bit, nearly tumbling to the blue court. But he gathered himself and quickly switched direction, sprinting to his right with seven lengthy strides before sliding wide of the doubles alley as he flicked a down-the-line forehand.

The ball caught the back of the baseline for a winner that converted a break point for a 4-2 edge in the fourth set. Evans chucked his racket toward the bottom of the net, grimaced and placed his hands on his hips.

Alcaraz raised his arms, using his left index finger to make a “No. 1” gesture. “Took the wind out my sails,” Evans said.

So what’s it like to play Alcaraz?

“I’m not sure you know — well, I definitely didn’t know — what’s, sort of, coming next,” Evans said. “And that, sort of, sets you on the back foot and (makes it) difficult to anticipate.”

Less than 12 hours after the man he’s expected to meet next weekend for the title, Novak Djokovic, needed to overturn a two-set deficit to win in a match that ended a tad after 1:30am on Saturday, Alcaraz progressed to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the third consecutive year.

“I watched the first two sets, then I had to go to sleep,” said

(AP

Alcaraz, who won his second Grand Slam title by edging Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in July. “But when I (went) to bed, I was thinking, ‘Novak is going to come back, that’s for sure.’”

Alcaraz improved to 14-1 over his nascent career in New York and is trying to become the first man to win two titles in a row in New York since Roger Federer took five straight from 2004-08.

“I would love to be part of tournament history with Roger,” Alcaraz said. “That’s my main goal right now.”

Matches today that will put the winner in the quarterfinals include No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, who won a second straight

late-night match, against No. 13 Alex de Minaur; No. 8 Andrey Rublev against Jack Draper, a 21-year-old left-hander from Britain who has never been this far at a major, and No. 6 Jannik Sinner against No. 12 Alexander Zverev. The women’s fourth round will feature No. 3 Jessica Pegula against 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys in an all-American contest, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 13 Daria Kasatkina, No. 5 Ons Jabeur against No. 23 Zheng Qinwen, and No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova against unseeded American Peyton Stearns. Sabalenka — who won the Australian Open in January and can overtake Iga Swiatek at No. 1 in the WTA rankings depending on their results at the U.S. Open — defeated Clara Burel and has dropped a total of just 12 games through three matches so far.

Alcaraz’s next foe is Matteo Arnaldi, a 22-year-old from Italy who is ranked 61st. Arnaldi, who had won a grand total of one Grand Slam match before this tournament, reached the fourth round by eliminating No. 16 seed Cameron Norrie of Britain 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

“First time in the second week of a Slam. First time playing the world’s No. 1 player,” Arnaldi said. “I’m new on the circuit, so they’re all new matchups — for me, but also for them.” And if he were to take on Alcaraz in 23,000-seat Ashe?

“I’ve only seen it from the outside. I’ve never been inside still,” Arnaldi said. “So if that’s where I happen to play, maybe I will take a walk around near the court beforehand.”

SERBIA 112, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 79

At Manila, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points and Serbia advanced to the quarterfinals, a result that eliminated the Dominican Republic and clinched an Olympic berth for the US. Servia (4-1) had six players in double figures, with Vanja Marinkovic and Nikola Milutinov scoring 16 and Filip Petrusev adding 14.

The Dominican Republic (3-2) was led by Karl-Anthony Towns with 25 and Jean Montero with 15. Serbia shot 66% in the game.

LITHUANIA 110, UNITED STATES 104

At Manila, Lithuania made its first nine 3-pointers and knocked off the US in a matchup of teams that entered the day unbeaten and already had their quarterfinal berths secured.

Anthony Edwards scored 35 points for the US.

GERMANY 100, SLOVENIA 71

At Okinawa, Japan, Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and Germany (5-0) rolled past Slovenia in a matchup of teams that knew they were headed to the quarterfinals.

Daniel Theis added 14 points and seven rebounds for the winners.

Luka Doncic led Slovenia (4-1) with 23 points and Klemen Prepelic had 12. Germany outscored Slovenia 45-21 on 3-pointers.

US OPEN FROM PAGE 14

two decades ago to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in consecutive years.

In 2022, Gauff lost to Caroline Garcia in that round; this time, the opponent will be defending champion Iga Swiatek or No. 20 seed Jelena Ostapenko.

The top-seeded Swiatek was scheduled to face Ostapenko last night, after 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic met qualifier Borna Gojo. Gauff, whose best showing at a major was reaching the final at the 2022 French Open, has now won 15 of her past 16 matches. That run follows a first-round exit at Wimbledon in July and includes the two biggest titles of her career, at the DC Open and in Cincinnati. It also coincides with the additions of Pere Riba as her full-time coach and Gilbert in a role that’s been described as a temporary consultant.

TV microphones have been picking up Gilbert repeatedly offering his thoughts to Gauff during matches over the past week.

It was the hottest day of the event so far, with the temperature reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), and Gauff kept missing the mark in the second set, to the tune of 22 unforced errors. But she cleaned that up considerably down the stretch, with just eight miscues in the last set. “She’s always been a great athlete. She’s always had the backhand, the serve, the fighting spirit,” Wozniacki said. “I feel like right now, it’s all kind of coming together for her.”

In the third set, with the playing surface covered in shadows, Wozniacki told chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell it was difficult to see the ball and requested that the stadium lights be turned on. “I would really appreciate it,” Wozniacki said.

Didn’t happen. And Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion and twice a runner-up in New York, was not able to match Gauff stroke-for-stroke down the stretch.

“She’s back and it’s like she never left,” said Gauff, who has won three of her four matches in the tournament in three sets. “To be out here on the court with her today was an honour.”

BAHAMAS Basketball Federation executives returned to office, shown from left to right, are Freddie Brown, Natasha Miller, Latoya Silver, Eugene Horton, Simone Beneby and Moses Johnson.

CARLOS ALCARAZ, of Spain, reacts to the crowd after defeating Daniel Evans, of the United Kingdom, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in New York.

Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Undefeated Cybots beat Crimestoppers

By TENAJH SWEETING

Sports Reporter

WITH the Bahamas Government Departmental Basketball Association (BGDBA) season winding down, the undefeated Bain and Grants Town Cybots dropped the Police Crimestoppers 88-81 this past weekend. Both teams came into Saturday’s game at AF Adderley Gymnasium unblemished in the loss column, looking to gain the advantage ahead of the looming postseason.

The sixth-seeded Airport Authority Avengers also handed a loss to the 1-10 Customs Taxmen.

Cybots vs Crimestoppers

On Saturday night, the Cybots and Crimestoppers had identical 10-0 win/loss

records for the season. The game started out evenly matched between both squads from the opening tip, with no team giving an edge early on. At the halfway mark of the opening quarter, the score was 5-4 favouring the Cybots following a two-pointer by Cordero Pinder. The first period of play ended with the score tied 20-20 going into the second quarter.

The Cybots’ Georgio Walkes got the second quarter started with a quick steal followed by a threepointer to create separation between the teams. With the clock at the 5:43 mark, Keithan Gray converted on a three-pointer to lift the Cybots to a 10-point lead.

The Bain and Grants town team was able to take advantage in the second period and went into the

second half up by 12 points (46-34).

Able Joseph, of the Cybots, was instrumental in the team’s win on Saturday. He led both teams in scoring with 25 points on the night on a scorching 65% shooting clip. Joseph also grabbed down 10 boards with six coming on the defensive end and four on the offensive end. Pinder and Walkes also complemented Joseph’s efforts on offence. Pinder put up 12 points to pair with five rebounds and six made free throws.

Meanwhile, Walkes ended his night with 14 points alongside six rebounds and three steals.

In the second half, the Cybots remained in the driver’s seat with all cylinders turning on offence and defence. The team

culminated the third quarter up by 9 points (64-55).

Michael Furley Bain Jr led the charge for the second-seeded Crimestoppers. Despite the team coming up short, he scored a teamhigh 23 points to go with five rebounds and nine free throws.

In the final period of play, the Crimestoppers narrowed the Cybots lead down to as little as seven points. Following a timely jumpshot by Batchlette Lafleur, the score was 86-79 with 0.29 seconds remaining in the ball game.

However, Cybots’ Brian Bain converted on back-toback free throws to ice the game and seal the win for the BGDBA’s leading team.

Sonny Miller, a Cybots player, talked about the big win as the regular season comes to an end.

“For us it was a very good game and one we had circled on the schedule because we know whenever we meet them, they are well coached and prepared so we use that game as a measuring stick to see how ready we really are because our goal is to win it all,”

Miller said.

With the final BGDBA regular season games to be played tonight, Miller gave insight into the team’s mindset ahead of the playoffs.

“We are going after what we lost last year for the first time in four years and that is the championship that the Panthers are holding onto now,” he said. The Cybots player added that the team is putting in the necessary work and are not taking any team for granted. The ultimate goal

Bodybuilders earn their pro cards

FROM PAGE 14

Gardner Tampa Extravaganza in Tampa, Florida, Knowles took the overall title after he took the men’s physique category. He followed that up with his pair of pro cards in the masters over-35 and over-40 Men’s Physique categories..

“I felt really good about it considering that I took a different approach,” said Knowles, a 41-year-old employee at Royal Bank of Canada and a personal trainer at Empire Fitness Center.

“The journey for me was more of a silent one, so you wouldn’t have heard about

Tampa because I didn’t announce that I was going to it, nor to Pittsburgh. It was more personal. I allowed my silence to speak for my performances. I just did what I had to do.”

Knowles, who has been competing in the sport since 2014, won his first pro card in 2019 in Montreal, Canada with his IBFF Elite card. He said he’s thrilled to be a dual pro card holder.

“I still haven’t absorbed it yet. I think it’s a surreal feeling,” he said.

“I can actually get the respect because the Pro League is taken at a more serious pace than the Pro Elite.

“It’s humbling, being able to work so hard for so long and to finally achieve these accomplishments.

“In staying grounded with God, he has made it all possible. It’s made me realise that anything is possible.”

Like Norius, Knowles is looking forward to relinquishing his Pro Elite card and just concentrating on his Pro League card. He said he is just waiting on his American coach to advise him on when he will make his pro debut so that he can get properly prepared for the competition.

As for Decius-Norius, she said she will be more

inspired as she moves forward.

“My performance was very good. I was in the middle of the pack on stage and I liked the way my body looked and the way I was able to perform,” she said.

“I did everything to win. Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but I will be ready for the next show,” said the 39-year-old Decius-Norius.

“I know I am in great shape and the lady who beat me, she deserved it. I know her.

“I competed against her before, so I know what I have to do to get my pro card.”

Her husband and coach Jimmy Norius said he was pleased with his wife’s improvement.

“She just got out on getting her pro card by one point. We asked the chief judge why and he told us what she needed to do, so we will get her ready for the Caribbean Grand Prix at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island on November 11.

As for Decius-Norius, she was proud of her husband’s performance, as well as Knowles.

“I saw him go on stage two times and he was right in the middle of the stage, so I knew that he was going

is to be the first team to reach nine wins.

Taxmen vs Avengers

The sixth-seeded Avengers claimed a win against the Taxmen 87-76. The Avengers obliterated the Taxmen in the rebounding category. The team collectively grabbed 61 rebounds compared to 39. Avengers were also active at free throws where they converted 17/24 on 71% shooting. Rus-Shon Strachan powered his way to a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds.

The final games of the BGDBA season will feature the Police Royals against the Bahamas Department of Corrections Challengers.

Also, Avengers will face Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Rampage. The games begin at 7pm.

to go against his best character until he chose an alternative pick that had me change my overall approach to the match,” the gamer said.

He added that the game plan forced him to make a character swap in the match but ultimately it was not enough to get the job done.

Despite not advancing further in the World Esports Championships, the Tekken 7 player remained optimistic about his gaming journey.

“This is not the end for me or The Bahamas in terms of showcasing our skills in Esports to the world. If I can I will show the world that The Bahamas is just as great as any other country,” he said. With the 2023 World Esports Championship now in the books for Lucius, he will now prepare for the release of Tekken 8 next year.

The game is expected to be released January 26 on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Lucius said the release of the new Tekken game will lead to more opportunities and chances so he wants to simply prepare and see what the future holds.

to perform very well,” she said. “I was even pleased to see how well Tarran performed. He did very well as well. I am proud of both of them.”

ARSENAL AND LIVERPOOL WIN IN PREMIER LEAGUE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH MAN CITY

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

LAST-gasp wins helped to fuel Arsenal’s unlikely title challenge in the Premier League last season.

Maybe it’s happening again.

Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus both scored deep into stoppage time for Arsenal in its 3-1 win over Manchester United that had the Emirates Stadium rocking again yesterday.

United knows that feeling all too well, having conceded a decisive goal in the 90th minute in the same ground last season.

There were many others — remember Reiss Nelson’s winner against Bournemouth in the seventh minute of added-on time? — and late flourishes are starting to become a habit for Mikel Arteta’s team.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” said Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, the team’s other scorer.

Liverpool, on the other hand, got its business done early against Aston Villa with a 3-0 win at Anfield.

Two goals in the opening 22 minutes preceded another strike by Mohamed Salah amid so much speculation about his future following a mega-money offer from Saudi Arabia.

Maybe Liverpool, which has won three

straight matches and is still unbeaten, can join Arsenal in being the main rivals for defending champion Manchester City.

Just like it has so many times in Pep Guardiola’s time in England.

Heading into the two-week break for internationals, City is on a maximum 12 points — two points above Arsenal and Liverpool. Tottenham and West Ham also have 10 points.

United, meanwhile, has won two and lost two so far in an inconsistent start that mirrors its performance against Arsenal. There was a lively debut, as a substitute, from offseason signing Rasmus Hojlund but more sloppy defending that manager Erik ten Hag needs to fix, especially away from home.

Marcus Rashford put United ahead on a counterattack, but Odegaard replied almost immediately before Rice scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time and then Jesus five minutes later.

United substitute Alejandro Garnacho had a goal disallowed for a narrow offside in the 88th minute, when the score was 1-1.

“We did well, we make progress, stick to the plan and believe and in the future we will win games like this,” Ten Hag said.

Rice was signed for in excess of 100 million pounds ($125 million) to help Arsenal close the gap on City, the European champion which is seeking an unprecedented fourth straight top-flight title in England.

The England midfielder is already making a difference and appears to have developed the right mentality, too, since joining from West Ham. He insisted City cannot be given too much of a lead, given how well

Guardiola’s team finishes title races.

“City have four wins from four,” Rice said. “Five points behind them would have been a massive margin.”

SALAH’S FUTURE

Salah again underlined his importance to Liverpool with a strong display against Villa, two days after being the subject of a reported verbal offer totaling 150 million pounds ($188 million) by Saudi team Al-Ittihad.

Liverpool rejected that, saying the 31-year-old Salah was not for sale, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that stance would not waver. “Mo didn’t look for a second like he thought about anything else other than about Aston Villa, being involved in all the goals,” Klopp said

“He has unbelievable numbers but it’s not a surprise that he has the numbers. And he had chances on top of that and (is) involved in creating and

setting up and all these kind of things. He’s a world-class player, no doubt about that and I’m really pleased he is in my team.” Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored Liverpool’s thirdminute opener, said he wanted Salah to stay.

“We are of course speaking between each other but he wants to stay, he wants to be here and be with us,” the Hungary captain said. “We are really happy — we need people in the team like him.”

The only downside to the afternoon for Liverpool was a hamstring injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold that is likely to rule him out of England duty in the coming international break.

PALACE BEATS WOLVES

Crystal Palace beat Wolverhampton 3-2 in the other game as two teams known for being low scorers served up an unlikely treat.

Odsonne Edouard scored twice for Palace and Eberechi Eze grabbed the other in the team’s second victory in the league this season.

Wolves made it 1-1 through substitute Hwang Hee-chan and had a consolation from Matheus Cunha in its third loss so far this campaign.

The sides had netted just four goals between them in three rounds coming into the match.

ARSENAL players celebrate after teammate Gabriel Jesus scored his side’s third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates stadium in London yesterday.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

SERENA Salis Decius-Norius on stage.

TARRAN Knowles with his IFBB Pro cards.

BAHAMAS YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE ‘IN-SEASON TRAINING’

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Youth Flag Football League (BYFFL) season returned this past weekend at the Thomas A Robinson national stadium.

The season opening was one of the more successful starts for the league with over 100 boys and girls registered for the flag football season.

Day one saw this year’s participants engage in drills across six training stations to teach them various skills ahead of the actual start of gameplay in three weeks.

Jayson Clarke, programme director of BYFFL, said that opening day was a success.

“Day one was fabulous. We had an awesome turnout, over 100 kids showed up for opening day and it was very encouraging to see the numbers and growth of what we will achieve this season,” Clarke said.

Another bright spot from this past Saturday was the number of girls that have signed up for the youth flag football season. “There has been a huge uptick in our female registration. We are very happy that we have a lot of young girls that have registered in our programme, primarily between the ages of six and 10,” he said.

He added that it was great to see they are now

reaching the young ladies because that means the interest is there and parents are becoming more aware of the benefits of young girls playing flag football.

With the first three weeks designated for training and assessment of the players’ skill levels, they focused on agility drills, defensive back skills, athleticism (jumping and footwork), and quarterback skills.

“Next week we are looking forward to some drills and assessment of the kids that takes place over the first three weeks of the season and getting registration sorted out as quickly as possible to get them ready for the games,” he said.

Registration for the BYFFL will remain open until next week Saturday.

For interested individuals, the registration fee is $175 which includes a full sporting uniform and sports insurance coverage.

For more information contact byffl242@gmail.com

The co-ed league will form 15-20 teams after training and conditioning of players wraps up after week three.

The BYFFL is looking to build on the success of previous seasons and compete in more tournaments internationally this year.

“This season so far has started as our most successful season in terms of numbers and so we are looking forward to a great season,” Clarke said.

PLAY ACTION: The Bahamas Youth Flag Football League (BYFFL) season got underway at the Thomas A Robinson national stadium on Sunday.

YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL: The Bahamas Youth Flag Football League (BYFFL) season got underway yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson stadium.

Photo: BYFFL

UB Mingoes women’s volleyball team gains valuable experience

THE University of The Bahamas women’s volleyball team lost both matches to Florida National University Conquistadors but head coach Raymond Wilson said the team not only improved but also gained valuable experience heading into the season.

The Mingoes lost the first match Thursday 25-10, 25-12, 25-8 and lost the second match Saturday 25-12, 25-15, 25-9. These were the first matches of the season for the team.

In the first match, the team was still a bit rusty in the backcourt with returns and it showed in the score.

The team made improvements in the second match

and led the first set of the second match 10-5 at one point.

The FNU Conquistadors bounced back and were able to score 10 straight point on the Mingoes to go up 15-10.

The Conquistadors went on to win 25-12 in that set.

The Mingoes went up 5-1 early in the second set but could not sustain the attack and fell 25-15. The Mingoes never had the lead in the third set.

Wilson said he was very satisfied with the improvement of the team over the two matches.

“We did not win but our goal was for the team to improve,” he said. “But if

we had gotten the win, we would have taken it.”

He added the team did exactly what they set out to

do - improve. “We accomplished what we came here to do and that was to grow and improve as a team and

if we continue along this pathway, the team will be very successful in upcoming games and the league.”

Looking forward to the upcoming season, Wilson said the team is showing great promise.

“If our team performs at this level consistently, I am looking for us to do very well in the league,” he said.

“It is a very good team, even though we have a couple of players who weren’t with us over the weekend and when they come back we are looking for good things and good representation.”

The Mingoes next play The Millennia Atlantic University Macaws September 8-9 in Doral Florida.

MILLER PITCHES DODGERS PAST BRAVES 3-1 TO PREVENT 4-GAME SWEEP IN CLASH OF NL’S BEST

LOS ANGELES (AP) —

Rookie right-hander Bobby Miller threw a career-best seven innings of three-hit ball, and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a fourgame sweep with a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves yesterday to complete their meeting of the NL’s top two teams.

Miguel Rojas had an RBI double and Mookie Betts added a run-scoring single in the fifth for the Dodgers, who prevented Atlanta from sweeping a four-game series at Dodger Stadium for the first time. James Outman added an RBI single in the eighth for Los Angeles.

Matt Olson hit his 44th home run in the seventh to pull even with Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead, but Atlanta’s sixgame winning streak ended with only its second loss on a 10-game West Coast trip. The Braves still have the majors’ best record at 90-46.

Miller (9-3) underlined his ace potential with this effort against the powerhouse Braves less than four months after he made his major league debut with a solid outing in Atlanta. The 24-year-old retired 16 consecutive Braves between Marcell Ozuna’s double in the second and Olson’s homer, then finished the seventh to a standing ovation.

Miller outpitched 39-year-old Charlie Morton (14-11), who yielded six hits and three walks in four-plus innings for Atlanta.

Brusdar Graterol allowed two baserunners in the ninth, but hung on for his seventh save. Ronald Acuña Jr. went 0 for 4 after homering in each of the series’ first three games.

METS 6,

MARINERS 3

NEW YORK (AP) —

Pete Alonso homered twice

and drove in four runs, reaching 40 homers and 100 RBIs for the second consecutive season as New York topped first-place Seattle.

Jeff McNeil also went deep — after finishing a homer shy of the cycle Saturday night — and the Mets took two of three games from the Mariners to hand them their first series loss since Aug. 11-13 against Baltimore.

Seattle began the day leading the AL West by one game over Houston.

Alonso hit an RBI single in the first inning before his two-run shot in the third made him the fifth player in major league history with at least three 40-homer seasons in his first five campaigns, joining Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner and Eddie Matthews as well as Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.

Alonso’s solo homer in the seventh gave him 100 RBIs for the third time.

Tylor Megill (8-7) gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. Adam Ottavino allowed two baserunners in the ninth before striking out J.P. Crawford to earn his eighth save.

Dominic Canzone and Mike Ford hit back-to-back homers for the Mariners.

George Kirby (10-9) gave up four runs, three earned, in three innings.

RANGERS 6, TWINS 5 ARLINGTON, Texas

(AP) — Adolis García homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning after striking out his first four times up, lifting struggling Texas over Minnesota.

García drove in his 100th run of the season on his 34th homer, a 430-foot drive into the second deck in left field.

Mitch Garver was on deck when García connected off Josh Winder (2-1), having twice given the Rangers the lead with

homers among his four hits and four RBIs.

Texas ended up squandering three leads before finally winning for just the fourth time in 16 games. The Rangers pulled within a game of Seattle, which leads the AL West after Texas spent 140 consecutive days atop the division.

Royce Lewis twice matched Garver to get the AL Central-leading Twins even, first with a three-run homer in the fifth after Garver’s three-run shot in the first. Lewis’ RBI single for a 5-5 tie in the eighth came after Garver’s leadoff homer in the seventh.

Rookie reliever Cody Bradford (3-1) tossed a scoreless ninth.

PHILLIES 4, BREWERS 2

MILWAUKEE (AP)

— Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto hit back-to-back homers to open the seventh inning and Philadelphia, held hitless until the sixth, defeated Milwaukee to avoid being swept.

Wade Miley (7-4) silenced the Phillies for much of the day as the Brewers built a 2-0 lead. He didn’t allow a hit until Trea Turner’s twoout single in the sixth. Nick Castellanos followed with an RBI double.

Turner added a two-out RBI single in the seventh that made it 4-2. He failed to homer after going deep in five consecutive games to tie a Phillies record.

William Contreras and Mark Canha homered for the NL Central-leading Brewers.

Philadelphia starter Ranger Suárez went four innings in his return from the injured list. Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez (4-3), Matt Strahm, José Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel combined for five innings of scoreless relief. Kimbrel earned his 22nd save in 25 chances for the Phillies, who lead the crowded NL wild-card race.

ORIOLES 8, DIAMONDBACKS 5

PHOENIX (AP) — Adley Rutschman and pinch-hitter Jordan Westburg each had a pivotal double in a four-run sixth inning, breaking open a tight game and sending Baltimore past Arizona.

The AL East-leading Orioles took two of three in the series, winning the final two. Arizona has lost five of six. The Diamondbacks are

tied with the Giants and Marlins for the final playoff spot in the National League wild-card race.

The Orioles broke a 4-all tie in the sixth and chased NL Cy Young Award contender Zac Gallen (14-7), roughed up for a second straight start. Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Christian Walker homered for Arizona.

Cedric Mullins had three hits for Baltimore, including the go-ahead single. Danny Coulombe (5-1) won in relief.

RAYS 6, GUARDIANS 2

CLEVELAND (AP) — Taylor Walls drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as Tampa Bay salvaged the series finale with a win over Cleveland, which missed a chance to gain ground on Minnesota in the AL Central.

Walls lined a single off Trevor Stephan (6-5) to bring home Jose Siri, who slid headfirst and safely around rookie catcher Bo Naylor’s attempted sweep tag. Siri had walked with two outs and stole second.

René Pinto hit a tworun homer for the Rays, who added three runs in the ninth off reliever Eli Morgan.

The Guardians got only five hits and stayed five games behind the firstplace Twins, who open a critical three-game series at Progressive Field starting Monday.

Colin Poche (10-3) won in relief, and Pete Fairbanks got two outs for his 19th save.

CUBS 15,

REDS 7

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ian Happ drove in four runs, Mike Tauchman and Cody Bellinger each had three RBIs and Chicago pounded Cincinnati to split a critical four-game series between NL Central playoff contenders.

Nick Madrigal and Tauchman each knocked in two runs with a basesloaded single off All-Star closer Alexis Díaz in a seven-run Cubs eighth. Dansby Swanson added a two-run double.

The Cubs, who banged out 18 hits, scored three more in the ninth, including a solo homer by Jeimer Candelario.

Tyler Stephenson had three RBIs for the Reds, including a two-run homer in the second inning. TJ

Friedl and Spencer Steer hit back-to-back homers in the first off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon.

Daniel Palenci (5-0) got the win in relief. Derek Law (4-5) took the loss.

PADRES 4, GIANTS 0 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Juan Soto homered for the third straight game and Manny Machado also connected as San Diego blanked San Francisco to win the final three games of a four-game series against the wild card-contending Giants.

Seth Lugo (6-6) held the Giants to three hits in six innings. Three relievers finished the four-hitter, with Josh Hader striking out three in the ninth.

Xander Bogaerts had four hits and Machado added three for the Padres, who will try to win four straight games for the first time this season Monday when they welcome Philadelphia, which beat them in the NLCS last year.

San Diego scored three runs in the first against Alex Cobb (7-6), who came within one out of a no-hitter against Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

Cobb lasted only three innings, allowing four runs and six hits.

RED SOX 7, ROYALS 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Masataka Yoshida hit a three-run homer and Adam Duvall had a solo shot to back Chris Sale as Boston beat Kansas City.

Sale (6-3) pitched five scoreless innings and struck out five, the first time he hasn’t allowed a run in a start since July 12 last season.

The Red Sox have won two straight after losing five in a row and six of seven. They are 5 1/2 games behind Texas for the final AL wild card.

Royals opener Taylor Clarke worked a scoreless inning before Zack Greinke (1-14) allowed three runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings. Kansas City has lost eight of nine.

TIGERS 3, WHITE SOX 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Spencer Torkelson hit a tiebreaking home run, Tarik Skubal pitched seven solid innings and Detroit ran its winning streak to four with a victory over Chicago.

Torkelson connected off Aaron Bummer (4-4) in the seventh inning for his teamleading 25th homer. Carson Kelly had a two-run double in the second as the Tigers completed a three-game sweep.

Eloy Jiménez and Elvis Andrus had RBIs for Chicago, which has lost three in a row and five of six. Tim Anderson got his 1,000th career hit.

Skubal (4-3) allowed two runs in the first and then settled down for his longest outing since returning July 4 from left forearm flexor tendon surgery.

Alex Lange worked around a single and a walk in the ninth for his 21st save. The Tigers closed the

game with a snazzy 4-6-3 double play.

BLUE JAYS 7, ROCKIES 5 DENVER (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a go-ahead single with two outs in the ninth inning and Toronto beat Colorado to take two of three in the series.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered and singled to drive in a pair of runs and Spencer Horwitz, a late fillin for ailing Brandon Belt, added three hits, including his first career home run to help Toronto remain 1 1/2 games behind Texas for the final AL wild card.

Hunter Goodman doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Rockies in a game interrupted by a 59-minute rain delay.

Chad Green (1-0) worked a scoreless inning for the win and Jordan Romano got three outs for his 32nd save.

Justin Lawrence (4-7) took the loss.

ATHLETICS 10, ANGELS 6 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)

— Pinch-hitter Tony Kemp had a two-run single that put Oakland ahead in a sixrun seventh inning, and the Athletics rallied past Los Angeles to finish a threegame sweep.

Shea Langeliers added a two-run double for Oakland. Ryan Noda and pinch-hitter Seth Brown each launched a two-run homer in the sixth to begin the comeback after the lastplace A’s were held hitless through five innings.

Oakland blew a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh on Luis Rengifo’s 15th home run before storming back in the bottom half with the help of throwing errors by reliever José Soriano (0-1) and center fielder Mickey Moniak.

Oakland has won three straight for the second time this season.

It was the third series sweep this year for the A’s (42-95).

Francisco Perez (1-1) retired two batters for his first career win, and Trevor May earned his 17th save.

CARDINALS 6, PIRATES 4 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Walker homered and Zack Thompson tossed seven effective innings to lead St. Louis over Pittsburgh.

Nolan Gorman added a two-run single for the Cardinals, who avoided a three-game sweep. Alec Burleson broke a 3-all tie with a two-run single in the fourth.

Miguel Andujar homered for the Pirates, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.

Walker gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead with his 14th homer in the third. He also doubled and scored in the seventh.

Thompson (4-5) allowed three runs and seven hits on 92 pitches. He struck out six. Giovanny Gallegos earned his 10th save. Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo (8-14) lasted just 3 2/3 innings. He walked a season-high six.

UB defender Mia Taylor digs the ball.

UB defender Patrice Ferguson digs the ball against Florida National University on August 25 at The Bucky Dent Gym in Hialeah, Florida. The Mingoes lost both matches.

Photos: UB ATHLETICS

LOS Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Bobby Miller (70) throws during the first inning yesterday against the Atlanta Braves in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

CHISHOLM JR AND MARLINS COMPLETE FOUR-GAME SWEEP OF NATIONALS

By BYRON KERR

WASHINGTON (AP)

— Luis Arráez led off the game with his sixth homer and scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error in the ninth inning as the Miami Marlins completed their first four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 6-4 win yesterday.

Sandy Alcantara worked eight strong innings as the Marlins moved three games over .500 in September for the first time in a full season since their 73-69 start in 2010.

Miami entered Sunday’s action one game back in the race for the third and final wild-card berth in the National League.

“You hope to come in here and win a series,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “Four out of four was kind of icing on the cake. The way we pitched today and this series was why we won all four of those games, and our offence came alive.”

With the game tied at 4 in the ninth, the Marlins moved ahead as Arráez scored on an errant throw on an attempted double play ball on Jazz Chisholm Jr’s grounder to first. Later in the inning, Miami added an insurance run when a pop into shallow right field by Bryan De La Cruz fell for a hit and Chisholm scored.

Arráez went 2 for 4 and scored twice. He raised his major league-leading batting average to .356, 15 points higher than the Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager (.341).

“I feel a little tired because we are human, but I am glad I am healthy,” Arráez said. “I just do the same what I do to starting

the year. I had struggling months, but it’s past. I’m a human. I’m not perfect. I just go there and try to do my job.”

Miami jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first on the strength of Arráez’s 375-foot opening homer and two walks with the bases loaded as Nationals starter Josiah Gray struggled at the outset.

In the first, the 25-yearold right-hander gave up three hits and three walks. Gray has had trouble with his command the last six starts, issuing 20 walks, and has not recorded a victory since July 22.

Gray lasted four innings, allowing three runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches, 51 for strikes.

Alcantara (7-12) gave up a homer to Lane Thomas in the bottom of the first, but prevented the Nationals from any long rallies.

He scattered nine hits, allowed four runs, two earned, struck out three and walked two. He threw 94 pitches, 63 for strikes.

“I feel good about it,” Alcantara said.

“First inning, I tried to come out and compete pitch by pitch. I get into trouble in the fifth inning, but that didn’t stop me to keep fighting. I throw eight innings and we win the game.”

The Marlins have won each of Alcantara’s last eight starts against the Nationals, dating to September 2021.

Tanner Scott worked the ninth inning and earned his fourth save.

Thomas went 3 for 5 with his 23rd homer of the season and drove in a pair of runs. Kyle Finnegan (6-4) took the loss.

Associated Press

MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr singles on a fielder’s choice with teammate Luis Arraez scoring the go-ahead run on a throwing error to second base by Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams during the ninth inning of a baseball game yesterday in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M Alvarez)

Jonquel Jones helps Liberty pull off 86-69 win over Sky

CHICAGO (AP) — Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot had doubledoubles and sparked a 22-0 run in the fourth quarter to lead the New York Liberty to their sixth straight victory, 86-69 over the Chicago Sky yesterday. Liberty centre Jonquel Jones contributed six points, eight rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes on the floor.

Stewart finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for her 19th doubledouble of the season for the Liberty (30-7).

Vandersloot pitched in with 20 points, 10 assists, six steals and five rebounds against her former team.

Betnijah Laney had 17 points and Jocelyn Willoughby scored 10 off the bench.

New York trails Las Vegas by 1 1/2 games for the top spot in the playoffs.

Kahleah Copper scored 23 points to lead the Sky (15-22), who entered play tied with Los Angeles for the final playoff spot.

Chicago has the tiebreaker advantage over the Sparks after winning three of four match-ups this season.

The Liberty took the first two-possession lead when Vandersloot buried a 3-pointer for a 22-17 advantage. Marina Mabrey answered from beyond the arc, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the first quarter to get the Sky within 22-20.

New York twice built sixpoint leads in the second quarter, but Copper scored seven straight points to get Chicago within 37-36 with 2:03 left.

The Sky went scoreless from there and Willoughby

and Stewart had baskets to put the Liberty up 41-36 at halftime.

The Liberty stayed in front until Courtney Williams and Copper sank back-to-back 3-pointers for the Sky to knot the score at 49-all with 3:43 left in the third period.

Sika Koné followed with a layup and Chicago grabbed its first lead since

midway through the first period.

The Liberty used a 10-6 spurt to lead 59-57 heading to the final quarter. Koné hit a jumper to put the Sky up 61-60. Stewart answered with a 3-pointer and Vandersloot connected three times from beyond the arc in a 22-0 run that left the Liberty leading by 21 with 3:09 remaining.

NEW York Liberty centre Jonquel Jones contributed six points and eight rebounds to help her team win yesterday. (AP)