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VOLUME:116 No.184, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2019

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

ALICIA WALLACE: IT’S TIME TO HELP, NOT TO FIGHT

Chaos for the refugees • Long lines and desperate people at Social Services • Hours-long wait to get replacement documents • Displaced left hunting for work and places to stay

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net RESPONDING to the chaos Hurricane Dorian left behind continued to strain government offices yesterday, producing long lines and rowdy crowds of people desperate for help.

At the Department of Social Services on Baillou Hill Road, hundreds sought housing, clothing, financial and food assistance.

Less than two miles away on Shirley Street, scores packed the Registrar General’s Department, seeking to replace birth certificates and other documents lost in

the storm. The government offices were not designed to service so many people in such a short period of time and for many this realisation seemed to settle in more with each hour that passed.

Security guards tightly controlled entrances to both places, letting small groups in only when space became available.

For some, this meant five hours or more in the sun on a day when temperatures nearly soared to 90 degrees.

“I been here from after 9am, these people don’t have no water for you, you SEE PAGE THREE

PEOPLE were left waiting for hours yesterday at both the Department of Social Services and the Registrar General’s Department, as government services struggled to cope with the number of people in need of help after Hurricane Dorian. Among those waiting was Alesha McNeill, pictured seated centre, who lost the roof of her home in Fortune Bay, Grand Bahama, who had obtained a copy of her police record and a job application form, who said: “I just need clothes because I lost everything in the storm. I need a job. I just need help.” Photo: Rashad Rolle/Tribune Staff

25 AUTOPSIES CARRIED NO PLANS YET FOR TAXES OUT SO FAR AFTER DORIAN TO PAY FOR REBUILDING

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

OF the 51 official casualties of deadly Hurricane Dorian, autopsies have been carried out on about 25 Abaco victims thus far, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands confirmed yesterday.

Dr Sands said the government’s intention is to treat

each victim with dignity, adding there were no plans to conduct mass burials. He also said due to the nature of the storm, some of the victims’ bodies may never be recovered.

However, he was unable to state how long officials would continue to store unidentified remains, SEE PAGE SIX

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE DEPUTY prime minister yesterday said there are no plans for new or increased taxes to finance Dorian rebuilding “at this point”, adding: “That is not part of the discussion.”

Peter Turnquest said the Government had yet “to

exhaust all our options” other than taxes for funding a restoration effort that will cost several hundred million, if not billions, of dollars.

He said The Bahamas did “not have the option” of delaying post-Dorian recovery given the importance of Grand Bahama and Abaco to the overall economy.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

COUPLE FOUND BEATEN TO DEATH IN APARTMENT

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating a double homicide after a man and woman were found in an apartment unresponsive

with visible injuries early yesterday morning.

According to reports, police were called to the apartment on Gladstone Road shortly after 4am when neighbours heard screams. Officers discovered the couple unresponsive

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

with visible blunt force trauma to their bodies.

Paramedics were called to the scene and attempted to revive the couple, but were unsuccessful.

SEE PAGE TEN

PAGE 2, Wednesday, September 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

AN AERIAL view of the Equinor facility after the oil spill.

Equinor doing ‘all they can’ in oil spill recovery effort

By LEANDRA ROLLE RECOVERY efforts to contain the oil spill at Equinor’s facility in Grand Bahama are now “in full swing,” Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira said yesterday.

“The relief boat has arrived in Grand Bahama.

The clean-up crew has arrived. They have dispatched aerial footage.

They’ve done structural tests on the sounders… but bear in mind as I’ve said in the first instance, that the roofs blew off and so you had oil that was winddriven so you had large smear and that is challenging in and by itself,” he said.

Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet yesterday, Mr Ferreira said the company’s top priority is to stabilise the location by preventing the oil from spreading further in the affected areas.

Speaking on the same topic, Finance Minister Peter Turnquest

said Equinor, which has received help from local and international experts to assist with the clean-up process, appears to be doing “all they can” to rectify the situation.

“I can say that they’ve indicated that there is no spill on the south shore nor have they detected it on the north shore, but they continue to monitor and do surveillance and they’re also testing for water contamination as well as air contamination,” the East Grand Bahama MP said.

“They are being responsive and providing information certainly to the government and to the BEST Commission, the Ministry of Environment but also to me as a member of Parliament and so far, I’m satisfied but obviously people won’t be satisfied until it’s all cleaned up.”

After Hurricane Dorian pummeled the northern Bahamas earlier this month, reports emerged of an oil spill from Equinor’s

South Riding Point storage facility in Grand Bahama.

Last week, Equinor said oil was spotted in the ocean near Abaco and may have affected parts of the coastline. At the time, Equinor said the source of the oil near Little Abaco Island was unknown. However, the company said it would investigate the matter.

In a more recent statement, Equinor said clean up of the oil spill is underway.

“It is still Equinor’s assessment that no oil is leaking from the terminal,” according to the company this week. “An area with suspected oil spill in open water has now been confirmed to be a patch of seaweed. Another area with potential product 70-80 kilometres north east of the terminal on the other side of the island has been observed from air and results are being processed.

Currently, there are no indications that the terminal is the source for this.”

THE OIL on the land around the Equinor facility after Hurricane Dorian.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 18, 2019, PAGE 3

Chaos for the refugees from page one in the hot sun, you thirsty, we don’t know what The Bahamas coming to,” said Alesha McNeil, 22, as she sat outside the Department of Social Services shortly before 2.30pm. The hurricane blew the roof off her house in Fortune Bay, Grand Bahama, forcing her to take refuge in the home of a friend. She arrived in Nassau on Monday after days of trying to evacuate.

She showed The Tribune a copy of the police record she has since obtained and the KFC job form she collected yesterday morning.

“I ain’ looking for no handouts,” she said. “You think if I was someone who want lean on the government I would get this Kentucky application? I’m a reliable, strong, healthy girl. I could clean, I’m a multi-task kind of person.

Weight don’t stop me. I just need clothes because I lost everything in the storm.

I need a job. I just need help.”

The crowd around Ms McNeil grew agitated. They were convinced people were skipping the line. A social services worker came out to talk to them and soon everyone was pushed inside the department’s

building where chairs and air conditioning were available.

Among them was Eric François, a 70-year-old retiree from Abaco who was looking for shelter for himself and his wife. Their free stay at the Sandyport Beach Resort, which began nearly two weeks ago, ends on Saturday and they were turned away from the Kendal Isaacs Gym earlier yesterday because the shelter was too full.

Sitting next to Mr François, Sandra Conners, 51, said she came to the department because she needs money to rent a $400 per month efficiency off Robinson Road. This was the first time she has ever sought help from social services, she said, having lost a good job at a family restaurant in Abaco because Dorian destroyed the establishment and her home.

Kim Sawyer, deputy director of the Department of Social Services, told The Tribune the department gives $1,200 annually to people who qualify for rent assistance but that requires the kind of assessment that can’t be completed in a day, making it unlikely that Ms Conners, despite hours of waiting, would get what she came for in one trip.

“We’re not making

NIB WORKING TO HELP VERIFY IDENTIFICATION

By LEANDRA ROLLE

WITH thousands of hurricane victims having to relocate to Nassau following Hurricane Dorian, the National Insurance Board is working with the Registrar General’s Office to verify lost forms of identification.

This partnership, according to National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle, is a response to the needs of storm victims who might have lost important identification documents determinations today for long-term assistance and a determination has not been made for us to give beyond our normal means,” said Ms Sawyer who, after 40 years, said she has never seen the department so strained. “We have to manage people’s expectations in terms of what we are and what we offer.”

An influx of people like Mr François, who spent most of the past two weeks in a hotel, is hastening the department’s need to find shelter space, she added.

“Some people went to

during the storm.

Mr Rolle also said yesterday that long waiting periods at NIB have been reduced. He added that NIB, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, also will be helping those in need of unemployment assistance.

“This is a national crisis and we’re treating it as a national crisis and NIB will do its part to make sure that Bahamians and others who contribute to NIB are normalised in the fastest possible time,” he said.

When asked how much

in benefits NIB will have to pay out as a result of Dorian, Mr Rolle could not give a specific amount.

However, the public service minister explained that NIB has already fasttracked pensions and provided other benefits for hurricane victims, who might be in need of money to rebuild their lives.

“This is live information so it’s moving all the time.

What we’re ensuring is that we could identify individuals in the first instance and then pay out those benefits directly. Like I said, this

family, some to other organisations, but that goodwill is wearing off. We have shortterm shelters at motels for people who need them.

They gave us dates when evacuees will have to leave them and we are working on what will happen next when time is up at those shelters,” she said.

At the Registrar General’s Department, Davanno Hall, 26, was standing in the tight room for nearly two hours by the time The Tribune arrived to find eight people waiting on a line outside.

“Services are really slow,” he said. “It’s my day off. I could leave and take a lunch break another day but an hour isn’t enough for this.”

For Barbara Reckley, 55, a discrepancy between the names on her birth certificate and passport led her to the department. She fled Grand Bahama after the storm and is trying to get her son enrolled at a school in New Providence.

Her friend, Stephanie Lightbourne, 53, accompanied her to offer help, having had a similar issue

is moving. We’re collaborating with the Ministry of Labour on one hand to make sure that unemployment assistance is paid.

We’re working with the Registrar General to make sure that persons who have lost their identification can be verified,” he added.

When asked about the security of confidential documents in storm affected islands, Mr Rolle replied that all of the documents at NIB locations in both Abaco and Grand Bahama have been secured. that drew her to the department last year.

At the Registrar General’s Department, people from New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama were ushered to different lines. Those from affected islands received their documents on the spot after a lengthy wait. Those from New Providence were told to return in two days.

“When I came last year, I was here less than an hour and got everything I needed,” said Ms Lightbourne. “I would call this today organised chaos.”

1.5 BILLION POUNDS OF DEBRIS SHOWS NEED FOR STRONG BUILDING CODE

MARSH HARBOUR, Abaco, was left devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net WHILE 1.5 billion pounds of debris remains strewn across Marsh Harbour following deadly Hurricane Dorian, it is a harsh reminder that the country’s building code needs revision to withstand monster storms.

Housing and Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira said yesterday that an overhaul of the building code could encompass various things to enhance the fortitude of homes and protect them from dangerous storm surges and ferocious winds.

When Dorian pummelled Abaco two weeks ago, it flattened homes and businesses, ultimately destroying almost everything in its path. In the aftermath of the Category Five storm, government officials have said they now have to update the standards by which homes and other structures are built. Otherwise, the minister said the cycle will never end, as the affects of climate change continues to be felt around the world.

“Hurricane events like Dorian are only going to continue to be more frequent and only going to get stronger,” the environment minister said. “Therefore as a part of the adjustment, the adaptation for resilience, we have to look at the building codes.

“Otherwise we’d be doing this and repeating this function over and over again and so that means then that the building codes have to be visited. Houses need to be designed in such

a way to withstand stronger winds.

“In the ‘70s we revisited the building code. We must look at it again because houses now have to be built to withstand gusts of 200mph winds.

“I mean this is going to become commonplace unfortunately as we move forward.”

If the building code is amended, the minister said he expected several changes to be made.

“In real terms, that would mean the type of steel and the grade of steel depending on the structure of the building; the richness of the concrete depending on the type of structure; the depth of the foundation.

“How far above sea level do we actually build to prevent flooding? How many clips do you put on the rafters you put on?

Then the strength of the clips (and) the amount of nails. Every single detail would have to be evaluated to give you that result for your home, which is most people’s largest investment in their life that can withstand these events,” he said.

He said while there may be some who have lost homes and are waiting for insurance claims to be processed, there were others who don’t fall into this category, but government would do all in its power to return them to normalcy.

Ahead of Dorian’s landfall, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the Bahamas’ building code was among the best in the region. However many structures proved to be no

match for Dorian’s fury.

“We have some of the best standards of home building within this region, and our homes are built to withstand at least 150 miles per hour, so this will put us to a test that we’ve never confronted before,” Dr Minnis said on September 1.

As officials figure out the best solution for building structures, there is an extraordinary volume of debris in Marsh Harbour alone.

The situation has forced officials to formulate a debris management plan, the minister said.

With the help of a United Nations development programme, officials estimated that there is about two million cubic metres of debris or 1.5bn pounds of various matter that needs to be removed.

However, this presents another challenge in that the landfill and dump systems in Marsh Harbour will most likely be overwhelmed. So, the next best option is to take the waste out of the country to other locations better suited for this type of situation.

It is an undertaking that could cost well into the tens

Photo: Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP) of millions of dollars, Mr Ferreira said. The ministry will also need additional manpower.

“A key feature of the plan is we hope to actually take these items out of the country because obviously such a large amount is going to overwhelm the landfill and dump systems of Marsh Harbour,” the Marathon MP said ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

“We’d like to take it outside of the country because as you are aware Marsh Harbour has a landfill. It has its challenges but that’s going to quickly overwhelm any kind of situation and, of course, we have to separate the debris. There’s going to be concrete, rubble (and) vegetative debris. There’s going to be metals.

“There’s actually a boat sitting on top of a roof in Marsh Harbour. It’s quite something to see. That gives you an idea of how high the sea surge was and the kinds of impact it had.

“So the waste has to be collected. It has to be sorted. It has to be reduced in volume, which means the use of a shredder or some cutting devices and then, of course, we take it out the country.”

NOTICE Due to the untimely death of one our beloved staff member

Miss Winifred Kemp who passed away on September 7th, 2019.

We wish to advise our customers ALL of Sandy’s Branches

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on the morning of September 20th and REOPEN at 2pm.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, September 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

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Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

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More murders - so what can we do?

WHILE the focus of the nation has been quite rightly on hurricane recovery efforts, an old problem has not gone away: crime.

Early yesterday morning, police were called to an apartment on Gladstone Road after screams were heard.

On entering, they found a man and a woman seemingly beaten to death.

Police do not know how the killer entered the home - or the motive for the double killing.

Just eight hours earlier, there was another homicide in Fox Hill, this time the shooting of a 19-year-old young man.

That follows a spate of murders with two shot dead in a space of 12 hours and a man dying in hospital after being shot on Saturday.

Last September, there were five killings in the whole month. This month, the total is already 12.

The murder count for the year, according to our records, is 75, up by about nine percent compared to the same period last year.

Whenever there is a spike in crime and murder rates in particular - there is a lot of speculation. Is it a result of a gang war, people wonder, will there be more to come?

The police have not yet spoken about any possible reasons for the spate of murders - but clearly it comes at a time when police resources are stretched with officers helping the hurricane-hit islands, and a time when New Providence is accommodating the storm-scarred refugees who have been forced to flee their home.

The gunshots from the Fox Hill shooting might even have been able to have been heard by those taking shelter in the Fox Hill Community Centre, not far from Armbrister Street.

On top of the trauma they have faced from the hurricane, those refugees do not need the extra fear that comes with wondering if the place they have been evacuated to is safe.

So what can be done about it? Well, at a time when the police force may be stretched, we must stand up as citizens and help.

How can we do that? By reporting crimes. If you know someone who

has a gun who shouldn’t, let the police know. If you know someone is planning a crime, let the police know. If you have witnessed a crime or know who committed one, the best thing to do is to tell the police.

If you don’t want to tell the police directly, you can do so anonymously via Crimestoppers on 328-8477, or through the Crack Crime app for your phone.

These criminals are bringing nothing but harm to our nation at a time when the country needs its people to be united to help others.

To tackle these killers, police are going to have to deploy resources that are already working hard to help hurricane victims. These criminals don’t care about you, or about the country. So do the right thing: turn them in.

Building codes As relief efforts continue, thoughts also turn to another question: how do we stop such a disaster happening again?

There is of course a larger debate here about climate change - but in terms of physical planning, there is also a discussion about when we rebuild, can we rebuild better?

Housing and Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira is reportedly starting to look at an overhaul of the building code.

The size of the hurricane that hit the northwestern Bahamas - a category five monster - is such that there might seem little that can be done to protect against it.

There’s not just the wind and the rain but the size of the storm surge that went with the hurricane too - a combination of destructive force and high waters whose outcome has proven so tragic in Grand Bahama and Abaco.

But the discussion has to begin. There will be costs associated with safer buildings - but there may also be simple measures that can help, such as working out how far to build away from the sea, or what shape of buildings might help.

It will be one of many lessons to be learned as we begin to reflect on Hurricane Dorian - and one that may just save lives in future.

Idle talk in wake of Dorian EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHEN creativity goes beyond being creative to being stupid - Talk Shows, especially those that have a call-in part daily, add entertainment to sometimes the simple boredom of the Show.

The aftermath of Dorian has brought some good ones…

Lease the largest of cruise ships and evacuate even New Providence and

sail away from the eye of the storm!

Mega cruise boats are not moored waiting for a call.

Use bank re-possessed property… the bank or financial institution wants to keep the property in prime condition not requiring redecoration and even possibly re-equipping the home-condo of appliances…

Then there is that twohour afternoon Talk Show

libel incorporated… unsubstantiated facts and statements but so popular amongst the listeners unsure for its stupidity or just sheer entertainment because it certainly has that.

Boy this social media brings out the craziness in some…we need a laugh once in a while…

JEROME HIGGINS Nassau, September 16, 2019.

How many are we mourning?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

CABINET Office has announced a National Mourning Service for those who died in Dorian for Wednesday evening at BFM - Carmichael.

We can understand this however who are we mourning? Are we mourning Bahamians - Bahamian-Haitians - foreign visitors or Haitians?

Officially the death count remains at 50 but no one believes that.

Information from a good source indicates recently 400 body bags were shipped from Nassau to Abaco.

How does the Revs Draft their messages if they are unaware if they are talking sympathising to Bahamians - Haitians or visitors?

One hopes Cabinet on Tuesday Cabinet meeting

will finally come clean and announce officially the death toll? We have to be reasonably sure the International NGOs participating in the search have to be worried their credibility is now challenged…Does the Red Cross accept and support the 50 deaths?

W THOMPSON Nassau, September 16, 2019.

Rest in peace Donut AKA Fats EDITOR, The Tribune.

ANOTHER violent act in the capital Nassau, Bahamas, has once again left another family in mourning.

It has left another young man dead at the hands of vicious animals.

Jermaine Edwards, my little cousin, was gunned down on his way to work on September 16, 2019, shortly after 6am in the Johnson Road area. He was a mere five minutes from his home.

Early reports suggest that he was ambushed by a thug or thugs who were waiting for him as he passed a particular point. Obviously when he realised the impending danger he ran and the shooter or shooters ran after him. He had no chance.

In what appeared to be a very meticulous execution style hit, my ‘lil cous’ became another victim to the gun violence that has taken a firm hold of our nation. His body was riddled with bullets.

Neighbours, family members and friends heard the shots as they rang out on

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net that fateful morning. But at the time no one could have known that it was our beloved Donut who would have been the recipient of this never ceasing violence on our streets.

Donut’s story is all too familiar. His story represents a vicious cycle where persons are killed and the family is left desperately searching for answers. I personally see my lil cousin every other week and I don’t know of anyone that he has crooked, threatened or owes money to.

He was a straight up guy who took care of his family.

He was a striving young man who took his job at the hospital seriously and he was well loved.

I was dumbfounded when I heard news of his demise.

A lot of people were. The community is in a silent uproar.

My condolences goes out to his mother, his siblings, his children, his significant

other, the Johnson Road Community and all the people who loved him.

I was of the view that violence of this nature was reserved for killers and animals, not an ordinary citizen who goes to work everyday, is always home, stays out of trouble and is an iconic family man. The way they killed my ‘lil cous’ is shockingly unbelievable. They killed him worse than a dog in the streets. He was totally undeserving of this.

Romans 12 verse 19 says: “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord”. I think this means that Donut’s killer or killers will have to answer to God. In times like these we all have to find the strength to put our trust in a higher power. As I shed tears and my body is filled with grief as I conclude this letter, I want Donut’s family and friends to remember that God is still able and he is still in control. Rest in peace ‘lil cous’.

DEHAVILLAND MOSS Nassau, September 17, 2019.

Thank you for Chippie honour EDITOR, The Tribune.

I JUST want to say that I truly enjoy your Tribune Weekend section and applaud the writers, editors and photographers for the incredible work they do on a consistent basis.

The magazine has become a weekly must-read for so many people, myself included.

Its recent cover of the late great, John “Chippie” Chipman brought tears to my eyes and was one worthy of being framed.

So often, we lose legends and cultural icons who have helped to define the times in our country, yet they only receive a small mention in the papers.

By giving Chipman the cover shot, you paid homage to his life’s work and exposed him to a new generation of Bahamians who may have been unfamiliar with him and his work. Thank you for paying a proper tribute to our nation’s drummer boy.

I also thank The Tribune

for giving creatives as a whole a wonderful platform to share their talents.

The nation is being exposed to singers, actors, bloggers, fashion designers and photographers who they ordinarily would not have heard from were it not for your newspaper. Trust me, the creative community appreciates it.

Keep up the incredible work!

ROGAN SMITH Nassau, September 17, 2019.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 18, 2019, PAGE 5

AG ‘monitoring’ non-profit Headknowles amid split

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net IF THERE are public concerns about the operations of non-profit organisation HeadKnowles, the matter will be sent to senior legal officials of the government for advice.

This was the position of Attorney General Carl Bethel yesterday who said he was in the process of gathering facts related to the charity group.

As non-profits fall within the purview of Mr Bethel, it is a situation that he is monitoring. “...I am seeking to find out what the facts are.

Once I have information, the same will be forwarded to senior legal officials for advice, if there are any public concerns,” Mr Bethel said, when contacted for comment yesterday.

He was contacted after the group’s co-founders – Gina Knowles and Lia Head-Rigby – announced they were splitting.

This came after GoFundMe’s suspension of their account for Hurricane Dorian relief earlier this month. The account was later unfrozen, with both co-founders maintaining the crowd funding site temporarily halted activity due to the large sum of money that was raised in a short time.

Up to press time yesterday more than $1.4m had been raised by 11,400 donors.

Yesterday in an interview with Our News, Mrs Knowles called the separation “unfortunate”, but said it made sense.

“What people don’t realise is that Lia doesn’t live here. She lives in Orlando, so it only makes sense with

her saying ‘Okay Gina handle it’ because of the fact that we’re all here.

The two teams is very difficult because you can’t have too much cooks in the kitchen.

“So we told her ‘we got this’ and she decided she’ll take her charitable expertise elsewhere and we said okay.”

On Monday, Mrs Knowles said despite the situation, the group would continue to be agents of change.

“It is with heavy heart and with an even greater determination that we announced a separation of our two founding partners of HeadKnowles,” Mrs Knowles wrote in a brief statement issued on Monday.

“We will continue to champion the efforts of the HeadKnowles Foundation and remain committed to its mission of being agents of change for the transformation of a country and its people. We will not waiver in our efforts to help restore and rebuild our beautiful country, The Bahamas.

“We thank all of you who have walked in the trenches with us and look forward to your continued support as we work together to make The Bahamas and its islands better than it has ever been.”

Simultaneously, Ms Head-Rigby released an open letter revealing she was stepping back from the foundation “with a heavy heart”.

She said she has been “disheartened” by certain measures to defame her character, adding GoFundMe requested the group be IRS compliant and also that it complete required paperwork.

She wrote: “I would like

YOUNGSTERS taking part in relief efforts in this image posted to the Headknowles Foundation Facebook page. to personally thank everyone that has recently donated to the GoFundMe (GFMe) account, you have helped HeadKnowles to make incredible strides with assisting those devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

As a Bahamian living in Orlando, Florida, it has been my position to secure donations and partnerships, global communications and coordinating logistics for HeadKnowles from this end, ensuring that our efforts remain consistent and funded. Recently, due to the influx of donations breaking records at GFMe, the largest collected by HeadKnowles to date, I was asked by GFMe to satisfy

FLORIDA Gov Ron DeSantis speaks about Hurricane Dorian during a press conference at the Orange County Emergency Operations Center on August 30.

Photo: Stephen M Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP

FLORIDA OFFICIALS SPEAK UP AMID DORIAN RELIEF EFFORTS HURRICANE Dorian’s devastation and aftermath has drawn the attention of some of the top US government officials in Florida.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday that his state’s businesses and citizens are prepared to help Bahamians affected by the storm but the relief must be provided in this country, not his state.

“If you just need the relief, that’s not what Florida’s set up for,” he said.

“Florida is helping to send resources to the Bahamas so the relief can be administered there.”

He said he understood the Trump administration’s decision to deny Temporary Protected Status to Bahamian storm victims, which would have allowed them to live and work legally in the US while Grand Bahama and Abaco recover from the storm.

“TPS is only for people who are already here,” he said, “so I think when people are saying ‘oh, let the people who come get

it,’ but that’s not what it’s for. TPS is if you’re in the United States, something happens in your home country, then you can apply for it. So, I don’t even think it’s applicable and I think the Bahamian government has not asked for it. And so I just don’t think it would even apply.”

For his part, US Senator Marco Rubio said helping The Bahamas is a moral imperative and a way of fending off China’s influence in a country so near the US. In an opinion piece he wrote for the Miami Herald, Mr Rubio wrote: “For many of us in South Florida, the devastation in The Bahamas caused by Hurricane Dorian is personal. Not only have we lived through destructive hurricanes, but Bahamians are our friends, neighbours and family members. The majority of BahamianAmericans reside in the state of Florida and our ties to the forebears’ nation remain a source of great

cultural and economic nourishment... By devoting available military and medical assets to the recovery effort, we have the ability to help our afflicted neighbours and family members and save Bahamian lives. I am advocating these measures because directing resources to assist Bahamians is the right thing to do.

But there exists an additional imperative on the security national level, as well: if we fail to rise to the occasion, China will step in to seize the moment and exploit the recovery for its own nefarious purposes.”

Mr Rubio said Dorian’s destruction has created a situation tailor made for China’s exploitation.

An official from the Chinese embassy in Nassau has rebuffed such suggestions. Haigang Yin, an embassy spokesman, told the Nassau Guardian that China is not trying to compete with any other country to provide relief to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

paperwork as to why these funds were raised and also to be IRS-compliant with these donations. I can say factually, these items were satisfied.

“Having said that, I would like to publicly announce that funding collected through Go Fund Me has been, and will continue to be released and turned over to the local branch of HeadKnowles headed by Mrs Gina Knowles. Additionally, as agreed by the original founders of HeadKnowles (Gina & Lia), as of today the request to close the GoFundMe HeadKnowles emergency account has been submitted,” she continued.

“Over the last week, I have been disheartened by certain measures to defame my name and reputation as a Bahamian whose only goal has been to assist those devastated from natural disasters. I’ve tried very hard over this time to ensure that I satisfied all requests made of me and I am really disappointed that we are on different paths now.

“My goal remains the same since day one, which is loyalty and assistance to any and all Bahamians and residents affected by Hurricane Dorian or any other natural disaster. After much deliberation with my team, it has become our decision to focus our efforts on

building global relations, bringing much needed awareness and assistance to The Bahamas to ensure the rebuilding and restoration of our beautiful country.

My network continues to reach out to me and I am grateful for their support.”

Mrs Head-Rigby said she remains committed to Bahamians and has refused to lower her standards and get in the mud with those who question her integrity.

Instead, she said she will be using all of her energy and efforts to support organisations such as BAARK Bahamas, Our Grand Bahama, Abaco - The Rebuild Fund and others.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, September 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

ROYAL CARIBBEAN TEAM HELPS GRAND BAHAMA TO RECOVER

MEMBERS of the Royal Caribbean team are pictured, top left, preparing food as part of their continuing effort to feed people in Grand Bahama affected by Hurricane Dorian. Day after day, Royal Caribbean has continued to prepare and distribut food, first from a ship diverted to Freeport and then from a field kitchen in the parking lot at the old Portion Control building. Also pictured, above right, are volunteers from the Bahamas Food Network, helping to distribute the food. Editor’s note: In a caption yesterday, part of the Royal Caribbean relief effort was mistakenly attributed to Carnival.

BAMSI gives fresh produce to relief effort FROM left, McKallan Stubbs, BAMSI farm administrator; Dotlyn Treco, president of North Andros Red Cross Division; Emily Miller, president of Central Andros Red Cross Division and Dr Raveenia Roberts Hanna, executive director of BAMSI. Back row from left, BAMSI operations supervisor Tavey Wallace, apiculture officer Raphael Adams, head of BAMSI’s Aquatic Division Dr Vallierre Deleveaux and crop director Stephen Adderley.

THE Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) has joined in relief efforts by donating more than 10,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Bahamas Red Cross.

The donation, which includes bananas, papayas, cassava, sweet potato, butternut squash, okra and more, will make its way from Morgan’s Bluff, North Andros on the MV Lady Rosalind to Nassau, where it will be sent on to residents of Abaco and Grand Bahama.

BAMSI CEO Alaasis Braynen said it was important for the institute to join the relief efforts for those who survived Hurricane Dorian.

“In times of national adversity, where too many Bahamians have had their lives turned upside down - homes lost, properties severely damaged and most terrifying, families torn apart and even broken forever, we have an obligation,

a mandate even, to do our part in helping them to recover and to return to some level of normalcy as quickly as possible,” she said.

“At BAMSI, we are happy to be able to provide some small level of comfort and nutrition through our Andros grown fruits and vegetables and we are hopeful that the produce will in some way help them to continue on and grow

from strength to strength as we seek to heal and rebuild as a nation.”

Mr Braynen said he was happy to announce that BAMSI was partnering with Captain Ted Taylor of the Lady Rosalind who is shipping the items free of charge. The donation - given on Thursday - has been provided by the ‘BAMSI Gives Back’ Foundation, the idea of chairman Tennyson Wells.

25 AUTOPSIES CARRIED OUT SO FAR AFTER DORIAN from page one to some instances where bodies have been held in the Rand Morgue at Princess Margaret Hospital for years.

Ultimately, he said the decision about whether bodies will be removed from cold storage and buried would be a collective one.

“We have to deal with (this) deliberately, methodically and legally,” he said. “…If those remains are not able to be identified then certainly they would have to be retained for a certain amount of time,” Dr Sands said ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

“As we complete the process of going through the missing persons list, having persons try to identify their loved ones, samples for DNA have been taken from those autopsies (and) already completed. I’m advised that we’ve done at least 25 autopsies in Abaco already.

“At some point in time a determination will be made as to whether or not bodies would be removed from cold storage and probably buried, but that decision would be a collective decision made on the basis of

the sum of the information available to everybody.”

Asked how long unidentified bodies would remain in storage, the Elizabeth MP said: “Again I don’t have a good answer for that. We currently have in the Princess Margaret Hospital morgue a number of bodies that have been there for more than many months and probably for several years.

“It really depends on the total number. There are a number of factors that would go into this. Bear in mind that every individual is indeed that, an individual human being with loved ones (and) family members who are seeking to get closure.

“So while in totality we have a number of deaths, already 51 officially, I believe each individual is a human being that has to be treated with dignity and the rights of their loved ones and their family would have to be preserved.”

On Monday, the official death toll increased to 51 after stalling at 50 for a week.

There have been 43 deaths in Abaco and eight in Grand Bahama, according to police.

Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner

Anthony Ferguson said Monday that there had been no further significant increase because there was no recovery of bodies.

While maintaining that government is bracing for the death toll to increase, Dr Sands stressed that officials will do everything necessary not to defile unrecovered victims.

National Emergency Management Agency Director Captain Stephen Russell said Monday search and recovery teams had not yet reached the ground level of mounds of debris in areas like The Mudd.

“The idea that you would defile or damage the remains of a human being by using heavy equipment inappropriately and so on and so forth has to be taken into consideration. I remind the persons of the approach that took place at ground zero after the World Trade Centre catastrophe. It was a painstaking recovery process.

“What we are seeking to do is to complete this process by recognising the humanity and the lives lost,” Dr Sands said.

During a NEMA press conference on Monday, Capt Russell said recovery efforts could take months.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 18, 2019, PAGE 7

THE COLLAPSED Prestige Auto Car showroom in Grand Bahama.

Queen’s Highway businesses destroyed by storm surge

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net MANY businesses in the commercial and light industrial sector of Freeport are closed for business, having suffered major flood damage and significant inventory loss due to Hurricane Dorian.

Storm surge swept throughout the entire business district off Queen’s Highway, flooding some establishments with up to six feet of water as the Category Five storm stalled over Grand Bahama for two days.

Hundreds of businesses are affected and losses are estimated in the millions.

Several major retail stores have shut down temporarily due to a total loss of inventory.

Among those stores is the Dolly Madison Home Centre, where damaged goods were piled up outside the establishment on Oak Street, off Queen’s Highway. Also affected were Crown Ice and Water Depot, and Solomon’s Wholesale.

Although the area is prone to flooding during hurricanes, James Rolle, general manager of Dolly Madison, never expected the water level to reach as high as it did inside the store.

“We were flooded throughout the store; we had at least six feet of water which affected all our operations from our offices to our warehouses, and even our service department. So, we had practically a total washout of our inventory,” he said.

“This is the first time

JAMES Rolle at Dolly Madison. from my knowledge this store has had such severe damage as it has had with Dorian.”

All the damaged goods have been cleared out of the store and placed in the front parking lot for insurance purposes.

“It will add up to millions of dollars in losses. It is piled up here because of the insurance so they can make their assessment,” he said.

Dolly Madison is one of the premier retail stores on the island. It employs nearly 70 Bahamians.

According to Mr Rolle, employees have been busy over the past two weeks working, taking all the damaged inventory out of the building, and cleaning up debris.

In terms of the future operation of Dolly Madison, Mr Rolle said the company will launch a contingency plan to resume a small-scale operation soon.

“I would say within another week and a half, we expect to cater to our customers,” he said.

When asked about downsizing, Mr Rolle said that right now the primary goal is to get the building open for business. He said that in any catastrophic situation,

recovery is always the most difficult part of any operation.

Crown Ice and Water Depot, the largest water and ice supplier on the island, also sustained significant damage. When The Tribune visited the establishment on Tuesday, it was closed for business.

Solomon’s Wholesale on Queen’s Highway, which is next door to Crown Ice, was also closed.

On Logwood Road, we stopped at Big G’s Plumbing Hardware where owner Charles Ince, his family and a small crew were busy clearing out the building of damaged goods and inventory.

“We lost everything,” said Mr Ince, who has operated a successful family business since 1976 in Freeport.

Although retired from the business that he has turned over to his children, Mr Ince was there helping with the cleanup.

He said the business had about five to six feet of water inside during the storm. “We never had it (flood) that high. One hurricane, we had about maybe 12 to 18 inches (of water),” he said.

GRAND BAHAMA POWER COMPANY RECONNECTS 9,000 ACCOUNTS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

OF ITS 19,000 customers, Grand Bahama Power Company has reconnected some 9,000 accounts, representing 47 percent of its customer base, since Hurricane Dorian pummeled the island.

Dave McGregor, CEO, said the company is making progress in getting power restored to customers in Freeport and West Grand Bahama, but officials are still waiting on a status report for eastern Grand Bahama, which was hardest hit by Dorian.

He indicated that they are trying to determine what power solution they can develop in the east.

According to Mr McGregor, GBPC has been able to energize all of the substations in Freeport and West Grand Bahama.

He said progress has been made as a result of its 209 local employees, and the 80 contractors from EMERA, and PIKE Electric, who are on island assisting with power restoration.

Mr McGregor said GBPC has been able to restore power at six schools on the island. These include two government schools, Freeport Primary and Walter Parker Primary, and four private institutions, including the Bishop Michael Eldon School, Freeport Gospel Chapel, Mary, Star of Sea Catholic Academy and Sunland Baptist.

In the downtown area, he said all businesses were devastated, and would have to be connected one at a time as they get clearance from the Grand Bahama Port Authority to connect those buildings.

“All of them had sea water damage and electricians have to inspect them first,” he said.

Power has been restored in the Industrial Park, according to Mr McGregor, who reported that major industrial companies such as the Freeport Container Port, Grand Bahama Shipyard, Freeport Harbour, PharmaChem and Polymers International are now back online and operational, and getting people back to work.

GBPC’s head office building at Pioneer’s Way also suffered flood damage, but Mr McGregor said it should be open for business today.

“Before the storm we had 19,000 customers; we are not sure what our customer list is going to look like now,” McGregor said. He noted that some 3,500 customers have not been given clearance by the Grand Bahama Port Authority to connect.

“Our target is to get more than 90 percent of customers that are cleared for power on again by the weekend,” he said.

Geron Turnquest, general manager of the Grand Bahama Utility Company, reported that the utility provider’s three well plants sustained significant flood damage during Dorian, but two of the plants are now back up.

He said the water quality of all 234 wells were compromised. Now that power has been restored to two of three plants, he said water distribution has started in Freeport area and will move west.

The future of the business, he said, “depends on what the insurance company does because we lost everything.”

“We need to get inventory and get set back up.

The building needs to be repaired. So, now we are just waiting on these insurance companies because the first thing they jump up and tell you is that you are underinsured. You could have $20 million worth of insurance and only got a $10,000 building, and you are under insured.”

Mr Ince said that Big G’s the family’s only income.

“It’s my kids, this is their only income; this is our income. I have since retired, but I am back out here now working,” he said.

Further down the street, Prestige Auto, a car

dealership that sells Japanese vehicles, was also hit hard, according to owner Kurt Sawall.

“We had flooding more than five feet on the south side, which was underwater, but we only had over a foot of water inside the office building.

“I never had any flooding (in past hurricanes). This is the first time it flooded,” Mr Sawall said.

There was also major structural damage to the car showroom building, which had totally collapsed.

“I was not expecting that (storm) to cause so much damage - a building like that with so much heavy steel construction should never collapse like that,” he said.

“In Matthew, we had some roof damage, but it

was still intact, but now the whole building collapsed,” he said.

Despite the damage, Prestige Auto is still open for business. Prior to the storm, Mr Sawall had moved his inventory to higher ground. “We have 15 cars for sale, they were not damaged by the storm.

I had moved them before the storm and just put them back out today,” he said.

Businesses along Yellow Pine Street were also destroyed, including Mulligan’s Meat and Restaurant Supply; Media House, where The Tribune Ltd, 100 Jamz, and Kiss 96 FM Radio stations are located; and Kelly’s Freeport Ltd, the largest hardware and building material supplier on the island were also severely affected by flooding.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, September 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

It’s time to help, not to fight T

HE past two weeks have gone by quickly, but the beginning of relief efforts feels like it is in the distant past.

So much has transpired, changed, and evolved since we started calling for every individual to do their part in assisting those directly impacted by Hurricane Dorian. We have had many arguments about the best way to move forward, who should be responsible for what, and the appropriate time for critique. I am not sure that we have made progress or resolved issues through those arguments, but have noticed that the people doing this work are determined to keep going.

There is little time for people mobilising other people and resources to pick fights, join pile ons, or become dedicated contrarians. There are people who need food, shelter, clothing, and legitimate sources

By Alicia Wallace

of income. Right now, these areas have to be our focus as non-governmental organisations, community workers, and influencers.

There are many things to critique, inefficient systems to change, and ill-suited leaders to oust, yes. This is always the case. We always seem to have energy for this. Critique is necessary, instructive, and can lead to the transformation we need. Timing, however, is a major factor.

When people who have been evacuated from Abaco and Grand Bahama are properly housed and have access to everything

they need, we can have a more sustained, constructive public dialogue about what could have been done better and how we can, not only put systems in place that allow us to adequately respond to disasters, but help to prevent them.

MULTIPLE WAYS TO HELP Equality Bahamas is continuing to work with Lend a Hand Bahamas and the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas to operate a donation centre every day. We

VOLUNTEERS at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas helping to pack relief items. invite the public to donate This week, we received nonperishable food, toi- numerous requests for suitletries, baby items, school cases. Living in someone supplies, and snacks for else’s home can be quite children. Some of the items uncomfortable. We are in highest demand are soap, often mindful of the space deodorant, underwear, we take up, and want to pasta, tomato paste, sea- keep our areas clean and soning, pads, tidy. and children’s Suitcases clothing. All ‘This is a can help donations can marathon like people to be dropped off none we have organise their to the National belongings, Art Gallery of ever run before, keep them The Bahamas and one of the together, and on weekdays strongest factors easily tuck from 9am to them out of 6pm and on working in our sight and move weekends them from favour is that so from 10am many of us are place to place. to 5pm. We If you have are providing doing it together.’ luggage, you direct assisare no longer tance to people evacuated using, please consider from Abaco and Grand donating it for a family in Bahama and responding to need of a way to properly requests from community store their possessions. workers visiting shelters.

As new arrivals to Nassau There are a variety of settle in, they will turn their ways to provide assistance attention to livelihoods. aside from donating items. They will search for jobs, A major area of need is work on applications, preschool uniforms. Parents pare for interviews, find have reported that they are work appropriate clothonly able to get one or two ing, and do everything it uniforms through existing takes to enter the workprogrammes. This is not force. None of these things enough. happen without a fair Those interested in help- amount of work. ing to get uniforms for It is important that we children can contact Equal- support their entry into the ity Bahamas which has a workforce by assisting with list of children and the sizes cover letters and resumes, needed. Full uniforms — sharing job postings, and shirt and jumper, shirt and donating work-appropriate skirt, or shirt and pants attire.

— can cost up to $60. We Some organisations have are working to ensure that already started offering children have at least two resume review services. jumpers, skirts, and pants, If you have expertise in and three shirts. human resources, this is a Experiencing trauma, way you can contribute. being displaced, and entering a new school should not be accompanied by nightly washing. People deserve to live more comfortably, and we, collectively, have the Even in our desire to resources to assist.

Many of the people help, we sometimes get evacuated from Abaco and tunnel vision. We are so Grand Bahama are stay- focused on meeting physioing with family members or logical needs that we forget friends. We cannot assume about mental health.

We remember, intellectuthat this means their needs are being met by their hosts. ally, that a hurricane took Many households were place and resulted in people struggling to make ends evacuated from Abaco and meet before the arrival Grand Bahama, but we do of their family or friends, not often think about the so they cannot bear the drastic difference this has burden of food and inciden- had on their lives. We may think of the loss of their tal costs.

There will be an ongoing homes, but not consider all need for toiletries and food. of the contents that may Hot meals are being pro- include items of sentimenvided at lunch and dinner tal value.

We may think of their time for people outside of the shelters at Life Empow- physical injuries, but not erment Church, located consider that there may behind the Red Cross on be loved ones they cannot find. We may think of their JFK. For many people staying loss of income, but not with family and friends, it is consider the change in difficult or impossible to get routine and possible shifts there due to lack of trans- in perceptions of self and portation, no familiarity ability to independently with Nassau, and inability function.

For some of us, significant to use public transportation. It would be helpful for focus is on mental health. volunteers to serve as driv- We are concerned about ers, collecting meals and the effects of trauma. Every time it rains, we worry delivering them to homes.

CARING FOR THE WHOLE PERSON

about those dealing with post traumatic stress disorder. We want to ensure that there are enough spaces for people to talk about what they have experienced and how they are feeling, be together in groups, have one-on-one therapy sessions, or even sit in silence.

We can become so wrapped up in filling what we know to be a void — mental health services — that we forget about the tangible needs people have.

We have to balance the need for essential items like food and personal hygiene products with necessary attention to mental health.

Equality Bahamas and Lend a Hand Bahamas are working on longterm programming for people — particularly women and children — who have been evacuated to Nassau. The programme will focus on continued provision of care packages, food packages, skill-building, and respite.

It will complement the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas’ mental health-focused programming that uses a variety of methodologies and tools to help people to recover. We are fortunate to be able to use the beautiful space at the gallery which is free for the rest of the month and features beautiful landscaping, benches under shady trees, and an inviting sculpture garden.

Institutions and individuals are taking a range of approaches to this work. It is a service we have been called and are fortunate to provide.

Most of us do not know what we would do if we could not find a way to help. Many members of the public are still searching for ways.

Whether your contribution is two nonperishable items, a uniform for one student, a case of deodorant, or cookies for the family staying with a neighbour, it is substantial.

No entity, the government included, can do this alone. The work will not be done in a month, or four, or twelve.

This is a marathon like none we have ever run before, and one of the strongest factors working in our favour is that so many of us are doing it together.

People will complain, blame, embarrass, criticise, and refuse to do anything, but they do not need our attention right now. We are still in the early stages, trying to meet basic needs.

Be critical in thinking, and thoughtful in speech.

Choose to extend grace instead of fueling fires. Do the best you can with what you have by finding ways to combine it with someone else’s best. Collaboration and true partnerships are key.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 18, 2019, PAGE 11

Steel worker loses court challenge over lost job

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A FORMER steel worker has lost his bid to prove that a Supreme Court judge was wrong to find that he was not unfairly dismissed by his employer, but instead abandoned his job because he didn’t like his supervisor.

The Court of Appeal ruled that Justice Ian Winder was not wrong in finding that Island Industries Bahamas Limited did not fire James Brown, but that the man left the job site and never returned because of a vendetta.

As a result, Mr Brown, who was seeking $2,000 of three weeks accrued vacation pay and an additional $1,000 plus of holiday pay, must now pay his former employer’s legal costs for the appeal.

According to the ruling, sometime in November 1984, Island Industries agreed to employ Mr Brown pursuant to the terms of an oral employment contract.

The company continued to employ Mr Brown until July 2016.

At that time, Island Industries was alleged to have unfairly terminated Mr Brown’s contract against his right not to be unfairly

terminated pursuant to Section 34 of the Employment Act, 2001. At the time of the alleged termination, Mr Brown made $2,972.66 per month.

Sometime on or about July 2016 when he reported to work, Mr Brown was told by a company representative to go to the office the following morning. Mr Brown did as instructed, and when he did so, the company’s general manager, Michael Donald, refused to put him to work.

When Mr Brown inquired why he wasn’t working, Mr Donald allegedly told him that the foreman said he did not want to work with him.

When Mr Brown asked what he would do moving forward, Mr Donald told him that he would not work until Island Industries got a big job. When asked where that left him, Mr Brown was told to “do whatever and get back to him.”

Island Industries never called Mr Brown back to work, it was claimed.

On October 10, 2016, Mr Brown reported for work. However, Mr Donald refused to talk to him. After some time, Island Industries stopped paying Mr Brown his weekly salary from July 2016 and also refused to assign him duties he was able to complete.

Additionally, throughout his 30 plus years with Island Industries, Mr Brown was never given a warning letter concerning his performance or lack thereof.

On October 3, 2016, Mr Brown served a trade dispute on Island Industries. It was at that time that a letter dated August 30, 2016, was given to Mr Brown by the company’s secretary.

That letter, according to the ruling, expressed the company’s position that Mr Brown was “not terminated and there was never any implication” that he was ever terminated.

After the August 30 letter was received, a conciliation meeting was conducted by a labour officer.

Island Industries filed a defence, essentially denying that Mr Brown’s employment had been terminated.

The company claimed that given the nature of the construction industry, there are periods of “slow or no activity”. During those periods, Mr Brown would usually secure other means of temporary engagement, and when ready, would check back with Island Industries to inquire about new jobs. Afterwards, he would return to work and “simply pick up where he left off”.

The company also denied that Mr Brown was

terminated. It said the man of “his own volition never returned to work”. Island Industries also clarified the issue about the foreman saying that the company did not want to work with Mr Brown.

The company said that in July 2016, Mr Brown had been assigned to work under the supervision of foreman Robert Laramore on the Bahamasair hangar’s renovation. That project was the only significant job going on at the time, according to Island Industries.

The company said it was “no secret” that Mr Brown had a “personal dislike” for Mr Laramore, and thus the two were rarely assigned to work together on the same job. However, because the Bahamasair project was the only major project that Island Industries had at the time, Mr Brown was assigned to Mr Laramore’s team.

Within weeks, Mr Laramore appealed to Mr Donald to speak with Mr Brown because he refused to follow the foreman’s instructions and was creating disruption on the job. When Mr Brown was approached on the matter, he told Mr Donald that he refused to work with Mr Laramore going forward. Mr Brown was

subsequently reminded that since the Bahamasair project was the only job that was ongoing, there was nothing else available for him at the time.

However, Island Industries said Mr Brown “determined for himself that he would not work with Mr Laramore, and so made the decision not to return to work”.

Island Industries also maintained that after that situation, it expected that Mr Brown would check in from time to time to see if any new jobs had come in, as was his usual practice.

However, the company said Mr Brown “never presented himself for work, neither did he call in”.

The company, by a letter dated November 24, 2016, expressed its position that Mr Brown was not terminated. The company also stated that Mr Brown left the job that August despite work being available for him. The letter also stated that it had “uncollected mail and holiday/vacation pay in our office” for him.

“Your position here is still available but we cannot hold it open indefinitely,” the letter said. “If you have not returned to work before the end of this month we will assume you have abandoned your position and

this company and we will consider you as resigned.”

In any event, Island Industries said it had no means of communicating directly with Mr Brown, as he used the company’s phone number and mail box as a “personal point of contact for himself”.

Justice Winder, in canvassing the evidence, determined that the central issue for determination was whether Mr Brown was dismissed unfairly as was alleged, or whether he “abandoned the job and did not return” as the company claimed.

Justice Winder ultimately ruled: “The defendant had not released him from duty.

“He chose to absent himself because he did not wish to work with a particular supervisor, and determined thereafter that he would not return. In so doing, he repudiated his terms of employment and voluntarily vacated same.”

Mr Brown appealed that decision on five grounds, but only the first ground succeeded.

However, the appellate court said notwithstanding the success of the first ground of appeal, that claim was “unnecessary” given Island Industries’ “stance throughout the history of this matter”.

TAXI DRIVER SPARED JAIL OVER LAPSED GUN LICENCE

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A 41-YEAR-OLD taxi driver was spared a prison sentence yesterday for not licensing his shotgun.

Instead, Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes fined Tomiko Johnson $2,000 for admitting to being in possession of an unlicensed shotgun on Sunday.

According to police, Constable Philippian Brown said that sometime around 1.15pm on Sunday, he was on duty at the Paradise Island Police Station when he received information about Johnson, who was in custody for another matter.

As a result, PC Brown prepared a search warrant and read it off to Johnson.

He also handed Johnson the warrant, who, he said, appeared to have read its contents.

Afterwards, PC Brown said he and another officer left the station with Johnson, who directed them to his home in High Vista.

Following a search of that residence, the officers discovered a black safe in a northeastern bedroom that contained a 12-gauge, silver and black pistol grip shotgun with 12 rounds of unfired red and gold shells.

The items were shown to Johnson, who was subsequently asked if he had a firearm licence. Johnson’s replied in the affirmative, but was uncertain about where it was.

As a result, the officers

took Johnson, the shotgun and the ammunition back to the station.

While there, PC Brown searched Johnson’s black, 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, where he found in the glove compartment a shotgun licence book in Johnson’s name. That licence indicated that the gun hadn’t been licenced since 2015.

PC Brown subsequently cautioned and warned Johnson of prosecution, to which Johnson replied: “Officer, I forgot to licence it.”

The following day, Detective Constable Makel Bowe, of the Firearms Investigation Unit, interviewed Johnson in the presence of another officer.

Johnson waived his right to an attorney, according to the officer.

During the interview, Johnson admitted to being the owner of the shotgun and ammunition. He said when he first purchased the items, he kept them in his taxi. But after learning that doing so was illegal, he secured them under his bed in a safe and “just forgot” about them.

Johnson further stated that the last time he paid for a shotgun licence was in 2012 because he forgot he had the shotgun.

Magistrate Forbes consequently fined Johnson $1,000 for possession of an unlicensed firearm and $1,000 for possession of ammunition.

He faces six months in prison if he defaults. Bjorn Ferguson represented Johnson.

YOUR

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

PAGE 12, Wednesday, September 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

48 KILLED IN DEADLY AFGHANISTAN SUICIDE BOMBINGS

AFGHAN police inspect the site of a suicide attack in Parwan province of Afghanistan yesterday. The Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a campaign rally by President Ashraf Ghani in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing over 20 people and wounding over 30. Ghani was present at the venue but was unharmed, according to his campaign chief.

Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP KABUL, Afghanistan Associated Press SEPARATE attacks by suicide bombers — one targeting President Ashraf Ghani’s election rally and a

second that ripped through the centre of the Afghan capital — killed at least 48 people and wounded scores more yesterday in the deadliest single day since a peace agreement with Taliban

insurgents ended.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for both blasts, saying an explosivesladen motorcycle targeted Ghani’s election rally being held on the outskirts of

Charakar in northern Parwan province. Ghani was present but unhurt. In that explosion, 26 people were killed, according to Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

Four among the dead were Afghan military personnel, he said. Another 42 people were wounded, many of them women and children.

In the second bombing, just hours later in the heart

of Kabul not far from the US Embassy, the Taliban said they were targeting an Afghan army base. They killed 22 people, government officials said. Scores more were wounded.

Democrats spar with former Trump campaign chief WASHINGTON Associated Press THE first impeachment hearing held by House Democrats yesterday

quickly turned hostile as their sole witness, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, stonewalled many of their questions and declared they

were “focusing on petty and personal politics”.

Lewandowski, a devoted friend and supporter of President Donald Trump, was following White

House orders not to discuss conversations with the president beyond what was already public in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Trump was cheering him along as he testified, tweeting that his opening statement was “beautiful”.

The hearing underscores what has been a central dilemma for the House Judiciary Committee all year as they investigate — and potentially try to impeach — Trump. Many of the Democrats’ base supporters want them to move quickly to try to remove Trump from office. But the White House has blocked their oversight requests at most every turn, declining

to provide new documents or allow aides and associates to testify.

Yesterday, Lewandowski, who is considering a run for Senate in New Hampshire, made clear he wouldn’t make life easy for the Democrats. He demanded that they provide him a copy of the Mueller report, sending Democratic staff scrambling to find one. He read directly from the report and asked Democrats to read passages to him, showing that he wouldn’t say much beyond what Mueller wrote. Republicans on the panel forced a series of procedural votes, immediately sending the hearing into disarray.

“He’s filibustering,” said

a frustrated House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.

Lewandowski eventually began to answer some questions — he told the committee that he doesn’t think Trump “asked me to do anything illegal” — but still stuck mostly to what was already in the report.

And he made clear his dislike for the House majority in the opening statement, calling them petty and asserting that investigations of the president were conducted by “Trump haters”.

Lewandowski was a central figure in Mueller’s report, which the committee is examining as part of its impeachment probe.

NETANYAHU FALLS SHORT IN ISRAELI ELECTIONS BID JERUSALEM Associated Press

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell short of securing a parliamentary majority with his religious and nationalist allies in national elections Tuesday, initial exit polls showed, setting the stage for a period of coalition negotiations that could threaten his political future and clear the way for him to be tried on corruption charges.

Initial results posted by Israel’s three major stations showed challenger Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party tied or with a slight lead over Netanyahu’s Likud. While the results do not guarantee that Gantz will be the next prime minister, they signaled that Netanyahu, who has led the country for over ten years, could have real trouble holding on to the job.

Israeli exit polls are often imprecise, and final results, expected today, could still swing in Netanyahu’s favor.

But all three stations predicted a similar outcome.

According to those polls, neither Likud nor Blue and White, with their smaller respective allies, could control a majority in the 120-seat parliament without the support of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party. That put Lieberman, a former

protege of Netanyahu’s who has become one of the prime minister’s fiercest rivals, in the position of kingmaker.

Addressing his supporters late yesterday, a jubilant Lieberman said he saw only “one option:” a broad, secular coalition with both Blue and White and Likud.

“We’ve always said that a unity government is only possible in emergency situations. And I tell you and I tell every citizen today watching us on television: the situation, both securitywise and economically, are emergency situations,” he said. “The country, therefore, requires a broad government.”

Early today, Gantz told a cheering rally of supporters that while it was too soon to declare victory, he had begun speaking to potential partners and hoped to form a unity government.

“Starting tonight we will work to form a broad unity government that will express the will of the people,” he said.

Attention will now focus on Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, who is to choose the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a stable coalition. Rivlin is to consult with all parties in the coming days before making his decision.

After that, the prime minister designate would have up to six weeks to form a

coalition. If that fails, Rivlin could give another candidate for prime minister 28 days to form a coalition.

And if that fails, new elections would be triggered yet again. Rivlin has said he will do everything possible to avoid such a scenario.

Lieberman called for an immediate start to negotiations and predicted it could be wrapped up quickly. But such a deal promises to be complicated.

Gantz, a former military chief who has presented himself as a unifying figure in a divided nation, has ruled out a partnership with Likud if Netanyahu remains at the helm at a time when he is expected to be indicted on criminal charges.

But in his speech, he made no such conditions.

“I intend to speak with everyone,” he said, without mentioning Netanyahu by name.

Lieberman, who leads a nationalist but secular party, is unlikely to sit with Arab parties on the left or ultra-Orthodox religious parties on the right.

With no alternatives, Likud could be forced to search for a new leader who can work with Gantz.

Netanyahu remained holed up at his official residence in Jerusalem well past midnight and eventually left to join his supporters at a campaign event in Tel Aviv.