10052023 NEWS AND SPORT

GG SETS OUT GOVT

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the 150 officers expected to be sent to Haiti for a multi-national security mission have already been chosen and trained.

“I imagine that we would have selected some who are Creole speakers,” he told The Tribune

yesterday. “We do have Creole speakers in all of our security forces, but all of that we would disclose once the decision is made after the preliminaries have been gone through.”

On Monday, the United Nations Security Council approved a year-long multi-national security mission to Haiti, led by Kenya.

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business

Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Central Bank has abandoned its original target of eliminating paper cheque use by year-end 2024 because “a compelling fraction” of Bahamians need more time to adjust, its governor affirmed yesterday.

Free wi-fi for low income communities

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration has committed to providing low-income communities free internet access.

“This will help to ensure

that every student in school can access the internet so that no child is left behind because of their economic or social circumstances,”

Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt said yesterday during the Speech from The Throne.

Wayde Watson, a

parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, told The Tribune the provision of free wi-fi will go beyond the previous initiative, which provided free wi-fi in parks.

Mr Watson said under the wi-fi in parks initiative, wi-fi was installed in at least

two parks in every constituency in the country. According to the Speech from the Throne, the Davis administration will also introduce the Urban Renewal Authority Bill to establish an Urban Renewal Authority.

“Every Bahamian’s

quality of life should be enhanced by legislation which will be put forward to ensure public access and right of way to beaches, by requiring at least one public access to every beach,”

Governor General Pratt said.

“My government will restructure the monthly assistance programme for seniors or other eligible persons, that can be used to cover the costs of food, electricity or water.”

“My government will fulfil its promise and increase benefits for people with disabilities.

My government will also provide the much-needed

post-school-age facility for persons with disabilities.”

The Davis administration will also undertake a “root and branch” review of the energy sector, given the high costs associated with electricity in the country.

Governor General Pratt said the administration would introduce a Liquid Natural Gas Bill to assist with lowering carbon emissions by providing a legislative and regulatory framework for developing liquid natural gas generation. It would also serve to regulate the “bunkering and blending” liquid natural gas facilities in the country.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Introducing a New Interactive Live Streaming Platform for Bahamians Whatchadoing cam ‘s developer wants you to reap the benefits of your work

New Providence, Bahamas - 5 October 2023

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GOVERNOR General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt inspects the police during the ceremony before her speech to open Parliament.

Photo: Shaquille Johnson

Davis administration pledges to complete and table a National Development Plan

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration has pledged to introduce a Bahamas National Development Plan bill in the House of Assembly, potentially bringing the country closer to finishing a process that began under the last Christie administration.

“By putting the National Development Plan on a statutory footing, my government seeks to ensure that the next 50 years of our national life will have a firm strategic underpinning and focus,” Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt said during yesterday’s Speech from the Throne.

Before the 2017 general election, the Christie administration planned to pass a National Development Plan Bill. That administration believed the NDP would be a groundbreaking document that would occupy a central role in the nation’s development, providing future administrations, civil society and businesses with a blueprint for the future.

The plan was to be accompanied by accountability mechanisms, with the University of The Bahamas expected to release ritual reports highlighting whether milestones were

met. A comprehensive 491page draft of the NDP was released in December 2016.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced that the government reappointed the National Development Plan (NDP) committee.

“We have included civil society, the business community, labour and religious leadership on the committee. Additionally, the government will appoint a secretariat to support the implementation of the work,” he said.

“We already have an initial draft of legislation that will create the framework for implementation. We eagerly look forward to having a completed and updated National Development Plan and implementation plan along with supporting legislation tabled for debate in Parliament.”

“In our prior administration, we spent years consulting with Bahamians from every walk of life to create the National Development Plan, a foundational and comprehensive long-term plan for the country’s development and prosperity. We specifically promised that we would relaunch, complete and legislate the National Development Plan. We intend to deliver on that promise.”

Pintard says Governor General’s speech failed to address

NUMEROUS government ministers and officials attended yesterday’s Speech from the Throne.

Photos: Moise Amisial

critical issues

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard said yesterday’s Speech from the Throne failed to address critical issues and was filled with “recycled” commitments.

The FNM held a press conference after Governor General Cynthia “Mother”

Pratt read the Speech from the Throne, which outlined the government’s legislative agenda.

Mr Pintard said by his count, 60 of 87 commitments in the previous Speech from the Throne remain unfulfilled.

“They added on top of the unrealised goals, an additional 63 commitments, some of which, again, was old commitments,” he said. “We are not convinced that they are even committed to those initiatives that on the

surface sound good based on their track record.”

He added: “We expect that while the Speech from the Throne concentrates on legislative issues, it also signals the spirit of an administration and what policy positions they would take and what outcomes they hope to achieve.

“Those outcomes should be attached to several things. One, how are we going to reduce crime?

Two, how are we going to deal with the issue of immigration, not just border protection, but the entire issue of sorting through the many permits that are out there, some granted illegally, the citizenships that have been granted some illegally? We expected their conversation to address these kinds of issues.

“What was amazingly absent was a strategy around how they would address out-of-control

inflation and the struggles that small businesses have and their failure over the last two years to even find in their budget the $50m they promised would address the issue of micro small and medium-sized business development.”

Mr Pintard said the speech failed to address Grand Bahama’s economic challenges.

“Our worst year while in office and addressing the Dorian concerns is better than their best year,” he

said. “They’re not paying the contractors since June of this year who engaged in small home repairs. But on the eve of the election, they’re running all through West Grand Bahama asking who needs to have a house fixed.”

Mr Pintard applauded the government’s announcements concerning people with disabilities. However, he said the government still hasn’t delivered on its promise to open a women’s shelter.

COI protest: Demands govt fire Keith Bell, and they are ‘standing up for straight Bahamians’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

DOZENS of Coalition of Independents supporters, led by leader Lincoln Bain, protested on Bay Street as Parliament reopened yesterday. Their chants of “Brave got to go” could be heard inside the House of Assembly, where elected officials gathered for the first time

since August. Their signs said: “Fire Keith Bell Now”; “Your Country, Your Fight, Stand Up & Fight For It”; “Enough Is Enough”; and “High Cost of BPL is a Crime”.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis appointed Keith Bell the minister of housing and Urban Renewal last month, removing him from the Ministry of Immigration.

Acting Immigration Director Keturah Ferguson has reportedly been placed on leave and replaced by former Director of Immigration William Pratt.

Ms Ferguson’s purported ouster came after Free National Movement Leader Michael Pintard disclosed concerns she and senior immigration officials had about political interference in their work.

“We are disappointed

in this government allowing Keith Bell to remain in our House of Assembly,” Mr Bain told reporters yesterday.

“It cannot be allowed to continue. How could we stand back while a civil servant is victimised in front of all of us, and we say and do nothing? A civil servant did her job and wrote to the permanent secretary, not to the media, not to the public.

“She wrote to the permanent secretary who is above her, who she answers to, about the criminal actions, in my opinion, of the minister of immigration. This

deserves more than a transfer. This deserves a firing, and we are terribly concerned about the actions of the government and the actions of this minister.”

After a series of chants from the protestors, police confronted the group, forcing them to relocate to Charlotte Street to avoid disrupting the main event.

Mr Bain said he is standing up for “straight Bahamians”.

Pride Bahamas, an organisation concerned with social justice and empowering the country’s LGBTI+ community, will host a series of events

from October 4 to 10 to celebrate pride, including a forum scheduled at UB.

“We also come here today to stand up for Bahamians, Bahamians who are not LGBT,” Mr Bain said.

“On this day, the fourth, they are starting what they call Pride month. Well, I have pride in being a straight Bahamian who is not gay, and we should be allowed to have some pride.

“I call on us to not be ashamed to be who we are. We are not here to condemn anybody, but we are also proud of who we are, and we should have some pride in ourselves.”

DOZENS of Coalition of Independents supporters, led by leader Lincoln Bain, protested on Bay Street as Parliament reopened yesterday.

Photos: Moise Amisial

COALITION OF INDEPENDENTS LEADER LINCOLN BAIN

Immigration Act amendment announced, but only covering Detention Centre procedures

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration pledged to amend the Immigration Act and introduce regulations to govern procedures at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

However, nothing was said during yesterday’s Speech from the Throne about amending the Bahamas Nationality Act to equalise citizenship access for men and women, which the administration had promised to do.

“My government will introduce a Bill to amend the Immigration Act to make new provisions and to be more responsive to the present realities of our immigration circumstances,” Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt said. “Regulations will be introduced to govern the procedures at the Detention Centre to ensure that it is operating optimally and in conformity with international best practices.

In April, Attorney General Ryan Pinder said the government would not amend the Bahamas Nationality Act to address discrimination issues until the Privy Council ruled on a critical case.

The Privy Council has since affirmed that children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are Bahamians at birth regardless of their mother’s nationality. However, the Davis administration has not said when it will change the law to allow Bahamian men and women to pass on citizenship in any circumstance. During his contribution to the 2022-2023 budget debate, Mr Pinder said it was “irrefutable” that Article 13 of the constitution gives Parliament the ability to make provisions for the acquisition of citizenship of The Bahamas.

“We will advance appropriate legislation to finally bring equality to Bahamian men and women in the transmission of citizenship to their children,” he said in the Senate.

“An initial draft has been prepared and commented on internally and we look to advance consultation after bringing to Cabinet and ultimately tabling in Parliament.

“We have failed twice to change the constitution, and it is an important element of equality of our people that they see themselves equal among each other and if that means doing it by legislation, then that’s what it means.”

NatioN al Service Bill to Be iN troduced to help youNg people ‘reach their poteN tial’

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration will introduce a National Service Bill, inviting young people to register for national service.

“The participants in this programme will serve to meet the needs of our vulnerable communities throughout The Bahamas,” Governor General Cynthia “Mother”

Pratt said during the Speech from the Throne yesterday.

She said the administration would also introduce a National Youth Commission bill. The commission would implement “policies, programmes and projects consistent with the National Youth Policy to help support young people in developing their potential”.

In June, Youth, Sports and Culture

Minister Mario Bowleg said a national youth policy would be tabled this month. It is not clear exactly when this will happen.

A national youth policy has been in the works for years, moving through several administrations without being formally adopted.

Mr Bowleg said the policy includes a compendium of pro-youth legislation such as a National Youth Commission bill, the National Youth Council bill, a National Institute for the Youth Development bill and the National Youth Development Endowment Trust Fund bill. Governor General Pratt also announced that the administration would introduce a National Maritime Instruction and Training Bill and a National Apprenticeship Bill to support workplace training.

GOVERNOR General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt inspects the Police Force ash Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander stands at her side at yesterday’s ceremonies ahead of the Speech from the Throne.

Photos: Moise Amisial

The Tribune Limited

What was said, and what was not said

WHEN Parliament was prorogued, it came as something of a surprise.

There does not need to be anything unusual about the process – but the move certainly raised questions as to why it was done.

PLP chairman Fred Mitchell said it was nothing unusual and that the party had agreed to going back to the position where “you reset the agenda”.

So, if the agenda has been reset, yesterday’s Speech from the Throne by Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt gives us a good guide as to what the priorities now are – and what has been jettisoned.

For example, when Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis came to office, he talked of the need for transparency and accountability. You’ll have to look very hard indeed for those words in the speech this time around.

Then there is the issue of marital rape.

It was not on the agenda when the party came into office but when Mr Davis said as much, it very quickly found its way onto the agenda – and yet no sign of it in yesterday’s speech.

The new leader of government business, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, has previously said that criminalising marital rape should not be a significant priority for the government because it was not in the Blueprint for Change manifesto. The absence of any mention of such legislation in the Speech from the Throne suggests we should not anticipate much movement on that issue in the remaining term of this administration. That said, it was not on the agenda at all until public pressure put it there –and public pressure may well put it back on the agenda once more.

Then there is the issue of citizenship – and the uneven situation which mostly means that women are unable to pass on their citizenship in the same way as men do. Despite the government having said it would await the outcome of the Privy Council ruling before proceeding with any changes, now that ruling has arrived

there is still no sign of giving women the same rights as men on the legislative agenda.

There is no mention either of the full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. That was due before the end of this year – next month, in fact. Was it left out of the speech because it was so close to fruition? We shall see in a month’s time.

On a number of other issues, the speech laid out broad strokes, but little in the way of detail. Listening to the speech, you would not know how we intend to crack down on crime, or tackle immigration.

There are positives, however –although some have been laid out previously. The addition of five more Supreme Court Justices in an effort to get rid of the backlog of court cases that continues to clog up our justice system is urgently needed.

The suggestion of offering free internet to the country’s poorest families will hopefully break down the digital divide that is holding back another generation from full participation and the prospect of a brighter future.

Some of the suggestions will be contentious – such as anti-gang legislation that gives tougher penalties to those who are members of a gang. If two people commit the same crime, why does one deserve a greater punishment because of their supposed affiliations?

One caveat – Attorney General Ryan Pinder says that just because something is not part of the speech, it does not mean it is not on the agenda. Bills that ran out of time in the previous session will be tabled again, for example.

But the speech does give the broad picture of where the government is going – and if the issues you are concerned about have not been mentioned, it may well be time to remind your MP of the time they have to resolve those issues before the time to vote comes around again.

Insanely light gun sentence

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IN JULY, a couple in the Cayman Islands were sentenced to 11.5 and 10 years respectively for being found with a single firearm in their apartment.

Here in The Bahamas this week, a man was sentenced to four and a half years for having eight illegal pistols and nearly a thousand rounds of

ammunition in his.

That is the difference between a country that has minimum sentences for a crime that it considers intolerable in view of its affect on society and one that thinks the matter isn’t quite so urgent.

Yet if you thought the former was the society that lost over 100 of its residents to gun violence in 2022 and the latter was

Withdraw planning application

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I READ with interest the comments of Oniel Khosa, owner of the Stone’s Throw Away hotel, regarding his proposed development of a grocery store and café (and “F&B, etc” whatever that means) in a low-density, quaint, residential area.

At a Town Planning meeting earlier this week, Mr Khosa said he did not want to engage in a fight with the community and suggested he would not pursue the project without the consensus and full support of the residents of Tropical Gardens and Gambier Heights.

Well, clearly, he does not have it. More than a dozen community members turned up to the meeting, and not a single one expressed support for this further commercial incursion into our neigbourhood. Many expressed their vehement opposition.

According to Mr Khosa, the residents’ concerns are “blown out of proportion” and “based on emotion”.

Strange that he could pass such authoritative judgement, when at the meeting he claimed to be totally unaware of the issues residents have already been facing because of his resort.

He says the issues complained of – traffic congestion, trash and refuse, noise pollution, parking for his guests taking over the neigbourhood and blocking residents from own homes –predate his ownership. Yet he has been the proprietor for six years and has done absolutely nothing about any of it.

Taking him at his word that he was previously unaware of the issues with his existing business, that he will take action to fix them going forward, and that he does not wish to proceed with his new project without community consensus, I have a suggestion for Mr Khosa:

Withdraw your proposal to the Town Planning Committee with immediate effect.

Withdraw it, prove to the community that you will indeed take action on the existing problems –which, though they have originated with a previous owner, are now squarely your responsibility. Having proven your word, in six months or a year, reapply. You did, after all, suggest that there was no urgency about this project for you, as the hotel is your main business. What would you have to lose? Do this, and who knows? Perhaps you will find that your promises carry more weight with the community then they do at the moment. “Put your money where your mouth is”, so the saying goes. Or as we like to frame it around here – “Mouth could say anything”.

PACO NUNEZ Tropical Gardens resident October 4, 2023

the one that lost only 4 (that’s right: four!), then you would have them mixed up - almost as mixed up as our politicians and judges, who (on the issues of bail and sentencing) continue to exhibit markers of Einstein’s definition of insanity.

ANDREW ALLEN Nassau, October 4.

In solidarity

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WE WRITE to state our solidarity with our small community (Gambier Heights and Tropical Gardens) in its contest of the proposed expansion of A Stone’s Throw Away development which will incur a rezoning of our quiet residential space to commercial.

Objections

• Buyers like myself made an investment in purchasing their homes for the long term in a single-family residential neighbouurhood.

• heightens the risk of devaluing our home with

the traffic that ensues from commercialisation (traffic, parking issues, an increase of rodent infestation, an influx of customers that may put the surrounding home at risk for property infringement and crime.

• If the area is rezoned, at anytime, a new business can occupy that proposed site; and any kind of business (bar, disco, venue rental, gambling house, etc) can find itself our unwelcomed new neighbour.

• Any expansion to A Stone’s Throw Away will incur more large service vehicles frequenting the

area (no-through road) blocking our entrance and adding unsafe conditions for the children in our community to bike or play outdoors on our quiet culde-sac streets.

Currently, there is zero parking space for the existing Bed and Breakfast resort, and this past week, over ten cars were parked in front of our homes, some blocking driveways.

Roderick and Beverley Turnquest (Lot #20) oppose this proposal.

B JANE TURNQUEST Nassau. October 4, 2023

and the noise from loud music is disruptive to the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood. We adamantly oppose resort West Bay expansion.

on the outside, causing traffic congestion

CAREN JAMES Nassau, October 4, 2023

A SMILE and a quiet word from Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt for a female officer during the inspection yesterday.

Photo: Shaquille Johnson

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration pledged to change the local government law to enhance the institution in Family Islands, but said nothing about introducing local government in New Providence during yesterday’s Speech from The Throne.

In the Blueprint for Change, the Progressive Liberal Party’s pre-election manifesto, the party committed to creating a local government regime in New Providence.

However, little has been said about this since then.

The Minnis administration also promised to introduce local government to New Providence, but failed to do so.

“My government will implement a new Local Government Bill that will enhance the operations and responsibilities of local government throughout our family of islands,” Governor General Cynthia

“Mother” Pratt said during yesterday’s speech.

“My government will also take local government concepts to our children, and so it will re-implement a junior Local Government Council throughout the Family Islands.”

Last year, former Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Clay Sweeting said the government hired consultants to redraft the Local Government Act to give more power to Family Island councils, including greater ability to raise revenue.

“Local government in the Family Islands is lacking,” he told reporters. “There are a lot of things that we need to change. We have had two consultants that are looking at the Local Government Act and how we can help raise the bar in local government in the Family Islands because they just become a holding fund to pay salaries and regular payments in the Family Islands and not really be transformative in that regard.

BANK OF THE BAHAMAS DIREC TOR TAKEN TO HOSPI TAL

THE family of Mitzi Turnquest asked for prayers last night as the Bank of The Bahamas director was rushed to hospital.

Erroneous reports online overstating the severity of her condition were criticised by her family as fake news,

but the family did ask for prayers in difficult times.

The business owner, life coach and motivational speaker, and former director of VIP services at Atlantis, is an advocate for women’s rights and education, and has been a speaker on panels both locally and internationally.

CORRECTION

YESTERDAY’S edition of The Tribune inadvertently contained an error in the headline of a court story. The headline should have read “Suspect charged with attempted murder after shooting man”. We apologise for any confusion.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

BANK of The Bahamas director Mitzi Turnquest

GOVERNOR General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt walks with Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander at yesterday’s ceremonies ahead of the Speech from the Throne.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Seasonal house committees announced by House Speaker, Pintard protests two appointees to PAC

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Patricia Deveaux announced the composition of the House of Assembly’s seasonal committee yesterday as Parliament reopened.

The Public Accounts Committee, traditionally the most powerful committee, will consist of Marco City MP Michael Pintard, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis, Bain and Grants Town MP Wayde Watson and South Beach MP Bacchus Rolle.

Mr Pintard objected to Mr Watson and Mr Rolle’s appointment to the Public Accounts Committee, saying they hold substantive government portfolios. He said committee members should be back-benchers. Mr Watson is the parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Mr Rolle is the parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Works. Speaker Deveaux said she would consider and address his concern at the next sitting.

Members of the House Management and Budget

Committee are Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, Freetown MP Wayne Munroe, Pinewood MP Myles Laroda, Seabreeze MP Leslia Miller Brice, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, Long Island MP Adrian Gibson, St Barnabas MP Shanendon Cartwright and Speaker Deveaux.

The broadcasting committee comprises Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller, Mr Laroda, Pineridge MP Ginger Moxey, Mr Pintard and Mr Cartwright.

The House Rules and Business Committee would be made up of Mr Munroe, Fort Charlotte MP Alfred Sears, Nassau Village MP Jamahl Strachan, Mr Thompson and Mr White.

The Public Treasury Committee’s members will be Golden Gates MP

Pia Glover-Rolle, Centreville MP Jomo Campbell, South Andros MP Leon Lundy, Mr Pintard and Mr Thompson.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced that National Security Minister and Freetown MP Wayne Munroe would be the new leader of government Business, replacing Obie Wilchcombe, who died last week. Golden Gates MP

Pia Glover-Rolle will be his deputy.

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis welcomes country representatives at the Fourth OAS Sustainable Development Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday.

Photo: Anthon Thompson/BIS

KEITH Bell and Wayne Munroe arriving for the Governor General’s speech from the throne yesterday. Munroe will be the new leader of government Business, replacing Obie Wilchcombe, who died last week.

Photos: Moise Amisial

Historic first as McCarthy ousted as Speaker

MAYBE you heard.

Something happened in Washington on Tuesday evening that had never before occurred in the legislative history of the United States. The American House of Representatives overthrew its leader (called the “Speaker”) by a simple majority vote of 216-210, with every Democrat present joining eight rebellious right-wing Republicans to unhorse Kevin McCarthy after only eight months in the job.

Even in his short tenure, McCarthy had shown in many ways that he was not the man for the job. For Democrats with whom he had only a couple of weeks earlier collaborated on a deal to avoid shutting down the US government for lack of appropriated funding, McCarthy had proven

STATESIDE

to be clumsily partisan and ultimately untrustworthy.

He also had the misfortune to follow in office as the leader of America’s tax-writing “house of the people” one of the chamber’s most effective – if controversial – leaders in the long history of this talismanic democratic institution.

McCarthy, whose eyes even on television and still photography revealed a kind of haunted, craven ambition that ill suits

anyone in elected public office, was never going to match the record or standing of Nancy Pelosi, whose status as an elected representative from the state of California was virtually the only thing these two career politicians shared in common.

Pelosi, the daughter of a Baltimore mayor who grew up in a completely political family full of partisan idealistic ambition and achievement, became a toweringly effective leader

in the House, much to the chagrin of Republicans whose venal aspirations she routinely frustrated with skillful leadership, simple hard work and brilliant organizational skills.

Kevin McCarthy would never measure up. His eyes gave away the sad reality that he recognised this.

Maybe it was significant that the match that lit the torch that burned down McCarthy’s House leadership was the vaguely weird-looking secondgeneration politician from far western Florida and alleged sex trafficker Matt Gaetz. Gaetz is a product of the age of Donald Trump. Learning well from the tawdry, dangerous example of his messiah, Gaetz pays no greater heed than Trump to the truth in his pursuit of power.

Reportedly plotting to succeed term-limited Ron DeSantis in the Florida governor’s office in a couple of years, Gaetz has nimbly so far stayed a few steps of local and federal prosecutors who are pursuing various morals offences

charges against him. But

Gaetz seems to be fundamentally sleazy at his core.

As such, he is clearly and unusually repellent to a wide range of legislators in Washington, both Democratic and Republican. Readers may recall his public dressing-down by outgoing and patrician Utah senator Mitt Romney at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech in February.

Gaetz and McCarthy have been similarly photographed in a public stance of intense mutual disregard that makes it look like one of them is about to throw a punch at the other. “This was personal,” McCarthy admitted at one point in this week’s saga, in describing his animosity toward the brash Floridian.

So what happens now?

The first thing to know is that arcane House rules kick in at this point.

The Speaker pro tempore (for the time being) is a bespectacled, bow tie-wearing, unprepossessing-looking Republican congressman from North Carolina named Patrick McHenry. House rules prescribed that McCarthy, when he was elected in January as speaker after 15 tortuous ballots, provide a secret list of members to succeed him as temporary speaker should the office be vacated as it was with Tuesday’s vote. It was revealed following the

vote to oust McCarthy that McHenry was at the top of this secret list.

The list was presumably secret for security reasons.

McHenry, a former media consultant and political staffer, was first elected to the House to represent North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District in 2004. This congressional district, which lies just north and west of Charlotte in reliably red territory, is notable for providing the first national legislative perch for Sam Ervin, a larger-than-life “country boy from the hills of North Carolina” who as a member of the US Senate from 1954-1974 played an important role in the downfall of both Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy and President Richard Nixon.

Until Donald Trump came along still less than ten years ago, McCarthy and Nixon had represented two of the greatest threats to the continued democratic system of government in the United States in the past 100 years.

A loyal acolyte of the ambitious, fast-rising Kevin McCarthy, McHenry was selected as the House Republican chief deputy whip in 2015 and served in the role until 2019. He was selected as chair of the House Financial Services Committee in January.

Somany Irishmen

NOW, this morning, Washington is buzzing with speculation about who will compete to succeed McCarthy. A vote is expected in the middle of next week.

A big question surrounding this contest is the view of the rumoured contestants on American financial and military assistance to Ukraine. An ominously growing crowd of Republicans in Washington is now voicing opposition to keeping open the American spigot of aid to Ukraine in its fight against Vladimir Putin’s invading Russian forces.

This is not unprecedented. While the GOP prides itself and is widely credited in the US for being strong and hawkish on defense and military might, the Republicans sometimes blink in the face of a real menace overseas. Perhaps the best example of this is the determined Republican resistance to aiding Europe as Adolph Hitler’s menacing Nazi war machine advanced in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Students of history will recall that Republicans in the US Senate fought president Franklin Roosevelt’s attempts to support Britain and the Western allies for years as Hitler advanced. It was only the brazen and ultimately fateful Japanese sneak attack on the American naval base in Honolulu that brought the US into World War and led to Hitler’s eventual defeat.

Some have compared

Republican queasiness in the face of Putin’s aggressions in Crimea, Caucasian Georgia, Chechnya and Ukraine to that similar GOP shortsightedness in the last century. There is thus much speculation about the views of potential McCarthy successors on continuing the stupendous levels of American assistance to Ukraine.

Meantime, the New York Times and other national liberal publications have been issuing discouraging reports from the distant battlefields along Ukraine’s eastern frontier with Russia. According to these assessments, Ukraine’s summer-long counteroffensive has yielded almost no territorial gains.

Generally speaking, the Russians seem intent on solidifying their territorial gains in the south and east of Ukraine from the beginning of this dismal war. Tank traps, mines and other defensive measures are stalling the Ukrainians even as Biden and the West agree to supply ever more sophisticated weapons systems to Kyiv.

As the coming winter brings with it a relative freeze in military operations along this broad war front, it is fair to inquire how effective American assistance has actually been in rolling back the Russian invaders.

A glance at a map of Ukraine shows significant Russian consolidation of its ten-year-old position in Crimea as Moscow’s control

of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast creeps menacingly toward the key port city of Odessa. We seem to be headizg for a military standoff similar to what has existed in Korea for over 70 years. The Kremlin may simply now bide time to see how deeply Republican resistance can erode Western support for Ukraine, as Russia gradually replenishes its own military stocks and manpower for a later strike on Ukraine.

In such a discouraging context, it won’t be surprising to see American resolve to support Ukraine slacken. And the Europeans are watching, closely. If the US will not sustain its support of Kyiv, Europeans will naturally look to their own self-interest.

This could mean a shift toward separate energy and other deals with Moscow. There are signs already that public opinion in Europe may be shifting away from the resolute anti-Russian stance that has so comprehensively revived the NATO alliance.

By Christmas, we could be staring at a Russo-Ukraine war that has come to a virtual stalemate pending the results of the 2024 American election and possible further political shifts in Western Europe.

A lot of what happens will depend on the foreign policy views of whomever is eventually chosen as the new speaker of the American House of Representatives.

with Charlie Harper

Bahamas Christian Council: an object lesson on intolerence

BAHAMAS Christian

Council President Bishop Delton Fernander, who has become expert at being unwitting, has unwittingly done the country a blessed favour.

His undemocratic and antifree speech attempt to block a forum hosted by Pride Bahamas at the University of The Bahamas scheduled among a host of activities between October 4 and 10, has backfired.

Proponents of liberal democracy and academic freedom, who seek to protect constitutional principles such as freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas, should send Bishop Fernander and his clerical cohorts a thank you note, perhaps emblazoned with the dazzling colours of the rainbow.

The homophobic pastors provided students and the country an object lesson in intolerance and the necessary freedom of a university to offer open discussion on a broad range of ideas, a number of which some or many may disagree.

The forum and university lecturers should use the protest as a case study in both democracy and homophobia in their sociology and other courses.

This journal reported on Monday, “Bishop Fernander said he accepts that universities foster debates, but does not expect UB ‘to be used as a propaganda tool for special interests’.”

Congratulations, bishop, for accepting that universities foster debates. Then why are you pressuring UB as to what debates should be allowed?

Alas, Bishop Fernander giveth and taketh away what is acceptable for debate depending on his supposed divine writ.

Like the ayatollahs and religious police in Iran, Saudi Arabia and other more fundamentalist countries, Fernander and his bigotry squad seek to dictate to UB, which enjoys academic and other freedoms, who meets their criteria for freedom of expression at the University.

There is an age-old political trick of seeking to diminish others as “special interests”.

Is an organisation addressing domestic violence and seeking to have marital rape criminalised a special interest?

What about a group of pastors protesting a gay and lesbian forum at a university?

The bishop pronounced: “The interests of the country, the interests of the people, the interests of the people of God who stand up for righteousness, should be what is used for taxpayer dollars to push forward in our country. We are the people sending our children to these classrooms.”

The arrogance and ignorance are breathtaking. So too, the nakedly aggressive attempt to discriminate against those hosting the forum.

Prejudice is a worrisome matter. But actively encouraging the university to discriminate is undemocratic and unconstitutional. The pastors are obviously seeking to belligerently flex their political muscles.

The university has a right to host or co-host a forum with

Pride Bahamas or even with the bishop and pastors if it sees fit. And, of course, everybody has the right to protest within the law.

The university is funded by a broad diversity of students, taxpayers and donors, a number of whom are gay or lesbian, as well as many who may be heterosexual, but are comfortable with the open discussion of ideas. Moreover, the interests of the country are served by dialogue and debates on a broad range of matters.

How well do some of the protestors understand the role of a university and the purpose of a social science department? What about their understanding of the Bahamas Constitution? How many of them have read past the Preamble or understand that it has no justiciable force?

We are notorious in The Bahamas for reverend doctors, many of whom do not enjoy theology degrees from more substantive universities, and who certainly do not possess doctorates that would be recognised by various theologates.

One wonders how many would have the qualifications to attend UB, let alone teach a course in religious studies.

UB’s website notes: “Welcome to Social Sciences. The value of a Social Science education is greater than ever. Indeed, Social Sciences provide the basis for all human understanding. They comprise the disciplines that define, shape and guide our societies.

“Currently, we offer degrees in the following disciplines: Law and Criminal Justice Studies; Sociology; History; Public Administration; Psychology; Law; Social Work and Religious Studies. Through these disciplines, students are exposed to the scientific study of thought and behaviour and develop strong analytical and research skills.”

The bishop thumped: “This week, I believe, engenders a sense of anxiety in our country because we’re concerned that we are playing not only on the younger minds, but now we’re playing on the young leaders of tomorrow that we want to be prepared to lead our country in a better way.”

Translation: These young people, who are university students, are ignorant and need us to clarify this whole LGBT matter. Moreover, as The Tribune reported: “Bishop Fernander suggested Christian Council members will attend

the event if it is not cancelled.”

Firstly, this sounds like an attempt to bully and intimidate those who may attend or who may want to attend the forum. Perhaps some of the Christian Council members want to attend because they are LGBT curious.

If they attend in a spirit of dialogue, they may actually learn something from the students and other attendees, including about themselves. But if they are attending in order to intimidate, this would be a shame.

Perhaps they would like members of the LGBT community or others to attend their church events to protest their bigotry, opposition to decriminalizing marital rape, and other unenlightened views.

Given that the university is a broad forum for understanding that addresses ignorance, prejudice and bigotry, it might be good for the pastors to attend. They might learn somethings about human development and sexuality, including about their own human subjectivity.

The university might consider other forums on topics such as “Faith, Reason and Critical Thinking for Religious Leaders”; “How to Understand and Interpret the Constitution”; and “Constitutional Freedoms of Speech and Expression.”

Given the history of prejudice, bigotry and violence toward various religions, the

pastors might be reminded that their freedoms and rights are intimately tied to and protected when the freedoms of others are likewise protected.

To her credit, UB chair Allyson Maynard Gibson refused to be intimidated by the pastors. She clarified: “University of The Bahamas was established by University of The Bahamas Act 2016, which establishes a Board of Trustees ‘… which shall … be free from undue influence from political, religious, or other external bodies and shall protect the institution from such influence.’

“The School of Social Sciences will host a forum entitled ‘Black Bahamian Subject Formation: From Non-Subject to Subject Part II’. It is hoped that students and citizens will continue to engage with UB, the national tertiary institution, as it carries out its fiat, among other things, to encourage our students (and all Bahamians) to exercise critical thinking.

“Forums such as this are the places where, as a part of UB’s national development mandate, our national spirit will be enriched and developed, as people with differing views engage in civil discourse and our students and citizens develop a better understanding of different viewpoints.”

Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas (UTEB) president Daniel Thompson offered an excellent reasoned response to the pastors.

“This is not the Baptist Community College, neither is it the Anglican seminary. This is the University of The Bahamas, and so we do not judge people based on their religion. We do not judge them based on their sexuality. We do not judge them based on their gender or ageism.

“Again, people are free to express themselves outside the gates. They’re free to express their opinion, and I welcome the expression, but my members who are involved in an academic discourse on sexuality have a right to speak freely, and their academic freedom must be protected.

“When I speak as an academician, I speak based on my academic freedom. When I’m outside the gate on Sabbath when I attend my church, I speak in my religious capacity, but when students enter these walls, when scholars enter these walls, when Bahamians enter these gates, they enter with the freedom of expression as an academic institution.”

Sadly, the bishop and his fellow performers cum protagonists seem like stock figures from central casting hired as part of a satire showcasing the pitfalls of prejudice, ignorance and bigotry.

Perhaps Hollywood filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry, who has a home in The Bahamas, might direct a performance with a Bahamian Madea-like character, schooling the homophobes on love,

openness to others, care for all of God’s children, and other graces of character.

A Bahamian Madea would know how to respond to bullies. Perhaps at the end of a spirited monologue on love, she would sing in her inimitable style:

“I see trees of green

Red roses too

I see them bloom

For me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world …

“The colours of the rainbow

So pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces

Of people going by

I see friends shaking hands

Saying, ‘How do you do?’

They’re really saying

I love you.

“I hear babies cry I watch them grow

They’ll learn much more Than I’ll ever know

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Ooh, yes.”

A wonderful world in which LGBQ+ Bahamians and others no longer endure prejudice and discrimination. We are making progress. Not too long ago, certain forums could not be held at the University.

Though the country has a long way to go, Pride Bahamas and UB should be applauded and supported in their efforts to discuss and to extend the fullness of freedom for more Bahamians.

Defence force officers expected to be sent to Haiti already selected Govt still ‘workinG on the numbers’ for cost of INDEPENDENCE CELEBR AT IONS

from page one

Mr Munroe said officials are studying the terms of the resolution.

“We will then have to get down to the details of a commitment,” he said.

“What is proposed? What rules have to govern it?

Depending on that, then we’ll make decisions. So

we’re still at the preliminary stage.”

“The solution is to bring sufficient peace to Haiti for there to be free and fair elections held, and the Haitian people have to decide what will happen for Haiti.”

“That’s the position of the prime minister. It’s always been the position. We can’t impose a solution on them.

It’s for them to have free and fair elections.”

“They can’t have it now. We have to see how quickly they can be put in a position to have free and fair elections.”

According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 homicides have been reported in Haiti this year and over 1,500 cases of kidnapping for ransom.

TEEN SEN T TO SIMPSON PENN CEN T RE FOR BOYS AF T ER A LLEGEDEDLY S TA BBING A NOT HER BOY IN T HE CHES T

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 16-year-old boy was sent to Simpson Penn Centre for Boys after allegedly stabbing a neighborhood boy in his chest last week.

Magistrate Algernon

Allen, Jr, charged the juvenile with attempted murder in the presence of his guardians.

The accused allegedly argued with another 16-year-old in the Pinewood Gardens area and stabbed him in his upper body with a knife on September 25.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries. The accused was remanded to the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys. His case will be transferred to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment set for service on January 25, 2024.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

JACK Thompson, the permanent secretary of the Independence Secretariat, said officials are not finished determining the cost of this year’s independence anniversary celebrations. He told The Tribune yesterday that officials are preparing for yet another independencerelated event: the National Supreme Honour Award, which will be held next month.

“We’re working on those figures for you because, remember, it’s not only New

Providence,” Mr Thompson said. “We tend to think just about New Providence. It’s New Providence, it’s the Family Islands and our overseas missions.”

Celebrations related to the 50th anniversary of independence were elaborate.

The calendar of events included several local galas and events held abroad in various cities, including London, Miami and Atlanta.

There was a 50th Golden Soirée, a national float parade, and a jubilee in Pompey Square which featured a night market and concert series.

Last year, the government allocated $5.2m for the celebrations.

When St Anne’s MP

Adrian White asked why the Cabinet Office budget for ceremonial events increased from $750k to $5.2m, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the independence anniversary would be a “big, big deal for us and we are going to celebrate it thoroughly”. “There is a secretariat that has been set up for this event. There will be many, many events leading up to the actual 50th celebration. We happen to be very excited about this,” he said in the House of Assembly.

NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER WAYNE MUNROE

JACK THOMPSON, THE PERMANENT SECRETARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE SECRETARIAT

Suspect charged in Tupac’s fatal shooting makes first court appearance in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS

Associated Press

A SELF-DESCRIBED gangster who police and prosecutors say masterminded the shooting death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 made his first court appearance Wednesday on a murder charge.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, stood shackled, wearing a dark-blue jail uniform and plastic orange slippers. He was scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Wednesday, but the hearing was cut short after he asked Judge Tierra Jones to postpone the hearing while he retains counsel in Las Vegas. Jones rescheduled the arraignment for Oct. 19.

“Law enforcement hasn’t cared for a long time,” Mopreme Shakur, Tupac Shakur’s stepbrother, told The Associated Press over Zoom from his home in Los Angeles. “Young Black men often deal with delayed justice because we’re often viewed as the criminals. So justice has been delayed for quite some time — in spite of all the eyes, all the attention, despite the celebrity of my brother.”

“It’s already been 27 years and then the legal process, so-called wheels of justice, moves historically slow,” he said.

Davis was arrested last week near his home in suburban Henderson. A few hours after his arrest last Friday a grand jury indictment was unsealed in Clark County District Court charging him with murder.

Grand jurors also voted to add sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and alleged gang activity. If Davis is convicted, that could add decades to his sentence.

Los Angeles-based

attorney Edi Faal told the AP in a brief phone call after the hearing that he is Davis’ longtime personal attorney and is helping him find a Nevada lawyer.

I have worked with him for more than two decades,” Faal said. “But at this point I do not have a comment.”

Davis denied a request from the AP for an interview from jail where he’s being held without bond.

Davis had been a longknown suspect in the case, and publicly admitted his role in the killing in interviews ahead of his 2019 tell-all memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”

“There’s one thing that’s for sure when living that gangster lifestyle,” he wrote. “You already know that the stuff you put out is going to come back; you never know how or when, but there’s never a doubt that it’s coming.”

Davis’ own comments revived the police investigation that led to the indictment, police and prosecutors said. In mid-July, Las Vegas police raided Davis’ home, drawing renewed attention to one of hip-hop music’s most enduring mysteries.

Prosecutors allege Shakur’s killing stemmed from a rivalry and competition for dominance in a musical genre that, at the time, was dubbed “gangsta rap.” It pitted East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect associated with rap music mogul Marion Suge” Knight against West Coast members of a Crips sect that Davis has said he led in Compton, California.

Tension escalated in Las Vegas the night of Sept. 7, 1996, when a brawl broke out between Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando

“Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand hotel-casino following a heavyweight championship boxing match won by Mike Tyson.

Knight and Shakur went to the fight, as did members of the South Side Crips,” prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said last week in court.

“And (Knight) brought his entourage, which involved Mob Piru gang members.”

After the casino brawl, Knight drove a BMW with Shakur in the front passenger seat. The car was stopped at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip when a white Cadillac pulled up on

the passenger side and gunfire erupted.

Shot multiple times, Shakur died a week later at age 25. Knight was grazed by a bullet fragment.

Davis has said he was in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and handed a .40-caliber handgun to his nephew in the back seat, from which he said the shots were fired.

In Nevada, a person can be convicted of murder for helping another person commit the crime.

Among the four people in the Cadillac that night, Davis is the only one who is still alive. Anderson died

in a May 1998 shooting in Compton. Before his death, Anderson denied involvement in Shakur’s death.

The other backseat passenger, DeAndre “Big Dre” or “Freaky” Smith, died in 2004. The driver, Terrence “Bubble Up” Brown, died in a 2015 shooting in Compton.

Knight, now 58, is serving a 28-year prison sentence for running over and killing a Compton businessman outside a burger stand in January 2015.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who oversees the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, has

acknowledged criticism that his agency was slow to investigate Shakur’s killing.

“That was simply not the case,” McMahill said. He called the investigation “important to this police department.”

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, issued a statement describing the arrest as “a pivotal moment” but didn’t praise authorities who investigated the case.

“The silence of the past 27 years surrounding this case has spoken loudly in our community,” she said.

DUANE “Keffe D” Davis is led into the courtroom at the Regional Justice Center on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. Davis has been charged in the 1996 fatal drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur.

Photo: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/AP

Man on prison sentence for firearm possession loses appeal

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN’s 28-month firearm prison term was upheld yesterday after the Court of Appeal found there was little chance of him successfully overturning the sentence.

Justice Sir Michael Barnett heard Micheal McPhee’s appeal of his convictions for possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

McPhee was arrested on September 2, 2021, after police found a black Ruger pistol with the

serial number erased in his silver coloured Nissan March on Hillside Street off Mackey Street.

Following a trial before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson Pratt, where McPhee maintained his innocence, he was convicted and sentenced to 28 months in prison for the September 8, 2021 offence.

After filing his appeal last October on the grounds that his 28-month sentence was too harsh, Sir Michael found that, given the circumstances, his sentence was fair.

“The court must exercise caution when

reviewing sentences imposed by lower courts, only intervening if they are manifestly harsh, excessive or erroneous in principle,” Sir Michael said.

“Recent cases indicate that the intended appellant’s sentence for firearm and ammunition possession falls within the acceptable range, with similar or more severe sentences being upheld. Consequently, the intended appellant’s appeal lacks prospects of success, and leave to appeal out of time is denied. The chief magistrate’s sentence is affirmed.”

TWO TEENS ORDERED TO PAY ANOTHER $2,500 A FTER PLE A DING GUILTY TO GRIEVOUS H A R M CH A RGE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO teen boys were each ordered to pay another teenager $2,500 after admitting to jumping and seriously injuring him last weekend in Victoria Gardens.

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged a 14 and 13-year-old defendant with grievous harm.

Alphonso Lewis represented the accused while their parents stood beside them in court.

The 14-year-old faces additional threats of

harm charge.

The defendants reportedly attacked a 15-year-old boy in their neighbourhood and beat him about the body on September 30. The victim suffered injuries to his eyes, nose and toes.

On the same day, the 14-year-old accused allegedly threatened Wanria Hinsey with harm.

While both accused pleaded guilty to the grievous harm charge, the older boy pleaded not guilty to the threats of harm charge.

Each boy was placed on two-year probation. If

they default, they could face a six-month sentence at Simpson Penn. The boys must attend anger management classes for six months.

The boys’ parents were also told to attend parenting classes for six months. The older boy’s bail for his remaining charge was set at $1,500 with two sureties. He must sign in at the Carmichael Road Police Station every Friday by 6pm. His threats of harm trial begins on November 3. The juveniles are expected to make a payment report on November 30.

MAN ACCUSED OF TWO COUN TS OF ATTE MPTED HOUSEBRE A KING GR AN TED $3,000 BA IL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted $3,000 bail after he allegedly attempted twice to break into a man’s house on

West Bay Street last week.

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged Lior Hanna, 45, with two counts of attempted housebreaking. Lior allegedly attempted to break into Stefanos

Loutskou’s residence on Bayshore Close on September 27 and 29. After pleading not guilty, Hanna was granted $3,000 bail with one or two sureties and was informed that his trial begins on October 26.

Chisholm Jr, Marlins lose Wild Card Series

Phillies sweep Marlins to earn NL Division Series rematch with MLB-best Braves

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Bryson Stott crushed the second grand slam in Philadelphia Phillies postseason history and Aaron Nola tossed seven shutout innings in a performance worthy of a postseason ace that led to a 7-1 win and a two-game sweep over the Miami Marlins in their NL Wild Card Series last night.

After making quick work of the surprising Marlins, it’s time for an anticipated rematch.

J.T. Realmuto also homered as the Phillies advanced to another bestof-five NL Division Series against Ronald Acuña Jr, Matt Olson and the Braves. Game 1 is Saturday in Atlanta.

The NL champion Phillies finished third last season in the NL East at 87-75, a full 14 games behind the 101-win Braves, only to beat them in four games in the NLDS.

The Braves were even better this season with 104 wins and a sixth straight NL East crown — clinched last month in Philadelphia — while the Phillies again earned a wild card with 90 wins.

More postseason thrills are surely ahead.

Stott provided one Wednesday when he turned on reliever Andrew Nardi’s first-pitch fastball in the sixth and dumped it into the right-field seats for a 7-0 lead. He slammed his bat as he ran down the

SEE PAGE 16

HINZEY NAMED ASSISTANT COACH FOR HUSKIES

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN Latrel Hinzey has recently been added to the Haldimand Huskies Basketball Club coaching staff as an assistant coach. The Ontario team earned three division championships in the under-15 (U15), under-17 (U17), and under-19 (U19) categories of the Ontario Cup Provincial Championships this year.

With a successful basketball club welcoming him onboard, Hinzey is ready to take on his newest opportunity. “I am super excited to be a part of this club because it can open up many doors for young Bahamian athletes, they are threetime championship holders for three age divisions and the club is well organised and has all the equipment and facilities to make any player better,” he said.

MILLER TO SERVE AS A TECHNICAL DELEGATE FOR PAN AM GAMES

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FOR the third consecutive time, former Bahamas Olympic Committee president Wellington Miller will serve as a technical delegate for the Pan American Games.

Miller will be leaving town on Tuesday for the games, scheduled for October 20 to November 5 in Santiago, Chile. This year’s trip comes on the heels of Miller’s appearance at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, in July.

Prior to this year, Miller also participated in the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada, on the coordination committee and then in the games in 2019 in Lima, Peru, as a member of the Technical Committee.

“It gives me a feeling of pride and gratification to know that you have accomplished something to the point that they continue to ask for you to come back again and again on the Technical Committee,” Miller said.

His newest endeavour is especially favourable as the 26-year-old once had aspirations of becoming a professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player.

However, after the dream he had been chasing since the humble age of 13 did not pan out, he decided to pivot toward another path.

“In its place a new dream came into focus in what I like to call God’s plan. I have found my newest passion which is helping the next generation achieve this goal. I believe that our country has so much talent and the amount of Bahamian professional players should far exceed the current numbers,” he said.

Through his newest coaching journey, he has many goals to help Bahamian athletes that are in similar positions he encountered growing up.

Hinzey said his goals are to learn as much as he can on and off

LATREL HINZEY

the floor, help Bahamians gain as many scholarship opportunities as possible, and to help athletes get noticed by university coaches. The RM Bailey Senior High School graduate shared that his ultimate goal is to simply give young men a chance.

“My ultimate goal is to take young men off the streets and this

Jannik Sinner wins

goal is more spiritual than physical and it requires a helping hand from everybody living in The Bahamas,” he said.

The Huskies are equally as excited to have the fellow Bahamian on their coaching staff.

In a social media post welcoming Hinzey to the Huskies basketball club, they praised his work ethic and enthusiasm.

“Latrel’s got great energy and enthusiasm that is always welcomed in the gym. [He] will push our athletes in practice as he learns the Huskies style of play and systems and we’ve added him as an assistant coach to all teams in order to allow him to help out where and when he’s needed,” according to the post.

The newest assistant coach is thankful to his mother and coaches who have helped him on this journey and credits discipline and guidance for where he is today.

China Open, Iga Swiatek advances to quarterfinals

BEIJING (AP) — Jannik Sinner won his third title of the year by beating third-ranked Daniil Mevedev 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) yesterday at the China Open.

The 22-year-old Italian had not beaten Medvedev in their six previous meetings, but he quickly found his rythym from the baseline to earn his ninth tour title.

“Daniil, thanks for letting me win at least one match,” Sinner joked during the trophy ceremony. “We have had some very tough battles, especially this year. Thanks for making me a much better player. I have been training a lot to beat you.”

Along with his trademark clean groundstrokes, Sinner relied on his serve, winning more than 70% of his second-serve points and attacking from the net. Medvedev came into Wednesday’s final looking

for his 21st career title and sixth of 2023. His next stop will be the Shanghai Masters, where he is seeded second.

In the women’s tournament, second-ranked Iga Swiatek dropped only two games and advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Magda Linette 6-1, 6-1.

Swiatek will play in her 14th quarterfinal of 2023. She will next face either ninth-seeded Carolina Garcia or Anhelina Kalinina on Friday.

Earlier, Jelena Ostapenko defeated fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-2. The 13th-seeded Latvian had 24 winners against 11 unforced errors. Ostapenko will next play

22nd-ranked Liudmila Samsonova. The Russian beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5.

Fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina won 10 of the last 11 games in her

comeback 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory against 16-yearold Mirra Andreeva.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff play their next matches on Thursday.

SHANGHAI MASTERS

On the opening day of the Shanghai Masters, Dusan Lajovic eliminated three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-6 (7) and Andy Murray lost to Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2.

Also, Brendan Nakashima beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-1, 7-6 (3) and will play thirdseeded Holger Rune in the second round, while Yoshihito Nishioka defeated Daniel Altmeier 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) to set up a meeting with eighth-seeded Casper Ruud. The top 32-seeded players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, received a first-round bye and will play in the second round starting Saturday.

“The Technical Committee runs the games during the whole time that the games are in progress. So, for me, it’s a great step forward and particularly for the Bahamas to see that we are being recognised as a country who have someone who is fluent in technical matters.”

Miller said he’s very proud to be a Bahamian representing the country as a manager of these highlevel sporting competitions.

The Pan American Games is the third on a list of four events organised by the International Olympic Committee. In order of priority are the CAC Games, Pan American, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, which all run every other year and every four years in between.

SEE PAGE 18

URUGUAY EXCITED TO FACE ALL BLACKS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE RUGBY

WORLD CUP

By FOSTER NIUMATA Associated Press

AFTER plotting and scheming and hatching ways to contain New Zealand, Uruguay’s Los Teros couldn’t help but reveal their inner fan boys at the prospect of facing the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup today.

The pool match in Lyon will be an historic first between them. “As a player, for me it is a dream,” Uruguay captain Andres Vilaseca says. “You grow up watching the All Blacks on TV. Except in a World Cup, I doubt there will be an opportunity like this.”

Esteban Meneses, Uruguay’s coach for nearly eight years, says, “Analysing them is a dream. They do the simple perfectly. It is a professional challenge, a luxury, and I am very grateful to be in this situation.”

Vilaseca says they have a surprise in store for when

they face their first All Blacks haka.

“The idea is to enjoy it,” he says. “Seeing the haka on TV makes your skin crawl, it is a tremendous moment, and we are going to be in front of it. It won’t shrink us, it will motivate us.”

NEW ZEALAND vs. URUGUAY

(First meeting)

Both teams go into their last pool game in quarterfinal contention, though New Zealand is a lot closer to clinching than Uruguay. New Zealand needs a win with a four-tries bonus point.

Uruguay’s minimum requirement is to beat New Zealand by 80 points.

It’s instructive that on the four occasions the Uruguayans met the other southern hemisphere giants South Africa (last time in 2005) and Australia (last

SEE PAGE 18

JANNIK SINNER, of Italy, centre, holding the winner’s trophy during the awards ceremony for the men’s singles final match in the China Open tennis tournament at the Diamond Court in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023.

(AP Photo/Andy Wong)

JASRADO CHISHOLM JR, centre, reacts to being called out on strikes by umpire Stu Scheurwater, right, during Game 1 of the NL wild-card baseball playoff series Tuesday. (AP Photo/ Chris Szagola)

Softball 242 hosts clinic for umpires

AS they prepare for the staging of the inaugural Softball 242 One Caribbean Invitational Women’s FastPitch Tournament this weekend at the Bankers Field, Softball 242 hosted an umpire clinic that got started on Monday.

The clinic, being held at the Archdeacon William Thompson Softball Park at the Southern Recreation Grounds, is being conducted by Santos Velazquez and Roberto Perez, the WBSC Americas UmpireIn-Chief and Deputy UIC respectively.

A number of local and at least one international umpire is participating in the clinic before they are used to officiate the games during the One Caribbean Invitational Women’s FastPitch Tournament.

A total of six teams, three overseas, including the US Virgin Islands and two teams from Jamaica, the

Jamaica Warrior Queens and the Jamaica Club Fusion, along with the New Providence-based Bommer Operators, the University of the Bahamas Mingoes

and the Sunshine Auto Wildcats, are participating in the tournament. The tournament will begin on Thursday at 7pm and continue on Friday at

4pm, Saturday at 10:15am and wraps up on Sunday at 10:15am, leading into the championships and awards presentation during the evening.

Thomas Sears is the founder of Softball 242 and he heads the Local Organising Committee that consists of Burkett Dorsett as tournament director.

In addition to them, Ted Miller, Sharon ‘the General’ Storr, Athama

Phillies sweep Jazz Chisholm Jr and Marlins

SEE PAGE 15

first-base line, and the Stott Shot sent Phillies fans into a delirious frenzy with the countdown to a clinch officially on. Nola followed Game 1 starter Zack Wheeler’s excellent effort with one of his own, and had 46,000 fans on their feet chanting “Let’s Go, Nola!” when he needed a lift.

The one knock on Nola, who is eligible for free agency after the World Series, is his trouble with shutdown innings. After Realmuto went deep to make it 3-0 in the fourth, Nola ran into a jam in the fifth. He put runners on first and second with one out before he got Jesús Sánchez to ground into an inningending double play.

Nola picked — more than pitched — his way out of Miami’s only other serious threat.

The Marlins briefly caught a break in the third when Jon Berti’s deep drive into the left-centre gap knocked off left fielder Cristian Pache’s glove for a one-out double. Berti then inexplicably tried to steal third and was busted by Nola as the righty went into

his delivery. Nola noticed Berti taking off and, instead of throwing a pitch, simply stepped toward third and threw him out. They’re the kind of mistakes a postseason novice like the Marlins make.

They’re the kind of smart,

crucial plays that helped define the Phillies’ postseason runs the last two seasons. With fans again waving their red rally towels, many wearing Phillies overalls popularised by backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, and

the team on the brink of a clinch, the Phillies had their way with Miami starter Braxton Garrett.

The Phillies again had six 20-homer hitters in the lineup but — a night after failing to go deep in Game 1 — again stitched together

runs against Garrett.Kyle

Schwarber ripped an RBI double to right in the third that scored Pache for a 1-0 lead. Pache raced around the bases from first, his helmet still bouncing on the dirt, as he slid headfirst into home. Trea Tuner, the $300

million shortstop, smacked an RBI single that scored Schwarber for a 2-0 lead. By then, the Game 2 victory seemed inevitable.

After all, there’s a reason the Phillies call the postseason Red October. They just don’t lose at Citizens Bank. At least, not often.

The Phillies, who won the 2008 World Series at home, moved to 24-11 in the postseason at the ballpark, the top winning percentage in the postseason for any team in any park (minimum 20 games). Realmuto crushed his fourth career postseason homer off David Robertson in the fourth to make it 3-0. Miami scored in the ninth on Josh Bell’s RBI single. BRING A BROOM

The Phillies joined Minnesota, Arizona and Texas as the teams that swept all four Wild Card Series. There have been seven sweeps — including the Phillies over St. Louis last season — in the eight Wild Card Series during the first two years of expanded playoffs. UP NEXT Catch Marlins again February 24 in a spring training game against St Louis.

NEWCASTLE BEATS PSG 4-1 AFTER SAUDI PROJECT GETS 2034 WORLD CUP BOOST, MAN CITY, BARCELONA ALSO WIN

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — Newcastle capped a stellar day for Saudi Arabia’s soccer project with a 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League yesterthat left Kylian Mbappé a picture of despair.

Hours before kickoff at Newcastle, which was struggling when bought by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund just two years ago, the kingdom became the strong favourite to host the 2034 World Cup in a fast-track bidding contest opened by FIFA.

On the field, a Newcastle team fuelled by the fervor of its passionate fans, swept aside Mbappé and a PSG team bought by Saudi neighbour Qatar 12 years ago after it was picked as 2022 World Cup host.

Newcastle has raced to the top of the tough Group F where seven-time European champion AC Milan drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund, the 1997 title winner. Manchester City further restored Premier League pride one day after Arsenal and Manchester United

both lost their games in the second round of the group stage.

City won 3-1 at Leipzig and the Abu Dhabi-backed defending champion already looks comfortable atop the Group G standings with lower-ranked Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys drawing 2-2.

Barcelona also earned a second straight win, 1-0 at Porto where the Spanish team’s starlet Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to start a European Cup game in the 68-year history of the competition at 16 years, 83 days.

Lazio scored a stoppagetime winning goal at Celtic in a 2-1 victory to join Atletico Madrid on four points in Group E. Atletico trailed twice before outlasting Feyenoord in a 3-2 win.

Shakhtar Donetsk also won 3-2 after trailing at Royal Antwerp, which wasted a 2-0 lead at halftime and missed a penalty in stoppage time.

SOARING

NEWCASTLE

Newcastle’s first home game in the Champions League for more than 20 years was pulsating in the

RB Leipzig and Manchester City in Leipzig, Germany, yesterday. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

famously atmospheric St. James’ Park. Investment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund has not made Newcastle universally popular but there was a feel-good, home-town story about boyhood fans Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff being among the scorers against the more expensively assembled PSG team.

“You can’t knock it. It’s a very special moment for Newcastle,” coach Eddie Howe said.

The win extended an impressive streak for Newcastle, including a 0-0 draw in the group opener at Milan, an 8-0 rout of Sheffield United in the Premier League, and eliminating Man City last week in the English League Cup. Man City keeps cruising in the Champions League though. A tight game at Leipzig was settled by late goals from substitutes Julián Álvarez and Jérémy Doku, who each assisted the other.

Erling Haaland was again kept quiet while Phil Foden had given City the lead in the first half.

2030 WORLD CUP

Barcelona and Porto can expect their home stadiums to be used as host venues for the 2030 World Cup, which Spain and Portugal will anchor in Europe as part of a six-nation, threecontinent plan anointed by FIFA Wednesday.

Porto’s 50,000-seat Estádio do Dragão saw Ferran Torres score the only goal between the two teams after coming on to replace Barcelona star forward Robert Lewandowski who was injured in the first half.

Barcelona is not using its iconic Camp Nou stadium this year while it is renovated, and will be back at the city’s Olympic stadium to host Shakhtar Donetsk on October 25.

Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium — like Porto’s home, a recent Champions League final venue — will be behind Real Madrid’s remodeled Santiago Bernabeu in the 2030 World Cup hierarchy.

The Metropolitano witnessed a vibrant victory for

Atletico, 3-2 against Feyenoord after twice trailing. Álvaro Morata scored two goals either side of one for Antoine Griezmann.

ANOTHER 3-2

HOME LOSS

Losing 3-2 at home was the result of the week in the Champions League, happening once on Wednesday after three times on Tuesday.

Royal Antwerp was the latest victim, in its first ever home game in the Champions League groups at its 100-year-old Bosuil Stadium.

Antwerp let slip a 2-0 first-half lead against Shakhtar Donetsk, just as Union Berlin did on Tuesday against Braga. Danylo Sikan scored twice for Shakhtar including the goahead goal in the 76th.

A missed penalty with the last kick of the game by veteran defender Toby Alderweireld wasted a chance for the Belgian champion to take its first point in Group H. The other 3-2 losers at home on Tuesday were Napoli against Real Madrid, and Manchester United against Galatasaray.

Bowe, Godfrey Burnside and Rozina Taylor are the technical advisors.

THE UMPIRES’ clinic got started on Monday ahead of the staging of the inaugural Softball 242 One Caribbean Invitational Women’s Fast-Pitch Tournament this weekend at the Bankers Field.

MANCHESTER City’s Erling Haaland, right, challenges for the ball with Leipzig’s Lukas Klostermann during the Champions League group G soccer match between

MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr plays during Game 1 in an NL wild-card baseball playoff series on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pro Picks: Handing the Bears their 15th straight loss won’t come easy for the Commanders

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

PUSHING the NFC champions to overtime is only a positive step if the Washington Commanders beat a team that’s lost 14 straight.

Sam Howell and the Commanders (2-2) bounced back from a beating against the Bills to take the Eagles to the limit. Now they’ve got a chance to snap a two-game losing streak when the lowly Bears (0-4) visit tonight.

Justin Fields had a career day but still couldn’t get Chicago its first win. The Bears have the league’s fourth-worst pass defence so Howell could have another big day.

Of course, he’s got to stay upright.

Howell is on pace to be sacked more times than any quarterback in NFL history.

The Commanders are 5 1/2-point favourites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Pro Picks likes Washington but expects a close game.

COMMANDERS, 23-20

PHILADELPHIA AT

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Line: Eagles minus 4 1/2

The undefeated Eagles (4-0) just keep winning in different ways, overcoming sluggish starts and defensive breakdowns. The Rams (2-2) are playing better than expected, but Matthew Stafford is banged up just as Cooper Kupp is getting set to return.

BEST BET: EAGLES, 27-16

NEW YORK JETS AT

DENVER

Line: Broncos minus 1 1/2

The Jets (1-3) are coming off a close loss to the Super Bowl champs in Zach Wilson’s best game, and are playing for Nathaniel Hackett, who was ripped in comments by Broncos coach Sean Payton before the season.

Russell Wilson rode the Broncos (1-3) to a comeback victory over the Bears last week but New York’s defence is far tougher than Chicago’s.

UPSET SPECIAL:

JETS, 20-17

JACKSONVILLE AT

BUFFALO, in London

Line: Bills minus 5 1/2

The Bills (3-1) have outscored their opponents 133-33 in three straight wins, including a lopsided statement victory over the Dolphins.

They’ve got a tough matchup overseas facing the Jaguars (2-2) in Jacksonville’s second straight game in London. BILLS, 29-24

DOLPHINS

FIRST LOSS OF SEASON SHOWS THEY HAVEN’T YET SURPASSED THE BILLS

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS,

Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins still have work to do if they want to be the team to beat in the AFC.

They’ve shown this season that they can blow out teams and win close games, but they haven’t gotten past the divisionrival Buffalo Bills, who have won the AFC East the past three seasons. Buffalo handed the Dolphins (3-1) their first loss of the season Sunday in a 48-20 defeat that kept Miami from taking the lead in the division and exposed weaknesses that either weren’t there in Miami’s first three games or were hidden by its offensive firepower.

HOUSTON AT ATLANTA

Line: Falcons minus 2

C.J. Stroud has been impressive leading the Texans (2-2) to consecutive wins.

Desmond Ridder has struggled for the Falcons (2-2) and Atlanta’s offence was dismal the past two games.

Giving the ball to Bijan Robinson 25-30 times could be the winning formula vs. Houston.

Falcons, 23-20

CAROLINA AT DETROIT

Line: Lions minus 9 1/2

The Lions (3-1) are rolling and determined to live up to the preseason hype.

Bryce Young and the Panthers (0-4) are suffering through major growing pains.

LIONS, 30-16

TENNESSEE AT INDIANAPOLIS

Line: Colts minus 1 The Titans (2-2) finally got their offence going by giving the ball to Derrick Henry.

The Colts (2-2) are waiting to get a jolt from Jonathan Taylor while rookie QB Anthony Richardson continues to show promise.

Colts, 20-16 NEW YORK GIANTS AT MIAMI

Line: Dolphins minus 10 1/2

Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins (3-1) found out the road to the AFC East title still goes through Buffalo. They should get back on track against the pitiful Giants (1-3).

Dolphins, 30-17

BALTIMORE AT PITTSBURGH

Line: Ravens minus 4

Lamar Jackson is healthy, the Ravens (3-1) already beat two divisional rivals on the road and are favored to do it again.

The Steelers (2-2) may not have Kenny Pickett and it’s unknown which team shows up. They were blown out by Houston last week after consecutive wins.

Steelers, 22-20

NEW ORLEANS AT NEW ENGLAND

Line: Patriots minus 1

The Patriots (1-3) have to rebound after Bill Belichick suffered the worst loss of his coaching career at Dallas.

The Saints (2-2) were dominated at home by the Buccaneers and haven’t

gotten their offence going with new QB Derek Carr.

PATRIOTS, 20-17

CINCINNATI AT ARIZONA

Line: Bengals minus 3 Joe Burrow’s calf injury has impacted his performance and the Bengals (1-3) are off to a terrible start. They should get better against the Cardinals (1-3).

BENGALS, 26-17

KANSAS CITY AT MINNESOTA

Line: Chiefs minus 4 A potential shootout between Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins but the Chiefs (3-1) have a better defence than the Vikings (1-3).

CHIEFS, 29-24

DALLAS AT SAN FRANCISCO

Line: 49ers minus 3 1/2

The Cowboys (3-1) seeking to avenge being eliminated in the playoffs two years in a row by the 49ers (4-0). Could be a preview of the NFC title game. The 49ers are the NFL’s most complete team right now.

49ERS, 23-22

GREEN BAY AT LAS

VEGAS

Line: Packers minus 1

All-Pro receiver Davante Adams faces his former team. Jimmy Garoppolo should be back from a concussion to throw passes to Adams as the Raiders (1-3) try to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Packers (2-2) have a banged-up offensive line that’s making things difficult for Jordan Love and the run game.

RAIDERS, 24-20

Rodgers says he also has an ankle injury, still won’t rule out return this season

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers said Tuesday he has an ankle injury in addition to the torn left Achilles tendon that he is rehabbing after surgery.

During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the New York Jets quarterback said he is dealing with a deltoid issue. The deltoid is the main ligament of the inner ankle. Rodgers was wearing an ankle brace while walking with crutches on the sideline before the Jets’ Sunday night loss to Kansas City.

The 39-year-old Rodgers reiterated that he has not ruled out returning this season. Jets coach Robert Saleh said after the injury that it was season-ending.

Rodgers had surgery on September 13, two days after the injury. Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the

procedure in Los Angeles. There were reports Rodgers had a “speed bridge” procedure, which is designed to accelerate the rehabilitation process.

A typical recovery period from a torn Achilles tendon is six to nine months. Rodgers said he’s “well ahead of the normal protocols.”

“There’s nothing normal about how I’m attacking this rehab,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “The common practice is about six weeks in a boot, and I was in a shoe in 13 days.

“This is just my mindset. I believe in the power of intention. I believe in prayer. I believe in your mental status and the power of will. I believe in making room for the miraculous to happen.”

Rodgers was hurt four snaps into his debut for New York. The Jets rallied to win that game but are 0-3 since.

New York acquired the four-time MVP from Green Bay this past spring in hopes he could lead the long-suffering franchise back to the playoffs. He agreed to a restructured contract that gives him $75 million in guaranteed money this year and next.

The Dolphins had outscored their opponents 130-71 and averaged 550 yards in the first three games of the season, but that high-powered offence was uneven Sunday both because of a tough Bills defensive front and because of self-inflicted wounds.

A number of pre-snap penalties stalled momentum. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said he needs to be better at communicating in the huddle, but coach Mike McDaniel said the penalties weren’t all Tagovailoa’s fault.

“Tua’s teammates need to know the ins and outs of their responsibilities,” McDaniel said, “and Tua can’t be in charge of getting everyone aligned.”

Without centre Connor Williams, who was out with a groin injury, Miami’s offensive line gave up four sacks after only allowing one in the first three games. That unit could take another hit if starting left tackle Terron Armstead misses significant time. Armstead injured his knee in the second quarter.

Tyreek Hill was limited to 58 yards and three catches. He entered Sunday averaging more than 100 yards receiving per game.

It remains to be seen if Miami’s defence can carry it through a deep playoff run. That unit has struggled under new coordinator Vic Fangio and was shredded for 310 yards passing Sunday.

Tagovailoa said the loss is a wake-up call coming off a historic 50-point win over the Broncos in Week 3.

“These guys weren’t going to care what we did last week,” Tagovailoa said. “This is the league, and this is how it works. It’s very good, because I would say it’s also very humbling for a lot of people to be able to have the highest high and then you lose in a manner like this, it’s very humbling.”

The Dolphins have now lost 10 of their past 11 regular and postseason matchups against the Bills (3-1), who McDaniel said are “the team that our whole division is trying to beat.”

WASHINGTON Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) throws during the second half of an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 1 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

NEW York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers waves to football fans before an NFL football game between the Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

GSSSA volleyball season on tap at three gymnasiums

JUNIOR AND SENIOR TEAMS COMPETE FOR SPOT IN THE PLAYOFFS

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) volleyball season got underway this Monday and action continued yesterday across three gymnasiums.

The junior girls and boys of the HO Nash Lions notched consecutive wins against the DW Davis Royals at the CI Gibson gymnasium.

The AF Adderley Tigers boys and girls doubled up their wins after defeating the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves at the DW Davis gymnasium.

Meanwhile, the TA Thompson Scorpions’ junior boys collected a win against the CH Reeves Raptors but the girls came up short in their match.

Lions vs Royals

The Lions’ junior girls came away as last season’s GSSSA volleyball champions and looked poised to remain atop again this year.

The girls took down the Royals in two sets to earn a comfortable win. In set one, the Lions earned a 21-9 win. The following set was

an even better showing for last season’s top team who won 21-7 to wrap up the match. Both sets combiined lasted for a duration of 25 minutes.

Patricia “Pattie” Johnson, head coach of the Lions, said it felt great to be back and earn the win.

“It feels good. I thank God I am getting another opportunity to coach again but we have a lot of kinks we are trying to work out, it is better to deal with it early rather than later,” she said.

Overall, she acknowledged that although the season is still new, she is hoping to help the team improve on the pesky service errors as they hope to defend their championship.

The junior boys had a more challenging match versus the Royals who claimed the volleyball championship hardware last season.

Both teams battled to the finish in a gruelling three sets. The Royals were the first to collect a set, winning the opening match 21-17. The Lions came up big in set two with the score ending 21-14. In the 14 minutes played in the third set, the Lions were able to fend

MILLER TO SERVE AS A TECHNICAL DELEGATE FOR THE PAN AM GAMES

FROM PAGE 15

As a member of the Technical Committee, Miller has to ensure that the games are operated at a high level, following all of the Olympic procedures. They oversee all of the judges, referees and technical supporters and to make sure that the games start on time and everything is in place for a smooth operation.

“It’s a huge responsibility. That is why we have to go there in advance to make sure that everything is in place,” Miller pointed out. “They have to pass the games over to us at least a week before the games, so we have to make sure that everything is in place.”

While he is the first Bahamian to serve on the Technical Committee at the games three times, Miller said he’s hoping that the step will be the Olympic Games next year in Paris, France. He’s also looking at achieving the same feat at the next Commonwealth Games in 2026 at a venue yet to be revealed.

A retired immigration officer, Miller has served

as an executive in amateur boxing for 25 years. He was first elected as president in 1984 until 2000. He had decided to take some time off to raise his two young sons, but Miller was asked to serve as vice president under Alvin Sargent that same year. At the next election in 2004, he was reelected as president until he demitted office for good in 2017.

However, Miller was then elected to serve as a vice president in the BOC under the leadership of the late Arlington Butler in 2000. After serving two consecutive terms, he was elected in 2008 as the president, serving in that capacity until 2018 when Rommel Knowles was first elected as the new president. Last October, Miller was invested with the Companion Order of Merit in an official ceremony on National Heroes Day at the Baha Mar resort by the Bahamas Government. The following month in November, he was inducted into the National Hall of Fame by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

off the Royals, closing out the junior school 15-11. Johnson said it was a good day for both teams at the CI Gibson gymnasium.

“The teams are very young. It is a lot of hard work. The win is really good. DW Davis is relentless and they do not give up but we went back to what we did in practice and it is all good,” the coach said.

Tigers vs Timberwolves

The Tigers accomplished a similar feat after the girls bested the Timberwolves in two sets and took down the boys in three sets. The girls ended the two sets winning 21-9, 21-7.

In the junior boys matchup, the Tigers got the upperhand in set one edging out the Timberwolves 21-12.

The momentum shifted to the latter in set two as they clawed out a 21-17 win to make the match competitive.

However, the Tigers closed out their opponents 15-11 to go home with the victory.

Scorpions vs Raptors

The Scorpions and Raptors were the only teams to split wins between the

boys and girls. The Raptors’ junior girls nabbed a comfortable victory in two sets 21-8, 21-16 to drop the Scorpions. However, the junior boys got revenge and took down the Raptors 21-11, 21-13 in their two-set win. The GSSSA volleyball season will continue this afternoon as the seniors face off.

RUGBY WORLD CUP

FROM PAGE 15

time in 2019), they lost them all by an average of 49.8 points. “It is very difficult to set a goal in terms of the result against a great team,” Vilaseca says. “This team is prepared to fight the All Blacks when we can, where we can. It is our last bullet, before our World Cup is over.”

The Uruguayans have given a good account of themselves in Pool A. Namibia was overcome last week for a third Los Teros win in tournament history, France was given a proper scare, and Italy was led at halftime. They have nine tries, all from set-piece ball. Their previous best Rugby World Cup total was six in 2003 and 2019.

“It is the perfect match to close the World Cup and this cycle,” Vilaseca says. “We will enjoy it to the fullest, fighting them at everything and making it difficult. We will continue to show how much Uruguay has grown.”

The All Blacks love novelty, love doing something a first time. Los Teros will be the first new team they have faced since Georgia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks played in Montevideo once and beat a Uruguay XV 64-3 in a non-cap match in 1976, almost to the day.

Aside from securing a quarterfinal, they are also motivated to extend the rush they got from smashing Italy 96-17 last week with another performance of determination and rhythm.

MINISTRY OF TOURISM PROMOTING ‘SPORTS IN PARADISE’ INITIATIVE

THIS year’s Travel Events and Management in Sports (TEAMS) Conference & Expo in West Palm Beach comes to a close today.

Executives of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (BMOTIA) were excited to attend the conference October 2-5 to promote The Bahamas as the ideal destination for sports-related meetings and conferences, tournaments, events and more. Tourism executives will also showcase the destination’s new “Sports in Paradise” initiative that will target global partnerships to position The Bahamas as a sports mecca.

TEAMS is the world’s leading conference and expo for the sports event industry. It attracts thousands of attendees, including CEOs, sports event managers, sports travel planners, federations, convention bureaus, corporate sponsors, event suppliers and other hospitality industry leaders. The highly anticipated event is presented by SportsTravel Magazine and has helped to define the sports-event and appointment-based trade show industries for more than 20 years. Greg Rolle, senior director of sports tourism and vertical markets,

said participating in events such as TEAMS is integral to diversifying the event hosting portfolio of The Bahamas.

“The events market is of huge significance to us,” said Rolle. “It generates 40% of overall tourism business. Our sports tourism market continues to grow from year to year as more entities in the international sporting world become aware of the appeal of our destination for staging world-class sporting events.”

Guests and stakeholders will have an opportunity to visit The Bahamas booth and engage with representatives from the country’s

sporting and hotel sector on the available sports facilities, the types of events that can be hosted, and other offerings in the sports tourism market.

Visitors to the Bahamas booth will also learn about the destination’s plans for future growth and innovation in sports tourism and the many reasons why The Bahamas remains one of the most sought-after destinations in the world.

Bahamas representatives will also conduct more than 40 on-site meetings with teams, sport event planners and other stakeholders across the industry and disciplines including

basketball, football, golf, softball, track and field, tennis, soccer, volleyball, archery and kickball, to build leads and expand access to the robust network of sports travel.

The Islands of The Bahamas has been the backdrop of many successful major international sporting events, training sessions and more throughout its history, from The Bahamas Bowl and Battle 4 Atlantis to the Hero World Challenge at Albany.

The country will once again host the World Athletics Relays (formerly known as the IAAF World Relays), which is expected

to attract over 1,600 athletes from all over the world. This will be the fourth time The Bahamas is hosting the event as it continues to push an aggressive strategy to target key sporting organisations and events with its Sports in Paradise initiative.

The event, which will be held from May 4-5, 2024, will also serve as an Olympic qualifier event for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.tion, visit HYPERLINK “https://www.bahamas.com/ nassau-paradise-island/ sports”Bahamas.com

THE 2023 Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) volleyball season is now underway as teams across the junior and senior divisions compete for a spot in this year’s playoffs.

FORMER Bahamas Olympic Committee

president Wellington Miller is expected to serve as a technical delegate for the Pan American Games. Miller will be leaving town on Tuesday for the games, scheduled for October 20 to November 5 in Santiago, Chile.

‘BUDDY’ FOCUSED ON TRAINING CAMP AMID CONTRACT TALKS

INDIANA Pacers

shooting guard Chavano

“Buddy” Hield is focused on training camp despite ongoing conversations surrounding his contract extension with the team.

Less than two weeks ago, contract negotiations between the Bahamian sharpshooter and his current team came to a standstill as both parties were unable to come to a suitable agreement.

With only one year remaining on the Grand Bahamian’s four-year $94 million contract, Hield’s name emerged in National Basketball Association (NBA) trade rumours which he addressed at the Pacers Media Day Monday.

The three-point specialist said there is nothing on his mind regarding the contract extension and trade talks as training camp begins for the Pacers.

“There is nothing on my mind, it’s basketball, it’s fun. I approach it as every training camp, especially like I did last year, coming focused and just get the work in. I am excited to work with these guys, it’s a

fun group of guy. We have a great coaching staff and great team that’s ready to put in the work and teammates that love each other.

I’m excited and I can’t wait,” he said.

In addition to the contract talks halting as of late, the Pacers are also looking to move the 30-year-old wing player to the bench. Hield got the nod to start for the majority of the Pacers’ games in the previous season.

However, the 2022 number six pick Bennedict Mathurin made significant strides as the team’s sixth man which eventually translated into him replacing Hield in the starting rotation as the season winded down.

The Grand Bahama native noted that basketball is a game of adjustments and he simply wants to do what is best for the team.

“It’s basketball, you just gotta figure it out.

“As a basketball player you have to know how to adjust. I’ve started and come off the bench. I’ve adjusted my whole life, one thing with me, I know how to figure it out, you put me in a situation I’m going to figure it out,” according to Hield.

Join Our Team

Although the 2023-24 NBA season is now the centre of his focus, the shooting guard had quite the summer competing alongside his Bahamian teammates in the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Olympic PreQualifying Tournament.

He talked about the joy of playing with fellow NBA players Portland Trail Blazers centre Deandre Ayton and Phoenix Suns guard Eric Gordon.

“The Bahamas national team was so fun. I think just being there and just like accomplishing that and we’ve still got this summer to come to get to the Olympics,” he said.

Hield added that playing with Gordon and Ayton as well as putting the team before everybody allowed them to accomplish something special and it was great.

With training camps already underway for the Pacers organisation, the NBA professional player is hoping to improve on defence, and also paying attention to small details in efforts to close out games this upcoming season. Preseason games are slated for 8pm Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Currency Department Financial Markets Infrastructure Analyst

OVERVIEW:

The Financial Markets Infrastructure Analyst resides in the Currency Department and reports directly to the Deputy Manager, Financial Markets Infrastructure. This role carries responsibility for oversight of market infrastructures systems developments, enhancements, and maintenance and works with external and internal stakeholders to promote the highest level of systems availability and resilience. This role also administers the change management processes for short- and long-term systems development and manages help desk queries to ensure prompt and efficient resolution of financial markets infrastructure issues. This role requires sound Information Technology background to aid in systems development, along with a general understanding of payment systems.

CORE FUNCTIONS:

Oversee and document

financial market infrastructure developments, enhancements, and maintenance, including pre- and post-architecture assessments for scheduled and ad hoc system maintenance. This includes working with stakeholders to complete and improve scheduled disaster recovery tests and system failovers.

Administer the change management process for short- and long-term system developments and enhancements. This includes creating system test scripts, and recording and reporting all system incidents to senior management and executives within established timelines. Manage help desk queries to promote prompt and efficient resolution of financial market infrastructure issues, in accordance with the Bank’s agreements, user group rules, and international standards. This includes maintaining user engagements to promote

efficient communication with stakeholders.

Coordinate financial market infrastructure operations to ensure system resilience and stakeholder satisfaction, in accordance with established guidelines. System risks are identified and recorded in a Risk Register with planned mitigation established.

This includes assisting with development and maintenance of appropriate risk assessment models.

Conduct annual evaluations on financial market infrastructures performance against established standards, including Principles for Financial Markets Infrastructure.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

REQUIREMENTS:

Master’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related quantitative discipline.

Sound knowledge of assessing IT application lifecycle.

Strong project management competencies.

A fair understanding and working knowledge of payment systems, securities administration, and security origination.

Strong understanding of financial market risk components and the ability to quantitatively measure risk in a dynamic market environment.

Working knowledge of banking laws, central banking (functional knowledge of financial markets).

Some knowledge of retail payments, securities settlement.

Working knowledge of spreadsheet applications and MS Office suite of applications.

Three (3) years’ work related experience. Good time management and organization skills.

Good oral and written communication skills. Deadline for Application: FRIDAY, 20TH OCTOBER 2023

Join Our Team

Banking Department DEPUTY MANAGER

OVERVIEW:

The Deputy Manager resides in the Banking Department and reports directly to the Manager. The Deputy Manager coordinates the day-to-day activities of the Department and assists with managing teambased deliverables and overall workflow efficiency. The Deputy Manager will contribute to the management of the Central Bank’s external reserves portfolio, oversee payments operations, and coordinate inter-agency outcomes around the country’s domestic debt activities. Other requirements include, but are not limited to, assisting the Manager with the execution of strategic plan outcomes, setting and managing risk tolerances and budgets, and implementation of internal controls to mitigate financial and operational risk.

CORE FUNCTIONS:

Oversee payments operations in accordance with established policies and procedures to satisfy customer service expectations.

Contribute to the management of the Bank’s external reserves portfolio, guided by broad objectives established by the Investment Committee through the Investment Policy & Guidelines and in the context of prevailing market conditions.

Oversee the administration of the Bank’s domestic debt function, promoting efficient primary and secondary market

outcomes for Government securities.

Assist with the development of the Bank’s enterprise risk management framework, to promote an agile programme to meet evolving demands of the environment.

Assist to develop and drive identified strategic activities to improve operational efficiency through structured assessment and reporting.

Assist in the development and management of the Department’s human resources to effect the attainment of the Department’s goals and strategic priorities.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Master’s degree in banking/ finance/accounting or equivalent qualification from a recognized tertiary institution.

Sound knowledge of accounting standards.

Sound knowledge of investment and risk management techniques.

Sound knowledge of money and foreign exchange markets. Sound knowledge of banking laws.

Sound knowledge of accounting and spreadsheet applications. Five (5) years’ experience in banking/finance/accounting at a managerial level.

INDIANA Pacers guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield (7) poses NBA basketball team’s media day in Indianapolis on Monday, October 2.

(AP Photo/ Michael Conroy)