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Taranique - so glad to be in America Teenager finally flies to US for vital operation

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net SICK teen Taranique Thurston is slated to see a US doctor today after obtaining an emergency medical visa with the assistance of a South Florida congresswoman and a local lawyer.

Frederica Wilson, representative of Florida’s 24th congressional district, was said to have intervened in the process that ultimately led to the Bahamian-born 16-year-old being awarded an emergency visa on her

government-issued certificate of identity.

The certificate is primarily used as a travel document for non-citizens legally residing in The Bahamas under the age of 18, who were also born in the country to non-Bahamians.

In 2014, the government announced it would no longer issue the document, and existing documents would not be renewed as it ushered in a stricter immigration policy that demands all residents obtain a passport of their nationality.

SEE PAGE THREE

THE recipients of this year’s National Honours all have one thing in common, they put self aside for the sake of country, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday.

The prime minister was among those receiving awards at the first official National Honours investiture.

Dr Minnis said although he was honoured to have been conferred the Order of the Nation, he was

happier the country recognised the contributions of others.

“It feels great, I think the message that is emanating here today is that one must not think of themselves but think of the nation. Think of others. You’re working not just for yourselves but you’re working to help others, to move the nation forward to move people forward,” Dr Minnis said yesterday following the ceremony at Mount Fitzwilliam, Government House.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE Court of Appeal has dismissed the conviction of a man previously sentenced to 15 years behind bars for the role he played in the fatal armed robbery of a Cash for Gold employee in Grand Bahama five years ago.

Appellate Justices Jon Isaacs, Stella Crane-Scott and Milton Evans, dismissed Shawn Collie’s conviction and sentence for the January 19, 2013, armed robbery of Christopher Outten at Deadman’s Reef.

Additionally, the appellate judges said they did not order a retrial in the matter because of the “tenuous nature” of the Crown’s evidence against Collie.

SEE PAGE 11

MORTGAGE DEBT - DOING NOTHING NOT AN OPTION

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

HEROES WHO PUT BAHAMAS FIRST

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

JUDGES FREE PRISONER FROM 15-YEAR SENTENCE

THE Bahamas Mortgage Corporation’s (BMC) chairman says “doing nothing is not an option” with the struggling lender having just five years to escape hitting a $110m debt mountain.

Patrick Ward told Tribune Business he felt there was “sufficient time to salvage” the corporation’s financial position and avoid calling for a Treasuryfunded bail-out that would result in it “becoming a burden to the taxpayer”.

Stressing that it was important for all Bahamians to understand the wider ramifications of the corporation’s troubles, Mr Ward said “fundamental issues have been kicked down the road for far too long” by successive administrations.

TARANIQUE THURSTON, 16, in Florida yesterday with her two-year-old sister, Royal Carey.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

HIGH ALERT - FOR HAITIANS FLEEING EARTHQUAKE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday he is greatly “concerned” Saturday’s earthquake in Haiti could trigger an influx of undocumented migrants, including dangerous criminals who may wreak “havoc” in the country.

As he warned authorities will not tolerate harbouring such immigrants in any

SOME of the damage in Gros Morne, Haiti.

Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP form and foreshadowed a doubling down of border patrols, the prime minister called on Bahamians to be vigilant in the coming days.

In view of the situation, which has the potential to stress already “strained” healthcare and other social systems, he said officials are aggressively implementing a new drone system to monitor borders where there may be a shortage of Royal Bahamas Defence Force patrols.

According to Dr Minnis, the situation is even more worrisome because the government was informed prisoners are on the loose SEE PAGE FIVE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

FACE-TO-FACE:

UNITING TO FIGHT BREAST CANCER

SEE PAGE TEN

PAGE 2, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

McAlpine: PM is wrong, I want to see GB succeed

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PINERIDGE MP Frederick McAlpine.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

PINERIDGE MP Rev Frederick McAlpine has refuted recent remarks made by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis about him wanting Grand Bahamians to suffer, saying he only

wants to see the island’s economy progress.

“Grand Bahama is my home and the Bahamas is my country. I would not wish to see my home, neither any island of my country suffer, including Ragged Island,” he said on Friday at his constituency office in Freeport.

“It would be far more impressive if the prime minister, as opposed to speaking to Crooked Island about the purchase of the Lucayan strip, would come to Grand Bahama and speak to us (in Grand Bahama).

“Informing us what the business plans are for the purchase of these hotels, how the government plans to operate them until they are sold, and what’s the alternative if they are not sold within the projected six-month time frame,” said the outspoken MP. Dr Minnis attended a town meeting on Thursday at the Ezekiel Thompson Centre in Cabbage Hill, Crooked Island, where he talked about the government’s purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort in Grand Bahama. While speaking to the crowd, he took a swipe at the backbench member of Parliament, who has critiqued the purchase.

Dr Minnis said last week: “So I ask you, here today in Crooked Island: were we wrong in purchasing that hotel to save some of your brothers and sisters in Grand Bahama?

Let Nassau hear you. Let McAlpine hear you, who thought it was wrong.

“Let McAlpine hear you – one who live in Grand Bahama, want the entire Grand Bahama to suffer.

I could not believe what I heard. Everybody gat to live. Because today it’s Grand Bahama, tomorrow it’s Crooked Island. And we’ll do the same thing for you. We will not allow you to sink or suffer.”

Mr McAlpine said it is unfortunate that Dr Minnis would reference him in that way to residents of Crooked Island.

“It is unfortunate that my leader of the party, and the prime minister of the Bahamas, under whose government I serve the people of Pineridge, has expressed to the people in Crooked Island, and not Grand Bahama, that I wish for them to suffer; or that I want the people of Grand Bahama to suffer.”

According to Rev McAlpine, his constituents in Grand Bahama have been reacting to the comments made by the prime minister.

“I am being forwarded some information on the social media and it is not going over pretty well by a lot of people,” he said.

“Again, you got to know what fights to pick and that really was not necessary to go down in Crooked Island and invoke my name down there to the people.

“I have not been to Crooked Island since the last time I preached. But one thing the PM and my colleagues must understand while some people talk about The Bahamas, I actually know The Bahamas.

I travelled to every one of those islands. So when they talk about McAlpine they know, so I will continue to

fight for the people. And if fighting for the people is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.”

The Grand Bahama MP stated that the economic climate on the island has not been good for more than a decade and that people are still suffering since the change in government over a year ago.

“First of all, you cannot want for people what is their present reality,” he said in response to Dr Minnis’ remarks. “Grand Bahama has been suffering for the past year and five months, and that suffering has even widened under our governance.”

The people of Grand Bahama, he said, voted for better circumstances, yet the island’s unemployment rate is the highest in the country.

According to the MP, residents are morally and socially depressed because of the poor economy.

“I just don’t talk about GB, I reside on the island with the people and only wish to see the progress and revitalisation of this island’s economy,” he added.

Mr McAlpine admitted that while he does not think that the government’s purchase of the resort strip was the best idea, he, like most Grand Bahamians, has accepted the fact that the government has bought the property with intent to sell it quickly.

Still, he believes that Grand Bahama needs an economic stimulus that goes beyond the purchase of the Lucayan strip.

When asked about the apparent strained relationship between himself and Dr Minnis, Mr McAlpine said he did not know the reason for the tension.

“I don’t know and I am beginning to ask myself the same question. I don’t know if I’ve done anything to the prime minister. If I said anything to the prime minister, I am sorry. But I want to publicly apologise if I have offended him personally or publicly, that was never my intention.

“I think the PM and I might have gotten off on the wrong foot because I was not one of those who support Dominicans coming in,” he said, referring to his opposition last year of The Bahamas offering relief to Dominica after a major hurricane. “I found that difficult to do at a time when the people in Pineridge roofs were leaking, Ragged Island was tore up and other areas in the southern part of the Bahamas was also tore up. I believe that you take care of home before you take care of others.

“I did not say we could not support Dominica, but bringing Dominicans to live, nobody invites visitors to their house if their house is not in order.”

Still he said that he supports the FNM party. He said his relationship with the other four Grand Bahama MPs are amicable.

“I would say that we communicate, but I can’t speak to that fully as I am watching a few things, but I have no problems with my colleagues,” he stated.

“I am a party man, I support the party, I don’t worship men. I am a preacher, and a Christian,” he said.

THE TRIBUNE

Taranique - so glad to be in America

from page one A US Embassy representative confirmed last month it would only accept a valid passport for visa applications.

“I am very grateful for the contribution by Minister (of Foreign Affairs) Darren Henfield, Congresswoman Wilson, The Tribune and all those who contributed to saving Taranique’s life, and giving her a future,” said attorney Fred Smith, QC, who legally represented Taranique in talks with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and the American embassy.

He continued: “I look forward to the government of The Bahamas reforming the laws of The Bahamas so that this kind of tragedy doesn’t hurt the thousands of other young citizensin-waiting caught in this immigration limbo land in The Bahamas.”

Taranique’s consultation at Jackson

Memorial Hospital today marks nearly three months since The Tribune first published her mother Ginette Caty’s appeal for government intervention.

The teen, pictured, was diagnosed with a brain cyst and her doctor’s referral for US treatment was stalled due to her irregular immigration status.

Ms Caty is a naturalised citizen; however, when she was regularised in 2013, she’d already given birth to three children. Taranique’s father, who is not married to the teen’s mother, is a Bahamian but unable to transfer his citizenship under Bahamian law.

As a result, Ms Caty said she was told her daughter would have to wait, like she did, to apply for citizenship at 18.

Taranique was issued a certificate of identity by the Bahamas government in early August, which listed her as a Haitian national.

IN this image made from video, cars are seen on fire reportedly outside the Department of Labour.

FOUR CARS SET ABLAZE AT DEPT OF LABOUR

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

ARSON is suspected in the case of the four government vehicles that caught fire outside a Carmichael Road government building on Saturday night.

According to police, the incident occurred shortly before midnight on the compound of the Department of Labour. The vehicles were extensively damaged.

Fire Services director, Chief Superintendent Walter Evans told The Tribune yesterday that

the matter is under active police investigation. He added no suspects are in custody at this time.

“Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fire that extensively damaged four government vehicles on Saturday,” police said in a statement released on Sunday.

“Reports are that shortly after 11.30pm, police received a report of a fire at a government building on Carmichael Road.

“When Fire Services officers arrived on the scene, they met four government-registered vehicles

ablaze. The fire was immediately extinguished. The four vehicles were extensively damaged.

“Police suspect arson to be the motive.”

When contacted by The Tribune, CSP Evans said: “The matter is under… active police investigation. As you saw in the initial statement, arson is suspected in that. (As we) get further details, we’ll be able to say a little bit more,

maybe sometime later on.

“But as for now, all we can say is pretty much is it’s under active investigation.”

CSP Evans added there were no reported injuries and no suspects were in custody up to press time.

When asked if police suspect that the arson attack could be repeated, CSP Evans said: “We couldn’t saying nothing along that line…Let’s finish this investigation first.”

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 3

PAGE 4, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

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No money for doctors - or anything else - until we wake up to reality WHEN doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital threatened to withhold services because of poor pay and, in some instances, deplorable working conditions, the public was aghast. How, they asked, could a doctor turn his or her back on a patient in need of urgent care or ongoing attention?

We believe doctors and the medical community shared that concern and the thought of leaving even a single patient unattended in what could be a lifethreatening situation must have deeply troubled those dedicated to saving lives.

The commitment of a doctor is beyond the pale and far above their counterparts in other professions. In addition to the years of study and preparation and the costs involved to become a doctor, the act of being a doctor is unlike being anything else. Long hours, unpredictable schedules. Tedious work, heavy responsibility, incalculable stress.

Tough on marriages and relationships, yet critical to society.

Thus for a group of doctors already accustomed to great sacrifice to say ‘enough is enough, you need to pay attention to our cries’ could not have been easy for them and must serve as a wake-up call for all of us.

The doctors’ complaint, however, cannot be looked at in isolation. The Public Hospitals Authority simply doesn’t have the money the doctors are demanding and cannot be stitched up with a temporary bandage.

The problem is the entire governmental budgetary process. Taxes in The Bahamas are too low for the high expectations we have as a nation. We want well-paved roads but do not want to pay the price. We want better education but balk at having to pay Real Property Tax. We want greater security measures but mention higher VAT rate and be prepared to be a one-term administration. We need a new prison, more parks and sports facilities. We need a far better equipped Royal Bahamas Defence Force and we need members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force to make enough money that they don’t have to take second jobs as night security officers.

We want. We want. We want. But we don’t want to pay.

The truth is a bitter pill made evident by the medical community’s strike threat.

The patient, The Bahamas, has a disease called anti-taxitis. It has been passed down from generation to generation and in the last four decades plus since Independence from government to government. Until a government has the courage to do two things, it will continue to plague the nation and we will continue to borrow until our lenders, including China, own our ports and airports and other critical infrastructure as they already do in many countries.

This is not fear-mongering. This is reality. Sri Lanka just handed over its harbour and port to China because it could not repay a debt. China loaned Maldives money which they could not repay. Now China owns more than 38 percent of the state-owned resorts.

In Kenya, 70 percent of the mineral resource mines belong to China because Kenya kept borrowing and could not repay its debt.

What the threat of a strike by doctors translates into is an alarm waking us from a national slumber. As long as we believe we have a right to low-cost or indeed free medical care with high standards, as long as we believe we have a right to free public education, as long as we believe we have a right to better roads without paying a highway tax or tolls to use those roads, we have to find a way to fund hospitals, schools and public works. And we must do it without borrowing.

At the same time, we do have a right to demand better service from many in the civil service, a bloated machine that for too long has harboured those who were all too happy to provide halfhearted assistance to those who sought help whether for a passport, work permit or business license and were even happier when the clock struck five and the day was over.

Yes, there are those who go above and beyond and they should be thanked by everyone who comes into contact with them. They are stars in a system with little reward for being exceptional. The lack of dedication of far too many in the civil service is the antithesis of the absolute dedication of almost all who make medicine their lives and it is because of that dedication that we are so shaken by a threat of strike and we know the cure lies outside the system we currently call our Bahamian way of doing government business.

It is no accident that Scandinavian countries have excellent education or that Canada and the UK have good if not brilliant national health care. Their citizens pay for it. Talk to someone from Sweden or Denmark and ask if they object. Chances are they will explain exactly what they are getting for their money.

In Britain VAT is charged at 20 percent: National Insurance contributions at 12 percent and anyone earning over $60,700 a year pays income tax at 40 percent. We won’t even mention the taxes on business.

This is the rub. Bahamians feel they are paying already with high Customs rates, 12 percent VAT and hefty fees and they get little for it. It is a business plan doomed to fail. You do not go into a store and pay a high price for a low quality item. Likewise, you cannot command higher taxes to raise the revenue you need when the services you provide do not meet minimal standards.

When there are no repercussions for poor service and no reward for excellence in the public sector, there is little incentive beyond personal morals and self-imposed standards to work harder.

But if you change the culture of public service and raise the level of services provided, you can raise revenue.

It will take higher taxes, like it or not, to meet the high expectations of Bahamians - doctors included. The request for approval of additional revenue must be accompanied by a demonstration that it will be spent wisely, services will improve and no one in the public service will get a free ride anymore. Let the threat of a strike by doctors serve a valuable purpose, a wake-up call to shake up how The Bahamas manages its finances, its input and its output.

Charged over a seat belt EDITOR, The Tribune.

A FEW months ago, my niece was charged for not using her seat belt while she was in the back seat of a moving vehicle. The driver of the car was also charged with allowing a passenger to be in her moving car who was not using their seat belt.

My niece pleaded guilty and went to pay the fine at the Magistrate’s Court on Nassau Street. Imagine her surprise when the two fines amounted to $400 ($250 for her “offence” and $150 for

the driver’s “offence”).

If the Commissioner of Police was serious about enforcing this “offence”, he should station some of his officers together with one or two motorcycle mounted police at the intersection of JFK and Gladstone Road on any week day between the hours of 4pm and 5pm to intercept the dozens of trucks carrying construction workers back after a hard day’s work. I’m quite sure not many of the people in the back of the trucks have seat belts.

I would very much

appreciate it if the Commissioner would let me know how many people have been charged in the last year for not having a seat belt on while in the back seat of a car or truck.

I would also appreciate it if the Commissioner would let me know if it is legal to avoid a stop sign or stop light before making a left turn by taking a detour through a nearby property, usually a gas station.

JOHN A WANKLYN Nassau, October 4, 2018.

Do we owe Nygard a thank you?

EDITOR, The Tribune RECENTLY, there has been some not so pleasant occurrences as it relates to a well-known resident of The Bahamas and indeed Lyford Cay, Peter Nygard.

The glaring headlines with the insatiable story of the Provost Marshall or his representative serving Mr Nygard, was certainly unfortunate, I am not arguing to the reasoning, but we must not be too insensitive.

Lest we forget, this same philanthropist, Mr Nygard, is the kind gentleman who has literally been the saviour for many who found themselves in dire need, for decades. Many have enjoyed his generosity.

He gave and still gives from the heart.

Free-spirited Mr Nygard, has been the “go to man” for cultural and sporting events, both locally and internationally. Many teams, including national

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net teams, travelling abroad, have enjoyed his unmeasured support.

Many with extreme medical urgency called on his good nature and experienced his generosity, without fanfare or publicity.

I would go on the limb and say that some key politicians and businessmen have exploited his free-handedness.

As a humane and sensitive gentleman, many who would not have been welcomed in Lyford Cay otherwise, have been able to visit and enjoy the amenities of Nygard Cay. A man who has extended himself to help so many people cannot be all bad. He has shown his benevolence when many well-positioned Bahamians wavered.

His only sin is that he harboured too many “locals”.

So let us not rush to judge anyone, especially Peter Nygard, few of us are qualified to point fingers.

The least we could do is really express ourselves, how such a kind-hearted benefactor has been in our midst and how we have benefited for all this time.

Has anyone or any group ever thought it to say “thank you” to Mr Nygard?

I am sure after this letter is printed, others would sing the praises of his gestures.

“We are given this beautiful life, this beautiful world, and we destroy it with ingratitude and hate.”

Gratitude, on the other hand, will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.

IVOINE INGRAHAM Nassau, October 4, 2018.

W.

A real BPL enquiry?

EDITOR, The Tribune BP&L - do I believe there is any enquiry going on?

No. The enquiry anyway should be on the Shell America deal and BP&L not complying with URCA. BP&L new fuel surcharge rates for this billing - ouch… well on mine up by $12-$13.00 but I used 15 percent less units.

Can Mr Heastie confirm whether we are paying for the alleged stolen hundreds of gallons of diesel from the pipeline from Clifton to Blue Hill?

This should not be to the charge of the counter URCA - possibly you might wish to investigate that seeing you refuse to do anything about Shell America?

Tourism affects on visitors of crime - hmm DG Jibrilu needs to tell her

bosses not to make crime that issue as they do… oh more crime will drive away the visitors.

Truth told, the majority of visitors do not leave the compounds of their resorts - here for three-four days primary purpose is to tan and relax… they rarely explore our country.

Notice DG wants to

re-brand… see the name David Copperfield, the illusionist. An idea - let him create a massive illusion that Nassau is clean, the product has value and we, the people, treat tourists politely. Wow a miracle!

ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau, October 2, 2018.

Disabled parking EDITOR, The Tribunes1 Re: Parking in a disabled bay - You’ll be fined.

The Tribune, October 3, 2018.

IT should be interesting to see if the actual display of disabled permits is required and enforced in order to park in a disabled bay.

As usual, most of the inconsiderate able-bodied people without permits who use the bays, will claim they only parked there “just for a minute” and it’s not very likely they’ll ever be fined.

KEN W KNOWLES, MD Nassau, October 3, 2018.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 5

A BOY injured by an aftershock receives treatment at the general hospital in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, on Sunday.

Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP

High alert - for Haitians fleeing earthquake from page one after a jailhouse in Haiti allegedly sustained serious damage allowing offenders to flee.

He said it should be assumed these people committed heinous crimes and viewed as such by local authorities.

However, he did not respond directly to a question from this newspaper as to whether the government would offer reprieve to those in Haiti affected by the quake, similar to what was done for citizens of Dominica following Hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.

Regarding this, he said: “At this point in time I am looking at moving the

Bahamas forward, Bahamas first.”

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the northern region of Haiti extending to the eastern coast of Cuba on Saturday. The Department of Meteorology issued an earthquake warning for the southeast Bahamas on Saturday night after the Haiti incident. It was reported that Bahamians in Inagua felt tremors as a result. One Inagua resident claimed on Facebook that she felt her house shake for about two minutes.

International reports say the death toll in Haiti now stands at 15.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said embassies indicated Bahamians residing in both Haiti and Cuba are safe.

“Yes. I’m very concerned.

We are very concerned especially knowing that we’ve been informed that a jailhouse was damaged and prisoners were loose and causing havoc,” Dr Minnis said yesterday in response to a question from The Tribune on the sidelines of the 2018 National Honours ceremony at Government House.

“That is of great concern to us and the message must be loud and clear to the Bahamian community that we must all be vigilant even those on the seas, the fisherman, boats, etcetera, the Family Islands. We must all be vigilant because we are at a point where we are decreasing crime and now there is a possibility that these prisoners that have

been released as a result of the earthquake could be floating towards our shores and that is of great concern to us.

“I have already spoken to the commissioner of police. The commodore of the defence force, immigration officials, that they must increase their vigilance and increase their patrols within the Bahamas and look out for these issues and these problems.

“I have also had discussions with the director (of immigration) and I would follow up with the minister.”

The government also plans to employ more immigration officers in the coming weeks.

“We must prepare for succession planning.

Officers are getting up in age and they are planning to retire so we must now recruit quite a number of young people with the necessary qualifications and skills who want to train within and work within that department, but we would have to train them and inform them that they too must be very vigilant in terms of illegals.

“I am prepared to move even further and I know people might not necessarily want to hear this, but the facts are the facts and we are plagued with illegal immigrants and it’s essential that we increase the number of immigration officers on our force.

“We must establish a force that would deal specifically with illegals, that

would be a group that will be trained. They will be a part of the immigration team and they must move throughout the islands – New Providence (and) other Family Islands.

Move about the job places, the gated communities, etcetera and where there are illegals we will find them and bring them to justice and where there are Bahamians who are hiring them, we will bring them to justice because what they are doing they are encouraging illegals to come here because there are opportunities for them.

“That’s a very, very serious matter especially with what just occurred in Haiti,” Dr Minnis also said.

GOVT SEEKS TO LIMIT CONSTRUCTION IN SHANTY TOWNS

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE government is seeking a Supreme Court order to restrain shanty town residents and occupiers in New Providence from building and/or modifying any structures ahead of a judicial review of its plans to eradicate those communities.

The government, which is prohibited from executing its eradication plans via an injunction, is now seeking a variation of that order to restrict the residents and occupiers of those communities from constructing, erecting or altering any structures “otherwise than in accordance with the relevant law”.

The government claims it has been made aware that certain residents or occupiers of shanty towns in New Providence have “continued to engage in the construction, erection and alteration of buildings or structures” within those areas without obtaining building permits, in violation of the Buildings Regulations Act. And it says such activities “injure the public interest in the proper enforcement of planning laws, creates risk to human safety by the construction of substandard housing, and is detrimental to the orderly development and use of the environment”.

The aforementioned are contained in an ex-parte

summons filed by the government on October 3 to have the existing order varied.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, Attorney General Carl Bethel, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes, Public Works Minister Desmond Bannister, Bahamas Power and Light, and the Water and Sewerage Corporation are listed as the respondents.

Non-profit group Respect Our Homes Limited (ROHL) and Luanne Nonord and the 177 residents are listed as the applicants.

In August, Supreme Court Justice Cheryl GrantThompson ordered the government and utility providers to halt any planned service disconnections or evictions in shanty towns pending a judicial review of the Minnis administration’s policy to eradicate those communities.

The injunction prohibits the government, directly or through its agents, appointees or employees, from taking possession of, demolishing any building on, or otherwise interfering with the enjoyment of land in shantytowns in New Providence by the 177 applicants for the judicial review, as well as other residents’ and occupiers’ of those communities, by disconnecting any utilities “other than pursuant to the relevant enabling legislation” pending the determination of the action

or until further order.

Justice Grant-Thompson granted the interlocutory injunction just days ahead of the government’s August 10 deadline during a telephone conference with human rights attorney Fred Smith, QC, and Attorney General Carl Bethel.

Leave for judicial review was also granted around that time.

In September, however, Mr Smith warned the government that it was treading on the “thin ice of contempt” for pressing ahead with efforts to eradicate shanty towns in the Family Islands despite the pending judicial review.

The government’s position, according to Mr Foulkes, is the court injunction blocking evictions and demolition in New Providence was not extended to other islands, and enables the government to forge ahead with mobilising efforts in the Family Islands. Mr Foulkes is also chairman of the government’s Shanty Town Action Task Force.

However, Mr Smith said 88 of the 177 shanty town residents seeking judicial review of the government’s decision are from Abaco, and questioned why the government didn’t opt to halt the process completely as it has done with the gaming taxes on web shops, which was halted pending the outcome of court action.

THREE ARRESTED AFTER SPATE OF BREAK-INS POLICE have arrested three men suspected of carrying out a string of house break-ins in both eastern and western New Providence.

The trio are also thought to have conducted similar crimes in parts of Eleuthera.

Chief Superintendent

Solomon Cash, who heads the Central Detective Unit, confirmed the arrests on Friday. He said the men were taken into custody on Tuesday. It is unclear when the men will be arraigned.

CSP Cash said that a number of valuables, including televisions,

jewellery, clothing and electronics were recovered following the arrests.

However, he suggested that because the investigation is ongoing this might not be the full list of goods stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 919 or 328-TIPS (8477).

Shanty town residents are seeking to ventilate concerns the government’s “eradication policy” and subsequent evictions are unlawful, unconstitutional, and motivated by ethnic discrimination without clear title to land ownership.

An affidavit filed by ROHL director Stephanie St Fleur contends the challenges faced by people of Haitian descent since the

1950s have dramatically increased, most notably since November 2014 when new immigration and shanty town policies were introduced.

She notes land was leased in New Providence and Abaco for farming, and lease holders or farmers invited workers onto the land the majority of whom were immigrants from Haiti, who over the years

established homes. Many of those workers became citizens, permanent residents, or married Bahamians, according to Ms St Fleur, who stated immigration issues are an integral part of this case.

The affidavit also points to an explosion of population growth and the consequent need for more land for urban development.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE CONSULTANT Physicians Staff Association held a vote on obtaining a strike certificate on Friday. Dr Locksley Munroe, CSPA president, centre, is pictured speaking to the media. He is flanked by members of the association, attorney Obie Ferguson, and supporters.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

96% of doctors vote to obtain strike certificate

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net WHILE the Consultant Physicians Staff Association voted on Friday to obtain a strike certificate over industrial issues, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis expressed optimism senior doctors will put patient care first.

Dr Minnis pointed to two meetings – one before and after his trip to New York last month – in which “very productive” discussions took place.

“What they have done (is) they have gone forward with their vote,” Dr Minnis told reporters yesterday. “I have had a very productive meeting with the doctors, my colleagues.

“Before I left, I had spoken with the president.

When I returned just last week I had a productive meeting with the group and I’m convinced that just like me, our first and foremost responsibility and concern

is the healthcare and the quality of health care of the Bahamians, that’s their Hippocratic oath that they’ve taken, that we’ve all taken.

We will always, including myself as a doctor, doctors will always put patients first.”

More than 70 senior doctors in the public health system voted on Friday to obtain a strike certificate.

It is a move that illustrates union members are willing to withdraw services if the Public Hospitals Authority does not meet their requests.

Dr Locksley Munroe, CPSA president, held a press conference on Friday evening immediately following the vote.

He revealed that 96 percent of members who voted were in favour of obtaining the strike certificate.

Dr Munroe noted that meetings will be held later this month with the Department of Labour and PHA to determine whether physicians will have to take the “ultimate step” of withdrawing services.

Despite this outcome, Dr Munroe said CPSA’s Wednesday meeting with Dr Minnis went “pretty well”, stating that the meeting and the vote results are “not necessarily connected”.

“Today, the 5th of October, we took on a poll to decide whether or not we would obtain a strike certificate,” Dr Munroe said.

“And that need arose because of the manner in which negotiations between our group and the PHA were progressing.”

Dr Munroe said despite over two years of

negations with the PHA, “proper, respectful progress” was not being made.

Because of this, CPSA’s legal counsel advised the union of the steps that would be necessary “if (it) wished to be heard by the PHA”.

“And this is another step in that direction,” Dr Munroe continued. “Withdrawal of service is a legal right, a constitutional right that we have as employees and therefore we have taken the steps that are necessary.”

Dr Munroe said that of the 78 people who voted, 75 voted “yes”.

“There are 110 persons in this group and 71 percent of persons actually voted.

And of those who voted, 96 percent said ‘yes, we are willing to withdraw services if our negotiation does not progress in the manner in which it ought to.’

“So that is the end result of the strike poll among our members today: That 96 percent of persons would be willing to withdraw services if our requests, our proposal is not met across the table.”

When asked how long the union is willing to wait before this withdrawal occurs, Dr Munroe said CPSA will be meeting with the Department of Labour in “a few days” and with the PHA on October 18.

“Those meetings are going to determine whether or not we have to take that ultimate step,” he said.

Dr Munroe added that consultant physicians primarily do most of the decision making and complicated procedures in health services.

FIVE ARRESTS OVER DRUG, GUN AND AMMO DISCOVERY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net FIVE people were arrested for possession of dangerous drugs, illegal firearms and ammunition in Grand Bahama, a senior police official reported.

Asst Supt Terecita Pinder reported that the arrests were made between 5pm Friday and 2am on on Saturday during ‘Operation Blackout’.

A team of officers with search warrants went to several residences in the Freeport area where they conducted a search for illegal drugs and firearms.

ASP Pinder reported that officers found and seized a quantity of ammunition, two imitation firearms, two packages of suspected marijuana weighing two pounds, and

15 foil wraps of suspected marijuana.

As a result, five male residents were taken into custody.

Police in Grand Bahama also arrested five people suspected of armed robbery offences on Saturday.

According to ASP Pinder, officers executed operation ‘Midnight Strike’ between 10pm on Saturday and 3am on Saturday, targeting wanted suspects and executing search warrants on offenders.

She said five people were arrested, including a wanted suspect, for outstanding criminal warrants and for harbouring a fugitive.

On Friday, police issued 67 fixed penalty notices during operation ‘Steel Curtain’ which was launched between 5.30pm and 8.30pm on Friday on Grand Bahama.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 7

SURVEY FINDS SUPPORT FOR DISNEY AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

A RECENT Public Domain survey has found that more than 30 percent of Bahamians support Disney Cruise Lines’ proposal for creating a cruise destination at Lighthouse Point, Eleuthera.

Of the 994 households the market research firm surveyed across the country, 38 percent said they “very much” support the development, 28 percent said they “somewhat” support it, and 26 percent said they “very much do not” support the development.

Nine percent said they “somewhat do not support.”

The poll was commissioned by Disney, Public Domain president M’wale Rahming told The Tribune yesterday.

Lighthouse Point is a 700-acre peninsula located at the southern tip of Eleuthera. Disney’s proposal is being opposed by environmental activists.

In a joint opinion piece released last month, Bahamas National Trust executive director Eric Carey and One Eleuthera Foundation CEO Shaun Ingraham argued that the country must stop acquiescing to the cruise sector.

One Eleuthera has been locked in a public campaign to block Disney’s acquisition of the property.

The cruise company has taken preparatory steps to acquire the historic site for the construction of multi-million-dollar cruise port, promising a $400m spend.

In the Public Domain survey, 21 percent of those who do not support the initiative said it was out of concern for possible environmental damage.

Fourteen percent said their opposition is due to the belief that “the government has already given too much land to foreign owners,” while 12 percent said

they are concerned about loss of local access to Lighthouse Point.

Most respondents said they were concerned about the claims raised by environmentalists about the dangers of a cruise port at the site.

These claims include the local economy not being stimulated, environmental impact, and a legacy of attempts to create largescale commercial ventures that result in abandoned, unfinished projects.

After hearing these claims, 27 percent of respondents said they are “very likely” to support Disney’s project, while 22 percent

said they were “not likely at all”.

However, most respondents also proved to be supportive of pro-Disney arguments.

These include the fact that Disney has committed to providing Bahamians access to the entire development site every day, after the project is completed, and Disney’s promise to return over 170 acres of land to the government.

After hearing these claims, 40 percent of respondents said they were “very likely” to support the development project in Eleuthera.

Heroes who put their country first from page one

“So, I’m honoured, but I’m especially more happy and pleased for the other honourees because as you listen you see and recognise the contribution that they’ve made to society.

They obviously were not thinking of themselves.

They were thinking about The Bahamas at large, moving The Bahamas forward, moving the citizens, improving quality of life for its citizens and that’s the message that must go out to everybody.

“We concentrate on global issues, national issues, Bahamians at large as opposed to ourselves as an isolated entity then we find that not only would you do better but The Bahamas, your country would do better.”

Sir Lynden Pindling, Sir Roland Symonette, Sir Milo Butler and Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield were posthumously awarded the Order of National Hero and will be called Right Excellent.

Former Governors General Dame Ivy Dumont, Sir Arthur Foulkes, Sir Milo, Sir Gerald Cash, Sir Henry Milton Taylor, Sir Clifford Darling as well as Sir Lynden, received Order of the Nation with the title Most Honourable.

Those receiving the Order of The Bahamas, companion, included former Cabinet minister Janet Bostwick and Free National Movement founding father Maurice Moore.

Dame Doris Johnson posthumously received Officer of the Order of The Bahamas and Dr Myles Munroe received Member of the Order of the Bahamas posthumously.

Tribune publisher Eileen Carron was among those receiving Companions of the Order of Distinction. In this category was also Cynthia “Mother” Pratt and Anita Bernard.

It was previously reported that former Prime Ministers Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie deferred

GOVERNOR General Dame Marguerite Pindling, above, during the Inspection of the Guard of Honour yesterday. The Order of the Nation was presented to both Sir Arthur Foulkes, left and, above, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis. Right, Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt. was presented with The Order of the Distinction.

Photos: Terrel W. Carey Sr/Tribune Staff acceptance of the country’s national honours for separate reasons, with the latter saying his decision was a considered response to the criminal charges brought against several members of his former Cabinet.

The men were to receive the Order of the Nation award which is bestowed upon all people who have served as governor general or prime minister.

Their refusal was considered an embarrassment for the Minnis administration after it was reported by The Tribune in August.

OFFICER ARRESTED AFTER BEING FOUND IN POSSESSION OF DRUGS AN officer from the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services is in custody after he was arrested and accused of drug possession on Friday.

According to police, officers from the Drug Enforcement Unit, assisted by the K-9 Unit, conducted a search of the officer when he arrived for duty and allegedly found marijuana and ecstasy pills in his possession.

The officer was taken into custody and is expected to appear in court this week.

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PAGE 8, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis paid tribute to Earl Thompson.

Family and friends pay their respects to Earl Thompson

By RIEL MAJOR FAMILY, friends, and members of Parliament gathered at St Francis Xavier Cathedral last Friday to mourn the death of Earl Thompson Sr, former vice-chairman of the Free National Movement, and a founding member of the Knights of Columbus in The Bahamas.

Thompson was in and out of hospital for about 18 months, suffering from diabetes and congestive heart failure. The 84-year-old, former MP died on September 26.

He was a devout member of the Catholic Church and worshipped at St Francis Xavier Cathedral for most of his life. He was an active member of the church and held many roles. He was a member of the ushers’ board, senior choir, and parish council.

In 1991, Thompson was a founding member of the Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 10415.

A number of people paid tribute to him and his funeral service was

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punctuated with praise and worship songs. During his funeral, Father Glen Nixon spoke about Thompson’s character and life.

“He was a good man,” said Fr Nixon.

“He has helped many, protected many, and given pleasure to many. He is alive in the memory of his family, constituency of Chippingham, and the hearts of fellow junkanooers.”

Fr Nixon continued: “Earl Sr worked very hard to contribute to a culture of life and love in our land. Earl would frequently be the last person in church praying for his family, church, and beloved country.”

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who was unable to attend the service, wrote a tribute to Thompson in which he said that it was “an honour to pay tribute to, and celebrate, the life of and contributions of a great Bahamian son and patriot. Let me convey my sincere condolences to his wife, Venencia, his family and all those whom he left behind who mourn his passing.

“Earl Thompson was a proud Bahamian whom I characterise as a nation builder. He was one who endeavoured to make his beloved country a better place for all of us. His dedication and commitment to this country was strongly evidenced by the many contributions he made in service to his country. He was a good representation of a true Bahamian.”

“May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 9

Multiple shootings leave one dead, many injured

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net A YOUNG child was one of five people injured in a shooting incident in Montel Heights on Saturday.

This incident was one of multiple shootings that occurred over the weekend, including the death of a young man on Friday in Nassau Village.

According to police, shortly after 9pm on Saturday, a group of people were at a social gathering in Montel Heights when two men, one armed with a shotgun, the other a handgun approached and “fired several shots into the crowd before fleeing on foot”.

The child, whose age was not released, and four other victims were taken to hospital. Police said their injuries were listed as nonlife threatening.

A second shooting incident occurred approximately two hours later.

Police said shortly after 11.30pm, a man was standing in the area of Market Street and Palm Tree Avenue, “when the occupants of a silver Honda Fit vehicle pulled up and shot him before speeding off”.

The victim was taken to hospital where he is listed in serious condition.

The investigations into both these incidents are ongoing.

On Friday, one man was killed and a woman injured following a double shooting off Taylor Street, Nassau Village.

According to police, the incident took place shortly after noon. The victims were part of a group engaged in a social gathering on a porch when three men emerged from the lot next door and opened fire, shooting two people.

The woman was rushed to hospital in a private vehicle, where she is listed in stable condition.

PICTURED is the scene of a double shooting off Taylor Street in Nassau Village on Friday which left one man dead and a woman injured.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

It was an emotional scene outside the Nassau Village home on Friday as the community gathered to mourn the loss of the man. The Tribune understands he was Karo Bullard, 24, and was shot on his grandmother’s porch, where he also lived.

“Shortly after 12 noon Friday, police received a call of a gunshot report at this location,” Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash said at the scene. “The officers, once they arrived on the scene, they met one male victim who was unresponsive.

“Police, after confirming other information from persons in the area, received information that a second victim was also shot who was transported to the hospital via

private vehicle. EMS was called to the scene, who pronounced the individual deceased,” he said.

“The only information the police are working with at this time is that shortly after midday Friday, three persons emerged from just to the rear of where I’m at, on to a porch where several persons were engaging in a social conversation. They opened fire on these individuals, which resulted in two persons being shot.”

CSP Cash said the last update was that the woman was listed in stable condition at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Her relationship to the male victim is unknown at this time. Both victims are estimated to be between early to mid-20s.

CSP Cash also said it was too early in the investigation to

determine whether any victims were known to police.

“We have a team of investigators moving through the area now, trying to establish exactly what happened here and the motive behind this latest homicide,” he said.

He described the area as a “hot spot” that is being “heavily monitored” by operational units.

A team of Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers were also at the scene along with police.

When asked about their presence, CSP Cash told reporters: “This is a part of a joint operation between the police and defence force, it’s an ongoing operation that has started several months back. And they are a part of what we do when it comes to policing our streets.

“They are a part of our strategic and operational team which is the Anti-Gang and Firearms Unit and our Flying Squad Unit. They form a part of those units to assist in combating prolific offenders on the street, looking at all the hot spots on the streets.”

CSP Cash said the officers would remain in the area to “bring some calm” to residents.

Bullard’s grandmother briefly spoke to reporters at the scene. “Yeah, this my house, he live with me,” she said.

When asked what happened earlier that day, she said she left her grandson sitting on the porch.

One neighbour described Bullard as a friendly person who loved laughter. “He was a nice guy, very friendly, loved to laugh,” she said. “You ask him to go anywhere for you, he’ll go, no hesitation. Like to clown round, always clowning. What happened was completely a shock.”

Police are asking anyone with any information to please contact 911, 919, or the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

CANCER survivor Anita Rolle and, inset, with her children, Ashton and Ashley.

THE TRIBUNE

Banding together in the battle against breast cancer THIS summer as Anita Rolle was deciding what she wanted to do for her birthday, it hit her. Why celebrate my birthday alone when there are so many other cancer survivors like me with a new lease on life? Just a few months later, “Anita’s Celebration for a Cause” was born.

Anita realised there were countless others in The Bahamas who needed support and encouragement as they are either battling or beat cancer and they all needed each other.

Anita, a seven-year breast cancer survivor, found herself wanting to reach out and connect to other survivors and for this reason, she joined a support group this year – the Jennie Dean Caring and Sharing Support Group. There, she met others currently battling breast cancer, survivors like herself and even some who have since died.

In retrospect, she realised a positive attitude, support from others and her persistence in early testing made the difference in her fight.

She wanted more people to be able to survive as well using these factors that helped save her.

It was in February of 2011 when Anita first felt

a lump in her breast. She always asked her general practitioner Dr Cyndi Dorsette how to test herself and how to know if there was any cause for concern.

She was told it would be round and hard and would not move. It was a Saturday evening when she first felt that exact kind of lump.

It was small, but hard and immovable. On Sunday, the lump was still there and so, on Monday morning, she went straight to her boss and asked to be allowed to go straight to the doctor and have it checked. She went to the Walk-in Clinic where she could have a mammogram done right away if necessary.

“When I went to have it checked, the doctor told me it was nothing,” Anita said. “I knew it was small (it turned out to be half a centimetre) but I felt it.

The doctor was saying it may be my hormones due

to my menstrual cycle, but I insisted on having a mammogram done right then and there. When the results came back and it was indeed a lump, the doctor was shocked. Maybe for what they were accustomed to seeing and feeling, it didn’t match that. But I am very happy I went with my mind and got further testing.”

After the mammogram, Anita had to have a biopsy done, which returned a positive result, confirming she did have breast cancer. She decided to move quickly on it and flew to the United States to have further testing done at Florida Cancer Care where she came under the care of Oncologist Dr Elizabeth Tan Chiu.

Included in the series of tests was one for the BRCA gene, as the BRCA 1 and 2 mutations are prevalent in The Bahamas.

The test turned up negative, which was a relief for Anita, mother of Ashley and Ashton Archer, ages 21 and 20. It was decided Anita would undergo a lumpectomy, which was performed by Dr Nicholas Tranakas of Broward Surgical Associates. Her subsequent chemotherapy treatments were also performed abroad, but she returned to New Providence to continue her radiation treatment.

Anita has not regressed and believes it has to do with her commitment to early detection and “moving quickly” once the cancer was discovered. For this reason, she encourages women to get their annual mammograms and perform self breast testing regularly, adding that “once you feel anything – anything at all – go and get tested”. She is a 20-year employee of the Nassau Guardian in sales and advertising, a talented graphic artist and an alumni of St Anne’s High School and St Benedict’s College.

She reacted quickly to her diagnosis rather than staying in a state of shock or disbelief, and this has allowed her to get on with her personal and professional life. “Some persons would talk about the fear; I wasn’t really afraid,” Anita said. “My whole thing was doing what I had to do to get rid of whatever it was and moving forward to correct the situation. I decided that this was not going to defeat me. I prayed and asked God to cover, keep and protect me. I knew that God had a purpose in my life and this is in no way, form or fashion a death sentence and I will not let it pull me down.”

Sometimes when cancer takes a life, she noted, it is because of financial constraints, not having insurance, or not having enough support to help maintain a positive attitude through the fight.

Her parents, Michael and Angela Rolle, family and friends provided a support base that gave her the encouragement she needed through her own battle.

“A lot of it is financial at times,” she said, “so I said if I could do something to help someone, it would be a perfect birthday gift to myself.”

Anita turned 43 last month, but the event had to be postponed. She still plans on celebrating her birthday this month with a new event designed to help others in the breast cancer fight, and sees it as providence that the event ended up being held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Anita’s Celebration for a Cause in conjunction with Perfect Fit Bahamas will host “The Sweat Fete”.

The Sweat Fete breast cancer awareness fitness event will be held on Saturday, October 27 from 7am to 10am at Goodman’s Bay. The event will feature a 45-minute Soca workout followed by a health fair. The Public Hospital Authority will host free health screenings and other sponsors will be providing free samples, and there will be healthy food and drinks. The event will be hosted by Rika C with music by DJ Turbulenc, and local performers Novie, Patrice Murrell and Bodine. Anita is asking for a minimum $5 donation from attendees, but encourages people to come out and give as much as they can, with proceeds being donated to the Jennie Dean Caring and sharing support group.

Perfect Fit, she said, meets Mondays through Thursdays at 6pm and 7pm at Goodman’s Bay. She enjoys exercising with the group, which is sensitive to those battling cancer or those who survived, making it a great fit for her. The group, she added, provides lots of health tips and provides a positive space no matter what level of fitness you may be at.

“Sweat Fete is about celebrating life, celebrating health, and counting every blessing you have been given,” Anita said. “I am celebrating for a cause. My purpose is now to help others and work towards educating persons on what cancer is and the importance of remaining positive. I wanted to share my story for others who may be faced with this.

“Make up you mind you can overcome anything, that you can overcome all things through Christ who strengthens you. We sometimes don’t see the miracles in things because our faith is small. You have to believe you are healed and be positive about what you are going through and understand that God is in control and has the final say. Once you believe and have that inner trust, you can beat the inner beast.

It’s only a test and a trial.

Look at what Christ went through for us. So what is it to go through a trial in life?

Pass that test and do it with flying colors. In the midst of the test, you continue praise Him. Don’t throw in the towel and keep your head down. The main thing I learned through my experience is to remain positive and don’t give up.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 11

STUDENTS IN ANTI-DISCRIMINATION SESSION MINISTER of Social Services and Community Development Frankie Campbell led a mock session of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) last Monday, inviting high schoolers and college students to learn about The Bahamas’ progress.

He presented to the students in the same fashion that he will present to the United Nations body when he leads a delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, on October 21.

Mr Campbell fielded three questions each from UB students Tayte

Adderley (media and journalism), Tinarge Moxey (law and criminal justice) and Shaquille Hanna (LLB Bachelors of Law). He then addressed questions from students who attended from schools such as Government High, CV Bethel, RM Bailey, Anatol Rogers and Akhepran International.

Questions touched on topics including of nationality and the failed referenda; the treatment of women who ran for leaders of political parties and inequality in treatment of women in politics; the LGBTQI community, including gender roles and identity; how men will be affected and included; marital rape; sex

workers and trafficking; inequality in the workplace and pay scales; and the education system.

Members of the CEDAW national committee were on hand to assist with answers, as the team has been working on preparing the report for many months. Committee members present included Senior Nursing Officer Sherry Armbrister, Kayla Smith of the Office of the Attorney General representing for committee member Jewel Major, senior officer of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Gabriella Pratt and Janet McKenzie, and Director of Gender and Family ATTENDEES at the CEDAW mock session.

Affairs Dr Jacinta Higgs.

JUDGES FREE PRISONER FROM 15-YEAR SENTENCE from page one

According to the appellate judges, their reasoning for acquitting Collie was primarily because of the “prejudicial effect” caused by a key Crown witness identifying Collie as the “Tattoo Man” one of Collie’s co-accused told him about, despite there being no evidence that the man the witness knew and the “Tattoo Man” the coaccused referred to were the same person.

That, the appellate judges said, combined with the evidence of the deceased’s wife that she knew Collie to also go by the name “Tattoo”, which was subsequently “warped” by the Crown from “Tattoo” to “Tattoo Man”, ultimately “operated to undermine the fairness of the trial”.

According to the ruling, Mr Outten and his wife Anna Outten worked at US Gold in Grand Bahama.

Mrs Outten was the manager of three stores located in the Jireh’s Plaza, Eight Mile Rock and in the International Bazaar.

Mr Outten ran the store in Eight Mile Rock.

On the date in question, a

man who Mrs Outten later identified as Collie, and who she also knew as “Tattoo”, came into their store as the last customer for the day.

Mr Outten served Collie and purchased a 14-karat gold chain and charm from him for $1,540. Mr Outten placed the purchased items and some other items in a pink pouch that he then put in his left hip pocket.

The Outtens closed the store around 4pm and headed to Eight Mile Rock in a Ford F-150 truck. On the way, they stopped at their home in Deadman’s Reef to pick up a fish pot they intended to put in the water by a dock in the Bahama Bay area. However, when they reached the dock they realised that Mrs Outten had forgotten to bring the rope needed to tie the fish pot to the dock, so they returned home to get it.

Upon their arrival, Mr Outten got out of the truck, followed by Mrs Outten.

He was at the steps to the porch of the house when a masked man armed with a gun came from around the west side of the house.

The masked man told Mr Outten to get down; but instead Mr Outten put his

two hands on top of the truck.

Mrs Outten ran to a neighbour’s house leaving her Gucci handbag containing her personal items behind in the truck. As she was running, she heard what sounded like two gunshots.

The neighbour subsequently contacted the police who came, and accompanied by Mrs Outten, went to the home where they found Mr Outten shot to death in the driver’s seat of the truck. His pants pocket was pulled out and the pink pouch was missing along with the gold chain and charm. Additionally, the glove compartment of the truck appeared to have been searched as well as the Outtens’ residence.

The Gucci handbag was also missing.

A search of the surrounding area was conducted and a gold Buick car that was owned by Valentino Bethel, one of Collie’s co-accused, was found parked near the scene on an unnamed service road.

Collie was later arrested and questioned by police in the presence of his lawyer about the conspiracy, armed robbery and murder. Collie

denied any involvement in the matter. Nonetheless, he was charged along with three others, Valentino Bethel, Natario Walkins and Harrison Walkins with conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The others faced additional charges of murder and armed robbery.

At the trial, one of the Crown’s key witnesses, Omar Rolle, testified that in December of 2012, he was contacted by Collie, who is his cousin, who instructed him to meet him at Burger King, downtown. He went to the location and upon arriving there, met Collie along with Bethel, Natario Walkins and Harrison Walkins.

Rolle said Collie told him and the others that he (Collie) sold Mr Outten some gold, and that Mr Outten had two residences — one uptown and one in “the Rocks”. Collie further told them that when they held up Mr Outten and his wife, they were to bring all the gold and keep the money for themselves, and to not hurt the woman.

According to the ruling, Collie wanted Rolle to kidnap the Outtens when they got to their home in Eight Mile Rock.

The Crown also called a witness, Ryan Pinder, who, while giving evidence principally against Natario Walkins, called Collie’s name as a person involved in the conspiracy to rob Mr Outten. During his examination in chief, Mr Pinder, when giving evidence of what Natario Walkins had told him, mentioned that “Tattoo Man” did certain things.

Mr Pinder recounted how Natario Walkins told him “Tattoo Man” had planned the robbery.

Mr Pinder also spoke of Collie being angry because he did not get his cut out of the money taken from Mr Outten.

In answer to a question posed by the Crown, Mr Pinder said “And he gone into saying that ‘Tattoo Man’…” Collie’s attorney at the time interjected and following an exchange between him and the court, the Crown attorney asked: “So you mentioned the name ‘Tattoo Man’; do you know ‘Tattoo Man’ by any other name?”

In response, Mr Pinder said: “Shawn”.

However, the appellate judges said that portion of Pinder’s evidence was

“highly prejudicial” to Collie, especially considering that it had not been established that the “Tattoo Man” to whom Natario Walkins was referring was the same “Tattoo Man” Pinder knew.

Additionally, the appellate judges said the trial judge should have alluded to Rolle’s evidence where he indicated that he had been taken into custody for Mr Outten’s murder, and how that may have influenced his evidence; that is, Rolle may have been seeking to minimise his involvement in the alleged plot and consequently placed the blame on someone else.

The appellate judges said the trial judge noted that Rolle may have been an accomplice, but did not explain the “significance of that status to the quality of the evidence” Rolle gave, and “how the jury was to approach such evidence were they to find as much.”

The appellate judges said Rolle’s evidence required a “more robust” direction from the trial judge in the circumstances of the case and that his failure to do so “materially affected the fairness” of Collie’s trial.

PAGE 12, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Insurers ‘uncertain’ over hospital debts

By AVA TURNQUEST AND RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporters

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

THE Bahamas Insurance Association says it is “uncertain at this time” if private insurers owe revenue to the Public Hospitals Authority due to the PHA’s inadequate billing system.

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands has said the PHA delivers as much as $40m in unpaid services, a hole he is aiming to plug.

He has indicated the PHA will in the future be seeking revenue that historically it has been unable to collect, inclusive of “insurance revenue, National Insurance (Board) revenue, Road Act revenue and the co-pays that are gazetted by law that people have not historically been willing or able to pay”.

BIA chairman Emmanuel Komolafe was asked recently what would be the implications of changing the PHA’s billing system and introducing a new fee schedule.

“It is uncertain at this time, whether private health insurers have any current exposure to the Public Hospitals Authority,” he said.

“If in fact that there is some exposure, we are unclear as to the extent of the same. It is also difficult to ascertain at this time what (if any) impact the proposed increase in fees by the PHA will have on insurance premiums.”

Currently, as many as 87 percent of patients pay nothing for care at PMH. “There are millions of dollars in services that are provided to insured patients which are neither billed nor collectable by the Public Hospitals Authority and primarily PMH in large part because we are unable to generate bills in the format required for the insurers to pay,” Dr Sands said last week.

Noting private practitioners have staff that generate bills with requisite documents, Dr Sands said: “They will then code the bill with an international classification disease code and a CTT code. They will then attach the medical record, documentation as well as

MINISTER of Health Duane Sands.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff a signed release from the have to be able to translate patient and so forth and so a medical document into a forth. All of those things certifiable bill. When you will have to be done within send a bill, you are testing a certain timeframe and has that this bill is a reasonable to be what we call a ‘clean reflection of the service claim’, so you have to put provided, nothing more, together all these moving nothing less. It’s not the pieces. physician who is doing the “PMH does not have coding. The staff has to a computerised billing translate a medical appointsystem so suppose Rashad ment to a code, 999070, now goes to a hospital and 99071, all of which are difhe uses a dose of antibiot- ferent complexity visits but ics, gets a CAT scan, goes which charge out at difin for an operation, etc, it ferent amounts. If I do an may be three weeks, four appendectomy, it is a simple weeks before a bill is gen- appendectomy? Is it a comerated. Then nobody could plicated appendectomy? find the medical records Because that determines and so you cannot then bill what you can bill and if even though the patient has you get it wrong it is fraud. insurance and the service When you have a system was provided. That state- like we have in The Bahament that there is as much mas which in the public as $40m of unpaid services health sector has not kept is reflective of the realities, up with the requirements the institutional capacity of the insurance compaand the current services nies, then you have all of provided for which we are these missed opportunities not able to benefit,” Dr and all these missed opporSands said. tunities translate into the Most medical records at revenues you need to run PMH are handwritten and the facility.” many are difficult to find.

Mr Komolafe said the Dr Sands said whereas BIA welcomes initiatives incomplete documenta- that would strengthen the tion could cause ten to 20 public healthcare system. percent of the bills of priHe said the association vate medical providers to would be happy to meet be rejected, for PMH this with the PHA as industry number could be as high as stakeholders with a view 80 percent or 90 percent. to collaborating on how PHA is in the process to improve the quality of of building the necessary healthcare. systems, but Dr Sands could “It is also important to not say when they will state that private health be operational, in part insurers take their responsibecause the necessary bilities seriously and honour skillset for operating the their obligations to policy systems do not exist in the holders as documented in public sector at the desired the policy contracts,” Mr level.

Komolafe said.

“In my private office, “All valid claims that are I have three people who submitted are paid within can code and bill,” he said. the timeframe specified by “They have to be trained, the policies.”

40-YEAR MURDER SENTENCE APPEAL REJECTED BY COURT

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE Court of Appeal has dismissed a man’s bid to contest his 40-year sentence for murdering a web shop employee who was in the process of collecting deposit bags four years ago.

Appellate President Sir Hartman Longley, with fellow Justices Jon Isaacs and Milton Evans, affirmed Milton McKinney’s conviction and sentence for murdering Prince Prudent in August 11, 2014.

Sir Hartman said the appellate judges would provide their reasons at a later date.

McKinney was sentenced to 40 years for murdering Prudent, 12 years for attempted armed robbery, and 14 years for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, all to run concurrently.

According to reports, shortly after 8.30am on the date in question, Prudent, an A Sure Win employee, was driving his Honda Civic east on Sapodilla Boulevard. He had just collected deposit bags from the establishment in Nassau Village and was being followed by a second car providing security.

As he approached the junction of Willow Tree Avenue, three men in a gold Honda overtook them and blocked the street. Two of the occupants got out

of the vehicle and started discharging shots into the vehicle, hitting Prudent, who lost control of his car and crashed into a wall on Willow Tree Avenue.

Forensic pathologist Dr Caryn Sands said Prudent suffered at least five gunshot wounds, inclusive of one to the head and one to the abdomen, all of which were “potentially fatal”.

During trial, evidence was led how McKinney, who was the first gunman that got out of the vehicle that overtook Prudent’s car, attempted to take the deposit bags but was prevented from doing so because Sergeant Clifford Dugay, who was driving behind Prudent in the convoy, had fired his Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun at him and hit him in the leg.

McKinney admitted to being shot with a shotgun and said he had three shotgun injuries in his right leg, but claimed those injuries were due to him being shot in a separate incident on August 22, 2014. Nonetheless, Dr Yvette Thimothee, a general practitioner, testified that McKinney had at least two healed gunshot injuries on the back of his leg, and that bullet fragments resembling pellets were still in his leg.

Additionally, McKinney admitted in a statement that he was the driver of the vehicle that overtook Prudent’s car.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 13

A CALL FOR CRITICAL THINKING AS WE MOVE OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY FORWARD

By BNT executive director Eric Carey and One Eleuthera Foundation CEO Shaun Ingraham EXPERTS estimate that by the year 2028, a mere decade away, tourism will directly and indirectly contribute over 60 percent of the Bahamian gross domestic product (GDP). That being the case, we simply cannot afford to make material and ongoing mistakes in this sector.

As Bahamians, we owe it to ourselves to assure our political representatives approach the subject of tourism with the utmost care, attention and critical thinking. We must demand that our political representatives focus on preserving and growing segments of our tourism sector that offer the greatest return on investment, the highest employment and ownership potential, with the least environment and cultural degradation.

Disney Cruise Line’s recent announcement of its proposed plan to build a private cruise port at Lighthouse Point at the southern end of Eleuthera has acted as a powerful catalyst for critical thinking about the direction of our tourism industry.

If government were to approve Disney’s proposed project, it would be the eighth such private cruise port in this nation: Coco Cay (Little Stirrup Cay), Big Stirrup, Castaway Cay (Gorda Cay), Princess Cays (South Eleuthera), Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador), Ocean Cay (near Bimini), the Carnival Cruise line project (Grand Bahama), and now Lighthouse Point (South Eleuthera).

Today’s Status Quo For quite some time now, we have lived within an upside-down tourism economy where around 75 percent of our visitors contribute only around 10 percent of our total tourism dollars. Who comprises this 75 percent? They are cruise passengers. Our Minister of Tourism has neither been ignorant of, nor silent on, the issue. Indeed, over the past two years he has made many public statements on the paradox. Mr D’Aquilar has not only shed light on this important fact, he has pledged to investigate ways in which our country might effectively increase the clearly anemic and disproportionally small contribution by the cruise industry to our tourism economy. His focus, however, has been limited to exploring ways in which we can entice cruise passengers to spend more money, but has largely ignored the elephant in the room: the increasing number of private cruise ports.

The flip-side of the foregoing reality is that roughly 25 percent of our visitors contribute around 90 percent of our total tourism dollars. These gold-star contributors are our “stopover” visitors, to use a term adopted by our Ministry of Tourism. They are tourists who truly visit The Bahamas, stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores and visit our national parks, as well as our historical and cultural sites.

Historical perspective As it turns out, our government compiles and archives statistics on contributions to our tourism economy and the information is publicly available on the Ministry of Tourism’s website. Despite the cruise companies’ rhetoric to the contrary, we see from the historical data that the industry has always contributed little to our tourism economy. If we choose, we can pick any year between 1989 and 2018 and see that nothing much has changed; the cruise industry’s contribution ranges between approximately 8.6 percent and 12 percent. In an August 2017 interview with The Guardian, Mr D’Aguilar said we have placed too much attention on how many visitors have been coming to the country, when the focus should be on how much they spend while in the country.

While the status quo

has been in place for quite some time, we are, however, experiencing a strengthening trend. As referenced above, suddenly there are three new private cruise port projects either already under construction or in the planning stages. That bears some scrutiny. After all, we depend upon tourism and we must, therefore, plot our course very carefully.

The Private Cruise Port Model of Tourism Around 35-40 percent of all cruise itineraries include our beautiful aquamarine corner of the globe and cruise line profits doubled between 2008 and 2018!

Millions of cruise passengers have and will continue to visit private cruise ports in the region. Cruise lines are ecstatic about the private cruise port model of tourism and are investing heavily in creating new and “improved” private facilities. Why? Because the model maximises the profits to be made by the cruise line while minimising the potential for profits to be diluted.

In other words, the private cruise port model allows the cruise line to capture and keep virtually all revenue generated within the private port and limits opportunities for passengers to spend money elsewhere.

What are we, as the host nation, left with? We are given a share of the departure tax that is levied on each passenger and we are given the hope that ships will stop in Nassau. In other words, we are given the status quo: a tourism sector where 75 percent of our visitors account for only 10 percent of the total tourism “spend”.

To engage in “critical thinking” means to engage in objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

If we are to think critically about the cruise industry in The Bahamas, we must ask ourselves whether our continued approval of private cruise ports is in the best interest of our tourism economy. To the extent we have, as a nation, allowed the expansion of the private cruise port model based upon the mere hope that a sizable percentage of cruise passengers who enjoy a private cruise port will return someday as “stop-over” tourists, that hope appears to have been misplaced.

According to research conducted by CREST (The Center for Responsible Travel), cruisers are loyal to cruising and loyal to one or more cruise line brands, but they are not loyal to any particular destination.

Time to Shift Focus We must not continue blindly to acquiesce to the cruise sector that contributes only 10 percent of our tourism revenue at an immeasurable cost.

We cannot get Little Stirrup Cay back; it will never be the same. We cannot get Gorda Cay back; it will never be the same. None of the islands or enclaves we lease or sell to cruise lines can ever be gotten back. They are forever changed. As desperate as we may be for the hope of employment, of a steady pay-cheque, a philanthropic handout or two by a cruise line, we cannot surrender our critical thinking as we plot the future of our tourism economy.

Right now, we are feeling the “Disney Effect”, a set of subjective assumptions based upon wishful outcomes rather than empirical evidence, but we must not look at the drama unfolding around Lighthouse Point without examining the larger picture. We Bahamians find ourselves in a watershed moment. Lighthouse Point is a Golden Goose, and there are very few others like her. We can either allow it to be sold to a cruise line and doom ourselves to the status quo, an upside-down tourism economy where 75 percent of our visitors contribute only 10 percent of our tourism dollars and Disney doubles its profits, or we can put the same Golden Goose to work for The Bahamas and Bahamian citizens, particularly Eleutherans. We can begin to steer our country towards more profitable

models of tourism or we can spend the rest of our lives dreaming up ways in which to squeeze out a few more dollars from cruise passengers.

The stunning backdrop of Lighthouse Point holds the potential for us to create a flagship sustainable tourism destination that will serve as a model to spawn other similar right-size tourism projects throughout the islands. This model promises to retain profits within The Bahamas and to provide real and meaningful employment and ownership opportunities. The cruise industry holds a place in our tourism economy. It is a road already taken. But we do not need to continue approving private cruise ports at the expense of other, more profitable models of tourism.

Our priority must now be focused on improving the travel experience for the segment of our visitors that contribute the most to our country. Lighthouse Point and the model proposed by the Lighthouse Point Partners will attract the type of visitor we need, especially in the family islands. These visitors abhor high-volume, high-impact tourism and yearn for something more authentically Bahamian. If you are reading this piece while struggling to feed your family and feel you do not have the luxury to care about the environment or the preservation of Bahamian heritage, we understand. We ask only that proper attention be paid to the numbers because the numbers don’t lie, they don’t spin, they don’t obfuscate. It is an empirical fact that stopover tourists spend around 20-25 times more than cruise tourists and those revenues remain in the country. We need to think critically about our tourism economy and make the right choices. Our future as a nation depends upon it.

• This article is run as an advertisement on behalf of BNT and One Eleuthera.

PAGE 14, Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

KAVANAUGH SWORN IN AT SUPREME COURT

By ALAN FRAM, LISA MASCARO and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press BRETT Kavanaugh has been sworn as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, after a wrenching debate over sexual misconduct and judicial temperament that shattered the Senate, captivated the nation and ushered in an acrimonious new level of polarisation — now encroaching on the court that the 53-year-old judge may well swing rightward for decades to come.

Even as Kavanaugh took his oath of office in a quiet private ceremony, not long after the narrowest Senate confirmation in nearly a century and a half, protesters chanted outside the court building across the street from the Capitol.

The climactic 50-48 roll call capped a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that he had sexually assaulted women three decades ago — allegations he emphatically denied. Those accusations transformed the clash from a routine struggle over judicial ideology into an angry jumble of questions about victims’ rights, the presumption of innocence and personal attacks on nominees.

President Donald Trump, flying to Kansas for a political rally, flashed a thumbs-up gesture when the tally was announced and praised Kavanaugh for being “able to withstand this horrible, horrible attack by the Democrats.” He later telephoned his congratulations to the new justice, then at the rally returned to his own attack on the Democrats as “an angry left-wing mob.”

A YOUNG girl is helped in Haiti while, inset, residents who were injured by an aftershock receive treatment outside the general hospital in Port-de-Paix, Haiti

At least 15 dead as Haiti hit by quake

By EVENS SANON Associated Press THE death toll from a 5.9 earthquake that hit Haiti over the weekend rose to at least 15 people with 333 injured, according to updated figures released yesterday by authorities, as rescue crews worked to help victims spooked by strong aftershocks.

Haiti’s civil protection agency said in a statement that it will soon deploy 70 soldiers to the Nord-Ouest and Artibonite provinces

that were hardest hit, noting it already sent 14 soldiers along with nurses and doctors to the area over the weekend.

Thousands of people along Haiti’s north coast have dragged mattresses and chairs outside, fearing new aftershocks. Many wondered how they were going to rebuild from Saturday night’s quake and a strong 5.2 magnitude aftershock on Sunday that had residents in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and elsewhere worried about

returning to their cracked cinderblock homes for fear they would collapse.

Among them was MarcSena Docteur, a 24-year-old carpenter whose girlfriend died in the earthquake.

“Now I’m left with a ninemonth-old baby with no aid at all,” he said. “I’m still crying. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her.”

The walls of the room that the couple had been renting for a year collapsed, and he and the baby have been sleeping outdoors since the quake.

Sunday’s aftershock caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims after cinderblock homes and rickety buildings toppled in several cities. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-dePaix. Among the dead were a five-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house.

Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous

circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people.

Etanvie Dimorne, a 50-year-old mason, said people have to rebuild stronger given the earthquakes that have hit Haiti.

He lost his home in Saturday’s quake and is now sleeping under a tarp in someone’s yard. “Last night it rained,” he said. “I have to sleep under difficult conditions.”

President Jovenel Moise urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to coordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicated efforts. The government did not provide an estimate of the damages.

The USGS said Saturday’s quake was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince.

It was felt lightly in the

capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported. In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic.

The damage from the temblors was visible. In Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles.

Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled. “The house can fall at any time,” he said.

The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, GrosMorne, Chansolme and Turtle Island.

Damage was also reported at the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance and the police station in Port-de-Paix.

FOUR SISTERS AMONG 20 DEAD AS LIMO HEADS TO BIRTHDAY PARTY

By MICHAEL HILL and BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press A LIMOUSINE carrying four sisters, other relatives and friends to a birthday celebration blew through a stop sign and slammed into a parked SUV outside a store in upstate New York, killing all 18 people in the limo and two pedestrians, officials and victims’ relatives said Sunday.

The weekend crash was characterized by authorities as the deadliest U.S. transportation accident in nearly a decade. The crash turned a relaxed Saturday afternoon to horror at a rural spot popular with tourists viewing the region’s fall foliage. Relatives said the limousine was carrying the sisters and their friends to a 30th birthday celebration for the youngest.

“They were wonderful girls,” said their aunt, Barbara Douglas, speaking with reporters Sunday.

“They’d do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family.”

Douglas said three of the sisters were with their husbands, and she identified them as Amy and Axel Steenburg, Abigail and Adam Jackson, Mary and Rob Dyson and Allison King.

“They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn’t have to drive anywhere,” she said, adding the couples had several

FRIENDS of victims who died in Saturday’s fatal limousine crash comfort each other in Schoharie, N.Y. children between them who they left at home.

The 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was traveling southwest on Route 30 in Schoharie, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of New York City, when it failed to stop at 2 p.m. Saturday at a T-junction with state Route 30A, State Police First Deputy Superintendent Christopher Fiore said at a news conference in Latham, New York.

It went across the road and hit an unoccupied SUV parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store, killing the limousine driver, the 17 passengers, and two people outside the vehicle.

The crash “sounded like an explosion,” said Linda Riley, of nearby Schenectady, who was on a shopping trip with her sisters. She had been in another car parked

at the store, saw a body on the ground and heard people start screaming.

The store manager, Jessica Kirby, told The New York Times the limo was coming down a hill at “probably over 60 mph.”

“We have had 3 tractor trailer type trucks run through the stop through our driveway and into a field behind the business,” Kirby wrote. “All of these occurred during business hours and could’ve killed someone then.”

She added that the state Department of Transportation has banned heavy trucks from the intersection but there are constant smaller crashes. “More accidents than I can count.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

THE TRIBUNE

‘The Bahamas’ own street philosopher’

TO donate to the Potcake House Fire Relief Fund, go into, or electronic transfer to, any Bank of The Bahamas branch, to Acct #5510082190 (Main Branch 157) in the name of Loxley Thompson.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018, PAGE 15