11102022 NEWS AND SPORT

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 800 people were forced to seek shelter yesterday as Hur ricane Nicole barreled across Abaco and Grand Bahama, dumping heavy rain and gusty winds – stir ring up painful memories for many still reeling from Dorian’s devastation.

The storm’s centre made landfall on Abaco just before noon Wednesday as a tropical storm before trekking over to Grand Bahama, which officials

said was in line for a direct hit.

By the time the storm reached the nation’s second city — around 6pm — it had already intensified to a category one hurricane. A total of 885 people were said to be housed in government shelters as a result of the storm as of 4pm yesterday.

Details on Nicole’s full impact on Grand Bahama were not known up to press time last night, but as it made landfall, the storm

was said to be moving west at 13mph with an esti mated maximum sustained wind of 75mph.

Even before landfall, there were reports of downed trees and heavy flooding in parts of Grand Bahama as well as in Abaco, including its cays - though there were no confirmed casualties.

There were also reported power outages, water disruption and uprooted structures, but structural damage overall

was said not to be exten sive on the island.

“Abaco fared better in terms of wind speed, according to Mr Greene from the Met Department.

The highest sustained winds were around 43 miles an hour with gusts of up to 59,” Minister of State for Disaster Pre paredness Myles Laroda said during a press con ference at the National Emergency Management Agency yesterday.

SECURITIES COMMISSION PROBE CRISIS AS FTX RISKS COLLAPSE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Securities Com mission was yesterday investigating the crisis that has left The Bahamas’ flag ship digital assets investor on the brink of collapse after a rival crypto currency exchange walked away from a rescue deal.

Christina Rolle, the regu lator’s executive director, could not be reached for comment but sources con firmed it was “very closely monitoring and investi gating” the situation that at press time last night appeared to have left FTX’s continued existence - and multi-million dollar Baha mas expansion plans - in ever-growing peril.

In a day of fast-paced developments rival exchange, Binance, walked away from acquiring FTX in a deal that was effec tively a bail-out designed to alleviate the latter’s liquid ity crisis.

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SARKIS Izmirlian is dou bling down on allegations of “shocking evidence” that Baha Mar’s main contrac tor “paid illegal kickbacks to the family of Bahamian officials” as part of a plot to seize Baha Mar and estab lish “Chinese control”.

RESIDENTS wading through water off West Bay Street yesterday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

A PLAYGROUND and the district government office in Hope Town, Abaco, yesterday. Photo: Residents of Elbow Cay

FLOODING at Marsh Harbour yesterday.

ABOVE and below, West End in Grand Bahama yesterday. Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

FLOODING in Abaco yesterday.

Nicole makes landfall

As it relates to Grand Bahama, Chief Meteoro logical Officer Geoffrey Greene said the entire island was likely to be affected by the storm and added that officials were hoping to give the all clear for residents there some time this morning or early afternoon.

He also predicted more rainfall until Friday.

“Nicole is expected to produce amounts of three to five inches of rain with localised higher amounts up to eight inches mainly across Grand Bahama and Abaco today through Friday,” he said.

In terms of shelters, officials said more than 20 shelters were acti vated across the country in response to Nicole, with at least two reaching maxi mum capacity during the storm’s passage over The Bahamas.

Early yesterday morning, it was reported that some 520 people had sought refuge in the more than 20 approved government shel ters, however that number later grew to over 800 people throughout the day.

“The majority of the occupied shelters that we are aware of are approved shelters. There are two shelters – one in Treasure Cay and the other in Marsh Harbour that are unofficial shelters but they have a significant number of per sons sheltering in them,” said Charlamae Fernander, acting deputy director for the Department of Social Services.

Although only Abaco and Grand Bahama were in the direct path of the storm, the storm’s presence was still felt in other islands.

In Eleuthera and Andros, there was extensive flood ing reported while in New Providence, rough seas spilling over onto roadways

led to road closures in por tions of West Bay Street and areas like Ferguson Road and along Saunders Beach among others.

However, those islands were given the all clear by weather officials after 5pm yesterday.

“In those islands, schools and universities will resume classes tomorrow (Thurs day) and all government workers are asked to return to duty,” acting Prime Min ister Chester Cooper said in his live address from NEMA last night.

“In the islands of Grand Bahama, Abaco, Berry Islands and Bimini, NEMA will make an announce ment in due course but these areas continue to be under warnings.

“I want to assure the Bahamian people, particu larly in Grand Bahama and Abaco that the gov ernment and its agencies have deployed assets and resources necessary for

search and rescue and recovery.”

According to Mr Cooper, a team of officials is expected to travel to Abaco

PM’S ‘HEARTBREAK’ AT SEEING FLOODING

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he was heartbroken to see flooding that was sparked by Hurri cane Nicole.

Mr Davis, who is in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt representing the country’s interests on climate change at COP27, told people in Grand Bahama and Abaco to “take heart” and remem ber “the Lord is not going to put on us more than we can bear”.

He said his government’s top priority would be to address bringing normali sation where the storm has possibly disrupted lives and operations.

His comments came as the storm lashed Abaco before making its way to Grand Bahama.

“As I reminded the world yesterday (Tuesday), they don’t have to feel as pas sionate as I do about my people, nor am I going to talk to them about whether they are passionate about their own,” Mr Davis said.

“What I am concerned about is this existential threat, which is no longer a threat, but the reality of the intensity and frequency of hurricanes and I have been reminding them as I was speaking yesterday, and as I spoke during the course of the day, that we were expe riencing the high winds the sea surges and the rain and the flooding.

“I’ve been seeing the images and my heart

continues to go out for our people in times such as these. That is why our voices have to be heard at events such as these, so they have the reality of what is happening and that’s why I have to call on the world to get real about ensuring that loss and damage has to be compensated for.

“We do not have a sig nificant carbon footprint in the world. Yes, we do have a significant carbon sink in the world, but yet still after this hurricane has passed, who is going to have to pay for the recovery, recon struction and normalising the lives of my people? We have to, from the meagre resources that we are able to earn.”

He also said: “We must remember this is our new reality and we have to become accustomed to this. That’s why we are here making the point that we can’t do it alone. Our new reality is not the result of what we have done, but what the industrialised world would have done and, therefore, they have to come to the rescue of small island developing states

such as ours and that is the one voice that you’re hear ing throughout the theme here.

“All of the leaders from the small island developing states are now joining the voice that something has to be done and done now.”

In words to residents of Abaco and Grand Bahama, Mr Davis empathised with them.

“I say to you, take heart. Remember that the Lord is not going to put on us more than we can bear. I under stand the trauma that you are undergoing now, the recall that you would be having after Dorian with this visit of Nicole.

“Please stay safe, adhere to the warnings, I want to thank the acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper for his efforts to ensure that the word got out and taking the action that was neces sary to ensure that lives are not lost, and damage is minimal.”

Mr Davis said he was in constant communication with local officials through out the storm.

“I am talking to the Meteorology Department and they have been keeping me abreast. I’ve been get ting pictures from persons in New Providence show ing the flooding, which is just breaking my heart as I speak.

“Please stay safe, follow the advisories that have been given, watch out for your water intake and ensure that you protect yourself from anything that water may be bearing.”

and Grand Bahama today to assess conditions on those islands following the storm’s passage. This comes as the

communities are still recovering from Hurricane Dorian which laid waste to portions of the islands in 2019.

YESTERDAY’s press conference by NEMA.

Photo: BIS

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday.

FLOODING in Grand Bahama yesterday, in West End, above, and at the Fishing Hole Causeway, below.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

‘So far so good’ for Abaco

By JADE RUSSELL AND LETRE SWEETING jrussell@tribunemedia.net lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

ABACO residents dealt with immense flooding from the late season storm Nicole yesterday, with some experiencing anxiety and others thankful this experi ence was not as traumatic as Hurricane Dorian.

Junior Mernard, a member of the Hope Town District Council, said their office was underwater.

“Our office is cur rently underwater in Hope Town in the settlement and the kids’ playground is flooded,” he told this newspaper.

“But so far so good, we don’t anticipate any major damage from this. There will be some minor cleanup you know with the surge bringing in some light debris that’s about it.

“And we hope that we can get back to normal again real soon. There’s no ferry service from the island, all the ferry service suspended until further notice,” Mr Mernard said.

He said fortunately there was no flooding reported in the homes of Hope Town residents.

He said power in Hope Town had been off since

Tuesday, adding that resi dents still did not have power yesterday around 11am.

Bishop Silbert Mills, a resident of Marsh Har bour, said 217 persons sought shelter at his church, Friendship Tabernacle.

Bishop Mills told this newspaper the influx of people entering the two designated shelters in Central Abaco was over whelming to the point a third designated shelter had to be opened.

The storm grew into a hurricane after it left Abaco and made landfall in Grand Bahama yesterday evening.

Residents said the storm brought gusty winds and heavy rain that poured into the streets.

“So now we have three (shelters), we were refus ing so many people we had to open something else.

So, folks in low-lying areas made it out without any incident and voluntarily occupied shelters during the storm,” Bishop Mills said.

He said Nicole began to rage around 7am yesterday resulting in flooding at Cen tral Abaco.

Bishop Mills said a storm surge had “snowballed” into areas of Abaco, adding that he received videos and

photographs of the surge in areas of Blackwood, Coop er’s Town, Green Turtle Cay, Hope Town, and Cher okee Sound.

However, there has been a positive shift on Abaco in terms of residents’ prepa ration and willingness to evacuate areas considered to be vulnerable.

Bishop Mills said: “I think Dorian was a wakeup call and people aren’t taking any chances with this.”

Amanda Sawyer, a resi dent of Treasure Cay, said many residents had anxiety because of Dorian and the traumatic impact it left in 2019.

“We just need to weather it out as best as we can. Also, try to stay calm. I think a lot of people are struggling from hysteria, so it makes things worse.”

Karen Laroda, a resident of Cedar Harbour, on Little Abaco, feared the kneedeep water in the front yard of her house.

Ms Laroda said sea levels rose, which caused water to flood throughout the streets and eventually into her yard.

When she spoke to this newspaper, Ms Laroda said the water had not made its way into her home. How ever, the intensified heavy

rain and flooding had her worried of what was to come.

“I’m praying that it doesn’t get any higher because if it gets any higher then that means we will have to try and evacuate,” she said.

When asked if she had an evacuation plan, Ms Laroda said: “We’ll have to go further in the back of us because of all the debris in the road and the salt water you can’t drive your vehicle or see the road.”

Sansa Knowles, a resident of an apartment complex in Murphy Town, Marsh Har bour, who weathered the storm with her fiancé and two sons, said though she didn’t see much flooding there was a lot of strong wind and rain.

“It was scary last night, but we made it through last night, but right now it is calm. Everybody is safe. This one was easy, but I suggest anyone who doesn’t have strong structures or hurricane-proof windows seek shelter,” Ms Knowles said.

“This morning when we woke up it was really bad, a lot of rain, a lot of gusts, the few trees we had like almond trees and pear trees and banana trees, they’re all down,” she said.

“Through this area, where I live, it’s not flooded. But further up where my daughter-in-law called from, she is near the park, that’s where all the water is. Last night with the king tide, it messed it up. So, probably five or ten minutes from us, the water is all in the road,” she said.

In Cooper’s Town, D’Angelo Edgecombe, chief councillor for the dis trict, said residents remain in “good spirits” despite the weather conditions.

“Conditions were mod erate. Folks are in good spirits,” he said.

“In Cooper’s Town, the front road is the seaside road. Because of the surge, the king tide, you have debris from the ocean, sea weed, lumber and old boats washed up in the street,” Mr Edgecombe said.

He said the one shelter in his district saw up to 15 people through the night.

Mr Edgecombe added that his district has been without power and water since 9pm Tuesday.

Another resident of Cooper’s Town, Errily Russell, 59, said after the destruction of her home fol lowing Hurricane Dorian, she sought shelter with a friend to avoid further damage.

“I didn’t weather the storm at my home. I weath ered the storm at a friend’s, because last time, with Hurricane Dorian, I had to move out and do a whole renovation, there was a lot of damage,” she said.

“There was a lot of rain and wind and flooding. Some parts are flooded and some parts are not.

“Places like the Black wood area and the Cooper’s Town clinic, those places are flooded, people can’t get out, it’s still raining,” she said.

Her power and water has been off since Tuesday night.

Jeremy Sweeting, Chief Councillor for Hope Town and Guana Cay, said along with power loss, flooding was a huge concern in his district.

“We had power loss since (Tuesday). The big gest issue we faced in my district, because the storm came on a full moon with king tides, we had some flooding along the harbour front,” Mr Sweeting said.

He added, “It has impacted some of the busi nesses on the harbour front. I don’t think it’s anything insurmountable, but my district in Guana Cay and Hope Town had a lot of flooding.”

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE president of Abaco’s Chamber of Com merce said the damage from Nicole will put a dent but not be a setback to the island’s hurricane recovery.

Nicole, which hit Abaco as a tropical storm before strengthening into a hur ricane over Grand Bahama yesterday, came three years after the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, which both islands are still trying to recover from.

Daphne DegregoryMiaoulis told The Tribune yesterday afternoon that the flooding will have a neg ative effect on businesses

on the island, especially for people who had just refur bished structures damaged by Dorian to now have to find resources to fix them again.

“Yes, some of them have been affected (businesses in the Chamber of Com merce) and you know when you have saltwater flooding it means removal of sheet rock. It means replacement of furnishings. It means that there could be electrical damage.

“You know, unfortu nately, our buildings are not constructed with hurricanes in mind and so electrical outlets are way too low to really avoid being affected by floods. I know in Marsh Harbor, the ECC school

that has been completely rebuilt by NGOs, the flood ing in Marsh Harbour extends all the way to their school, which is like two streets back from the shore line,” she said.

“It’s significant, although their buildings, I think most of them are off ground. So hopefully, flooding hasn’t gotten into the buildings, but it’s significant for many businesses—new buildings obviously have been built up high enough, but existing buildings that were refur bished that are still you know, below flood levels, are gonna have to be refur bished all over again with what resources? They’ve exhausted their resources.”

She spoke with this

newspaper while the storm was still bearing down on the island.

Asked to estimate the damage the storm has brought to businesses, she compared the impact the storm had on New Provi dence, despite the island not being in its direct path.

“The worst part of the storm hasn’t passed yet. I mean, look at New Provi dence. You can’t even travel on West Bay Street and you don’t have the hurricane. So just magnify that by three or four times and then you’ll have a better appre ciation for what people in Abaco and Grand Bahama - Grand Bahama east and Grand Bahama I think people still living in tents.”

Asked if this will set back the economic pro gression on that island, she answered: “To say set back, of course it’s going to put a dent. But to set back to what it was I would say no because Abaco prob ably is the most hurricane prepared island in The Bahamas because people

who have rebuilt have rebuilt and refurbished with hurricanes in mind.

“So some of the errors of construction in the past may have been corrected or should have been corrected. But I don’t say we’re gonna get back to where we were but certainly there is going to be an economic pain to recover from this just when we were starting to get, you know, into a more lucrative position.”

Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper said on Tuesday that in the after math of the storm officials will look at all of the tools available to the government including extension of con cessions if that is required.

He gave that answer when asked if Prime Min ister Philip Davis planned to extend the Special Eco nomic Recovery Zone deadline to January 1 to accommodate for the delays of imports because of the storm.

Abaco’s Cham ber of Commerce president argued it should

be a “no-brainer” for an extension.

“There has been signifi cant flooding in all of the settlements especially as well on the cays. People who are just residents who have just now recovered still from Dorian and finally getting their homes back in order, especially their rental properties, their home, their home properties, a lot of people still don’t have their homes rebuilt or refurbished,” Ms Degreg ory-Miaoulis said.

“And I mean I don’t know what they need to reconsider - it should be an absolute no brainer that the SERZ extension needs to be continued for another three years. …People don’t have disposable cash that they can just go out and buy what they need. They’ve got to buy it as they can afford it and that just is not going to happen overnight. So if they don’t extend the SERZ order beyond December 1 in full as it was originally implemented then I say shame on the government.”

Rain, wind and floods in Grand Bahama

By KHRISNA RUSSELL AND LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporters

HURRICANE Nicole brought heavy wind, rain and flooding to Grand Bahama yesterday.

Some residents who spoke with The Tribune said they were prepared for the worst having lived through the devastation of monster storm Dorian in 2019.

The storm became a hur ricane as it made landfall on Grand Bahama around 6pm yesterday, according to the US National Hurricane Centre. Nicole packed max imum winds of 75 mph with higher gusts.

Joan Armbrister, a resident of Amanda Sub division, off Coral Road, said yesterday that while anxiety was high in having to prepare for the arrival of Nicole in only two days, there was a certain com fort in being prepared for a worst-case scenario.

“Right now, this is the worst we have had so far,” Mrs Armbrister said in an interview with The Tribune around 4.30pm yesterday.

“The rain is down now. It’s raining heavily right now and there are gusts of

wind. All day it wasn’t bad, it was just like a bad rainy day, until now.

“You’re sitting here and it’s like okay when are we going to get the bad weather? Because you are comparing it and expect ing Dorian type of weather, but it’s not like that, so you are anticipating because everyone prepared for the worst.

“The power in my area went off last night for a couple hours through the night, but by the time I woke up after 6 it was on.”

She also said: “The anxi ety to prepare in two days, most people were pre pared like myself, I didn’t have anything to do other than to go buy some bread because I don’t have bread in the house like that. But the anxiety was like I really don’t think I could be shut up in the house for a couple of days with that weather happening outside.

“I have had friends who said they would just go book a room in the hotel and whatever happens, happens but they can’t be at home trying to run out in the rain and whatever so people had that real anxiety.

“There are people who

just finished fixing their homes about two months ago, and then to go through this after three years of rebuilding. So, there is anxi ety, kids have anxiety.

“It’s nothing like Dorian and we were prepared for a Dorian kind of situation, so that’s a good thing.”

An update at noon yes terday said there were reports of downed power lines and settling of water and fallen trees in East Grand Bahama. Due to high winds, gusts and rain, staff of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) and the Grand Bahama Power Company said they would commence work once the “all clear” has been given.

Tre Dean, a resident of Eight Mile Rock, thought the storm was nothing to be scared of. He spoke before it made landfall.

Mr Dean said he pur chased canned goods and “battened up” his resi dence in preparation for the storm.

“I mean it’s a lot of breeze, but it’s noth ing to be scared about,” he said yesterday. “You would be more comfort able once you are more inland, because it’s coming from the north travelling

towards the south, so, we should be good.”

Another resident, Char miane McInnis, who lives in Freeport, said she was experiencing some flood ing in her yard. At the time of contact yesterday, she said the electricity and tel ephone service remained stable.

As a survivor of Hurri cane Dorian, she expressed concerns about the island taking a direct hit, as was predicted by weather experts.

“I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it’s coming the same time, same structure (as Dorian). It hasn’t reached as yet and in my yard is already filling up with water,” she said.

In preparation for the storm Ms McInnis pur chased a generator, canned goods and extra water

supplies. She also had developed an emergency plan in the event extraor dinary circumstances occurred.

Meanwhile, Krystyan Russell, who works at REV in Grand Bahama, said the company braced for the storm.

Mr Russell assured the public that the company has continuously imple mented various measures to better assist their “valued” customers.

He said: “We have two forms of power backups, as we have our generators, which we started prior to the storm arriving so that there is no malfunction if power was to switch over from utility to generator.

“We also have addi tional eight-hour batteries on every single cell site, so this ensures our network’s

stability from a power perspective.

“From a transformation perspective, we have micro wave resiliency at all of our key sites, which would of course for any unlikely event that a fibre was to become damaged all of the cell sites on majority of the key cell sites will remain in place,” he added.

He said the company was grateful for the lessons learned from Dorian and he expects that all levels of service will remain stable regardless of Nicole.

Both islands received support on social media as Nicole made its way out of The Bahamas.

“Grand Bahama and Abaco strong,” one Twitter user said.

Another person tweeted, “Grand Bahama and Abaco need a break man.”

ANXIETY WITH REPAIRS FROM DORIAN STILL NOT COMPLETE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama resi dents were anxious about the damage Hurricane Nicole would cause as many people on the island have yet to fully repair their homes three years after Hurricane Dorian.

The residents, many of whom sought emergency shelter, took the category one Hurricane Nicole seri ously, according to area members of Parliament.

In an interview yesterday, Marco City MP Michael Pintard said concerns and anxiety in his constituency were high.

“Persons are concerned or are anxious in light of what has happened before,” Mr Pintard said as heavy rain and gusty winds pum melled the island. “Bear in mind Grand Bahamians are very climatic event savvy. We’ve gone through so many (over the) years, per sons are able to gauge.

“So, when they hear of a tropical storm or hurricane they have a sense of what to expect. Dorian unfortu nately changed that only in the sense that despite know ing that a (category) one is generally not a devastating

storm because Hurricane Dorian occurred, persons have to wait and see to what extent the predicted wind speed, the predicted level of storm surge, whether that holds true.

“There is anxiety and, of course, because there are a number of persons who have not yet prepared their homes from Dorian there is additional anxiety over leak ing roofs. There are some persons whose windows or doors had not completely been repaired so there is understandable concern.”

He continued: “A number of residents from various constituencies have gone to shelters. I do not know overall what the count is. I just came from one of the shelters in my constituency and I believe there are some where between 35 and 40 persons who have come to that particular shelter and obviously the staff is doing everything they can to cater to them and make sure they are comfortable given what we’re up against.”

For his part, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thomp son said he had not gotten any reports that there was flooding in his constituen cies, but there were reports of widespread electricity

outages, due to a downed power line.

He told The Tribune that he was attempting to reach about ten men who had chosen to remain at Sweet ing’s Cay while the other residents decided to evacuate.

At the time of the inter view shortly before 5pm, Mr Thompson said the wind and rain had been at their highest intensity at that point.

He said: “Residents were very, very concerned. I went through the communities speaking to residents and ensuring that they were aware of it. The response that I got was very posi tive. Most were well aware of the storm. Most were keeping track of the storm. A significant number of persons left and evacuated into the main areas of Free port. Sweeting’s Cay was completely evacuated save for about a few men who decided they would remain, the other area, east settle ments from McLean’s Town coming into Freetown, I would say about half of them would have evacuated to family members or to shelters in Freeport.

“In the Over The Bridge area that was significantly affected during Dorian, I would venture to say again

about half of the persons left. I did a walk-through yesterday (Tuesday) of the Over The Bridge area and about half of those residents, those who had two-story houses, most of them stayed. Those who only had one-story most of them left.

“I also did a walk-through Lady Lake, which was an area that was significantly affected by Dorian. They had major damage, in fact that was one of the areas in Freeport where people lost their lives and all, except one family, said they would leave.

“A number of persons

when we spoke to them said yes. As a result of us speak ing to them, they said they will leave and go to another area with family members.

“So, residents have been taking it very seriously. We are again hoping for the best,” Mr Thompson said yesterday.

TO ALL SHAREHOLDERS

The Board of Directors of Commonwealth Bank Limited has declared an Extraordinary Dividend Payment of 0.04 cents per share on Common Shares, to all shareholders of record, November 15, 2022.

The payment will be made on November 30, 2022 through Bahamas Central Securities Depository, the Registrar & Transfer Agent, in the usual manner.

Charlene A. Bosfield Corporate Secretary

THE STORM hitting West End in Grand Bahama yesterday. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

(242) 322-1986

(242) 502-2394 Circulation

(242) 502-2386 Nassau fax (242) 328-2398 Freeport, Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608 Freeport fax (242) 352-9348

US

plan

for green finance meets resistance

WHEN it comes to helping poor nations cope with climate change, the United States government left its wallet at home. So it hopes its friend, big busi ness, can help pick up the tab.

Unable to persuade Congress or the American public to spend billions of dollars more a year in climate finan cial aid, the US government is trying to make it easier for private corporations to send cash to the developing world in exchange for looking green at home.

The plan, announced yesterday by US climate envoy John Kerry at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, essen tially amounts to tapping private funds to finance developing nations’ transition to clean energy by selling “high quality” carbon credits to companies trying to make their carbon emissions “net zero”.

“Our intention is to put the carbon market to work, to deploy capital oth erwise unemployable, to speed the transition from dirty to clean power,” and replace dirty coal-fired power plants with renewable energy sources, Kerry said at a launch event.

But the idea faced stiff resistance from environmental groups and climate experts, who said it would give polluters a license to keep polluting. It came a day after the United Nations warned about shady carbon credits that businesses count on to meet their net-zero targets.

Underscoring the opposition, an activist heckled Kerry as he launched the plan, accusing him of “promot ing false solutions,” before security guards pushed him away. At this year’s COP summit, poorer nations have lam basted wealthier ones for not putting up enough money to finance their so-called green transition.

The developed world needs hundreds of billions of dollars to help them ditch coal, oil and natural gas, but the United States Congress has been reluctant to spend much in financial aid.

“If we don’t find more money... we ain’t going to get this done,” Kerry said of the fight against climate change.

Kerry’s proposal is dubbed the Energy Transition Accelerator and is backed by two major philanthropies, The Rock efeller Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund. They hope it could unlock $100 billion or more in financing for green projects by 2030. Kerry said he wants to have it up and running by next year’s COP meeting.

Details about how it will work are still sparse, but under the plan, verified greenhouse gas emission reductions would be generated that could then be sold as carbon credits. Kerry said there’s been “strong interest” to buy them from corporations including PepsiCo and Microsoft.

There would be “strong safeguards” on who could buy the credits, Kerry said. Buyers, “not including fossil fuel com panies”, will need a goal for getting to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions and a science-based interim target on the way to meeting that goal, he said. The credits can’t be used as substitutes for making deep cuts to their own emissions but as an extra boost to those efforts.

Unlike other carbon credits criticized as prone to abuse, these credits would only be allowed to be used to phase out coal power plants in developing nations and creating more renewable power and would be time limited, Kerry said. That, he said, would be “guardrails against abuse”.

Carbon credits have evolved into a multibillion-dollar market for compa nies, governments and individuals who want to reduce their carbon footprint.

But they’ve also become a source of controversy among environmental and climate activists, who say they’re prob lematic because there’s no guarantee they’ll deliver on reducing emissions.

The basic idea is that emissions from polluting human activities can be offset elsewhere, either through farming prac tices that store carbon, planting trees, or by capturing climate-changing gases from smokestacks and other equipment.

These activities are monetized and sold as offsets and are popular with companies making them a part of their net-zero plans.

On Tuesday, a UN expert panel warned that tougher standards were needed to fight back against greenwash by companies and investors making net-zero pledges, including a ban on businesses and local governments buying cheap carbon credits that lack integrity instead of deeply cutting their own emissions.

The idea proposed yesterday faced plenty of skepticism.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a climate and energy think tank, called carbon offsets an “account ing trick” that paves the way for big polluters to carry on polluting.

Big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in both wealthy Northern nations and developing countries in the global South are what’s needed, Adow said, “not rich polluting companies in the north paying for the privilege of continuing to destroy the planet.”

“John Kerry knows the science on climate, he knows what is at stake for people, and yet what he’s proposing with his offsets threatens to badly undermine global efforts to cut emissions,” Adow said.

Climate scientist Bill Hare of Cli mate Analytics, who was on the United Nations expert panel, said the proposal shocked people at the climate summit and upset many governments.

“The reason why is because we’re at that stage of history now where every one has to reduce emissions. And the implications of John Kerry’s proposal is that companies would not actually have to reduce emissions if they buy offsets.”

A senior European official voiced skepticism at the US proposal ahead of the launch.

“I think there’s, in some circles, mas sive concerns,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Micah Carpenter-Lott, the activist who heckled Kerry, said he wanted to call attention to inaction by big polluters and wealthy nations and the “false solu tions” presented by Kerry’s plan.

“We do not need to be partner ing with polluters,” Carpenter-Lott, an indigenous justice activist from the Northern Arapaho tribe in the US, told The Associated Press moments after he was booted out of the US pavilion.

“Polluters shouldn’t even be in this space, and they shouldn’t be allowed to create partnerships with governments because that is not going to solve the climate crisis.”

By KELVIN CHAN and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press

Unity in face of adversity

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I AM constrained to admit that apart from loving black cherry ice cream, I just love and, most of the times, respect my people of The Baha mas. Yes, we are politically divided and, yes, there are some vexing behaviour by a large number of Bahami ans who act and play crazy, especially in instances of domestic abuse and vehicu lar infractions running the traffic lights; overtaking and turning without indicating and allow infants toddlers and young children to be in vehicles without wearing seat belts.

In the grand scheme of things, however, whenever we face a national emer gency or natural event, we quickly toss aside mundane politics and collectively rise to the particular occasion. We, collectively, unify in the face of adversity. The passage, hopefully by now, of Nicole is a classical case in point. Most of us, all over the nation, cooperated

with the relevant authori ties and, where necessary, evacuated without the administration making it mandatory. The lines at food stores; service stations and other business estab lishments were orderly and most individuals behaved well. The administration was also able to ensure that shelters were opened and manned.

This is how it should be at all times. The Bahamas is a small nation in terms of population. Thank God, however, that we are blessed with an abundance of natural resources. In fact, The Bahamas, as a nation, is relatively ‘rich’. So far most administra tions have yet to recognise; quantify; value or utilize the same on the people’s behalf. I am encouraged by recent comments by the Prime Minister about the impending establishment

of a National Investment Fund or something similar. It is overdue and would, in my opinion, serve a very useful purpose for national development; infrastructure; educa tional and medical support systems.

Regular storms and hurricanes have amply demonstrated that in times of adversity Bahamians perform best. I beg leave to single out Cpt Russell and his team at NEMA and the personnel at the Met Office. All Family Island Adminis trators; Local Government officials and, of course, the brave and hard working law enforcement officers. The media has also risen to the occasion in fine form. As we thank God for sparing us from the brunt of what could have been deadly, let us also give ourselves a col lective pat on the back. In adversity, Bahamians unify.

BODIE,

Freeport is snakebitten

EDITOR, The Tribune.

GRAND Bahamians weren’t surprised to learn from Lucayan Renewal Holdings Limited that the Electra America Hospital ity Ltd deal to purchase the Grand Lucayan Resort had fallen through. After repeated delays to get this deal done, it became appar ent that nothing would materialise.

Ironically, the news of this latest development would come in the same

week of the landing of Tropical Storm Nicole -- an eerie reminder of Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne, Matthew and Dorian. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that Freeport is snakebitten. An Atlantis Paradise Island type of deal for Freeport is a pipe dream. Deals like this are for New Providence; not Grand Bahama.

For Grand Bahami ans, the Electra America

Hospitality and the Royal Caribbean investments were simply not meant to be. Tourism Minister Chester Cooper cannot be faulted for trying. I suspect that the principals of Elec tra America Hospitality were reluctant in investing capital on an island that is snakebitten. Hence, the continued delays.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama. November 9, 2022.

ORTLAND H

Jr Nassau, November 9, 2022.

CLEAN-up crews in action yesterday removing fallen branches in New Providence after the passage of Hurricane Nicole.

Photo: BIS

Roads closed and rough seas - but New Providence spared

There were also reports of debris being washed ashore on the roads, making passage difficult for some motorists travelling in certain areas.

The situation prompted officials Wednesday morn ing to erect barriers and close several roads as a safety precaution, includ ing Ferguson Road, West Bay Street along Saunders Beach and Arawak Cay to the Western Esplanade.

During a press briefing at the National Emergency Management Agency headquarters yesterday, Bahiyyah Hepburn, assis tant civil works coordinator in the Ministry of Works, advised that the road clo sures will continue until the all clear has been given.

“The West Bay Street closures, they continue,” she said last night.

“Currently we have bar riers up at Ferguson Road, Saunders Beach and also for the Go Slow Bend, Seaview Drive near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then also at Nesbitt, Sun Fun and then at Blake Road, Tropical Gardens and then Gambier.

“Even though the water has receded, there is still debris within the road and it comes back with high tide so the barriers will stay up for the safety of the public until we have deter mined that the wave action has decreased to a degree that we can take care of properly.”

“If there are any other complaints that are signs of blockages, we do ask the members of the public to report it to the Ministry of Works’ WhatsApp hotline or you message us on the Ministry of Works Utilities Facebook page.”

She also revealed that the ministry’s cleanup crews and damage assessment teams will continue their work throughout the week end and further advised people to avoid coastal lines in areas where the roads are closed.

Hurricane Nicole made landfall in Abaco as a tropical storm yesterday morning before moving to Grand Bahama where it strengthened to a category one hurricane.

The weather system brought heavy rainfall and strong winds, affect ing several islands in The Bahamas.

BAHAMASAIR FLIGHTS TO GB AND ABACO CANCELLED TODAY

BAHAMASAIR has cancelled today’s domestic flights to Abaco and Grand Bahama and international flights to Orlando and West Palm Beach due to Tropical Storm Nicole.

While the airline expects flight to return to normal on Friday, its

representatives said this depends on whether the affected airports are open. People affected by the flight cancellations are asked to call the res ervations department at 242-702-4140.

All change penalties will be waived, the airline said.

FLOODING in West Bay Street yesterday.

Photos: Austin Fernander

CARS navigating flooding in West Bay Street.

WAVES crashing onto West Bay Street.

CREWS clearing debris on Collins Avenue.

Photo: BIS

THERE is an art and a folly to political communi cations, much of which is based on hunches, instincts, guess work, psychologi cal insights and luck. The best political consultants gain experience over many years of practice and some failures.

Experts sometimes get it comically wrong because they fail to understand cer tain trends, the mood of the electorate or the zeitgeist. When there is an appetite for change there is little that can be done to subdue a gathering tide.

Polling, an inexact art and science, may be useful in certain circumstances, but they have predictive limits, especially when they are poorly constructed or reinforce the biases of those sponsoring and/or conduct ing the poll.

Consultants do not gen erally win elections, though they can help to guide a campaign and boost its capacity. This is certainly true for The Bahamas, where a procession of for eign consultants charging big dollars sometimes rein force what their clients want to hear or believe, often to the detriment of the latter.

Political communications and messaging require an understanding of the core social and political culture of a given country or elec torate. By example, we are a highly transactional, “throw me out” society,

where many things, includ ing votes, are monetised.

Getting messaging right is not easy. But once one discovers a certain lightning and bottles it, it becomes magic that, when repeated, is alchemised into political gold. A Bahamas tourism and marketing expert of many decades recounts a compelling anecdote.

Several decades ago, a meeting was called at the Ministry of Tour ism to discuss hiring a new advertising firm because officials were displeased with the firm in the employ of the Ministry.

As the meet ing was breaking up, an employee of the latter firm declared: “All we need to do is to find a way to say, ‘It’s Better in The Bahamas!’

“ The lightning was packaged, electrifying the Ministry’s marketing campaigns.

CULTURE

In the event, the former won with 52 percent of the vote to the latter’s 48 percent.

There was a generational divide in the vote. Just over 70 percent of those 18 to 24 who voted cast their vote to remain, with 30 percent voting to leave. Among those aged 65 and older 60 percent voted to leave, while 40 percent voted to remain.

one Bahamian general election, a non-Bahamian who closely followed the contest told an official in one of our major parties that the party ran a brilliant campaign – for Switzerland.’

Some on both sides of the debate played loose with some of the economic facts. Some Remainers overplayed the supposed near Armageddon effects of the vote on Britain, while some Leavers promised a finan cial windfall that could be plowed into the National Health Service, which never materialised.

ART AND FOLLY OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS

psychology and political communications.

Humans are driven by a combustible and often competing admixture of motivations, most of which are subconscious, irrational, highly emotional and some times neurotic.

emotions of voters.

Anger is one of the most effective emotions, moti vations and weapons in politics, whether the anger is reasonable or over the top.

Culture matters. The Brexit vote in Britain to leave the European Union was about consider ably more than economics, though economic argu ments were hotly debated by Leavers and Remainers.

Still, as the Financial Times (FT) documents in the FT film, The Brexit Effect: “the economic costs of Brexit were masked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. But six years after the UK voted to leave the EU, the Brexit effect has become clear.”

In the film “senior FT writers and British busi nesspeople examine how Brexit hit the UK economy,

the political conspiracy of silence, and why there has not yet been a con vincing case for a ‘Brexit dividend’.”

Despite the sloganeer ing, which helped the Tories to win a landslide election victory, Brexit is far from done.

Identity, nativism and arguments about Brit ish exceptionalism helped secure the Leave vote. Brexit has had a deleteri ous effect on the British economy, which neither the Conservatives nor Labour want to talk about because most voters grew weary of the pre- and post-Brexit debate.

But even if the nega tive effects of Brexit were clearly demonstrated to Leave voters, most would likely still vote for Brexit because the cultural reasons for their votes outweighed the economic arguments.

The best communica tors understand what motivates voters, and craft simple, compelling mes sages toward a certain end. The Brexit example is but one of myriad case studies of how political communi cations and messaging are simplified, sensationalized and brightly packaged to achieve a desired outcome.

PROPAGANDA

During the 2002 constitu tional referendum the PLP led a successful propaganda programme to demonise the process and the questions, playing on the fears and prej udices of many Bahamians.

Even constitutional questions that were noncon troversial, like extending the retirement age for Supreme Court judges, suf fered from the onslaught, poisoning the well for future referendums.

The majority of voters were persuaded to vote against all of the questions in the name of “process”, a simple mantra that worked as the PLP pushed hard to ensure their subsequent electoral victory.

Why do people often seem to vote against their economic or other self-interests? Welcome to the world of political

Most human beings typi cally think in dualities or in black and white, with per haps only a few shades of grey, which is why funda mentalisms of all kinds are so appealing.

Most of us do not make political choices based on nuance and complexity. We find paradox and irony con fusing, annoying and difficult. We desire the comfort of stark and clear choices: yellow or red, good and bad, natives versus foreigners, Chris tians versus non-believers, heterosexual as opposed to homosexual, us versus them.

After one Bahamian general election, a nonBahamian who closely followed the contest told an official in one of our major parties that the party ran a brilliant campaign – for Switzerland.

RATIONAL

The messaging was rational and policy-driven, the observer noted. But it lacked the emotional content and simple sound bites mastered by talk show hosts, was the conclusion.

During general elections there is the constant refrain from some that a party needs to keep reminding voters about its accomplishments. Reciting accomplishments has limited currency.

While such recitations give a party some basis for re-election, many voters are driven by the politics of personalities and their current mood and state of mind. Despite significant accomplishments during their 2007 to 2012 term, the FNM and Hubert Ingraham were decisively rejected for a host of reasons.

In politics it is so often easier to oppose or make a case against someone or something than it is to make an affirmative case.

Sometimes, prime ministers in The Bahamas mistakenly believe that the majority of voters select them in a fit of adoration.

The reality is that incom ing prime ministers are typically the beneficiaries of the degree to which the out going head of government is loathed. For a complex of reasons voters often delight in humiliating lead ers, finding such contempt satisfying.

A friend who worked in congressional politics in the US often observed, “When watching a commercial don’t focus on the prod uct. Try to understand the emotion they’re selling!”

He said the best political communicators are equally clear about appealing to the

Consider the anger, real or manufactured, of a talk show host on radio or tel evision or a journalist cum commentator determined to help fell a politician, sometimes because of per sonal animus.

Because most talk shows eschew nuance and com plexity, choosing instead stark black and white worldviews, they are highly effective in motivat ing others through mostly emotional appeals, includ ing various base emotions which further poison politi cal debate.

REPETITION

Often, the talk show host’s inner psychologi cal state is projected onto an audience, with the host having one of the most effective weapons of political psychology and persuasion, namely, repetition.

A given show may become a rallying point for others with similar views, reinforcing certain emo tions, as well as neurotic and other psychological states, which may become a force in itself.

Much of our political “thinking” is beyond the realm of conscious, rational and careful deliberation of facts. Our ideological leanings are influenced by biology, education, age and a variety of familial and sociological influences.

In a 2020 article in Sci entific America entitled, “Conservative and Liberal Brains Might Have Some Real Differences,” science writer Lydia Denworth dis cusses research in the field of political neuroscience:

“Buried in many people and operating largely out side the realm of conscious thought are forces inclining us toward liberal or conserv ative political convictions.

“On the whole, the research shows, con servatives desire security, predictability and authority more than liberals do, and liberals are more comfort able with novelty, nuance and complexity.

“While these findings are remarkably consist ent, they are probabilities, not certainties — meaning there is plenty of individual variability.”

The best communica tors enjoy critical insights from psychology, sociol ogy, history, sociobiology, literature, communications practice and theory and other disciplines. These communicators are able to weave these threads together to craft compel ling narratives and creative political communications.

THEN FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis and PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis on the campaign trail in the last election.

‘After

Watching the election

FOR months, headlines have screamed out warnings that the future of American democracy was at stake in Tuesday’s elections.

Election deniers, hard core Trumpers and actual participants in the January 6 assault on the US capitol were all on ballots around the country.

Conservative commen tators on Fox News and elsewhere steadfastly stuck to issues like inflation to help Republican candi dates, while more liberal talkers represented the election as a potential exis tential crisis.

The results promise more competing hyperbole, controversy and general divisiveness.

After record-setting sums of money were spent on political advertising, espe cially since the informal start of serious campaigning in early September, voters across the country were cer tainly on alert but curiously at the same time ener vated. “This whole process has been simply exhaust ing,” one woman told a TV reporter.

35 seats in the US Senate were up for grabs and this year, Democrats were sup posedly in an advantageous position because they were defending fewer of those 35 seats.

Also on Tuesday’s ballot were 36 governorships, and while the national media normally pays less atten tion to those races, they could be significant in a few states. The entire House of Representatives was up for election as is the case every two years.

Watching the returns on Tuesday was often less suspenseful than boring and repetitive. Vote tal lies ebbed and flowed like momentum in a Sunday NFL game, and many view ers doubtless waited until after 9pm in the East to even bother with watching. After that hour, numer ous contests would be in the “fourth quarter” and it would be interesting to see how the votes added up.

Many close races were not called until well after bedtime for most people, and it was tiresome watch ing network “statistics nerds” fuss around trying to slap a new lead on an evolving and still undecided election story.

Hanging over news coverage was the fateful decision of Fox News’ 2020 election guru to be the first network to call Arizona for -- Joe Biden! The fact that Fox was right and gained some credibility was lost in Trump’s claim that the network had betrayed and abandoned him. That guru was fired two months after the election.

• There are all sorts of doomsday scenarios being floated in case the Repub licans eventually retake the House or the Senate or

both as the result of Tues day’s elections.

Mostly, people are talk ing about inflation, the economy, crime, abortion and immigration. In normal times, and presently, Amer icans aren’t thinking much about the implications of the election for the nation’s foreign policy.

But some pundits are doing so. And the issue they’re most concerned with is the massive Ameri can military assistance programme that increas ingly serves as a life line for Ukraine’s military opposi tion to the brazen invasion of its sovereign territory by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The US has already author ised more than $60 billion in assistance, and another $40 billion is reportedly in the American legisla tive pipeline. All this while inflation and the overall cost of living are stubbornly rising despite the Ameri can central bank’s repeated efforts to rein them in.

New Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance has said publicly that the US should moderate or stop its mas sive military aid to Ukraine. Other Republicans, and even some progressive Democrats, have voiced concerns.

It’s not clear how House

speaker-hopeful Kevin McCarthy really feels about aid to Ukraine. His state ments on the record have not been consistent.

And one can guess how Donald Trump feels about the issue. He cannot be feeling warm and fuzzy toward Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who famously rebuffed his mili tary assistance blackmail attempt just three years ago.

Furthermore, a Wall Street Journal poll released on November 3 shows that aid to Ukraine is becom ing a much more partisan issue. The survey showed that 30% of Republicans now believe the US is doing too much, up from just 6% in March immediately fol lowing Russia’s invasion in February.

Nevertheless, according to the BBC, citing Reuters polling, there is still a large portion of Americans in favour of continued assis tance to Ukraine: 73% earlier this month.

But there is a growing sense that this sentiment is fragile, and the combina tion of greater GOP control over the budgetary aspects of American foreign policy and stubborn inflation could rapidly erode such support.

AS PREMIER LEAGUE HITS PAUSE, THE STORY SO FAR

THE world’s most cel ebrated and most powerful national soccer league – the English Premier League -- will have com pleted about one third of its 2022-2023 season when its twenty teams pause for a seven-week mid-season break starting on Sunday to accommodate the quad rennial World Cup, being played at the home of the highest bidder this time along the shores of the Persian Gulf in Qatar.

This unprecedented winter schedule is a concession to the unplayable Middle East summer heat. More on the World Cup next week.

In many respects, this EPL campaign is falling within normal expectations, inasmuch as the Big Six teams (Manchester City, Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool) all sit within the top eight positions at this point.

The interlopers are New castle, now under new ownership fortified by a lot

of oil money from the sov ereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, and Brighton, an overachiever likely without the squad depth to remain in contention for the title over the course of the season.

The story of this season so far is Arsenal. The Gun ners have played 13 games, earning 34 points out of a possible 39. Arsenal have made their best-ever start to a Premier League season: Former long-time manager Arsene Wenger’s undefeated Invincibles in 2003-04 managed only 33 points from their first 13 games, and a win against Wolverhampton next week will confirm Arsenal’s top spot in the standings ahead of the World Cup break.

Lurking just behind the Gunners are Manchester City, widely regarded now as the world’s best soccer team. City has won three of the past four EPL titles, and just added the world’s best young striker over the summer in Earling

Haaland, a Norwegian prodigy whose father once played for the Citizens. Most observers think Man City will celebrate another title when the last games are played in May.

There aren’t any other serious title contenders at this point. Liverpool have been in such a funk that there is actually specula tion about the future of their brilliant German man ager Jurgen Klopp. Also, the American group that owns the Reds – and the Boston Red Sox – have reportedly put the club up for sale. Only the Egyptian wizard Mohammed Salah has played up to par for Liverpool so far, and they have receded into long-shot status as title contenders.

Tottenham, Manches ter United, Chelsea and Newcastle are all title pre tenders. One or two of them will nevertheless qualify for the lucrative European Champions League next year, but they won’t win the EPL crown this season.

A topic that is heating up in policy circles concerns the American position on a possible negotiated settle ment to the Russia-Ukraine war. Most observers feel that Russia will only want to deal with the US in any such negotiations. Biden spoke out on this earlier in the summer.

“Nothing about Ukraine happens without Ukraine,” Biden said then. “It’s their territory and I’m not going to tell them what they should and shouldn’t do.”

But Biden has nonethe less often appeared to be resigned to the inevitability of some kind of negotiated settlement.

In response, establish ment US foreign policy figures like president of the American Council of Foreign Relations Richard Haass are speaking out. “One of the values at stake (in this war) is that terri tory is not to be acquired through the use of force.

For those urging the US to push for a deal, the burden is on them to show how the

US could do so consistent with that value.”

Overall, several policy considerations, in addition to potential election results, are nudging the Ameri cans toward more formal discussions about how to bring an end to this conflict.

Positions that seem immu table now can and likely will change by the end of this year. The Ukrainians had better do everything they can to maintain their current battlefield momen tum and recapture as much of their lost territory as possible before January.

Realistically, there can be no guarantees that Ameri can assistance will continue at current levels much past that time.

ELECTION workers sort through ballots at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell, Montana, on Wednesday.

Photo: Tommy Martino/AP

with Charlie Harper

MAN SHOT DEAD OUTSIDE APARTMENT BUILDING

A MAN in his 50s was shot dead outside an apart ment building last night.

Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson, speaking to reporters at the scene in Kool Acres off Fox Hill Road, said the man was a resident of the area and officers were speaking to people associated with him.

He said: “Sometime after 9pm, police received infor mation about gunshots being heard in this area.

“Upon responding to this area, they met the life less body of a male who was lying just in front of an apartment building.

“He had what appeared to be gunshot injuries to the

upper extremities.

“The EMS personnel were called. They examined his body and found no signs of life.”

Chief Supt Johnson added: “I would like to thank the public for their assistance in closing three of the most recent murders that have occured in New Providence and we would again to members of the public to please assist us.

“One murder is too much.”

Anyone with information can contact police at 919 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) (New Providence) or 1-242-300-8476 (Family Islands).

Concerns raised over investments bill

THE Bahamas Natural Resources Foundation has expressed concern over the proposed National Invest ment Funds Bill tabled in the House of Assembly last month.

In a press release, the BNRF said since its inception in 2018, it has advocated for the estab lishment of a natural resource-based Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).

Such a fund, the group said, merged with legisla tion for proper use of the country’s natural resources,

“would allow the wealth derived from the extraction of resources to be available for national development and for Bahamian citizens”.

“We are perplexed that our leaders find it necessary to repeal the SWF legisla tion and replace it with a National Investment Funds Bill,” a press release from the group said. “There are more than 100 countries in the world that have estab lished Sovereign Wealth Funds, including China, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, and the

United States.

“We note that refer ence was made to targeting this capital for economic development, which is said to include a focus on Family Island infrastruc ture, maximising the value of the public assets for the taxpayer, and better man agement of the country’s natural resources.”

BNRF said it wants “clar ity” on how the country’s leaders can proceed with this vision, without the dis cussion and legislation of ownership of the country’s

natural resources; a proper inventory of our country’s natural resources, knowl edge of designated areas identified specifically for natural resource projects and developments and the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act.

It also questioned how this process would occur without knowledge of the much-needed revisions of fiscal regimes; prior knowledge of the guard rails to ensure protection for Bahamian ownership of these underutilised assets and knowing the rationale for not having natural resource-based legislation.

The group added: “How can Bahamian citizens in an equitable manner be economically empow ered through the natural resources, if the singular focus of the new bill flings the gate open for capital investment through private/

public partnerships? Are citizens once again being marginalized in the equa tion for opportunity and equity?

“Citizens are more aware of the value of their coun try, its natural resources and are reimagining their sovereign rights to access through participation and ownership. They are also more conscious of the level of exploitation of these resources that has taken place for decades with little benefit to the public purse. We are still waiting for an official report of the find ings of the HOA appointed Natural Resource Com mittee by the previous government.

Last month, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the National Investment Fund Bill paves the way for a new framework that moves the country toward cru cial national development

goals.

Through this bill, The Bahamas Resilient Infra structure Fund will be created that will help pro mote partnerships for development and in other instances, the redevelop ment of Family Island infrastructure, Mr Davis said.

Additionally, as a part of the Bahamas Resilient Infrastructure Fund several sub-funds will be intro duced such as the Growth Fund for the Family Islands, Food Security Fund, and Renewable Energy Fund. He said a Growth Fund for the Family Islands will be an investment fund to promote the development of infrastructure to sup port local Family Island economies and to sup port sustainable tourism – including airport, port and maritime infrastructure, and the provision of key infrastructure services.

THOMPSON: EXTEND RECOVERY ZONE ORDER

EAST Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson called for the government to extend the Special Economic Recovery Zone order for Grand Bahama and Abaco in the wake of Hurricane Nicole.

“We have already seen widespread flooding and property damage through out Abaco and Grand Bahama,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“My constituents and all residents and businesses most certainly have experi enced a setback in the recovery efforts from Hurricane Dorian. The Special Eco nomic Recovery Zone was specifically set up for recovery after natural disasters.

We are in the middle of another natural disaster.

“The government must now act to bring relief for those affected and one very simple, yet very effective way would be to extend the SERZ order to ensure any set back that Nicole may have brought can be dealt with. The necessary tools are all in place through the FNM administration’s creation of the Special Economic Recovery Act.”

He said the Free National Movement is calling on the government to move urgently to bring immediate relief, adding this can start with extending the SERZ order.

A BODY is removed from the scene of the shooting in Kool Acres last night and, right, Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson speaking to the press.

Photos: Austin Fernander

‘Govt must be clear on facts’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AFTER another disap pointment with the sale of the Grand Lucayan, Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard said the government has to exercise discipline in its messaging and to stop misrepresenting the facts.

He said that after Deputy Prime Minister Ches ter Cooper and his team berated the former admin istration for failure to close the sale, Mr Pintard took issue with the tone and tenor of his and others’ message and warned them against overselling and under delivering.

The comments come after the government recently admitted the resort’s $100m sale has collapsed and it is now seeking an alternative purchaser.

Mr Cooper had previ ously said Lucayan Renewal Holdings Ltd entered an agreement for the sale of the entire hotel property to Electra America Hospital ity Group, which is part of a US conglomerate Electra America, with worldwide assets worth $7bn.

Mr Cooper explained on Tuesday the government had grown tired of the pro posed buyer constantly stalling over the deal by repeatedly asking for due diligence extensions.

Mr Pintard said he cau tioned the Progressive Liberal Party government, both the prime minister and the deputy leader, that they ought to do a couple of things.

“One is to learn lessons from the decisions we made to increase their chance of being successful. What did we do after government change – well they came with a plan to decouple the arrangement they had met in place. And decoupled simply means in this case that they met an arrange ment in place where the potential buyer under the FNM was seeking to refur bish the Grand Bahama Harbour and develop that entire area into a theme park.

“And that particular project was coupled with a purchase of the hotel. So two things were happening jointly. The Davis-Cooper administration felt that in order to accelerate the sale of the Grand Lucayan they needed to decouple that. They needed to separate those two arrangements –both didn’t need to happen for either of the deals to be done. We supported that under my leadership.

“However we expressed cautious optimism, we said that we hoped for the government to suc ceed in selling the hotel at a price that was higher than what we understood to be the appraised value. Despite supporting that and expressing cautious opti mism but more so hope that it worked we continue to hear that there was a series of extensions given by the Davis-Cooper administra tion. We were familiar with this kind of response back from a buyer and again cau tioned them. That did not

prevent the deputy prime minister from gleefully rep resenting that a sale had been executed. Our under standing was that there was no sale - that there was an intention to enter into a sale.”

He added: “And we labelled the government, as we do now, as having mis represented the facts both in tune and in the substance of the statement that they made and that the danger in doing so is that they would shake the confidence of residents in Grand Bahama, investors in Grand Bahama, and potential investors on the island of Grand Bahama when they get the impression that what is being represented was not accurate. It then adversely affects their optimism, their confidence going forward.”

Mr Pintard argued that the perception could cause damage.

“It is our view that this overselling and under deliv ering this representation that a sale had been exe cuted has been damaging to our reputation and that the government has to exer cise message discipline,” he asserted.

“Discontinue from com municating these matters in the way that they have or representing these mat ters in the way they have because it is not them that’s going to pay the price. They’re all doing fairly well, at some exceptionally well. It is the Bahamian people who are going to be adversely impacted.”

The Marco City MP expressed one concern regarding the company.

“The other thing that we had serious concerns about is whether or not the gov ernment had done its due diligence on the company that it touted so highly and passed off as a part of the salvation of Grand Bahama. Not only executing the sale but also rescuing tourism in Grand Bahama and making substantial contributions to social initiatives,” he said.

“Based on our prelimi nary assessment of the company, we had paused. In other words, we did not understand the level of enthusiasm that the govern ment was expressing given the limited knowledge that we had. And we left the door open to be convinced that the government was seeing things, getting infor mation, verification of their track record and the pocket that made them so enthusi astic while all others were very cautious and were waiting to see in black and white that all that was being represented by the DavisCooper administration was true for this company.”

The other thing that posed concern was airlift and the hotel’s sale.

Mr Pintard said: “In other words, any potential buyer would like to know is there sufficient airlift that’s going to complement all of their efforts in promot ing the hotel, developing a world class product that will be attractive to others. We heard really nothing from this administration, that gave us confidence that they had a handle on the development of the airport.

“First of all, they failed to identify the poten tial strategic partners that would enter into an arrangement with them to build out the new Grand Bahama International Air port. In the absence of a strategic partner, we knew that there could be no way that they would, one, have

a design completed in a timely fashion, that they would have the money available to then build out whatever that design was. And then finally, they could not project a timeline, even though the deputy prime minister projected 2025 as the com pletion date.”

FNM leader Michael Pintard.

$2,500 donation to help children’s hostel

WITH the Children’s Emergency Hostel in need of donations to fund its operational costs and repairs and improvements to its facilities, Simpli fied Lending has stepped in to help with a $2,500 donation.

The hostel, which pro vides children with shelter

and care, said the necessary work includes the upgrade of its fire and safety system, repairs to the entrance screen doors and perimeter gate, and the erection of a new wall for the perimeter of the children’s garden.

Head of Simplified Lend ing’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee,

Nadia Humes, said it was clear that the company should do what it could to make a difference for the hostel and its residents.

“We exist to help people, businesses and the coun try grow and prosper,” said Humes who also noted that the donation was received with “great appreciation”.

TEAMING UP TO FIGHT ILLITERACY

REGIONAL investment bank RF Bank & Trust (Bahamas) Ltd (RF) and the humanitarian Brighter Bahamas Foundation (BBF) have joined forces to fight illiteracy.

RF recently invited team members to donate lightly used books to Brighter Bahamas for use in their free libraries initiative.

Hundreds of books were donated to be used for libraries in underprivileged communities.

“Literacy is the foun dation for many things including developing inde pendence, managing money and working,” said Rachael Allahar, Group head of marketing at RF Bank & Trust.

“RF is proud to take part in an initiative that focuses on making literacy and sub sequently opportunities for advancement, equitable

and inclusive.”

The donation comes as part of a wider initiative that is being supported by the Rotary Club of Nassau Sunrise and a visiting club out of the United States.

“This donation will play a major role in the refurbish ment and restocking of our free libraries across New Providence,” commented Jehan Unwala, Cofounder of Brighter Bahamas Foundation.

“We appreciate the sup port from RF and their staff in providing books for dis advantaged individuals.”

The community librar ies were opened in 2017 by Brighter Bahamas to promote literacy for Bahamian children. The group reported that 21% of Bahamian households have fewer than ten books at home based on a survey they executed.

LENDING manager Roosevelt Pollard, personal & business loans; Children’s Emergency Hostel business manager Charlene Gibson; and Simplified Lending head of the corporate social responsi bility committee Nadia Humes.

RF presents Brighter Bahamas with donated books. From left, Cherilyn Bethel, RF marketing coordinator; Jehan Unwala, co founder of Brighter Bahamas Foundation; and Rachael Allahar, group head of marketing at RF.

EIGHTH JOURNALIST REPORTED KILLED IN HAITI SO FAR THIS YEAR

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Associated Press

AN EIGHTH journal ist has been killed in Haiti this year, the Inter Ameri can Press Association said yesterday.

Fritz Dorilas, who

worked for Radio Télé Megastar, was gunned down near his home in the capital of Port-au-Prince on November 5, according to local media.

“We continue to deplore crimes against journalists this bloody

year in our region,” said Carlos Jornet, the association’s president for the commission of press freedom and information.

Dorilas was killed in the community of Tabarre, which has seen an

escalation of gang warfare. Online journalist Romelo Vilsaint died on October 30 when a tear gas canister hit him in the head during an inci dent in which witnesses said police threw tear gas and opened fire on

a group of journalists demanding the release of a colleague. Also last month, authori ties found the body of slain radio journalist Garry Tess and reported that Roberson Alphonse, a reporter for Le Nouvelliste

newspaper, survived a murder attempt. Alphone underwent sev eral surgeries in Haiti and was then flown to the US, where he is recovering, according to Frantz Duval, the newspaper’s chief editor.

GOP nudges closer to House win, Senate may go to runoff

WASHINGTON Associated Press

REPUBLICANS inched closer to a narrow House majority yesterday, while control of the Senate hinged on a few tight races in a midterm election that defied expectations of sweeping conservative vic tories driven by frustration over inflation and President Joe Biden’s leadership.

Either party could secure a Senate majority with wins in both Nevada and Ari zona — where the races were too early to call. But there was a strong possibil ity that, for the second time in two years, the Senate majority could come down to a runoff in Georgia next month, with Democratic Sen Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker failing to earn enough votes to win outright.

In the House, Republi cans on Wednesday night were within a dozen seats of the 218 needed to take control, while Democrats kept seats in districts from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Kansas and many West Coast contests were still too early to call. In a par ticularly symbolic victory for the GOP, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, the House Democratic cam paign chief, lost his bid for a sixth term.

Control of Congress will decide how the next two years of Biden’s term play out, and whether he is able to achieve more of his agenda or will see it blocked by a new GOP majority. Republicans are likely to launch a spate of investigations into Biden, his family and his adminis tration if they take power, while a GOP takeover of the Senate would hobble the president’s ability to appoint judges.

“Regardless of what the final tally of these elec tions show, and there’s still some counting going on, I’m prepared to work with my Republican colleagues,” Biden said in his first public remarks since the polls closed. “The American people have made clear, I think, that they expect

COUPLE

CHARLESTON, West Virginia Associated Press

CITING the “great danger” that a Navy engi neer and his wife posed to US security, a federal judge gave both of them lengthy prison terms yesterday for a plot to sell secrets about nuclear submarines to what they thought was a representative of a foreign government.

US District Judge Gina Groh, who in August rejected earlier plea agree ments that had called for reduced sentencing guide lines, sentenced Jonathan Toebbe to more than 19 years and his wife, Diana Toebbe, to nearly 22 years.

The sentences were handed down on Jonathan Toebbe’s 44th birthday.

The Annapolis, Mary land, couple and their attorneys described the defendants’ struggles with mental health issues and alcohol and said they were anxious about the nation’s political climate when they sold secrets in exchange for $100,000 in cryptocurrency.

Groh said their tale “reads like a crime novel or a movie script” and that Jonathan Toebbe’s “actions and greedy self-serving intentions placed military

Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well.”

Democrats did better than history suggested they would. The party in power almost always suffers losses in the president’s first mid term elections, though even if the GOP ultimately wins the House, it won’t be by a margin as large as during other midterm cycles.

Democrats gained a net of 41 House seats under thenPresident Donald Trump in 2018, President Barack Obama saw the GOP gain 63 in 2010 and Republi cans gained 54 seats during President Bill Clinton’s first midterm.

A small majority in the House would pose a great challenge for the GOP and especially California Rep Kevin McCarthy, who is in line to be House speaker and would have little room for error in navigating a chamber of members eager to leverage their votes to advance their own agenda.

In the fight for Senate control, Pennsylvania was a bright spot for Democrats. Lt Gov John

Fetterman, who suffered a stroke five months ago, flipped a Republican-con trolled Senate seat, topping Trump-endorsed Republi can Dr Mehmet Oz. Georgia, meanwhile, was set for yet another runoff on Dec 6. In 2021, Warnock used a runoff to win his seat, as did Democratic Sen Jon Ossoff — which gave Dem ocrats control of the Senate. Both Warnock and Walker were already fundraising off the race stretching into a second round.

Both Republican and Democratic incumbents maintained key Senate seats. In Wisconsin, Repub lican Sen Ron Johnson prevailed over Democratic Lt Gov Mandela Barnes, while in New Hampshire, Democratic Sen Maggie Hassan beat Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who had initially promoted Trump’s lies about the 2020 election but tried to shift away those views closer to Election Day.

AP VoteCast, a broad survey of the national electorate, showed that

high inflation and con cerns about the fragility of democracy were heavily influencing voters. Half of voters said inflation fac tored significantly, with groceries, gasoline, hous ing and other costs that have shot up in the past year. Slightly fewer — 44% — said the future of democ racy was their primary consideration.

Biden didn’t entirely shoulder the blame for inflation, with close to half of voters saying the higher-than-usual prices were more because of fac tors outside of his control. And despite the president bearing criticism from a pessimistic electorate, some of those voters backed Democratic candidates.

Democrats counted on a midterm boost from the Supreme Court’s deci sion to gut abortion rights, which they thought might energise their voters, and the bet paid off. In four states where the issue was on the ballot, voters backed abortion rights. VoteCast showed that 7 in 10 national

voters said overturning the 1973 Roe v Wade decision was an important factor in their midterm decisions. It also showed the rever sal was broadly unpopular. And roughly 6 in 10 said they favor a law guarantee ing access to legal abortion nationwide.

In the first national election since the Jan 6 insurrection, some who participated in or were in the vicinity of the attack on the US Capitol were poised to win elected office. One of those Republican candi dates, Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin — who was outside the Capitol during the deadly riot — won a House seat. Another, JR Majewski, lost to Ohio Democratic Rep Marcy Kaptur.

Governors’ races took on outsized significance this year, particularly in bat tleground states that could help decide the results of the 2024 presidential elec tion. Democrats held on to governors’ mansions in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, defeating

Republicans who promoted Trump’s lies about a stolen 2020 election. Republi cans held on to governors’ mansions in Florida, Texas and Georgia, another bat tleground state Biden narrowly won two years ago.

Trump found some suc cess as well. He lifted Republican Senate can didates to victory in Ohio and North Carolina.

JD Vance, the bestsell ing author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” defeated ten-term congressman Tim Ryan, while Rep Ted Budd beat Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Trump had endorsed more than 300 candidates across the country, hoping the night would end in a red wave he could ride to the 2024 Republican presi dential nomination. After summoning reporters and his most loyal support ers to a watch party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday, he ended the night without a triumphant speech.

IN SUBMARINE SECRETS CASE

restricted data.

top-secret government information and repeat edly sold details about the design and performance of Virginia-class submarines to someone he believed was a representative of a for eign government but who was actually an undercover FBI agent.

service members at sea and every citizen of this coun try in a vulnerable position and at risk of harm from adversaries”.

Diana Toebbe, who admitted acting as a lookout for her husband, received an enhanced sentence after the judge disclosed during the couple’s combined fivehour sentencing hearing that Diana Toebbe tried to send her husband two let ters from jail.

The letters, which were read in court, were inter cepted before they could be delivered. In one of them, Diana Toebbe told her husband to flush the letter down a toilet after read ing it. She encouraged him to lie about her involve ment in the scheme and say she “didn’t know anything about any of this”.

The judge said she lacked genuine remorse and didn’t take responsibility for her actions.

“This is an exceptional story, right out of the movies,” Groh said.

Prior to sentencing, Jona than Toebbe described his battles with stress in taking on additional duties and his own battle with alco hol. He said he experienced warning signs of a nervous breakdown over 18 months that he failed to recognise.

“I believed that my family was in dire threat, that democracy itself was under collapse,” he said. That belief overwhelmed him, he said, and led him to believe he had to take “pre cipitous action to try to save them from grave harm”.

Prosecutors said Toebbe abused his access to

Diana Toebbe, 46, who was teaching at a private school in Maryland at the time of the couple’s arrest last October, admitted she acted as a lookout at several prearranged “deaddrop” locations where memory cards containing the secret information were left behind.

The memory cards were devices concealed in objects such as a chew ing gum wrapper and a peanut butter sandwich. The couple was arrested in October 2021 after Jona than Toebbe placed a card in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

None of the informa tion was classified as top secret or secret, falling into a third category considered confidential, according to previous testimony.

The couple was sentenced for their guilty pleas in Sep tember in federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia, to one felony count each of conspiracy to communicate

In August, Groh rejected their initial guilty pleas to the same charges, saying the sentencing options were “strikingly deficient” con sidering the seriousness of the case. The previous sentencing range agreed to by lawyers for Jonathan Toebbe had called for a potential punishment of up to 17 years in prison. Pros ecutors had sought three years for Diana Toebbe.

During a hearing last December, Diana Toe bbe’s attorney, Barry Beck, asserted that the couple was looking to flee the United States due to their con tempt for then-President Donald Trump.

During a search of the couple’s home, FBI agents found a trash bag of shred ded documents, thousands of dollars in cash, valid children’s passports and a “go-bag” containing a USB flash drive and latex gloves, according to previ ous testimony.

She said her decision to participate in the scheme was “catastrophic,” as she is the mother of children ages 12 and 16, and that she should have tried to talk her husband out of it.

“I didn’t think of my chil dren, who have suffered the most,” she said. “Their lives

will forever be marked by the decision that I made.”

Groh said that choice was “deliberate and calculated.” She admonished Beck, who had labeled his client as merely an accomplice in seeking a lesser sentence.

“Your client put this country in great danger,” Groh told Beck. “No matter what you call it, the harm to this nation was great.”

The FBI has said the scheme began in April 2020, when Jonathan Toebbe sent a package of Navy documents to a foreign government and expressed interest in sell ing operations manuals, performance reports and other sensitive information. That package was obtained by the FBI in December 2020 through its legal atta ché office in an unspecified foreign country, setting off a months-long undercover operation.

An FBI agent posing as a foreign government’s repre sentative made contact with Toebbe, ultimately paying in cryptocurrency for the information Toebbe was offering.

Groh said about $54,000 of the cryptocur rency has been recovered. She imposed fines of around $50,000 to each defendant.

DIANA TOEBBE, left, and Jonathan Toebbe.

HOUSE Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, arrives to speak at an event early yesterday in Washington.

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Prime Minister proclaims November as Great Commission Ministries Month

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

For the remainder of the month, Great Commission Min istries will mark 35 years of answering the Christian call and faithfully serving the less fortunate in our commu nity with special events.

During, this time Great Commission, led by its founder Bishop Walter Hanchell, will also honour those who have been strong supporters of the work the ministries continue to do in helping the helpless.

Bishop Hanchell is wellknown throughout the islands for his unselfish and relentless work with the poor, the elderly, the unem ployed, the under-privileged as well as disaster victims.

In 1987, with his wife, Elder Minalee Hanchell by his side, Bishop Hanchell launched Great Commis sion Ministries International in New Providence with a vision and a mission to provide food, shelter, employment as well as coun selling for those in need, and help young people struggling with anti-social behaviour and substance abuse.

To this day, Great Com mission Ministries, located at 237 Wulff Road, is a vital part of the community and serves as a primary source of relief and provisions for countless individuals and families.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis in a recent proclama tion declared November as Great Commission Minis tries Month.

In the proclamation, Mr Davis said Great Commis sion has been “a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope to the downtrodden,

the marginalised, the shutins, refugees and those affected by natural disasters and crisis.”

The ministries will host a series of events for November, including a two luncheons and the recogni tion of Great Commission Ministries Day on Novem ber 29.

This week Tuesday, Great Commission hosted a cel ebratory church service to mark its 35th year at Chris tian Life Centre.

During the service, Bishop Hanchell expressed pro found gratitude to all who have given of their time, money and resources to help the ministries accomplish their goal of being a place of refuge for those who have no food or hope.

“I want to thank all of you,” he said. “Great Com mission Ministries at times has been extremely chal lenging, but by the grace of God we have been able to overcome so many obsta cles. We walk by faith, we live by faith, we depend on faith and we see God come through every time.’

Bishop Hanchell went on to share some of great dif ficulties of keeping Great Commission operating and functional.

“I remember years and years ago we operated this food bank….we give out so much food every week until the food bank would become totally bankrupt. The Lord would send stacks and stacks of food to us or money to buy food. He always pro vided,” said the bishop.

“I am so grateful for our board of directors that keep the ministry going as well as our staff who show great compassion to everyone. They work day in and day out to keep us functioning

properly while taking care of the needs of so many people.

I thank God for the donors that come by. We have people who sometimes give thousands anonymously.

When we ask them for the name they don’t wish to give them. They see what we are doing and they are interested in sowing. Some people give of the little they have because they want to be apart of what we are doing.”

Running Great Commis sion is recent years has not been an easy task for Bishop Hanchell, who had to fight his own personal battle with stomach cancer last year.

After learning of his diagnosis, Bishop Hanchell immediately started chemo therapy in the United States.

The process left him weak and unable to eat for a period of time. He had too regain his strength to walk again. Then things took an even more difficult turn when Bishop Hanchell’s doctors informed him that in addition to his stomach, they had also found cancer tumours on his kidneys. He was given a prognosis of only six months to live by doctors.

Graciousness

This year has been so tough. When it wasn’t a death or another loss that com pletely pulled the rug out from under us, it was some other fiasco.

For me, and I’m certain for many others, this has been a year of many rev elations – from who people really are to what they are capable of doing (just to help themselves, or in many cases, just to hurt or hinder someone else), but you know what, it has been good for us.

To say that every vic tory this year was hard-won would be an understatement.

No one, least of all me, could have predicted the many ups and downs faced, the battles waged, the trials overcome but we made it.

It is now November, and we’ve got about two more months before the year and all its vicissitudes are finally concluded, and we can breathe a hopeful sigh of relief before starting all over again.

How did many of us make it? I’m sure that will be the question on our minds at some point. And the answer? Simply by God’s grace.

Grace is defined as the unmerited and undeserved favour of God. It is a bless ing that comes from God’s undeniable graciousness.

In Exodus 34:6, we read as God shows Himself to Moses, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

EAST STREET CHURCH OF GOD REUNION CHOIR HONOURS MEMBERS WITH SPECIAL SERVICE

A special service held October 8-11 saw the East Street Church of God honour 11 directors, musicians and singers. Rev Eileen Johnson served as mis tress of ceremonies. Special thanks were also given to Rev Clover Pratt, Deacon Heslyn Fernander, Elder Clayton Gardiner, Naomi Ferguson, Min ister Stephanie Cleare, Chazzette Forbes, Minister Ilka McPhee Tianya Douglas, Lydia Goynes, Minister Ian Pratt, Sharon Gardiner, moderator Minister Carla Hall, and all choir members for the part they played in making the event a success.

That graciousness is one of the many attributes of God, and something we should strive for every single day.

What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Far from merely

The decision was then made for Bishop Hanchell to undergo a nine-hour surgery on July 1, 2021, in North Carolina in an effort to remove the tumours in his stomach and on his kidneys.

The procedure was a suc cess and Bishop Hanchell was released from hospital.

He is still recovering to this day.

Bishop Hanchell admits he has to battle through con stant fatigue, however, is in overall good health.

He said he gives God all the glory for bringing him to back to health so he can con tinue his work.

Bishop Hanchell has been a caring leader who has uplifted and inspired thousands of Bahamians for over 40 years. He is a fearless advocate for justice and the rights of the poor and oppressed dedicating his life to ministering to the homeless, downtrodden and disenfranchised.

Bishop Hanchell, who is described as a man of tremendous faith, has over come numerous battles in his ministry and personal life.

being a physical facsimile of the Creator, the term “image of God” repre sents our likeness of Him in our moral, spiritual and yes, even our intellectual nature.

How close are we to living His image and exact ing His nature in this earth realm? How desirous are we of being more Christlike, not just by carrying a Bible around, or by quoting scripture but by living well with others…being cour teous and not vengeful… releasing manipulations and simply living life based on Godly precepts and example? How close are we to living the Graciousness of God in our daily lives?

The “grace” attribute of God comes from the Hebrew word “chanan” or the Greek word “charis,” meaning “the state of kind ness and favor toward someone.”

To exhibit grace means to esteem others higher than yourself; to act in benefit of the person receiving grace. As a Godly attribute, we

He is a recipient of the Order of Merit Award, which was presented at the historic first annual Baha mas National Honours Ceremony by the Governor General on National Heroes Day 2018. He also won the 2018 Bahamas Icon Award for Humanitarian efforts, and he is the recipient of numerous other awards, including the JCN Civil Soci ety Award, the Lighthouse Award for Humanitarianism, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outreach, the Global Vision Award, and the National Men’s Award for Christian Ministry and Social Development.

Bishop Hanchell serves as the chairman of Citizens

must be so careful to give grace its place in our daily walk:

• It is not something we take off and put on at our own behest. Grace is a per petual state of being that connects us to the eternal God in our relationship with Him and in our con nections to others.

• Walking in grace requires a tremendous inner strength. It takes a strong faith and a strong resolve to respond with grace, not seek vengeance but to believe that all things do work together for our good.

• Living a gracious life demands selflessness, i.e. – removing yourself from the equation and allowing God to have His perfect will. Not an easy task, to be sure. A gracious life doesn’t mean becoming anyone’s doormat, or releasing ambi tions or goals, but rather going after your desires in a wholesome way that

For Justice Bahamas, an organisation that fights for the rights of victims of injus tice and for those who are oppressed and voiceless.

Additionally, he is the presiding bishop of the People’s Assembly Fellow ship of Churches, which has branches in South-East Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

He is married to Elder Minalee Hanchell, his part ner in ministry and is the proud father of four chil dren: Bishop Dr Tejado Hanchell, Dr Tamalia Gibson, Damon and Ruben.

An avid sports fan, he enjoys boxing, basketball and track and field.

denotes the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit, and not simply for your own selfish gain.

Believers can have amazing spiritual impact, knowing

Our position in God is not by our power, but by His grace alone (Romans 5:1-2)

It is by God’s grace we are equipped to every good work, understanding that everything we do, in word or in deed, points back to Him (1 Peter 4:10)

Grace is a divine and universal ideal that is not reserved for the important few, but for everyone. The strength of all who stand in Christ rests upon the same Grace (2 Timothy 2:1)

To be created in the image and likeness of God is a privilege that only humanity can boast of. A privilege to be His mouth pieces, His body, showing forth His great attributes in the earth.

God bless you this week.

BISHOP Walter Hanchell addresses the congregation at a special service on Tuesday night in honour of Great Commission Minis tries Month.

BISHOP Walter Hanchell and his wife Elder Minalee Hanchell.

AYANNA CARTWRIGHT

Former Anglican educator celebrates 70th birthday in grand style

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

ACCORDING to Anglicans, if one would ask any student from the church’s educational facilities about Geraldine Romer they would confirm that she was one of the greatest primary school teachers they have ever had in the system.

Father Chester Burton, now rector of the St Ambrose Anglican Church on Carmichael and Glad stone Road, shared with Tribune Religion the joy of celebrating such a remark able educator.

“(Geraldine Romer) was the greatest primary school educator who rose to the title and rank as vice prin cipal of St John's College, Primary School Depart ment. Geraldine hails from the tropical isle of St Lucia. She started teaching at St John's in the early 1970s and never looked back, as the proverbial saying goes. In her formative years in St Lucia, she had grandi ose dreams of becoming a primary school teacher,

and subsequently she fol lowed that lifelong dream to its fruition,” said Father Burton.

Recently celebrat ing her 70th birthday, an entire weekend of activi ties was planned for her home parish of St Ambrose Anglican Church.

Highlights included a eucharistic celebration at her home parish. The cel ebrant and preacher for this service was one of her former students whom she taught at St John's Primary School: Father Burton himself.

Father Burton was assisted by newly elected Canon Stephen E R Davies and Italia Davies, the direc tor of the Anglican Central Educational Authority. They led the special ser vice in the chanting of the gospel Matthew's 5:1-1; the Sermon on the Mount.

“In Canon Davies’ trib ute he reflected how he met Geraldine several years ago when his children were all students in the Primary School of St John's. A few students were headed on a Family Island field trip and there were no male chaper ones to assist with the boys

on that particular school trip. Geraldine strongly insisted on him being made chaperone, and the

rest is history,” said Father Burton.

When it was Father Bur ton’s time to speak, he told the congregation – which

SENIOR CATECHIST REMEMBERED AS A 'CONSUMMATE ANGLICAN' DURING LONG ISLAND FUNERAL SERVICE

THE name of Catechist Freda Fox is a well-known one within the Anglican Churches of Long Island. After almost a decade of serving as catechist in the Anglican Church of St Joseph’s in Thompson Bay, located on the boundary of Salt Pond, Mrs Fox sud denly passed away during a visit to New Providence to seek medical assistance.

Mrs Fox served in the capacity of lay reader for three decades of unbroken service to the Anglican faith in and in the secular community of Long Island. She organised and spear headed many Christmas concerts, which were great fundraisers for her beloved home parish of St Joseph’s.

All Soul's Day this year – Wednesday, November 2 – was a sombre one in the quaint community of Salt Pond, as people paid their

respects to the beloved catechist.

Throngs of mourners from all walks of life came to witness the committal of a consummate Anglican.

Officiating at her funeral service were Long Island native, Archdeacon Keith

By ZOHAR HADROMI ALLOUCHE Assistant Professor in Classical Islamic Religious Thought and Dialogue, Trinity College Dublin And S JONATHON O'DONNELL

Visiting scholar, postdoctoral fellow in American Studies, Queen's University Belfast

(THE CONVERSA TION) – In western culture today, demons exist as something of a paradox. Religious belief in them is often presented as mar ginal. Many mainstream Christian denominations are silent or give them little prominence.

In 2014, for example, the Church of England removed references to the devil from its baptismal rites. When questioned, Bishop Robert Paterson stated that the devil “has been turned into a cartoon character of no particular malevolence”.

At the same time, Ameri can politics is replete with demons. Pentecostal ideas of “spiritual warfare” – the use of prayer to battle invis ible demonic forces – have become mainstream and tied to ascendant Christian nationalist movements.

Belief in satanic forces behind national and global politics are core tenets of conspiracy movements like QAnon, which claims (without evidence) that lib eral actors and politicians engage in satanic ritual abuse of children to pro long their lives.

Western demons remain alive and well in popular

culture and contemporary politics. One of us (Jona thon) has researched the continued presence of demons in contemporary culture from gaming to US elections.

The other (Zohar) has completed a study demon strating the complexity of demons in medieval reli gious traditions and folk tales. And it shows the enduring relevance of these stories for contemporary societies, as such stories continue to be told as a living oral tradition to this day.

Yet it is hard to com pletely refute Bishop Paterson’s assertion. The devil’s swing between car toon character and active threat is part of the figure’s complex history in the modern world. While once seen as threats to human souls, demons today are much more ambiguous figures.

Malevolence, benevo lence, ambivalence

This ambiguity is in line with non-Christian and older perceptions of demons. In the ancient near east, demons were perceived as good, evil or morally neutral. Liminality (existing at a boundary or threshold) and ambivalence are essential characteris tic of demons. Christianity repressed these aspects, identifying demons as une quivocally evil.

Traditions such as Islam maintain a long-standing ambivalent depiction of demons and satan, who can be rebellious and believ ers, deceitful and teachers,

benevolent and enemies. In Mediterranean Muslim societies and beyond, jinn (spirits which can be benevolent or malevolent) remain a concrete part of life, due to cultural heritage and religious tradition.

The Qur'an depicts the jinn as an intelligible spe cies, alongside humans and angels. This religious and cultural context is a power ful influence on notions of health and disease, too. For example, the notion of pos session by jinn can be seen in Muslim societies, but also in the UK, among com munities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Middle East or north Africa. Some times, modern medicine and an Islamic religious authority are involved in such cases.

who was rector of St Peter's

Archdeacon Cartwright was the chief officiant of the graveside service. Although many would have assumed that she would have a huge eucharist service at St Joseph’s, Mrs

included fellow Anglican School educators – that he would keep Geraldine's homily short and sweet like a nursery rhyme.

“Geraldine is one who practiced asking not what St John's can do for her, but what she can do for St John's. Whenever fundrais ing events were being held for the primary school, she was always one of the first persons to raise her hand, rolling up her sleeves to get the ball rolling. Geral dine proved to be obedient. Many persons would dare not leave their native land or familiar country of origin, and she left her home of St Lucia and made her roots in the Bahamas,” he said.

“All of her children are born in New Providence… Geraldine exhibits her keen sense of musical talent, as she once sang in the parish choir and during confirma tion services earlier this year.”

He further described the birthday girl as some one who possesses the generous gift of encourage ment. Looking around at the congregation, Father Burton said he could see

Fox had left instructions with her three daughters for a simple graveside funeral service, as she was always a humble and down to earth lady while she was alive.

Her daughters and their husbands – Kimberely and Kevin Cartwright, Sandra and Dennis Fox, and Desir ree and Jeremiah Harding – heeded her wishes.

Father Burton received her casket and sprinkled it with holy water – reminis cent of her baptism where she was welcomed through the waters into the Angli can faith.

Canon Campbell gave the homily at the moving ser vice, using St Paul's words to the Corinthians in which he says: "For as in Adam all die even so in Christ should all be made alive.”

In his sermon, Canon Campbell took the gather ing of mourners back to the Genesis story in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God and had to be pun ished for their wrongdoing. Because of their ultimate sin, all human beings suf fered, but when Christ born into our sinful world, He

those whom Ms Romer had encouraged at one time or the other.

“I posited that Geraldine was ‘Resilient Gerry’, as she is affectionately called by her family and loved ones. Gerry uses her abilities of her time, talents and treas ures. When life handed her lemons and limes, she produced lemonade. Well-wishers and fellow coworkers can all agree that while she had challenges in her private or family life, she never ever let it get the best of her. She was always wearing a smile and strongly encouraging others around her to do the same,” said Father Burton.

After the eucharistic cel ebration, the congregation was given ‘thank you’ bags.

Then, last Friday evening, well-wishers were invited to a gala banquet in the school's auditorium, also known as the Emerald Ball room, at 7pm. There was wine, a dinner and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. And on Sunday morning, the birthday weekend culminated with Ms Romer’s family mem bers being invited back to St Ambrose.

rebuilt the severed bridge to God.

Canon Campbell reflected on the joy and privilege it is to continue Christ’s redemptive work. He also spoke about how in the past on Long Island, there weren’t many distrac tions, unlike today where most people have cable TV and smart phones.

Long Islanders, he said, always loved to attend church and celebrate in the joy of a risen lord.

Canon Campbell said the late Mrs Fox and her husband Ernest, who has predeceased her by four years, always led their family in attending church and participating in the eucharist celebration.

Archdeacon Cartwright brought condolences on behalf of the Dioc esan Bishop Laish Boyd, Assistant Bishop Gilbert Thompson, who served in Long Island in the 1960s, as well as Archdeacon Mark Lindsey Fox and Rev Fr Philip Hield.

The Christian right and the devil

Milton’s portrayal of Satan wrestling with his damnation inspired others to reflect on themes of free dom, power, justice and self that recast the devil in morally ambivalent, even heroic ways. Beyond simply figures of evil, demons became artistic motifs to explore of the struggles of free will, the opposition to tyranny and the processing of grief.

The Christian national ist movement in America today is exemplary here. As Jonathon analyses in their book, Passing Orders (2021), members of this movement view social lib eralisation and cultural change as demonic.

For many westerners today, however, demons are more often figures of popular culture. Yet such depictions often echo their ambivalent ancient and non-Christian characterisa tions. In the TV show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020), the devil is both an object of devotion for several core characters and a primary antagonist.

In Lucifer (2016–2021), he abandons rulership of hell to run a nightclub in Los Angeles and assist local police in solving crimes. These works often take the devil’s theological origins more as inspiration than as gospel.

This ambivalence exists in other religious tradi tions. Sufi (mystical) Islam portrays Iblis (Satan) as tragic. He was disobedi ent of God’s command to the angels to bow before the newly created Adam because he preferred monotheism (only pros trate oneself to God) over obedience.

Yet as Kevin Spacey’s character, Robert “Verbal” Kint, says in The Usual Sus pects: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

Reproductive and LGBT rights and recent movements for racial jus tice such as Black Lives Matter are key examples of such changes. Often this is framed as a struggle against an imagined “secu lar humanism”, the driving, diabolic ideology of a secu lar world that has forgotten the devil exists, and which thus acts on his behalf.

Despite common percep tions of them as inherently evil, the place of demons in modern society is often ambiguous. In line with their depictions in nonChristian contexts such as Muslim and ancient Greek traditions, demons exceed simple representations of evil, becoming symbolic of concepts such as freedom, wilfulness, rebellion, pas sion and moral grey areas. This ambiguity becomes especially stark when placed against differences in cultural contexts and his torical eras.

devil and popular culture

The

The titular character of Lucifer is drawn from the universe of Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel, The Sand man – itself subject to a recent TV adaptation. And

This phrase echoes a Sufi warning against turn ing one’s back on demons: as soon as they are consid ered dead, they will rise and stab the person in the back. For practitioners of “spiritual warfare”, this is exactly what has hap pened. To them, the decline in literal belief in demons and the diversity of media depictions are signs not of the evil’s decline – but his ascent.

• This article is republished from The Con versation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and com mentary from academic experts. Read the original article here: https://thecon versation.com

N Cartwright, who is responsible for the southern Bahamian islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands; Canon Sebastian Campbell, who served in Long Island on his first assignment from 1982 to 1984, and Rev Father Chester Burton,

Parish from 2010 to 2015.

A SIMPLE graveside funeral for a humble lady.

Sandman’s Lucifer owes more to the Satan of John Milton’s epic 1667 poem Paradise Lost than the Christian Bible.

ACTOR Tom Ellis as Luficer in the Netflix show

FIBA World Cup ‘23 Americas Qualifiers postponed

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WITH the impending impact of Tropical Storm Nicole on The Bahamas, FIBA and the Bahamas Basketball Federation announced the postpone ment of the latest window of the World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers.

Forecasters suggested that the storm was expected to develop into a hurricane as it travels through the Northwest Bahamas.

Game one of the cur rent window was originally

scheduled to be played tonight, but The Bahamas will now face Panama 8pm tomorrow - Friday, Novem ber 10 - at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. They will also host Argentina in game two of the window on Sunday, November 13 at 7:15 pm.

Tickets to the games can be purchased online at https://happsnow.com/ event/bahamas-basketballfederation.

The roster is expected to be named today.

The Bahamas is hoping to become one of the seven teams to qualify for the 2023 World Cup through the six

windows over a 15-month period in a home-and-away series from November 2021 to February 2023.

In November’s first window, The Bahamas suffered a 115-73 loss to Canada in the first game of a back-to-back in Santo

Domingo, Dominican Republic. Canada took a decisive 113-77 win in the second game.

Team Bahamas split the pair of games in the second window in February. They won 86-76 over the US Virgin Islands and lost

90-65 to The Dominican Republic at the Palacio de los Deportes in the Domini can Republic.

The Bahamas advanced to the second round of qual ifying for the first time in the country’s history when they completed a sweep over the US Virgin Islands to finish as a top three team in the group. They defeated the USVI 97-80 last July, followed by an 88-80 loss to The Dominican Republic at the Baha Mar Convention Centre.

Canada finished as the leader of the group at 6-0, The Dominican Republic

‘Buddy’ Hield signs extension with Nike

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

4-2, The Bahamas 2-4 and the USVI was eliminated at 0-6. The Bahamas is cur rently sixth in Group E at 2-6. All results from the first round carry over to the second round.

In their last appearance, the team lost both games of the second round’s open ing window last August. The Bahamas lost 86-81 to Venezuela at the Kendal ISaacs Gym and lost 95-77 on the road to Argentina in Buenos Aries.

The third and final window will feature the

LEAGUE CUP: ARSENAL, CHELSEA, TOTTENHAM ELIMINATED

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

Chavano

“Buddy” Hield has had an endorse ment deal with Nike for the duration of his NBA career and that partnership will continue for the foreseeable future.

The Indiana Pacers guard signed a multi-year shoe deal exten sion with the sneaker and athletic apparel giant yesterday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hield, who has been represented by Icona Agency since Novem ber 2021, has become known in NBA circles for his series of Kobe Bryant “Player Edition” sneakers in the Bahamian flag colourway.

Hield originally signed with Nike in 2016, just weeks ahead of the NBA Draft. In his first full season as a member of the Pacers, he is averaging 18.7 points, a career high 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

He is also shooting 46 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point range and 92 percent from the free throw line. Through 10 games, Hield has made at least four three-point field goals in six of those games.

The early veteran extension deadline passed on October 17 without Hield and Pacers reach ing an agreement to extend his current contract. Hield has been the subject of trade rumours for much of the offseason and had the sides agreed to an extension,

he would have been ineligible to be traded for at least six months if the deal included a more than five percent raise. Hield will now be ineligible for an extension until

next offseason. “It’s the business of basketball. No matter what hap pens I love playing basketball,” he said in training camp. “Once I have a job, and I’m able to play in this

South America aims to break Europe’s World Cup grip

By ERIC NÚÑEZ AP Sports Writer

KYLIAN Mbappé riled up South Americans back in May when he said both Argentina and Brazil don’t play matches “at a high level” in qualifying to reach the World Cup.

Interviewed by Brazil ian television, the France striker said South Amer ica lags behind Europe in terms of the strength of competition. He noted that the most recent World Cup champions — includ ing his own country in 2018 — have been teams from Europe.

The responses ranged from aggravation to bemusement.

Lionel Messi, Mbap pé’s teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, said Euro peans have no clue about

the challenges of playing World Cups qualifiers at high altitude in Bolivia or the heat and humidity of the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Brazil coach Tite said the qualifiers in South America

have a higher degree of dif ficulty than the European competition.

“With all due respect, we don’t have Azerbaijan to play,” Tite said.

I’m

MANCHESTER, Eng land (AP) — Just how important Nick Pope’s pen alty shootout saves prove to be for Newcastle may not be known until February.

But this was a very good night to stay in the Eng lish League Cup for a team looking to make a state ment with a trophy.

Newcastle, flying high in the Premier League, looked in danger of joining a host of big teams to be elimi nated from the competition yesterday, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham all losing in the third round.

West Ham was also beaten by Blackburn on penalties following a 2-2 draw, to add to the number of topflight sides going out.

Defending champion Liverpool only narrowly avoided joining them —- eventually seeing off League One club Derby in a shootout after a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

It was a night when the competition was blown wide open for those making the fourth round.

Which is why Pope’s save to deny Crystal Palace’s Malcolm Ebiowei could prove so crucial to Newcas tle’s campaign.

While the Saudi-backed club has been one of the stories of the season so far,

Pakistan beats New Zealand to reach T20 World Cup final

By CHETAN NARULA Associated Press

SYDNEY (AP) — Half-centuries from Babar Azam and Moham mad Rizwan helped Pakistan beat New Zea land in dominant fashion to book its place in the T20 World Cup final.

Rizwan scored 57 runs and Azam added 53 as Pakistan made easy work of a 153-run chase on a placid Sydney wicket. It finished with 153-3 in 19.1 overs.

That came after Shaheen Afridi took 2-24 to help restrict New Zea land to a sub-par 152-4 from its 20 overs.

Pakistan awaits the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between India

and England in Adelaide. The final will be played in Melbourne on Sunday.

“Luckily the half-cen tury came in the semifinal.

It was a tricky pitch,” Rizwan, who was named

player of the match, said. “We decided to attack against the new ball. Our start to the tournament wasn’t good, but we kept believing.”

Opting to bat after winning the toss, New Zealand got off to a poor but eventful start.

Finn Allen hit a bound ary off the first ball and survived a close legbefore-wicket shout off the second via review. He was then immediately out lbw off the next delivery.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Devon Conway (21) put on 34 runs for the second wicket before the latter was run out at the end of a powerplay.

PAKISTAN’s Shadab Khan reacts following the T20

BRAZIL’s Neymar reacts following a missed scoring opportunity during the quarterfinal match against Belgium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kazan Arena, in Kazan, Russia, July 6, 2018.

(AP Photo/ Andre Penner)

league for a long time it doesn’t matter where I go, I’m happy,

still here I’m just glad to play bas ketball at a high level with the best basketball players in the world.”

INDIANA Pacers guard Buddy Hield reacts after hitting a clutch three-pointer during an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls on October 26 in Chicago. Hield signed a multi-year shoe deal extension with Nike yesterday.

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Durant, Nets rout Knicks after making Vaughn head coach

NEW YORK (AP)

— Kevin Durant had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan to score at least 25 points in his team’s first 12 games, and the Brooklyn Nets routed the New York Knicks 112-85 on Wednes day night after making Jacque Vaughn their head coach.

Durant beat the Knicks for the 13th straight time, and he’s had triple-dou bles in the last two. His rebounds and assists were both season highs, and his usual scoring extended a streak that is the longest since Jordan opened the 1988-89 season with 16 consecutive games of 25 points.

New York’s basketball rivalry remained no rivalry at all, with the Nets beating the Knicks for the eighth straight time. It matches their second-longest win ning streak against the Knicks, three shy of an 11-game run from 1984-86.

Seth Curry added a season-high 23 points and Edmond Sumner, in his fourth straight start in place of the suspended Kyrie Irving, finished with a season-best 18.

The Nets decided to stick with Vaughn earlier in the day after showing signs of progress since he replaced Steve Nash following a 2-5 start.

Julius Randle had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who trailed by as much as 35.

CELTICS 128, PISTONS 112

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 31 points and five assists as Boston beat Detroit for its fourth straight victory.

Jaylen Brown had 30 points and seven rebounds. Sam Hauser added a career-high 24 points off the bench for the Celt ics, led by 24 in the fourth quarter.

Jaden Ivey had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost four of five. Saddiq Bey added 18 points and Bojan Bog danovic finished with 17. Cade Cunningham was 1 of 11 from the field and finished with a season-low four points. It was the first time this season he’s failed to reach double figures. He

was averaging a team-best 21.4 points per game.

JAZZ 125, HAWKS 119

ATLANTA (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored a season-high 32 points and Utah recovered after blow ing a 15-point lead to beat Atlanta.

Jordan Clarkson had 23 points, his fifth straight game with at least 20, to give the Western Confer ence-leading Jazz (10-3) their fourth straight win.

The Jazz made 17 3-pointers, including six by Malik Beasley, who had 18 points, and six by Markkanen.

Dejounte Murray scored 26 points and Trae Young added 22 for the Hawks, who took a 90-85 lead into the final period. Atlanta (7-4) had its three-game winning streak snapped.

NUGGETS 122, PACERS 119

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

— Nikola Jokic scored 24 points in 21 minutes to help Denver erase an 18-point deficit in the second half against Indiana.

Jokic was in foul trouble most of the night and sat from the 11:02 mark of the third quarter until early in the fourth with five fouls. But when the Nuggets needed him most, the twotime NBA MVP pulled them through.

Denver has won four straight and six of seven.

Aaron Gordon had 18 points and tied a career best with 17 rebounds.

Indiana led most of the second half but struggled to stop Jokic and Denver’s 3-point shooters down the stretch. Myles Turner missed a 3 at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 30 points, including 23 in the first half. Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 11 assists.

RAPTORS 116, ROCKETS 109

TORONTO (AP) — Fred VanVleet scored 12 of his season-high 32 points in the fourth quarter to lead Toronto past Houston.

O.G. Anunoby matched his season best with 27 points and added 10 rebounds for the Raptors. Otto Porter Jr. scored 14 points, Scottie Barnes had 13 and Gary Trent Jr. 11 as

Toronto improved to 5-1 at home.

VanVleet made a sea son-high seven 3-pointers, going 7 for 16 from long range.

Jabari Smith Jr. had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin Porter Jr. had 12 points and 11 assists but the Rockets lost for the seventh time in eight games. Jalen Green scored 21 points.

TRAIL BLAZERS 105, HORNETS 95 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Damian Lillard overcame a slow start to finish with 26 points, including six 3-pointers, and Portland handed Char lotte its sixth straight loss.

Anfernee Simons scored 19 points and Shaedon Sharpe had 17 off the bench for the Trail Blaz ers. They shot 53.3% and rallied from a 12-point defi cit in the third quarter to improve to 3-1 on their sixgame trip.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 18 points. Mason Plumlee had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

MAGIC 94, MAVERICKS 87 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner scored 22 points and Orlando held Dallas star Luka Doncic under 30 points for the first time this season.

Doncic, the NBA’s lead ing scorer, finished with 24 points after scoring 30 or more in each of the Mav ericks’ first nine games. He shot 9 for 29 overall and 2 of 11 from 3-point range.

Spencer Dinwiddle had 29 points for the Mavericks, who were out rebounded 49-29.

The Magic played for the first time without rookie Paolo Banchero, who sprained his ankle Monday night. Wendell Carter Jr. had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando.

The start of the game was moved up by 90 min utes due to the approach of Hurricane Nicole.

PELICANS 115, BULLS 111

CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, including seven straight late in the fourth quarter, and New Orleans pulled out a vic tory over Chicago.

Ingram hit a 3-pointer that gave the Pelicans a 109-107 lead. DeMar DeRozan’s dunk tied it, but Ingram countered with a mid-range basket and the Bulls committed a turnover with 17.4 seconds left.

DeRozan, who scored a season-low nine points Monday, led the Bulls with 33. Zach LaVine added 23.

GRIZZLIES 124, SPURS 122, OT SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Ja Morant and Des mond Bane scored 32 points apiece as Memphis defeated San Antonio in overtime.

The Grizzlies handed the Spurs their fifth con secutive loss and won their seventh straight over San Antonio. Dillon Brooks added 13 points and Steven

Adams had 19 rebounds and seven points. In a back-and-forth game, Bane scored six straight points in the final 2 1/2 minutes to help force overtime.

Devin Vassell’s 3-pointer for the Spurs hit the side of the rim as overtime ended. Vassell and Jakob Poeltl had 22 points each.

BUCKS 136, THUNDER 132, 2 OT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jevon Carter had career highs of 36 points and 12 assists as Milwau kee outlasted Oklahoma City in double overtime.

The short-handed Bucks were missing their top two scorers. Giannis Ante tokounmpo sat out with a sore left knee and Jrue Holiday was sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Carter filled the scoring void by making 15 of 27 field goals, including 5 of 10 3-pointers.

Brook Lopez added 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks for the Bucks, who were coming off their first loss this season after starting 9-0.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexan der scored 39 points and Josh Giddey added 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder, who lost their fourth straight.

SUNS 129, TIMBERWOLVES 117

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Devin Booker had 32 points and a season-high 10 assists, and Mikal Bridges scored 31 as Phoenix topped Minnesota.

Despite playing without Chris Paul (right heel sore ness) and starting forward Cameron Johnson, the Suns led by 27 to rebound from a disappointing loss at Philadelphia two nights earlier.

Cameron Payne added 23 points while starting in place of Paul. Landry Shamet had 16 off the bench for Phoenix, which had lost two of three.

Rudy Gobert returned to the lineup for Minnesota after missing two games in health and safety protocols. But he and Karl-Anthony Towns were limited due to early foul trouble.

Gobert scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quar ter. Towns finished with 11. Jaden McDaniels had a career-high 24 points to lead the Timberwolves.

climbing up to third in the table just a year after looking in serious danger of relegation, its wait for a major trophy dates back to 1969.

How its fans would relish silverware – even if Cham pions League qualification is the priority this season.

Not even all-time record scorer Alan Shearer could lead his boyhood club to a trophy when it last made a major push to join the elite of European football in the 1990s.

So, it would be a major statement of intent if man ager Eddie Howe manages to bring that long wait to an end.

Pope made three saves in the shootout to secure a 3-2 win on penalties that will install Newcastle as one of the favourites to make it all the way to the final on Feb ruary 26.

“It’s exciting for every one at the end, although not good for our health, but happy to get through,” Howe said. “We wanted to win to keep that momen tum and we want to go as far as we can in the cup.”

Any team that does go on to lift the trophy is likely to have to overcome Manches ter City after it beat Chelsea 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

The Premier League champions have dominated the competition in recent years, winning it six times in the past nine seasons.

Goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alva rez consigned Chelsea to a third loss in four games.

The honeymoon appears to be over for manager Graham Potter, whose team has only won two of the last seven games, with both of those coming in the Cham pions League.

The biggest shock of the night came at the Emirates where Potter’s former team Brighton recovered from going 1-0 down against Pre mier League leader Arsenal to win 3-1.

Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma and Tariq Lamptey all struck after Eddie Nke tiah had opened the scoring. It was a good night for the Premier League’s bottom three clubs, with Forest beating Tottenham 2-0, Wolves winning 1-0 against Leeds and Southampton going through 6-5 on pen alties after a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

KLOPP’S FUTURE Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed he will remain at the club after owner Fenway Sports confirmed it was open to selling its shares.

Junior college basketball prospects soak up early season success in US

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN basketball prospects have teamed up at the junior college level across the United States and have experienced early season success with their respective programmes.

The group of team mates include Bradley Lightbourne and Joshua Dames with the Kansas Community College Blue Devils, Deyton Albury and Paul Greene with Chipola College, Rolan tae Knowles and Oswald Meadows with Butte Com munity College and the Bahamian contingent at Northeast Community College, Emmanuel Alex andre, Saheed Sanusi, Bryan Rolle, Colin Storr, Jaden Strachan and Charles Joseph.

The Blue Devils have struggled at 1-3 thus far, but Lightbourne and Dames have each averaged double figures in scoring.

In the season opener, Lightbourne finished with 19 points and four steals, Dames added 19 points and eight rebounds in an 86-77 loss to the no.9 ranked Des Moines Area.

KCKCC split a pair with Iowa Western CC. In game one, Lightbourne posted his first double double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while

Dames scored 11 with four steals. In game two, Dames made four threes en route to a game high 19 points while Lightbourne added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Lightbourne also scored 16 in an 80-73 loss to Butler.

Last season, both players received conference wide recognition for standout freshman seasons.

Lightbourne was named to the All-Second Team and Dames to the All-Third Team respectively.

Lightbourne averaged 12 points and five rebounds per game on the season. He shot 46 percent from the field.

Dames earned Third Team honours after he averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per

game, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field. The Blue Devils went 21-10 overall on the season, and advanced to the Region VI Tournament Semifinals.

Albury is in his second season with Chipola while Greene has had an imme diate impact in his debut season thus far.

Albury was a role player for Chipola last year as a freshman, but began his sophomore campaign with a strong start. He posted a collegiate career high with 22 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals for Chipola in their season opening 84-75 win over the Coastal Alabama North Eagles.

Greene had four points, six rebounds and three assists in his debut.

In game two, Greene nearly posted a double double with nine points and eight rebounds.

Albury had eight points, five rebounds and four assists in Chipola’s Southwest Mississippi Community College.

In a 76-66 win over Polk, Albury finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Greene scored 13 and grabbed seven rebounds.

As a freshman, Albury averaged 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 33 appearances.

This season he is aver aging 15.7 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds per game. Greene is averag ing 8.7 points and is second on the team with seven rebounds per game.

Knowles and Meadows are in their sophomore season with Butte CC and the team has a 1-2 record thus far.

Knowles is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points and is leading the team with 8.3 rebounds per game while Meadows is averaging 8.7 points per game.

Knowles opened the season with back-to-back double doubles. He fin ished with 14 points and

10 rebounds in a loss to Columbia, followed by 10 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Cosumnes River. He recently added 10 points in a win over Simpson JV. Meadows had his best game of the season with 17 points against Cosumnes River.

In their freshman seasons, Knowles aver aged 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while Meadows averaged 6.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Butte finished 15-12 on the season.

Alexandre has emerged as an early star among the Bahamian contingent at Northeast CC, averag ing 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

The Hawks opened the season with a tough 78-77 loss to Southeast CC. Alex andre finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals, Strachan fin ished with five points and six rebounds while Rolle also grabbed six rebounds off the bench in his colle giate debut.

In game two, the Hawks got their first win of the season, 81-75 over the Cen tral CC-Columbus.

Alexandre led the Hawks with a career high 26 points on 3-5 shoot ing from three-point range and nine rebounds. Storr had a double double with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and Strachan scored six off the bench.

Chipola advanced to the national tournament with a 73-64 win over Indian River State College Saturday night to win the FCSAA State Title. Chipola has captured the State Champi onship and advanced to the NJCAA Final Four in the last two seasons.

OSWALD Meadows

ROLANTAE Knowles

EMMANUEL Alexandre

NETS’ Kevin Durant (7) drives between Knicks’ Jericho Sims (45) and Julius Randle (30) during the second half last night in New York. The Nets won 112-85.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Falcons-Panthers back at it less than 2 weeks after OT game

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

THE worst division in the NFL gets a prime-time matchup when the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Fal cons meet for the second time in less than two weeks tonight.

Despite a losing record, the Falcons (4-5) are in the mix for first place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) in the NFC South. The Panthers (2-7) aren’t that far behind despite a dismal season.

The teams produced an exciting finish in Atlanta on October 30. The Falcons prevailed 37-34 in overtime after the Panthers missed two kicks that would’ve ended it.

P.J. Walker again starts over Baker Mayfield at quarterback for Carolina despite posting a 0.0 passer rating last week. He threw for a career-high 317 yards and a touchdown in his previous game against the Falcons.

Marcus Mariota might spend the night handing off after the Falcons averaged 5.7 yards per carry in last week’s loss to the Charg ers and surpassed 200 yards rushing for the third time this season.

The Falcons are 3-point favourites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Road teams have won four of the past five Thursday night games. Pro Picks leans toward Atlanta because the Panthers are better off accumulating losses to get a top draft pick to land a potential franchise QB.

FALCONS 30-23

New Orleans (minus 2 1/2) at Pittsburgh

The Steelers (2-6) are rested after a bye while the Saints (3-6) are coming off a Monday night loss. Mike Tomlin’s team is better than its record. Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati and Tampa Bay and has lost one-score games to the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins.

UPSET SPECIAL:

STEELERS, 20-17 Indianapolis (plus 6 1/2) at Las Vegas Jeff Saturday makes his coaching debut with the

Colts (3-5-1) against the Raiders (2-6) and Josh McDaniels, who changed his mind about the job in Indianapolis after the Super Bowl in February 2018.

BEST BET: RAIDERS, 28-9 Denver (plus 3) at Tennessee

The Titans (5-3) could play without a QB and snap the ball to Derrick Henry 60 times and still beat the Broncos (3-5).

TITANS, 19-13 Seattle (plus 2 1/2) vs. Tampa Bay in Germany.

Tom Brady saved the Buccaneers (4-5) from a fourth straight loss with an improbable comeback. Geno Smith has the Sea hawks (6-3) leading the NFC West in a rebuilding year. Football fans in Ger many will see a much closer game than anticipated when the schedule came out.

BUCCANEERS, 23-22 Jacksonville (plus 9 1/2) at Kansas City Andy Reid faces one of his most successful protégés

in Doug Pederson, who played quarterback for Reid in Philadelphia, and was later part of his coach ing staff on the Eagles and the Chiefs. Reid’s Chiefs beat Pederson’s Eagles in 2017 when Philadelphia went on to win the Super Bowl.

CHIEFS, 27-18 Houston (plus 6 1/2) at New York Giants

Back from a bye, the Giants (6-2) aim to get back on the winning track against the league’s worst team. The Texans (1-6-1) have a better record against the spread (4-3-1) than on the field.

GIANTS, 23-17 Detroit (plus 3) at Chicago

Fresh off upsetting Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the Lions (2-6) have to stop the Bears (3-6) and sud denly surging Justin Fields.

BEARS, 27-23 Cleveland (plus 3 1/2) at Miami

The Dolphins (6-3) are undefeated in the six games

Tua Tagovailoa finishes. The Browns (3-5) need to use their running game to keep Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Miami’s dynamic offense off the field.

DOLPHINS, 26-20 Minnesota (plus 5 1/2) at Buffalo

Despite the records, the Bills (6-2) are the better team. The Vikings (7-1) had to rally to beat Washington. Josh Allen’s elbow makes this one tricky.

BILLS, 24-20 Arizona (plus 3) at Los Angeles Rams

A playoff rematch fea turing two teams trending downward quickly. The Rams (3-5) hardly look anything like the defend ing Super Bowl champion. The Cardinals (3-6) are 4-11 since a 10-2 start last season.

RAMS, 26-21 Dallas (minus 5) at Green Bay Rodgers has lost five straight games for the first time since his first season as the starter. Micah Parsons

and the Cowboys’ D aim to make him more miserable.

COWBOYS, 24-20

Los Angeles Chargers (plus 7) at San Francisco

The Chargers (5-3) are getting no respect from oddsmakers going against a .500 team.

49ERS, 27-17 Washington (plus 10 1/2) at Philadelphia

This was supposed to be Carson Wentz’s return to Philadelphia.

Instead, Eagles fans get to boo Taylor Heinicke instead.

EAGLES, 30-20

2022 RECORD

Last Week: Straight up: 8-5. Against spread: 6-5-2.

Season: Straight up: 79-57. Against spread: 71-62-3.

Thursday Night: Straight up: 6-3. Against spread: 4-5.

Monday Night: Straight up: 5-5. Against spread: 4-6.

Best Bet: Straight up: 7-2. Against spread: 7-2. Upset Special: Straight up: 3-6. Against spread: 4-4-1.

CHIEFS’ MAHOMES FEELS GOOD AFTER HIGH PASS VOLUME VS TITANS

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes said yesterday that his right arm was feeling just fine after set ting Kansas City Chiefs records for pass attempts and completions in last weekend’s come-frombehind overtime win over the Tennessee Titans. That doesn’t mean he wants to do it again.

Mahomes was 43 of 68 for 446 yards with a touchdown and an inter ception in the 20-17 victory, and he even ran for the tying touch down and 2-point conversion late in regu lation. It was the most passes Mahomes, who was known for his high volume at Texas Tech, had thrown in an NFL game by 14 and beat his highest completion total by six.

“The game got a little out of hand as far as throwing the ball a little more than we wanted to,” Mahomes acknowl edged, “but it called for that. You’ve seen in some games we’ve had to run it a lot. It’s something you have to do as an offense in order to succeed in this league. You have to be able to do both.”

Yet the Chiefs totally abandoned the run against the Titans, whose defensive front is among the league’s best. Their running backs combined to run 13 times for 14 yards as the Chiefs ran 91 offensive plays, one off their franchise record.

Only three players — Bledsoe, Ben Roeth lisberger and Jared Goff — have completed more passes in an NFL game.

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Football Writer

THE year was 2007 and Alabama was still looking more like a college football has-been than a programme on the cusp of a dynasty.

Nick Saban’s first regular season as the coach of the Crimson Tide ended with a four-game losing streak that included a loss to Louisiana-Monroe.

That was the last time Alabama lost consecutive games in a regular season.

Coming off a one-point loss to LSU in Death Valley, the Crimson Tide hit the road again to face another ranked team and avoid their first two-game skid in 15 years.

No. 11 Mississippi and former Saban assistant Lane Kiffin welcome the Tide on Saturday.

For the second straight year, both teams are ranked going into their game. Last season, Kiffin urged fans to grab their popcorn before kickoff. Then Alabama went up 28-0 at the half.

Maybe this game will be more popcorn-worthy. Considering the state of the Tide, it makes the list of the five most intriguing games of Week 11.

No. 4 TCU at No. 18 Texas

Putting aside that this is a pivotal game in the Big 12 for both the first-place and unbeaten Horned Frogs and the tied-for-sec ond Longhorns, there are some juicy storylines. Can TCU repel another depart ing Big 12 flagship school? Can former Frogs coach Gary Patterson, now spe cial assistant to the head coach at Texas, extract

some revenge after he was pushed out last year?

LINE: Texas by 7. PICK: Texas 34-30. No. 10 Alabama at No. 11

Mississippi

Another negative Ala bama would like to avoid: The last time the Tide lost three regular-season games was 2010. Ole Miss’ shaky defence should provide a boost for an inconsist ent Alabama offence. If the Rebels’ potent running game keeps cranking, could be a first-to-50 game.

LINE: Alabama by 11. PICK: Alabama 49-35. No. 15 North Carolina at Wake Forest

Combined score of the last two game between these teams: Tar Heels 117, Demon Deacons 108. Expect more of the same from UNC’s Drake Maye (31 TD passes) and Wake’s Sam Hartman (24).

LINE: Wake Forest by 3 1/2. PICK: NORTH CAR OLINA 45-42

No. 7 LSU at Arkansas

Tigers coming off a huge win. Hogs coming off being upset at home by Liberty. An 11 a.m. local kickoff. One team unexpectedly thrust into a conference championship race. The other looking to play spoiler and turn around a disap pointing season. And look at that line? Tiger trap.

LINE: LSU by 3. PICK: ARKANSAS 31-30, UPSET SPECIAL.

Wisconsin at Iowa

The Hawkeyes’ offence has come to life the last two weeks, but expect this to be another slog for both teams. There should be no other way for a Big Ten West eliminator.

LINE: Wisconsin by 1 1/2. PICK: Wisconsin 20-17.

The rest of the games involving ranked teams, with lines by FanDuel Sportsbook: FRIDAY Colorado at No. 8 South ern California (minus 34 1/2)

Can even CU’s anemic offense find success against USC’s porous defense? ... USC 56-20.

SATURDAY No. 1 Georgia (minus 16 1/2) at Mississippi State Bulldogs plays defense like Alabama and Mike Leach’s Air Raid has man aged 15 points in three games against the Tide ...

GEORGIA 31-10.

Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State (minus 40 1/2) Weather forecast looks good in Columbus and the Buckeyes are probably a little tired of hearing about

getting bogged down in the wind last week.

OHIO STATE 63-17.

Nebraska at No. 3 Michi gan (minus 28 1/2) Seems unlikely Huskers QB Casey Thompson (arm) will play

MICHIGAN 45-14.

Missouri (plus 20 1/2) at No. 5 Tennessee

How will Vols respond after wild few weeks of enormous games.

TENNESSEE 38-21. No. 24 Washington (plus 13 1/2) at No. 6 Oregon Ducks have won 15 of 17 meetings.

But the last three were all decided by 10 points or fewer ...

OREGON 42-31

Arizona at No. 9 UCLA (minus 19 1/2)

Bruins looking to drop 50 on a Grand Canyon State

school for a second straight week. UCLA 48-24.

Louisville (plus 7) at No. 12 Clemson Cardinals have won four straight to right their season behind an improved defense.

CLEMSON 24-20.

Stanford at No. 13 Utah (minus 24 1/2)

A moment to remember last year’s stunningly lop sided game, when the Utes had 440 yards and 38 points at the half ...

UTAH 45-17.

Maryland (plus 10 1/2) at No. 14 Penn State

Both sides have to win a few for it to be a rivalry and the Terps have done that only three times in 45 tries ... PENN STATE 31-24.

No. 22 UCF (plus 2 1/2) at No. 16 Tulane

Not an exaggeration to call this one of the biggest home games in Tulane his tory ... UCF 24-20.

Boston College at No. 17 North Carolina State (minus 19 1/2)

In a terrible season, Eagles might have found their quarterback of the future in Emmett More head ...

N.C. STATE 28-7.

No. 19 Liberty at UConn (plus 13 1/2)

Huskies need one more win to get bowl eligible; Jim Mora for coach of the year?

... LIBERTY 24-13.

No. 20 Notre Dame vs. Navy (plus 16 1/2) at Baltimore

Irish have proved capa ble of playing down to a supposedly overmatched opponent

NOTRE DAME 28-14.

Purdue at No. 21 Illinois (minus 6 1/2)

Illini can’t clinch the Big Ten West, but they’d be

awfully tough to catch with a win ... ILLINOIS 27-17.

No. 23 Kansas State (plus 2 1/2) at Baylor The other two teams, along with Texas, in the Big 12’s three-way tie for second ... KANSAS STATE 28-26.

No. 25 Florida State (minus 6 1/2) at Syracuse

Banged up Orange are sputtering while Seminoles seem to be hitting their stride.

FLORIDA STATE 34-20, BEST BET.

TWITTER REQUEST

South Carolina (plus 7 1/2) at Florida — @ bcgamecocks

Barometer game for the Gators; Rarely can Florida claim a good season if its loses to the Gamecocks ...

FLORIDA 27-23.

Miami (plus 1 1/2) at Georgia Tech — @ GranddadPat

Who had the ‘Canes and Jackets both fighting for bowl eligibility at this point?

MIAMI 23-20.

Iowa State at Oklahoma State (plus 1 1/2) — @ menryharshall1

Injuries have made Cowboys’ QB situation a mystery.

OKLAHOMA STATE 24-21.

East Carolina at Cin cinnati (minus 5) — @ doughnutduncan Bearcats won the last two meetings at Nippert Sta dium by a combined 111-23; This will be closer ... CIN CINNATI 27-20.

RECORD

Last week: Straight-up — 19-6; Against spread — 15-10.

Season: 158-60; 111-115-1.

TEXAS running back Bijan Robinson (5) carries against Kansas State during the second half of an NCAA college football game on November 5, 2022, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

MAHOMES

CHICKCHARNEY CHALLENGE: ‘THE RETURN’

THE country’s premier obstacle course challenge will make its grand return to the Clifton Heritage Park this December, as Chickcharney Challenge organisers hope to double the number of participants in this year’s event.

The wildly popular Chickcharney Challenge, which is now in its sev enth edition, puts one’s fitness and endurance to the test over a three-mile course featuring some 16 obstacles.

Chickcharney Chirren Chief Executive Officer Chester Robards says that this year’s iteration, all set for Saturday, December 3, promises a very different feel.

Blending fitness and fun, Robards says the event is geared toward not only serious fitness enthusiasts but also those simply look ing to have fun while trying something new.

The Chickcharney Chal lenge, which began back in 2015, typically attracts around 100 participants.

Robards says he hopes to double that number this time around. Following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, this year’s event aptly dubbed “The Return”, will feature new challenges and changes to the obstacle course route.

“People who have done the challenge before know the route and so this year we are changing the loca tion of the starting line so that this time around we will be on the beach.

“That’s something new and a nice change which will give a really different feel to the event. We are also adding new obstacles that people have not seen before,” says Robards.

He said: “We are also trying to attract more young people to the event.

This year we had the opportunity to work with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture on an obstacle course.

“The kids really loved it. Obstacle course racing is still very nascent in the country and hasn’t caught on as much as we would like but it’s for everyone, for the kids, for people who want to try something new and for people who do go to the gym. It really blends fitness with fun.”

Robards says that this year’s event will also see the introduction of a new timing system.

“In previous years there would simply be a clock running and whenever a participant crossed the finish line we would mark their time. We are aiming for greater accuracy this year with an NFC race timing system and we will also be staggering the starts to ensure proper crowd control.”

Robards notes that while the event is open to single

participants, it has proven to be much more fun as a group activity.

The event is being held in partnership with Clifton Heritage, with Colina Insurance as the lead sponsor.

The cost to participate in the challenge is $70 for adults and $50 for persons under the age of 17.

For groups of four or more participants the cost is $65 per person and groups with participants ages 17 and under, the cost to participate is $45 per person.

“We have prizes for the first, second and third group to cross the finish

line in the fastest time and complete the most obsta cles. “We have individual prizes, for first, second and third-place finishers.

“This year we are going to introduce a competition between the local gyms and have a floating trophy. One of the gyms is going to be able to take home a trophy and hopefully come back next year to defend their title.”

Obstacle course racing is one of the fastest grow ing segments in endurance sports globally. An official governing body - the Inter national Obstacle Racing Federation (IORF)- was established nearly a decade

ago to legitimise efforts to have obstacle course racing become an Olympic sport.

Robards says that when that becomes a reality, he hopes to someday see a Chickcharney participant competing in the Olympics.

In keeping with efforts to foster greater adoption of digital payments in the country, The Chickcharney Challenge is going digi tal this year and accepting Sand Dollars.

SunCash is the payment solution provider for this year’s event.

To register for the Chick charney Challenge go to: https://www.chickchar neychirren.com

second matchups against Venezuela (February 24, 2023) and Panama (Febru ary 27, 2023).

“We have to really learn to know each other so that we know how to play. But we also have a smaller window for mistakes,” team head coach Chris DeMarco said following the loss to Argentina. “We have these short training camps and a lot of our guys haven’t come up playing together. What we’re facing in these World Cup Qualifiers are teams that have been together for a long time. What that means is that we have to do a better job with longer training camps to build chemistry.”

Sixteen teams began competition in the Ameri cas region, vying for seven spots. The top three teams from each group qualified for the second round of qualifiers.

In the second round, the 12 teams that qualified will be divided into two groups of six. Subsequently, the three best teams from each group, and the fourthplaced team, will qualify for the World Cup.

“Over the four years I’ve been a part of this pro gramme, we’ve tried to find guys that can be effective and learn the system, try to find high IQ players to learn the way we want to play,” Demarco said.

“I do think we’re headed in the right direction and everybody really under stands what we have to do to try and win games.”

“No ones gives you a break.” Sebastián Abreu, the retired striker whose “Panenka” penalty in 2010 sealed the shootout victory that put Uruguay into the semifinals of the World Cup for the first time in four decades, advised Mbappé “to try and read more in Wikipedia.”

There is a lot of swag ger in South America these days, particularly in Brazil, with Neymar and a plethora of young wingers, and in Argentina, which has gone 35 games without a loss and has Messi playing better than ever with his national team.

Uruguay believes it can go far with Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani in their fourth and likely last World Cup, alongside youngsters such as Federico Valverde and Darwin Núñez. Ecua dor is back and at least wants to advance from a group in which they are playing the Netherlands, Senegal and host Qatar.

They all want to break Europe’s grip on the trophy. But they also are aware of an ominous trend: It has been 20 years since a team from South American won the World Cup.

Since Brazil won its fifth title in Japan and South Korea in 2002, the Sela cao has been eliminated as soon they faced a Euro pean team in the knockout round, including a humili ating 7-1 loss at home to eventual champion Ger many in 2014.

Argentina has managed to beat a European team in those stages, but still even tually fell short, including to France in the round of 16 in Russia four years ago.

One factor they point to for their long World Cup drought is that Europe has lots of money to invest in the development of their young players. And lately, the pandemic and the new Nations League conceived by UEFA has reduced sig nificantly the number of matches between the top teams from Europe and South America.

“The Europeans are clearly playing at a differ ent speed than us. They are at dimension that is far ahead of the South Ameri can player,” said Iván Zamorano, a former Chile striker who played for Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Zamorano envies the capacity that European soccer has to find talented players who can “leave a mark for the future.”

“There’s still that indi vidual skill, the street quality, that makes the South American player unique,” Zamorano told The Associated Press.

“But we are lacking the resources, the infrastruc ture, their work methods. So the chances of discov ering and developing that kid with unique skills is tougher. That’s expensive and so many times in South America gets lost in the way.”

But Zamorano also says that this is the first time in at least three World Cups that he has seen Argentina and Brazil in such good shape right before the tournament.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach of the Brazil team that won in 2002 with its “Three ‘R’s” attack combi nation of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, believes the current European dom ination is a just phase.

He said Brazil could win it in Qatar, though he thinks the country is more likely to challenge for the title in 2026, pointing at the poten tial of a new crop of players.

That includes Endrick, a 16-year-old striker that last month became the young est scorer for Palmeiras in the Brazilian league.

“These kids playing now might give the result we expect,” Scolari said. “But you can’t pressure them to give everything. Maybe in four years we can pressure them to give everything, because then they will hit the pinnacle at age 26, 27.”

South American soccer leaders are seeking to keep their teams competitive.

Alejandro Domínguez, the president of continental soccer body CONMEBOL, is hoping to reach an agree ment with UEFA that will allow teams from South America to compete in the Nations League.

“It’s not easy to cut a 30-year-old gap. It’s just not titles but the exper tise that has strengthened in Europe and what we’re trying to establish in South America,” Domínguez told a small group reporters in Buenos Aires. “Sadly our young players depart way too early. ... We’re trying to generate more revenues so the clubs are not desperate to sell them.”

CHICKCHARNEY Chirren CEO Chester Robards says this year’s iteration is set for Saturday, December 3.

Tiger to return at his tournament in the Bahamas

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

TIGER Woods made it official yesterday by announcing he would return to competition as part of the 20-man field at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Woods is the tournament host of the unofficial event on December 1-4 at Albany Golf Club, where the tour nament has been played since 2015. It will be the first time Woods has played the Hero World Challenge, which benefits his founda tion, since 2019.

Woods, who announced his decision on Twitter, has not played competitively since he missed the cut in the British Open at St Andrews in July. That was only the third tournament he played in 2022, all of them majors.

He made the cut at the Masters and PGA Cham pionship, finishing 47th at Augusta National and with drawing after three rounds at Southern Hills.

The Hero World Chal lenge is the start of a busy

T20

FROM PAGE 16

The Black Caps were then reduced to 49-3 in eight overs as Mohammad Nawaz sent back Glenn Phillips (6).

Williamson scored 46 off 42 balls, including a four and a six, and anchored the New Zealand innings. He put on 68 runs off 50 balls with Daryl Mitchell for the fourth wicket.

Afridi returned to dis miss Williamson in the 17th overs. Mitchell hit three

TIGER Woods tips his hat to the crowd during a match be tween Serena Williams and Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, in the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships on August 31 in New York.

(AP

month for Woods, who also has agreed to play in a made-for-TV exhibition on December 10 with Rory McIlroy as his partner in a 12-hole match against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Woods also is expected to play in the PNC Cham pionship a week later with his son, Charlie. They were

fours and a six in complet ing his half-century off 32 balls.

Pakistan’s excellent ground fielding and the wicket’s slow nature then denied New Zealand the chance to launch any type of attack in the final overs.

In reply, Azam and Rizwan belied their poor form to put on a century stand for the first wicket. They scored 50 off 34 balls and reached 100 off 70 deliveries. In all, they put on 105 runs off 76 balls to set Pakistan on course for an easy win.

runners-up a year ago in Orlando, Florida.

The 20-man field in the Bahamas receives world ranking points, with the caveat that sponsor exemp tions must be among the top 50 in the world.

There is an exception for the tournament host — Woods is at No. 1,245.

Woods said Tommy Fleetwood and Kevin Kisner would be the other exemptions, joining an already stacked field that has 17 of the top 20 players in the world.

The only players from the top 20 not playing are McIl roy, Cameron Smith and Patrick Cantlay.

Smith, the British Open champion, is ineligible because of his PGA Tour suspension for joining LIV Golf.

Also, tournament officials announced that Will Zala toris has not fully recovered from a back injury that kept him out of the Tour Cham pionship and the Presidents Cup.

Zalatoris was replaced by former British Open cham pion Shane Lowry.

Azam was out shortly after reaching his halfcentury off 38 balls. Meanwhile, Rizwan scored 50 off 36 balls before being dismissed in the 17th over.

By then only 21 runs were needed off 18 balls and Pakiston closed it out with five balls to spare, as Mohammad Haris finished with 30 from 26 balls.

Powerplay performance was the difference between the two sides. While New Zealand was restricted to 38-2 in its first six overs, Pakistan scored 55-0 in the powerplay.

Photo/John Minchillo)