11252022 NEWS AND SPORT

Minister says aim is for salary increases as union hints at action

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

STATE Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said yesterday that the government is aiming to roll out proposed salary increases for public serv ants before the holidays.

Her comments came after a local daily reported that Bahamas Public Service Union president Kimsley Ferguson hinted at industrial action during an appearance on a local radio show.

Mr Ferguson also said that the union sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister at the beginning of the month, however, there

has been no response to date.

Yesterday, the Golden Gates MP told this news paper that the government has submitted a proposal to the BPSU and is awaiting a response from the union.

Earlier this month, the government was said to have finalised and pre sented its proposal on salary increases to BPSU, which among other raises, would see over 2,000 public officers receive higher wages — up to five incre ments in the first year as a result of the minimum wage increase.

MAN ‘SHOULD SERVE 12 YEARS’ FOR REPEATED SEX OFFENCES

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A 73-YEAR-OLD Grand Bahama man con victed of having unlawful sexual intercourse with an eight-year-old girl was labeled a repeated child sex offender who should serve a prison term of 12 years, a Crown prosecutor submit ted to the Supreme Court.

Norman Ferguson appeared before Justice

Andrew Forbes yesterday for sentencing after he was found guilty on September 28 at his trial.

He was also convicted in 2001 of attempting to commit a similar crime and had served five years in prison.

In her submission, pros ecutor Erica Kemp said the convict’s history shows he has the propensity for sexu ally abusing children.

PAPERS SHOW MISSED TARGETS AT BAHA MAR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SARKIS Izmirlian received more than three months’ warning from Baha Mar’s major resort partner that it would only begin accepting bookings from June 1, 2015, as its target opening was “not a viable option”.

Hyatt’s alarm-sounding letter is among a batch of previously undisclosed doc uments revealed by China

Construction America (CCA) in its bid to prove that Baha Mar’s original developer had known the

revised March 27, 2015, opening deadline would be impossible to achieve.

However, some of the evidence the Chinese state-owned contractor is relying upon appears to torpedo its own case - as it reveals CCA was not “achieving the revised tar gets” agreed by the parties in November 2014 as they sought to get the Cable Beach mega resort back on track.

BAHAMIAN IS SHOT DEAD BY TURKS AND CAICOS POLICE

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said there was a policeinvolved shooting in Turks and Caicos which has left one Bahamian man dead, noting the incident involved members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force who were assisting the island.

According to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, the incident occurred on Wednesday around 11am.

TCI Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting gave an update on the policeinvolved shooting.

“At around 11am today (November 23) a police operation was carried out in the Dock Yard area on Providenciales. During this operation, a group of men, who were believed to be carrying firearms, were chal lenged by police officers.”

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRESS secretary Clint Watson says he suspects that the Public Treasury will be reimbursed for Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ controversial trip to Bermuda by the Progres sive Liberal Party in the next week or two.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, he said the PLP is ready to make additional payments and is only wait ing to receive paperwork from the relevant authori ties to begin the financial transactions. He did not reveal the amount owed.

pictures.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Govt pay rises ‘in time for holidays’

from page one

Ms Glover-Rolle also said that negotiations are a “collaborative” process between the government and the union. However, she noted that the gov ernment is in support of a pay increase for all public servants.

“We have submitted a proposal to the BPSU and are awaiting their response. The Labour Relations Unit remains ready to sit at the negotiation table with the

BPSU so we can finalise the details of an agreement as quickly as possible,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

“We remain hopeful that the proposed increases can be rolled out for public servants prior to the holi days,” she continued.

Mrs Glover-Rolle has previously said that the agreement proposed to BPSU, which is now under the union’s review, was the best possible offer the gov ernment could make at this time.

The Nassau Guardian

reported that Mr Ferguson has made efforts to con vince the government to accept increment payments that provide the lowest paid employees a minimum $100 increase.

“The lower end of the scale is going to be dis advantaged,” said Mr Ferguson on 96.9 FM’s Morning Blend talk show.

“It’s my job and my responsibility to ensure that the entire bargaining unit is dealt with fairly, and not to particularly agitate for one grouping and leave the

other grouping undone.

“And so, I need persons to understand this. We don’t want to leave our brothers behind,” he continued.

BPSU has long called for salary increases, lump sum payments and salary reviews for members across the public sector.

Mr Ferguson had previ ously told The Tribune that the union wants “nothing less than at least $350 per week” given the high cost of living in the country, citing the amount as a liv able wage.

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

FOR the third year in a row, Family Guardian yesterday partnered with Great Commission Min istries for a Thanksgiving Day initiative.

Family Guardian more than tripled donations made separately by staff of the company.

The initiative called The Big Give included 300 meal bags donated to Great Commission Ministries by Family Guardian as well as an additional $5,000 donated to the organisation from Family Guardian’s staff charity committee.

The staff of Family Guard ian also established a drive for clothing and non-perish able food items.

Garnell Smith, district manager for Family Guard ian’s Marathon sales office, who was one of several employees present at the outreach centre on Wulff Road, said she and her colleagues were there to support and assist the com munity in any way possible.

“I have some colleagues accompanying me from the various offices here in New Providence, and we’re here to assist the distribution of these bags to those individ uals,” Ms Smith said.

“This initiative hopefully can encourage other corpo rate citizens to jump on the bandwagon and assist with the social welfare of the country,” she said.

Ms Smith added, “This is Thanksgiving and, we want to be noticeable in the communities, we want to show persons that we care. And, we want to defi nitely continue to be one of the companies in the fore front, to do these types of initiatives.”

Maxine Bethel, opera tions manager of Great Commission Ministries, said 50 of the bags donated will be sent to those who are sick and shut-in, while the $5,000 will go toward food to assist people weekly.

“The bags will be dis tributed this morning (Thursday) to the clients. The money will be used for the purchasing of food for the sick and shut-ins.

There again, we serve 500 plus persons per day, which includes 50 sick and shut-in and that’s five days a week,” she said.

“So what Family Guard ian is doing is helping our clients today with the bags, along with the hot meal that they will receive. We will send 50 to the sick and shut-ins and the rest of the clients will come and receive the packages,” she said.

Dwight Mackey, who had several injuries to the lower half of his body, said he was anticipating a much better Thanksgiving after having received one of the meal bags yesterday.

“I thank Family Guard ian, I thank Mr and Mrs Hanchell and all their workers and I appreciate all that they do. I appreciate it. Most of all I thank God,” he said.

Great Commission Min istries, celebrating 35 years in operation, is a non-profit organisation founded in 1987 by its president Rev erend Walter S Hanchell to assist the poor, needy and homeless.

“I have been made aware that the Progres sive Liberal Party is fully aware and ready to make the reimbursement. They are waiting for the paper work from (the Ministry of) Foreign Affairs to be sent to them as it (relates) to the costs and then the transactions will take

place,” he said. Asked how long the pro cess is expected to take, Mr Watson noted: “Unfor tunately, I am not the minister of foreign affairs, but I do know that the prime minister this week made a call to ensure that it happens so I suspect that should happen within the next week and a half (or) two weeks.”

Mr Davis’ trip drew

scrutiny last month after it was revealed that he spoke at a political convention for Bermuda’s ruling Progres sive Labour Party.

He travelled to Bermuda with a delegation, includ ing former Prime Minister Perry Christie, on October 19 and returned on October 20.

The travel also caused questions to surface, mostly from the opposition, as to

But communications director in the Office of the

Days

the party released a copy of a $24,000 cheque to the Public Treasury it said reflected payment from the organisa tion for the trip.

The FirstCaribbean International Bank cheque is dated October 21, 2022 in the amount of $24,750.

However, it does not cover the trip’s full cost, as was revealed by Mr Davis last month.

Mr Watson said once the transactions have been completed, the prime minister will update the Bahamian public concern ing any additional questions they may have.

He will also reveal how much was paid to cover the remaining balance.

who paid for the trip.

Responding to the FNM, Foreign Affairs Minister and PLP chairman Fred Mitchell said there was nothing unusual about the trip and also insisted that it was a standard official visit to another country at the invitation of the Pre mier of Bermuda E David Burt.

Prime Minister Latrae Rah ming had said earlier the travel costs were covered by the PLP.

later,

STATE Public Service Minister Pia Glover Rolle.

PACKAGES being distributed as part of the partnership between Family Guard ian and Great Commission Ministries for Thanksgiving yesterday.

Photos: Austin Fernander

Munroe: Officers who quit without permission risk jail

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe revealed that Royal Baha mas Defence Force officers must receive permission to resign as he said officers “will probably be impris oned for that offence” if they fail to do so.

Mr Munroe’s comments came when one reporter asked him if he was aware of claims that some 200 RBDF officers had

BAHAMIAN IS SHOT DEAD BY TURKS AND CAICOS POLICE

“One of the men, who I am now naming as Brandon Rahming, was shot by police officers and was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident in Dock Yard.

“Two non-police issued firearms were recovered at the scene of the shooting. During the same incident, another man was arrested for firearms and drug offences, and he remains in police custody,” a Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force statement said.

Commissioner Botting added: “As is routine in these types of incidents. I will be inviting an independent review of the circumstances of the discharge of firearms by police officers during this morning’s incident from a force within the region. I expect this to begin in the next few days.”

Mr Munroe on Wednesday told reporters there was a police-involved shooting in TCI which left Brandon Leonardo Rahming dead.

He identified the victim as being either a Bahamian citizen or of Bahamian descent.

“I’ve been briefed, and you can get a full briefing from the commissioner at the appropriate time that the part of the police contingent in the Turks and Caicos Islands was involved in a fatal shooting of a sus pect wanted for a number of homicides in the Turks and Caicos. I’m advised that the individual is either a Bahamian citizen or descended from The Bahamas, Brandon Rahming.”

Mr Munroe said the victim’s address at one point was Grand Bahama, but he was also advised the victim was a resident of New Providence.

“So, the information is there was a police-involved fatality in the Turks and Caicos involving members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force who are down there assisting officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police.”

In October, the Ministry of National Security sent 20 Royal Bahamas Police Force officers to assist TCI in its rise of crime.

In a statement Mr Munroe said of the joint effort: “The Ministry of National Security and its regional partners recog nised the emerging national security threats developing across borders throughout the Caribbean.

“However, the government of The Bahamas remains resolved in our stra tegic approach to mitigating external factors influencing our ongoing challenge domestically.

“The government of Turks and Caicos remains a critical partner in ensuring our people’s shared safety and well-being. We are confident that with these joint security mis sions between both countries, we can deliver an aggressive and robust coun ter-offensive against organised crimes impacting both The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.”

However, there was some backlash to the announcement with some observers asking why the government would send police officers abroad while The Bahamas is grappling with a rise in murders and other violent crimes.

In October, Mr Munroe said of the criticism: “What’s the criticism? Does anybody know what they are going there to do? So, how can you criticise some thing if you don’t have a clue what their mission is?

“We have sent out a statement to show that it is a joint exercise, common sense would tell you that it’s something that is in the Bahamian national interest. If anybody believes that the Royal Bahamas Police Force shouldn’t act in the interest of The Bahamas, then that criticism is very easily answered,” he added.

Mr Munroe explained that the govern ment would not “entertain” criticism that is not evidenced, or fact-based, as the opera tion’s details will not be disclosed due to the national security interests of both nations.

threatened to resign from the force.

Mr Munroe said he was not aware of these claims but said any member of the RBDF must seek per mission to resign, as he suggested if they failed to do so there would be consequences.

“Any member of RBDF can seek my permission to resign. If they do not get my permission to resign and do not show up to work, they would be considered absent without leave and

will probably be imprisoned for that offence,” he said on Wednesday outside the House of Assembly. The addition of man power to the RBDF has been an ongoing process, as officials have worked actively to get new recruits.

In February, Prime Min ister Philip “Brave” Davis congratulated the latest crop of Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers on their completion of the ini tial basic training during a Passing Out Parade.

Mr Davis extended his congratulations to the newly minted officers of New Entry 58 and Woman Entry 27. He said it was his privilege to honour them for dedicating their lives to public service and remarked that this was the first step in their military career.

“It is a privilege to offer you my heartfelt congratu lations on the completion of your initial basic train ing in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force,” Mr Davis said.

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

Photo: Austin Fernander

from page one

THE SINGING BISHOP, Law rence Rolle, performing at a Thanksgiving lunch for sen ior citizens at the Pat Senior Home yesterday.

Photos: Austin Fernander

Concern over lack of Family Island teachers

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minis ter Glenys Hanna Martin said her ministry is seri ously concerned about the increasing number of teach ers who are opting not to be transferred to the Family Islands amid a shortage of specialty educators on those islands.

Speaking during yester day’s weekly press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, Mrs Hanna Martin reiterated that offi cials are seeing shortages in such core subjects as Eng lish, mathematics and science.

She added that officials are aggressively working to address the chronic issue by hiring more workers.

“These are the critical areas,” she said. “And then, of course, you have like the technical skills, that’s always a concern but the major thing we’re facing right now is language arts and English teachers and we’re trying very hard, very hard.

“We know that there are islands now that are still experiencing deficits. We are aware and we are con cerned and also, we’re still hiring teachers through the system and I’ve spoken to the (public service) minister of state. She understands the urgency. The minis ter himself understands the urgency and we’re working with the Public Service Commission to prioritise teachers to get them through this system, the bureaucracy and to get them on the ground and to get them on the ground and transferred.

“The other concern we face, and this is a major one and it’s sort of a new phe nomenon - many teachers don’t go to the islands,” she also said, adding that in the past, teachers were more welcoming to the idea of

being transferred to these areas.

“This is not the same as before,” Mrs Hanna Martin continued. “Usually when the government recruits teachers, they understand we’re an archipelago and everybody is entitled to education and we’re find ing that a lot of teachers do not want to go, particu larly in places like Abaco, where it’s post hurricane, and also high cost of accom modations and high cost of living, I’m told, and then the smaller cays where you realise that sort of reduced circumstances in terms of access, etcetera.”

Because of this new reluctance from educa tors, she said officials are now trying to ensure that new recruits are aware that the profession is not solely Nassau-based.

“So, this is the thing and we are trying very hard as we recruit, to ensure teach ers understand we didn’t hire you necessarily to go to school in New Providence. Your role is to pursue edu cation throughout this nation,” she added.

“That’s our role. That’s our duty. That’s our under taking so that is something that we’re working on now, to shift this paradigm.”

The move to secure more teachers comes as the ministry prepares to have students tested for learning loss.

Testing exercises were originally due to start in early October, but were pushed back to November.

Acting education director Dominique McCartneyRussell said the delay was because a team to facilitate the exercises had not yet been assembled.

But, according to Mrs Hanna Martin yesterday, the ministry has since made headway in this regard by hiring a project officer who will oversee the process.

She said the next step

will include the training of teachers.

“A company has been selected and we have identified, appointed or contracted a project officer who is a former distinguished educator –Bahamian. She will marshal the entire process,” the education minister added.

“The next step is that we will train teachers who will assist in rolling out the test ing and they’re hoping we can do it simultaneously, not one, one and one so we can test across the board in a short period of time and once we’re able to measure what is happening in each instance, there will be pro grammes designed to help accelerate the learning loss.”

Education officials have previously lamented the pandemic’s effect on edu cation as quite severe with data showing significant learning loss.

This is largely due to classes being held in a vir tual format for most of the pandemic as opposed to an in person setting.

“This is a peculiar type of loss,” Mrs Hanna Martin also said yesterday. “It’s not normal loss and it’s some thing to do with the big gap and the blackout that happened in the pandemic. The fact that many young people have not been online or were online but were not really online, and couldn’t function online but this is happening all over we’re seeing this issue, and it’s seeking to be in front of it and so I’m hoping that in another couple of weeks, we’ll be able to identify a date certain when the test ing the rollout.”

Asked yesterday if test ing will begin next year, Mrs Hanna Martin said she was hoping for the exercises to start before then, but acknowledged that it could begin in 2023 with schools set to go on Christmas break in December.

VILLAGE ROAD WORK STILL

SET FOR DECEMBER FINISH

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Village Road Improvement Project is still on target to be completed by the end of the year, press secretary Clint Watson said yesterday, adding that the final road works should be finished by mid-December.

Mr Watson gave an update on the project during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

He said: “I want to say that finally all utilities — BPL, Water and Sewer age (and) Cable Bahamas — all of the utility com panies are finished doing whatever work that needs to be done. They are clos ing up those holes and paving is expected to begin on the third of December and will last until the 12th of December and there after the road is expected to be fully completed and opened.

“There has been dia logue with the residents in that area. They are excited about it and actually, there have been town meetings to keep them abreast. They

are actually excited, and they believe this will help and enhance the develop ment of that area.”

He also said: “They have been very patient, and we have thanked them for that, but by the 12th of Decem ber, the nightmare shall be completely over so we’re excited to be able to report that today.”

The $6.4m road project was originally expected to be completed in September.

However, there were sev eral delays after more work was added to the project, causing frustration among some businesses and home owners in the area.

Works and Utilities Min ister Alfred Sears said in reference to their concerns in September, “There is disruption, but at the end of the day, it will improve the quality of life of all of the stakeholders on Vil lage Road and the general public.”

There have also been increasing complaints from motorists about numerous potholes and unfinished road repairs throughout the capital.

Areas that have attracted complaints include Wulff

Road, Joe Farrington Road and Gladstone Road, among others.

When asked about this yesterday, Mr Watson said: “A programme has started and you’ll hear more about it. The Ministry of Works will talk more about it, but they have begun repairs to roads and Bahamians can expect to see and feel that really soon. We all drive the same roads so we feel (it) as well when the roads are bad. They have been in that state for a long time. They didn’t just get bad last week or last year. They have been in some state for some time.

“The administration, Prime Minister (Phillip) Davis, as you know is a former minister of works, he is committed to ensur ing that capital works, road repairs and street lights as you see the streetlight programme has begun. People are getting their lights turned back on in their neighbourhoods and it is happening and it is a mandate to ensure that these kinds of things the Bahamian people ought to expect are done and the work has begun.”

PEDESTRIAN DIES AFTER COLLISION WITH VEHICLE

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A MALE pedestrian is dead after being struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Grand Bahama on Wednesday, said police. This incident is the fifth traffic fatality in the country in less than a week.

Shortly before 10pm on Wednesday, officers of the Eight Mile Rock Police Station received a report indicating that a male driver of a Japanese vehi cle was travelling east on Queen’s Highway in Grand Bahama, when he struck a male pedestrian who was attempting to cross the street.

Emergency Medical Ser vices responded and found the male victim had no signs of life.

The victim was then taken to the Rand Memorial Hospital where he was examined by a doctor and pronounced dead.

In a press release, police said, “The Royal Bahamas Police Force wants to urge the motoring public to drive with due care and atten tion. To obey the speed limits and traffic signs, as we work together to make the Bahamas a safer place for all. We will continue to enforce all laws to create safer communities.”

These incidents follow a series of traffic fatalities, two of which took place on Sunday.

Around 7.30pm on Sunday, a 62-year-old West Street pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on Carmichael Road. He was

taken to hospital, where he later died.

Around 9.28pm on Sunday in Gregory Town, Eleuthera, a silver col oured Nissan Note, occupied by a man and a woman, crashed into a cas uarina tree.

The male driver was air lifted to New Providence and is listed in serious con dition. However, the female passenger died from her injuries at the scene.

Earlier last weekend, two other traffic fatalities occurred in North Andros and Acklins.

Following these traf fic fatalities, Chief Superintendent David Lockhart of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Traf fic Division urged people to be careful while on the road.

A BODY is taken from the scene of the fatal traffic incident in Grand Bahama. Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

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“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

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

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After the climate conference, can we change too?

WITH first a hurricane striking The Bahamas, and then the financial whirl wind of the FTX collapse following on its heels, the government’s recent trip to the United Nations COP27 climate conference remained outside of the spotlight somewhat.

Given the stakes involved in discus sions – a succession of Bahamian Prime Ministers have warned of the existen tial risk to our country posed by climate change – it should not be lost in the mix.

There have been some positive out comes – the most notable perhaps being the setting-up of a fund to help countries hit by the effects of climate change.

As a representative from Antigua and Barbuda said of that: “COP27 took decisive action. Parties established a new loss and damage fund here and made history. This is the start of a new paradigm that truly accounts for the burdens of climate change. We live with climate impacts daily and these impacts are becoming unbearable.”

The facts with regard to who bears the costs and who bears the blame are fairly started. As regular Tribune col umnist Sir Ronald Sanders points out: “The current accurate data on the world’s biggest CO2 emitters, com piled by Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, reveals that the top 6 countries, at October 2021 by percentage of global emissions, were: China (32.48), the US (12.61) the 27 European Union (EU) countries (7.29), India (6.71), Russia (4.66) and Japan (2.95). This means that, excluding the 27 EU countries, the other 5 countries are responsible for 59.41% of the emis sions that cause Climate Change. When the EU countries are added, the total is 66.7%.

“It can hardly be fair or just that the governments of 32 nations should be pursuing policies that result in the destruction of livelihoods in almost 200 territories, particularly as the latter con tribute the least to global pollution. For instance, the 39 small island states of the Alliance of Small Island States together contribute less than 1% of global CO2 emissions.”

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis – who also took the opportunity during COP27 to unveil his Blue Carbon Credit Management Initiative – called the new fund “great news” and said: “That was one of the reasons why I went to ensure that we first of all got loss and damage on the agenda.”

As to whether we as a nation would benefit, he added: “I hope to. We hope to.”

But there was one note raised by envi ronmental activist Sam Duncombe. She pointed to the common reference that The Bahamas is a low carbon emitter. She said, however: “Russia has a popu lation of 145 plus million people. Their CO2 emissions per capita are 11.44 tons.

The Bahamas, according to this same (web) site, has 378,000 people and we’ve produced 11.65 tons per capita. So, we are a huge emitter. Our population may be small which makes emissions smaller in the overall scheme of things, but we’re a huge polluter.”

And here is perhaps a part of the dis cussion that still needs to be had. There is talk about a fund for damages, there is talk of a carbon credit scene to bring in funds, but how much of the discussion are we having about our own habits?

At its heart, COP27 – and the vari ous meetings before it – have been an opportunity to have discussions, but rather than just going away to some for eign location to discuss climate change then come back home to silence, we need to keep that conversation going, right here at home.

Some of those questions are difficult. If we are talking about reducing emis sions, then are developments centred around large cruise ports or the con struction of new cruise ports really the best way to be going?

How much are we realigning our own thinking when it comes to construc tion, when it comes to preparing flood defences – or even recognising that some areas of our country are simply going to be underwater come what may, and start planning for what will happen to the population that will be displaced by such events.

When we look at environmental impact assessments for new projects, how much of that impact are we really considering – not just in terms of how it affects neighbours and the immedi ate ground area, but the extra emissions that will come with any given scheme and its part in our national contribution to climate change itself?

The discussion about climate change should not just be about what money we can get to compensate for the damage already suffered and the damage expected to come. It should also be fundamentally about how we carry out our day-to-day business. How much can we switch to renewable energy sources, for example? Should our bumperto-bumper morning commute be in cars running on petrol or electric cars charged from solar power?

When we consider the next big resort to be constructed, or the next AirBNB scheme, or Family Island project, how heavy in the scales do climate issues bal ance against jobs and income?

With the possibility of funds coming in – however close or distant that pros pect that is – there is an opportunity for discussion about how we use them. But we can expand that, and bring the cli mate discussion itself to the fore of our daily lives.

The chance is there for us all to ques tion whether we can do things a better way – will we take it?

Te rising cost of food

EDITOR, The Tribune

MANY Thanksgiving dinner ads are popping up all over Facebook.

The thing that stands out about the few I was informed about is the exorbitant prices. One particular ad says that a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and ham with desert is $25. I stand to be corrected, but I think another ad was promot ing dinners for $30. I recall these dinners cost ing between $12 and $15 last year. The high cost of Thanksgiving dinners is a reflection of the ongoing food inflation gripping The Bahamas.

When the United States

sneezes, The Bahamas catches a cold. USA Today said that the cost of uncooked poultry increased by as much as 17 percent in September. And according to the US Department of Agricul ture, the average price for turkey is $1.46 per pound.

CNBC says the price for an 8-to-16-pound turkey is $1.99. Both the US Department of Agriculture and CNBC wrote that the price was $1.15 in 2021.

Boneless, skinless turkey now costs $6.70 per pound - 112 percent higher than it was in 2021.

In addition to infla tion, which is caused by the exorbitant prices for feed, fertiliser and labour,

poultry farmers are dealing with an Avian flu outbreak in 47 states, which has affected 44.6 million birds.

The outbreaks began in July. Farmers have had to euthanise 5.4 million birds, which has led to shortages and high prices for limited supplies. When one fac tors in the rising costs for transportation and ship ping to The Bahamas, it might be safe to suggest that thousands of under privileged Bahamians will not be able to afford to buy turkey for the Thanks giving and Christmas holidays.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama November 16, 2022.

Power to the people?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WE SAID that the former Bahamas Electric ity Corporation (BEC), now the Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), belonged to The Bahamian people.

Well, and, I am aware why it was structured as such, which does not negate the fact that there is the need to revisit what the Legislators have done to the laws in this regard because, it cannot be right or fair, to have something belonging to the masses, being used as a weapon to strip them of the few dol lars they worked so hard for and flushed down the toilet in this way. And in order to utilise the services, the people, owners of this corporation, were being billed, taxed-to-the-verylast dollar, to access what legally belonged to the Bahamian people, is crimi nal in our opinion, even if allowed in the laws of the land?

How can you say that this corporation is owned by the state, a revenue gen erating entity, and run by a Board-of-Directors, and a complement of mismanage ment/line staffers. And for years Bahamians have been up in arms with the fuel sur charges that amounted to a higher payment rate, than the electricity actually con sumed, how come?

That they have had to pay, and with no relief in sight-to-date, is cause for concern?

This entity has not tabled any profits down through the years, and we still haven’t a clue about how much money sits in BPL’s Bank Account, our money? If they did, the owners of the corporation have not received a cheque in the mail during the Yuletide Season, from profits, why?

What are we doing? There is no concern being shown for the small man, consumers, never mind the promises, why?

The fuel on the interna tional market is one thing, but how can The Bahamas Government continue to subsidise Bahamas Power & Light when it is an entity that should perhaps be liq uidated? And nothing said about what were the mil lions paid in executives, staff salaries? Yet, the

increases on light bills are unbearable, why?

Two days before the general elections of that particular year, the then Government purchased a twenty-four million dollar generator. Why? Why are we continuing to throw good money down this very dark hole, what to do about its viability or invi ability would have long been decided by now, in the natural, during the normal course of things, if this were in Canada or America for sure?

Any corporation not turning profits should be hewn down (to use a Biblical principle), and especially being bank rolled by governments to date...costing owners of it in the hundreds of mil lions of dollars, it seemed to me that a separation is needed, because, as the government(s) support sits to the tune of ridiculous and unjustified sums, is the more our national debt climbs, etc?

There is also litigation in process by former execu tives at odds with the then government and Board of Directors, allegedly the unlawful firings, etc?

And could potentially add to the already burden some Bahamian taxpayers hardships, etc., as they were expecting to shoulder the mistakes spawned, not only by the various Boards and managements of BEC, BPL, inclusive of the politi cal injection of their take on it, their directives down through the years, bears blame, also?

And recently in the par liament of The Bahamas, the mud being slung across the aisles on who did what? And who didn’t do what? When both political par ties, PLP and FNM, were equally as guilty, what a travesty, I think?

There is no question in my mind and the opinions of many Bahamians, that the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC)- we grew up with, and now BPL – has never made a profit, when the aver age light bills paid were

between $150, $250, $350, $450, and, or even $600, by scores of Bahamians. These consumers, workers, many paid below the minimum wages, and I believed that the bulk of those sums had to do with surcharges, why? I have personal knowledge because I got bills that were disputed.

At the time the Cor poration was estimating how much is owed, what garbage, how can you estimate people’s bills - is really proof of the levels of contempt - it has for Baha mians, I am sorry, but there is no other country under the Sun, where such a Cor poration would be able to do it, and get away with it.

Why were they doing this - the jury’s still out? Any time a consumer gets an estimated bill, means that it could have been over priced? Even underpriced? But what were the chances of that bill, or those bills being underpriced, was per haps one in a thousand?

These were some of what the Corporation has been allowed to do to the Baha mian consumers. Bahamian people need relief, and while numerous govern ments have said that they were working to ease the electrical burdens of con sumers, the facts on the ground tell a different story.

How can you rob Peter, to pay Paul, hold true?

It is time to end the strife concerning this injustice. Let us fire the entire man agement team and bring in the appropriate skill set to manage it.

Let us reduce the salaries where necessary? And let the government cancel the subvention?

We just cannot go on much longer this way. The Bahamian people need relief. It is criminal what we are doing to the owners of BPL (the Bahamian Taxpayers).

As one lady working at the Nassau Straw Market in downtown Nassau has lamented. “That the two political parties of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, are keep ing the Bahamian people down.” Is something to be considered?

FRANK GILBERT Nassau,

November 17, 2022.

THE SINGING BISHOP, Lawrence Rolle, performing at a Thanksgiving event for senior citizens yesterday. Photo: Austin Fernander

LETTERS

letters@tribunemedia.net

Man ‘should serve 12 years’ for repeated sex offences

In addition to a 12-year sentence, the prosecutor is also asking that Ferguson be registered as a child sex offender.

Ferguson is represented by Carlson Shurland.

According to the facts, on March 10, 2019, sometime after 9pm the eightyear-old virtual complainant went to bed.

Sometime after 11pm, the child awoke to find Ferguson on top of her. The court heard he penetrated her vagina with his penis.

The child was taken to hospital and examined by a doctor, who confirmed that her hymen was not intact and that there was pain and swelling of the vulva.

Mrs Kemp said that the law states that any adult who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a dependent child whether with or without consent is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for life.

The prosecutor called Wynelle Goodridge, chief probation officer at the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services, to present a proba tion report.

According to the social worker, Ferguson, who is the father of eight, described himself as an awesome father who provided for his children, but did not share a close bond with any of them.

She noted that he was diagnosed with several chronic illnesses, includ ing hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, and loss of vision in one eye.

Ms Goodridge reported that

although Ferguson was found guilty of a “heinous crime,” he failed to accept responsibility.

Mrs Kemp said that Ferguson continues to maintain his inno cence, according to the probation report.

“Not only in this matter, but in 2001 where he was convicted of the attempted (assault of another child). So, he is still saying in this report that he is innocent,” she said.

The prosecutor pointed out that Ferguson was not even trusted to be around his own grandchildren with out supervision because of his past conviction.

Although the mitigating factors are that Ferguson is a senior citizen and that he suffers from chronic ail ments, Mrs Kemp submitted that the aggravating factors outweigh them.

She said the convict was 70 at the time of the offence, while the com plainant was a fifth grader.

She noted that the difference in their ages is 62 years.

Ferguson’s prior conviction to a similar sexual offence was also factor.

The prosecutor said Ferguson’s actions were premeditated.

She added that the convict was in a position of trust to the victim.

“He breached that trust... He preyed on the trusting nature of the eight-year-old child... he abused her,” she said.

The prosecutor further submitted that Ferguson could have pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, fore going the court trial, and sparing the young victim the agony of reliving her

experience.

“He is 73 and is just six days away from his 74th birthday. He is a repeat sexual offender, and it begs the ques tion if he could be rehabilitated (at his age).

“We submit for his own selfish sexual gratification he robbed the victim of her childhood. The damage has been done and therefore the convict must be punished, however he must be treated no less than human.”

Mrs Kemp said the court must perform a balancing act to help Ferguson and protect other chil dren from sexual abuse. She said he should receive counselling while in prison.

His attorney Mr Shurland submit ted that a custodial sentence of 12 years equates to a death sentence in the case of his client, due to his age and illness.

He noted that his client would be released at age 90.

“She is asking to send him to jail to die in jail, it’s almost like a death sen tence,” Mr Shurland stated.

Mr Shurland asked the court to exercise mercy.

“I ask to let him go with condi tions,” he submitted. “I am asking the court to be merciful when imposing an appropriate sentence. He needs a break and has been ostracised and continues to be ostracised. We ask that the court not give him a 12 years custodial sentence,” pleaded the attorney.

He suggested that his client serve two years and be given treatment.

Justice Forbes is expected to deliver his ruling on the matter at 11am on December 13.

MAN ADMITS BREAKING INTO CHURCH

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday after admitting to breaking into a church and stealing thousands of dollars worth of equip ment six years ago.

Earlier this week, Oclen Pierre, 42, stood before Senior Magistrate

Carolyn Vogt-Evans on a charge of sacrilege.

Pierre is said to have broken into United Church of God Deliverance on October 2, 2016. During this break-in, the accused stole two stand up Lasko fans, two wall fans, a black cordless microphone, a wired microphone, a black Yamaha keyboard and two Yamaha amps. These items, which are said to be the property of Randy Stubbs,

have an estimated value of $2,869.

In court after Pierre was informed that he had been denied bail on the basis of him having a pending charge before the Supreme Court, he reversed his earlier position and pleaded guilty to the offence.

Due to his previous charge, the magistrate sentenced him to one year at the Bahamas Department of Cor rectional Services.

MAN USED SWORD ON GAS ATTENDANT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was ordered to complete 75 hours of community service after admitting attacking a gas station attendant with a sword last week.

Michael Hanna, 36, faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and causing harm. Hanna got into an argu ment with pump attendant Kerby Jeune while attempt ing to get fuel around 12.50am on November 22 at Esso Gas Station on East Bay Street. Things escalated and Hanna pulled out a sword from his car and chopped Jeune on his left arm.

The victim suffered a lac eration to his left forearm.

In court, the accused pleaded guilty. Hanna explained to the magistrate that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time and was not in the right state of mind.

The chief magis trate sternly warned Hanna and placed him on a conditional discharge. Hanna is expected to financially compensate the complainant with $250 in court on or before Novem ber 30. He was further ordered to attend 75 hours of community service at the Good Samaritan Home.

Hanna is to return to court for a status report on January 9, 2023.

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF ARMED ROBBERY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded to prison yesterday in con nection with the armed mugging of a man earlier this month.

Denzil Hanna, 27, faced Assistant Chief Mag istrate Subusola Swain on a charge of armed robbery.

Hanna is accused of rob bing Brandon Jennings on November 13, while being concerned with others and armed with a handgun.

During this incident, it is said that $900 cash, a black 12-gauge shotgun, a black Audi car key and a gold

chain with a Jesus charm valued at $1,500 were all stolen from Jennings.

Due to the nature of the offence, the accused was not required to enter a plea in court. He was informed that his matter would be fast tracked to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

The magistrate did not have the jurisdiction to grant bail, however the accused can apply for it in the Supreme Court.

He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Hanna’s VBI will be served on February 27, 2023.

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF ARMED ROBBERY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN faced an attempted murder charge in Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Perry Johnson, 20, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Fergu son-Pratt charged with the offence.

He is accused of attempt ing to kill Toriano Wallace on November 19.

As this charge is an indictable offence, the accused was not required

to enter a plea in court. He was informed that his matter would proceed to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment.

While the chief magis trate told the accused that he had been denied bail at this time, she also said that he had the right to apply for it in the higher court.

He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS). Before being taken to BDCS the accused was allowed a brief moment with his relatives who were present.

Opening a path to a brighter future

CONFESSION time - I sat down to write this arti cle and after several hours of skillfully crafting the wording I looked at the sea of words on my screen and scrapped it, deciding to start from scratch. Why you might ask?

By most standards it was a good piece. It was inform ative and explained some of the complex and remarka ble facets of One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF), and its ecosystem of intercon nected programmes and projects that are serving and benefitting Eleuthera’s communities thanks to OEF and our sister organisation, the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI.).

Among other things, it touched on our unique social enterprises which include the country’s only training hotel, our revo lutionary training farm, and our groundbreaking retractable growhouse, as well as our new farm-totable training restaurant.

But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I paused to reflect on what has been the most inspiring and reward ing aspect of my work here as chief communications officer.

Hands down, it has been witnessing, hearing, and experiencing first-hand, the many impactful stories of people touched by our community-shaping pro grammes and initiatives.

I’ve enjoyed learning about the many lives that have been enriched and enhanced in ways that simply would not have been possible without the ongo ing work of OEF and CTI.

The collection of stories told and untold are too numerous to count, but each one demonstrates how helping even one person can create a positive ripple effect that strengthens and

By Yolanda

Pawar

supports families, commu nities and in many cases the local economy. This is reflected beautifully in our student success stories.

Jonathan Mackey and Kevon Hepburn are brothers who hail from Greencastle, South Eleuthera, and are prime examples of how education and training can uplift and transform lives.

The young duo enrolled in OEF’s signature “Learn and Earn” carpentry pro gramme in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of extreme loss and severe economic downturn.

The first practical ben efit they received from the programme was the weekly student stipend, restoring them as the breadwinners within their home.

Secondly, as a part of the programme they were each provided with a basic toolkit for practical training which would also help them transition into their new carpentry careers.

From day one, Jonathan

and Kevon found them selves immersed in a whole new world of learning; planted in a supportive community where their suc cess mattered.

The brothers quickly built a strong foundation learning how to operate basic equipment and power tools, including the circu lar saw and table saw. By the end of the course, they could build and install small furniture items, shelves and gates, and had learned how to perform minor home repairs.

Observing their strong work ethic and keen desire to learn, Jonathan and Kevon were invited to join the OEF/CTI team at the end of their twelve-week course and have been employed with the organi sation ever since.

They have cross trained in several different depart ments increasing their capacity and acquiring specialised skills in con struction and sustainable farming.

To see the transforma tional change that has taken place from the first day they walked onto the CTI campus up to now is quite impressive.

Watching their renewed confidence in themselves and the sense of purpose that brings peace and joy to their countenances is a constant reminder of what hope and opportunity can do. It can build a bridge to a brighter future and stronger communities.

A need for more entre preneurial opportunities and long-term job creation was one of the core issues of underdevelopment docu mented in “A Shared Vision for South Eleuthera.”

This founding docu ment, which was created over twelve years ago, laid the groundwork for OEF’s programmatic approach to sustainable development around five key areas of focus: economy, education, environment, health and heritage.

It documented feedback gathered from a diverse cross section of concerned community actors and stakeholders from across the island.

They put “heads and hearts together” to envis age new pathways to build a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive future for all.

It was in 2018 that Letita Vernanchia John son enrolled in the first Basic Culinary programme offered at CTI’s Harbour

Island Trade School.

For more than ten years, she had worked at the same restaurant as a line cook but was immediately promoted to manager after complet ing her training.

This promotion was pivotal in expanding Ver nanchia’s vision of one day operating her own restaurant. Using her CTI education, background in culinary and newly acquired experience in manage ment, she was able to fulfill her dream and become an entrepreneur during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, her restaurant, “Back Road Gal” pays homage to her island roots and is a popular eatery and catering business on the southern end of Harbour Island.

Known for savory dishes, and great service, she has built a solid reputation with locals and guests. Ver nanchia’s restaurant has created full-time employ ment for others in her community, and she often hires her former staff to assist with catering jobs.

“I started my studies at The Hotel Training Col lege at The College of The Bahamas in Nassau, but I couldn’t finish. When the CTI course came around everything just fell into place. I wanted to show my children that I could finish something and do well. I said to myself you MUST do this. Graduating helped my confidence big time and helped to open new doors for me,” she notes.

Looking through OEF’s “education and training lens” you can see the clear connection between pro viding ongoing access to technical and vocational training and increasing employment outcomes and entrepreneurial pathways.

The result is an increase in household earnings and a trickledown effect that positively impacts the com munity and strengthens the local economy. Often, we

examine success in numbers and that is important data, but the true social impact does not always show up in the spread sheets.

Over the last decade, OEF’s work has expanded as evidenced in the lives of those we serve and the strategic and con sistent expansion of our programmes, training capacity and campus train ing facilities.

The shared vision’s frame work, concepts and ideas continue to guide OEF’s trajectory, programmatic approach, and evolutionary process. What is interesting to observe is not only the interconnectedness of it all, but how the many beneficial overlapping outputs align to strengthen our communi ties, connect resources and people, increase momen tum, and undergird the mission of OEF and CTI, while always putting people first.

I am incredibly proud to be a part of an organi sation committed to building people and creat ing pathways to success and economic empowerment through education and all aspects of community development.

Yolanda Pawar is the chief communications officer at the One Eleuthera Foundation. Established in 2012, the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a nonprofit organisation located in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. For more information, visit www.oneeleuthera.org or email info@oneeleuthera. org. The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is the first and only postsecond ary, non-profit education and training institution and social enterprise on Eleuthera. CTI operates a student training campus in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, with a 16-room training hotel, restaurant and farm. For more information about CTI’s programmes, email: info@oneeleuthera.org.

of One Eleuthera Foundation

YOLANDA PAWAR

BROTHERS Jonathan Mackey (front) and Kevon Hepburn (back), and, right, Letita Vern anchia Johnson.

Island hopping, anyone? Kudos to Bahamas.com for whetting the appetite – now what?

BY any measure, the Ministry of Tourism’s website, Bahamas.com, is breathtaking. Packed with beautiful beaches, dazzling experiences and perfect people, it is sheer eye candy, promising the best of everything in a sun-kissed destination.

Even the text is excit ing: “With 16 major islands, The Bahamas is an unmatched destination, a heart-pounding adven ture across 100,000 square miles of the world’s clear est ocean.”

Heart-pounding adven ture? Six figures of the world’s clearest oceanI’m in, who wouldn’t be?

That’s not all.

In the drop-down menu, a section called Island Hopping in The Baha mas promises “When you touch down in The Bahamas, an adven ture of 16 islands opens up Whether you fly in through Nassau, the coun try’s gateway, or directly into one of the Out Islands, you’ll soon dis cover that no two islands are alike. Each one offers wildly unique experiences, and they’re all at your fingertips.”

There’s just one prob lem. Those promising islands are not at your fingertips. Island hopping in The Bahamas doesn’t exist unless you ‘hop’ from Nassau to one island, return to Nassau, prob ably overnight at a hotel, ‘hop’ again to the next island, return to Nassau, all of which defies the idea of island hopping.

Other than the Abacos and North Eleuthera, both served by ferries, the vast majority of land and sea in The Bahamas remains a disconnected archipel ago. Tourism’s promises of “wildly unique expe riences all at your fingertips” is more fan tasy than fact, but there could be a change in the wind and that change could bring a substantial boost to Family Island economies, providing jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Like many shifts in the wind, the promise of cre ating a new wave started as a fluke. A professor from the U.S. visited The Bahamas with her daugh ter, flying and booking an Airbnb in Exuma. On a clear day, and from a high enough vantage point, she could just about make out islands all around her, Cat Island to the east, Long Island to the south, and on a map, she could see Rum Cay a fingernail length away.

All looked like an easy ferry ride or plane hop but when she inquired about how to get to those islands, she was told that she and her daugh ter would have to fly to Nassau, then back to one of the islands, though she might have to overnight in Nassau, and if she wanted to go to a second one, she’d have to fly back to Nassau, possibly overnight again, and go from there. You get the picture.

“I’ve travelled all over the world,” said the Eastern European-born professor, Dr. Tamilla Curtis.

“And I’ve never been to a place where you could

“I’ve travelled all over the world. And I’ve never been to a place where you could not get from one island to another. Yet here in The Bahamas, you cannot go from island to island even though you are blessed with all these beautiful islands that visitors want to see.”

Dr Tamilla Curtis

not get from one island to another. Yet here in The Bahamas, you cannot go from island to island even though you are blessed with all these beautiful islands that visitors want to see.”

Dr. Curtis, who is an Associate Professor of Management in David B. O’Maley College of Busi ness at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, America’s top aviation institute, could not get over the fact that the nation advertising itself as an adventure of islands was not benefitting from what lay before it.

So she upped and applied for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program to study the concept of inter-island air transport connectivity and island hopping in The Baha mas, focusing on the very islands she tried unsuc cessfully to visit.

She aligned with the University of The Baha mas, won the grant, and is back in The Bahamas conducting interviews and collecting aviation, tourism and economic related data. She is talking with aviation authorities and experts, hoteliers,

tourism officials and even small business owners in Exuma, the island she believes would be best suited to be an aviation hub serving surrounding islands.

In December, Dr. Curtis will formally present her findings to The University of the Bahamas.

Ironically, the same week I was introduced to Dr. Curtis, an email bounced into my inbox. It was announcing a JetBlue Caribbean island-hopping promotion. JetBlue was aligning with a regional airline called Winair that would connect travellers to the lesser known islands of the Caribbean.

Here’s the pitch as reported in CaribJour nal.com: The serene, mountainous charm of tiny Saba. The spectacu lar hiking and endless hospitality of Statia. The boating fantasies of Tor tola. They’re some of the most sought after little destinations in the Car ibbean, but they’re not exactly the easiest to get to. But JetBlue just made it a whole lot easier to reach them.

“In what is a major boost for a number of smaller destinations around the Caribbean, New York-based JetBlue has signed an interline agreement with regional airline Winair,” the news article read.

That’s tough competi tion for The Bahamas and that’s just the beginning. JetBlue-Winair connec tions also cover Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, St Kitts and St Barth.

Major airlines signing interline agreements with smaller or regional carri ers is nothing new.

But the opportunity to do it successfully will be that much greater in The Bahamas is depend ent on airport passenger handling capacity, from luggage to Customs and Immigration, from taxi ways to administration.

The timing of her research is interesting since much-delayed con struction on the Exuma International Airport upgrade is expected to

Gender parity, thank you Ian Winder

Hallelujah, praise the judge, the columnists, all those who shouted the clarion call or later carried the mantle crying out for gender equality. While we still have a long way to go in the corporate world and even in the leadership of NGOs and non-profits, there is a sense of almost palpable relief that we will one day soon stop living in a world where the most basic rights of citizenship can be out of reach because a woman is married to a foreign man, or a child is born of such

a marriage, and that greater rights are accorded those who give birth unwed. Despite the matter still being before the Privy Council for a formal ruling, the government has announced its intention to bring parity to the issue and at the opening of the legal year in his address to the Industrial Tribunal this week, Chief Justice Ian Winder, long an advocate, applauded and lent his voice and support. And we could have sure used that bit of good news this week. The week that was.

restart soon. Imagine the economic impact if visitors who fly British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Delta, JetBlue or American disembark in Exuma and jump aboard an Exuma-based flight on Western Air, Tropix, Trans Island Airways, Golden Wings, Southern Air, Pineapple Air or a new regional connection that would land in min utes in Cat Island, Long Island or Rum Cay. Think of the possibilities, of new accommodations needed, dining experiences, boat ing, eco-tours.

Suddenly the 16 islands of The Bahamas so ripe for island hopping would be accessible, no longer outposts, but there for locals and guests to

explore, just like the award-winning website promises.

And it could have been started by a curious visitor with a vision that others have had before but with the grit to carry it all the way to a Fulbright scholar

grant and to university status.

It may not seem like a big story compared to the headlines of the week, unless, that is, you live in Rum Cay and your eyes open wide and your smile breaks into a grin.

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DR Tamilla Curtis believes Exuma (pictured above) would be best suited to be an aviation hub serving surrounding islands.

HIGH-FLYING BALLOON CHARACTERS STAR IN THANKSGIVING PARADE

THRONGS of specta tors lined the streets of New York yesterday as colourful, high-flying bal loons helped usher in the holiday season during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The annual tradition, which dates back nearly a century, packed streets as a procession of giant inflatables and floats streamed for more than 40 blocks from Central Park

to Herald Square.

Children balanced atop metal barricades and hung from scaffolding to watch the balloons amid mostly sunny skies and a slight breeze.

“Blue, Blue. There’s Blue,” yelled Divyam Kumar, six, as his father helped balance him and his four-year-old brother Aanu Aryan on a metal rail.

The youngster was

referring to the star of the animated show “Blue’s Clues” — not to be confused with the international cartoon sensation Bluey, an Aus tralian cattle pup making her parade debut.

Bluey’s balloon tow ered as tall as a four-story building and stretched as wide as seven taxi cabs.

Stuart, the one-eyed Minion, was also there to thrill the crowd.

But it was Snoopy that especially caught the eye of Brenner Chenenko, eight, even more so than the more contemporary pups.

“It’s one of the classics,” said the youngster from Rochester, New York, who lined the parade route with his father Nate and grandfather John Wopperer.

It was the first time the father and son had seen

the parade in person. Wopperer last saw a parade live three years ago, before the pandemic sidelined the event for a year.

This year’s parade fea tured 16 giant balloons, 28 floats, 40 novelty and heritage inflatables, 12 marching bands, ten per formance groups, 700 clowns and one Santa Claus.

The procession of

characters were joined by singer Paula Abdul, in her first parade appearance; indie pop band Fitz and the Tan trums; boy band Big Time Rush; “Blue’s Clues & You!” host Josh Dela Cruz; singer Gloria Estefan; gospel singer Kirk Franklin; actor Mario Lopez; reggae star Ziggy Marley; and Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles.

Kyiv moves into survival mode

KYIV, Ukraine Associated Press

RESIDENTS of Ukraine’s bombed capi tal clutched empty bottles in search of water and crowded into cafés for power and warmth yester day, switching defiantly into survival mode after new Russian missile strikes a day earlier plunged the city and much of the country into the dark.

In scenes hard to believe in a sophisticated city of three million, some Kyiv residents resorted to col lecting rainwater from drainpipes, as repair teams labored to reconnect supplies.

Friends and family mem bers exchanged messages to find out who had electric ity and water back. Some had one but not the other.

The previous day’s aerial onslaught on Ukraine’s power grid left many with neither.

Cafés in Kyiv that by some small miracle had both quickly became oases of comfort on Thursday.

Oleksiy Rashchupkin, a 39-year-old investment banker, awoke to find that water had been recon nected to his third-floor flat but power had not. His freezer thawed in the black out, leaving a puddle on his floor.

So he hopped into a cab

and crossed the Dnieper River from left bank to right, to a café that he’d noticed had stayed open after previous Russian strikes. Sure enough, it was serving hot drinks, hot food and the music and Wi-Fi were on.

“I’m here because there is heating, coffee and light,” he said. “Here is life.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 70 percent of the Ukrainian capital was still without power yesterday morning.

As Kyiv and other cities picked themselves up, Kherson yesterday came under its heaviest bombard ment since Ukrainian forces recaptured the southern

city two weeks ago. The barrage of missiles killed four people outside a coffee shop and a woman was also killed next to her house, witnesses said, speaking to Associated Press reporters.

In Kyiv, where cold rain fell on the remnants of pre vious snowfalls, the mood was grim but steely. The winter promises to be a long one. But Ukrainians say that if Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention is to break them, he should think again.

“Nobody will com promise their will and principles just for electric ity,” said Alina Dubeiko, 34. She, too, sought out the comfort of another, equally

crowded, warm and lit café. Without electricity, heat ing and water at home, she was determined to keep up her work routine. Adapt ing to life shorn of its usual comforts, Dubeiko said she uses two glasses of water to wash, then catches her hair in a ponytail and is ready for her working day.

She said she’d rather be without power than live with the Russian invasion, which crossed the ninemonth mark yesterday.

“Without light or you? Without you,” she said, echoing remarks Presi dent Volodymyr Zelenskky made when Russia on October 10 unleashed the first of what has now

become a series of aerial attacks on key Ukrainian infrastructure.

Western leaders denounced the bombing campaign. “Strikes against civilian infrastructures are war crimes,” French Presi dent Emmanuel Macron tweeted.

Russian Defense Min istry spokesman Igor Konashenkov acknowl edged yesterday that it targeted Ukrainian energy facilities. But he said they were linked to Ukraine’s military command and con trol system and that the aim was to disrupt flows of Ukrainian troops, weapons and ammunition to front lines.

TWITTER SLIPS ON HANDLING HATEFUL CONDUCT ONLINE

LONDON Associated Press

TWITTER took longer to review hateful content and removed less of it in 2022 compared with the previous year, according to European Union data released yesterday.

The EU figures were published as part of an annual evaluation of online platforms’ compli ance with the 27-nation bloc’s code of conduct on disinformation.

Twitter wasn’t alone — most other tech companies signed up to the voluntary code also scored worse. But the figures could fore shadow trouble for Twitter in complying with the EU’s tough new online rules after owner Elon Musk fired many of the platform’s 7,500 full-time workers and an untold number of con tractors responsible for content moderation and other crucial tasks.

The EU report, car ried out over six weeks in the spring, found Twitter assessed just over half of the notifications it received about illegal hate speech within 24 hours, down from 82 percent in 2021. In comparison, the amount of flagged material Facebook reviewed within 24 hours fell to 64 per cent, Instagram slipped to 56.9 percent and YouTube dipped to 83.3 percent.

TikTok came in at 92 per cent, the only company to improve.

The amount of hate speech Twitter removed after it was flagged up slipped to 45.4 percent from 49.8 percent the year before. TikTok’s removal rate fell by a quarter to 60 percent, while Face book and Instagram only saw minor declines. Only YouTube’s takedown rate increased, surging to 90 percent.

“It’s worrying to see a downward trend in review ing notifications related to illegal hate speech by social media platforms,” Euro pean Commission Vice President Vera Jourova tweeted. “Online hate speech is a scourge of a digital age and platforms need to live up to their commitments.”

Twitter didn’t respond to a request for comment. Emails to several staff on the company’s Euro pean communications team bounced back as undeliverable.

Musk’s $44 billion acqui sition of Twitter last month fanned widespread concern that purveyors of lies and misinformation would be allowed to flourish on the site. The billionaire Tesla CEO, who has frequently expressed his belief that Twitter had become too restrictive, has been rein stating suspended accounts,

including

Twitter faces more scru tiny in Europe by the middle of next year, when new EU rules aimed at protecting internet users’ online safety will start applying to the biggest online platforms. Viola tions could result in huge fines of up to six percent of a company’s annual global revenue.

France’s online regula tor Arcom said it received a reply from Twitter after writing to the company earlier this week to say it was concerned about the effect that staff depar tures would have on Twitter’s “ability maintain a safe environment for its users”.

Arcom also asked the company to confirm it can meet its “legal obligations” in fighting online hate speech and that it is com mitted to implementing the new EU online rules. Arcom said it received a response from Twitter and that it will “study their response”, without giving more details.

Tech companies that signed up to the EU’s dis information code agree to commit to measures aimed at reducing disinformation and file regular reports on whether they’re living up to their promises, though there’s little in the way of punishment.

former President Donald Trump’s.

THE BOSS Baby balloon makes its way down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, in New York yesterday.

Photo: Jeenah Moon/AP

GSSSA champions crowned

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was a double dose of victory as all four pennant winners emerged as the Govern ment Secondary Schools Sports Association’s softball and baseball cham pions with clean sweeps across the board on Thanksgiving Day.

The best-of-three cham pionships were concluded yesterday as the GSSSA played all of the games one after the other at the Banker’s Field instead of using separate fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

Junior girls softball

HO Nash Lions blanked LW Young Golden Eagles 23-0

In a game that was over from the first inning, the Lions raced out to an impressive 11-0 lead and

they added 12 more in the second before the massa cre got stopped because the one hour time limit had expired.

“It’s a great feeling because all of our hard work paid off,” said HO Nash coach April Styles-Rolle.

“I never underestimate any team. We went out there and played the game. We executed and we were victorious.”

With her own cheer ing squad, Jerniah Frazer, the game’s most valuable player, continued her dom inance on the mound as she held the Golden Eagles in check. She also aided her own attack with a pair of home runs, one a two-run in-the-parker and the other a grand slam.

“I feel good about our performance because we came along and we made it to the end to become vic torious, winning all of our

FATHER MARCIAN PETERS TOURNEY IS BACK

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a two-year hiatus as a result of COVID-19, the country’s most prestig ious Father Marcian Peters Invitational Basketball Tournament for primary and high school basketball teams is back.

the champion ships,” Frazer said. “I felt I did awesome. I’m excellent in whatever I do.”

games

BBA putting final touches on Team Bahamas for Caribbean Baseball Cup

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH just about a week left before the start of the fourth Caribbean Baseball Cup, the Bahamas Base ball Association is putting the final touches on Team Bahamas.

The BBA national team, headed by Geron Sands and Albert Cart wright, wrapped up a week-long training camp in Grand Bahama. The team is expected to come together in New Provi dence starting on Monday with practices inside the newly constructed Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.

The stadium, with its arti ficial turf and scoreboard in place, is having the lighting fixtures installed and all of the cosmetic work in and outside completed in time for the tournament that is scheduled to run from December 4-11. The road leading into the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex is also expected to be paved.

Team Bahamas will be playing against teams from the US Virgin Islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Curacao as host COBABE will attempt to have the two teams qualified to represent the region at

the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador in 2023.

Sands said after wrap ping up practice on Wednesday night at the Emera Baseball Park in Grand Bahama, he noted that they are looking for ward to getting together in New Providence for the final stretch before the start of the tournament.

“We went to Grand Bahama to bring the bond back,” Sands said. “Even though these guys played together as young sters, we were able to give them some quality time together.”

On the first night in Grand Bahama, Sands said the team was hosted by Pastor Laquez Williams, a motivational speaker, who addressed the topic of ‘Being the best you.’ Sands thanked him for getting the ball rolling in Grand Bahama. “He was able to get to the guys and allowed them to open up about their life experiences as professional baseball play ers,” Sands said. “We got that family feeling back again. On the field, the guys got to bond together. We didn’t have to do any teaching, just go over some strategies with them.”

Sands said the whole idea for the camp was to get the

players ready for the task ahead of them because he wants to make sure that they are in the right frame of mind as a team to repre sent the country.

“I took this on with a purpose,” he said. “I want to bring back what we once had and make it better. I got tired of us not doing things the way it should be done. As one who is highly involved in baseball internationally, we want to develop a national culture for baseball.

“Hopefully, I can get the opportunity after this tour nament to really get this national programme up and running. I want to see us competing as a team in the World Baseball Clas sic by 2025 and eventually by 2029 to win the title and

even go on to represent the country at the Olympic Games.”

In addition to Sands and Cartwright, the other mem bers of the coaching staff participated in the camp. They included Dominic Collie, Donovan Cox and Trae Sweeting. The team coordinator is Avard Hart.

The schedule for the tournament is as follows: Sunday, December 4 11am - Curacao vs Puerto Rico

5pm - Official opening ceremonies

7:30pm - US Virgin Island vs Bahamas Monday, December 5 2pm - Cuba vs US Virgin Islands

Tuesday, December 6 2pm - Curacao vs US Virgin Island

Davis Cup: Italy tops US in doubles to reach semifinals

MÁLAGA, Spain (AP)

— Italy beat the United States in a doubles decider yesterday to advance to the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time in eight years.

Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini defeated Tommy Paul and Jack Sock 6-4, 6-4 to secure a 2-1 win for Italy after the teams split the sin gles matches.

Bolelli and Fognini broke once in each set to set up a semifinal on Saturday against the winner between Germany and Canada.

Earlier, Lorenzo Sonego used his big serve to defeat Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-6 (7) and give the Italians a 1-0 lead. Taylor Fritz pulled the U.S. level after beating Lor enzo Musetti 7-6 (8), 6-3.

The U.S. holds a record 32 Davis Cup trophies, but its last one came in 2007 under the previous format

of best-of-five matches played in host countries instead of the revamped event where the final eight teams gather in one spot for a week of tennis.

The American team, led by captain Mardy Fish, came to Spain with high hopes that it could break that dry spell.

“I have wanted to win this thing for a very long time as a player and cap tain,” Fish said. “It is not going to happen this year and it stinks. We are going home without the trophy, which is a bummer.”

Italy, whose only Davis Cup title came in 1976, won without its top two play ers as Jannik Sinner has an injured finger and Matteo Berrettini is recovering from a foot problem.

Sonego, ranked No. 45, struck 17 aces and never

ceded a service game to Tiafoe. Sonego clinched the win after Tiafoe netted a forehand following a long rally to end the second-set tiebreaker.

7pm - Puerto Rico vs Cuba

Wednesday, December 7 2pm - US Virgin Islands vs Puerto Rico

7pm - Bahamas vs Cuba

Thursday, December 8 2pm - Cuba vs Curacao

7pm - Puerto Rico vs Bahamas

Friday, December 9 (Off day)

Saturday, December 10 2pm - 3rd seed vs 2nd seed

7pm - 4th seed vs 1st seed

Sunday, December 11 2pm - Third place game 5pm - Championship game 8:30pm - Closing ceremony

$15 for children, $25 for adults and $45 for VIP.

This year’s event is sched uled for December 9-13 at the Kendal Isaacs Gym nasium, but will be played without the intermediate boys’ division, according to tournament director Jimmy ‘Joe Black’ Clarke, who noted that the emphasis will be placed on the senior girls’ division.

Clarke, a consultant in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, revealed that there are already 32 teams confirmed to participate in the event,

BILLS BEAT LIONS 28-25 FOR 2ND WIN IN 5 DAYS AT FORD FIELD

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer

DETROIT (AP) — The Buffalo Bills crashed Detroit’s Thanksgiving party, making themselves at home for their second victory in five days at Ford Field.

Tyler Bass made a tie breaking 45-yard field goal with 2 seconds left after missing an extra point late in the fourth quarter, lifting Buffalo to a 28-25 win over Detroit yesterday.

“It was very deja vu-ish,” said Josh Allen, who set up the game-winning kick by starting the drive with a 36-yard pass to Stefon Diggs and running twice for 12 yards. Allen led the Bills with 78 rushing yards.

The Bills were back in the Motor City after the NFL moved their previ ous home game against Cleveland because a winter storm dumped several feet

Scott trails by 1 at Australian PGA, Smith 3 back

Smith,

BRISBANE, Australia

(AP)

Three

Brad Kennedy, Anthony Quayle and South Korean Jeunghun Wang matched Scott’s 66 and were tied for fourth.

Scott was playing in the same early-morning group as British Open champion Cameron

The 35-year-old Fox is No. 27 in the world after ending last year at No. 213. The New Zea lander won two European tour events and had four runner-up finishes in his resurgent season.

Scott had an early task for “new” caddie Steve Williams, who has come out of retirement to carry the bag for the 2013 Masters champion. When he woke up for his

No. 19-ranked Tiafoe, who reached the U.S. Open semifinals in September, won their only previous

— Adam Scott shot a 5-under 66 yesterday after a 6 a.m. tee time to trail by one stroke after the first round of the Australian PGA championship at Royal Queensland.

other Aus tralians shot 65s in the afternoon groups — Min Woo Lee, Jason Scrive ner and John Lyras — to share the first-round lead.

who was three strokes behind after a 68, and Ryan Fox, a close runner-up to Rory McIl roy on the European tour’s order of merit this season, who had a 72.

and

In addition to Frazer, HO Nash got four runs

from Jada Knowles and three apiece from Brenae Hart, Azaria Dean and Aliyah Newton. The losing pitcher was Ramona Knowles.

Frazer came off a stellar performance in game one on Wednesday as she led the Lions to a 16-2 rout.

A VIEW of the new Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.

HO Nash Lions celebrate as GSSSA junior girls softball champions

ITALY’s Lorenzo Sonego celebrates after defeating Frances Tiafoe of the USA during their Davis Cup quarter-final tennis match in Malaga, Spain, yesterday. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort

Cristiano Ronaldo makes World Cup history, Portugal beats Ghana 3-2

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) —

Cristiano Ronaldo closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and then made World Cup history.

The Portugal striker became the first male player to score at five World Cups with his 65thminute penalty in a 3-2 win over Ghana yesterday.

Andre Ayew equal ised for Ghana eight minutes later, but Joao Felix regained the lead for Portugal in the 78th and Rafael Leao added a third. Osman Bukari reduced Ghana’s deficit in the 89th.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo was looking to showcase his talents to potential new clubs after having his contract terminated at Manchester United this week. After wasting two good chances in the first half, he tumbled under a challenge by Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu to earn a penalty.

Wheeling away after the ball struck the back of the net, a smiling Ronaldo performed his usual leap and swivel in the air — the crowd roared his trade mark “SI-UUU” as he did the pirouette — before get ting mobbed by teammates. He has now scored in every World Cup since his first in 2006 and has a record 118 international goals.

It was a wild finish to a slow-burner of a World Cup match that ended with

Portugal defender Danilo clearing the ball away from near the line in the ninth minute of stoppage time.

Ronaldo, who was sitting in the dugout after being substituted, put his hand on his head in relief.

Ronaldo, naturally, took centre stage at the start of his fifth and likely last World Cup, particularly after a fraught buildup to

the tournament in which he gave an unauthorised, tell-all interview criticis ing Manchester United’s manager, owners and teammates.

On Tuesday, he split with the English club, meaning he is in the shop window in Qatar.

Another scoring record adds to the luster of his résumé.

A penalty against Iran in 2006 started his tally of World Cup goals — it is now up to eight in 18 matches — and he lifted the ball beyond Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati with his latest spot kick after a long, theatrical buildup to the penalty.

Bruno Fernandes arguably played a more important role in Portugal’s

win, setting up the team’s second and third goals with perfectly weighted through-balls.

Still, Portugal’s players almost threw it away after losing their composure in a chaotic final few min utes, featuring the comical scene of Bukari perform ing Ronaldo’s “SI-UUU” celebration after he scored a goal.

NEYMAR INJURED, RICHARLISON SCORES FOR BRAZIL

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP)

— With Neymar limping off the field with an ankle injury, Richarlison came through for the “Seleção.”

A spectacular acrobatic kick followed an easy tap-in from close range as Richarlison scored both goals in Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Serbia yesterday at the World Cup.

After the match, the Tottenham striker learned of the extent of Neymar’s injury.

“The most important thing for us it to have him at 100% for the next match,” said Richarli son, whose first goal came after a buildup started by Neymar. “When I get to the hotel I’m going to go and see how he is doing.”

Brazil team doctor Rod rigo Lasmar said Neymar sprained his right ankle. He declined to speculate on whether he would be available to play in the team’s next match against Switzerland on Monday.

“We put ice on it while he was on the bench and

then in physiotherapy,” Lasmar said. “There is no test scheduled for now but we will schedule it if needed. He will be under observation. We will know more tomorrow.”

Neymar was also injured at the 2014 World Cup.

Playing at home in Brazil, his tournament ended with a back injury in the quar terfinals against Colombia when he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Brazil ended up losing to Germany 7-1 in the semifinals.

Neymar was fouled nine times in the match against Serbia, four more than any other player so far at this year’s World Cup. But while taking care of Neymar, the oppos ing defence couldn’t stop Richarlison.

He had his back to the goal when he used one touch to get the ball up in the air near the penalty spot, then spun around and leapt off the ground before knocking the ball into the net with his right foot in the 73rd minute.

“My childhood dream has come true,” said

Richarlison, who is playing in his first World Cup.

“We knew it was going to be difficult to get past them. I’m used to playing against defensive teams like this in England. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunities that I had and I did.”

Brazil had struggled to get past the Serbian defence until Richarlison scored from close range in the 62nd. Vinícius Júnior assisted on both goals.

Neymar, seeking his first major title with Brazil, stayed at 75 goals for the national team, two shy of Pelé’s scoring record.

He was tackled hard a few times and sprained his right ankle in the second half. He was crying on the bench after being sub stituted in the 79th and was limping as he left the stadium.

Brazil coach Tite started with an attack-minded squad that included four

forwards — Neymar, Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and Richarlison. Attacking midfielder Lucas Paquetá played alongside Casem iro, the lone defensive midfielder.

But Serbia had sev eral players back and was able to keep Brazil from creating many significant opportunities. Neymar tried to control the pace but struggled to get free. He, Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha all squandered chances early on.

Brazil’s best chance before Richarlison’s open ing goal had been a low long-range shot by Alex Sandro that hit the post in the 60th.

Neymar had his best opportunities with a free kick in the 50th and a shot from near the penalty spot in the 55th.

Serbia had its own injury issues for the match.

“We have three key players who are injured — it’s too much for us,” Serbia coach Dragan Sto jkovic said. “We are not Brazil with 200 million people. We are a very small country.”

EMBOLO SCORES, DOESN’T CELEBRATE AS SWISS GET WIN

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

AL WAKRAH, Qatar (AP) — Born in Cameroon but playing for Switzerland, of course Breel Embolo would score when those two countries met at the World Cup.

Embolo promised he wouldn’t celebrate if he scored for the Swiss team against his country of birth yesterday, and he kept his word. It turned out to be the only goal of the match as Switzerland beat Cam eroon 1-0.

“I would have liked him to be on my side,” said Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, who played in four World Cups for his home country, “but that’s not the way it went.”

The crowd waited and watched for Embolo’s reac tion after he scored his 12th goal for Switzerland in the 48th-minute off a low pass from Xherdan Shaqiri.

He stood still in the goal mouth and first held his arms out wide, then raised his hands in a gesture of apology. He put his hands over his month as if real ising how profound the moment was as his Swiss teammates rushed toward him near the penalty spot.

Embolo then pointed toward the Swiss fans behind the goal where he had scored, and then to the Cameroon fans at the oppo site corner of Al Janoub Stadium.

Even Song felt pride in the 25-year-old for ward, who was born in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde but played for Swiss national youth teams before getting a passport from his adopted country when he was 17.

“I am happy for him and also proud of him. He’s my little brother. We’ve often spoken to each other on the phone,” said Song, who was asked what he said to Embolo on the field after the game. “I thought he played a great game and I wanted to tell him. We’re still brothers at the end of the day.”

Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said he had offered some advice to Embolo about dealing with his emo tions. “You can be friendly up to kickoff,” Yakin said, “and after that they are our opponents.”

Embolo left Cameroon with his family when he was 5. They spent time in France before settling in Switzerland, the country he is now representing at a second World Cup.

Embolo spoke to Swiss television after the match and wished Cameroon luck for the rest of the tournament.

It could be a short World Cup for Cameroon, which still has to face Brazil and Serbia in Group G and has lost eight straight games at the tournament dating back to 2002.

South Korea holds Uruguay to 0-0 draw

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Another favoured team has failed to impress in the early stages of the World Cup.

This time it was South Korea holding South American power Uruguay to a 0-0 draw yesterday, a result that probably favours the Asian team.

The draw at Educa tion City Stadium was yet another early World Cup match with a surpris ing result. Argentina and Germany both lost their opening games in major upsets. This one hinted at being another.

Uruguay coach Diego Alonso said he was sat isfied, and so did South Korea counterpart Paulo Bento. Alonso sounded less convincing.

“I’m more than happy with the result,” Alonso said. “I’m sure that this group stage will be deter mined by the last match. We all know the second game is key, and so is the third one. But this will not affect whether we qualify or not.”

Uruguay will next face Portugal in Group H while South Korea plays Ghana, with both games on Monday. The top two teams in the group will advance to the round of 16.

South Korea, with for ward Son Heung-min wearing a mask to protect a broken left eye socket, always looked the more likely to score against the more experienced Uruguayans. The South Koreans were quicker, pressing from the opening whistle.

Many South Korean fans wore Batman-like masks in solidarity with Son, who was injured November 2 in a Champions League match playing for English club Tottenham. He had a few early chances but seemed to tire in the second half.

“He (Son) had a serious injury,” Bento said. “He was inactive for a considerable

amount of time. He could only get back with the team in the recent days. And of course it’s natural after an injury that it will take time some time to adapt. But I think overall we had a good performance.”

In a match with few clear scoring chances and South Korea often in con trol, Uruguay had the best opportunities to score: Diego Godin hit the post with a header in the 43rd minute and Federico Val verde hit it in the 89th.

Alonso started an attacking lineup with Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez and Facundo Pellistri up front, and with Valverde and Matias Vecino in midfield.

But they seldom had the ball at the start.

South Korea pressed for ward early and Son excited the crowd every time he touched the ball, but he managed only one threat ening attack in the first half.

South Korea always looked quicker than Uruguay, but not necessarily the more dangerous. The team’s best chance came in the 34th minute when Hwang Ui-jo sailed a close-range attempt over the crossbar.

As the second half wore on, Uruguay began to take more possession but always seemed cautious, taking less initiative despite having the more experienced players. Son went down in a heap

early in the second half with Martin Caceres getting the first yellow card of the match.

Alonso sent in Edinson Cavani for Suarez in 64th minute as the pace of the match slowed until Val verde hit the post in the final minutes.

“In the first 20 min utes, we struggled against Korea,” Alonso said. “We couldn’t take the ball from them. We couldn’t get any pressure and lost precision.

“Obviously, the second half we dominated much more. We were better than them, I think, but we lacked a bit of attacking. I mean attacking more. We tried to be more competitive, too.”

PORTUGAL’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring from the penalty spot - his side’s opening goal - against Ghana during their World Cup group H soccer match at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, yesterday. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

BRAZIL’s Neymar grabs his ankle yesterday after an injury in the World Cup group G soccer match against Serbia, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.

(Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

Lions, Mystic Marlins, Pacers and Fighting Tigers GSSSA softball/baseball champions

Senior girls softball

Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins def. CR Walker Knights 11-2

Gathnie ‘Grace’ Chea struck out a pair of batters, but she also scored a pair of runs on as many walks to help lead the Mystic Mar lins in their championship sweep.

Her battery mate catcher Raniqua Delcye was a per fect 2-for-2 with two runs scored.

“The performance was really well. I enjoyed play ing with the team this year,” Chea said. “I’m new to Doris this year, so I was glad to help us win the championship. It feels so good to be the champions.”

Head coach Zania Kemp watched as her Doris John son team took advantage of CR Walker’s starter Vanessa Sawyer, who gave up seven runs in the first inning mainly on walks before she was relieved.

By the end of the inning, the Mystic Marlins went through two other pitchers to pull off the win.

“It feels really great win ning because this is my first time coaching, so it feels really good, especially going undefeated,” Kemp said. “Our girls made a few mistakes, but they held their own. Now we have to treat them for their effort.”

Doris Johnson clinched game one 16-2, but CR Walker’s coach Aikia Rose was hoping that they would put up a much better show ing in game two.

“I’m happy, although I think if we had our pitching together in the first inning, we would have been right in the game,” Rose said. “We made a few errors, but we came back and improved on our performance. It is what it is. But we will be back bigger and better next year.”

Junior boys baseball champions

AF Adderley Fighting Tigers def. SC McPherson Sharks 8-2 Tigers’ coach Vincent Sullivan knew he had the best junior boys team and they proved it, knocking off

the Sharks to win the title. They did it behind the MVP performance from Mario Dean, who got the job done on the mound.

AF Adderley won game one 5-1 as Dean was again the winning pitcher.

Senior boys baseball RM Bailey Pacers def. CR Walker Knights 8-0

In another superb pitch ing performance, Ladanian McKenzie powered the Pacers to victory as they

telling Allen after making eight catches for 77 yards and a score. “We got away from that a little bit.”

completed their sweep of the senior boys title, much to the delight of head coach Clifton Carey, who was con fident that they would do it.

RM Bailey, avenging their only defeat this season by default to the Knights in the regular season, took game one of the series in another shutout, 1-0, as McKenzie was again the winning pitcher.

Despite getting off to a late start, GSSSA president

of snow in western New York.

Buffalo became the third NFL team to play two games in five or fewer days on the road in the same sta dium, and the first to win both. And the Bills equaled the number of wins Detroit has this season at its indoor stadium.

Buffalo (8-3) has won two straight — after losing two in a row — to move a half-game ahead of Miami in the AFC East.

After Bass made the game-winning kick, Allen and Diggs embraced on the sideline.

“Let’s get back to having fun again,” Diggs recalled

Allen threw a go-ahead, 5-yard touchdown pass to Diggs with 2:40 left, but Bass missed the extra point to make it 25-22 after the kicker matched his and the franchise record with six field goals in an eight-point win over the Browns on Sunday.

Allen had a passing and rushing touchdown in the first half, finishing 24 of 42 for 253 yards to more than make up for throwing his 11th interception of the season. He has accounted for 162 touchdowns, trail ing only Hall of Famer Dan Marino’s total of 171 for the most by an NFL player in his first five seasons.

The Lions converted fourth-and-1 from mid field with Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 7-yard end-around to set up Michael Badgley’s game-tying, 51-yard field goal with 23 seconds to go.

Badgley missed a 29-yard field goal late in the third and Jared Goff took a sack for a safety in the same quarter and those mistakes proved to be costly.

Detroit (4-7) missed an opportunity to win four straight games for the first time since 2016 and lost a franchise-record sixth straight game on Thanksgiving.

“I told them this one should sting,” coach Dan Campbell said. “We had a chance to win and we didn’t make it, but I don’t think this was a step backward.

“Softball and baseball was our first sport and we had some rainy days, but all in all, we had a great start to our season.

“The fans, the parents and the teachers all came out and cheered on their

I’m frustrated, but we’re getting better. “

PIVOTAL PLAYER

Buffalo defensive tackle Ed Oliver forced and recovered a fumble in the first half, leading to Allen’s tiebreaking, 3-yard touch down run in the second quarter.

Oliver also sacked Goff for a safety, three plays after Allen threw an inter ception at the Detroit 4, to put the Bills ahead 19-14 early in the third quarter.

INSTANT IMPACT

The Lions promoted linebacker James Houston from the practice squad and he became the first player in franchise history to have more than one sack in his NFL debut.

respective teams. I just want to thank all of them, along with our executives and the officials, who assisted us in making this a great season.”

The GSSSA will now pre pare for basketball, which will kick off in January.

She noted that the teams are gearing up to partici pate in the Father Marcian Peters Invitational and the other tournaments for senior boys during the Christmas break.

CODE RED Allen’s interception in the third quarter was the sixth turnover for Buffalo in the red zone, surpassing the total it had the previous three seasons.

INJURIES

Bills: Edge rusher Von Miller (right knee) and LT Dion Dawkins (knee) left the game with injuries, and coach Sean McDer mott said he didn’t have an update on their status.

Lions: DE Julian Okwara (elbow) was hurt during the game and Campbell said CB Jerry Jacobs left the game after he felt dizzy.

UP NEXT Bills: Play at New Eng land on Thursday night.

Lions: Play Jacksonville at home on December 4.

VIKINGS TOP PATRIOTS FOR 33-26 VICTORY

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

— Kirk Cousins threw for 299 yards and three touch downs, the last a go-ahead score to Adam Thielen in the fourth quarter to push the Minnesota Vikings past the New England Patriots 33-26 last night.

Justin Jefferson had 139 yards and one of the touchdown passes from Cousins, who deliv ered precisely the clutch performance against a formidable defence the Vikings (9-2) needed to bounce back from a blow out loss to Dallas. That gave rookie coach Kevin O’Connell a win over Bill Belichick, who drafted him with the Patriots in 2008.

Mac Jones passed for a career-high 382 yards and two scores to snap a lagging offence to life for the Patriots (6-5), but they ran out of steam down the stretch. Their fourth quarter included two three-and-out punts, a turnover on downs at the Minnesota 39 and a desperation last drive that went nowhere.

Jones found Hunter Henry for a wide-open 37-yard touchdown pass to start the second half for a 23-16 lead. Kene Nwangwu scored on a 97-yard kickoff return to strike right back for the Vikings.

Jones appeared to hit his tight end for a second score with a twisting catch at the goal line that was ruled a touchdown on the field.

The replay reversal — Henry’s bottom hand appeared to be under the ball as it bobbled briefly — forced the Patriots to settle for Nick Folk’s fourth field goal of the game late in the third quarter.

COWBOYS TOP GIANTS 28-20

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer

ARLINGTON,

Rookie Peyton Hender shot ran for a 2-yard TD before directing all three of his fellow tight ends into a giant Salvation Army red kettle for a Whack-AMole celebration.

The victory ended a three-game losing streak on the holiday for the Cowboys (8-3), who moved a game ahead of the Giants in the NFC East while sweeping the season series.

Prescott’s TD tosses to Schultz came about five minutes apart in the third quarter, turning a 13-7 def icit into a 21-13 lead. The first was a 15-yarder on third-and-goal.

The Dallas quarterback has 10 consecutive victo ries over the Giants since losing to them twice when the Cowboys went 13-3 his rookie year in 2016.

Saquon Barkley was held to 39 yards rushing with a 1-yard TD behind a makeshift offensive line missing three starters because of injury in the third loss in the past four games for the Giants (7-4). Dallas, the NFL leader in sacks coming in, dropped Daniel Jones three times while limiting him to 14 yards rushing after he ran for first downs seven times in the first meeting, a 23-16 Dallas win.

Jones’ TD pass to Richie James in the final sec onds was too late for the Giants to take advantage of a 2-0 takeaway edge in the second Thanksgiving meeting out of 122 overall in the storied rivalry.

CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 106 yards and set up three Dallas touch downs, starting with a 25-yard catch before Elli ott’s 6-yard run.

Varel Davis said she was pleased with how things turned out. “After not having sports in two years, the kids were really excited to get back out there,” she stated.

Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes to tight end Dalton Schultz, Ezekiel Elliott ran for a score and the Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants 28-20 on Thanksgiving Day.

FROM

DORIS Johnson Mystic Marlins celebrate as GSSSA senior girls softball champions.

AF Adderley Fighting Tigers celebrate as the GSSSA junior boys baseball champions.

RM Bailey Pacers celebrate after winning the GSSSA senior boys baseball title.

Head coach McPhee-McCuin pleased with Bahamas trip

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

set up for her, but it was broken,” McPhee-McCuin said. “But if you look at the stats, we still should have won the game. We had nine turnovers.

The Rebels came into the tournament with a per fect 5-0 win-loss record this season, but after pulling away from a 44-44 tie for a 63-50 win over the Dayton Flyers on Monday, they got nipped in the final seconds, 69-67 by the No.17 ranked Utah Utes on Wednesday night at Baha Mar.

After Kennady McQueen canned the last two of three free throws on the foul on an attempted three-point shot with 0.6 seconds to break up a 67-67 tie, Snadda Collins had a chance for a threepoint shot for the Rebels, but missed.

The Utes went on to seal the two-point lead to remain undefeated as they took home the champion ship title.

Riding the momentum from the roaring crowd that included members of the St Francis/Joseph Shockers boys and girls team and the junior girls national teams, McPheeMcCuin said Collins was recovering from an injury to her finger when she acci dentally got it jammed in the bathroom door.

“With all that tape, she still had a huge block and we had the final play

“There were plays that we could have made that could have put the game away, but we didn’t make them. That team (Utah) just put 127 points on a ranked team a week ago. So, if there’s one thing I know, Ole Miss is here to compete night in and night out.”

With nine new players, to lose a game at the end on a call that they couldn’t control, McPhee-McCuin said she will take the loss, although it was a difficult one to digest right when it became a reality.

“We’ll continue to grow from it,” she said. “There’s a lot of things that I saw that we will grow from, so I will take it.”

Calling it a humbling experience before the home crowd, McPheeMcCuin said people don’t remember she left Grand Bahama as the first Baha mian female player to obtain an athletic scholar ship to play division one basketball.

“I tell people all the time, my guys Coral Gar dens helped me in my college career on the out side courts,” she reflected. “My Bahamian people helped me to be who I am. I am a proud Bahamian and I carry it everywhere I go.

“Hopefully I’m inspiring others. There have been a lot of coaches from the Bahamas that have reached out and want to follow in

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin

my footsteps. That is what it’s all about. I try not to let wins and losses define me.”

Before coming to the tournament, McPheeMcCuin secured her 150th victory as a coach, but she said it meant nothing to her.

What meant more was watching her Rebels take the lead against Utes and her players screaming with emotions.

“That is why I got into this business and to do it in home soil, I will never forget this moment,” she stated. “To go to St Fran cis/Joseph and to pour into those young people and to see them at the game tonight. I will never forget this experience.”

As a country, McPheeMcCuin said the Bahamas can do a lot in athletics and she’s just thrilled to have the support of the Baha mian people in her quest to make a difference as a coach.

“Respect is our ultimate currency and the respect

that the coach and I had after the game, I know that they respect us,” McPhee-McCuin pointed out. “I don’t know if they respected us coming in, but they respect us now.”

In giving credit to Baha Mar for putting on the tournament, McPheeMcCuin said they decided to come here to partici pate because she wanted to learn a lot more about her team. “I told them in pregame, I’m getting ready to find out who I got in this locker room and we found out a lot of things tonight,” McPhee-McCuin said. “So I’m incredibly grateful for that. I think this game taught our girls that they could play with anybody.

“Utah is a great team. Utah is going to the tour nament. The young lady on the inside (forward Alissa Pili, who powered up for a game high 21 points and nine rebounds), is a load. We didn’t have any answers for her. They are going to be good. For us to play with them, I felt like we had a lot of opportuni ties to win, we’re in good shape.”

Despite the loss, McPhee-McCuin said her players have no reason to hold their head down in shame, especially Myah Taylor, who inadvertently fouled McQueen to set up the final second drama in the game.

“Myah was our biggest get in the portal. She was at our rival school and a lot of people were upset that she came to our school. I’m just grateful for Myah,” she said. “She’s just one of the toughest players I

ever coached. My heart just broke for her and all the other girls because they wanted to win tonight. But we will have other opportunities.”

Labelling herself as a young thunder cat in the coaching arena, McPheeMcCuin said her father, legendary Gladstone ‘Moon’ McPhee, continues to remind her that he’s the coach, but she’s just blessed to be able to follow him, although he never coached at the collegiate level.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say that I feel incredibly blessed to be in a Power Five institu tion for half a decade and having success turning a programme around that was on life support,” said McPhee-McCuin, who is now in her first year of her second four-year deal with Ole Miss.

“I can only be grateful for the people, the play ers and the staff that has helped me throughout. I have a lot more to give to this game, so I will con tinue on this path to doing that. That’s for certain.”

After taking care of busi ness, although it wasn’t with a victory, McPheeMcCuin said her entire staff took advantage of the real Bahamian culture, vis iting downtown and having thanksgiving dinner at the Showman restaurant as they reflect on what has been a great trip here at home.

The Rebels will return home to continue their regular season with a home game against Texas Southern Tigers at 8pm on Monday.

FLYERS LOOKING FORWARD TO ADDING LIGHTBOURNE

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SHORT handed for their initial appearance in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Champion ships, Dayton head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter expects her Flyers wom en’s basketball team will be much better when they return in two years with a much improved squad that includes Bahamian Denika Lightbourne.

Lightbourne, currently in her senior year at Tal lulah Falls, recently signed her letter of intent to play for the Flyers in the Atlantic 10 Conference in August. The Flyers, with only seven players in uni form, lost their two games played in the Baha Mar Hoops Tournament this week at Baha Mar.

Looking back at their two losses against Ole Miss Rebels on Monday and the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday, Williams-Jeter said they got “beat up and

bruised” as they prepare to return to the United States to play in their tournament.

“We didn’t have the numbers like everybody else, but we played and hung with them for as long as we could,” said Williams-Jeter after watch ing the Rebels break away from a 44-44 tie to pull off a 63-50 win before they got pounded 70-44 by the Wildcats.

Williams-Jeter said being here for the tournament and watching the reception that Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin from Grand Bahama received from the public, she anticipates that they will be looking forward to their return in two years with Lightbourne being a key factor in the Flyers’ line-up.

“I know one thing is we will have a sold out crowd and we will be fed very well,” Williams-Jeter pro jected. “But Denika did very well for the Bahamian national team. She was one of the best players on the

DENIKA Lightbourne COACH Tamika Williams-Jeter

team, although she’s very young.

“She’s thirsty and I think she will fit in our pro gramme very well. She’s an excellent ball-handler with a high basketball IQ. So I’m very excited what she will bring to our team and how we can improve on our performances when we return here in two years.”

As a combo guard, Lightbourne is considered to be a great ball handler, according to WilliamsJeter, who played college basketball for the highly acclaimed University of Connecticut Huskies.

“Whether she’s handling the ball or receiving a pass or starting the break, she’s

just a freak of an athlete,” Williams-Jeter said.

“So she will bring some athleticism and allow us to defend a little more. I think she will be another weapon that we can rely on.”

Lightbourne, one of five freshmen signees, is expected to join the entire team that represented the Flyers in the Pink Fla mingo Championships as coach Williams-Jeter works on the cohesiveness they experienced here.

“We have nobody on this team that has played col lege basketball last year, so they are just getting their feet wet in these caliber of tournaments,” WilliamsJeter said.

Adam Scott trails by one at Australian PGA, Smith 3 back

ultra-early tee time, Scott couldn’t find his golf bag. Eventually recov ered from his manager’s hotel room, the pair were welcomed by hundreds of early risers on the 10th tee.

“It was panic stations . . . Steve was kicking doors down,” Scott laughed of his early-morning search for his clubs.

Strong approach play led to four tap-in birdies in five

holes on either side of the turn and then, after backto-back bogeys brought him back to the field, Scott’s putting gave him two more birdies in the final three holes.

Scott sought local advice on how to navigate Royal Queensland’s dramatically undulating greens that feature sharp run-offs. His decision to putt multiple times from off the green paid off.

“The conditions couldn’t be better and you want to take advantage of that,” he said. “I’m very pleased with that, all really solid stuff.”

Scott said Williams, who caddied for the Australian when he won the Masters nine years ago, was keen on his tournament return.

“Yeah, it was great, he obviously hasn’t been out

at any events for quite a long time, so I think he was pretty excited,” Scott said. “We came out and played Tuesday morning, it’s quite easy. I may have changed, but I know he’s not and so I knew what to expect when we came out and to fall back into familiar routines was pretty good.”

Back in Australia after a three-year absence due to the coronavirus pan demic, world No. 3 Smith shrugged off an “uncom fortable” first nine with four birdies and stayed within touching distance of the lead. “Scotty was playing really nicely, he’d coming into some form the old fella and might be hard to chase down,” Smith said. “Yeah, I’d like it (a final-round match-up), haven’t done that yet with Scotty, it’d be epic.”

The 24-year-old Lee said his attitude the last few months “has just been just to have fun.”

“Lots of families and kids out there and I love to show off and inspire little kids,” Lee said. “I was one of those kids trying to get a ball or trying to get a highfive . . . that was me not long ago.”

Nicolai Hojgaard shot 68 while his 21-year-old identical twin Rasmus Hojgaard had a 69. The Belgian siblings made European tour history last year by winning back-toback tournaments.

Smith is among six play ers who have competed in Saudi-funded LIV Golf events this year. Others include Marc Leishman (69 Thursday), Wade Ormsby (72) and defending cham pion Jed Morgan (70).

“They’re all that young. So I think I would rather get punched in the face from Ole Miss so that they can get better.

“We punched them back, but they had too much fire power down the stretch to pull away from us. And for us to play two games in three days, with only seven players, we just didn’t have enough to contend with Kentucky.

“For us, we go back and play in the Atlantic Confer ence, which is not as tough as the SEC Conference. There’s nobody playing in our conference that’s as tough as these teams we played, so we should turn it up a notch because of these experiences when we play in our conference.”

Williams-Jeter just urges the Bahamian public to get ready to watch one of the most exciting college play ers in Lightbourne when they make their return to the Bahamas in two years for their second appear ance in the Baha Mar Hoops.

TOURNEY

FROM PAGE 11

which will only take place over five days.

“We have teams from Abaco and Andros and the Majority Special School is entered in the primary boys division and they say they are ready for any public or private school team,” Clarke said. “Woodcock Primary is also looking for ward to participating.

“In the senior girls’ division, the CV Bethel Stingrays are expected to be the top-ranked school. They have about four to five players who are mem bers of the junior girls national basketball team. This time around, it’s going to be interesting.”

The Ministry of Sports, according to Clarke, has increased the stipend they have provided to the Family Island teams to assist in getting them to New Provi dence for the tournament and so they are encouraged by what they see.

Clarke said the minis try will release the team

BIMINI, Bahamas (AP) — Olivia Miles scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and No. 7 Notre Dame cruised to a 90-65 win over American at the Goombay Splash on Thursday.

Sonia Citron added 17 points and Dara Mabrey had 15 for the Irish (5-0), who play Arizona State in their second game.

Emily Johns scored 15 points for the Eagles (0-5). Notre Dame scored eight points over the last 93 seconds of the first quarter for a 26-11 lead and cruised from there. The lead reached 28 in the second quarter before the Irish took a 52-29 lead at halftime.

Notre Dame scored 23 fast-break points and 17 second-chance points to go with a plus-22 rebound dif ference, leading to 42 points in the paint to go with 28-of-41 shooting from the foul line.

MILES SCORES 19, NO. 7 NOTRE DAME WOMEN ROLL PAST AMERICAN DAVIS CUP: ITALY TOPS US IN DOUBLES TO REACH SEMIFINALS

FROM PAGE 11

meeting at the Paris Mas ters just over three weeks ago.

This time Sonego took the initiative, Tiafoe said.

“A couple of weeks ago I was playing very aggressive, running him around, hit ting much harder. Today, he was,” Tiafoe said.

Sonego saved two set points while serving at 6-5 in the second set to force the tiebreaker. He said he drew on the loud Italian fans who showed up to sup port him in Spain, which is home to more than 250,000 Italians.

“I am really proud of my team and of this unbeliev able crowd, it looks like we are in Italy. They support us from the beginning,” said Italy captain Filippo Volandri.

Fritz hit 12 aces and had one break to beat the No. 23-ranked Musetti for a second time after defeating him at Wimbledon in June.

On Wednesday, a Croa tia team led by Marin Cilic advanced to the other semi final after beating a Spain side that was missing Rafael Nadal and No. 1-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

Croatia will face Aus tralia, which beat the Netherlands on Tuesday.

rankings when they hold a press conference on Monday. But he noted that the primary boys and girls and junior boys and girls as well as the senior girls division will be keenly contested.

Clarke, however, said they eliminated the inter mediate boys division from this year’s lineup because of the High School Hoop Fest that will start on Decem ber 14 for high school boys between teams coming in from the United States and all-stars teams from New Providence and Grand Bahama. “Our females will be in the spotlight this year,” Clarke said.

“We feel we have some very exciting teams that will be on display and so we want the public to get ready for the Father Marcian Peters Invitational. It’s on.”

This is the 34th edition of the Father Marcian Invita tional, which is being held in honour of the late ‘Sport ing Priest,’ who is known as one of the founders of the establishment of organised basketball in the country.

ALTHOUGH the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship title slipped out of their grasp on Wednesday night at Baha Mar, Bahamian head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said her Ole Miss Rebels will learn from their twogame experience here.

No. 3 Kansas survives overtime scare from Wisconsin 69-68

By AARON BEARD Associated Press

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Kansas’ Bobby Pettiford Jr. stood all the way out near mid court, almost on the Battle 4 Atlantis logo, when he saw his teammate launch a shot for the lead with only a few seconds left in overtime.

“I mean, I normally don’t crash but that’s the one time I get to crash,” Pettiford said.

He sprinted all the way under the basket just in time to see a loose rebound pop to him. Pettiford then made a twisting reverse layup with 0.2 seconds left to give No. 3 Kansas a

69-68 win against Wisconsin yesterday in a tournament semifinal game.

Pettiford’s layup marked his only points of the game, capping a thriller that saw Wisconsin rally from 15 down early in the second half behind a strong perfor mance from Tyler Wahl.

Trailing 68-67, Kansas’ final play appeared stuck when Jalen Wilson had to kick out a pass to Zach Clemence beyond the 3-point arc with about 5 seconds left.

Clemence launched the long 3 that banged off the basket, but Wilson kept the play alive by tipping the ball enough to keep Wahl from snagging the rebound. The ball went right to Pettiford.

“I had kind of a good angle but I mean, kind of a little bit of luck and skill at the same time,” he said. “So I just kind of hoped it went in.”

Pettiford landed on the floor as he watched the ball go through the net, then extended his fists in front of him and yelled as he started

NO. 22 TENNESSEE BEATS USC IN OT

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Ten nessee has twice played without its leading scorer at the Battle 4 Atlantis. It hasn’t stopped the 22ndranked Volunteers from reaching the championship game.

Julian Phillips scored a season-high 25 points to help Tennessee hold off Southern California 73-66 in overtime in yesterday’s semifinals, setting up a matchup with third-ranked and reigning national cham pion Kansas for the title.

Phillips, a first-year for ward, made 7 of 13 shots and 10 of 12 free throws to go with eight rebounds for the Volunteers (4-1), with four of those free throws coming in the OT. It was part of a strong and aggres sive performance, one with Wilson being active at both ends.

The Volunteers also got key contributions from Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler and Olivier Nkam houa to grind through this one.

“I think this tourna ment’s been great for us,” coach Rick Barnes said. “Still haven’t got our feet under us totally, but playing against a team like we did yesterday and coming back today against a zone team ... I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and it wasn’t.”

Tennessee won despite again being without leading scorer Josiah-Jordan James (13.7 points per game) due to soreness in his left knee. He had an offseason pro cedure on that same joint, and Barnes has said he’s day-to-day.

Boogie Ellis scored 21 points in his second big output in as many days to

lead the Trojans (4-2), but USC committed 20 turno vers — six in the overtime — that the Volunteers con verted into 25 points.

“Our players played hard,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “They played well for most of the game, a lot of the stretches. But some of the turnovers are us getting sped up and some are bad decision making. But it’s tough to continu ously turn the ball over that many times.”

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: The Volun teers pulled away in the second half to beat Butler in Wednesday night’s final first-round game.

This time, Tennessee won despite shooting just 3 for 18 from 3-point range, with Phillips and Nkamhoua (12 points) leading the offence.

“We didn’t want to settle for 3s early,” Barnes said of playing against a zone.

USC: The Trojans beat BYU in Wednesday’s first round behind a big per formance from Ellis, who scored 21 of his 27 points after the break. But No. 2 scorer Drew Peterson (15.8) had a mistake-filled perfor mance with more turnovers (seven) than rebounds (six) or made baskets (four) and

finished with nine points. Still, USC had two chances to win it late in regulation.

“We competed today, we had a chance to win,” Enfield said. “Tennes see’s a top-25 team and we were right there, had our chances. We’re developing and getting better.”

LINE WORK

Tennessee also had an advantage by getting to the foul line.

The Volunteers were whistled for 10 personal fouls and got to the foul line for 26 shots, making 22. The Trojans were charged with 23 fouls and got to the line just eight times, making seven.

“It is frustrating when there’s such big discrep ancy in the fouls,” Enfield said. “I guess they played a really good game without fouling.”

KEY CONTRIBUTIONS

Vescovi finished with seven points on 3-for-13 shooting, but he overcame that rough shooting day to hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the extra period.

Zeigler went 4 for 4 at the line in the final 23.7 seconds left of overtime to seal the win.

to sit up. Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit crouched down into a squat, in disbelief.

By the time Pettiford had gotten on his feet, he had a big smile while his team mates began to hug him near the baseline corner to celebrate.

The team left the court to chants of “Bobby! Bobby!” as they headed to today’s championship game.

Wilson scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds for the reigning national cham pion Jayhawks (6-0), and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds — and a 3 with 11.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

“We had nothing going (in the second half) and they had outplayed us totally,” coach Bill Self said. “Obviously we make two plays at the end of regulation and the end of overtime that basically gave us the win. We were not the best team today.”

Wahl led the Badgers (4-1) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 14 points in the second half in what was at times a oneman comeback, including a

run of nine straight points with his team down eight in the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation.

His last score was a spin ning drive against a falling Wilson for a layup and the 68-67 lead with 21 seconds left in OT.

The Badgers just couldn’t get a final stop.

“We’re not into moral victories, but this group showed me a lot today,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “And we also learned we have a lot of things we can continue to get better at.”

BIG PICTURE

Wisconsin: The same team that struggled to crack 40 points — or make a shot, frankly — in the first round of the tournament against Dayton looked to be on its

way to another bad offen sive showing. Instead, Wahl and the Badgers showed resilience and climbed back in it, they stayed shot for shot with Kansas down the stretch.

“He kicked our butt,” Self said of Wahl.

Kansas: The Jayhawks didn’t have an easy time of their Atlantis debut yester day, needing to battle to the final minutes against North Carolina State.

This time, Pettiford was in the right place at the right time after Wilson tipped the ball from Wahl’s reach for a rebound off Zach Clem ence’s missed 3-pointer.

Just like that, Kansas was still unbeaten with a 17-game winning streak dating to last year’s run to Self’s second NCAA title.

KANSAS’ Jalen Wilson (10) and Gradey Dick (4) celebrate during the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas, yesterday.

SOUTHERN California’s Tre White (22) shoots over Tennessee’s Julian Phillips yesterday.

Photos: Tim Aylen/Bahamas Visual Services via AP