12052022 NEWS AND SPORT

Police out in force, says minister, as tickets in demand

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

YOUTH, Sports and Cul ture Minister Mario Bowleg is pledging that the upcom ing Junkanoo parades will be safe, with police and Defence Force officers set to be out in full force.

This comes as demand for tickets to the parades after a nearly three-year hiatus is said to be high, with more than 1,600 already sold for Boxing Day.

Asked about safety measures at the upcom ing events, Mr Bowleg

told this newspaper: “My technical team is in charge of that but as it relates to safety protocol, definitely we are increasing the secu rity measures where we are going to have a large number of police and defence force officers on all routes.

“I spoke to the commis sioner, he’s going to ensure that the Bahamian people can come out and be safe. If any of those young men want to come out to Jun kanoo to cause hazards, we hope they don’t want to do that.”

$2M PRICE TAG AS PATIENTS WILL BE HOUSED AT DOCTORS HOSPITAL

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Dar ville announced yesterday an agreement that allows the transfer of Prin cess Margaret Hospital patients to Doctors Hospi tal West.

Effective today, some

patients will be moved to the facility on Blake Road for approximately 14 weeks. It is estimated this will cost the government between $2m to $2.5m.

“This is not the first time Doctors Hospital has come to the public facility’s aid,” Dr Darville said at a press conference.

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he anticipates that the coun try will become the nexus in regional baseball with the opening of the Andre Rodgers National Base ball Stadium.

His comments came during the opening cere mony for the stadium

Mr Davis said yester day that the new stadium has upgraded The Baha mas to be the hub for baseball regionally and internationally.

“Now that we have upgraded our facilities to world class standards I anticipate that The Baha mas will become a nexus in the regional base ball arena. The stadium has now positioned The

BAHA MAR’S CONTRACTOR ‘OVERFUNDED’ BY UP TO $112M

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHA Mar’s main con tractor was “overfunded” by up to $112.7m during the project’s race to completion, it has been alleged, while at the same time diverting “emergency” financing to pay for its British Colonial Hilton acquisition.

Evidence filed in the New York State Supreme Court by original developer Sarkis Izmirlian asserts China Construction America was overpaid compared to the value of the work it actually delivered prior to the pro ject’s collapse into Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, followed by provisional liq uidation and receivership.

A report by Paul Poca lyko, a certified financial forensics and fraud exam iner with the HKA advisory firm, said the contractor’s own records also showed it received almost $85m more than the value of work per formed when Mr Izmirlian filed for Chapter 11 protec tion in 2015.

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Around

and simultaneous launch of the 4th annual Caribbean

Baseball Cup, which is being held in The Baha mas for the first time. The stadium was filled with hundreds of people for the event, includ ing government officials, family of the deceased Andre Rodgers and many baseball fans and players. A feature game at 7.30pm against the US Virgin Islands kicked off the Caribbean Baseball Cup week-long tournament.

A 43-YEAR-OLD man is dead following a shooting incident over the weekend, prompting police to appeal for the public’s assistance in their investigation.

Photo: Austin

It’s safety first for Junkanoo

from page one

“We haven’t had Junkanoo for almost three years so the Bahamian people (are) missing Junkanoo, the nation is miss ing Junkanoo and so safety is going to be (there) as it relates to the protection of the Bahamian people.”

As of 6pm Saturday, 1,611 tickets for Boxing Day and 109 tickets for New Year’s Day had already been sold.

Dwyane Davis, chief information officer for the Cable Bahamas Group of Compa nies, revealed the demand for the highly sought-after event this season after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tickets can be pur chased through an Aliv Junkanoo app. The company is offering the service as a courtesy to Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP). The company is a sponsor of Junkanoo and Alive makes no money at all off the tickets.

There were some complaints over the launch of Aliv’s app, particularly customers getting Junkanoo tickets.

Mr Davis acknowledged there were some issues with the app, but added: “Yester day, before we took the system offline, we had already sold 1,611 tickets for Boxing Day. And we had sold 109 tickets for New Year’s Day. That was as of 6pm yesterday (Saturday).”

In response to the complaints, Mr Davis explained yesterday: “The launch went off seamlessly in all of our advertising, we always said that the app (for purchasing tickets) would be ready at three o’clock when they started the picking (for parade order), but some persons decided to go to

the store from like, six, seven o’clock in the morning and when they got there, we explained to them that the tickets won’t go on sale at three o’clock, which we did advertise.

“Here’s the thing: when we did the app, anyone that knows technology knows that the Google Play Store is different from Apple. Apple is a lot more stringent with approving an app than Google. So the vast majority of our base, which is well over 80 percent of our base, which is Android, we were happy and excited that Google approved that so we made a business deci sion to go with the release of the Android app with anticipation of having the Apple iOS app available by tomorrow for purchasing.

“Number two, the demand could not have been anticipated. So the issue had nothing to do with load balancing and technology just due to the demand for tickets and persons constantly trying to either reset the pass word or constantly say ‘forget password’. . .what we did was the app sent well over 15,000 emails within the space of two hours. So automatically, the systems around the world looked at it as spam and that’s the reason why persons were not get ting any tickets by email.”

He said the system was taken offline to allow for the issues to be sorted out.

He added that ticket buyers also got text messages to let them know their ticket pur chases were successful.

“By the end of today, all those persons who purchased tickets and got a text will get the tickets electronically today.”

Not all tickets will be sold through the app; some will be available for walk up cus tomers at Aliv’s Cable Beach and Harbour Bay stores.

VALLEY BOYS SET SIGHTS ON BAY STREET VICTORY

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Valley Boys have not come to play this Jun kanoo season, with one official declaring, “when you are a Valley Boy you

represent greatness”.

John Williams, frontline chairman of the group, spoke to The Tribune on Friday about his excitement for the return of the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parades.

After more than a twoyear hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Junkanoo parades were set on a pause, while many Jun kanoo lovers and members anxiously waited for the parades to return.

JUNKANOOERS HELP RED CROSS

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

TO help the community, the Valley Boys Junkanoo group gave a donation to The Bahamas Red Cross Society on Friday.

Canned goods, cases of water, sodas, and other nonperishable food items were presented to the organisa tion from the Junkanoo group.

John Williams, Valley Boys’ frontline chairman said although the group is passionate about competing it also recognises the impor tance of lending a helping hand.

“We wanted to show people that not only do we care about our mem bers, how our costumes look, how we perform, and sound,” he said, “but we care about our community largely because our fans, our supporters, and our members are part of those communities.

“So, we held a thanks giving food drive at two of our practices. And we have a small donation for you (Red Cross). Small, but very impactful as you said. We just wanted to present it to the Red Cross Society on behalf of the Valley Boys organisation.”

Mr Williams and other members of the Junkanoo group came together to present the donation with hopes it would have a posi tive impact on others.

Alicia Pinder, director of the Bahamas Red Cross, accepted the Valley Boys’ donation and applauded the group’s efforts to pro vide assistance to those who need it the most.

“We appreciate you thinking of us as an organi sation because we do get to see a lot of people’s family members who are in need. And by doing this, you are helping us to help those who we call the most vulnerable. We want them

to be strong. We want them to be able to enjoy the basic necessities as well as being able to feed their family, their children, and all of their lives. So, we thank you,” Ms Pinder said.

She described the Jun kanoo group as being “civic-minded” in its efforts to help the less fortunate in the community.

“I’d like to first congratu late you as an organisation that is well known for the level of entertainment that you bring locally, and even sometimes, I guess, abroad. But for sure many people come here to see the artwork that you present. But I’d like to congratulate you for also becoming an organisation that is civic-minded.”

Mr Williams and other members of the Valley Boys said they look forward to working along with the Bahamas Red Cross in the future.

“I’m elated, I’m every thing there is to be positive to return to Bay Street,” Mr Williams said. “I could not wait, I was so sad when we couldn’t and now we’re back and better than before.”

Asked if the Valley Boys were concerned about the other competing groups, Mr Williams said he was not concerned.

“When you’re compet ing, you can’t worry about your competitors. Your worry should be about yourself and your team. So, if you put yourself first, if you practice and you know your craft then you won’t have to worry about your competitors.”

Mr Williams described the excitement to be back on Bay Street as “through the roof”, adding that mem bers were ready to give the public a good show and

make up for lost time.

Asked how many people were expected to rush this year for the Valley Boys, Mr Williams responded; “I would say realistically 300 to maybe 350 for each parade.”

He explained numbers have increased for par ticipants in the Junkanoo parades this year. Mr Wil liams said people are ready to go back to the “goodfeeling” music of Junkanoo.

“It’s actually increased because of the desire to rush and the fact that people missed it. It brought people out. People who were rest ing and relaxing and it made them feel like, okay I’m really missing this now and I have to get back to it.”

He added: “And then, of course, our existing mem bers were ready for it. And then we have new per sons to Junkanoo who are

always interested and now feel as though they have the chance to do it.”

Mr Williams said the Valley Boys will have on display for Boxing Day an “aquatic” theme. As for the New Year’s Day parade he described the theme as “You’ll take a trip.”

He added people can anticipate beautiful cos tumes, vibrant colours, and beautiful displays.

“Lots of energetic music and relatable music. You know a lot of groups tend to bring a theme and their music is not even related to it. All of our music is going to be related to both of our themes.”

Mr Williams added: “So you can look forward to saying it’s been two years and Junkanoo is back like you feel proud to watch it, to listen to it, and to per form to it.”

THE DONATION made to the Bahamas Red Cross Society by the Valley Boys.

‘My technical team is in charge of that but as it relates to safety protocol, definitely we are increasing the security measures where we are going to have a large number of police and defence force officers on all routes.’

MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg.

Photo: Austin Fernander

$2m price tag as patients will be housed at Doctors Hospital

from page one

“It happened in COVID19 and I am pleased to say that we are finalising all of the necessary negotia tions so that we will be able to provide the necessary care for our patients here at the Princess Margaret Hospital. With respect to the care of patients trans ferred to Doctors Hospital West, I commend the PHA, the doctors for coming into agreement with these essential discounted rates for public patients at Doc tor’s Hospital West.

“It is a collaborative effort with clinicians, healthcare executives, legal advisors, EMS leadership,

and financial officers in order for this particular initiative to be successful.

With this agreement, the Public Hospitals Author ity will be in a position to address critical existing infrastructure challenges including replacement of elevators remediation work, mechanical, electri cal, plumbing — all that is necessary in order for the hospital to function effectively,” the minister explained.

“We are also installing modular infectious units here at the Princess Mar garet Hospital. And we need this facilitative move in order to do the necessary repairs without the disrup tion of essential services.”

Asked about the dis counted rate for patients, he noted that for months officials were in nego tiatiions with Doctors Hospital to get the best pos sible rate and that the rate “fluctuates”.

“In some instances, it can go as high as 50 per cent in some instances of 30 percent because while the patient is at Doctors Hospital, we will have to be able to do lab tests, diag nostic tests, and a variety of other tests and so the over all package we felt was very reasonable.”

He added: “When we compare what we pay for the services here at the Princess Margaret Hospital and during the initial open ing at the press conference, I made it very clear that I do appreciate Doctors Hos pital working very closely with the Princess Margaret Hospital in the PHA. We are satisfied with the rates that we currently have. The details fluctuate so it’s difficult for me to tell you exactly every detail, but the rates are discounted.”

PHA managing direc tor Dr Aubynette Rolle explained that the PHA’s agreement with Doctors Hospital allows for full usage of the Blake Road facility amounting to some 51 beds.

“Medical chiefs of staff, Internal Medicine Depart ment, and the Emergency Room Department cre ated the criteria of medical patients who will be trans ferred with stringent screening and admission of non-critical patients with an average length of stay between five to seven days depending on the acuity

level and bed availabil ity for transfer at Princess Margaret Hospital. Moni toring and evaluation of the referral process will be carried out to ensure that only public patients are transferred and strength ened case management to ensure a smooth transition of patients,” she said.

“The Emergency Medical Services will be included in the transfer process and the EMS leadership has been fully engaged in the plan ning process and making the necessary preparations to ensure patient transfers are conducted safely, efficiently and without (disruption) to the agency’s emergency response functions. PMH’s internal medicine team will manage patients with the support of Doctors Hospi tals health system physicians and allied health staff.”

Patients who will not be transferred to the Blake Road facility are those in paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, surgical patients and patients requir ing intensive care, and also those with infectious diseases.

Dr Caroline BurnettGaraway, medical chief of staff, said the Doctors Hos pital facility will function almost as an “annex” of Princess Margaret Hospital. She continued: “So it will be like a ward at PMH and so it’s going to be internal medicine patients. So as the managing director said, diabetics out of control, congestive heart failure, hypertensive emergencies that will be transferred over to that hospital. So the pro cess is that all patients will be admitted through the emergency department and reviewed by the medical specialists who decide that they require admission.

“If they’re stable enough to go straight to Doctors Hospital, they’ll be trans ferred from the emergency department to Doctors Hospital West. However, usually internal medicine patients when they come to hospital are quite ill. So we may opt to keep them at Princess Margaret for about three days to five days to stabilise them and then they could be trans ferred over from one of our wards to Doctors Hos pital west to complete their management.

“There are 51 beds at Doctors Hospital that we can utilise for the manage ment of our patients. So we’re not sending anyone who’s unstable that may require intensive care, ventilation. The heart is unstable. So those will stay at the Princess Margaret Hospital and then we will send more stable patients over to Doctor’s Hospital West.”

The government’s pro posed plan to outsource care was previously met with concerns from con sultants from PMH’s

The doctors alleged there has already been a death in the pilot of this process when a patient who had been moved to the other health facility became unstable and could not be revived on arrival at PMH.

When asked about the claim and addressing the consultants’ concerns, Dr Rolle indicated she was “unfamiliar” with the alleged death during the pilot phase.

“What I do know is a patient decompensated as usual and unfortunately the patient died. What I am prepared to address, though, is that yes, there were challenges. Anytime any organisation is about to make changes, all par ties will not be on the same page, I call it,” she said.

“But we have had multiple consultative efforts and I’m happy to say that they came to the room, they appreci ated the quality of care.”

HOLIDAY STORE PRICES

‘LIKELY TO STAY SAME’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

SUPER Value owner Rupert Roberts said on Friday with the holidays approaching, the price of popular holiday goods will remain consistent to the prices currently reflected in stores.

In an interview with The Tribune Mr Roberts, owner of the largest grocery store chain in the country, gave a glimpse into how prices have fluctuated.

With the company having already purchased Christ mas inventory, the prices of popular Christmas food items such as ham and turkey will reflect that of the Thanksgiving prices, he said.

Mr Roberts further noted that there might be a delay on weekly produce

due to inclement weather and lack of quality. How ever, he assured customers that the company is aiming to satisfy the needs of every one.

“I don’t know the reason but the shipping has been late lately and we’ve been getting it to the stores a day late. Of course, when the boat comes in a day late, we don’t get it to the store until the next morning and it’s disappointing to the consumer.”

With the inflation of gro cery prices and higher daily living expenses, Mr Roberts acknowledged the “terri ble” increases, noting the price increase of items such as cooking oil, mayonnaise, eggs and lettuce.

“The inflation has been terrible,“ he said. “And I know the consumers don’t understand it.

“Mayonnaise went up 150 percent. Eggs are at an all-time high, the highest that I have ever seen them in history. And, of course, cooking oil is at an all-time high also,” he continued. He said the grocery chain will also extend store hours to accommodate the influx of customers during the holiday season, adding that the company is equipped to handle the crowd.

“People do spend more money during the holidays and they buy more, they celebrate more and the crowds are like a hurricane scare,” Mr Roberts said.

“I think that they buy gifts first and then money leftover they buy food and, of course, the supermarkets are usually open later than the other stores. So, they leave the food shopping last unfortunately.”

Department of Internal Medicine. In a document dated October 20, the doc tors criticised the plan, saying there is no justifica tion for it.

DR Caroline Burnett-Garaway.

DR AUBYNETTE ROLLE, managing director of PHA.

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Michael Darville.

Photos: Austin Fernander

Sands: Save Family Islanders from water supply suffering

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Move ment chairman Dr Duane Sands has urged Public Works Minister Alfred Sears, KC, to help the “long suffering” people of San Salvador and Eleuthera with water challenges.

Central Eleuthera resi dents have previously been hit with water supply dis ruptions a number of times this year.

Mr Sears last week apolo gised to Eleuthera residents for the continued disrup tion of water supply on the island - adding the matter was one of “deep concern”.

In a recent voice note, Dr Sands said the message was about a “particular request” for a politician he quipped was “about to leave office”.

“I speak of no less than the Minister of Public Works who ought to be resigning fairly soon after misleading people and the Parliament on the facts of the BPL fuel hedging pro gramme,” Dr Sands said.

He was referring to Mr Sears conceding that the Ministry of Finance

- headed by Prime Minister Philip Davis - had dismissed recommendations to continue the trades under pinning Bahamas Power & Light’s fuel hedging initia tive as “not in the interests of the country at that time”.

Dr Sands continued: “Now we want the minister to do a few things before he leaves office. First, fix some of the hundreds, no thou sands of potholes in New Providence and the Family Islands. These are some cra ters. I mean tyre flattening, axle bending, rim shattering holes everywhere.

“I can’t remember a time when the potholes were so neglected. It seems like the Public Works Ministry is on go slow and it is bad out there. The other day I tried counting holes on East Street and realised I had to stop because there were just too many.”

Mr Sears has previ ously announced two major road improvement developments, includ ing a three-week “blitz” to repair potholes in New Providence.

Dr Sands went on to highlight the issue of water.

“The second thing before

MAN FOUND SHOT DEAD IN GOVERNMENT VEHICLE

from page one

This latest incident brings the country’s murder count to 122, according to this newspaper’s records, which is the highest number of killings since 2017.

The incident comes on the heels of bloodshed in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

Last Tuesday, a Freeport man in the Frobisher Drive area was shot dead out side his residence by a lone gunman.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen Rolle reported at the time that when officers arrived at the scene, they saw a man on the ground suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to his body.

When emergency medical services personnel arrived at the scene, they found no signs of life, police said.

A day earlier, on Novem ber 28, police said a man who appeared to be in his mid-20s was found with gunshot wounds on Cowpen Road east off Golden Isle Road. Police suspect the man was shot somewhere

else and his body dumped where police found it.

Officers were alerted about the man’s body shortly after 7am.

“Sometime shortly after 7am the next day, the police received an anonymous call about a male that was found lying on this street on the southern side of this street,” Chief Superinten dent Michael Johnson told reporters on Monday.

“When officers arrived, they met the lifeless body of a dark male. He had wounds that were consist ent with gunshots.”

Residents who tried to drive through the road of the scene were forced to turn around while officers conducted their investigations.

Police are currently uncertain of the circum stances surrounding the latest deadly shooting in the capital and are appealing to members of the public, who may have informa tion that can assist with their investigations to call the Criminal Investigation Department at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328 TIPS (8477).

ROBBERS POSE AS POLICE

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

TWO men heading to the airport were robbed by armed men posing as police officers on Saturday.

The incident, one of several robberies recently reported, prompted the Royal Bahamas Police Force to urge people to be careful this holiday season of people in vehicles posing as police cars.

Around 6.10am on Sat urday, two men heading to the airport were stopped on the road by a grey vehicle, with blue and white flashing lights, police said.

Two armed men dressed like police officers got out of the grey vehicle with flashlights and shotguns and subsequently robbed the other men of their cell phones, suitcase and wallet containing cash.

Police reported that the suspects fled the area south along Gladstone Road, in the grey vehicle.

Police also said two rob beries took place on Friday.

In the first incident, a man was driving his 2006 gold Toyota Passo, L/P AR1278, on Grosvenor Court off Gleniston Subdi vision Road around 3.26am, when he was approached by two other men who robbed him of his vehicle, said police.

Then in a second incident at 2.50 pm on that same day,

a man and woman on Moth Street in the Foxdale Subdi vision were approached by two armed men who robbed them of their Burgundy coloured Nissan Cube and a large quantity of cash, said police.

The suspects both fled the scene in an unknown direc tion. One of the suspects allegedly had a high-pow ered weapon while the other had a handgun, police said.

Following these incidents police are urging members of the public to contact the RBPF or drive to the nearest station if they feel unsafe on the road.

“Additionally, members of the public are urged to be extremely vigilant as the holiday season approaches. We wish to remind the public that police lights are red and blue, and that all police vehicles are outfit ted with sirens. If you are uncertain that the vehicle requesting you to stop is not a police vehicle, please dial 911/919 and drive to the nearest police station,” police said.

“Police are investigat ing and wish to inform members of the public that altering the lights, or changing the colour of the lights on your motor vehicle is an offence, pun ishable by law. Persons, found in breach, will be reported and subsequently fined,” police said.

the minister resigns (is) please get the long suffering people of Eleuthera and San Salvador some water so they can drink. (So) they could bathe. (So) they could wash their clothes and flush the toilet. It’s 2022 for heaven’s sake - isn’t potable water a basic need? Why is this not a priority of this administra tion? Why y’all making the people suffer. So, yes, the Minister of Public Works is a short timer but these couple things are impor tant,” he insisted.

In June, WSC announced it would execute a $2.7m

contract for two one million gallon tanks and an addi tional $525,000 for related support work in view of water supply interruptions in the area.

Mr Sears has told report ers that the tanks have already been ordered and should be ready by midnext year.

Attempts to reach the minister were unsuccessful up to press time.

However, Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell accused the former Elizabeth MP of being “shameless”

and having “a short and selective memory” over infrastructure.

“Here is a former FNM minister who sat around the Cabinet table and they all agreed to cancel the Cat Island portion of the water expansion programme funded by the Caribbean Develop ment Bank under the last PLP government,” Mr Mitchell, who is also minister of public service and foreign affairs, said in a statement. “The FNM selected to provide piped water to only two set tlements in Cat Island and it took the PLP to restore the

original programme which covered the entire island.

“Dr Sands was also a member of the FNM Cabi net who sat by idly and allowed the country’s public infrastructure to fall into a state of disrepair. He and the FNM are culpable and guilty of neglect so he should be the last person to open his mouth about the maintenance of public infrastructure.

“He didn’t care about the Bahamian people then and he doesn’t care about their wellbeing now, so he should just shut up.”

HOLLAND AMERICA CRUISE SHIP COMES TO GB

The ship made a special call at Freeport Harbour with its more than 2,300 passengers and 1,000 crew members onboard after its scheduled call to Key West was diverted.

Ms Moxey said it was an oppor tune time to take advantage of the Nieuw Statendam’s unexpected diversion from its regularly sched uled sailing.

“It falls under the Carnival Cor poration, Holland America, and so we’re going to be in discussions to

see how we can increase cruise calls,” she said.

“I believe that there are tremen dous opportunities here. We, of course, want to ensure that our tour istic product is up to par because that is what the guests look for. They look for authentic experiences and so we are working with stakeholders on the island to ensure that we are there. But again, it’s another great day for Grand Bahama Island.”

Captain Noel O’Driscoll said their voyage began in Ft. Lauderdale on November 26 and they had already visited Half Moon Cay, a private island in The Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican

Republic and were on their way to Key West, the last port of call, when their plans were averted.

“Key West is unavailable to cruise ships at the moment so Freeport seemed to be good alternative. So, hopefully our guests enjoy it and hopefully it will put us on the map for future calls as well for Holland America,” Captain O’Driscoll said. Freeport Harbour Company port director Captain Orlando Forbes and Captain O’Driscoll exchanged plaques during a brief ceremony to commemorate the occasion. The Nieuw Statendam is sched uled to make another scheduled call at Freeport Harbour next year.

MINISTER for Grand Bahama

Ginger Moxey was on hand to wel come Holland America Cruiseline’s Nieuw Statendam on its inaugural visit to Grand Bahama on Friday.

THE NIEUW Statendam on its arrival in Grand Bahama.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“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

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

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Sports and Georgia’s political battleground

THE RECEPTION area of a metro Atlanta office suite is a veritable museum of Herschel Walker’s football success for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the NFL. The office is part of the Atlanta Braves’ real estate devel opment in the Major League Baseball franchise’s new suburban home.

This headquarters for Georgia’s Republican US Senate nominee isn’t officially about athletics, of course. Yet the location and décor help show much professional sports and college loyalties explain political divides in this battle ground state, where Walker is trying to unseat Democratic Sen Raphael War nock in a Tuesday runoff.

“Sports are a cultural identifier, and in the South, college fandom is a big part of that,” said David Mowery, a Univer sity of Georgia alumnus, avid Bulldogs supporter and now an Alabama-based political consultant who works with Republicans and Democrats. “Now our politics and campaigns are so much about identity,” Mowery said. “We see all these overlaps.”

Sports and politics have long inter sected in America. But the flashpoints — racial segregation of college cam puses and professional leagues, the use of Native American mascots and imagery, athletes protesting over civil rights, power struggles over taxpayer-funding for stadi ums — are ever-present in Georgia.

For Republicans, whose coalition trends older, whiter and less urban than the general population, that means an open embrace of the Bulldogs and baseball’s Braves, each with fan bases that trend whiter and more suburban and rural. And it’s not just Walker, who carried the Bulldogs to the national championship in 1980 and won the Heis man Trophy two years later.

“Great politics, great place to cam paign,” said Gov Brian Kemp, a UGA alumnus, as he tailgated with supporters in Athens ahead of a Georgia game ear lier this season.

The governor grew up in Athens and is close to the family of the late Bulldog Coach Vince Dooley. His wife, Marty, was a Georgia cheerleader in her student days, he reminded reporters as he pre viewed the Bulldogs’ 2022 prospects. The defending national champions, he said, “have got the players” but “got to stay humble.” (They won the Southeastern Conference Championship on Saturday.)

Kemp and Lt Gov-elect. Burt Jones, who also played for Georgia, join Walker in using red and black as their campaign colors. Attorney General Chris Carr, who won a second term in November, sometimes calls himself a “Double Dawg” — the honorific for someone with two UGA degrees.

Democrats’ coalition, meanwhile, is anchored by metropolitan areas and non whites, who now account for about 4 out of 10 Georgia voters. So, when politicians like Warnock bring sports into their cam paigns, it’s to drop by an Atlanta sports bar during the recent World Cup soccer match between the US and Iran.

Warnock campaigned yesterday in Athens. But on Saturday, when Walker was at the SEC Championship game, Warnock was in Augusta. The senator visited his alma mater, the historically Black Morehouse College, on Home coming weekend this fall, but he notes, with a mix of seriousness and humor, a different focus and scale.

“You know how it is if you go ... to an HBCU football game,” Warnock told a campaign event of HBCU fraterni ties and sororities. “It’s not just a game, it’s a fashion show and the Battle of the Bands.”

Jason Carter, Democrats’ 2014 nominee for governor, has explained Georgia politics by pointing to Atlanta’s professional soccer team and its demo graphically diverse fans. “Stacey needs the Atlanta United vote,” he’d say of Stacey Abrams, who lost to Kemp in 2018 and 2022.

Certainly, there are white soccer fans in Republican-leaning suburbs and Democrats, white and Black, who love the Bulldogs and Braves. One of War nock’s top aides organised “Dawgs for Abrams” as a UGA undergraduate in 2018. Nonetheless, the partisan split in

campaign styles dovetails with race and geography, even if it’s not explicit.

When Walker and Kemp chose cam paign offices near each other in the Braves’ Cobb County development, Republicans described a straightforward decision to be near metro Atlanta’s northern suburbs so critical to their win ning coalition. The Braves themselves had made the same calculation, leav ing the city in 2017 after a half-century and explaining the surprise move by saying they’d be closer to most of their season-ticket holders. (Cobb County politicians also gave the team $400mplus in stadium financing, something Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed refused to do. Reed instead steered city money to refurbish a downtown arena for the NBA’s Hawks.)

Perhaps most notably, Republicans’ embrace of the Braves came alongside controversies over Native American imagery in sports and a separate politi cal tempest over Republicans’ 2021 overhaul of Georgia election laws.

Democrats, including Warnock, blasted the law as “Jim Crow 2.0,” claim ing it made it harder for some Black voters to cast ballots. Georgia-based corporations Delta and Coca-Cola criticized the law. The Braves stayed out of the fray. But baseball Commis sioner Rob Manfred moved the 2021 All-Star Game from Cobb County in response. Kemp blamed “woke” Demo crats relentlessly, though Warnock and Abrams didn’t call for the change.

The two Democrats also haven’t said the Braves should change their name or abandon fans’ “Tomahawk Chop” at home games, but others, including the Biden White House, have said changes should be on the table.

“He need to come out and say, do he believe they should change the name. Well, I don’t,” Walker said in one Fox News appearance. When Warnock largely ignored the issue, a Walker aide tweeted that the senator “must be a Mets fan.”

Yet it’s unquestionably Walker’s foot ball acclaim that forges a unique bond between a Black conservative and a multigenerational white political base.

“When I was in high school, Her schel Walker was the biggest name in town,” Republican National Commit tee member Ginger Howard said of the 1980 championship season. Now, she said, her young nephews say excitedly: “Ginger, you know Herschel!”

On Saturday, Zach Jacobs and Zach Adams, 23-year-olds from the Atlanta exurb of Woodstock, waited near Mer cedes Benz-Stadium downtown to get a picture with Walker. Both voted for their football hero in the general elec tion and said they will again Tuesday.

“He’s a man of the people, just con nects with who Georgia is,” Jacobs said.

Walker has on occasion talked about being among the first generation of Black players at UGA, which was founded in 1785. Dooley, who endorsed Walker before the iconic coach died in October, first offered scholarships to Black athletes in 1971. Walker was 8 years old.

Warnock, born in 1969, was not a star athlete and matriculated at Morehouse, which opened its doors during post-Civil War Reconstruction, a founding legacy that Warnock’s fellow HBCU alumni say supersedes athletics.

“We have a motto, a program: ‘A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,’” Marcus Montgomery said of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity he shares with the senator.

Adams, a white UGA graduate, acknowledged Warnock’s deep Georgia roots. But, gesturing to the surrounding downtown Atlanta, he said, “Herschel is the man who can improve all of this, and the rest of Georgia.”

Walker’s runoff election night cel ebration will be nearby in downtown Atlanta, just a few blocks from War nock’s party. It’s a shift from Walker’s and Kemp’s Nov 8 affairs adjacent to the Braves’ stadium. But the former star running back isn’t necessarily breaking the mold. His venue this time: the Col lege Football Hall of Fame.

By BILL BARROW Associated Press

The FTX meltdown

EDITOR, The Tribune.

BAHAMIANS should fasten their seatbelts. The collapse of the FTX crypto exchange under the thirtyyear-old Sam Bankman Fried and his young col leagues may turn out to be one of the biggest finan cial scandals in Bahamian history.

It is also a huge interna tional story that has the US Justice Department and the US Securities and Exchange Commission investigating what hap pened. There could be criminal charges against certain individuals.

The PLP government has been mostly and curi ously silent on the matter while the Opposition FNM’s response has been weak, unimpressive and disappointing. Why haven’t we heard from the Prime

Minister and his govern ment on this matter?

So far, The Nassau Guardian and The Tribune have been the ones asking tough questions and rais ing several critical matters. The newspapers should be relentless and keep digging. There is so much they may find. So very much!

There are questions about how well-regulated was FTX in The Bahamas? Were any senior mem bers of the Government invested in FTX? Did any public officials financially benefit in any way from their relationship with FTX and its principals?

There are also a host of questions about FTX’s finances and financial

arrangements.

There needs to be a full and transparent airing of what happened. This has the potential to explode into a major financial scandal for The Bahamas and possibly for certain individuals.

For one thing, Bahami ans want to know if their government exercised good judgment in this matter, including the announced intention to invest the peo ple’s money into such a highly speculative invest ment scheme.

A Commission of Inquiry is not impossible. This issue is going to be with us for some time with more rev elations to come. We are only at the beginning of this story.

LAMPLIGHTER Nassau, November 16, 2022.

Light gun sentences

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ON THE same day last week that it reported the 121st murder of a Baha mian for 2022, The Nassau Guardian casually reported that a man was sentenced to a mere three years in prison by one of our magistrates for driving around New Providence with an assault rifle in his car.

According to the report, this was the man’s second conviction for the same offence and (at only 26 years old) he has other gun offences pending against

him. It emerges that he was also driving with his children in the same car with the war instrument – a factor that his attorney deemed mitigat ing! He will be back on our streets before he is thirty. Once again, the agonised treatment by our media of the effect (runaway gun violence) could not con trast more vividly with their muted response to the immediate cause (a judi ciary that has normalized widespread gun possession by penalising it so lightly).

Mr Prime Minister, there is no better time than now

to take away from judges and magistrates a discretion they are literally using to undermine the viability of Bahamian society. We can either pass mini mum statutory sentences of no less than 15 years for gun possession, or we can watch our society crumble around us in an endless cycle of easily preventable violence, chanting like nit wits that the causes are “complex”.

ANDREW ALLEN

Nassau, December 2, 2022.

Goodman’s Bay

EDITOR, The Tribune.

TOTALLY agree with writer P Bullard. Visi tors from the States once residents who frequented Goodman’s Bay in their time wanted to stop and spend some hours enjoy ing the quietness and the views of the bay got there around 11.30 in the morn ing and round-and-round we drove trying to find a parking spot in the eastern end of the park. Eventu ally risked parking behind a parked vehicle of a person who got there before and were on the beach and they kindly offered to park behind us as we weren’t leaving for an hour.

Editor, this is not the first complaint on this, it seems

that the construction work ers of the new hotel have taken the public parking over 100% and people sug gest things will not change with the opening as where on this hotel property do they have employee park ing? Nowhere - not a single parking spot for one employee.

The day I went to Good man’s I approached from the city end, east just beyond the Office of Prime Minister vehicles parked on the centre median of the road.... How many times senior Officials and Police pass and have done abso lutely nothing? Waiting for a serious accident then they will do something.

Goodman’s Bay park was written into Law under

then PM Hubert Ingraham reserved in perpetuity as a public open space - surely if in the future the hotel workers occupy the parking area that is a breach of the law? Why aren’t Parks and Beaches doing anything? Parks and Beaches the last storm was three-weeks ago the rough weather brought in a lot of seaweed - piles of it in front of the new hotel. Still hasn’t been cleaned up. To remain as a top tour ist destination we have to earn and create a reputa tion don’t, as we seem to do, take it for granted just because of our slogan...It’s Better....

JOSH SAWYER

Nassau, November 29, 2022.

TRIBUNE reader Ron Lightbourn hailed a glorious weekend of sailing races - and contributed his own photograph of sailing boats out on the water off Montagu.

PM PITCHING FOR STADIUM TO BECOME BASEBALL HUB

Bahamas as a primary destination for all sports, tourism and underpins our sports in paradise brand,” he said.

“The new state-of-the-art stadium with artificial turf has been constructed and approved to meet Major League Baseball profes sional standards. It will seat approximately 5,000 spectators and include international standards, dugouts and the latest

technology in digital score boards and sound systems,” Mr Davis said.

“I am certain that this stadium’s namesake would have been immensely proud. This cup and this stadium are testaments of the trailblazing work set down by the great first light Andre Rodgers. Rodgers, as you would have heard, was the very first person from The Bahamas to play in the Major League of Baseball,” Mr Davis said.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg,

who was also at the sta dium yesterday, added on the sidelines of the event that although construction is still ongoing and the sta dium is about “78 percent” complete, it is 100 percent ready for baseball.

“In my estimation I would say we are about 78 percent completed. There’s some minor stuff that needs to be done, all the paving in the road, the link is still to be completed. So, without a push I think the end of Jan uary or February we’ll be 100 percent completed. But

what’s most important, it is baseball ready,” Mr Bowleg said.

When asked if the Miami Marlins, the baseball team of Jazz Chisholm Jr, a Bahamian Major League player, will be training in The Bahamas in the spring due to the stadium upgrade, Mr Bowleg said, “Not only Miami Marlins, you’re going to see many of them. I’ll be making many trips. Actually, I already had a meeting with the Mets.

“So we’re going to be travelling the world and

making sure that we bring some heads and beds and most of those professionals to come here to do spring training,” Mr Bowleg said.

“The objective is to try and get some scrimmage games among the profes sional teams during the off season. And definitely if we could get the (Miami) Marlins here and another team that is close to The Bahamas to come down, we know that The Americans will come and watch them too,” he said.

“This stadium has to be

able to be a revenue-driven organisation for my minis try,” Mr Bowleg added.

On November 7, 2014, the Christie administra tion broke ground to start construction on the Andre Rodgers stadium.

In January, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said more than $31m was needed to complete the stadium.

The 4th annual Car ibbean Baseball Cup week-long tournament at the stadium, will include three games a day.

On the Road to 50

Funeral Service For

Larez Johnson, 36

of Thompson Lane, will be held at Voice Of Deliverance, Deliverance way, Malcolm Allotment Subdivision on Wednesday, December 7th, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Officiating will be Chief Apostle Leon Wallace, assisted by other Ministers of the Gospel. Interment will follow in Lakeview Memorial Gardens, John F. Kennedy Drive and Gladstone Road.

GEORGE SMITH TO ADVISE ON 50TH INDEPENDENCE

FORMER Cabinet min ister George Smith has been appointed as a special advisor to the government for the country’s 50th anni versary independence events.

A statement from Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the preparation for and the celebration of the event next year “must be worthy of this defining period in The Bahamas and the lives of its people.”

“I am pleased to announce the appoint ment of George A Smith as special advisor on the

preparation for the appro priate events leading to and after July 10, 2023.

Mr Smith’s vast experi ence makes him ably suited to advise on such matters. The nationwide events surrounding the period must focus on the struggles and achieve ments of the Bahamian people, past and pre sent, and celebrate them. This appointment is for a period of one year.”

Mr Smith has also agreed to serve as the non-resident envoy to the Republic of Singapore, Mr Davis said.

He said Mr Smith’s “familiarity” with Singa pore, having visited the city state on numerous occa sions, “makes him an ideal person to represent The Bahamas in Singapore”.

“This diplomatic appoint ment is for the normal period of such as an unpaid appointment,” Mr Davis said.

Mr Smith, former Exuma MP, was first elected to Par liament in 1968 and served continuously for 29 years. He served in Sir Lynden Pindling’s Cabinet for 11 years.

Cherished and lasting memories will forever be held by his, Mother: Audrey Johnson (deceased); Father: Mitchell Poitier; Stepmother: Arlene Poitier; Brothers: Dr. Quintin Johnson (Cleanne) of New York, Henderson Armbrister; Sisters: Shenika Johnson, Mikita Gray, Lashena Whymms and Ashley Poitier; Nephews: Maverick and Jordan Armbrister, King Edward and Rashard Darville; Nieces: Sharranda Burrows, Jasmine Adderly, Tynika Cargill, Aaliyah Johnson and Kiara Poitier; Special Friend: Vernae Simmons; Uncles: James and Allan “Candy” Gilbert, Hezekiah Poitier, Hartley Neilly, Cedric Wilson, Vincent Wallace-Whitfield, Kevin Sands, Authrey Bannister Sr. and Alvin Gardiner; Aunts: Janet Gilbert, Berthalee Walkes, Ruth Edgecombe, Senora and Jenny Gilbert, Julia Munroe, Lucita Poitier, Peseretta Hicks, Branhilda Wallace-Whitfield, Brendalyn Neilly, Alma Sands and Barbara Poitier; Cousins: Ian and Kevin Gilbert, Keisha and Nathasa Gilbert, Kim Gilbert-Wilson, Wilfred and Cruz Gilbert, Cory Bain, Givano Gilbert of Salt Lake City, Wayne Moncur, PC 2711 Reynaldo Walkes, Leonard Edgecombe Jr., Alberto, Leonardo, Allancio, Teron Gilbert, Davidson Thompson, Samantha Thompson, Jonathan Jr., Archie and Jason Cambridge, Dr. Krista Walke-Francis, Dr. Marissa Moncur, Sophia McKinney, Jackie Fox, Estella, Nicole and Patrice Evans, Miranda, Wayne (Pam) and Kimberly Munroe, Julia Storr, Margaret Jones, Pedro Morley, Jaward Darling, Keisha Edgecombe and Shannay (Samuel) Sawyer, Rokell Major, Annischa (William) Hunt, Arnette (Ricardo) Ingraham, Cynarra (Errol) Holmes, Joana, Dianne, Betty (Leonard) Cedric Jr. Samantha (Dario) Robinson, Sherell (Stanley) Bernard, Shalesia Bannister, Authrey Jr. (Destiny) Bannister, Patrelle (Michael) Carey, Ramesh, Zemesco, Wellington and Joshua Poitier, Brittany (Wallace) Munroe, Brieon and Braelyn McPhee, Reid Ingraham, Eli, Cai Holmes, Leah Coleby, Omar, Tramaine and Magin Blyden; Jasmine and Jayden Rawlins Dexter Mitchell, Isaac Bethel, La’Niyah Rolle, Jaliyah Coleby, Gemai Sherman, Dior Mitchell, Chamarie, Omani and Ayden Blyden, Turkessa (Ellie) Hendfield, Philip, Julian, Kairos, Kari, Jayla, Zion, Zachery, Shabeth and, Shando, Naveah and Ava Rose. Gracie, Sadie, Jenny, Pastor Vernis Storr, Renty, Neka, Simeon, Frederick, Bernard, Prince, Elizabeth, Pearlimae, Timothy, Rev. Ornan Johnson, Bishop Philemon Wilson, Esther, Jackson, Anthony, Emmanuel, Florence, Medris, Ernestine, Eleanor, Cosette Johnson. Friends: D’Angelo Pearson, Gicoya Johnson, Renta Storr Jr and Dan Missick; and a host of other relatives and friends too numerous to mention The Family sincerely apologizes for any names that may have been inadvertently overlooked

Viewing will be held at the Serenity Suite at Restview Memorial Mortuary and Crematorium Limited, Robinson and Soldier Roads on Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

PARTICIPANTS in the Road to 50 road race in Grand Bahama, above and below.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis at the Road to 50 road race in New Providence yesterday, in images posted to his Facebook page.

PARTICIPANTS in San Salvador joining in the Road to 50 event, above and below.

As we approach 50, what does our future look like?

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

THE scene on Saturday morning was beautiful to see. Crowds turned out in force to either take part or volunteer to organise the Road to 50 road race.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis took part, with pictures of him posing with participants or onlook ers posted to his Facebook, smiles everywhere to see.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper took part, running a 10k and post ing a picture of a post-run rubdown from volunteers afterwards and confessing his exhaustion.

There was a feel good

atmosphere in the air, and perhaps best to see young families everywhere – chil dren out wearing their Road to 50 T-shirts.

Those children are per haps the most important people of all in attendance – for 50 years from now, they will be wearing their Road to 100 T-shirts. What will be the state of The Bahamas that we leave for them? What must we do to still build our nation?

There are some elements that are already on our agenda. It has faded a little from the headlines in recent times, but the issue of gender equality is one that remains to be dealt with. As long as one Bahamian

has different rights from another Bahamian, we are not a truly equal nation for all. The progress towards that goal seems to have been hampered by delays for a seemingly endless amount of consultation, often with one religious group or another.

The same could be said of the effort to introduce legislation outlawing mari tal rape – once again, that seems to be slowed down by more consultation, as if there hasn’t been ample opportunity for people to have their say on the issue by now already. Again, this latest consultation seems to involve another reli gious group. There seems

more momentum on this issue, however – with the Senate president, LaShell Adderley, speaking up on the matter in a joint sitting of Parliament, and former Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson suggest ing there is the political will to see this through. Positive words – but it looks like the year will end without any further progress. Will legis lation be passed before we reach our 50th anniversary? As it stands, if a married woman is raped by her part ner she does not have the same legal options as an unmarried woman raped by her partner. Again, there stands an inequality.

In what other ways would

our society be improved? Well, transparency of gov ernment would be a start – and that’s going nowhere fast. The current adminis tration has failed to report a host of contracts that have been issued, and the Freedom of Information Commission’s ability to respond to requests still isn’t going to be until at least sometime next year. We’ll see if that slips any further, but it betrays an absolute lack of priority for the issue of showing the people what their govern ment is doing.

Another issue that mires our nation is the lack of speed with which court matters are dealt with. I was having a drink with a friend who had taken a company to court and still had no res olution six years later. My friend is far from alone. So many issues remain before the courts – some with a judge’s ruling but still wait ing years on for the written ruling. It can be exhausting, and it can be a disincentive to those who would invest in our country. Whatever the outcome of any particu lar ruling, at least people can get on with dealing with the decision. Being left in limbo helps no one.

That extends most of all to the coroners courts, where people still have no resolutions to what has happened to their loved ones. In the case of police shootings, it is being left unresolved for years whether an officer was justi fied in their actions or not. That is an ill fit for both sides – the family wanting justice if it was an unlawful killing, and the officer being able to move on with their career if it was appropri ate. Justice must be fair, but it must also be timely. Not for nothing is there an old saying that justice delayed is justice denied.

Then there is the biggest question of all – how much of our nation will still be here in 50 years?

The effects of climate change are predicted to leave large areas of our nation underwater – and even more areas at risk from deadly storm surge in hurricanes.

We are lobbying the

international community for support – well, let’s face it, money – to help deal with the increasing prob lems we face, but what are the steps we are taking here at home?

To be a leader on the issue of climate change, we also need to be a leader in reducing our own foot print? As a nation, our emissions are not huge but on a per head basis, we are as complicit as many other countries.

We must look to reduce our contribution to climate change – be it through turning to more renewable sources, or through other measures.

When developers ask to build a property through out our chain of islands, are we properly asking them to consider their climate impact in their proposals? And if they overstep, figur ing once the place is built, no one is going to stop them – are we properly holding them to account? Does our legal process even make it a simple matter to hold them to account?

In the various maps that show prospective flood zones, are we limiting developments in areas esti mated to be underwater in 20 years? Are we taking into account how much water such developments will displace, pushing flood ing into other areas?

Beyond the immedi ate, what happens in the future to refugees from such areas – because that is what we will have. What happens to those who will become homeless and land less, our fellow Bahamians? In extreme circumstances, what will happen if people need to uproot from the nation entirely?

These are just some of the questions facing us as we look to our landmark 50th anniversary. Personally, I think transparency is the key. Truly transparent gov ernment allows us to tackle all the other issues. I would love, however, to hear from readers as to what change they would like to see as we reach our half-century.

• Readers can comment at www.tribune242.com or write to letters@tribunemedia.net.

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis at the Road to 50 road race in a picture posted to his Facebook page.

Devil in the details

BEFORE the internet became mainstream, my father owned a set of medi cal encyclopedias. Back in the 1980s, tediously flipping through every page was how many people researched and self-diagnosed their health issues and in part determined if a visit to the doctor was warranted. As a child, filled with boundless curiosity, those texts beck oned to my soul, similar to a banshee howling at a fish erman caught in a sudden tumultuous storm, turning from master of the ocean to cowering child figure, frightened for his life.

I once used those medi cal encyclopedias to help determine why my dog wanted to sleep and not play. After palpating his stomach and checking for a fever, I surmised that he was suffering from a life-threatening case of acute liver failure. A mos quito bite was similarly misdiagnosed as hives and a precursor to immi nent anaphylactic shock.

At age 10 or 11, for three hours, I once mistook gas for stomach cancer. Hap pily, each diagnosis ended up being woefully incor rect. That day, I learned the importance of read ing, understanding and digesting information cor rectly. I was determined that when I became older, I’d be skilled enough to diagnose medical ailments accurately. Even with my determination as a young ster to diagnose correctly and my early interest in medicine, the fact is I was untrained and got it wrong time after time when, if I had followed my own advice, the outcome could have been disastrous.

Today, that set of medi cal encyclopedias has been replaced by Google and WebMD and millions of untrained persons aren’t only self-diagnosing, but also self-treating their con ditions. It is a frightening phenomenon.

But the devil is in the details and without expert guidance, many patients are causing more harm than good. Case in point, my patient hereafter referred to as Julie suffered with intense abdominal cramps secondary to her men struation cycle. At times, the intestinal spasms were so severe that she felt like she was being stabbed in her stomach with a sword, over and over again. Her organs burned and her skin felt tight as if she was being squeezed and twisted all at once. Desperate for relief, she opted to take an amino acid supplement (L-Glu tamine) on the advice of a stranger on the world wide web, without consulting her Ob-Gyn.

In the correct dosage for her age, weight, height and sex, this supplement offers numerous benefits, but in Julie’s case, she unknow ingly took it in excess on an empty stomach and imme diately felt so dizzy that her head began to spin. She col lapsed. Barely 30, healthy and well-educated with her entire life still ahead of her, Julie’s outcome could have been much bleaker. Fortunately, she recovered without issue. Ten minutes lapsed before she regained consciousness. Alone the entire time, the thought of how her loved ones may have felt discover ing her unresponsive body made her cry. A discussion with her doctor and the right medication has since reduced her cramping to a tolerable level.

Many individuals incorrectly assume that over-the-counter vitamins and herbal supplements can’t cause harm. Per haps thinking if a little is good, more is better, they ignore the recommended dosing guidelines when they should be adhering to them just as vigorously as if they were prescribed. Julie’s take home message to readers is that finding the right medication for whatever ails you is just half the battle. Taking it in the right amount is equally as important.

Another factor to consider is that certain medications when taken

individually may work well but when taken together, even in their correct dosage, can lead to adverse effects.

The herbal supplement, St. John’s Wort, for example, when paired with the cough suppressant Dextromethor phan (found in medications like Robitussin) can cause a life-threatening condi tion known as serotonin syndrome. Patients should also take precaution when eating grapefruit and taking Dextromethorphan or certain high blood pres sure and high cholesterol medications because it can increase the risk of their side effects. Oral decon gestants like Sudafed can increase blood pressure and smoking while taking birth control pills can cause blood clots, heart attack and stroke.

Taking medication on time, in addition to keeping your doctor and pharma cist abreast of everything you take, and the time you do so, will help to mitigate any potential issues. Fill ing your prescriptions with the same pharmacy can further facilitate this. If we got to know our phar macist as well as we know the mechanic who ser vices our vehicle, we could reduce the risk of self-harm through self-help. Selfserve ice cream may be fine; self-help medical man agement is not, and my fear is that the available infor mation on Google or other sites and blogs is so massive and readily available that the trend to self-diagnose and treat will only increase.

Jonathan Fraser, highly respected pharmacist and co-owner of People’s Phar macy stresses medication safety on a daily basis. He encourages patients to ask their doctor why they’re on certain medications and after a while, check in to see if it’s still required or if the dosing needs to be readjusted. He’s also seen cases where patients stop taking medications with out telling their physicians because of the side effects. Doing so can be dangerous because their underlying medical problem will per sist untreated and, in many cases, get worse. Mr. Fraser also expressed the impor tance of storing medication appropriately. Storing them in a cool, dry place is advised as opposed to a hot car or bathroom where, in The Bahamas, tempera tures typically fluctuate from hot to hotter.

It’s difficult for patients to remember medica tion names, particularly if they’re taking several, so I

often go through their list of medication, including name, dosage and instruc tions and type it out for them so that they can share it with all of their providers. Having the list is also useful for your health care team in an emergency should you become incapacitated and unable to speak.

In a previous report, I shared the difficult story of a patient struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. Her family members stepped in when they noticed that in her confusion, she was taking her medication incorrectly, often mistaking

her morning pills for the evening ones, forgetting the time they should be taken and forgetting that she had taken them to begin with, causing her to repeat edly overdose. Caretakers should similarly be aware that elderly patients with visual challenges are also at risk for confusing their medication.

Working at a level one trauma centre in New York years ago taught me that at any given moment, we’re always one or two deci sions away from a totally different life. So, making the right decision about the

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

medication you take can lit erally be either life-saving or life-threatening. Today, Julie has a new-found appreciation for research ing drugs and their potential side effects and speaking to pharmacists and her health care provider for further clarification if needed.

Her wish, and mine, is that others heed her situation as a precautionary tale and take the necessary steps to prevent being in a similar situation.

The Devil is in the details is an idiom, dating back to the mid to late 1800s. It means that at face value,

something may appear simple but the small details surrounding it, in fact, makes it rather complicated and warranting close atten tion. My first lesson in this was all those years ago rif fling through the pages of a medical encyclopedia, now tattered and tethered to a bygone era. My greatest lessons now come from the patients who I gratefully speak to each and every day.

This is the KDK Report.

• Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-vice-chairman.

SAVING 30% OF EARTH’S SURFACE

By VERONICA FRANS Michigan State University

A BIODIVERSITY crisis is reducing the vari ety of life on Earth. Under pressure from land and water pollution, devel opment, overhunting, poaching, climate change and species invasions, approximately one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.

One ambitious proposal for stemming these losses is the international initiative known as 30x30: conserving and protecting at least 30% of Earth’s surface, on land and at sea, by 2030.

Currently, 112 coun tries support this initiative, including the United States. More nations may announce their support at the international bio diversity conference that opens on December 7 in Montreal.

Scientists say that pro tecting 30% of Earth’s surface will help species and ecosystems recover from the stresses that are depleting them. It also will conserve valuable services that nature provides to humans, such as buffer ing coasts from storms and filtering drinking water. Protecting forests and grasslands can help slow cli mate change by promoting carbon storage in soil and plants.

As researchers in ecology, conservation and global sustainability, we study bio diversity around the world, from giant pandas deep in the forests of China to sea lions along the shorelines of New Zealand. Saving a wide variety of living things requires striking a bal ance between the needs of nature and people, and a global, holistic perspective. We believe a metacoupling approach, which looks at human-nature interactions within and across different

areas, can help achieve the 30x30 goal.

WHAT IS A PROTECTED AREA?

Since 30x30 focuses on protecting space for wild nature, many people assume it means setting swaths of land or ocean aside and keeping people out of them. But that’s not always true.

As of mid-2021, 16.64% of the world’s land and 7.74% of its oceans were in protected areas. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a partnership of governments and civil society groups that tracks the health of the natural world, classi fies protected areas in six categories:

• Strict nature reserve or wilderness area

• National park

• Natural monument or feature

• Habitat or species man agement area

• Protected landscape or seascape

• Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

Many countries’ 30x30 conservation pledges are

likely to include areas such as forests and grasslands that are open for recrea tion, logging, livestock grazing and other uses.

FEW INTACT ECOSYSTEMS REMAIN

Scientists agree that protected areas need to include a large variety of species, ecosystems and habitats that the 30x30 ini tiative aims to conserve. There are many ways to choose and prioritize new areas for protection. Crite ria can include the species, habitats and ecosystems that an area contains; its connections to other pro tected areas; how large and intact an area is; and the benefits it provides to people who live in, near and far from it.

Some scientists con tend that the top priorities should be places that are still ecologically intact and virtually untouched by humans. But only about 3% of the Earth’s land and oceans are still in this state. And even wilder ness areas can’t escape the effects of climate change caused by human activities elsewhere.

Over 58% of our planet’s land and 41% of its oceans are already under mod erate to intense human pressure. This means that most newly protected areas will effectively be works in progress, with restoration projects to help species recover, improve habitat quality and make ecosystems healthier.

Another 40% of land and 10% of oceans have experienced relatively low impacts from human activi ties. Terrestrial ecosystems with the lowest human footprints include tundra, boreal forests and deserts. At the other extreme, tropical, subtropical and temperate forests are at the highest risk.

In the oceans, areas with the lowest human pres sures are near the poles or in polar regions. Coral ecosystems, which are home to 25% of all marine life, are under the most pressure.

It isn’t always possible to protect large areas. Some scientists argue that small areas can still successfully protect species, but others disagree. In our view, what ultimately matters is how multiple protected areas are connected and how close they are to each other.

Connections can develop naturally, like the flyways that migrating birds use to travel between continents. Or they can be structures built by humans, such as wildlife bridges over highways. Connecting pro tected areas is important

because it promotes genetic diversity and makes it pos sible for species to move in response to climate change and other threats.

THE METACOUPLING APPROACH

Given all these factors, selecting protected areas can get complicated. Based on our research, we think that a holistic approach can make 30x30 feasible and effective. It has three parts.

First, protected areas should meet both conserva tion needs and human needs.

Second, in cre ating newly protected areas, researchers and managers should consider how they will interact with adjacent areas.

Third, research ers and officials should assess how newly pro tected areas will interact with areas far away – including in other countries.

This approach is guided by the metacoupling frame work, which is an integrated way to study and manage human-nature interactions within and between differ ent places. It recognizes that human and natural sys tems in a given place can be affected for better or worse by people, policies and mar kets both nearby and far away.

At Wolong Nature Reserve in southwestern China, one of us, Jack Liu, has worked with Chinese collaborators to understand and manage human-nature interactions in ways that support the recovery of a global wildlife icon – giant pandas. Wolong, which is now part of China’s Giant Panda National Park, was one of the first and largest panda reserves in China, and also houses numer ous other rare animals and plants. It is also home to almost 6,000 people.

Forest is an important part of panda habitat, but over time the human popu lation in Wolong grew and needed more resources,

such as wood for cooking and heating or to make goods for visiting tourists. In a 2001 study, our team showed that panda habitat in Wolong declined faster after the reserve was estab lished in 1975 than it had before that time. Increas ing demand for wood was degrading and fragmenting the forest and negatively affected panda population numbers.

To reverse this trend, our team worked with the Chinese gov ernment to provide more financial sup port to the local community in the early 2000s. This increased household incomes and reduced the need to harvest wood.

Taking a broad geo graphic view of the pandas’ situ ation helped to produce a posi tive outcome. Recognizing that panda habitat was being affected not just by human-nature interactions inside Wolong but also by interactions between Wolong and adjacent and distant places showed that conservation subsidies from the faraway central gov ernment in Beijing could improve protection for Wolong forests.

In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature downlisted and reclassified giant pandas from endangered to vul nerable. Today there are an estimated 1,800 giant pandas in the wild, thanks partly to government sub sidies that helped strike a balance between humans’ needs and those of pandas.

All protected areas are influenced by human actions both nearby and far away. We believe that creating and managing pro tected areas using a holistic metacoupling approach will make it easier to achieve the 30x30 goal and make sound decisions that sustain nature and human wellbeing around the world.

• Originally published on www.theconversation.com.

‘Over 58% of our planet’s land and 41% of its oceans are already under moderate to intense human pressure. This means that most newly protected areas will effectively be works in progress.’

Vanuatu joins as Commission of Small Island States member

THE Commission of Small Island Sates on Climate Change and Inter national Law (COSIS) has a new member, strengthening the effort by a group of small island states to seek justice for the harmful impact of Climate Change that they are suffering.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Min ister, Gaston Browne, pictured left, who is also a Founder and Co-Chair of COSIS, announced that Vanuatu, a South Pacific Island with a popula tion of 300,000 people, has acceded to membership of the Commission.

Prime Minister Browne said that he welcomed the membership of Vanuatu

“which has taken a progressive and strong stand in the struggle for pre serving the global environment, not only for small states but also for the global community”.

He revealed that he met with the Vanuatu leadership during COP27 in Egypt where the pledge was made to join Antigua and Barbuda, Tuvalu, Palau and Niue in advancing a case to the United Nations International Tri bunal of the Law of Sea (ITLOS). “I am delighted that today the Foreign Minister of Vanuatu, Jotham Napat, signed the Instrument of Accession to COSIS on behalf of the Vanuatu government”.

Mr Browne said that “While the islands of the Pacific, Oceania and the Caribbean are separated geographi cally, we are united in our unwavering commitment to protecting the integ rity of our countries and preserving the civilizations of our people”. He also disclosed that “the approach to ITLOS will be made within days” by a contingent of 14 experienced interna tional law experts.

As the depository for the docu ments related to COSIS, Prime Minister Browne said that Anti gua and Barbuda also informed the United Nations Secretariat in New York of Vanuatu’s accession.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

DIRECTOR OF CRUISE PORT & TRANSPORTATION

Responsible for directing and overseeing the Transportation and Marine Operation departments to ensure overall safety and compliance with established policies and procedures. Professional marine qualifications required and a minimum of 4 years management experience in Marine Operations and Maintenance.

DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

Responsible for leading and overseeing various designs and construction projects to ensure all projects are completed in a timely manner and meets company standards and regulatory requirements. Bachelor ’s degree and a minimum of 10 years experience in construction management.

EXECUTIVE STEWARD

Responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the Stewarding department by ensuring overall cleanliness and maintenance of all kitchen areas, dishware, equipment and outlets. Minimum of 4 years experience in commercial kitchen maintenance.

WAREHOUSE MANAGER

Responsible for managing all warehouse inventory items and procedures. Optimizes efficient layouts, workflows and utilization of warehouse space and monitors the safety and security of company ’s assets. Minimum of 5 years experience in warehouse management, preferably in Hospitality and Bachelor s degree in Business Management or another related field.

BUS DRIVER SHOOTING SUSPECT REMANDED

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded to prison on Friday in con nection with the shooting death of a bus driver who had been on bail for murder in early October.

Glenardo Johnson, 26, faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on a charge of murder.

It is alleged that around 10am on October 4, after getting off the bus, Johnson shot and killed Giovanni Lafleur while he was driv ing his route on the #15A.

A 16-year-old boy, who helped collect bus fares, was injured at the time Laf leur was shot. The incident took place on Robinson Road near Popeye’s.

At the time of his death, Lafleur was on bail for murder after being accused of causing the death of Luternier Excelus on May

8, 2015.

Due to the gravity of the offence, Johnson 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 (VBI).

The accused was further informed that as the magis trate lacked the jurisdiction to grant him bail, he had the right to apply for it in the higher court.

Until bail is granted, Johnson will be remanded to the Bahamas Depart ment of Correctional Services. Before being taken into custody, the accused said he feared for his life, claiming that Lafleur had gang affilia tions and that the victim’s father is also a prison officer. The chief magis trate officially noted his concerns.

Johnson’s VBI is due for service on March 19, 2023.

TWO DENY SEPARATE RAPE ATTACKS IN ELEUTHERA

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men denied rape allegations in the Supreme Court on Friday for two separate sexual assault inci dents in Eleuthera.

One of the incidents was connected to a home inva sion in late February.

Lenric Abraham Petty, represented by Ian Cargill, stood before Senior Justice Bernard Turner on charges of rape and burglary.

Petty is accused of break ing into a woman’s home on February 19 in Gregory Town, Eleuthera, where he then forced her to have sex with him without her consent.

In court, the accused pleaded not guilty. Justice Turner informed Petty his matter had been transferred to Justice Wil lamae Renae McKay.

The accused is to return to court on December 8, with his bail being contin ued on condition he appear before the justice.

The other man, Ahmad Jermaine McQueen, also appeared before Justice Turner on charges of rape, aggravated assault, causing harm and threats of death.

On April 18 in Eleuthera, McQueen is alleged to have assaulted a woman to force her to have sexual inter course with him against her will. It is further alleged on the same day he caused this same woman to suffer an injury and maliciously threatened her with death.

McQueen pleaded not guilty. Justice Turner informed him his matter was transferred to Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson on December 19 for a trial date. His bail was also con tinued contingent on his return to court.

ROBBERY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES HEARD

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

FOUR young men were arraigned in the Supreme Court on Friday facing various charges, includ ing two counts of armed robbery and two counts of attempted murder during the summer.

Phillip Higgs, 21, Shantino Armbrister, 19, both repre sented by K Melvin Rolle along with Kyuavon Stra chan, 18, and a 17-year-old, in the presence of his aunt and represented by Ian Car gill, appeared both virtually and physically in court.

They all faced Senior Jus tice Bernard Turner.

The 17-year-old, along with Armbrister, faced two counts of armed robbery. Both of these defendants alongside Higgs also faced two counts of attempted murder as well as two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Higgs and Strachan both faced accessory after the fact charges. All four were accused of possession of an unlicensed firearm and pos session of ammunition.

On June 12 in New Provi dence, two of the accused are alleged to have robbed

two people with a hand gun. The suspects are said to have stolen William Brown’s wallet containing $143 and Kendy Ferguson’s black Michael Kors bag containing $150.

At the same time it is said these defendants attempted to kill and endangered the lives of Brown and Fergu son with a handgun.

The gun used in both of these robberies was report edly a black Glock 9mm pistol, with 13 unfired rounds of 9mm ammuni tion. It was not licenscd.

During their latest court appearance, the juvenile defendant solely pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition charges. All four defend ants entered not guilty pleas for their remaining charges. Justice Turner informed the accused that their matter had been trans ferred to Justice Deborah Frazer. They were told that their trial date will be set by her court on December 13.

Higgs and Armbrister’s bail will continue contin gent upon their return to court. Their remaining coaccused will remain at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

SIX MONTHS FOR STEALING FROM ACCOUNT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN was sen tenced to six months in prison on Friday after admitting to stealing $2,600 from someone’s Bank of the Bahamas account.

Patrice Wilchcombe, 52, appeared before Senior Magistrate Caro lyn Vogt-Evans on charges of stealing, money laun dering (acquisition) and money laundering (possession).

On November 4 in New Providence, being con cerned with another, it is said Wilchcombe stole

$2,600 from the Bank of the Bahamas Carmichael Road account of Bindy Pyfrom. It is further said that between November 4–7 in Grand Bahama she was found with the stolen funds knowing the money was the pro ceeds of crime.

In court, Wilchcombe pleaded guilty to all three charges. The judge ordered the accused to fully com pensate the complainant for the stolen funds or risk a year in prison. For the remaining charges, Wilch combe was given six-month sentences at the Bahamas Department of Correc tional Services, to be served concurrently.

MORE THAN A DOZEN KILLED IN HAITI AS GANGS VIE FOR CONTROL

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

Associated Press

MORE than 12 people were slain and numer ous homes set on fire in a community near Haiti’s capital as gangs fight to con trol more territory, a mayor told The Associated Press

yesterday.

The

SHOOTINGS AT POWER STATION CAUSE OUTAGES

CARTHAGE, North Carolina Associated Press

TWO power substations in a North Carolina county were damaged by gunfire in what is being investigated as a criminal act, causing damage that could take days to repair and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity, authori ties said yesterday.

In response to ongo ing outages, which began just after 7pm on Saturday across Moore County, offi cials announced a state of emergency that included a curfew from 9pm yesterday to 5am today. Also, county schools will be closed today.

“An attack like this on critical infrastructure is a serious, intentional crime and I expect state and federal authorities to thor oughly investigate and bring those responsible to justice,” Governor Roy Cooper wrote on Twitter.

Moore County Sher iff Ronnie Fields said at a Sunday news conference that authorities have not determined a motivation. He said someone pulled up and “opened fire on the substation, the same thing with the other one”.

“No group has stepped up to acknowledge or accept that they’re the ones that done it,” Fields said, adding “we’re looking at all avenues.”

The sheriff noted that the FBI was working with state investigators to determine who was responsible. He also said “it was targeted”.

“It wasn’t random,” Fields said.

Fields said law enforce ment is providing security at the substations and for businesses overnight.

“We will have folks out there tonight around the clock,” Fields said.

More than 41,000 elec tric customers in the county remained without power on Sunday afternoon, accord ing to poweroutage.us.

With cold temperatures forecast last night, the county also opened a shel ter at a sports complex in Carthage.

Duke Energy spokes man Jeff Brooks said multiple pieces of equip ment were damaged and will have to be replaced. He said while the company is trying to restore power as quickly as possible, he braced customers for the potential of outages last ing days.

“We are looking at a pretty sophisticated repair with some fairly large equipment and so we do want citizens of the town to be prepared that this will be a multiday restoration for most customers, extend ing potentially as long as Thursday,” Brooks said at the news conference.

Dr Tim Locklear, the county’s school superinten dent, announced classes will be cancelled today.

“As we move forward, we’ll be taking it day by day in making those decisions,” Locklear said.

The Pilot newspaper in Southern Pines reported that one of its journalists saw a gate to one of the substations had been dam aged and was lying in an access road.

“A pole holding up the gate had clearly been snapped off where it meets the ground. The substa tion’s infrastructure was heavily damaged,” the newspaper reported.

The county of approxi mately 100,000 people lies about an hour’s drive southwest of Raleigh and is known for golf resorts in Pinehurst and other communities.

TRUMP REBUKED FOR CALL TO SUSPEND CONSTITUTION

WASHINGTON Associated Press

FORMER President Donald Trump faced rebuke yesterday from officials in both parties after calling for the “ter mination” of parts of the Constitution over his lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

Trump, who announced last month that he is run ning again for president, made the claim over the weekend on his Truth Social media platform.

“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and arti cles, even those found in the Constitution,” he wrote. “Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudu lent Elections!”

Incoming House Dem ocratic leader Hakeem Jeffries yesterday described Trump’s statement as strange and extreme and said Republicans will have to make a choice whether to continue embracing Trump’s anti-democratic views.

“Republicans are going to have to work out their issues with the former pres ident and decide whether they’re going to break from him and return to some semblance of reasonable ness or continue to lean in to the extremism, not just of Trump, but Trumpism,” Jef fries said.

Trump, who is the first to be impeached twice and whose term ended with his supporters violently storm ing the Capitol in a deadly bid to halt the peaceful tran sition of power on January 6, 2021, faces a escalating crim inal investigations, including several that could lead to indictments. They include the probe into classified

documents seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago, and ongoing state and federal inquiries related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Asked about Trump’s comments yesterday, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he “vehe mently” disagrees and “absolutely” condemns the remarks, saying they should be a factor as Republicans decide who should lead their party in 2024.

“There is a political pro cess that has to go forward before anybody is a front runner or anybody is even the candidate for the party,” he said. “I believe that people certainly are going to take into consideration a statement like this as they evaluate a candidate.”

Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, R-NY, also objected to the remarks, saying it was time to stop focusing on the “grievances of prior elections”.

“The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American,” Lawler said. “I think the former president would be well-advised to focus on the future, if he is going to run for president again.”

Trump’s comments came after Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, said he would reveal how Twitter engaged in “free speech suppres sion” leading up to the 2020 election. But files released on Friday, which focused on the tech company’s con fused response to a story about Biden’s son Hunter, do not show Democrats trying to limit the story.

The White House on Saturday assailed Trump, saying, “You cannot only love America when you win.”

“There was nothing they were able to do to defend themselves,” Guillaume said. “This is a terrible incident.”

Guillaume

US intel chief optimistic for Ukrainian military forces

KYIV, Ukraine

Associated Press

THE head of US intelligence says fighting in Russia’s war in Ukraine is running at a “reduced tempo” and suggests Ukrainian forces could have brighter prospects in coming months.

Avril Haines alluded to past allega tions by some that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers could be shielding him from bad news — for Russia — about war developments, and said he “is becoming more informed of the challenges that the military faces in Russia”.

“But it’s still not clear to us that he has a full picture of at this stage of just how challenged they are,” Haines, the US director of national intelligence, said Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.

She said her team was “seeing a kind of a reduced tempo already of the conflict” and looking ahead expects both sides will look to refit, resupply, and reconstitute for a possi ble Ukrainian counter-offensive in the spring.

“But we actually have a fair amount of skepticism as to whether or not the Russians will be in fact prepared to do that,” Haines said. “And I think more optimistically for the Ukrainians in that time frame.”

On Sunday, the British Ministry of Defence, in its latest intelligence esti mate, pointed to new signs from an independent Russian media outlet that public support in Russia for

the military campaign was “falling significantly”.

Meduza said it obtained a recent confidential opinion survey conducted by the Federal Protection Service, which is in charge of guarding the Kremlin and providing security to top government officials.

The survey, commissioned by the Kremlin, found that 55% of respond ents backed peace talks with Ukraine while 25% wanted the war to go on. The report didn’t mention the margin of error.

Levada Centre, Russia’s top inde pendent pollster, found in a similar poll carried out in November that 53% of respondents supported peace talks, 41% spoke in favor of continu ing the fight, and 6% were undecided. It said that poll of 1,600 people had a margin of error of no more than 3.4%.

The British Defence Ministry noted that “despite the Russian authorities’ efforts to enforce pervasive control of the information environment, the conflict has become increasingly tan gible for many Russians” since Putin in September ordered a “partial mobi lisation” of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine.

“With Russia unlikely to achieve major battlefield successes in the next several months, maintaining even tacit approval of the war amongst the population is likely to be increasingly difficult for the Kremlin,” the British ministry said.

In recent weeks, Russia’s military focus has been on striking Ukrainian infrastructure nationwide, pressing an

offensive in the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut and shelling sites in the city of Kherson, which Ukrainian forces liberated last month after an eightmonth Russian occupation.

In his nightly address on Satur day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at Western efforts to crimp Russia’s crucial oil industry, a key source of funds for Putin’s war machine, saying their $60-per-barrel price cap on imports of most Russian oil was insufficient.

“It is not a serious decision to set such a limit for Russian prices, which is quite comfortable for the budget of the terrorist state,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Russia. He said the $60-per-barrel level would still allow Russia to bring in $100 billion in rev enues per year.

“This money will go not only to the war and not only to further sponsorship by Russia of other ter rorist regimes and organisations. This money will be used for further desta bilisation of those countries that are now trying to avoid serious decisions,” Zelenskyy said.

Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the United States and the 27-nation European Union agreed on Friday to cap what they would pay for Russian oil at $60 per barrel. The limit is set to take effect today, along with an EU embargo on Russian oil shipped by sea.

Russian authorities have rejected the price cap and threatened on Satur day to stop supplying the nations that endorsed it.

The incident occurred in the small town of Cabaret northwest of Port-au-Prince at nearly midnight on Tuesday, Mayor Joseph Jeanson Guillaume said.

community recently appointed local residents

to serve as guards given a spike in violence across Haiti, but they were over powered by gangs with machine guns, he said.

Pictures and videos shared on social media show the bodies of muti lated victims strewn outside their homes and fires burn ing through the night, consuming more than 20 houses.

called on Haiti’s National Police

to bring those respon sible to justice and to strengthen the presence and resources of officers in Cabaret, which he said has become “a lawless zone”.

He also urged town resi dents to show solidarity and take in those fleeing their

homes to avoid being killed by “merciless gangs” and “be with them during these difficult times”. The killings are the latest blamed on gangs who have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassina tion of President Jovenel Moïse.

A HOUSE burns after a Russian attack in Kherson, Ukraine, on Saturday.

Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

4TH CARIBBEAN BASEBALL CUP

Bahamas victorious

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas opened the new Andre Rodgers National Stadium and the 2022 Caribbean Cup on a winning note.

Toby Simmons’ sacrifice fly to score Kristin Munroe in the bottom of the eighth inning was the go ahead for a 4-3 win over the US Virgin Islands last night.

Evan Sweeting was the winning pitcher after he struck out two in relief in the eighth while McKell Bethel got the save with two strikeouts in the ninth.

The Bahamas’ bullpen accounted for 12 strike outs and gave up six hits en route to the win.

Brandon Russell got the start and finished with five strikeouts through five innings followed by Trav vis Ferguson who had three strikeouts through two.

Simmons finished 1-3 with an RBI, Hanna was 1-3 with an RBI and scored a run, Adari Grant was 1-4 and Ural Forbes went 1-4.

After a scoreless first inning, The Bahamas got on the scoreboard in the second inning.

After Hanna and Cherif Neymour both drew walks, Neymour stole second and forced a wild throw from USVI catcher Conroy Samuel that sailed over the head of shortstop Zayd Branningan.

Hanna scored on the play to take a 1-0 lead.

Russell struck out two of the three batters he faced in the third to keep the lead for The Bahamas.

Forbes’ single led off the third for The Bahamas.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Simmons struck out to end the inning and the team left runners

on base for the second time in as many innings.

The USVI got on the scoreboard in the fifth when Taj Bates’ fly ball landed just beyond the reach of a diving Simmons to score Kelani Luke.

USVI would tack on another run in the sixth

inning to take their first lead of the game, 2-1.

Simmons opened the bottom half of the seventh when he ripped a double down the right field line.

Warren Saunders hit into fielders’ choice with

DRUMECO ARCHER RETURNED AS BAAA PRESIDENT

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER an intense cam paign, Drumeco Archer was returned on Saturday as president of the Baha mas Association of Athletic Associations for the next four years, a term that will include the hosting of the 50th CARIFTA Games and the return of the World Athletics Relays in 2024.

Continuing what he already started, Archer will serve with Foster Dorsett as his first vice president, John Ingraham from Grand Bahama as second vice president, Laketah Charl ton as vice president of finance, Pharez Cooper as vice president of business operations, Tito Moss as vice president of techni cal operations and sports journalist Sheldon Longley as vice president of public relations and marketing.

Joining the executive team as council members are Jason Edwards, the highest vote getter with 33, Mikhilo Strachan with 28, Grand Bahamian Dionne

Hovland wins Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

NASSAU, Bahamas

(AP) — Viktor Hovland led by four shots at the turn. No one got closer to him than two shots during the final nine holes at the Hero World Challenge.

It sounds easy. Far from it. Hovland pulled a 6-iron from an awkward lie into the water on the 18th hole and had to make a 20-foot bogey putt for a 3-under 69 to secure victory yesterday, allowing him to join tourna ment host Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back win ners of this holiday event. “I made it a little more exciting, I guess,” Hovland said.

A year ago, the 25-yearold from Norway rallied from six shots behind on the final day with a 66 to win. That was fun. Far more stressful was leading the entire way at Albany, even

when it looked to everyone else that it was a Bahamas breeze.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, whose three-putt double bogey on the ninth hole left him five shots behind, stayed in the game with four birdies on the back nine that gave him a fleeting chance, two shots back playing the 18th.

Hovland faced a 6-iron from the slope above a bunker, with water left of the green. The face of the club closed on impact, and the ball headed left into the hazard. “Basically just do anything else but hit it in the water,” Hovland said. “So as soon as that happened, I was pretty frus trated. But I knew that he didn’t have a gimme par, so if I can wedge up there close, I can still make a putt and win the tournament. And if not, he still has to make a par to force me to a playoff.

too much speed, about 10 feet by the hole. If Hov land missed his bogey putt,

Scheffler would have that putt for a playoff.

Hovland ended the sus pense. Scheffler missed what became a meaningless putt and shot 68 to finish two shots behind, a run ner-up to Hovland for the second straight year. “I said earlier in the week that I don’t like finishing second,” Scheffler said. “It’s not a good feeling right now. But I’m proud of the fight.” Woods won in 2006 and 2007 when it was held at Sherwood Country Club. He had to withdraw this week with plantar fascii tis in his right foot, instead watching in his Sunday red shirt for some drama no one was expecting. “It’s frigging nerve-wracking,” Hovland said with a smile. “You’re never that comfort able. I didn’t play that great on the back nine, but it was good enough.”

Baseball and softball champions crowned

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE Garvin Tynes outslugged Palmdale for the girls’ softball title, Sadie Curtis blanked TG Glover to emerge as the boys’ baseball champions as the New Providence Primary Schools Sports Association completed its week-long dual competition at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The championships took place on Friday as sponsor Lillian McDonald and Min istry of Education officers Evon Wisdom and Clara Storr joined NPPSSA presi dent Latoya Bain-Sturrup in presenting the hardware to the recipients.

Girls softball

Garvin Tynes 9, Palmdale 5: Time only allowed them to complete two innings, but it was all that Garvin Tynes needed in the one

hour to pull off the excit ing championship feat. “I am very pleased. They did a phenomenal job,” said Crystal Eneas, who coached Garvin Tynes along with Janice Williams.

“We went back to prac tice and we cleaned up the mistakes we made in our previous games and now we came out as champions.”

Eneas said it was expected. “We had no doubts that we would pull it off,” she added. “Our hitting improved and our fielding improved. We’re just happy to be able to take the team trophy back to Garvin Tynes.”

They did it on the strength of their tower ing pitcher Zamira Simms and diminutive first sacker D’Antia Rose. “I feel we could have played a little better, but we did very well for the time that we had to practice,” said Simms, an 11-year-old sixth grader at

Garvin Tynes. “I know I could have done better, but we still got the win.”

Rose, an eight-year-old fourth grader who played first base, noted she could have done better, but she felt good that her team

won. “I feel good,” she said. “I think we played our best.”

Ashley Oembler, coach of Palmdale, said it was a good game for them to win. “Congratulations to Garvin Tynes. They are an

excellent team,” Oembler said. “Our Palmdale girls did an excellent job. Me and Nikita Bridgewater are proud of them. They showed that they were con fident playing in this game. They played through the end. We wanted the cham pionship, but we didn’t get it.”

Bridgewater said despite the loss, she can concur with Oembler, that they did their best.

“For the short time we had to work with them, I think they did very well,” she added.

Their battery mate of pitcher Kimeyah Coakley and catcher Azariah Hinds came through at the last minute after Palmdale’s original duo couldn’t make it out. Eva Hilton finished in third place.

Boys’ baseball Sadie Curtis 6, TG Glover 0: Behind the threeheaded pitching monster,

Sadie Curtis proved to be no match for TG Glover, holding their opponents scoreless in the complete five innings played.

As the champions of the last championship played in 2020 before the pan demic struck, Sadie Curtis’ coach Francesca McBride said they just wanted to win another title.

“I knew they had it in them. Some of them play for Freedom Farm and JBLN, so I knew we had good talent,” McBride said. “We had good pitching and good catching, but I was a little concerned about our hitting. They surprised me with their performances. We did a great job.”

Rhamelo Bethel, Elisha Sands and Josiah Filter man combined to pitch the shutout.

Bethel, who got the ball rolling before he moved to

“But it was a lot more stressful than it should have been.”

Scheffler put his approach into the sandy area, and his chip ran over the cup with

VIKTOR HOVLAND, right, poses for a photo with tournament host Tiger Woods, left, after he won the Hero World Challenge PGA Tour at the Albany Golf Club yesterday. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

GARVIN Tynes Primary School girls won the softball title as the New Providence Primary Schools Sports Association completed its week-long dual competition at Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

TEAM Bahamas (national baseball team) opened the new Andre Rodgers National Stadium and the Caribbean Cup on a winning note with a 4-3 win over the US Virgin Islands last night.

FOOTBALL LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS

Burrow, Bengals beat Chiefs for 3rd straight time, 27-24

CINCINNATI (AP)

— Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Samaje Perine rushed for a sea son-high 106 yards and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 yesterday in their first meeting since the Bengals prevailed in last season’s AFC championship game.

Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs lost their chance to avenge two losses to Burrow and Cincinnati last season. The Bengals beat the Chiefs last January 2 to clinch the AFC North title, then won four weeks later in overtime to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.

With the Chiefs leading 24-20, Cincinnati linebacker Germaine Pratt stripped Trave Kelce after a catch and recovered the fumble.

Burrow, working from his own 47, then completed six of seven passes for 53 yards, finishing the drive with an 8-yard TD pass to backup running back Chris Evans that gave the Bengals the lead with 8:54 remaining.

Burrow finished 25 for 31 for 286 yards. Ja’Marr Chase, in his return after missing four games with a hip injury, had seven recep tions for 97 yards.

Mahomes was 16 for 27 for 223 yards and a touch down and ran for another score.

COMMANDERS 20, GIANTS 20, OT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Graham Gano came up well short on a 58-yard field goal attempt on the last play of overtime, and New York and Wash ington tied.

Taylor Heinicke threw two touchdown passes for Washington and converted a crucial fourth-down pass during a tying 90-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

The Giants (7-4-1) ended a two-game losing streak, while the Commanders (7-5-1) are unbeaten in four (3-0-1) and have only one loss in their last eight games.

Heinicke was 27 of 41 for 275 yards and threw touch down passes of 19 yards to Terry McLaurin (8 catches, 105 yards) and 28 yards to Jahan Dotson that tied it with 1:45 to play. That drive featured Heinicke rolling to his left to hit Curtis Samuel for 20 yards on a fourthand-4 play from his own 27 with less than three minutes to play.

Daniel Jones threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins, and Saquon Barkley scored on a 13-yard run. Gano kicked two field goals for the Giants.

RAVENS 10, BRONCOS 9

BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Huntley capped a 91-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining, and Baltimore overcame Lamar Jackson’s injury to beat Denver.

Jackson left after the first quarter with an injured knee, and the Broncos mostly shut down Balti more after that. But on their final possession, the Ravens drove 16 plays, aided by a couple big Denver penal ties. Huntley converted on fourth-and-2 from the

Denver 18 with a short run, then Kenyan Drake caught a 13-yard pass.

Huntley scored on the next play for the Ravens (8-4), who stayed atop the AFC North.

Russell Wilson led the Broncos (3-9) back into Baltimore territory, but Brandon McManus came up short on a 63-yard field goal as time expired.

VIKINGS 27, JETS 22

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Justin Jefferson’s touch down catch with 8:33 left gave Minnesota enough of a lead to hang on despite a relentless rally by New York.

Camryn Bynum’s inter ception at the 1-yard line with 10 seconds left finally sealed it for the Vikings (10-2), who completed a four-game sweep of the AFC East in their typical nail-biting fashion.

Mike White, who was picked off twice, was 31 of 57 for 369 yards in his second start this season for the Jets (7-5). He scored on a fourth-and-goal sneak from the 1 to pull within five points with 6:45 to go.

With 1:43 remaining, White’s fourth-and-goal pass from the 1 was incom plete when Braxton Berrios bobbled it and the ball hit the turf. The Jets had all three timeouts left and got the ball back at the Min nesota 43, but with White under plenty of pressure they stalled out at the 19.

BROWNS 27, TEXANS 14

HOUSTON (AP) — Deshaun Watson had a sloppy performance in his first game in 700 days, but a punt return for a touchdown by Donovan Peoples-Jones and two defensive TDs were enough for Cleveland to beat lowly Houston.

In the same stadium where he played his previ ous game, a rusty Watson threw for 131 yards with an interception in his debut for the Browns (5-7) against his former team in his return after serving an 11-game NFL suspension for sexual misconduct allegations.

The Browns trailed 5-0 early but a 76-yard punt return by Peoples-Jones put them on top in the second quarter and Denzel Ward’s 4-yard fumble return for a score pushed the lead to 14-5 early in the third quarter.

Watson was 12 of 22 and finished with a 53.4 QB rating, the lowest of his career.

EAGLES 35, TITANS 10

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts strength ened his MVP bid by throwing for 380 yards and three touchdowns and run ning for another score, and A.J Brown caught two touchdown passes against his former team as Philadel phia beat Tennessee.

Hurts has led the Eagles to an 11-1 start, their first time with that record since 2004 and the fourth time in franchise history.

The 1949 Eagles won the NFL championship. The 1980 and 2004 teams lost in the Super Bowl.

The speedy, sure-armed QB set a career high with 29 total touchdowns and

had his third career game with four total TDs.

His first half alone was a pretty good game for most quarterbacks: 268 yards passing and two touch downs with one rushing score.

The Eagles’ defence was first-rate, too, bottling up Derrick Henry — who had 11 carries for 30 yards — and limiting Ryan Tannehill to 141 yards passing and a touchdown. The Titans (7-5) lost their second straight but still have a comfortable lead in the AFC South.

Brown had eight catches for 119 yards. Teammate DeVonta Smith had five catches for 102 yards.

PACKERS 28, BEARS 19

CHICAGO (AP) — Aaron Rodgers led three fourth-quarter scoring drives, receiver Christian Watson took an end-around 46 yards for a touchdown in the closing minutes, and Green Bay rallied to beat Chicago.

The Packers (5-8) looked like they were on their way to another loss after drop ping seven of eight, trailing 19-10 through three quar ters. But they made enough plays down the stretch to come away with their eighth straight win over the Bears (3-10), who lost their sixth straight.

AJ Dillon ran for a 21-yard touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth and Mason Crosby kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 20-19 lead with just under five minutes left.

SEAHAWKS 27, RAMS 23

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — DK Metcalf caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith with 36 seconds to play, and Seat tle overcame an inspired performance by Bobby Wagner to beat spiraling Los Angeles.

Smith passed for a career-high 367 yards and threw three TD passes for the Seahawks (7-5), who barely snapped their twogame skid with 438 yards of offence against a Rams defence missing Aaron Donald.

After Cam Akers’ second TD run put the Rams up 23-20 with 2:56 to play, Smith patiently directed the winning 75-yard drive,

COWBOYS ROUT COLTS 54-19

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Malik Hooker returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown against his former team during a 33-point fourth quarter for Dallas, propelling the Cowboys to a 54-19 rout of the Indianapolis Colts last night.

Dallas led 21-19 enter ing the fourth when Dak Prescott threw the last of his three touchdown passes. Hooker’s scoop-and-score was the first of four fourthquarter takeaways by Dallas, all of which led to touchdowns.

The highest-scoring quar ter for the Cowboys (9-3)

since at least 1991 was just the third time in NFL his tory a team scored as many as 33 points in the fourth.

Matt Ryan threw his second and third intercep tions and lost a fumble during the nightmare finish for the Colts (4-8-1), who fell to 1-3 under interim coach Jeff Saturday and lost for the sixth time in seven games overall.

Ryan, who threw two touchdown passes, has 18 giveaways this season (13 interceptions, five lost fum bles) to lead the NFL by three over Buffalo quarter back Josh Allen. Michael Gallup had two touchdown

catches and CeeDee Lamb the other when he rolled over safety Rodney McLeod Jr and stayed on his feet as the Cowboys remained two games behind NFL-leading Philadelphia in the NFC East.

After Gallup’s second TD, Hooker scooped up a fumble from tight end Mo Alie-Cox and took off untouched down the right sideline for a 34-19 lead early in the fourth.

Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott and rookie Malik Davis had pile-it-on scor ing runs after the last three Indy turnovers in the fourth.

hitting Marquise Goodwin for 17 yards one play before finding Metcalf between defenders in the end zone.

Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant caught early TD passes from Smith in the most prolific game of the quarterback’s decade in the NFL. Metcalf had eight catches for 127 yards, and Lockett had nine recep tions for a season-high 128 yards as the Seahawks sent defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles (3-9) to its sixth straight defeat.

RAIDERS 27, CHARGERS 20

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Derek Carr completed two long touchdown passes to Davante Adams in the third quarter to rally Las Vegas past Los Angeles.

Josh Jacobs rushed for 144 yards and a touch down, and the Raiders (5-7) improved to 5-1 when he has 100 or more yards. Jacobs has 1,303 yards this season, the most in Raiders history through 12 games.

Las Vegas sacked Justin Herbert five times, won its third straight and split its season series with the Chargers (6-6).

Los Angeles led 10-0 in the second quarter but the Raiders dominated from there. Carr completed a 31-yarder to Adams early in the third quarter to give Las Vegas the lead for good at 17-13. Less than four min utes later, the duo hooked up on a 45-yard flea flicker for another score.

Adams finished with eight receptions for 177 yards,

surpassing 1,000 yards for the fourth time since 2018.

Carr completed 16 of 30 passes for 250 yards.

Herbert completed 28 of 47 passes for 335 yards, his 20th career 300-yard game.

LIONS 40, JAGUARS 14

DETROIT (AP) — Jamaal Williams ran for his 14th touchdown this season and Detroit routed Jacksonville.

The Lions (5-7) scored on all five of their drives in the first half to take a 17-point lead, and then on their first three possessions of the second half to pull away.

The Jaguars (4-8) had a scare on the last play of the second quarter when quar terback Trevor Lawrence was sacked and grabbed his left knee, but their defence made his return moot.

Lawrence was taken out in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by 26 points. He finished 17 of 31 for 179 yards with a touchdown.

Detroit’s Jared Goff completed 31 of 41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns. D’Andre Swift rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown for the Lions.

STEELERS 19, FALCONS 16

ATLANTA (AP) — Kenny Pickett tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Connor Heyward, Matthew Wright kicked four field goals and Pittsburgh held off Atlanta.

Coming off a Monday night victory at Indianapo lis, the Steelers (5-7) won two straight games for the first time during what’s been a tough rebuilding year.

The Falcons (5-8) had first-and goal from the Steelers 10 with a chance for a go-ahead touchdown.

But a holding penalty on Parker Hesse wiped out Cordarrelle Patterson’s apparent TD run around left end.

And the Falcons wound up settling for Younghoe Koo’s third field goal of the day from 28 yards with 5:27 remaining.

The Steelers ran off all but the final 42 seconds before Pressley Harvin pinned a punt at the Fal cons 2-yard line.

In desperation mode with no timeouts remain ing, Marcus Mariota’s pass was picked off by Minkah Fitzpatrick to seal it.

49ERS BEAT DOLPHINS, GAROPPOLO BREAKS FOOT

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes after replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers used another dominant defensive performance to beat the Miami Dolphins 33-17 yesterday for their fifth straight win.

Garoppolo has a broken foot and will miss the rest of the season, coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game.

The 49ers (8-4) allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield on the opening play from scrim mage but little else until the fourth quarter against a high-powered attack for Miami (8-4) which had scored at least 30 points in four straight games.

Jimmie Ward and Deommodore Lenoir intercepted Tua Tago vailoa in the third quarter, leading to two field goals.

The 49ers had their four-game, second-half shutout streak snapped when Tagovailoa threw a 45-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill in the open ing minute of the fourth quarter but held on from there. They capped the performance with a stripsack from Nick Bosa that Dre Greenlaw returned for a 23-yard score.

The Dolphins had their five-game winning streak snapped in coach Mike McDaniel’s first game against the 49ers after spending the past five years as an assistant in San Francisco.

Purdy, dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last pick of this year’s NFL draft, proved to be quite important to the 49ers when Garoppolo hurt his foot on a sack on the final play of the opening drive.

Garoppolo was taken to the locker room on a cart and didn’t return, leaving the game in the hands of Purdy, who had thrown his only nine passes in mop-up duty of a Week 7 loss to Kansas City.

Purdy capped his first drive of the game by throwing a 3-yard TD pass to Kyle Juszczyk to give San Francisco a 10-7 lead. He finished 25 for 37 for 210 yards, two TDs and one interception.

BENGALS quarterback Joe Burrow (9) meets with Chiefs quarter back Patrick Mahomes (15) following their NFL football game in Cincinnati yesterday.

(AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Kylian Mbappé leads France past Poland 3-1 at World Cup

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — It all seems so straightforward — laugh able, perhaps — for Kylian Mbappé when it comes to the World Cup.

The France forward, who scored four goals when he led his country to the title four years ago as a 19-year-old phenom, put on yet another demonstra tion of how devastating he can be on the soccer field.

After it was over, Mbappé almost seemed to be chuckling as Robert Lewandowski came over to congratulate him.

Mbappé scored two goals yesterday and set up another for Olivier Giroud to give France a 3-1 vic tory over Poland and move the 2018 champions within three wins of successfully defending their title. He already has a tournamentbest five goals in Qatar as Les Bleus have reached the quarterfinals for the third straight World Cup.

“The only objective for me is to win the World Cup,” Mbappé said. “The only thing I dream is this. I came here to win this World Cup. I didn’t come here to win the Golden Ball or Golden Boot. If I win it of course I’m going to be happy but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win and I’m here to help the French national team.”

Lewandowski, a twotime FIFA player of the year, scored from the pen alty spot in second-half stoppage time for Poland.

Mbappé scored his first goal in the 74th minute when he was left unmarked to blast in a long-range shot following a counterattack. He added another in stop page time when Poland goalkeeper Wojciech

Szczesny could only get a weak glove on another powerful shot from the man in the No. 10 shirt.

“He can change a match in just a moment and he’s always playing with such joy and we all want to share those smiles with him,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “France needed a great Kylian Mbappé tonight and they got one.”

Having also provided two assists, Mbappé has easily been the most pro ductive player in Qatar.

After his latest exploits, Mbappé explained why he hadn’t addressed the media in Qatar before Sunday.

“I needed to focus on the tournament and my soccer,” he said through a translator, adding that he had volunteered to pay a French federation fine for his silence. “When I want to concentrate on something that’s the way I function. And that’s why I didn’t want to come speak to you before now.

“I’ve been preparing for this tournament through out the season, physically and mentally,” he added. “I wanted to be ready for this tournament and I am.”

Mbappé celebrated his second goal by waving his arms for the crowd to cheer louder. Then he hoisted himself up onto the cross bar shortly after the final whistle in front of France’s celebrating fans.

Mbappé already has nine career World Cup goals and if he stays healthy, he could probably play in another three editions of soccer’s biggest event — meaning he might approach the tournament’s career scoring record held by Germany striker Miro slav Klose, who scored 16 goals over four World Cups.

“He hurt us today but I am cheering for him because he is a real star,” Poland coach Czesław Michniewicz said through a translator.

“I’m talking about (Lionel) Messi, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, Lewandowski.

“If someone is going to take over, I think Mbappé will be the player to be the best one (for) many years,” he said.

No country has repeated as World Cup champions in six decades — since Brazil achieved the feat by claim ing consecutive trophies in 1958 and 1962. Italy is the only other nation to have won two straight, in 1934 and 1938.

While Lewandowski is a prolific scorer himself, he’s never come close to win ning a major title with a Poland team that struggles to get him the ball.

Mbappé, by contrast, is supported by a large array of talented players — even though half a dozen top

France players are out injured.

The French team took the lead when Mbappé threaded a pass to Giroud and the AC Milan striker quickly slotted the ball into the far corner.

It was Giroud’s 52nd career international goal — breaking a tie with Thierry Henry on France’s all-time scoring list.

After Mbappé leaped into Giroud’s arms to cel ebrate, pumping his fists, Giroud held up seven fin gers to the cameras — five on one hand and two on the other for “52.”

It’s all the more sweet for Giroud because he wasn’t even supposed to be a starter on this year’s squad until Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out because of injury.

Giroud also scored two goals in France’s opening 4-1 win over Australia.

On a record-setting night for France, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris matched the

national team mark of 142 appearances held by Lilian Thuram.

With two European teams playing, there weren’t all that many sup porters of either country inside Al Thumama Sta dium except for small pockets of France fans beating drums behind one goal and red-and-white clad spectators chanting “Polska” behind the oppo site goal. There were also plenty of empty seats.

JEWELLERY BREAK

Play was paused briefly in the first half when France defender Jules Kounde was told by a match official to remove two gold chains he was wearing.

France coach Didier Deschamps was asked if Kounde kept the chains on because they displayed a rainbow symbol. “I don’t know what was on his necklace,” Deschamps said. “Jules is superstitious and he usually wears that necklace even in training.”

England reaches quarterfinals, beats Senegal 3-0

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP)

— England captain Harry Kane scored his first goal of this year’s World Cup, helping his team beat Sen egal 3-0 yesterday and setting up a match against France in the quarterfinals.

Kane scored for the 52nd time for his country to move within one of Wayne Rooney’s England record. He also overtook Gary Lineker as his country’s leading scorer in major tournaments with 11 goals.

“The ball just sat up nicely and the connection was perfect,” Kane said. “I had one just before that I should have done better with so it was nice to see that one go in.”

Jordan Henderson and Bukayo Saka also scored at Al Bayt Stadium while Jude Bellingham played a key role in the opening two goals and Phil Foden had two assists.

England, which reached the semifinals at the last

“We enjoyed this one, but of course our focus turns straight to that,” Kane said. “It’s going to be a really tough game. They’re reigning cham pions but it’ll be a good battle.”

The must-see contest will feature the tourna ment’s leading scorer in Kylian Mbappe and one of its standout players in Bellingham.

Mbappe scored twice against Poland in a 3-1 vic tory to take his total at this year’s World Cup to five goals.

Bellingham only has the one he scored in England’s opening 6-2 rout of Iran, but his game is about so much more.

“Goodness me, @ BellinghamJude is unbe lievably good. He’s the leader in this team. His parents must be so proud. Love him,” Lineker wrote on Twitter after

the

the 38th minute. Up to then, Senegal had been creating the more dangerous chances. Ismaila Sarr sent a shot over from close range and then Eng land goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to throw out an arm to block another effort from Boulaye Dia.

All that without the team’s player, Sadio Mane, who was ruled out of the tournament with an injury before play even started in Qatar.

Everything changed once Bellingham seized control, charging into the box before setting up Henderson. In first-half stoppage time, he went on another unstoppable run,

carrying the ball from just outside England’s box and deep into Senegal’s half. Foden then played in Kane to double England’s lead.

With the 1966 World Cup champions well on their way to a showdown with France, Saka scored in the 57th minute by con verting Foden’s cross.

STAYING POWER

The match was played to the beat of the Sen egal fans’ drums, which provided the soundtrack from start to finish. Eng land’s fans struggled to be heard over the noise — even when the result was beyond doubt.

STERLING WAIT

Raheem Sterling was ruled out before the match started because of a “family matter.” England coach Gareth Southgate did not offer any indica tion if or when the forward would be able to return.

RECORD SET

Bellingham became the youngest England player to provide an assist at a World Cup.

MESSI SCORES, ARGENTINA REACHES WORLD CUP QUARTERS

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi was pushed into the middle of a joyous post-match huddle as Argentina’s players jumped up and down to celebrate reaching the World Cup quarterfinals.

Messi delivered again for his country, marking the 1,000th game of his eradefining career with his first goal in the knockout stage of a World Cup to lead Argentina to a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday.

This was not the walkover most were expecting against the unheralded Australians, though.

At the final whistle, Argentina was just as grate ful for its goalkeeper as the No. 10 with magic in his boots.

Emi Martinez came up with a sprawling save in the last seconds of an increas ingly anxious match to prevent the need for extra time and the potential of another shock in a World Cup full of them.

“That is the World Cup for you,” Messi said. “All the matches are difficult and what’s important is that you win.”

With a flourish of his famous left foot in the 35th minute, Messi put Argen tina ahead with his third goal at this year’s tourna ment and ninth in total at the World Cup — one more than Diego Maradona.

Julián Álvarez pounced on a heavy touch by Aus tralia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to tap into an empty net for the second goal, but this was no cruise to a quar terfinal meeting with the Netherlands.

Australia’s fightback in the final 20 minutes was as stirring as it was unex pected. Craig Goodwin’s shot deflected into the net off Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the 77th. Then, amid a late aerial bombardment from the Australians, Garang Kuol had a dramatic chance when he was left free at the far post. Shooting on the turn, his effort was smothered by Martinez and two Argen tina players fell on top of their goalkeeper in relief as much as happiness.

“Before we came here, people were saying we were the worst team at the World Cup and the worst Soc ceroos team ever,” Arnold said. “That’s gone now.”

On the only other occa sion Australia reached the last 16 — in 2006 — the team lost to eventual cham pion Italy.

Maybe it’s an omen for Argentina, which has fully recovered from its shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in its opening group match and won three straight games.

As for Messi, he now has 789 goals in a career that might yet reach a crescendo on December 18 by winning soccer’s biggest trophy in his fifth and likely last World Cup.

US knocked out, loses to the Netherlands 3-1

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Christian Puli sic covered his face as he walked off. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta gathered for a group hug. Tim Weah, DeAndre Yedlin and Sean Johnson sat on the field in a small circle with their cleats off.

“It hurts after a tough loss like that when we feel like we could have had more,” Pulisic said, manag ing a voice only just above a whisper. “We don’t want to feel like this again.”

The United States’ return to the World Cup ended with a 3-1 loss to the

Netherlands on Saturday in the round of 16. While the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and advanced to a quarter final with Argentina, the Americans contemplated how far they came and how short they fell.

Defensive lapses gave the Dutch a treat as Memphis Depay scored in the 10th minute and Daley Blind in first-half stoppage time.

U.S. hope revived when Pulisic’s cross hit the trail ing foot of second-half substitute Haji Wright and popped over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net in the 76th. But Denzel Dumfries, named after actor Denzel Wash ington, scored on a volley

in the 81st after assisting on the first two goals.

“The American public should be optimistic,” said Gregg Berhalter, the first person to play for and coach the U.S. team at a World Cup.

“When you look at the way we wanted to play and did play, it should be positive.”

The U.S. hasn’t reached the quarterfinals since 2002 and was eliminated in the first knockout round, just like in 2010 and 2014.

After the American fail ure to qualify for the 2018, Yedlin was the only holdo ver on a roster that was the tournament’s secondyoungest, averaging just over 25 years.

“Now they know that feeling of what it’s like to lose after putting so much into it,” the 29-year-old defender said, “and the feel ing of defeat from the past can only fuel success in the future.”

The U.S. is winless in 12 games against European opponents at the World Cup since 2002 and has won once and lost seven in knockout rounds since the champion ship launched in 1930.

“This tournament has really restored a lot of belief, restored a lot of respect to U.S. soccer and to soccer in our country,” McKennie said. “I think we’ve shown that we can be giants eventually. Maybe we may not be there yet, but

I think we’re definitely on our way.”

Before a crowd of 44,846 at the renovated Khalifa International Stadium, Pulisic had a chance to put the U.S. ahead in the third minute. McKennie knocked a poor clearance back into the penalty area, but Nop pert blocked his point-blank shot with his left thigh.

“I thought I was way off side when it happened, but I still hit it and he made a good save,” Pulisic said.

The Dutch went ahead when Cody Gakpo played the ball to Dumfries on the right flank.

Depay sprinted into the penalty area as Adams failed to track him, and Dumfries one-timed a

cross that Depay redirected inside Matt Turner’s far post for the first goal against the U.S. during the run of play in the tournament.

Blind scored in the first minute of stoppage time. Following a throw-in, Dum fries got a cross around Adams and Blind beat a late-arriving Sergiño Dest to the ball at the penalty spot for his first interna tional goal in eight years.

Wright entered in the 67th and scored his second inter national goal on the unusual touch from three yards out, sparking U.S. hopes.

But Dumfries was left unmarked by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and scored off Blind’s cross from six yards for his sixth goal.

World Cup in Russia, will face defending champion France at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder crossed for Hen derson to score the first goal in

ENGLAND’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring his side’s second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Senegal, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, yesterday. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

FRANCE’S KYLIAN MBAPPE, left, scores his side’s second goal yesterday during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Poland at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Deandre Ayton and Western Conference-leading Suns hand Spurs 11th loss in row

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO (AP)

— Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns overwhelmed San Antonio 133-95 on Sunday, hand ing the Spurs their 11th straight loss.

San Antonio fell behind by 30 points in the second quarter and is now two losses shy of the franchise’s worst skid set in 1989.

Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges each had 20 points to help Western Confer ence-leading Phoenix win for the seventh time in eight games.

The Suns had a seasonhigh 38 assists, shot 52% from the field and were 19 of 37 on 3-pointers.

“Just reading the defense and taking what the defense gives us,” Booker said. “Everybody shares the ball on this team. They threw a lot of blitzes and different type of defenses out there. Just get off the ball. The ball always moves faster than the defender.”

Keldon Johnson has 27 points for the Spurs, who

have not won since Nov. 11. Devin Vassell added 14 points and Keita BatesDiop had 12.

San Antonio was without coach Gregg Popovich for the second straight game with what the team termed a minor medical procedure. Popovich is expected to return Thursday in a home game against Houston.

Popovich is not texting San Antonio assistant coach Brett Brown with coaching advice during his absence.

“It hasn’t gotten to that,” Brown said earlier.

Not that it would have helped the beleaguered Spurs against the Suns. San Antonio was without starters Jakob Poeltl and Jeremy Sochan and key reserves Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson.

The matchup went as expected between the Western Conference’s best record and its worst.

San Antonio’s 11 points in the second quarter were a season low for any period. The Spurs commit ted seven turnovers and were 5 for 20 from the field in the period.

“I thought the second period in general we were having a hard time getting stops mostly,” Brown said.

“Their ability to get inside the paint, and then they had drop-off pass after drop-off pass after dropoff pass to their big guys. When you ask, ‘How did it happen?’”

“It’s just that we got beat on the first line of our defense. We had to rotate, and we didn’t have that

second piece to the puzzle of one more rotation. Our front door was way to open,” he said.

The Spurs tied a season low with 41 points in the first half. Phoenix’s 71 points were the most given up by San Antonio in the first half this season.

Dario Saric added a sea son-high 17 points in his second start this season.

Ayton and Saric com bined to shoot 16 for 22

from the field along with 13 rebounds.

“I think today’s NBA is usually four guards and one big and switching, a lot of switching,” Saric said. “You don’t change the defensive tactics all the time, but you need the two bigs down the stretch.”

TIP-INS Suns: PG Chris Paul missed his 13th straight game with a sore right heel. … Bridges was 6 for 7 on 3-pointers, matching a career high for 3s. … F Torrey Craig missed the game with a strained right groin.

Spurs: Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan was honored during the first half as part of San Anto nio’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Duncan surprised the crowd with an appearance after highlights were shown of his 19-year career, including his five NBA championships with the Spurs.

UP NEXT Suns: At Dallas on Monday night.

Spurs: Host Houston on Thursday night.

ALVARADO HAS CAREER-BEST GAME IN PELICANS WIN OVER NUGGETS

NEW ORLEANS (AP)

— Jose Alvarado high lighted a crowd-stirring, career-high 38-point performance with a careerbest eight 3-pointers, and the New Orleans Pelicans won their fourth straight game by beating the Denver Nuggets 121-106 yesterday.

Alvarado, a high-energy fan favourite whose pro duction has far exceeded expectations since he went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2021, came off the bench with the Pelicans trailing by 14 in the first quarter and immediately scored eight points during an 11-1 New Orleans run.

Zion Williamson scored 25 points for the Pelicans. Jonas Valanciunas added

CHAMPIONS

FROM PAGE 14

catching, said they worked so hard to accom plish their feat and they had a lot of fun doing it, espe cially in pulling off the shut out.

Bethel actually made a game-ending play at the plate that prevented TG Glover from scoring their only run. “I couldn’t let him score,” said Bethel, a 10-year-old sixth grader at Sadie Curtis..

“We played so well, so I couldn’t let them score.”

Brad Wood Jr, who along with William McFall coached TG Glover, said he felt they played as best

BAHAMAS

FROM PAGE 14

runners at second and third and the potential game-tying run cut down at the plate. With the bases loaded and two outs, Hanna singled down the right field line to score Moss and Saunders and give the Bahamas a 3-2 lead.

In the eighth, Sweeting entered the game with no outs and runners on first and second. He eventually struck out two of the next three he faced to get out of the inning with the game tied at 3-3.

In the ninth, Munroe walked and eventually stole second and third, setting the stage for Simmons’ late game heroics with his sac rifice fly for the go ahead score. Bethel entered the game in the ninth and struck out two of the three he faced to seal the win.

The Bahamas continues play tonight when they face defending champion Cura cao at 7pm.

13 points despite being lim ited to less than 14 minutes by foul trouble.

GRIZZLIES 122, PISTONS 112

DETROIT (AP) — Ja Morant scored 21 of his 33 points in the third quarter in Memphis’ victory over Detroit.

Morant added 10 assists to help Memphis win for the fourth time in five games.

Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr each scored 22 points and Brandon Clarke had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

KINGS 110, BULLS 101

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Malik Monk scored 20 points off the bench and Sacramento

as they could. “We only had about a week and-a-half to prepare,” Wood Jr said.

“But we had one or two veteran players and they tried to keep us together.”

Eldon Bullard was the star for TG Glover, pitching all of their games during the regular season to get them into the final.

Unfortunately in the final, they were no match for Sadie Curtis.

Eva Hilton picked up third place.

overcame Zach LaVine’s 41 points to beat Chicago.

Domantas Sabonis had 11 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for the Kings.

Harrison Barnes had 17 points, Kevin Huerter added 12 and rookie Keegan Murray finished with 11.

LAKERS 130, WIZARDS 119 WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 55 points on sizzling 22-of30 shooting and added 17 rebounds, leading Los Angeles over Washington.

LeBron James had 29 points as the Lakers won their fourth straight road game. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games while trying to extricate themselves from a

2-10 start. Washington lost leading scorer and threetime All-Star Bradley Beal to an undisclosed injury with 8:31 to play in the first quarter. Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis shot 11 of 25 for 27 points.

Former Laker Kyle Kuzma added 26 points for Washington before he fouled out.

KNICKS 92, CAVALIERS 81 NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and New York snapped a five-game home losing streak with a win over Cleveland.

The Knicks never trailed in the contest as they held an opponent under 100 points for the first time this season.

Julius Randle scored 18 points and RJ Barrett added 15 as New York held the Cavaliers to a seasonlow point total and field goal percentage of 34.9 percent.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points.

CELTICS 103, NETS 92

NEW YORK (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 34 points and 10 rebounds, Jayson Tatum added 29 points and 11 boards and Boston snapped Brooklyn’s four-game winning streak.

Kevin Durant scored 31 points for the Nets, but committed eight turnovers.

Kyrie Irving added 18 points and eight rebounds but shot just 7 for 21 from the field.

the players to respect “the people who came before you, respect mommy and daddy” and persons like “Mrs McDonald and Mrs Sturrup” because they are the ones who are there to assist the players in achiev ing their goals.

“When you don’t pay homage to them, this is all at naught,” Wisdom said.

TRAIL BLAZERS BEAT PACERS IN LILLARD’S RETURN FROM INJURY

By ERIK GARCÍA GUNDERSEN Associated Press

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — Jerami Grant scored 28 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Indiana Pacers 116-100 last night.

Blazers star Damian Lil lard scored 21 points and dished six assists in his first game since returning from a calf strain he suffered on November 19. Anfernee Simons had 22 points and six assists on the night, while Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points and six rebounds.

Myles Turner led the Pacers with 24 points and nine rebounds. Buddy Hield had 22 points in sup port as the Pacers were without starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Lillard connected on his first field goal attempt — a step back 3-pointer from the corner. With Lillard back in uniform, Portland kept the Pacers at bay for much of the game. Although the Pacers jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter by hitting six of 10 shots, Port land was in control for most of the game.

The Blazers were hot from the outside, shooting 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) from the 3-point line. Ball move ment was key for Portland as they had 32 assists on 42 made field goals.

Lillard picked up his third foul in the second quarter and the Blazers took him out for the final 2:24 of the first half. During Lillard’s stint on the bench to close the first half, the Blazers extended their lead to 54-49.

A 3-pointer by Grant extended the lead to 69-53 with 8:54 left in the third quarter and a 3-pointer by Simons pushed the lead to 89-67 with under two minutes in the quarter. Portland took a 93-74 lead into the final period.

Portland held 22 point leads several times on Sunday night.

The Pacers showed some grit to start the fourth quarter, cutting the Port land lead to 11 a few times but that was as close as they would get in the final period.

the players to “celebrate” their achievements, “Do not let it stop here. This is just the beginning,” Storr told the players.

“I know that the Baha mas had a legacy relating to baseball and softball. You are the players that will continue to carry the legacy.

McDonald, the proprie tor of Mackado Bus Service, said she was so impressed with what she saw that she will always be willing to assist and she advised the NPPSSA that they can count on her to help out.

“I want all of you as play ers to thank your coaches and thank your mother and father and let them know how much you appreciate them.”

Storr, the education officer at the Ministry of Education, took the time out to congratulate all of the teams and she encouraged

“Even though you are children in primary schools, the sky’s the limit.

“Let nothing stop you. We might be a small island nation, but everyone knows where we are. So you are the flag carrier to the world.”

The NPPSSA, which started the year with soccer, will move into its basketball competition in January.

Wisdom, the retiring sports

officer at the Ministry of Education, encouraged

SADIE Curtis boys emerged as the boys’ baseball champions as the NPPSSA completed its week-long dual competition at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

SPURS’ ALIZE JOHNSON, left, grabs the rebound ahead of Suns’ Deandre Ayton (22) and Spurs forward Isaiah Roby dur ing the first half yesterday in San Antonio. (AP Photo/ Darren Abate)

TEAM Bahamas (national baseball team) opened the new Andre Rodgers National Stadium and the Caribbean Cup on a winning note with a 4-3 win over the US Virgin

Islands last night.

Britton and Eleuthera’s Kennard Mackey with 27 each, Grand Bahamian Jason Larrimore with 26, Robert Ayton with 24 and Andrew Tynes with 23. The election was held in the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymna sium and was conducted by BAAA Chief Executive Officer May Miller, assisted by Belinda Wilson, John Pinder and Greg Burrows Sr. Pinder called it one of the most impressive elec tions he’s seen performed in any sporting organisation.

President Elect Campaigning under the theme: “The More Plan,” Archer collected a total of 24 votes to beat out immediate past president Rosamunde Carey, who had 17 and Dawn Wood side-Johnson, who picked up seven.

“It’s a sigh of relief, but I can tell you that we’re focused on the prize and that is to grow the sport and to make the coun try proud,” he said. “That means there has to be a collective effort for all stakeholders.

“I intend to work closely with the coaches as well as all of the administrators who make up this federa tion. I’m excited about the next four years. The previ ous four years, we’ve been dealing with a lot of chal lenges including COVID and Dorian and the likes. But we have an exciting season ahead of us.”

With the CARIFTA Games coming back for the ninth time next year and the World Relays to follow in 2024 for the fourth time since its inception, Archer said the BAAA has an unique chance to showcase the Bahamas to the world,

although many elected are serving for the first time.

In accepting her defeat, Carey said the coaches have spoken again and she will accept the defeat.

“We thought we had it, even up to last night, but you know what it is, it’s an election and people say one thing and they do some thing else,” she said. “But it is what it is. So we wish this new administration well because there’s a lot of work to be done, but not just from the coaches’ part of it, but with the athletes.”

Johnson, whose cam paign was on change, said there’s no love lost as she congratulated Archer and his team.

“We thought we would have done better in terms of what the membership said they were going to do, but they have spoken and so we have to move on,” she said. “Hopefully the BAAA can now unite and move on to the level that it should be. I will still be around to assist

the BAAA in whatever needs to be done.”

First Vice President Dorsett emerged out front with 25 votes, fol lowed by University of the Bahamas Mingoes’ coach Ednal Rolle with 13, Olympian and World Championship relay med allist Carl Oliver with nine and former executive and coach Rupert Gardiner with two.

“I feel this position is right for me. I never left track and field. I always worked whether it was as a coach or BACO, I always worked with whoever was in power,” said Dorsett, a former president and vice president.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done especially with our Family Island development, which we are doing now with our talent search. But I also want to display the history of track and field in the Mall where we can showcase the sport to the Bahamas.”

Second Vice President Ingraham, the head coach of the Heats Ath letics, went through with flying colours, soaring to the top of the chart with 31 votes. Former execu tive Ravanno Ferguson had nine and Sandra Laing came up short with eight. They were both Grand Bahamians who served in the past administration.

“It’s a privilege to serve because track and field has always been my pas sion,” Ingraham said. “I came from the lowest level and now I’m a part of the executive board. I really appreciate what the mem bers did for me. Through God, we got it done.”

Vice President of Finance Charlton, a member of the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials, said she’s very elated to be a part of the executive team. She won with 20 votes, holding off former sprinter and now announcer Philippa Willie, who had 13. Both Darius

Ferguson and Shakena Demeritte had eight apiece.

“I will try to do my endeavour best to be as transparent as possi ble to ensure that all of the finances of the asso ciation are accounted for,” she said. “Accountability and transparency will be my top priority for this association.”

Vice President of Business Operations Cooper got a landslide victory with 26 votes. His nearest rival was coach Cedricka Rolle with eight. Demaris Cash finished third with six. “First of all, I want to thank the coaches for their support. It’s a good feeling to win a posi tion from Grand Bahama,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do and our goal is to put our best foot forward and get the work done that needs to be done.”

Vice President of Technical Operations

In what came down to the wire, Moss held off Bernard

Newbold 22-21 to claim the spot. Former Grand Baha mian 800m specialist Alexis Roberts had six.

“It’s a privilege and an honour and I want to thank all who imposed their confidence in voting for me for this post,” said the coach of the Red-Line Athletics Track Club. “It’s a big position with a lot of responsibility, but I’m look ing forward to getting on the ground and running.”

Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Longley, the sports editor at The Nassau Guardian, won with 27 votes. Verna Bonaby had 12 and former sprinter Tanya Woodside ended up with 10. There was one spoiled ballot. Longley said he was ecstatic with the results.

“I want to thank the track and field family community for having the faith in me in getting the job done,” Longley said “I intend on going in there and getting the job done as best as I can to get track and field back to where it used to be, to get it some stability in track and field and make it the number one sport in the Bahamas.”

Sprinter Anthonique Strachan, the BAAA athletes’ representa tive, offered her word of congratulations.

“Looking forward to working with you and everyone being transpar ent and making great change for athletes and coaches involved,” said Strachan, who was added to the Legends Walk of Fame on Thursday outside the Thomas A Robinson Stadium along with quartermilers Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner.

“Please don’t let me and you all argue.”

GRAND BAHAMA SECONDARY SCHOOLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

First ever Northern Bahamas Volleyball Championships

THE

The event, organised through the joint Ministry of Youth, Sports and Cul ture and the Ministry of Education, was held at the St George’s Gymnasium from Thursday to Saturday.

In the girls’ champi onships, the Tabernacle Falcons defeated the Eight Mile Rock Bluejays in three sets with scores of 21-14, 18-21 and 15-13.

The most valuable player was Khanna Hanchel and the coach of the tourna ment was Salaka Williams of Tabernacle.

Winning third place was the Lucayan International School Buccaneers.

In

The

The

The Jack Hayward Wild cats won third place.

Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association completed its first ever Northern Bahamas Volley ball Championships over the weekend.

the senior boys’ championships, the Agape Eagles from Abaco stunned the Sunland Baptist Sting ers in three sets as well with scores of 15-21, 22-20 and 15-9.

MVP was Jason Williams.

coach of the tourna ment was Stephen Johnson of Agape.

BAAA executives elected, from left to right, are Pharez Cooper, Laketah Charlton, Foster Dorsett, Drumeco Archer, John Ingraham and Tito Moss. Missing is Sheldon Longley.

Hovland hangs on to become repeat winner of Hero World Challenge

FROM PAGE 14

Hovland finished at 16-under 272 and won $1 million.

The victory is unoffi cial, but the world ranking points pushed him up three spots to No. 9.

Scheffler needed to win to return to No. 1 in the world, at least for a few weeks. Rory McIlroy was projected to end the year at No. 1 regardless of the outcome.

Starting three shots behind, Scheffler holed a pitch from 30 yards short of the green on the par-5 sixth hole for eagle to reach 14-under par and momen tarily tie for the lead.

Hovland was in trouble off the tee. He had to play a pitching wedge over a 20-foot dune, an 8-iron to the green and then holed an 18-foot birdie putt to stay one ahead.

The next hole was pivotal, the 18th notwithstanding.

Scheffler’s pitch from the bottom of the fairway on the short par-4 seventh barely got onto the green and rolled into the bunker, leading to bogey.

Hovland was on the edge of a bunker and chipped to

5 feet for birdie and a twoshot swing, restoring his lead to three.

There were other chal lengers over the final two hours, just not for long.

Cameron Young made a strong bid and got within two shots at one point until he took bogey on the 16th. Xander Schauffele also made an early run until that ended with a bogey on the par-5 15th.

Scheffler ran off three straight birdies through the 16th hole to get within two shots, and Hovland gave him an opening on the 18th until he closed it with the big putt.

Scheffler still heads into the holidays with a break through year behind him — the Masters among his four PGA Tour wins, No. 1 in the world longer than anyone else this year, the PGA Tour player of the year.

Young had a 68 and finished alone in third, fol lowed by Schauffele (68) and Justin Thomas, who had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine to salvage a poor start and close with 70 to finish fifth.

“It’s only 20 players, but it’s the best 20 players in

the world,” Hovland said. “You’ve got to play your best to win.”

NORWAY,’s Viktor Hovland, right, holds the trophy after winning the Hero World Chal lenge PGA Tour at the Albany Golf Club in New Providence yesterday.

(AP Photo/ Fernando Llano)