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Volume: 121 No.25, December 27, 2023

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DEADLY CHRISTMAS AS FOUR MURDERED Police shooting kills another as he ‘attacks officers with cutlass’

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net THE heartbroken girlfriend of a man killed on Sunday said her two sons were robbed of the precious memory of spending Christmas with their father, with one crying: “Mummy, daddy is dead.”

Her boyfriend, Torvaz Dames, 23, was one of four killed in 48 hours during a

bloody holiday weekend.

Another person died during a police-involved killing.

On Saturday, a 31-yearold man was killed in the Gambier Village area. On Christmas Eve, two separate shootings led to the death of two men, including Dames. On Christmas Day, a 38-year-old man was shot and killed on Jerome Avenue, south of Pyfrom

On da road - a day late

SEE PAGE FOUR

STILL IN LIMBO DESPITE RULING ON CITIZENSHIP

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net MANY would welcome giving citizenship to a Harvard-educated scholar like Dr April Finlayson, but seven months after the Privy Council ruled that people like her are citizens at birth, she still can’t get a Bahamian passport and limits her visits to The

Bahamas to avoid being warned again that she overstayed her time in the country of her birth.

Since the Privy Council affirmed in May that people born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are Bahamians at birth regardless of their mother’s nationality, hundreds have had their passport applications SEE PAGE SEVEN

THE BOXING Day Junkanoo parade began last night after a 24 hour delay, Junkanoo group Genesis is seen here on their way through Rawson Square.

Photo: Dante Carrer

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net JUNKANOO supporters mocked officials after inclement weather that forced the postponement of the Boxing Day parade never came –– but Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg said standard practices and

scientific information spurred the change.

He said the Junkanoo Corporation New Providence and the Parade Management Team require clearance of no rain from the Met Office two to three hours before mobilisation.

The parade happened last night, with groups performing only one lap on Bay Street and one

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

lap on Shirley Street to ensure the event ended in time for businesses to reopen. Ordinarily, groups do two laps on Bay Street.

This was the fourth time in 20 years the Boxing Day parade was postponed by at least 24 hours; it also happened in 2022, 2017 and 2004.

SEE PAGE TWO

PAGE 2, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Boxing Day Junkanoo on the road a day late from page one As in 2017, when the bad weather forecast did not materialise, people took to social media to question officials and spread memes.

After the parade was postponed in 2017, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis summoned top Junkanoo officials, telling them dates for the parade should remain unchanged unless something catastrophic is expected.

“Any decision made by the JCNP and its stakeholders to postpone would have been based on the scientific approach by the experts from the Met Office, and that will always be the way we will move forward,” Mr Bowleg said yesterday.

Forecasts had shown a high chance of rain again on Tuesday, but Mr Bowleg said experts assured him there was a less than 30 per cent chance of rain during the parade window.

“I think the chances of rain, I was advised, might be between 20 to 25 per cent, which is below the average of rain and the wind knots less than 10 per cent,” he said. “I think the JCNP rule indicates that anything over 30 per cent chance of rain, that would have caused them not to want to proceed.

“But the percentage was much less than the 30 per cent that would cause them not to want to move forward. So everything is looking good.”

GENESIS and Immortals taking a lap on Bay Street during the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade.

Photos: Dante Carrer

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 3

Prodigal Sons pull out - Bowleg says group needs to give reason or repay seed money

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg said the Prodigal Sons Junkanoo group must provide a decent reason for dropping out of the Boxing Day parade or reimburse the seed money provided by the government.

Mr Bowleg said the group did not immediately explain

their action.

“It does raise some concerns,” he said. “I have asked the JCNP chair and the representative of the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture who deals with Junkanoo to investigate and provide me with more information as it relates to their reasoning. I could understand last year when their shack was burned and they lost everything, but this year, I’ve yet to get the

reasoning for it.

“These Junkanoo groups cannot just take the seed money and decide they’re not coming. There has to be some responsibility with the government’s funds provided to them. I expect them to provide a decent response and if not say how they will reimburse the government.”

Category A groups like the Prodigal Sons received $30,000 from the $928,500

JUNKANOO groups take to Bay Street last night seeking to win their respective divisions. Pictured above and below is Immortals Junkanoo group.

Photos: Dante Carrer

BOXING Day Junkanoo starts after a one day delay due to weather concerns. See The Tribune tomorrow for results and more images. To the left is a piece by Genesis Junkanoo group.

FORMER FNM MP FLOYD WATKINS II DEAD AT 73 FORMER parliamentarian Floyd Watkins II died at 73 on December 23.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham expressed deep sadness over his death and led tributes to him.

“Floyd was a part of our change team in 1992, as he became the Member of Parliament for Delaporte,” he said.

“He started his career as a customs officer, rising up the ranks, before going on to study law. He was a successful attorney. He was also an accomplished building contractor and businessman.

“A focused and determined individual with multi-faceted talents, Floyd wanted to put those

talents to service to his fellow countrymen.

“He is now the eleventh FNM MP from that 1992 team, one-third of our cohort, to have passed away.”

The FNM, in a statement, described Mr Watkins as committed to his community and family.

“His fairness and dedication were unparalleled,” the party said. “While some may know him for his roles as a defence attorney and entrepreneur, to us, he was an esteemed FNM Freedom Fighter.

“His contributions to the ideals of the Free National Movement will always be remembered and cherished.”

Delaporte later became the Killarney constituency.

in seed money the government provided this year.

Eric Knowles, the group leader, did not respond to messages and calls yesterday.

In November, he told The Tribune his group wanted

to dazzle attendees after a fire destroyed its shack last year, consuming dozens of drums, costumes and materials.

“You know, when you have a God and a few good friends, we have been able

to put things together,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we have completed onehalf of our shack. We were able to get BPL to come and turn the lights back on after trying to get it on for quite some time.”

PAGE 4, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Deadly Christmas as four murdered from page one

Road.

Aaliyah Cooper said she quickly left work when she learned from Dame’s mother that he was shot.

She and his relatives went to the hospital, praying he was there. While waiting on information from staff, she saw her boyfriend’s face all over social media as one of the men killed.

“I found out by social media,” she said. “And then they were saying to me and his family that someone was in the bush hiding with a gunshot wound, and they were on their way bringing the person to the hospital, so we were hoping that was him, but it wasn’t him.”

She said it broke her heart knowing that her twoyear-old and one-year-old sons weren’t able to spend Christmas with their father.

She said she lived with the man, and the two looked forward to celebrating the holidays as a family.

“This is the worst feeling ever,” she said. “I never thought I would be a single mother to my two kids.

I never thought my kids’ father would have left me so soon at such a young age.”

Days before the victim was murdered, Ms Cooper

said he gave her money to go Christmas shopping for the boys. She described him as a loving, involved, and passionate father to his kids.

She said his two-year-old son had been asking when he would come home.

“I wish I could just reach out to the person, whoever killed him,” she said.

Torvaz was a construction worker who dreamt of moving his family abroad.

Ms Cooper said she believes he was a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He was killed in the second fatal incident on Sunday. In that case, police said Shotspotter alerted them to gunshots in the area of Balfour Avenue and Ida Street and on Robinson and Claridge Roads. They learned that two men on a red and white Honda 650 motorbike were chased by two other men on another motorbike. The two groups were reportedly firing gunshots at each other.

On Robinson Road, one of the bikes experienced engine difficulty. Onlookers said the rear passenger of the second motorbike opened fire on them, grazing the leg of an off-duty SEE PAGE FIVE

TORVAZ Dames with his pregnant girflriend Aaliyah Cooper.

Also pictured left.

MAN DROWNS AFTER CAR ACCIDENT IN ABACO AND A WOMAN IN GB ATTEMPTS SUICIDE A MAN drowned after a car accident in Abaco on Monday.

Police said the circumstances of the incident, which happened around 11pm on Shell Road in Murphy Town, are unclear.

A woman who lived nearby went live on Facebook, capturing frantic efforts to save the man.

She showed the victim’s cousin hollering on the ground, begging for someone to save his relative.

The cousin said he escaped the car before it sank.

When police showed up, they found the car submerged in the water.

The man trapped inside was extricated and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the driver of the second vehicle involved in the incident fled before authorities arrived.

Police said they were aggressively searching for the cousin.

Authorities also reported the attempted suicide of a woman.

Around noon on Sunday, the 34-year-old

reportedly used a sharp object to injure her wrist.

An ambulance took her to the hospital, where she was treated for non-lifethreatening injuries.

Police also reported two armed robberies in New Providence at businesses, one on Marathon Road on Saturday and the other on Independence Highway on Sunday.

In the first incident, a woman was outside a business around 7pm when a lone gunman approached her, entered her vehicle and demanded that she drive him to the Regency Park area. The woman, in fear, got out of the car. The culprit fled in her vehicle, a black Jeep Cherokee. Officers later recovered the car on

St Michael Road.

The victim was at a service station around 12.30am in the second incident.

When she entered her 2020 Honda CR-V, a man in a white car approached, brandished a firearm and took her car. He reportedly left the area, travelling east along the highway, followed by a second car.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 5

Deadly Christmas as four murdered from page four

police officer.

When officers approached Robinson and Claridge Roads, they found a man putting Dames into a white vehicle. The man sped off and was pursued into Montel Heights. Officers found the two men with gunshot injuries, with Dames dying.

Earlier, shortly before 8pm on Sunday, a man at “the tracks” was approached by the occupants of a white Japanese vehicle who tried to rob him of his red and white Honda 650 motorbike. The victim, a 29-year-old from Fox Hill, resisted and was shot multiple times along with a nearby 18-year-old youth. Both were taken to hospital, where the 29-yearold died. The 18-year-old was in critical condition.

Shotspotter technology notified officers about the Christmas Day incident.

Officers found a man in black pants and a white singlet at the intersection of Jerome and Corlet roads with multiple gunshot wounds. Police said they knew little about what happened and appealed to the public for help.

Meanwhile, police are questioning two men after a 31-year-old was shot dead in Gambier Village shortly after 10pm on Saturday. The victim was reportedly leaving a business on West Bay Street with a woman relative when he was shot multiple times by the occupants of a red Mazda Versa, who later switched to a grey Honda Civic.

Officers saw the Honda around John F Kennedy Drive and Baha Mar

MAN PRESUMED DEAD AFTER FALLING OFF A CRUISE SHIP DESTINED FOR THE BAHAMAS A 41-YEAR-OLD man is presumed dead after going overboard on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to The Bahamas on December 23, two days into the cruise.

He was 160km off the coast of South Carolina when the incident occurred, according to international reports.

A rescue plane reportedly conducted an aerial search, but the search was called off after eight hours, and more than 4200 sq km was covered.

The cruise had left Baltimore, Maryland, on

December 21.

A passenger told the Post and Courier that the captain announced what happened and stopped the boat for six hours after the man fell overboard.

“I instantly felt sick to my stomach knowing that one of our fellow travellers had been lost at sea,” the passenger said, adding that many rushed to the boat’s sides trying to spot the man.

“It’s definitely going to be rough continuing this voyage knowing that a family is missing their loved one.”

Boulevard and gave chase, ending on Lancaster Lane, off Christie Avenue. They found a high-powered weapon with ammunition in the car and arrested a 30-year-old man from Pastel Gardens.

Intelligence also led them to arrest a 22-year-old man from Skyline Drive.

Police also said they killed a man on Sunday after responding to a disturbance at a residence on Palm Breeze Road off Carmichael Road.

Officers alleged a man with a cutlass engaged them, prompting them to shoot him.

In an earlier policeinvolved incident on Saturday, officers shot a 38-year-old man after responding to gunshot reports around Grant Street. The man was in stable condition.

MORTUARY services personnel transport the body of a man who was shot and killed on the corner of Jerome Ave and Corlet Rd at approximately 8pm on Christmas Day. According to police, this was the fourth homicide in two days.

Photos: Dante Carrer

PAGE 6, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

The Tribune Limited

THE TRIBUNE

PICTURE OF THE DAY

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

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

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

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

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Murder count tops 100 again, despite COP’s promise IN August of last year, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander was insistent that the country would not pass a total of 100 murders. He was wrong.

At the time he said it, the murder count stood at 85 – and the 100 mark was passed before the end of September.

In the end, the tally was 128 murders in the year.

This year, back in March, he said again that the force was committed to keeping the murder count under 100 this year. The flurry of murders over the weekend preceeding Christmas and Christmas night itself have seen us pass that total too.

Murder was on the rise in 2022. The final total for this year of course we will not know until the year is out, but it seems the numbers will have dropped from that total of 128, at least we hope so.

But twice now, Commissioner Fernander has made a yardstick to be measured by, and twice now he has failed to make the mark.

If he says the same again for next year, do we believe what he says or instead say that he said this twice now and was wrong each time.

The declaration last year was particularly strange – with 85 murders already at that stage, it would have taken a huge turnaround to hold to a total of 100.

Instead, it went significantly over that mark.

Why would he say such a thing? What guidance was he receiving that made him think that goal was likely? Instead, it led to people pointing it out and saying you said you would do this, and you didn’t. And now, this year again, the target has been missed.

No one made the Commissioner make such a declaration. It was his choice.

Of course, stopping murders is not as easy as saying you will do so. If it was, we would have done it long ago.

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings, at the scene of the Christmas Day murder, said it as clear as day when she said that stopping these crimes from happening is something that involves us all working together.

It takes the friend of the criminal telling them not to do it, it takes the fiancée of the criminal urging him not to go out, it takes the family members to put pressure on to live life within the bounds of the law instead of losing a life by going outside it.

We should all be doing that, working together to try to reduce crime. Know someone with an illegal gun? Call the police. Know of a drug deal going on? Let the authorities know. Hear of someone going out to commit a shooting? At the very least tell the police what area so they can saturate the area with patrols and perhaps deter the shooter if you cannot bring yourself to report them by name – although you should.

Commissioner Fernander made a rod for his own back when he set down a target that in the first instance was unlikely to be met, and in the second has failed to be met.

Murder should not be about numbers – even one is too many – but it is fair to ask the Commissioner what it was that he was going to do to ensure we reached such a target, and why that has proven to be unachievable.

Was it a matter of resources? Was it the laws themselves? Or was it simply that gang violence has been uncontainable?

Whatever the case, he set the target – he ought to speak up now we have passed that mark.

Is political arrogance rising again?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PAST political experience has shown clearly the Bahamian electorate hates an ‘arrogant’ Government — we saw that after 26 years in government even Sir Lynden fell to that …

Hubert Ingraham ... Perry Christie and Hubert Minnis got the same treatment.

Arrogance saw the end of their terms in office.

I raise this arrogance

issue as recently we heard more often than previously from not just one Minister, but at least three … I ask — is the cancer of political ‘arrogance’ spreading in the PLP? We know best — we only have the solutions! No Minister should be stupid to suggest an enquiry committee of a global organisation such as the UN may not come into our Bahamas — enquire and report

— Sir that’s all part of The Bahamas signing a global Convention … the visiting UN group from Human Rights had all the right to visit … had all the right to investigate and report. The Human Rights Convention we are required to comply with all aspects, not just what suits us.

J C MOSS Nassau, December 14, 2023.

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis is joined by FNM leader Michael Pintard and deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright at the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade.

Photo: Dante Carrer

Be aware of threats to your kids EDITOR, The Tribune.

“THE greatest threat to our children doesn’t come from strangers. It comes from people we know and trust.” – Darkness to Light.

Experts state that 90 percent of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by family and acquaintances. That one in 10 children will be the victim of sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. That 60 percent of children who are abused are abused by people the family trusts. And 40 percent or more of sexual abuse is perpetrated by juveniles.

Hence, it is highly likely that we may know a child who has been or is being abused.

We are not telling you all this to scare you, but to prepare you. A little awareness and a few abuse prevention steps can go a long way.

During the holidays, we spend lots of time and money attempting to create magical experiences for our children. We buy expensive gifts, take long trips and host sleepovers. We take great care in the gifts we purchase, looking for ones that marry education and fun, and hoping the thrill will last all year long. With time away from school, children will be on their electronic devices more frequently, and increased risk comes with increased use. When visitors abound, schedules get hectic, and you are often overwhelmed and distracted.

Pause and reflect – don’t neglect!

While a house full of family and friends should be the safest place for our children, however, in reality, that is not always the case.

We keep saying this because it keeps needing to

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net be said. Until adults understand how we may all unintentionally contribute to the enablement of sexual abuse - children will continue to be sexually abused, and as historically occurred, not disclose because they don’t feel safe.

Sexual abuse is not the fault of the child or nonoffending adults in their life, but we can and must take responsibility to do everything in our power to protect and empower them.

How you monitor your children’s social experiences during the holidays is key to being a responsible parent.

So, what can you do?

Here are some tips to ensure your children are safe during the holiday: Reinforce with your children that they do not have to be affectionate with anyone if they’re not comfortable.

Be prepared to enforce your child’s boundaries, remember it is okay to say no.

Know where your children are and who they are with at all times.

Limit alone time between a child and another adult, if possible.

Confirm with your children not to accept gifts or treats from strangers.

Remind your children that they should never post sensitive information online (such as their location, contact, etc).

Conduct random checkins on children if they are playing out of view or at

sleepovers.

Review body safety rules: no touching/sharing privates, kissing, hugging, no secrets, no showing of naked photos.

Promote an open-door policy, if possible, discourage children from playing in isolated areas of the house.

Create a code word or phrase that your child can use to ask for help without calling attention to themselves.

Talk with your children about who will be at your house, and if there is anyone they will feel uncomfortable.

Remember your child depends on you to keep them safe, so if you feel that something is not right, act, it’s okay to ask questions about activities and/or behaviours.

And if your child is spending time with others, it’s okay to stop unannounced. And that an unintended audience may view your child’s posts online and even attempt to contact them.

Remember it’s important who is around your children and who they are around.

This year, make a point to revisit your family’s child protection plan. At the very least, we hope you’ll find that these tips help you to continue to set the example for your children that their safety is important to you, no matter what the setting.

We are not here to add stress to your holiday plans, but actually to help make sure that they’re memorable for all the right reasons.

SHERVONNE CASHHOLLIS Save Our Children Alliance Nassau, December 20, 2023.

Condolences for Watkins family EDITOR, The Tribune.

“IT WAS with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of my former colleague, Mr. Floyd Watkins,” the Rt Hon Hubert Ingraham wrote on learning of the former MP’s death.

“Floyd was a part of our change team in 1992, as he became the Member of Parliament for Delaporte.

“He started his career as

a Customs Officer rising up the ranks, before going on to study law. He was a successful attorney. He was also an accomplished building contractor and businessman.

“A focused and determined individual with multi-faceted talents, Floyd wanted to put those talents to service to his fellow countrymen.

“He is now the eleventh

FNM MP from that 1992 team, one third of our cohort, to have passed away.

“My wife, Delores, joins me in expressing our sincerest condolences to Floyd’s family and loved ones,” Mr, Ingraham wrote. “May he rest in peace.”

HUBERT INGRAHAM Nassau, Bahamas, December 26, 2023

A

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 7

Still in limbo despite ruling on citizenship from page one approved.

People such as Dr Finlayson are in limbo because their father’s name is not on their birth certificate, and affidavits are not accepted as proof of paternity. The Davis administration said it will require DNA tests in such instances.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said in June 2022 that the administration would push legislation allowing Bahamian men and women to pass citizenship in all circumstances.

He later said this would happen after the Privy Council ruled on the status of children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men.

Despite the pledges, meaningful work from the government on the protocol for people like Dr Finlayson appeared only to begin after the Privy Council delivered its ruling this year.

Mr Pinder reiterated last month that officials are working on legislation to

address citizenship inequalities. People born outside The Bahamas to a Bahamian mother and foreign father are not automatically citizens, and Bahamian women do not have the same rights as men to get citizenship for their foreign spouse.

Health Minister Dr Michael Darville told reporters in October that he hoped DNA testing protocols would be finalised by the end of this year, but nothing has yet been announced. He previously said officials must find ways to prevent DNA fraud.

The wait has muted the excitement Dr Finlayson and others felt when the highest court affirmed the landmark citizenship ruling.

Dr Finlayson, 37, told The Tribune in May that she had applied five times for a passport before leaving the country, moving to the United States after being excluded from the privileges of being a Bahamian.

She said yesterday she

MAN CHARGED IN SHOOTING DEATH OF KEITH BARR AT VILLAGE RD BAR

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN is behind bars after he allegedly shot and killed a man outside a bar on Village Road last weekend.

Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Samuel Meadows, 32, with murder.

Kelsey Munroe represented the defendant.

Meadows reportedly got into a dispute with Keith Barr in a bar on December

16. When things escalated outside the bar, Meadows allegedly shot Barr multiple times.

The 24-year-old victim later died of his injuries at the hospital.

The accused was told that his matter would be moved to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). Meadows will be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until the higher court grants him bail.

Meadows’s VBI is set for service on April 4, 2024.

WOMAN CHARGED FOR STABBING 2 FEMALES IN BAR IN THE GROVE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A 44-YEAR-OLD woman was granted $5,000 bail yesterday after she was accused of stabbing two other woman at a bar in the Grove community last week.

Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Philomena Dean with two counts of grievous harm.

Ryszard Humes represented the accused.

Dean allegedly stabbed Deondra McPhee and Donnice Nottage after she got into a fight with the 23-yearold McPhee at around 1am on December 18.

McPhee reportedly received stab wounds to her left arm and stomach.

She was last listed in critical condition in the hospital.

The 28-year-old Nottage only suffered superficial wounds to her left forearm and has been discharged from hospital.

After pleading not guilty to the offence, Dean told that she is to sign in at Quakoo Street station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 6pm under the terms of her bail. She was also warned not to contact the alleged victims or any witnesses in this matter.

Dean’s trial begins on March 24, 2024

YOUNG MAN CHARGED WITH UNLAWFUL SEXUAL INTERCOURSE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A 23-YEAR-OLD is locked behind bars after he allegedly molested a 12-year-old girl twice this month.

Joshua Newry was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse before Magistrate Shaka Serville.

Newry allegedly had unlawful sexual intercourse

with an underaged girl twice in New Providence on December 16 and 18.

Newry was informed his matter would be transferred to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). He will be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until the higher court grants him bail.

The VBI in this matter is slated for service on April 4, 2024

THREE MEN GRANTED BAIL ON CHARGES OF DRUG POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net THREE MEN were granted $7,500 bail on Friday after they were allegedly found with a quantity of dangerous drugs and ammunition that police suspected them of trying to sell.

Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged Philip Moss, 49, Donnie Allen, 62, and Frederick Neilly, 65, with possession of dangerous drugs, possession of

dangerous drugs with intent to supply and possession of ammunition with intent to supply.

The trio were arrested by authorities after they were found with 10oz of Indian Hemp, 1 oz of cocaine and 37 rounds of .223 ammunition in New Providence on December 19.

After all three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, their bail was set $7,500 with one or two sureties.

The trial in this matter begins on February 1, 2024.

DR APRIL FINLAYSON went to the Passport Office in September and was told she was ineligible for a passport.

She has been trying to get a Bahamian passport since she was 15. Before her recent visit to the

Passport Office, she went through the process of compiling her “original documentation”, such as hospital and school letters.

“When you put it all together, it’s like a threeweek process,” she said yesterday. “When I went through all of that just to find out yet again I’m still not eligible, it was frustrating.”

She said while visiting her family in New Providence for this year’s holiday season, she was anxious about whether an immigration officer would interrogate her.

She recalled a brief visit in 2022, where an officer warned her that she previously overstayed by several days.

She noted she could only stay in the country for six months, and officers often assume she denounced her Bahamian citizenship and now holds American

citizenship.

“The hassle of even visiting sometimes is a lot,” she said, adding that the system marginalises people like her.

“It was very annoying to have someone like, highlight two days, three days, however many days that they claimed I overstayed when you can see it says born in The Bahamas.”

“I need to be able to come in and out of The Bahamas comfortably because this is where my family is, and this is where I was raised.”

“I feel as though there has not been consideration for the fact that people do not choose how they get here,” said Dr Finlayson, an assistant lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “Our humanity is not taken into consideration, like the way it affects our lives on a dayto-day basis.”

200 GB FAMILIES RECEIVED HOLIDAY CHEER FROM ROYAL CARIBBEAN THE spirit of the holidays was bright in Grand Bahama where 200 families received food vouchers.

Royal Caribbean International’s local top executive, Bahamas president Philip Simon, was on hand to present the vouchers to Dr Sidney McIntosh of community-based Revelation Faith Apostolic Ministries, an organisation that has been on the ground helping with basic needs, including food since the island was devastated by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

“While Grand Bahama is experiencing a welcome comeback and has a great future, there is still a pressing need today,” said Mr Simon. “We are honoured to be able to assist in some

small way by helping to provide food vouchers for 200 families.”

Dr McIntosh, who worked with teams from Royal Caribbean International in quickly assembled kitchens preparing hot meals and feeding thousands for weeks following Hurricane Dorian, expressed appreciation for the renewed expression of compassion.

“Your generosity is definitely going to go a long way,” Dr McIntosh said.

“Many children will be able to eat, many mothers and fathers will be appreciative that they can see a smile on their children’s faces.

It hasn’t been easy since Dorian, but Grand Bahamians are very resilient, and with your gift, it encourages

ROYAL Caribbean International’s local top executive, Bahamas President Philip Simon, seen presenting a voucher to one of the beneficiaries of their donation to community-based Revelation Faith Apostolic Ministries. us. Your thought, your blessing, it means a lot to us, especially in this season. I want to say from the bottom of my heart for myself,

for the church family and the community of Grand Bahama, we thank you Royal Caribbean, we appreciate you.”

Guatemala: Democracy vs unbridled AG authority PAGE 8, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

RECENT events in the Central American country, Guatemala, underscores why organs of government in any country should have oversight bodies that have the authority to curb rogue behaviour by office holders.

These events also demonstrate why legislation should be carefully drafted and reviewed before being passed into law.

Over the last year, the

THE TRIBUNE

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS Public Ministry and the Attorney-General of Guatemala have been pursuing

legal manoeuvres to undermine the Semilla Party and its leader Bernardo

BERNARDO ARÉVALO, ELECTED PRESIDENT OF GUATEMALA

Funeral Service for Jaun Juliette Brissett Carroll, 51 Affectionately called “Super”

of Jackson, Georgia and formerly of Nassau, Bahamas, who died at Wellstar Cobb Hospital, Austell, Georgia on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, will be held on Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 11:00am at Transfiguration Baptist Church, Market & Vesey Streets, Nassau, Bahamas. Officiating will be Rev. Dr. Stephen Thompson, assisted by Rev. Sherma Bowe, Rev. Brazil McDonald, Rev. Anthony Sampson & other ministers of religion. Private Cremation. Interment will follow at a later date in Lakeview Memorial & Mauseleum, John F. Kennedy Drive & Gladstone Road.

Left to cherish her fond and loving memories are her, Husband: Thomas Christian Carroll; Son: Cohen Joshua Carroll; Siblings: Karen (Franklyn Sr.) Smith, Carol Roberts, Carol Pauline Reid, Faye Delancey, Sally Thompson, Grace McIntosh, Rosemarie (Charles) Gaitor, Gaylene Pinder, Marlene (Anthony) Hall, Andrinique Brown; Sister & Brother-in-law: Donna Carroll Henfield (Tony); Uncle & Aunt: Samuel & Hester Brennen; Nieces and Nephews: Franklyn Jr. (Elena) Smith, Kayshonta & Sara Smith, Barry (Shonda) Stuart; Lynette Roberts; Dr. Kaleatha Roberts, Shandel Munroe, Prophetess Olivia (Apostle Alex) Brown, Mark(Alexis) Munroe, Safyie “Veneice” Jean-Pierre, Lorraine, Christopher, Lavardo, Mark & Richard Reid, Kori (Laura) St. Cyr, Kordero & Kyle St. Cyr; Ciara (Shannon) Nabbie, Reynard &Rasean McIntosh, Frederica, Gerard & Germaal Gervais; Terrenique, Gernell Paul, Onike & Gervonte Gervais, Donavan Mingo, Nysa, Charles Jr., Charlise & Charnae Gaitor, Mark & Tamara Pinder, Anthony Jr. & Antonique Hall and Denzel Carroll; Grand nieces and nephews: Tonesha (Andrew) Smith, Sole, Matteo and Luna Smith, Tavaris, N’Shae, Avona & Vernon ‘V.J.’ Stuart; Brynnette& Brandon Conliffe; Alyssa Rahming; Tamico Lafleur; Savannah, Dwayne & Devon Charles & Blessings Brown, Aliyah, Phylicia, Shaniah & Marcus Munroe; Bryan, Nathaniel, Dawnisha, Don Jr., Gaelle Jean-Pierre, & Jahlayah and Jayon Allen, Jayden & Khloe St. Cyr, Khole & Karter St. Cyr, Kalijah, Khalil, Kamari, Koen, Kai, Trinity, Nacharii, Kally Rae, Synia & Charli McIntosh, Cosintino & Pachino Gervais; Ashante Munroe & Germaal Gervais Jr.; Ezekiel & Dahlia Mingo. In-laws: Orlando Turnquest, Raymond Carroll, Terrence Ferguson, Thomas Hilton Archer, Barbara Turnquest, Vernita Carroll, Terecita Major, Joycelyn Ferguson, Marsha Carroll and Hanna Brooks. Cousins: Lorna McKenzie; Sam & Claudette Bailey, Presley & Mary Bailey, Michael Bailey; Elvis Bailey and Shawn Allen; The children of the late Albertha Brennen-McMinns & children of Samuel & Hester Brennen. Families of the late Louise Hepburn, the late Francis Farrington, the late Maizer Kemp, the late Doreatha Seymour, the late Irene Woods, the late Petrus Hepburn, the late Louise Jones, the late Muriel Mackey, the late Albertha Smith, the late Genese & Magdaleine Rolle, the late Geneva Thurston & Elizabeth Bastian; other descendants of the late Zephaniah & Sofia Hepburn of the Cove, Cat Island. Other Relatives & Friends including: The entire Carroll family, The Burrows, Linda Watson, The Majors, The Neymours, The Brooks, Oree Johnson, Elva Stubbs, Carmen Moss, Kenneth Knowles, Mavis Vanderpool, Wendy Alexander (Philadelphia), Neighbors’ of Lakeside Drive Yamacraw Beach Estates, Troy Neymour, Nathan & Shequetta ‘Lonnie’ Higgins, Lowell & Iesha Sweeting, Pamela Brooks, Agatha Bazard Knowles, Melba Lightbourn, Randolph & Wendy Crosson (Atlanta), Charlie & Martha Norris (Atlanta), Darryl & Dot Richardson (Atlanta), Eddie & Rosemary Braynen (Miami), Murita Clavier-James (Florida), Anis & Joycelyn Palmer, Eloise Farquharson, Yvette Miller (North Carolina), Carol Grant (Florida), Terrance Gibson, Enrique & Natasha Pyfrom, Ajai Miller, Janae & Grandma Valerie & Family (Atlanta), Jen & Family (Florida), Godfrey & Merna Bethel (Florida), Wendy Nixon, Pauline & Paulette Longley, The Jordan Prince Williams High School Class of 1989, & Godchildren: Adrenika Adderley & Tabitha King. The Bailey & Brissett families of Jamaica; Kimberly Brissett, Brian Conliffe, the children of the late Carolyn Smith; late Amos and Ethlyn Gaitor; Deacon Anthony & Gladys Hall & family, Erma Smith, Yvette Barr, John & Cory Rossiter & family (Ottawa, Canada); Leon St. Cyr; Rosemary Moss; Janet Rolle, Peggy Bethel, Dianne Miller; Janet Thompson; Jackie Rolle; Valdrie McClain; Dalacia & Vioris “Queenie” Wright, Ian &Celita Levine (Cayman Islands); Esther Newton, Gloria Antoine & family; Pauline Williams & family & numerous other friends too many to mention. Asst. Comptroller of Customs Jeremiah Rolle; Ramona Forbes; Carla & Kevin Gilbert, Tamara Collie, Ian Curry, Nicola Missick, Carnetta Poitier, Members of the Straw Market Community; Management & staff of Anudda Production, Bahamas Customs Department; Margo Moree& the staff of ICCI; Department of Inland Revenue Real Property Tax, Scotiawealth, friends from Atlanta, Georgia; South Florida and the Cayman Islands. Friends from the Religious Community including Bishop Wilbert & Prophetess Jacqueline Richardson (Atlanta), Prophet Peter Spencer (Freeport), Apostles Dwight & Brenda Pratt, Prophetess Patrice & Apostle Dion Smith, Prophetess Abigail Higgs (Freeport) and Prophetess Marva Lewis, Evang. Colamae Collymore, Rev. Stephen Thompson & the Transfiguration Baptist Church Family, Rev. Torrance Bobb & the First Assembly of God Family (Cayman Islands), Rev. Terrance Morrison & the Zion Baptist Church Family, Rev. Anthony Sampson, Miracle & Breakthrough Kingdom Explosion Ministries.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE BEING HANDLED DEMERITTE’S FUNERAL HOME, MARKET STREET. THERE WILL BE NO VIEWING.

BY

Arévalo, who convincingly won the Presidency of the country at runoff elections in August. Because of a lag period between the elections and installation of the new executive, Arévalo and his Vice-Presidential running mate, Karin Herrera, cannot take office until January 14, 2024. This interregnum provided time for mischief by forces, including the Attorney General and the Public Ministry to try to disqualify Arévalo and Herrera from assuming their elected positions.

These actions included undermining the rule of law and the rights of Guatemalans by arbitrary arrests and constant attempts to persecute opposition leaders and human rights defenders. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has repeatedly expressed alarm that, particularly since the year 2021, there has been intense criminal prosecution and persecution by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against people who have performed work of special relevance for democracy, such as journalists, justice operators, human rights defenders, student organizations, officials of electoral bodies and members of political parties”.

The Attorney-General, María Consuelo Porras, is protected by a sinister law which prohibits her removal from office, except upon conviction for an intentional crime. This protection is enshrined in Article 14 of the Public Ministry Law of 2016. But “intention” is extremely difficult to prove; it requires the almost impossible task of reading the mind of a person to determine that any action taken was “intentional” or planned.

Armoured with this protection the AttorneyGeneral and her Public Ministry have been waging what appears to be a campaign of abuse of the law to achieve their objectives, of which the principal one appears to be stopping the installation of Bernardo Arévalo and Karin Herrera as President and Vice President of the country.

In the course of all this, the Public Ministry has seized ballot boxes from the July and August elections, breaking the chain of custody in violation of the electoral laws of the country and contaminating the sanctity of the votes. Additionally, magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) have had their immunities removed. Three of them have fled the country in fear.

The Public Ministry claims that they sought to remove these immunities

because of suspicion of corruption in the purchase of a computer programme for the transmission of preliminary results. However, on October 31, the TSE had certified the results of the

power”.

Arévalo and Herrera look set to be installed as President and Vice President on January 14, despite the antics of the AttorneyGeneral and the Public Ministry. Assurance of this was given on December 14 by the Constitutional Court which rules that: investigation by the Public Ministry cannot prevent the completion and results of the electoral process; demanded that the Congress and its directing board are obliged to guarantee that all elected persons take their positions in accordance with the certification of the results made official by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal; warned all authorities that they must comply with the installation of the new executive; and stated that any persons who do not comply with the rulings will incur civil and criminal liabilities.

However, it is unlikely

ATTORNEY GENERAL MARÍA CONSUELO PORRAS elections, confirming the election of Arévalo and Herrera.

This issue of the unfettered power of the Attorney-General is one that concerns many people, including civil society and human rights groups in Guatemala. It is of great concern to the Semilla party and the President-Elect and Vice President elect, who recognise that, even after they assume office on January 14, there is little or nothing they can do about the behaviour and power of the Attorney-General.

In October, the Semilla Party filed a case on this matter at the Constitutional Court, fearing that, if Article 14 of the 2016 Public Ministry law, is not declared unconstitutional, the Attorney-General and the Public Ministry “will continue its illegal acts”. Their hopes were dashed on December 20, when the Constitutional Court ruled that Article 24 is not unconstitutional, leaving the Attorney General free rein to implement policies and actions of her sole making.

After visiting Guatemala, as Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), I advised the Council on December 20 that, “Given the history of the Public Ministry’s arbitrary behaviour, this case is one to which the Permanent Council may need to pay close attention, even after the transfer of executive

that the Attorney-General, who is legally accountable to no person or oversight body, will cease a campaign which, in the view of some in Guatemala is, at best self-righteous, and at worst malicious. Her actions and those of the Public Ministry appear set to be a destabilizing force for the new executive from its first day in office.

But as the IACHR pointed out: “Respect for democracy entails ensuring the validity of a model of checks and balances in which the different state functions correspond to separate, independent and balanced bodies, so as to allow the necessary limits to the exercise of power and, in turn, to avoid arbitrariness”.

The member states of the OAS, which includes the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), must maintain a vigilant eye on Guatemala in terms of trying to ensure that the absence of limits and oversight on the AttorneyGeneral and the Public Ministry, does not overturn the will of the electorate; the majority of whom voted for a new executive led by Arévalo and Herrera.

At risk is the validity of the people’s vote and democracy itself.

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. The views expressed are entirely his own).

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THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 9

CHATTY ROBOT HELPS SENIORS FIGHT LONELINESS THROUGH A.I. COMPANIONSHIP

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.

A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died. In central New York, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent, who is blind and in hospice, and in Washington state, it helps 83-yearold Jan Worrell make new friends.

The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics, and senior assistance officials say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older Americans.

“It’s entertaining. You can actually talk to her,” said Loaiza, 81, whose ElliQ in suburban Fort Lauderdale nicknamed her “Jellybean” for no particular reason. “She’ll make comments like, ‘I would go outside if I had hands, but I can’t hold an umbrella.’”

The device, which looks like a small table lamp, has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. It remembers each user’s interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats, which can be as deep as the meaning of life or as light as the horoscope.

ElliQ tells jokes, plays music and provides inspirational quotes. On an accompanying video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. The device leads exercises, asks about the owner’s health and gives reminders to take medications and

drink water. It can also host video calls and contact relatives, friends or doctors in an emergency.

Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner’s device.

Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the idea for ElliQ came before he launched his Israeli company eight years ago. His widowed grandfather needed an aide, but the first didn’t work out. The replacement, though, understood his grandfather’s love of classical music and his “quirky sense of humour.”

Skuler realised a robot could fill that companionship gap by adapting to each senior’s personality and interests.

“It’s not just about (ElliQ’s) utility.

It’s about friendship, companionship and empathy,” Skuler said. “That just did not exist anywhere.”

The average user interacts with ElliQ more than 30 times daily, even six months after receiving it, and more than 90% report lower levels of loneliness, he said.

The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington state, but can also be purchased individually for $600 a year and a $250 installation fee.

Skuler wouldn’t say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.

That worries Brigham Young University psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who studies the detrimental effects loneliness has on health and mortality.

Although a device like ElliQ might have short-term benefits, it could make people less likely to seek human contact. Like hunger makes people seek food and thirst makes them seek water, she said

TECHTALK

TESLA MOVES FORWARD WITH A PLAN TO BUILD AN ENERGY-STORAGE BATTERY FACTORY IN CHINA

DEANNA DEZERN, 83, interacts with her ElliQ, a tabletop device that uses artificial intelligence to conduct human-like conversation.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) “that unpleasant feeling of loneliness should motivate us to reconnect socially.”

Satiating that with AI “makes you feel like you’ve fulfilled it, but in reality you haven’t,” Holt-Lunstad said. “It is not clear whether AI is actually fulfilling any kind of need or just dampening the signal.”

Skuler and agency heads distributing ElliQ agreed it isn’t a substitute for human contact, but not all seniors have social networks. Some are housebound, and even seniors with strong ties are often alone.

“I wish I could just snap my fingers to make a person show up at the home of one of the many, many older adults that don’t have any family or friends, but it’s a little bit more complicated,” said Greg Olsen, director of the New York State Office for the Aging. His office has distributed 750 of the 900 ElliQs it acquired.

Charlotte Mather-Taylor, director of the Broward County, Florida, Area Agency on Aging, said the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath left many seniors more isolated. Her agency has distributed 300 ElliQs, which she believes breaks them out of their shells.

“She’s proactive and she really engages the seniors, so it gives them that extra kind of interaction,” she said. “We’ve seen very positive results with it. People generally like her and she makes them smile and brings joy.”

Skuler said ElliQ was purposely designed without eyes and a mouth so it wouldn’t fully imitate humans.

While “Elli” is the Norse goddess

of old age, he said the “Q” reminds users that the device is a machine.

He said his company wants “to make sure that ElliQ always genuinely presents herself as an AI and doesn’t pretend to be human.”

“I don’t understand why technologists are trying to make AI pretend to be human,” he said. “We have in our capacity the ability to create a relationship with an AI, just like we have relationships with a pet.”

But some of the seniors using ElliQ say they sometimes need to remember the robot isn’t a living being.

They find the device easy to set up and use, but if they have one complaint it’s that ElliQ is sometimes too chatty. There are settings that can tone that down.

Dezern said she felt alone and sad when she told her ElliQ about her friend’s death. It replied it would give her a hug if it had arms. Dezern broke into tears.

“It was so what I needed,” the retired collections consultant said. “I can say things to Elli that I won’t say to my grandchildren or to my own daughters. I can just open the floodgates. I can cry. I can giggle. I can act silly. I’ve been asked, doesn’t it feel like you’re talking to yourself? No, because it gives an answer.”

Worrell lives in a small town on Washington’s coast.

Widowed, she said ElliQ’s companionship made her change her mind about moving to an assisted living facility and she uses it as an icebreaker when she meets someone new to town.

BEIJING (AP) — American electric automaker Tesla’s plans to produce energy-storage batteries in China moved forward on Friday with a signing ceremony for the land acquisition for a new factory in Shanghai, China’s state media said.

Construction is scheduled to start early next year with production to come on line by the end of the year, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The factory won’t build batteries for cars but for electric utilities and other companies to store power.

Such storage units have become increasingly important with the growth in solar power and wind energy, which only generate electricity when weather conditions are favourable and need to store it for when residential and commercial users need it.

THE TESLA Gigafactory in Lingang, new area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

(Liu Ying/Xinhua via AP, File)

EDMUNDS TESTERS SEEK OUT THE FASTEST CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLES

By NICK KURCZEWSKI Edmunds HOW much range an electric vehicle has is a primary consideration for many EV shoppers in determining which one they should purchase. But nearly as important is how quickly an EV can charge at a public fast-charging station. After all, the quicker you can charge your EV, the quicker you can get back on the road and continue driving.

One problem, however, is that it can be hard to understand and compare various charging speed claims by automakers.

That’s why Edmunds came up with a new independent test to help consumers quickly and easily compare the charging speeds of different EVs. EDMUNDS CHARGING TEST Automakers use different ways to express how quickly their vehicles charge. Looking at automaker websites, you might see one automaker say its EV can use fast charging to charge from 10% to 80% in 35 minutes, while

THE IONIQ 6 electric sedan. It is the quickest charging EV that Edmunds has tested to date. (Hyundai Motor America via AP) another touts that its EV can add 100 miles of range in just 20 minutes. It’s nearly impossible to compare these different automaker claims and understand which vehicles are actually the best.

The Edmunds EV Charging Test is standardised and combines charging information from the EV-testing specialist company P3 along with Edmunds’ own realworld testing data on how much electricity an EV uses per mile of driving.

The resulting figure is an

easy-to-compare measurement expressed as miles per charging hour.

A vehicle with a higher miles per charging hour tested figure will ultimately require less of your time spent waiting and charging compared to a vehicle with a lower miles per charging hour figure. EVs that charge quickly and are efficient in their use of electricity score the best in this test, while slow-charging EVs or those that use a lot of electricity to drive will have the worst results.

THE QUICKEST CHARGING EVS The Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan scored the highest in Edmunds’ test, with a potential of gaining 868 miles per charging hour in ideal conditions and when using an appropriately powered charging station. Other EVs with impressively quick charging speeds of more than 500 miles per hour include the related Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUV, Kia’s EV6 and EV9 SUVs, Porsche’s Taycan sport sedan, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, and Mercedes-Benz’s EQS sedan.

The laggard of Edmunds’ testing so far is the Chevrolet Bolt EUV, which has a potential charging speed of just 172 miles per charging hour. While the Bolt EUV is pretty efficient and well rated

by Edmunds overall, its slow charging power holds it back from being an ideal long-distance driving EV. EV CHARGING EXPLAINED There are different types of charging that are often called Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 charging. The last

of these is often referred to as fast charging because it requires the least amount of time to put the maximum amount of electricity and driving range back into an EV’s battery pack.

Level 1 charging uses a standard 120-volt household power outlet. This makes it the most convenient means to recharge, but far and away the slowest method.

A Level 1 charge usually adds only 2-3 miles of range for every hour the EV is plugged in. To achieve a full charge using this method could take days depending on the car’s state of charge and battery size.

Level 2 is considered a much more user-friendly alternative because it significantly slashes recharge times.

A 240-volt power source is used in Level 2 charging, which is typically what’s used to power an oven or a laundry room dryer. Charging an EV in a home is typically done with a Level 2 setup. A typical EV charging with a Level 2 power source might gain around 25 to 35 miles per charging hour.

Finally, we come to Level 3, or what’s commonly known as fast charging. Fast charging is great for EV drivers who are travelling long distances and need a quick way to add range. It also works well for EV owners who don’t have access to a home charger, such as people living in apartments or homes without a garage.

EDMUNDS SAYS It never hurts to do your research when it comes time to choose the best electric vehicle for your driving needs and budget.

If you will only use your EV for city driving and have a home charging setup, a quick fast-charging speed isn’t that important. But owners wanting to use their EV for frequent long road trips should make charging speed a big consideration.

UÊ / ÃÊ ÃÌ ÀÞÊ Ü>ÃÊ «À Û `i`Ê to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Nick Kurczewski is a contributor at Edmunds and is on Twitter and Instagram.

Set SMART and attainable goals for the new year PAGE 10, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

NOW that Christmas is behind us, attention has turned to New Year’s Day. The closing of one calendar year and the opening of another provides what seems like the perfect hinge point — a time to review the past and make plans for the future. It is easy, with a full year ahead — 365 days or blank slates — to get carried away, overcommitting ourselves to huge, sometimes nearly impossible, transformations. Changes in saving and spending habits, educational advancement, fitness benchmarks, and nutritional rules are common items on the end/start of year lists. It is exciting to embark on new adventures, but it can also be overwhelming to try to make too many changes at once.

Incremental changes are less exciting. Realistic changes can be a bit uninspiring as well. Many people would prefer to aim for $10,000 in savings for the year — even if reaching it would require a third job or the amount seems so unreachable that they are unwilling to make small steps, ending in a rush in the last month or two of the year — than to think about what is possible every week, or even every month, and use that as a starting point for setting the goal for the year.

Setting goals requires responsibility, not only to work toward them, but to set them in ways that make them possible. It is the possibility that really keeps us motivated. It is the belief that we can actually do what we have set out to do.

A few weeks ago, I participated in a programme that included a session on strategic planning. In the session, the facilitator, of course, references SMART goals.

Goals should be specific, so we know exactly what we are working toward. A SMART goal, for example, is not to “save more money,” but to “save 20% more money than last year,” or to “save $500.” Goals should be measurable, so we can see how we are doing along the way. We need to see in July that we have saved

THE TRIBUNE

By Alicia Wallace

$200, and that we need to save more in the second half of the year to reach the goal. They should be achievable/attainable, so we know

themselves up for failure.

People set goals to meet them, not to show off their ambition and later fail to reach them. Or do they?

People set goals to meet them, not to show off their ambition and later fail to reach them. Or do they? we can reach them. A goal to save $500 when we only make enough money to save $200 and a side gig would only bring in an extra $100 is not a realistic goal. We need to assess our current situation and make projections in order to determine what is possible.

Goals also need to be relevant, so they align with what we want for ourselves.

If we want to take the last two classes needed to complete a degree, and it will require a change in spending, it may not be possible to, in the same year, save $500. Perhaps saving $500 would make it possible to take the last two classes. It is all about how these goals interact and what we want to accomplish within the timeline. SMART goals are also time-bound. There is a date by which we want to reach the goal. It is not just floating goals that we carry from one year to the next.

The facilitator of the strategic planning session then challenged the “A” in SMART goals. He asked us what it would look like to set a goal that is ambitious rather than attainable. People in the room, of course, had different opinions. No one wanted to set

The idea of the ambitious goal is not to replace the attainable goal, but to push us a little further. We may be quite certain that we can save $500. Maybe that is easy, especially when we consider that we need to save a little more than $10 per week if we can to reach that goal in one year. Saving $15 per week would be more of a challenge. It may be possible, but we know that it would be hard to do.

In this case, we may decide to set $500 as the goal for achievability, but have $700 as the stretch goal. Having the ambitious goal, making it a bit of a stretch, gives us more road to run. With that higher number in mind, we are more likely to meet the attainable goal.

I have seen many people set high goals for reading books. While reading scores of books in a year is not a goal that I find particularly appealing, I have come to realize that such goals may be a part of what keeps people reading and helps people to develop the habit of reading in the first place.

A long-time lover of books, I do not count the books I read, but I enjoy them and I know that the number is “up there.” In the age of

social media and sharing just about everything, it is fun to brag about what we are doing, especially if we imagine that others are not doing the same. Being able to say, “I read eight books this month,” in a post with a photo of the stack of books could be motivating, especially when people make comments expressing their awe and asking how that is even possible. The person then has momentum and a little extra motivation to try to read another eight books in the next month.

For some, the stretch goal is the key. In January, they make the announcement that this is the year they will read 100 books. It is exciting, it is impressive, and it may even convince others to do it, or even start a competition.

They now need to read, on average, two books per week.

They may pick out the first five books, ask people for recommendations, buy or borrow some of the bestselling books from the previous year, read along with their teenage children, join a book club or two, get into audiobooks, schedule reading time every day, and/or start a book blog. They may not get to 100 books since every week is not the same and unexpected things are sure to happen, but even if they reach 80 books, they got to more than they would have if they had not set the ambitious (if not attainable) goal of 100 books in a year.

Being realistic is great.

We all want to be able to reach our goals. That said, what is a goal if not a challenge? This is a good time to push ourselves. Think about attainable versus ambitious, and remember that it does not have to be either/or.

You can set a minimum for yourself while pushing yourself toward the higher goal.

One of the important notes from the facilitator of the strategic planning session was that no one else needs to know about the ambitious goal. The goals you set are for you. You may decide to share them with others, but they do not need to know your

stretch goals.

You can choose to share the attainable version, and leave them to be impressed when you reach or surpass it.

One of the pieces that is often missing from goal setting is community. Think about who you would like to have in your audience as you work toward your goals. The Negative Nancy probably would not be of much help unless you are particularly driven by that kind of energy and being able to prove people wrong.

Find a supportive person, and let them know how they can help. That may be checking in with you every week, gently calling you in when you get off track, rewarding you as you meet benchmarks, or

generally being a great, consistent cheerleader. Working toward goals can sometimes require shifts in life, like spending time and money in different ways. Who is going to be supportive?

Who is likely to be a problem? How will you handle it? Be sure to think about all of the implications of your goals and what you will need to do to achieve them.

It is always a bit easier when you can anticipate the shenanigans so you can plan responses rather than being caught off guard.

As you work toward your goals, find a way to record your progress.

This does not need to be an app or a full journal. It could be a list of dates where you write what went well and what did not go so well. At the end of the year, it can be helpful to take a look at what made the good days good and what made the bad days bad. Did you spend more money when you were sad?

Did you miss reading times because of those migraines during a particular season? Tracking habits, health, mood, and other points can help you to plan for the next year. Sure, you can read two books per week, but not in April when you have sinus issues, so you may be down five books that month. Adjust the next year’s goal accordingly!

Set those goals, be realistic, and give yourself a little stretch. Find people to share the goals with, to keep you motivated, and to celebrate the wins. Record your experiences. Honour the changing seasons and personal needs that come throughout the year. Every year is a bit of a trial run for the next. Make 2024 a year of positive movement, and remember that 2025 is coming too.

Bahamas Waste donates to All Saints Camp ahead of Christmas A DECADE-LONG initiative of goodwill and brotherly love by Bahamas Waste continued on Friday, December 1, when the company donated food items and clothing to the All Saints Camp just in time for the holiday season.

The All Saints Camp is home to 40 adults, many of whom are living with HIV, and about 30 children.

Ethelyn Davis, Operations Manager at Bahamas Waste, said the items were raised by Bahamas Waste employees who brought in the dry goods during Thanksgiving, which the company then matched.

“We felt that Thanksgiving time, basically harvest, as it used to be called, that we wanted to give back to the community that needed assistance,” Mrs Davis said. “We just wanted to be of assistance to this group of under served individuals.”

Food items like tuna, sardines, grits, rice, flour, corn beef, tomato paste, vegetable soup, other dry goods, and clothing were all a part of the donation.

As a part of their commitment to assist the All Saints Camp, Bahamas Waste provides year-round waste disposal to the community at no cost.

“So, we started by providing medical waste and regular trash collection

BAHAMAS Waste makes donation of dry food and clothing items to All Saints Camp. From left: Sandy Bastian, operations clerk at Bahamas Waste, Christopher Johnson, IT/Health & Safety manager at Bahamas Waste, Ernestine Seymour, HR manager at Bahamas Waste, Kashla Forbes, Administrative Assistant at All Saints Camp and Godfrey Rolle, Ground Controller at Bahamas Waste. services to them, free of knew that it’s a community we decided that we’d give treated and handled just charge,” Mrs Davis said. that more than anything them year-round medical like any other medical “Money was not a factor else needs medical waste waste services. So, when institution.” when we thought about services and their waste their doctors or whoever She continued: “Being what we would provide needed to be handled in came out to them, their a part of an organisafor that institution. We a proper manner. Hence, waste product would be tion like Bahamas Waste

that sees the importance of giving back is a great feeling.

That particular community in the All Saints Camp is often ostracised, and because of that, we felt we needed to support them more. They’re one of the charities that rarely gets supported. So, it’s a great feeling to help those in need.”

The donation was organised by Bahamas Waste human resources manager Ernestine Seymour, who said she felt it even more important to make a more significant donation this holiday season.

“This year was heartwrenching for me because we didn’t get to give back last year and based on what I’ve seen this community is often forgotten,” Ms Seymour said. “Giving back for us to this community is something we’re thankful that we are able to do and I would love to see more companies in corporate Bahamas give back to them as well.”

Kashaala Forbes, All Saints Camp administrative assistant, was thankful for the donation, saying: “This means so much to us. To see people, celebrating the holiday season but looking back and lending a helping hand consistently like Bahamas Waste, it warms my heart. We are truly grateful.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 11

Minister of Health ‘Junkanoo in Paradise’ - A new hosts Christmas musical running on stage at Atlantis giveaway for kids LOCALS and tourists are familiar with Junkanoo in Marina Village, near casinos and Bay Street in December.

Now they can experience the spectacle’s pulsating sounds and attractive costumes in a theatre through Junkanoo in Paradise, the new musical at Atlantis that will run until the end of March on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays before taking a sixweek break.

The musical challenges the audience to imagine Junkanoo without the components many take for granted: the whistle, the cowbell, and, in particular, the goatskin drum. Through mostly original songs, it then reminds people of how sweet Junkanoo’s music is. It connects the festival to figures and elements of Bahamian history, appealing to Bahamians while giving guests an immersive cultural experience.

The musical’s launch was timely, coming ahead of the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades and days after Junkanoo was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

It may represent a significant moment for the local theatre community, which has longed for funding and opportunities to showcase its talent.

“The Dundas Theatre has traditionally been the highlight for acting in the country,” said Fred Ferguson, the musical’s producer.

“I think this will be the springboard for not only other Junkanoo groups but other groups to put together Bahamian stories related to what we are culturally. This is taking Junkanoo off of Bay Street onto a stage a la Broadway and showing people how you can make money doing Junkanoo different from having to compete on Bay

Street. It’s never been done before.”

Mr Ferguson said he was initially presented with an idea for a traditional cultural show “with the fire dance and the limbo”.

“They made the mistake of inviting me to come and see it,” he said. “I came and saw it and said no, this is 2024 almost. We need to bring it to another level. Either I spoke loudly enough or somehow they believed me and they allowed me to produce it. So I brought in Patrice Francis as the scriptwriter, and she wrote the most amazing script.”

Erin Knowles is the musical’s director, Ricardo Christie is the choreographer, and Mr Ferguson co-wrote the music with Sammie Star.

All but two musical selections are original pieces.

Vaughn Roberts, senior vice president of Atlantis, said the musical sprung from efforts to create a business opportunity for Roots, the Junkanoo group the resort sponsors.

“We wanted to do something different from just the rush-out that happens in Marina Village or the casino,” he said. “We really tried to create an experience that both our guests and locals would want to come into.”

Junkanoo in Paradise is the first musical Atlantis has underwritten. It has a cast of 48 people and was in production for six months.

“We paid for the production. We’re gonna share any revenue that comes from it with Roots,” Mr Roberts said.

“It took a lot to sell it within Atlantis and then to put the right people in place to make it happen. Once it got rolling, we really realised that we had something special.”

MINISTER of Health Michael Darville hosts annual Christmas giveaway.

HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville hosted his annual kids Christmas giveaway on Friday.

The Tall Pines MP welcomed parents and children to the event to receive gifts, foods and entertainment.

Many children were seen walking away with big smiles after they were able to receive a special Christmas present.

Dr Darville noted the initiative was important to make sure children in the constituency felt loved and appreciated. The giveback also aided parents who were in need of an extra helping hand.

Photos: Soralace Productions

‘Junkanoo Jingle to Bay Street’ boasts successful inagural 5k fun run A HOST of Santas took part in a 5k race earlier this month, with the Western Esplanade packed with hundreds of red-suited runners on December 16.

Race participants ran, walked, rolled, and rushed from Arawak Cay down Bay Street in festive holiday fashion with a Junkanoo rushout in between.

The JJtoBay race, created

by Four Seasons Race Management and TIDE Consultants, increased health and fitness awareness, built community, and fostered cultural pride right before Christmas.

The inaugural race had 250 plus participants happily dancing and swaying

to the Junkanoo beat.

The pet friendly event donated part proceeds to Legacy Church’s Youth Department with a special invitation for the Children’s Emergency Hostel children to enjoy the fun with toys donated by Quality Home Center.

Race co-director Marcel Major said: “JJtoBay is dear to our hearts as we are deeply rooted in Junkanoo, we are also runners, health enthusiasts and community builders – this holiday race blends all our shared ideals while raising funds for youth development in The Bahamas.”

His co-directors, his wife Theresa, and Kandice

FAMILIES and friends came out in full support of the holiday race.

Weech-Eldon anticipate the Christmas run will continue to grow annually with the support of tourists, children, families, fitness clubs, civic organisations, and community groups.

The race included many surprises along the route including snow, drummer boys, carolers, and dance troops.

Participants enjoyed sweet treats thanks to title sponsor Dunkin’ and additional sponsors.

JJtoBay5K is due to return on December 14 next year in New Providence and December 21 in Grand Bahama. Early bird registration begins online in January.

JUNKANOO and rushing in the street at JJtoBay.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

PROVIDENCE BASKETBALL CLUB HOLIDAY CLASSIC TIPS OFF TODAY FROM PAGE 16 will run through Saturday when the championship games will be played.

Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson, the club’s president and tournament organiser, said they are excited to be able to host the young basketball players and keep them active and out of mischief during the Yuletide season. “This year we have 16 senior boys’ teams crossed over in four different pools and also we have 16 junior boys’ teams crossed in four different pools as well,” he said.

“It’s a four-day tournament and we are ready and excited to play basketball. After eating all of that ham and turkey and going to junkanoo, the fans can come out and enjoy some high level high school basketball competition.”

The CI Gibson Rattlers, coached by Johnson, are the defending senior boys’ champions,

while the DW Davis Royals, coached by Mark Hanna, are the junior boys defending champions.

Johnson, however, doesn’t feel that it will be a walk in the gym for any of the two teams to successfully hold onto their titles.

“I think, especially at the junior level, it’s going to be keen and tough,” Johnson said. “The senior level is always tight, so I’m looking forward to some good competition. May the best team win.

“We have some very good teams entered this year. St George’s is coming down, we also have Blazer Elite out of Grand Bahama and Agape Christian Academy, out of Abaco, will also be in town.”

The teams will play each other in pool play with the top two teams advancing to the playoffs on Saturday before they get to the final four and eventually the champions being crowned this year.

“CI Gibson is the defending senior boys’ champions, but CC Sweeting is always tough, so is Charles W Saunders, the private school champions and St George’s, a very strong team that we will have to definitely look out for.

“In the junior boys’ division, DW Davis is the defending champions, but St John’s usually has a good team, LW Young has a good team this year, so does Prince Will and Teleos. The junior division will be loaded and so whoever comes out on top, they will have to fight for it.”

Johnson said there will be a lot of excitement and fans can come out and cheer on their respective teams at a cost of $3 for each session, which will include a total of about nine games. There will be two sessions per day.

UÊ iÀi½ÃÊ >Ê Ê >ÌÊ Ì iÊ LÀ>V iÌÃÊ and matches to be played in the Providence Basketball Classic

from today through Saturday at the CI Gibson Gymnasium: Junior Boys’ Division Pool 1 - DW Davis, Galilee, Queen’s College and Nassau Christian Academy.

Pool II - St John’s, LW Young, AF Adderley and Charles W. Saunders.

Pool III - Agape, SC McPherson, TA Thompson and Freedom Baptist Academy.

Pool IIII - Jordan Prince Williams, ISBET, Teleos and Anatol Rodgers, Senior Boys’ Division Pool 1 - CI Gibson A, Blazer Elite, Nassau Christian Academy and Mt Carmel.

Pool II - Charles W Saunders, Government High, Teleos and St John’s.

Pool III - CC Sweeting, Galilee, Doris Johnson and Queen’s College.

Pool IIII - St George’s, CI Gibson B, Jordan Prince Williams and CV Bethel.

Today’s schedule Session one - 9 am St John’s vs Charles W. Saunders. 9:45 am LW Young vs AF Adderley. 10:30 am DW Davis vs Nassau Christian Academy. 11:15 am Galilee vs Queen’s College. Noon Agape vs Freedom Baptist Academy.

12:45 pm SC McPherson vs TA Thompson. 1:30 pm Jordan Prince Williams vs Anatol Rodgers. 2:15 pm ISBET vs Teleos.

Session II - 3 pm CI Gibson B vs CV Bethel. 4:30 pm CC Sweeting vs Queen’s College. 5:15 pm Galilee vs Doris Johnson.

6 pm Charles W. Saunders vs St John’s. 6:45 pm Government High vs Teleos. 7:30 pm CI G A vs Mt Carmel. 8:15 pm. Blazers Elite vs Nassau Christian Academy. 9 pm CV Bethel vs St George’s. 9:45 pm CI Gibson B vs Jordan Prince Williams.

Pistons set single-season record with 27th straight loss, fall to Nets 118-112 DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons set an NBA single-season record with their 27th straight loss last night, as Cam Johnson scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges added 21 to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 118112 victory.

Cade Cunningham scored 41 points but the Pistons broke a tie with the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers hold the overall mark at 28, a skid that started in the 2014-15 season and carried over into 2015-16.

Cunningham scored 37 in the second half and shot 15 for 21 from the field, but Bojan Bogdanovic was the only other Pistons player with more than 15.

Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe each added double-doubles for the Nets, who beat the Pistons for the second straight game.

THUNDER 129, TIMBERWOLVES 106 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai GilgeousAlexander scored 34 points, Jalen Williams added 21 and Oklahoma City made 18 shots from 3-point range to beat Minnesota.

Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort each added 20 points for the Thunder, who went 18 for 39 (46.2%) on 3s and forced 24 Minnesota turnovers that led to 23 points.

Dort was 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Anthony Edwards had 25 points to pace Minnesota. Mike Conley added 17 and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16.

Josh Giddey returned to the starting lineup for the Thunder after missing a game with a left ankle sprain. He finished with 10 points.

MAGIC 127, WIZARDS 119 WASHINGTON (AP) — Franz Wagner had 28 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, rookie Anthony Black scored

a career-high 23 points and Orlando defeated Washington.

Paolo Banchero overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points and eight assists and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence due to a left wrist injury to score 11.

Jordan Poole had 30 points to lead the Wizards, who have lost four of their last five, and Tyus Jones added 22.

Trailing by as many as eight, Washington’s bench came up with 12 points in the first quarter and a 14-4 run tied things at 33 after one.

Daniel Gafford had 13 points and 13 rebounds while Kyle Kuzma had 17 for the Wizards.

PACERS 123, ROCKETS 117 HOUSTON (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton had 33 points and 10 assists and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute left to lead Indiana over Houston, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Alperen Sengun led Houston with 30 points and 16 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet added 18 points and nine assists.

Rockets forward Tari Eason tied the game at 33 on the last play of the first quarter by stealing the ball from Andrew Nembhard and finishing with a thunderous breakaway dunk.

Eason had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Houston.

BULLS 118, HAWKS 113 CHICAGO (AP) — Andre Drummond had season highs of 24 points and 25 rebounds in his first start of the season, DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points and Chicago cooled off Atlanta’s Trae Young somewhat in beating the Hawks.

Young finished with 21 points and 13 assists after tying Oscar Robertson’s record of seven consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists.

RATTLERS

They understand the importance of the offseason training,” Johnson pointed out.

“They prepared themselves for this moment and worked extremely hard to be a part of this moment.

“I must say, they cherished the time they came and played together. They understood the importance of being ready when the time came for them to play.”

Right before his eyes, Johnson said he watched as his players grew up and held their own against some of the top ranked high school players out of the United States.

The Rattlers will now prepare to defend their title in the 24th Providence Basketball Club Yuletide Classic at the CI Gibson Gymnasium. The

FROM PAGE 16

because of how hard we played and we never gave up,” Johnson stated.

“That was the trademark for our team this year in this tournament. We played extremely hard for four quarters and we never gave up.”

Gerrad Rolle and Tashon Butler were both named to the All-Tournament team as a result of their performances.

The other members of the team were Charles Maynard, D’Neo Smith, Mario Rolle, Darius Hanna, Dwayne Findley, Sergio Bain, Condae Smith, Joshua Fynes, Osee Olibrice and Zavion Lloyd.

“The young men bought into what we are doing.

DETROIT Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, centre, is defended on his shot by Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (28) forward Royce O’Neale, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game last night in Detroit.

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson) Drummond made 11 of 13 shots and played 39 minutes. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 19. White missed all seven 3-pointers and the Bulls were 7 of 25 from beyond the arc. Bogdan Bogdanovic led Atlanta with 22 points. Dejounte Murray finished with 17 after scoring 20 or more in five straight games, and the Hawks lost their third in a row.

JAZZ 130, SPURS 118 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Utah overcame a slow start to beat San Antonio, which has lost five straight since snapping a franchiseworst 18-game losing streak. Jordan Clarkson

added 24 points, Collin Sexton had 20 and Walker Kessler scored 11 for Utah.

Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 26 points, Devin Vassell had 22, Jeremy Sochan added 19 and Victor Wembanyama had 15. The Jazz have won three in a row and six of eight after starting the season 2-7.

GRIZZLIES 116, PELICANS 115 (Overtime) NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant scored 31 points and Memphis defeated New Orleans in overtime to improve to 4-0 since Morant made his season debut in New Orleans a week earlier.

Desmond Bane scored 27, including a 3 in the final minute of regulation that

helped Memphis erase a 15-point, second-half deficit. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 19 points, redeeming his missed free throw at the end of regulation with a pair of baskets late in overtime that gave the Grizzlies the lead for good.

Zion Williamson had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans. Brandon Ingram scored 24 points and blocked four shots.

Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and CJ McCollum added 16 points for New Orleans, which dropped its second straight — both at home.

The overtime came after a wild last few seconds on the game clock that took several minutes to complete because of video reviews of foul calls.

CLARKE SISTERS GIVE BACK FROM PAGE 16 chipped in despite it being a short notice,” Clarke said. “It was a great response this year.”

For the third time, Clarke said she looks forward to doing it. “It’s always an exciting time for me and I enjoy doing it,” said Clarke, who was accompanied by her younger sister Sarai.

“Whatever I can do for the kids with the toys, food, cleaning supplies and toiletries, whatever I can do, I will do. I enjoy it.”

Although her main focus was on competing in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s annual Giorgio Baldacci Tournament at the National Tennis Centre where she lost out in the final to Simone Pratt, Clarke said she was just delighted to fulfil her commitment to the hostel.

“A lot of people have helped me with my tennis career and life in general, so it’s my duty as a citizen to give back,” Clarke said.

“It’s always a great feeling to give back, especially to the community.

“Just seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids brings me a lot of joy. In this holiday season, I have a lot to be grateful for. I have my parents and those kids, unfortunately, don’t. So with my platform in tennis, this is my way of helping them in any way I possibly can.”

While the Bahamas Children’s Hostel will continue to be her focal point, Clarke said with further assistance in the future, she will like to extend the Christmas cheer to the other foster homes.

But she indicated that she was really appreciative of Bahamas Waste for their huge donation, along with her family and friends for their continued support.

For persons who wish to make their contribution to the home, Gibson indicated that they can reach her at admin@bch242.org or call 807-6155 or 677-0217.

“We are grateful for what she is doing and we are encouraging others to follow suit,” Gibson said.

“She is doing a very good deed.”

THE CI Gibson Rattlers came close to bringing home one of the divisional championship titles at the Tarkanian Basketball Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. But they had to settle for unwrapping the runners-up hardware over the Christmas holiday weekend. tournament, which will feature both a junior and

senior boys’ division, will get underway today at 9am

and wrap up on Saturday.

There will be two sessions

held each day. The entry fee for the fans is $3 each.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 13

Raiders use 2 defensive touchdowns for 20-14 victory over Chiefs KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Las Vegas got a pair of defensive touchdowns for the second straight week, including a pick-6 of the struggling Patrick Mahomes, and the resurgent Raiders held off the sloppy Kansas City Chiefs 20-14 on Monday to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.

Big defensive tackle Bilal Nichols returned a fumble 8 yards for a touchdown, and Jack Jones took an interception 33 yards for another score 7 seconds later, helping the Raiders (7-8) snap a six-game losing streak to the Chiefs. The Raiders have five defensive TDs this season, their most since 2005.

Kansas City (9-6) squandered an opportunity to clinch the AFC West for the eighth consecutive year

with one of their worst performances of the Mahomes era.

The Chiefs still had a chance after Mahomes hit Justin Watson for a touchdown with 2:42 to go. But on the ensuing possession, the Raiders’ Zamir White got loose for a 43-yard gain, picking up a first down that allowed them to run out the clock.

Mahomes finished 27 of 44 for 235 yards and an interception.

Aidan O’Connell was 9 of 21 for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter, while White had 145 yards on the ground.

Malcolm Koonce had three sacks for the Raiders.

RAVENS 33, 49ERS 19 SANTA CLARA, Calif.

(AP) — Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown

passes in a span of 18 seconds in the third quarter and Baltimore intercepted Brock Purdy four times in a victory over San Francisco.

Jackson and the Ravens (12-3) turned a highly anticipated matchup between the top two teams in the NFL into a lopsided win with strong performances on both sides of the ball.

Kyle Hamilton and the defence set the tone early by intercepting Purdy on three of the 11-4 49ers’ first four drives.

Jackson threw for 252 yards, ran for 45 more and vaulted past Purdy to become the MVP favourite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Purdy is the first 49ers quarterback to throw four interceptions in a game since Colin Kaepernick in 2015. He finished 18 for 32

for 255 yards before getting replaced by Sam Darnold.

San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey running for 102 yards and a TD and adding 28 yards receiving. He set a franchise record with his eighth straight game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.

EAGLES 33, GIANTS 25 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts scored on the “tush push” that gave him the NFL record for most rushing scores by a quarterback in a season, threw for a touchdown, and Philadelphia (11-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over New York.

Adoree’ Jackson gave the Giants (5-10) a spark when he returned an interception 76 yards for a score and Saquon Barkley converted a 2-point conversion that

KANSAS City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) is stopped

by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, right, while getting a push by teammate Wanya Morris (64) during the second half of an NFL football game on Monday.

(AP Photo/Ed Zurga) made it 20-18 late in the third quarter.

But the Eagles put it away in the fourth on D’Andre Swift’s 5-yard touchdown run and a pair of field goals

by Jake Elliott.

New York’s Tyrod Taylor connected with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard score late in the fourth that made it 30-25. Taylor was picked off in the end zone on the final play of the game.

Hurts scored his 15th rushing TD of the season on a 1-yard “tush push” early in the first quarter that gave him the most for a QB in a season in NFL history. Carolina’s Cam Newton held the record with 14 in 2011.

Hurts threw a 36-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith for a 17-3 lead that gave him 35 total touchdowns this season, tying the team’s season record.

Jason Sanders’ last-second field goal gives Dolphins 22-20 win over Cowboys and a playoff berth MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jason Sanders kicked his fifth field goal of the game, a 29-yarder as time expired, and the Miami Dolphins secured a playoff berth with a 22-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 293 yards and a touchdown for the AFC East-leading Dolphins (11-4), who beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season.

He connected with Tyreek Hill twice on the decisive drive, which covered 64 yards and took the final 3:27 off the clock.

Hill had nine catches for 99 yards after missing last week’s victory over the New York Jets with an ankle injury.

Dak Prescott went 20 of 32 for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (10-5), who have already clinched a playoff spot but fell a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East. Prescott put Dallas in front 20-19 with an 8-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Brandin Cooks in the corner of the end zone.

Sanders’ first field goal was a career-long 57-yarder in the first quarter. He added kicks of 52, 54 and 35 yards.

PATRIOTS 26, BRONCOS 23 DENVER (AP) — Chad Ryland made a career-long 56-yard field goal with 2 seconds left, and New England dealt a near-fatal blow to Denver’s playoff hopes.

The Patriots (4-11) scored a pair of touchdowns in a 6-second span of the third quarter, then fended off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Broncos (7-8). Denver now has just a 6% chance of ending an eight-year playoff drought, according to the NFL’s calculations.

Ryland’s kick capped a seven-play, 44-yard drive that began with 58 seconds left after the Broncos went three-and-out. Denver had tied it up with a pair of long TD drives and 2-point conversions on its previous two possessions.

Ryland missed a 47-yard field goal and an extra point, but the rookie came through at the end.

The Broncos were 7 1/2point favourites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, making the Patriots the fourth underdog to win at Empower Field at Mile High in coach Sean Payton’s first season.

Bill Belichick improved to 11-10 against the Broncos during his 24-year tenure in New England.

LIONS 30, VIKINGS 24 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Detroit clinched its first division title in 30 years, using two rushing touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs and 106 receiving yards and a third-quarter goahead score by Amon-Ra St. Brown to beat injuryplagued Minnesota.

Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off Minnesota’s Nick Mullens at the 5-yard line on an off-target pass to an open Justin Jefferson with 49 seconds left to seal the win.

Mullens was intercepted four times.

Jared Goff passed for 257 yards without a turnover and David Montgomery had a rushing touchdown for the Lions (11-4).

Detroit secured a home playoff game for the first time in 22 seasons at Ford Field, where an NFC North champions banner will soon hang. The last one was for winning the NFC Central in 1993.

Mullens threw for two scores, a diving 26-yard catch by Jefferson with 29 seconds left in the first

DALLAS Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) hugs Miami Dolphins linebacker Melvin Ingram (9) on the field after the Miami Dolphins defeated the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game on Sunday in Miami Gardens.

(AP Photo/Doug Murray) half and a 6-yard toss to K.J. Osborn that gave the Vikings (7-8) a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter one play after a 47-yard heave to Osborn.

BUCCANEERS 30, JAGUARS 12 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, and NFC South-leading Tampa Bay won its fourth straight while extending Jacksonville’s skid to four games.

Mayfield threw a pair of TD passes as the Buccaneers (8-7) built a 20-0 halftime lead.

In both cases, the Bucs cashed in after intercepting Trevor Lawrence.

He has struggled after spending the past week in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Lawrence threw a second-half TD pass to Calvin Ridley before spending the fourth quarter on the bench with what the Jaguars announced was a shoulder injury.

The Bucs are alone atop their division, one game ahead of New Orleans and Atlanta.

The Jaguars (8-7) remained in a first-place tie atop the AFC South with Indianapolis and Houston because both rivals also lost on Sunday.

BROWNS 36, TEXANS 22 HOUSTON (AP) — Amari Cooper set a franchise record with 265 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion as Cleveland beat Houston to move closer to a playoff berth.

The Browns (10-5) are all but guaranteed to secure their second postseason appearance since 2002.

It’s the third time since 1999 that they’ve reached

double-digit wins, doing so in 2007 and 2020.

Joe Flacco threw for 368 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in his fourth start for the Browns, who built a 22-7 halftime lead and cruised to their third straight victory.

Cooper broke the Browns record previously held by Josh Gordon, who had 261 yards receiving against Jacksonville on Dec. 1, 2013. Cooper has 1,250 yards receiving, making him the first receiver in team history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

The Texans (8-7) saw their playoff chances diminish. Case Keenum threw for 62 yards with two interceptions in his second start in place of star rookie C.J. Stroud, who remains out with a concussion. Keenum was replaced by Davis Mills late in the third quarter.

SEAHAWKS 20, TITANS 17 NASHVILLE, Tenn.

(AP) — Geno Smith threw his second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter, a 5-yarder to Colby Parkinson with 57 seconds left, and Seattle beat Tennessee to remain in playoff contention.

The Seahawks (8-7) have won two straight but still need to win out and get some help to clinch their second playoff berth in three seasons. The Titans (5-10) lost consecutive games for the third time this season.

Smith, who missed the past two games with an injured groin, gave the Seahawks their first lead at 13-10 when he found DK Metcalf in the left corner for an 11-yard TD with 12:10 left.

Derrick Henry put Tennessee back up 17-13 with

a 2-yard TD run with 3:21 left.

Smith responded by driving the Seahawks 75 yards over 14 plays for the decisive score.

FALCONS 29, COLTS 10 ATLANTA (AP) — Taylor Heinicke provided turnover-free leadership at quarterback, passing for 229 yards and a touchdown to lead Atlanta past Indianapolis.

The Falcons (7-8) benched Desmond Ridder this week for the second time this season following two straight losses. Heinicke delivered, completing 23 of 33 passes, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts. Tyler Allgeier added a 31-yard touchdown run. The Falcons set a season high in scoring.

The Colts (8-7), who had won five of six, struggled offensively after opening the game with a long drive capped by Jonathan Taylor’s 1-yard scoring run.

Gardner Minshew for 201 yards and was intercepted

by Jessie Bates in the fourth quarter.

Younghoe Koo kicked five field goals for Atlanta.

PACKERS 33, PANTHERS 30 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Love threw for two touchdowns, ran for one and made two big completions to set up Anders Carlson’s 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, and Green Bay survived a fourth-quarter rally by Carolina.

Love threw touchdown passes of 21 yards to rookie Dontayvion Wicks and 5 yards to Romeo Dobbs and scored on a quarterback sneak as the Packers snapped a two-game losing streak.

Aaron Jones became the first Packers

player this season to exceed 100 yards rushing or receiving in a game, rushing for 127 yards on 21 carries.

The Packers (7-8) remain one game behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card race.

Bryce Young threw for a career-high 312 yards with two touchdown passes to DJ Chark for the Panthers (2-13). Carolina trailed 30-16 in the fourth quarter before rallying to tie the game, but Love came through for Green Bay in the closing minutes.

JETS 33, COMMANDERS 30 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Greg Zuerlein kicked a 54-yard field goal with 5 seconds left, and New York beat Washington after blowing a 20-point, third-quarter lead.

Jacoby Brissett replaced the benched Sam Howell in the third quarter and led the Commanders on three straight touchdown drives, including Antonio Gibson’s 2-yard run that put Washington ahead 28-27 with 4:52 remaining.

The Jets (6-9) got the ball back with 1:41 remaining, and Trevor Siemian marched New York into range for Zuerlein’s kick. It was the second win in eight games for the Jets.

Siemian finished 27 of 49 for 217 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception in his first start in place of the injured Zach Wilson.

Breece Hall ran for 95 yards and two TDs and caught 12 passes for 96 yards.

Brissett was 10 of 13 for 100 yards and a touchdown in relief of Howell, who was benched for the second straight game. Howell was 6 of 22 for 56 yards and two interceptions with a 1.7 rating for the Commanders (4-11), who have dropped six straight.

BEARS 27, CARDINALS 16 CHICAGO (AP) — Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for a score, and Chicago beat Arizona.

Tight end Cole Kmet caught four passes for a career-high 107 yards despite missing the second half because of a knee injury.

Khalil Herbert ran for a season-high 112 yards and a touchdown, and the Bears (6-9) bounced back after a late collapse at Cleveland a week earlier.

Chicago scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the first half to take a 21-0 lead and held on from there.

Kyler Murray threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals (3-12).

PAGE 14, Wednesday, December 27, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

I-BAP POP-UP CAMP A SUCCESS FROM PAGE 16 aspect,” he said. “The girls were outstanding.

They listened very well and a lot of them came and said thanks which I appreciated a ton because they realised they learned a little something here and there. Every time they take the field they get a little better each day so it’s a good thing,” the visiting coach added.

On Saturday, the 20 athletes in attendance practiced agility, hitting, catching and fielding drills along with coach Barcomb.

Dachye Stubbs, director of softball for the International Elite (I-Elite) Sports Academy, was grateful to work alongside Barcomb to give the girls an opportunity to learn more skills and gain more exposure.

“The girls had an opportunity to work on fielding, catching and agility drills. It was a pop up camp, we had three days to put together and we had a good turnout.

Coach Brandon donated some equipment to the programme so that is always a plus and he brought a wealth of knowledge to the game. “Some of the stuff the girls have heard before but with his expertise he was able to break down and

I-BAP (Bahamas Athletic Pride) in collaboration with New York’s Electric City Bombers hosted a successful pop up Christmas camp on Saturday at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex to close out the calendar year.

Photo: Dante Carrer After working under some of the girls to have recruiting resources that explain a lot to them that we may not be able to here the tutelage of Barcomb, the opportunity to travel to can help girls get scholarin The Bahamas. It was the girls will now have the the USA and play with his ships through the sport of softball is always a plus,” pretty good and the girls opportunity to play on his travel team.

“Like any I-BAP event, the event organiser said. had fun which is the most 10U and 12U travel teams.

“This collaboration with travel college and high Jaylah Maycock, who important part,” Stubbs coach Brandon will allow school exposure and any plays outfield and is making said.

a return from an injury, was especially happy to shake some rust off at the pop up camp.

“Personally, I feel like the clinic was very influential to me because coming off an injury, I felt like I was a little rusty at first and nervous but as I came into the environment it was very productive,” “Some things I learned today was to work on hitting, my stances in the box and having confidence in the box. I plan to now work hard, take the information given to me and apply it on the field,” Maycock said.

Along with Maycock at the camp was outfielder Charmia Curtis.

She thoroughly enjoyed her experience at the camp over the weekend.

“My experience at the camp was good. I really enjoyed learning new drills and my favourite part about it was hitting. He showed me some great movements to improve my hitting. The skills I learned here today will definitely help me to perform better in games with faster movement and better hitting,” she said.

The softball season will begin for the girls in January.

Bahamas Youth Flag Football League teams to represent Bahamas at USA Flag Youth World Championships

THE Bahamas Youth Flag Football League is expected to have three teams representing the Bahamas at this year’s USA Flag Youth World Championships in San Antonio Texas, December 30-31.

TEAMS will compete in the 13U, 14U and High School divisions.

FROM PAGE 16

Minister Charles Albury, who passed away this year.

It starts at the church on Bernard Road, Fox Hill, and heads west on Bernard Road

to the Village Road round-a-bout and returns on Bernard Road to the church.

Awards will be presented to the first three finishers in each category for men

and women. Registration fee is $20 per person. Interested persons are urged to contact Brent Stubbs at 426-7265 or stubbobs@gmail.com for further information.

Athletes qualify early for CARIFTA Games FROM PAGE 16 qualifying mark of 36.00m in the victory. Placing second in the event was Elizabeth Prosper with 13.28m.

The top CARIFTA performer was grateful to qualify at the first track meet of the season but felt she could improve her technique. “I am grateful that I was able to qualify in the first meet. I went and tried

but I did not do as good as I wanted to. That was not my best throw, I did not have the proper technique but hopefully as I go on in more meets, I can improve on it,” Scott said.

As far as her expectations for the 2024 track season, she is hoping to progress to a throwing distance of 50m.

Calea Jackson, who was a part of the historic 80-member CARIFTA team, qualified for yet another CARIFTA Games after coming first in the under 20 girls’ discus throw with 46.36m. She beat the qualifying standard of 40.36m.

Cailyn Johnson, of Triple Threat, notched 39.71m for second and Annae Mackey, of Blue Chip Athletics, finished third with 36.35m.

Jackson was pleased to get the early qualification out the way.

“I just really came out here with the goal to qualify early. I am still in progress with my training. I am not peaking so I am just really taking everything as it is and just focusing on everything as it comes,” she said.

On her return home from the University of Miami, Jackson said it is a nostalgic feeling.

“I love being back home, being able to practice with

my teammates and competing is really great. I am having a great time and it is very nostalgic,” she said.

Similar to Scott, Jackson hopes to clear the 50m distance mark as the season progresses.

Demian Brice, representing X-Treme Athletics, recorded a personal best in the under 17 boys’ triple jump to not only get the victory but meet the standard for CARIFTA. He soared to a distance of 13.83m to pass the standard mark of 12.92m on Friday evening. J’Lin Roberts took second place with a height of 12.22m.

Brice also secured a first place finish in the under 17 boys’ high jump with 1.62m.

Alvardo Rolle, of Eleuthera Elites, came second, recording 1.57m in the event. The under 17 competitor was proud of his efforts at the odd distance meet. “It feels very good qualifying, I have been waiting on this for a long time. I have qualified last year and now I just want to build on what I did last year and hopefully I get a gold medal,” he said.

“The triple jump was good, I only did five steps.

I feel like for my full approach, I can go at least 16m so I am just gonna

keep working until the next meet. I am just looking to build on what I already did and hopefully I can get a better PR,” he added.

Antone Smith, representing Leap of Faith, got the job done in the under 20 boys’ triple jump event. The existing CARIFTA qualifying mark in the event is 14.29m and he notched 14.36m to meet the criteria.

Rollie Hanna, of Jumpers Inc, finished one step behind with 13.99m for second place.

Smith wants to push himself further but was elated to qualify.

“It feels amazing, I just want to thank God, my coaches and my family for believing in me.I feel amazing but I feel like I could have done better. My coach was expecting me to do better and I was expecting myself to do better too but I guess it did not work out better luck next time,” he said.

His expectation for the season is to clear 16m.

Darvinique Dean, who was recently awarded as the Red-Line Athletics most outstanding athlete, turned in top performances over the weekend. She edged out her competitors in the under 17 girls 150m race in 18.37.

Khylee Wallace, representing Red-Line Athletics as well, came second and Payton Knowles of Unique Athletics settled for third.

Dean ran ahead of the field in the under 17 girls’ 300m event. She clocked 40.27 to earn another win.

Red-Line Athletics dominated this event with Alexis Roberts and Bayli Major placing second and third respectively.

Eagan Neely, of Bahamas Speed Dynamics, took care of business in the under 15 boys 150m and 300m events.

In the former, he ran through the finish line first with a time of 16.47.

Jahcario Wilson, representing the same track club, followed behind in 16.82.

Rohman Rolle, of Fast Forward, trailed for third place.

Neely calmly sprinted to a time of 35.78 in the 300m race to claim the victory.

Shevano Nixon, of Red Line Athletics, wrapped up second and Wilson ended in third.

Everette Fraser, of Fast Forward, collected first place finishes in the under 17 boys’ 60m and 300m events.

Next up on the BAAAs Athletics calendar will be the T-Bird Flyers Classic January 5-6.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, December 27, 2023, PAGE 15

A festive treat DISNEY MAKING SCHOOL DREAMS COME TRUE

DISNEY Cruise Line (DCL) cast and crew members visited communities in Nassau, where DCL ships visit regularly, Abaco, where its private island destination Castaway Cay is located, and Eleuthera, where DCL is creating its new island destination, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, recently.

DCL worked with community partners to identify needs of local schools and students, such as academic workbooks, reading books and computers, as well as other necessities, like sporting equipment, safety resources and kitchen appliances at local schools.

“Supporting young people all yearround, and especially during the holidays, is so important to us,” said Joey Gaskins, director, public affairs, DCL. “Disney Cruise Line is committed to investing in youth programmes in these communities, and we will continue to do our part to make a lasting impact and spread a little Disney magic along the way.”

Earlier this month, while the Disney

Wish was docked in Nassau, DCL cast and crew members also spent the day at the Ranfurly Homes for Children, a local non-profit foster care organisation. The volunteers created some Disney magic at the children’s learning lab, donating laptops and equipment, as well as decorating the space with Disney-themed decals and inspiring quotes for the children to see each day.

In Eleuthera, the team visited Tarpum Bay, Rock Sound, Green Castle, Wemyss Bight and Deep Creek Primary Schools to deliver academic workbooks and reading books for students to use in school and at home.

Crew members who work on Castaway Cay and call Great Abaco home, donated their time volunteering in their community. The team distributed reading books and other necessities, such as fire extinguishers and microwaves, as well as sports gear and outdoor games for students at Cherokee Sound Primary School to enjoy.

THE National Children’s Choir was among the entertainers at Christmas in the Gardens at Government House last week.

More than 400 children from the Urban Renewal programme were invited to the event.

The ISBET Children’s Choir also took part, as did the RBDF band and the Shabach Gospel Choir.

Children were treated to popcorn, cotton candy, sweet treats, ice cream, hot cocoa, cookies, delicious Christmas dinner, face painting, artistic performances, a photo booth with Santa, and hoopla.

SPORTS PAGE 16

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2023

Rattlers fall short of title

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE CI Gibson Rattlers came close to bringing home one of the divisional championship titles at the Tarkanian Basketball Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.

But they had to settle for unwrapping the runners-up hardware over the Christmas holiday weekend.

The team, coached

by Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson, assisted by Wilton Johnson and Shannon Williams, finished with a 3-1 winloss record in the games they played at the Faith

I-BAP POP UP CAMP A SUCCESS

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net I-BAP (Bahamas Athletic Pride) in collaboration with New York’s Electric City Bombers hosted a successful pop up Christmas camp on Saturday at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex to close out the 2023 calendar year.

The softball athletes in attendance were led by New York’s Brandon Barcomb, head coach of the 10U and 12U Electric City Bombers, who passed on various softball skills at the one-day camp.

The collaborative effort between the two softball programmes proved to be fruitful as I-BAP received softball equipment on Saturday as well.

Coach Barcomb was delighted to be able to work alongside the young athletes on Saturday morning.

“It was outstanding. I tend to appreciate folks out of these kinds of places a lot more than some folks out of the United States. It’s a lot of wonderful people when I come down here and it is great for me because the girls are always very motivated and there are a lot of great players down here.

“I also like the familynature and community, the way folks are with me and my daughters. I love that

SEE PAGE 14

Lutheran High School, one of the six venues where the tournament was played last week.

In their first game played, the Rattlers won 70-57 over Chino out of California. They came back and beat North Medford out of Oregon in game two. They also won 65-58 over TMI Episcopal out of Texas in their semifinal match.

But in their finale, they lost 58-49 to Monsignor Scanlan out of New York in the championship.

“The trip was great.

Thank God I had the opportunity to take these

young men to Las Vegas to play in the Tarkanian Basketball Classic,” Johnson said. “It was a huge opportunity for our young men to be showcased in front of a lot of coaches. They played extremely well.

“We played in the Team Athletic Division, which had 16 teams in our pool.

We went to the championship game and got beat by nine points. We played some very good teams in the tournament.”

Chino Hills, according to Johnson, was the alma mater for the Ball brothers, who currently play in the National Basketball

Association. Against North Medford, Johnson said they encountered a strong shooting team.

The team from Texas was coached by former NBA player Bruce Bowen, whose son, along with the son of Tim Duncan, also played on the team.

“They had two 6-10, 6-9 and 6-8 players on that team,” Johnson said. “We played extremely hard and very fast. We felt we were more athletic than them, so we played extremely fast and organised and controlled and that helped us to win to get into the Team Athletics divisional final.

“But in the final, we ran into a very strong team from New York. We got beat because we didn’t make our free shots. We missed 21 free shots and got beat by nine. We also missed about 13 lay-ups.

So at the end of the day, if we had capitalised on their missed free shots and layups, we would have had an opportunity to win.”

They didn’t, but Johnson said he was happy and thankful that his Rattlers played at a high level.

“A lot of the coaches gave our team high praises

SEE PAGE 12

‘Buddy’ scores 11 to help Pacers win

NFL

Page 13

ATHLETES QUALIFY EARLY FOR CARIFTA GAMES

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net BEFORE athletes took a break for Christmas festivities, they hit the qualifying mark for the 2024 CARIFTA Games at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Odd Distance Meet on Friday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

The one-day meet brought out over 300 athletes competing in nontraditional events, including 60m, 150m, 300m and 600m.

Athletes ranged from the under-7 age group to the open division.

Most of the qualifying action took place in the field events.

Dior-Rae Scott, who earned a silver medal at the 2023 CARIFTA Games hosted on home soil, once again qualified for the regional competition.

In the girls’ under 17 javelin event, she placed first with a distance of 44.68m.

She bested the CARIFTA

SEE PAGE 14

PROVIDENCE BASKETBALL HOLIDAY CLASSIC TIPS OFF TODAY

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

HANGTIME: Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield (7) goes up for a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic on Saturday in Indianapolis. The Pacers beat the Rockets 123-117 last night.

SEE PAGE 12 (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

SPORTS CALENDAR BAHAMAS YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE THE Bahamas Youth Flag Football League is expected to have three teams representing the Bahamas at this year’s USA Flag Youth World Championships being hosted in San Antonio Texas, December 30-31. The 3 teams will compete in the 13U, 14U and High School divisions.

Team manager Alexandra DealCoakley expressed her excitement about these teams competing, particularly because these teams have been together for a few years now and are showing lots of chemistry when competing, with one of them even winning a qualifier last year in Tampa, Florida.

Jayson Clarke, assistant coach of the high school team and BYFFL coordinator, also expressed high hopes about this year’s World Championships. “I

Dec 2023

am looking for all three teams to do very well this year. They’ve shown tremendous improvement in their level of play, and we even have a few of our players that are now off to school in the US, rejoin the team during the semester break so we’re that much stronger.”

The team leaves today (December 27) for San Anotnio, Texas and will play three games each on December 30 to determine seeding for the final day of play on December 31.

MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH FAMILY FUN WALK THE Men’s Department of Macedonia Baptist Church is scheduled to hold a Family Fun Walk Race to kick off the new year and the beginning of its Men’s Anniversary at 6am on Saturday, January 6. The event will honour the late

SEE PAGE 14

IN the aftermath of the Christmas celebrations and as a prelude to the second half of the regular season in the new year, the Providence Basketball Club Holiday Classic is all set to tip off today at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

The tournament, originally designed for senior boys’ teams when it got started 24 years ago and now for the second year including the junior boys,

SEE PAGE 12

CLARKE SISTERS GIVE BACK

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net IN her usual way of giving back, tennis player Sydney Clarke returned to the Bahamas Children’s Hostel for the third consecutive year to provide some much-needed supplies of groceries, toiletries and toys to the 30 residents of the home from nine months to 18 years of age.

The Christmas gifts were presented on Friday and were received by Charlene Gibson, the business and operations manager, who indicated that they are very appreciative of what she continues to do for the hostel. “She makes a constant effort to call me every time she’s back in town and asks me what the kids need and she puts something together and comes and makes the donation,” Clarke said.

This has been an annual thing for the past three years. “For the most part, we are very appreciative of whatever we get,” Gibson

SISTERS Sarai and Sydney Clarke with Charlene Gibson, the business and operations manager at the Bahamas Children’s Emergency Hostel.

Photo: Tenajh Sweeting/Tribune Staff said. “It’s a donation, so we Birmingham, Clarke said don’t have to find the funds if there’s one thing on her to go and purchase it. So things to do list, it was no matter how big or small making her appearance at the donation is, we appre- the hostel. ciate it.”

“It was another sucBack home on the cess. I received a lot of Christmas break from donations. A lot of people her final year at the University of Alabama at SEE PAGE 12