12292022 NEWS AND SPORT

Minister insists all options are being considered over fund

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MYLES Laroda, Minister of State with responsibility for the National Insurance Board, said yesterday the government will have to make a decision next year concerning the state of NIB’s fund, which he says remains on target to lose about $70m this year.

In the meantime, he said the government will continue considering its options on how it can ensure the fund’s sustainability.

These options include cutting back on costs or

raising revenue or doing both, he added.

“The fund is no better, or no worse than the last time we spoke,” Mr Laroda told reporters when asked for an update on the agency’s financial position before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

“The government is going to have to make a decision in the upcoming year as to what its position is going to be as we move forward as it relates to the increase.

I think the fund is on pace to lose around $70m plus this year, that’s about $6m a month.”

MUNROE SIGNALS AIM TO SPEED UP COURT CASES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

GOVERNMENT is seeking to reintroduce the Swift Justice programme to help speed up court cases, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said yesterday.

He also revealed that the government is hoping to form a task force in the first

quarter of next year to deal with the backlog of criminal cases.

“Justice must be delivered, but justice must also happen on a timely basis,” Mr Munroe told reporters yesterday before going to a Cabinet meeting.

“Swift Justice was just a moniker that the previous PLP administration used.”

FISHING HOLE BRIDGE CLOSED FOR SAFETY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Fishing Hole Bridge in Grand Bahama was closed on Wednesday evening due to safety concerns because of hazardous driving conditions experienced and engineering issues in the road construction.

The bridge was closed around 6pm to vehicular traffic and will undergo emergency remediation work over the next two months.

In the meantime, a secondary road beneath the bridge has been prepared and reopened to provide access to motorists travelling to

and from west Grand Bahama.

The Tribune contacted Permanent Secretary Luther Smith who confirmed that the Ministry of Works and the GB Port Authority’s City Maintenance of Building and Development Services, had reached an understanding to close the Fishing Hole Bridge after a combination of issues were discovered there.

He said: “There is an immediate oil slick and other environmental hazards, but there is an engineering issue in that the road was covered with concrete rather than an asphalt surface.”

CENTRAL BANK WANTS STRICTER DUE DILIGENCE TO STOP ANOTHER FTX

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

THE Central Bank of The Bahamas has called for stricter due diligence on the transfer of funds in the wake of the FTX collapse. The call comes in the bank’s newly released Draft Digital

‘BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD’ FOR SAXONS

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a fifth-place finish at this year’s Boxing Day parade, a representative for the Saxons Superstars conceded that the group has to go “back to the drawing board”.

Kendenique CampbellMoss, the group’s public relations director, said the group had some challenges, including the weather and being first in the line-up.

according to unofficial parade results. The Valley Boys came second, Genesis Warhawks came third and Roots placed fourth. Meanwhile, the Saxons placed fifth with 84.79 points and Music Makers rounded out the top six.

It was a disappointing finish for the Saxons, which was announced as the official winner of the 2019 Boxing Day Parade after a penalty reversal.

One Family took the coveted crown with its “Rise of the Warriors” theme after a show stopping performance on Bay Street,

GRAND Bahama Port Authority officials conduct preparatory work on the secondary/old road below the bridge to provide access to and from west Grand Bahama while Fishing Hole Road Bridge is closed for emergency remediation work after public safety concerns were discovered there in the past week.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

‘BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD’ FOR SAXONS

she said.

The group also won the 2020 New Year’s Day Parade.

“This was a penalty parade,” Ms CampbellMoss said yesterday. “So,

we have to keep those things in mind. Some things played a role and the energy level may not have been as supreme as we needed it to be.

“Of course, we wanted the overall results to be extremely different, but of

course they were not. It’s not every year that you’re going to come out of the gate picking first and win.

“But, of course, we’re the Saxons Superstars, we rose to the challenge of coming out of the gate and coming out of the gate on time. So,

that in itself for us is a huge accomplishment, but in terms of our overall performance, we have to go back to the drawing board,” Ms Campbell-Moss said.

Ms Campbell-Moss promised that the Saxons Superstars will live up to

their name for the New Year’s Day Parade and come back fiercer, more structured and with more energy.

“We’re coming back with more blood in our eyes and we hope to, of course, take the championship over East Street. The Saxons that you saw on Christmas Day, and the Saxons that you will see for New Year’s are going to be a different distinct group,” she said.

“In terms of what it is that we plan to do differently, we have to galvanise and we have to make sure that we have everything in place and that it’s a little bit more structured. Once we have the structure in place, we will be able to execute our plan,” Ms CampbellMoss said.

She said the Saxons are “ecstatic” that One Family won the 2022 Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade.

“We’re very very proud of One Family. We are very excited that the prize went through the arch or under the arch as we would call it. They did a marvellous job coming out of the gate. They were in character and they did what they had to do. They executed their theme perfectly,” Ms Campbell-Moss said.

“Reuben Deleveaux, who leads the drumming back line, he did a marvellous job.

And Christina ‘Muffin’ Fernander, the overall chairman for the Junkanoo group. And, of course, the choreographed section. They were in character and they did their thing on Bay Street,”

Ms Campbell-Moss said despite some challenges on the night of the parade, including weather conditions, being first in the lineup and mobility, the group did not let these issues affect its timing.

“Weather played a huge factor in what we needed to do in terms of heating the drums, getting our equipment and getting our pieces to the actual site. We did have one or two challenges, but we were able to get everything in place,” Ms Campbell-Moss said.

“Now, you know, we had been waiting almost 15 hours to come out, because of the weather challenges that we may have had. We’re not blaming that it is what it is. We came out, we did our job. We just have to be more insatiable for the next round,” she said.

“Coming out first plays a role in terms of your logistics and your mobility. And Junkanoo is very much a mind and a psychological game. You know, when you come in at first out the gate, that’s a lot of pressure. That’s a mobilization pressure. That’s character pressure. That’s energy and that’s music pressure,” Ms Campbell-Moss said.

However, despite having placed fifth, Ms CampbellMoss also expressed her appreciation for her group and the members’ efforts.

“Of course I would be remiss if I did not say that my brass and my back line and my entire group did a marvellous job.”

THE SAXONS on Bay St on Boxing Day.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Govt ‘will have to make NIB decision’

from page one

“And in the upcoming year, even though there’s no projected improvement in revenues, it’s still not gonna make up that black hole so notwithstanding the economy just opening up and businesses may be doing a bit better, there is still tough times in our community, but that decision will have to be made and it’s being considered.

“We just don’t have a date yet for informing the public on what the decision is going to be.”

The Tribune has previously reported about the dire straits of the fund over the years.

Most recently, this newspaper exclusively reported in April that the 11th actuarial review of the National Insurance Board predicted the fund could be depleted by 2028.

That report had reduced the fund’s potential depletion timeline by one year, as the 10th review had made a prediction of 2029.

It also recommended NIB to increase the contribution rate by two percent and continue increases every two years until 2036.

Yesterday, Mr Laroda reiterated that the report’s findings will play a big factor in the government’s decision regarding NIB.

“The 11th actuarial report in repeating the other actuarial report is stating the dire state of the fund, which is predicted to run out in about six years and so that has to be heavily on the government with regards to making this decision,” he continued.

“If there is a collapse of it, those funds for people who would have paid in for 40

years, those funds will have to come from somewhere, some form of tax revenue. So, hopefully we have this matter resolved in the nottoo-distant future.”

The current state of the fund has led some observers to believe that the government plans to increase NIB contribution rates next year, especially considering the increase of the national minimum wage.

Asked about this yesterday, Mr Laroda could not say, only telling reporters that a decision would have to be made by the government.

“Either we’re going to cut costs or we’re going to raise revenue or a combination of both,” he added. “And so, I can’t see the government at this time reducing the amount of benefits, but again, that’s just not my decision to make. That’s one for the full government to make and hopefully that will come shortly.”

After COVID hit in 2020, NIB paid out more than $100m in unemployment benefits to support thousands of Bahamians who were laid off during the health crisis.

Once NIB’s 13 weeks of payments stopped, the government introduced its own COVID unemployment programme to provide further income support to jobless Bahamians.

More than $200m was spent on the unemployment benefit scheme by the government at end-September 2021.

The number of benefits paid out over the years has left NIB reserves in a state of decline.

This is because payments have exceeded the incoming contributions since 2016, NIB had previously said.

PINTARD: GOVT MUST FOCUS ON GOOD GOVERNANCE

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard said government must become more focused on good governance in 2023.

“The government of The Bahamas, led by Prime Minister Davis, must become more focused on good governance, and less controlled and motivated by politics in 2023,” Mr Pintard told The Tribune

He pointed out several matters that the government needs to address.

“The government must follow the law. They have broken the law in the manner in which they have issued contracts. They have operated in secrecy in how they manage the people’s money, not just in the issuance of contracts, but in engaging in private,

financial settlements with persons who sued the government and spending public funds on private political matters such as the Bermuda trip,” he told this newspaper.

Back in October, Mr Pintard accused the government of violating the Public Finance Management Act when it is claimed it used public money to pay for Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ controversial trip to Bermuda.

The Progressive Liberal Party released a copy of a cheque for $24,750, reflecting money the ruling party reimbursed to the Public Treasury to cover the cost of a chartered Western Air flight to Bermuda. However, officials have said this did not cover the trip’s full expenses.

Yesterday, Mr Pintard stressed that the government should spend more

time addressing national issues rather than spending its time on “excessive travel and PR driven events.”

He also pointed out that the government still has many questions to answer in regard to the FTX saga.

“The government must move with a sense of urgency to answer the emerging questions surrounding FTX and the potential reputational damage that can be caused,” he said.

The collapse of the crypto giant has grabbed local and international headlines, with some scrutiny and criticism being levelled at The Bahamas government and its digital regulatory framework.

However, Prime Minister Phillip Davis has insisted that the collapse of FTX has nothing to do with The Bahamas, saying “you don’t blame the jurisdiction, you

blame the bad actors”.

“It’s like saying that The Bahamas lacks (a) regulatory (regime). It is not the lacking of regulatory regime. It is actually bad actors and bad actors all countries have. What about Enron in the United States? What about those major collapses? And looking at what’s happening in the tech industry. You start seeing some of these same tech giants falling as well,” Mr Davis had said earlier.

“So, it has nothing to do with our reputation or what we do. When you have bad actors, you have a regime to be able to identify them and get them out and we have that regime in place and so you don’t blame the jurisdiction, you blame the bad actors and we are ferreting out the bad actors,” Mr Davis said earlier this month.

Mr Pintard added that

CABLE BAHAMAS ACCUSES BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF BREACHING TERMS

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

CABLE Bahamas Ltd has accused the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas of breaching the terms of its broadcasting conditions for the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade.

The company said its decision as a result to redirect REV TV subscribers to watch the parade on its channel was not an anti-competition tactic, as claimed by the BCB.

CBL said it is “disappointed” by the accusations levied by the state broadcaster.

On Monday, the BCB said it plans to file a complaint with the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) after accusing Rev, Cable Bahamas, and Aliv of an “intrusion” on the broadcast of this year’s Junkanoo parade.

In a press statement yesterday, CBL said it is committed to providing “exemplary coverage of Junkanoo”

not just to Bahamians, but to the “world at large”.

“The BCB was aware of and breached the terms of our broadcasting conditions for the Boxing Day celebrations. As a result, REV TV subscribers on four islands (New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera) were directed to watch the live broadcast of the Boxing Day Parade on REV channel 212 for a limited period at the beginning of the segment,” according to the press statement.

“This was not an anti-competition tactic as suggested by the BCB. CBL as a partner of Aliv has made significant contributions to getting Junkanoo back to the people through a multi-year, multi-million dollar sponsorship of Junkanoo,” the press statement said.

“It is unfortunate that other media broadcasters and their partners, by all of their actions thus far, have attempted to hijack the hard work of our contributions and those of the Junkanoo groups. We look forward to

an amicable resolution to this matter and hope that this does not take place in the future.”

Picewell Forbes, BCB executive chairman, mentioned in a statement a message redirecting ZNS viewers and how long the broadcast was blocked.

“Tonight’s intrusion on the broadcast of the 2022 Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade by Rev Cable Bahamas and its company Aliv by placing a message redirecting viewers of the ZNS Network to their Channel 212 is further proof of the fundamental issue of having a cable provider competing with the broadcast services they are tasked to carry,” he said on Monday.

“This move by Cable Bahamas occurred without any discussions or agreement with The Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. This is an anti-competitive approach that has negatively impacted the satisfaction of our contractual obligations with advertisers and sponsors. Our broadcast was blocked at 6pm and was blocked for more than an hour.”

the government must become focused on making the necessary changes needed, adding that a plan has to be set in place.

He continued: “The government must unveil a plan

of action to fuel economic growth and development. There must be a prosperity agenda pursued. This must be seen in legislation, policies, programmes, and projects.”

MINISTER of State with responsibility for NIB Myles Laroda.

THE Bahamas National Trust recently celebrated its outgoing executive director Eric Carey and his legacy at their “Eric’s Final Farewell Event” at Baha Mar.

In April, the environmental nonprofit announced Mr Carey was retiring after 20 years of service with the organisationwith 15 as executive director.

Mr Carey has long been a leading voice for conservation and environmental protection even before his time at the BNT. His legacy since joining the organisation includes: helping to create a world-class

national park system in The Bahamas; taking the BNT from a small organisation of about 10 staff to an environmental powerhouse of over 80 employees; helping to raise the next generation of environmental leaders; advocating for the protection of important species such as sharks, the Nassau Grouper, the Queen Conch, and turtles; and raising over $60 million for the organization during his tenure.

“Eric’s Final Farewell Event” was a salute to Mr Carey and all the work he’s done for the BNT and the

country. Friends and family as well as government officials, supporters, and donors of the BNT showed up for a night of celebration, entertainment, and excitement.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper recognised the important work of the BNT and thanked Mr Carey on behalf of the government.

“I’ve known Eric for many years and I’ve found his passion for protecting the environment to be magnificent,” he said. “To me, he has been practical in his approach. He’s always appreciated the need

for balance with regard to the impact of investments on the environment weighed against the need for economic growth. He has focused on sustainable development that has been the benchmark for many countries around the world, and I’ve never seen him stand in the way of progress just for the sake of doing so.”

BNT president Geoff Andrews also thanked Mr Carey for his service while recognising incoming executive director, Lakeshia Anderson-Rolle.

Mr Carey described his time

at the BNT as “transformative,” and said he is glad to have been able to “effect some positive change nationally” through his work at the organisation.

“I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to lead this great organisation,” he said.

“It’s been an important part of my life’s work, and I pledge to do whatever I can to help ensure the continued growth and prosperity of this incredibly important national organisation from wherever I end up in the coming years.”

‘High hopes’ of increase in margins for gas dealers

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE vice president of the Bahamas Petroleum Dealers Association said he has “high hopes” that the government will address the issue of the long-awaited margin increase.

Last week, Mr Bastian told this newspaper that due to an increase in the minimum wage, which is set to rise from $210 to $260 in the new year, fuel operators will be forced to cut staffing to survive unless the Davis administration grants a margin increase.

With the industry’s gross profit margins largely fixed at a time when a wide variety of expenses are rising, Mr Bastian believes that the industry’s business model must be modernised and switched from fixed price-controlled margins on gasoline.

Yesterday, the gas station operator told this newspaper that he is confident Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis will rectify the matter, noting that the association has submitted a formal letter regarding issues relating to retailers.

He said: “I am overwhelmed that Mr Halkitis will take the time out of his busy schedule to really, really look at our proposal.

I hope and pray that at the end of the exercise, we will come up with something very favourable.

“There have been no discussions per se. We submitted a formal letter to the government a week or two ago. And we’re waiting for a response from the government.”

When asked if fuel retailers have finalised the decision to lay-off staff, he said nothing has been set

in stone, but promised that once the matter is resolved there will be no layoffs across the board.

Petroleum dealers earlier this year called for a 50 percent increase in their gasoline retail margin which, if granted, would have raised it by 27 cents per gallon from 54 cents to 81 cents.

However, despite a series of meetings with government officials no change in the margins was granted with the Davis administration concerned about imposing further costs on Bahamians.

Margins for petroleum dealers have not been increased since 2011, when the last Hubert Ingrahamled Free National Movement administration was in office.

However, Mr Bastian credited the Progressive Liberal Party for being the “most” accommodating administration within the last 15 years, while emphasising the importance of the association maintaining a “professional” level of communication with the government.

“We can work in tandem with the government to try and resolve this long issue

of having margin increase that we are currently challenged within this industry,” Mr Bastian told this newspaper yesterday.

“We want to always keep it professional with the government and those who represent the government and then us on the other side who represent so many dealers in this country.”

He continued: “The government has been very accommodating. We look forward to more negotiations, not only negotiation, we look forward to having this matter resolved in a very amicable fashion.”

MUNROE SIGNALS AIM TO SPEED UP COURT CASES

“Clearly it wasn’t liked by the Minnis administration that replaced us. There wasn’t such a focus on it.

“We’re refocusing on it. And, as I say, we have arranged to have a meeting with the Chief Justice and senior justices in charge of the criminal division, we’ve agreed to have a task force to look at it - and speed it up even more - little, small things that may make a huge difference.”

This comes as people

out on bail continue to be murdered.

According to The Tribune’s records, there have been 127 homicides confirmed so far for the year, with many of those victims said to be alleged offenders. Court officials have sought to get firearm trials completed within 21 days after arraignments to help prevent people being killed while out on bail.

Yesterday, Mr Munroe said he was told the process in this regard was still ongoing, adding: “We haven’t had as great a success in other aspects of it, but certainly the speeding up of firearms trials, I’m told, is going ahead.”

He also noted that the government is focused on rehabilitation to ensure that inmates can be properly integrated into society to become productive citizens after release.

“I have seen over my career, young people who went ahead and for minor things, now being involved in much more serious crime and involved in gangs,” Mr Munroe added. “So, the first step is to stop the

prison becoming a school for criminals. That is very important because 98 percent of the people will get out.

“And, so we’re moving to seek to be accredited as a correctional institution. The concept of a correctional institution is to correct your behaviour, to correct the behaviour that brought you to the institution and so we’re moving to improve the conditions so that you can’t have somebody with influence being able to recruit people because he couldn’t get them water, because he can get them food, things that they should have anyway.”

He continued: “These are the tools being used to recruit people in our prisons, to street gangs, we must eliminate those and that, of course, we have to prepare the person for that eventual release. If the person went in marginal, they’re going to come out with a criminal conviction, they’re going to have this advantage. So, we are seeking to upskill them so they will have a chance at fitting back in when they come out.”

The minister also said the Davis administration is also working to introduce a system of parole where prisoners will “be accountable for every day that you’re sentenced.’

He added: “Even if you get out four months early, if you commit an offence on that day, you will go back to prison to serve those four months because you’ve decided that you don’t want to behave and so we’re gonna be trying to hold people more accountable for their behaviour.”

This will require the enactment of new legislation, Mr Munroe said, calling it the Parole and Reentry Act.

“There’s a draft after the committee reported in 2016. With the change of government, it wasn’t pursued. The committee was chaired by Archdeacon Gomez and Reverend Patrick Paul. It did a lot of work looking at systems in the US and then the Caribbean islands around us and it’s a product that is at the point that it can be rolled out,” he noted.

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Fishing Hole Bridge is closed for safety

from page one

“We will be closing off FHB with effect late afternoon today (Wednesday).

The GBPA will provide some improvement to the old access road which is still a secondary road. They will conduct some improvements there so motorists will have access from the east and west through that road.

“We have an agreement that it (FHB) will close for a period for remediation. It is a joint effort of the MOW and GBPA,” he said.

Mr Smith expects that remediation work to the FHB will probably take two months.

In the meantime, the permanent secretary stated that a traffic management plan for the secondary road will be shared and monitored by the police and the MOW office in GB.

“We are asking motorists to drive with caution on that road because it is not intended for speeding, it is an access road.”

Mr Smith added that proper signage and notice warning of the closure of the Fishing Hole Bridge will be erected in the area. He stressed that motorists should pay attention to the signage.

The Fishing Hole Bridge was constructed at a total cost of $9.2m. It spans 900ft across Hawksbill Creek and connects WGB and Freeport. Thousands of commuters traverse daily via the bridge.

Troy McIntosh, deputy director and manager of City Maintenance of Building & Development Services at GBPA, said the GBPA was made aware of safety concerns at FHB on Tuesday.

“What we heard is that persons as they were travelling from west to east and in the area just around the bend they are wiping out.

“Whether it is because of the surface that was put down or oil on the surface, we were not sure what it is. And so, the responsible parties, being the MOW, is responsible for investigating that and telling us what the issue is.

“As the regulators, we must act. And so, communications were made to the MOW of what needs to happen for the safety of motorists traversing the bridge,” he said.

Mr McIntosh stated that the Port Authority was on site and completed preparatory work on the service road/old access road to make it drivable for motorists.

“We need to shut the bridge down so that those things can be done… and so persons can be diverted to that road until the MOW can repair the bridge.”

Mr McIntosh indicated

that concrete on a road and oil is a safety concern.

“Oil and concrete don’t mix. So, if oil is seeping from cars or leaking from whatever vehicle on the road surface and it rains it becomes very slippery,” he explained.

He stated that once MOW established what the issue or concern is, and submit what their remedy is, the GBPA as the regulator would have to approve it.

“If their remedy is XYZ, we look at it and based on our experience we then say, ‘yes, we agree with you’ and you can proceed.”

“And so, in the meantime, the road needs to be closed because any mishap, fender bender, any threat of life is a concern for us. Our concern is that motorists are safe and able to traverse a road that is safe.”

“Until it is fixed it is our intent to shut the road down until the parties who are responsible fix what the concerns are.”

Mr McIntosh said they expected to be finished with preparatory work on

the old road at 2pm but were waiting for MOW to remove several guard rails and six posts at the western end of the service road.

An official statement issued late Tuesday by the Ministry of Grand Bahama stated: “The Ministry of Grand Bahama, following consultation with the Ministry of Works and Utilities and the Grand Bahama Port Authority and other stakeholders wishes to announce, in the interest of public safety, that the Fishing Hole Causeway will be closed effective 6pm today, 28th December 2022 to allow for emergency engineering remediation to the causeway due to hazardous driving conditions which was experienced during the last five days.

2. Traffic from West Grand Bahama and from Freeport to West Grand Bahama will be diverted through the former roadway linking, West to the City of Freeport. It is expected that the proposed works to the causeway will take place within a period of under two months.

3. Further enquires can be made to the Ministry of Works and Utilities Area Office, Freeport, Grand Bahama. The Ministry of Grand Bahama apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

The Fishing Hole Bridge was constructed by All Bahamas Construction, which was awarded the contract in 2015. The original cost then was $7.2m, however with the change of scopes, additional funding was required.

The situation was exacerbated, due to the combination of several

events, including but not limited to the delays and devastation caused by the past three major hurricanes, including Matthew in October 2016, Irma in 2017, and most recently Dorian in September 2019.

Following Hurricane Dorian, the FHB was substantially completed. Even though the category 5 storm did not affect the concrete bridge structure which was a testament to the quality of the works, the approach asphalt roads and side slopes were destroyed.

As Dorian did not affect the concrete bridge

structure, the government decided to replace the asphalt roads with 8” thick reinforced concrete rigid pavement, and the side slopes and shoulders with 6” thick concrete, “making the whole structure more integral and climate resilient for future storm events.”

The bridge was described as of “modern design, resilient, concrete Trestle Bridge, with a life span of 50 years. It is built 12ft above the mean sea level, and is able to withstand hurricanes up to category 5 intensity.“

PREPARATIONS being made on the secondary/old road below the bridge to provide access to and from west Grand Bahama while Fishing Hole Road Bridge is closed.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

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

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

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

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

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Kicking the can again over NIB

ANOTHER year is coming to an end with no resolution to the thorny problem of what to do about our diminishing National Insurance Board fund.

This year alone, the fund is on course to lose about $70m from the pot.

Myles LaRoda, the Minister of State with responsibility for NIB, has been quite forthright about the situation the fund faces.

He said: “The fund is no better, or no worse than the last time we spoke. The government is going to have to make a decision in the upcoming year as to what its position is going to be as we move forward as it relates to the increase. I think the fund is on pace to lose around $70m plus this year, that’s about $6m a month.”

He added: “In the upcoming year, even though there’s no projected improvement in revenues, it’s still not gonna make up that black hole so notwithstanding the economy just opening up and businesses may be doing a bit better, there is still tough times in our community, but that decision will have to be made and it’s being considered.”

Mr LaRoda has spoken a number of times about the situation faced by NIB. Back in July, he confirmed total payouts exceeded contributions and investment combined every year since 2016.

In other words, the fund has been digging into its reserves, every year, and those reserves keep getting smaller.

The options are to cut costs, raise revenue, or a bit of both. One of those ways of raising revenues would be to increase the contribution rate, as recommended by the 11th actuarial review of the National Insurance Board. It suggested a two percent increase, and continued increases every two years until 2036.

It also warned that without any kind of action the fund could be depleted by 2028.

Also back in July, government press secretary Clint Watson dismissed any plan to tax Bahamians to save NIB and said that taxing was “the lazy way out”.

He claimed the government was finding other ways to fund NIB. However, as this column noted back then, there was no such funding detailed in the Budget. Mr Watson has not as yet announced any of these supposed other ways of funding NIB – and the hole has just kept on getting bigger.

In this column, we talked of the need for bold decisions – one way or another. Whatever the plan is – if there is

indeed a plan – it needs to be put into action. We had six years left to do something about it. Six months later, all we have done is kept the wheels spinning without changing the course we are on.

This is a long-running problem –made only worse by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased payouts made as people lost jobs as the economy shut down.

But it is also an indicator of a failure to grasp the nettle on a number of issues facing the government. It is easy to rattle off a few – the issue of crime, where the police commissioner is talking about taking policing to “another level” next year, well, why didn’t we do that this year as the murder total spiralled? How about issues such as marijuana legislation or marital rape legislation or gender equality, which like a decision on NIB seem to be so many cans being kicked down the road?

Some of this is simply down to good governance – and FNM leader Michael Pintard and National Security Minister Wayne Munroe almost find common ground on that in today’s Tribune if you squint hard enough.

Mr Pintard is calling on the government to focus on good governance, while Mr Munroe is talking about changing small details to streamline the courts and speed up criminal cases. That’s actually some of the good governance Mr Pintard ought to recognise.

One of the most notable parts of that would be to speed up firearms trials –and that might help play a part in getting guns off our streets.

Both men of course in our partisan world shroud their comments in criticism of the other side, so we must not be too hopeful of a joining of hands to tackle issues together.

But one key thing that Mr Pintard says lingers. He calls for “a plan of action” to fuel economic growth and development.

He would do just as well to drop the rest of the words after action. Action is what is needed.

Is there a plan for NIB? Execute it.

Are there policies the government wishes to bring on issues? Bring them to the House – they have the votes if the party’s MPs support their leadership.

Or will we see a plan of inaction? We are tired of hearing the sound of cans rattling on down the road. A new year is a time for change. And when it comes to NIB, without change, we are running out of time itself.

Stop borrowing and start taxing

EDITOR, The Tribune.

BAHAMIAN governments have borrowed literally billions of dollars in the last few years. This money will be paid back by the poor, at whose expense wealthy individuals and corporations will also continue to live essentially tax free. That is the outrageous reality of Bahamian fiscal governance.

Of course not all Bahamian governments are equal. The two headed by Hubert Alexanders were purposefully regressivecutting social programmes, reducing Bahamianization protections and generally governing as if the treasury were too poor to afford adequate public spending, but rich enough to afford institutionalized tax giveaways to the wealthy.

In repealing the Immovable Property Act, Ingraham created a new industry that has managed to elude any real benefit to the host community. So miserably does our luxury real estate industry contribute to the treasury that, in one

particularly poignant example, Sam Bankman Fried’s $60m Albany penthouse attracts a Real Property Tax equivalent to 0.1% of its value – thanks to a “cap” benefiting only the super-rich.

But it is at Mr. Bankman Fried’s more recent Bahamian accommodation (in Fox Hill) that the underinvestment flowing directly from these foolish tax policies will by now have been embarrassingly displayed to the world. Of course, few reported the rats, roaches and “slop buckets” in our primary “correctional” facility so long as it was only in the fate of ordinary Bahamians to make their acquaintance.

As for income tax, Kwasi Thompson stated as minister a few years ago that his government utterly ruled out this progressive measure – so long, presumably, as there were poor Bahamian consumers to tax instead.

But even the Progressive Liberal Party has allowed a narrative crafted by the opponents of progress

to go unchallenged. In a country that spends less on its people as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product than almost any other in the world, yet which ensures that what it does spend (and borrow) comes principally at the expense of its poorest, we continue to hear politicians of both parties talk about “fiscal responsibility” as if it only has a spending side.

In fact, the real irresponsibility in the Bahamian fiscal equation relates overwhelmingly to our failure to tax incomes and wealth, leaving the poor with the disproportionate burden of funding a state that still provides far too little given our wealth as a country.

There is no way to grow or borrow our way out of this ugly regressive nightmare. The only responsible option is to begin collecting the majority of our revenues from taxes on property and income and to reduce or eliminate taxes on consumption.

ANDREW ALLEN Nassau,

December 28, 2022.

Age and climate change - the real time machine

EDITOR, The Tribune.

AGE/AGEING is the real time machine, created by God Himself and not by man’s ingenuity. Like climate change, to which I am a recent and reluctant adherent, age and aging are real phenomena. The brutality and scope for unusual snow storms and blizzards across much of the North Eastern Coast and cities in the USA and across vast portions of Europe are direct and compelling evidence for all the world to take note of the devastating effects of climate change/s. While the life span in the USA is, allegedly, decreasing, people world wide, are living much longer than they would have done before, according to available data and statistics.

Holiday travel and commerce were disrupted big time and some parts of the world are still digging themselves out. Electrical supplies have been knocked out by the unexpected weather changes. Flooding and avalanches have resulted in the deaths of scores of persons around the globe. With the now full bloom recession and the attending inflation, world wide, are wrecking havoc among many nations and Island States such as The Bahamas.

Another debilitating realisation, at least here at home is that we are living longer and will place an unsustainable financial burden on National Insurance as more of us, God forbid, will find themselves living on a relatively meagre monthly pension and/or pay cheque to pay cheque. In fact, there may now be more “working poor” Bahamians than ever before.

We all want to live for as long as possible and it is not uncommon, when one reads the obituaries, to read about Bahamians who are routinely living to be 80; 90 and more years. In a direct contrast to this phenomenon, we also hear and read about Bahamians laid to waste at early ages, especially when it comes to “death” by alleged gang related homicides. As the longevity of

Bahamians increase, so will the pressures on NIB. As a correlation, as too many of our younger people are being slaughtered, national productivity falls dramatically and the state is obliged to “take care” of the children and widows of such deceased person.

It would now seem that either dramatic climate changes or old age will take out most people going forward. The ravages of Dorian are still present with us and, I predict, will be with us for yet awhile longer. To this very day, not a single Bahamian, in authority or otherwise, knows with certainty, just how many of us or our foreign brothers and sisters, would have died during the passage and lingering of Dorian. As a low lying nation, almost at sea level, The Bahamas can ill afford to continue to remain climate change deniers or to take the very visible signs lightly going forward.

Philip “Brave” Davis, KC, MP, our indefeasible Prime Minister, came to this realisation months before the electoral victory of the PLP and his elevation to Primus Inter Pares.

From the moment they were sworn in, Brother Davis and his team hit the ground running both to deal with shoring up the sustainability of NIB and to sensibly deal with the inevitable challenges of climate changes here at home.

He’s been like a whirlwind traveling all over the globe to attend and contribute to climate change conference up in New York; over in Scotland and most recently in Egypt. He is now recognised as one of the world’s leading advocate on climate change.

He also, along with the input of Deputy Prime Minister, I Chester Cooper (PLP-Exuma), the enlightened Minister of Tourism & Investments, have been traversing the world seeking out good and sustainable foreign direct investments. So far, apart from the

Grand Lucaya, continues to be an elusive deal to clinch, exciting investments, international and foreign, are beginning to line up. Yes, ageing is a part of God’s master plan for mankind. To age, one has to live long enough and certainly to the proverbial span of three scores plus ten. It is almost Satanic for a single one Bahamian to die, unless by unpreventable consequences of disease or illness; below that age bracket. It is my submission, by my own experiences, that an individual does not come into his/her own until “maturity”... around their 30s and 40s. Until that time, the vast majority of our wonderful people are busy with flippancy and pervasive sexual haunting, coupled with alcohol and illicit drug abuse.

In conclusion, as the Earth ages and the larger nations continue to proliferate industrial carbon emissions and the never ending burning of fossil fuel, debilitating climatic changes are inevitable. The facts speak for themselves: ‘Res Ipso Facto’... It also follows that as Bahamians live longer and longer in the majority of cases that the long term funding and sustainability of NIB must be addressed sooner rather than later. Yes, age and aging are the real components of a time machine.

The late great author, H G Wells, was able, in fiction, to design and build the fabled “time machine”. Only God, however, has succeeded, so far, to create and evolve the real one. I submit that to age gracefully and with intact dignity as a human being were parts of God’s mater plan for mankind. Well do I remember Melchizedek, the King of Salem, who lived forever. Death is foreign and was only brought in following the original sin of disobedience: ‘For the day thou eat of the tree of good and evil, thou shall surely die’. I further submit that God was very serious when He admonished Adam and Eve to dress and care for the Earth.

ORTLAND H BODIE Jr Nassau,

December 26, 2022.

FTX email response

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THIS letter to the Editor refers to the Editorial published in The Tribune of an email from Sam BerkmanFriedman, CEO of FTX, asking Attorney General Ryan Pinder of the Bahamas permission to liquidate assets held by Bahamians or residents of the Bahamas. He further tells Attorney General Ryan Pinder that if he does not get a response he is going to do it anyway

and the amount mentioned is $100,000,000.

The Attorney General Ryan Pinder must respond directly to this allegation to denounce it is untrue. If the Attorney General does not address this matter, it will make this look like there might be some truth to it, and could possibly damage the Bahamas government as being corrupted by Sam Bankman-Friedman CEO of FTX. Time

is running out for a response to the publication of this story.

Wishing the Attorney General, Bahamas Government, Bahamian people and the Bahamas a Happy New Year 2023. One Nation, One people, One Bahamas and One God onward, forward and upward to a better Bahamas.

PEDRO SMITH

Nassau, December 27, 2022.

ONLY the television tower looks out over the fog that covers the city of Frankfurt, Germany.

Photo: Michael Probst/AP

EXUMA TREAT FOR CHILDREN

Murder accused also faces attempted murder charge

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN on bail for murder was remanded to prison yesterday in connection with a recent murder attempt.

This accused is also said to have failed to have his court imposed electronic monitoring device (EMD) charged during that timeframe.

Mauricio Webster, Jr, 20, faced Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of attempted murder and five counts of violation of bail conditions.

He was on bail after being charged with the murder of Bradley Strachan on December 23, 2020.

According to police reports, on December 18 in the area of “Big Yard” on

Coconut Grove and East Street, the accused, along with others, is alleged to have attempted to kill Adam Newbold. Around 11.50am that day, Newbold was shot multiple times by three male suspects from a white Japanese vehicle during a drive-by shooting. The victim was successfully treated for his injuries at PMH.

Between the period of December 5 to December 19, Webster failed to charge his EMD while on bail on five separate occasions. One of these days reportedly coincided with Newbold’s attempted murder.

While Webster pleaded guilty to all five bail violation counts, he was not required to enter a plea for the indictable offence. He was informed that the attempted murder charge

will proceed to the higher court.

The accused was also told that while the magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant him bail, he had the right to apply for it in the Supreme Court.

Until bail is granted Webster will be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

With reference to his remaining charges, although the accused claimed that he had issues with his EMD, saying it vibrated while it was charging, he was fined a collective $2,500 for that offence.

Magistrate McKinney placed Webster on 18 months’ probation for the bail violation charges; violating this would result in a year’s prison sentence.

Webster is expected to return to court on March 21, 2023.

PHONE ROBBERY SUSPECT REMANDED

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded sent to prison from the Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with a woman being robbed of her phone in a knife hold-up last week.

Edward Smith, Jr, 35, stood before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on a charge of armed robbery.

It is alleged that on December 22 in New Providence, while being concerned with another and armed with a knife, the accused robbed Latoya Pawar of her Samsung Galaxy cellphone. This item was valued at $200.

Due to the nature of the offence Smith, Jr, was not required to enter a plea in court. He was informed that his matter would proceed

to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

As the magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant the accused bail, he was told of his right to apply for it in the higher court. Until he gets bail, he will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Smith, Jr, is expected to be served his VBI on March 6, 2023.

MAN ACCUSED OF SEX WITH GIRL, 14

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 23-YEAR-OLD man was sent to prison after being accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl last week.

Cecil Smith faced Magistrate Shaka Serville on a

charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.

The alleged incident with the minor is said to have taken place on December 19 in New Providence.

Due to this charge being an indictable offence, Smith was not required to enter a plea in court. He was told that his matter would be

fast tracked to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI)

The magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant bail, however Smith can apply for it in the higher court. He was sent to prison until then.

Smith’s VBI is due for service on March 31, 2023.

STATE-RECOGNISED FUNERAL FOR MAYNARD

A STATE-recognised funeral for Andrew “Dud” Maynard will be held on Friday at 11am at St Agnes Anglican Church.

The former parliamentarian’s body will lie-in-state in the Senate today from 9am to 5pm.

The funeral service will be broadcast live on ZNS radio.

Mr Maynard, a former chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, died on December 16 at the age of 82. His son, Charles, later became chairman of the FNM.

ANDREW “DUD” MAYNARD

BAHAMASAIR, along with the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, provided youngsters of the Ministry’s Homes for Children with a special “Day Away to Exuma” treat on Boxing Day. The children were accompanied by Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Obie Wilchcombe, Bahamasair staff, and the children’s caregivers. They toured the island and spent time at Sandals Emerald Bay’s Activity Center playing games, enjoying bouncing castles, food - and a visit from Santa.

Photos: Letisha Henderson/BIS

THE Brothers Grimm, German academics and authors in the late 18th century and early 19th century, became world famous for their piquant and complex folklores, fairy tales and oral tales, which offered object and classical lessons about morality and ethics and the struggle of humanity in every generation to become more civil, humane and less barbarous.

The authors collected and popularised European and German stories.

The tales featured characters struggling to make good choices or striving for virtue amidst the whirlpool of vices and conceits we all enjoy.

The brothers, who were also philologists and lexicographers, adored language and understood the power of good writing to build character, to educate, to entertain – and to transform, if we are selfreflective enough and humble enough to recognise the fears, demons and compulsions which often engulf our best intentions and which sometimes lead us to betray our better angels.

MORALITY TALES

Most Bahamian children and adults recall these morality tales, though the versions we know were often sweetened and sanitised and made less dark and macabre for modern film audiences going out for an evening of entertainment and refreshment.

Fairy tales were originally read and were intended to frighten and to inspire children into good behaviour.

‘Imagine a canon of Bahamian fairy tales and folklore, which each generation of Bahamian children will grow up reading and enjoying as much as lore or stories from other literary traditions. Imagine non-fiction stories about men like Samuel and James Nixon from Inagua who helped to save the West Indian Flamingo. The number of books on The Bahamas by local authors continues to grow but we have a very long way to go.’

The Disney version of “Pinocchio” is a milder version than the original by the mid to late 19th Century Florentine and Italian humorist, writer and journalist Carlo Lorenzini, who wrote under the pen name Carlo Collodi.

much as our own deadly sins, such as acedia (sloth) or insatiable greed seduce our own intensions.

But even before the Grimm Brothers and the works of Hans Christian Andersen and novels like “Pinocchio”, there were the works of a writer in Paris in the 1600s, whose works were published seven years before Charles Perrault published “Tales of Mother Goose”.

Who was the writer? According to author Melissa Ashley, the first person to coin the phrase fairy tale and one of the very first fairy tale writers was not a man but a woman, Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, who also wrote “The Isle of Happiness”, which Ashley claims was “the very first fairy tale” or “conte de fée”.

The suggested originator of the fairy tale was married at 15 to an abusive husband who was three decades older. She grew up in a patriarchal society in which women could not inherit money or choose whom to marry.

READING CRITICAL TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

journalist suggested the reprinting and publication of two masterpieces of Bahamian literature, which have been lost to succeeding generations.

One is Sammie Swain, a Cat Island folklore, which was popularised by Clement Bethel’s opera. The story was brilliantly told by Sir Etienne Dupuch in serial form in The Tribune The other is a lesser-known work, “Blackbeard, A Romance of The Bahamas”, an epic poem by Henry Christopher Christie.

observed: “In learning, everything depends on reading. Whether you’re going to do science or history or anything else, adult intellectual accomplishment depends on being able to read widely and well and with enjoyment.

The Grimm collections included stories and works, which Disney and others have further popularized through film and animation. Such iconic stories include “Sleeping Beauty”, “Cinderella”, “The Frog Prince”, “Rapunzel”, “Snow White” and others.

Like Victor Hugo in his historical novel “Les Misérables”, Collodi’s characters in Pinocchio are more complex and multidimensional. The process of conversion for the lead characters in both masterpieces takes an extended period and is an ongoing process, not like the quick “born again” emotionalism that often wears away as quickly as a New Year’s resolution made after a flush of vodka tonics, champagne or wine.

Like most of us, the shadows surrounding and the dark dimensions within the crevices of the souls of Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables” and Pinocchio in “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, paralyze these characters

REBELLION

As an act of rebellion and agency, she wrote fairy tales, which included the perennial theme of opposing arranged marriages.

According to Ashley: “She subversively wrote against some of the cultural norms for women at the time, [her] messages disguised through, very, very detailed” writing.

She eventually wrote 26 original tales. Ashley notes: “There was a royal censor at the time and you couldn’t directly criticise the regime; you’d be thrown into prison for that. So, she had coded ways of critiquing women’s lives in her fairy tales.”

Imagine a canon of Bahamian fairy tales and folklore, which each generation of Bahamian children will grow up reading and enjoying as much as lore or stories from other literary

traditions. Imagine non-fiction stories about men like Samuel and James Nixon from Inagua who helped to save the West Indian Flamingo. The number of books on The Bahamas by local authors continues to grow but we have a very long way to go.

Writing and reading native and indigenous texts are acts of freedom, ownership and agency, and are essential for national development. The treasury of world literature belongs to us all. Still, the development of a native body of works is critical for self-understanding and self-reflection.

MASTERPIECES

Some years ago, a prominent Bahamian

How is it that generations of Bahamians are not as versed in these texts as they are in other world stories? To lose one’s stories or not to know one’s history is akin to losing one’s soul.

Because we read little, and write even less, our national development is that much retarded and less advanced. There is an extraordinary push for STEM education, a critical part of a modern advanced curriculum.

But, unless we dramatically improve reading and writing, none of the other areas of a national curriculum will take deeper root or flourish.

Helen Hennessy Vendler is the Arthur Kingsley Porter University Professor at Harvard University “and one of the foremost critics of English and American poetry in the world”.

In an interview with Harvard Gazette, she

“Judging by the results from the schools, few children are proficient in reading at the fourth grade. They don’t read fast, they don’t read with understanding, they don’t read with appetite. If you’re not a good reader by the time you’re in the fourth grade, you’re probably never going to be one.

“I wish we could have, for the first four grades, the children taught ‘reading’ in every conceivable form: singing, putting on plays, reciting, looking up words in the dictionary, memorising, reading aloud, being read aloud to.

“They could learn verbal rhythm by marching and singing and dancing. For the first four years, the chief aim would be perfecting reading, in all these ways. Then, the children could undertake other subjects — when they could actually read history, read geography, read science.

“If we could induce children to read with pleasure, and to feel the connection between thought and expression, their education could progress. [W]ith immersion in reading practices, all becomes possible.”

A SCENE from a nationally televised production of The Legend of Sammie Swain in 2014.

Halfway through his first term: Biden and the immigration issue

US President Joe Biden is halfway through his first term in the nation’s top job. After an initial boost in favourable poll ratings and with TV and other media pundits, Biden began to slip, until earlier this year he achieved a dubious distinction when he sank “under water” with less than 50 percent approval ratings in the polls. Oddly, Donald Trump and “his” Supreme Court have rescued Biden twice.

First, as Biden’s ratings were tanking, he was unquestionably the beneficiary of the increasingly negative attention attracted by the behaviour, legal jeopardy and undeniable continuing magnetism of his immediate predecessor in the White House. The media, the increasingly fractious Republican Party and Trump himself generated plenty of distractions without any assist needed from Biden.

Trump’s impact on the recent election cannot be overstated. Judging by the results, it was sufficient to overcome what voters resented about Biden and his performance.

But the Republicans were not so divided and distracted by Trump that they forgot how to attack the president. And Biden’s early missteps and some bad luck gave them plenty of ammunition. Among these issues were the lingering COVID pandemic and the mind-boggling succession of new flu variants that seemed to appear – and may be continuing to appear – just in time to keep people on edge.

Another effective issue for the GOP was inflation that seemed to surge just as Biden took office. There is little question that the gigantic governmentspending bills for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, relief for COVID-afflicted households and other worthy goals such as climate change mitigation deepened the national debt and reawakened traditional Republican fiscal concerns that were completely abandoned during the Trump tax-cutting and budgetbusting years.

And Biden’s impetuosity in pulling the US out of Afghanistan did give him and the nation a bad look. Detaching America from yet another no-win, largely pointless overseas military adventure had clearly been a high Biden priority when he moved into the White House, and his sense of urgency was intensified by his inability to prevail in national security debates on Afghanistan while he served as Barack Obama’s vice president.

But despite the bad press Biden got at the time of the

US withdrawal, popular furor has largely dissipated.

For most Americans, Afghanistan was and is a remote mountainous nation known mostly for opium production and internecine strife. It was a convenient if mostly inappropriate target for American revenge after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on 9/11 but otherwise, most people agreed with Biden that we had been there decades too long.

Now, kids are back in school and many state and local jurisdictions are reluctant to impose mask mandates, even in the face of rising rates of COVIDrelated illness. There is a general sense that Americans who are not preternaturally disposed to distrust any kind of vaccination or blinded to the benefits of inoculation by religious or other concerns have been vaccinated.

COVID is, at least for now, gone from the headlines on most days.

Economic numbers are gradually improving. No one can miss the big drop in gasoline prices at the pump. A potentially crippling nationwide railroad strike was averted by Congressional action. Prices still seem too high in the grocery store and elsewhere, but the acute sting of inflation seems to be ebbing away.

So as Biden begins the second half of this first term, many of the major issues that plagued him early on have lost their sting or retreated. But there is one major exception. That issue is immigration and the porous American southern border.

When Trump tried to build popular support for his “beautiful wall” along the US – Mexican border, he often conjured up visions of caravans of illegal migrants making their way up from lower Central America through lax Mexico to push for admission to the American land of opportunity.

These visions actually began to materialize in the weeks after Biden won the 2020 election. The narrative developed that with Trump’s failure to win re-election and a liberal Democrat replacing him, the pent-up immigration demand in Central America and Mexico was stimulating massive pressure on the southern US border.

There were reports that traditionally Caribbeanbased illegal migration schemes involving Venezuelans, Haitians and Cubans were even being rerouted to Mexico in anticipation of the suspension of the US Title 42 immigration authority that permits American border authorities to expel asylumseeking immigrants without any hearing process. Title

42 was instituted under Trump to squelch illegal immigration, using as the pretext the emergency public health conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the Republicans complain now about the porous US border since Biden took office, they have a point. Consider these fiscal year statistics that are drawn from the US Customs and Border Protection website. The US fiscal year is October 1 –September 30, so fiscal year 2020 ended September 30, 2020. That means the FY 2021 figures roughly equate to the time of Biden’s election.

Expulsions of asylumseekers at the southern US border with Mexico under Title 42 (northern border with Canada for comparison):

FY 2020: 197,043 (328)

FY 2021: 1,040,220 (475)

FY 2022: 1,045,084 (420)

FY 2023: 142,857 (59) –for first two months only

It’s easy to see the trend. Biden recognized the issue as serious months into his presidency, and appointed Vice-President Kamala Harris to oversee a government effort to reform the process. There’s a sense little progress is being made. But wait: Conservatives are now bailing out Biden again. On Tuesday afternoon the conservative US Supreme Court, of all people, helped Biden out. The justices overturned a lower court ruling to basically let stand Title 42 until at least June when they will hear arguments in a related case.

Since Biden & Company have hardly solved the migration crisis along the Mexican border very well so far, the Supreme Court has saved the Democrats from themselves. Now, they can blame the high court for pinching off the flood of

asylum seekers while they are not seen as betraying their high-minded liberal principles.

It’s commendable that the current administration aspires to revise US immigration procedures, for which there has long been political and social pressure. But it’s difficult to argue that effectively turning on the immigration spigot by setting aside Title 42 while you’re seeking a viable solution is the best way to proceed.

Neil Gorsuch, appointed to the high court by Trump because of his staunchly conservative views, sided with the court’s three liberals in dissenting on the court’s Title 42 ruling.

He offered this cogent explanation: “Courts should not be in the business of perpetuating administrative edicts designed for one emergency only because elected officials have failed to address a different emergency. We are a court of

law, not a policymaker of last resort.”

19 Republican state attorneys general had brought the Title 42 suit.

Republican governors in Texas, Arizona and Florida have been resisting the Biden administration’s immigration policies differently. They have been transporting some of the asylum seekers to Washington, DC, and other northern liberal cities to let them deal with the migrants.

On Christmas Eve, Vice President Harris was greeted by several busloads of migrants, parked near her DC residence.

A local aid group responded by organizing food, clothing and shelter on the coldest Christmas Eve on record in Washington. A spokeswoman said “whether it’s Christmas Eve, whether it’s freezing cold outside or warm outside, we are always ready to welcome people with open arms and make sure they

have a warm reception in this community.”

Texas governor Greg Abbot, who authorized the Christmas Eve bus trips, said “our Texas communities and the state are ill-equipped to do the job assigned to the federal government — house the thousands of migrants flooding into the country every day. This terrible crisis for border communities in Texas is a catastrophe of (Biden’s) own making.”

The White House decried the bus trips as “a cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt.”

In this holiday season, the last word should go to an official from a migrant support organization, who said “the trip upward to the border is quite dangerous and violent. Then, there is the chaos at the border and in border facilities. There are reports of it being cold and cruel. So many of the refugees were really happy to arrive to smiling faces.”

US President Joe Biden. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

THIS image provided by WJLA shows migrant families as they get on a bus to transport them from near the Vice President’s residence to an area church after they arrived in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 24. (WJLA via AP)

Southwest Airlines flight cancellations continue to snowball

DALLAS Associated Press

TRAVELLERS who counted on Southwest Airlines to get them home suffered another wave of canceled flights yesterday, and pressure grew on the federal government to help customers get reimbursed for unexpected expenses they incurred because of the airline’s meltdown.

Exhausted Southwest travelers tried finding seats on other airlines or renting cars to get to their destination, but many remained stranded. The airline’s CEO said it could be next week before the flight schedule returns to normal.

Adontis Barber, a 34-year-old jazz pianist from Kansas City, Missouri, had camped out in the city’s airport since his Southwest flight was canceled Saturday, hoping to reach a New Year’s gig in Washington, DC.

He left his airport vigil Wednesday. “I give up,” he said. “I’m starting to feel homeless.”

By early afternoon on the East Coast, about 90% of all cancelled flights Wednesday in the US were on Southwest, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

Other airlines recovered from ferocious winter storms that hit large swaths of the country over the

weekend, but not Southwest, which scrubbed 2,500 flights yesterday and 2,300 more for today.

The Dallas airline was undone by a combination of factors including an antiquated crew-scheduling system and a network design that allows cancellations in one region to cascade throughout the country rapidly. Those weaknesses are not new — they helped cause a similar failure by Southwest in October 2021.

The US Transportation Department is now investigating what happened at Southwest, which carries more passengers within the United States than any other airline. A Senate committee promises to investigate too.

In a video that Southwest posted late on Tuesday, CEO Robert Jordan said Southwest would operate a reduced schedule for several days but hoped to be “back on track before next week”.

“We have some real work to do in making this right,” said Jordan, a 34-year Southwest veteran who became CEO in February. “For now, I want you to know that we are committed to that.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has criticised airlines for previous disruptions, said that “meltdown” was the

only word he could think of to describe this week’s events at Southwest. He noted that while cancellations across the rest of the industry declined to about 4% of scheduled flights, they remained above 60% at Southwest.

From the high rate of cancellations to customers’ inability to reach Southwest on the phone, the airline’s performance has been unacceptable, Buttigieg said. He vowed to hold the airline accountable and push it to reimburse travelers.

“They need to make sure that those stranded passengers get to where they need to go and that they are provided adequate compensation,” including for missed flights, hotels and meals, he said yesterday on ABC’s “Good Morning America”.

Robert Mann, an aviation consultant and former airline executive, said the Transportation Department could force Southwest to pay refunds for all flights that were cancelled for reasons within the airline’s control, such as lack of crews. He estimated that could total 6,000 cancellations affecting one million customers and adding up to $300m.

Since Southwest plans to pay $428m in shareholder dividends next month, “the numbers are not lifethreatening, although brand

damage has been done,” Mann said.

Some consumer advocates are skeptical the government will punish Southwest.

William McGee, a travel expert at the American Economic Liberties Project, noted that the Transportation Department fined Frontier Airlines and several foreign carriers for slow refunds early in the pandemic but didn’t touch the four biggest US airlines.

“What Pete Buttigieg should do and what he will do are probably two different things,” McGee said. His group wants a change in federal law that would make it easier for states and private parties to sue airlines for harming consumers.

On its website, Southwest told customers affected by canceled or delayed flights between December 24 and January 2 to submit receipts. The airline said: “We will honour reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation.”

Navy physician Lt Cmdr Manoj Mathew said after spending hours on hold over two days Southwest reimbursed him for the first leg of his family’s trip from Washington to Houston — they drove through terrible weather after the December 23 flight was cancelled. Now he is worried whether

Southwest will operate the return flight Sunday.

“I’m trying to reach other airlines,” he said. “There are no flights, plus it’s very expensive for us.”

Delta Air Lines said it was capping last-minute fares in Southwest markets through the weekend, and American Airlines said it too was limiting fares in “select” cities. Neither provided figures.

Leaders of Southwest labor unions have warned for years that the airline’s crew-scheduling system, which dates to the 1990s, was not keeping up as the route map grew more complicated.

“The fact is this is not the same airline that (Southwest co-founder) Herb Kelleher built where planes went point-topoint,” Randy Barnes, president of the union that represents Southwest ground workers, said yesterday. “If airline managers had planned better, the meltdown we’ve witnessed in recent days could have been lessened or averted.”

The other large US airlines use “hub and spoke” networks in which flights radiate out from a few major or hub airports. That helps limit the reach of disruptions caused by bad weather in part of the country.

Southwest, however, has a “point-to-point” network in

which planes crisscross the country during the day. This can increase the utilization and efficiency of each plane, but problems in one place can ripple across the country and leave crews trapped out of position (crews can be stranded at hub-andspoke airlines too.)

Those issues don’t explain all the complaints that stranded travelers made about Southwest, including no ability to reach the airline on the phone and a lack of help with hotels and meals.

Teal Williams, a 48-yearold active-duty Army reservist from Utah, was stuck at the Denver airport with her husband and two teenage kids on Christmas Day after their flight to Des Moines, Iowa, was canceled. She said Southwest employees had no information about flights and didn’t offer food vouchers while elderly passengers sat in wheelchairs for hours and mothers ran out of formula for their infants.

“It was just imploding, and no one could tell you anything,” Williams said. The airline employees “were desperately trying to help, but you could tell they were just as clueless as everybody else... it was scary.”

Unable to find plane, train or bus seats, Williams and her family felt lucky to score a rental car. They drove 12 hours to Iowa.

US WILL REQUIRE COVID TESTS FOR TRAVELLERS FROM CHINA

THE US announced new COVID-19 testing requirements yesterday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections.

The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero COVID” policies had kept the country’s infection rate low but fueled public frustration and crushed economic growth.

The new US requirements, which start on January 5, apply to travelers regardless of their nationality and vaccination status.

In a statement explaining the testing, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of adequate and transparent information from China, including genomic sequencing on the viral strains circulating in the country.

“These data are critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel

variant of concern,” the CDC said.

Some scientists are worried the COVID-19 surge in China could unleash a new coronavirus variant on the world that may or may not be similar to the ones circulating now. That’s because every infection is another chance for the virus to mutate.

“What we want to avoid is having a variant enter into the US and spread like we saw with delta or omicron,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology

at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

But the CDC’s action may be less about stopping a new variant from crossing US borders and more about increasing pressure on China to share more information, said Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, adding he hopes the restrictions “aren’t kept in place longer than they need to be”.

“I don’t think it’s going

to have a major impact in slowing the spread of COVID-19,” Dowdy said. “We have a whole lot of transmission of COVID19 here within our borders already.”

Dr Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University, agreed China isn’t sharing enough genomic sequencing information. But he also said the US has become a little complacent about sequencing and needs to redouble its own efforts. The CDC also announced the expansion of an early warning program that tests volunteers at select airports for new and rare variants of the coronavirus. That program will expand to airports in Seattle and Los Angeles.

Under the new US rules, travelers to the US from China, Hong Kong and Macau, will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone two years and older, including US citizens.

It will apply to people

traveling from China via a third country and to people connecting through the US as they go on to other destinations. Anyone testing positive more than ten days before the flight can provide documentation showing they’ve recovered from COVID-19 instead of a negative test result.

It will be up to the airlines to confirm negative tests and documentation of recovery before passengers board.

Other countries have taken similar steps in an effort to keep infections from spreading beyond China’s borders. Japan will require a negative COVID19 test upon arrival for travellers from China, and Malaysia announced new tracking and surveillance measures. India, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan are requiring virus tests for visitors from China.

Lunar New Year, which begins on January 22, is usually China’s busiest travel season, and China announced Tuesday it will resume issuing passports for tourism for the first time since the start of the

pandemic in 2020.

“We look forward to welcoming Chinese travellers back to the United States,” US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. He called the US approach to testing inbound travelers “reasonable and appreciated”.

The US action is a return to testing requirements for some international travelers. The Biden administration lifted the last of such mandates in June. At that time, the CDC continued to recommend that people boarding flights to the US get tested close to departure time and not travel if they are sick.

“We’ve done this before. We can do it again,” Dowdy said.

Early in the pandemic, the US barred entry to foreigners traveling from China, weeks after the virus first emerged there three years ago, and dozens of other countries were added to the list. The country started lifting travel bans late last year, but required travelers to the US to be vaccinated and tested.

PASSENGERS wearing masks walk through the airport terminal in Beijing earlier this month.

Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP

A SOUTHWEST Airlines employee helps a traveller search for bags amongst hundreds of other checked bags at Midway International Airport yesterday.

Photo: Erin Hooley/AP

SCENES FROM BOXING DAY JUNKANOO

Photos: Moise Amisial

‘Buddy’ on top PISTONS OVERCAME SCUFFLE, EJECTIONS TO BEAT MAGIC, 121-101

Chavano Hield The Tribune’s Male Athlete of the Year 2022

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

In what was an unusual year for Bahamas sports, for the first time there were no nominees for the top five spots from track and field.

Instead, those spots were filled by the three Bahamians now playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and two, who made history as they competed in the Major League Baseball.

What a year again to review without a top male track and field athlete.

Champion Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield

After so many rumours swirling that also included the Los Angeles Lakers, Hield was finally traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Indiana Pacers on February 8 in a six-player deal and a 2023 second-round pick.

On February 11, the 30-year-old Grand Bahamian made his debut for the Pacers in a 120-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, recording a near triple double with 16 points, eight assists and nine rebounds.

The shooting guard came back on February 15 and scored a season-high 36 points while dishing out four assists in a 128–119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and on December 5, he became the second-fastest player in NBA history to reach 1,500 career threepointers, only behind Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry.

Hield, selected by the Pelicans with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft out of Oklahoma, is averaging 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for the Pacers, who are in contention for a playoff run this season.

The 6-foot, 4-inch, 220-pound guard came home and played once again for the Bahamas in the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s bid to put together the best team possible to qualify for the FIBA World Cup.

Unfortunately, his best efforts in leading the

Bahamas in a pair of games was not enough to get the Bahamas over the hump.

Runner-up DeAndre Ayton

While the federation was looking forward to him coming home to team up with Hield and Kai Jones in the FIBA World Cup qualifier, Ayton opted not to play as he was dealing with negotiations for a new contract with the Phoenix Suns.

After he didn’t agree on a contract extension with the Suns, Ayton became a restricted free agent during the offseason and on July 14, 2022, he signed a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Pacers, amounting to the largest in league history.

Eventually, the Suns matched the Pacers offer and on July 18, Ayton signed the Suns’ multi-year contract.

Playing for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017-18 season, Ayton was selected as the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Suns. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2019.

In 2021, he helped Phoenix to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.

Ayton, 24, is now a formidable force to reckon with in the middle as a 7-0 centre for the Suns, averaging 17.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for Phoenix, who is sitting among the top echelon of the Western Conference in the NBA.

Third place finisher Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Had it not been for a season-ending injury, Chisholm could have easily surged to the front of the pack.

The 24-year-old second baseman, Chisholm was hitting for a .254 batting average, alongside 14 home runs, 45 runs batted in, 39 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, and an on base plus slugging percentage of .860/

He was the National League leader at his position in OPS, home runs and RBI, as well as slugging percentage (.535) and

triples (4) and made the All-Star game for the first time in his career, being named the starting second baseman for the National League.

Although he became the first Bahamian-born player to make the All-Star Game roster, Chisholm did not play in the game as he was placed on the injured list on June 29, due to what was then diagnosed as right lower back strain.

On July 22, Chisholm was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his lower back,

and missed six weeks of the season. But on September 10, the Marlins confirmed that Chisholm would be out for the rest of the season.

Before he left, in 60 games played, Chisholm hit .254/.325/.535 with 14 home runs, 10 doubles, 4 triples, 45 RBI and 12 stolen bases Fourth place finish Kai Jones

After being drafted in the first round with the sixth pick in 2019 by the New York Knicks, the 21-year-old Jones, who

was then traded to the Charlotte Hornets, is now coming into his own after spending a brief stint in the D-League.

The 6-11 forward, who was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year for the University of Texas in 2021, is averaging 3.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.4 turnovers, 0.2 steals, 05 blocks and 1.4 personal fouls per game with his flashy aqua coloured hairdo.

DETROIT (AP) — Alec Burks scored a seasonhigh 32 points, Saddiq Bey added 28 and the Detroit Pistons overcame the ejection of two players after a scuffle to beat the Orlando Magic 121-101 last night and snap a six-game losing streak.

Killian Hayes and Hamadou Diallo were thrown out after the fight just before halftime. Moritz Wagner was tossed for Orlando and took a shot to the back of the head from Hayes and appeared to be briefly knocked out.

Jalen Duren finished with seven points and 18 rebounds for the Pistons, who got 76 points from their bench.

Franz Wagner had 19 points for Orlando, which lost on back-to-back nights after winning eight of nine.

With 33 seconds left in the first half, Moritz Wagner hip-checked Hayes into the Pistons bench as they chased a loose ball.

With Wagner facing the players on the Detroit bench, every Orlando player in uniform raced to the spot.

Wagner was ejected for a flagrant foul, while Hayes and Hamadou Diallo were ejected for their actions in the aftermath. Hayes got back up and struck Wagner in the back of the head, knocking him into the bench.

NETS 108, HAWKS 107

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant had 26 points and a season-high 16 rebounds and Brooklyn beat Atlanta for its 10th straight victory.

The winning streak is the longest in the NBA this season and the Nets’ longest since they took 10 in a row in 2005-06. The 2002-03 team also won 10 straight. The franchise record is 14, set in 2003-04 and matched in 2005-06.

Brooklyn (23-12) has won 14 of 15.

The injury-riddled Hawks (17-18) were without leading scorer Trae Young, leading rebounder Clint Capela and starting forward De’Andre Hunter. Dejounte Murray scored 24 points for Atlanta.

Ledecky earns AP female athlete of year for 2nd time

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer

A CHANGE of scenery worked out just fine for Katie Ledecky.

Shifting coasts and coaches after last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, the American swimmer turned in another stellar performance at the world championships, set a pair of world records and capped 2022 as The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, selected by a panel of 40 sports writers and editors from news outlets across the country.

Ledecky, who previously won the award in 2017, edged out American track star Sydney McLaughlin in balloting announced yesterday.

The two tied in total points, but Ledecky got the nod based on 10 first-place votes to McLaughlin’s nine.

Basketball standout A’ja Wilson finished third.

“I know so many great athletes have won this honour,” Ledecky said. “I’m really happy — happy with how my year went, and also excited about the future.”

Ledecky, who won her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15, has managed to stay on top in female freestyle swimming’s longest pool events for the better part of a decade.

She has held the longcourse world record in both the 800- and 1,500-metre free since 2013, rarely facing a serious challenge in either of those gruelling races.

At this year’s world aquatics championships in Budapest, Hungary, Ledecky touched first in the 800 by more than 10 seconds and won the 1,500 by nearly 15 seconds. She also

claimed gold in the 400 free and was part of the winning US team in the 4x200 free relay.

Before 2022 was done, Ledecky added two more world records to her ledger. She set short-course marks

in both the 800 and 1,500 a week apart — even though she rarely competes in the 25-meter pool.

But the real enjoyment for Ledecky comes when no one is cheering her on, when it’s just her and her

coaches and teammates, putting in the long, lonely hours of training.

“I might be one of the few swimmers who loves the training even more than the racing,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong: I love the racing, too. But I truly enjoy going to practice every day. I’m excited when I go to bed for practice in the morning.”

Last year, after an Olympic performance that was a slight disappointment by her lofty standings, Ledecky left coach Greg Meehan and the Stanford University team where she had competed and trained while earning a psychology degree.

Her top priority was getting closer to her family in the Washington, D.C., area. She was intrigued by the programme that Anthony Nesty, a rising star in the coaching ranks, had built at the University of Florida.

One of Nesty’s freestylers, Bobby Finke, surprisingly swept gold in the men’s 800 and 1,500 free at Tokyo. Another, Kieran Smith, captured an unexpected bronze.

So, Ledecky moved nearly 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometres) from Palo Alto, California, to Gainesville, Florida. “It’s been a lot of fun every day,” she said. “This is the right place for me to be at this point in my career. I’m training really well and learning a lot along the way.”

The shift to Nesty and a programme where she usually trains with the men seems to have pushed the 25-year-old Ledecky to even greater heights.

Nesty said one of his main challenges is making sure Ledecky doesn’t train too hard.

GOLD medallist Katie Ledecky, of the US, poses with her medal after the Women’s 800m Freestyle final at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on June 24. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

CHAVANO “Buddy” Hield has been named as The Tribune’s Male Athlete of the Year 2022. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Candle light vigil held in memory of shortstop Zella Brown-Symonette

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TRIBUTES poured in from softball players, the media and family and friends last night as a candle light vigil was held in memory of the late Zella Brown-Symonette, the veteran national team softball player who was considered one of the best female shortstops that ever played the game.

Brown-Symonette, 59, died on Tuesday, December 13, leaving behind her husband Kenneth Symonette Sr, daughter Kenise (Jerad) Darville, son Kenneth (Qutel) Symonette Jr, grandchildren Anthony Deane, Colman and Chozen Darville and Hannah and Kai Symonette, sisters Ruthmae Williams, Maxine Newton and Patricia Brown and brothers Ralph, Ullis and Dexter Brown.

Yasmin Newbold serenaded the crowd with a number of selections, Bishop Denczil Rolle delivered a short exaltation and prayer and Pastor Stephanie Chisholm closed out the candle light vigil at the Symonette’s home on Avocado Street in Pinewood Gardens.

But throughout the night, tributes poured in about the life on and off the softball field of Symonette and a special video presentation documented some of the funloving experiences shared by family members.

Ernestine Butler-Stubbs, a veteran pitcher, said she and Symonette were inseparable and would always room together whenever they travelled on the national team. She noted that on one trip, the management team attempted to split them up, but she insisted that if they did, they were both going to head home.

They stayed together.

Even after playing on several teams apart from each other in the New Providence Softball Association, Butler-Stubbs recalled how

they came together and played for the Spotless, the Brackettes and the Johnson Lady Truckers, the last team that Symonette played on.

“With me and Zella on the same team, nothing could go wrong on the pitcher’s mound or in shortstop or anywhere on the field because if Zella saw someone make a mistake, Zella would say ‘Nay, get that ball,’” Butler said.

Hyacinth Farrington, representing the Invaders Softball Team in the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association, said her days with Symonette extended to the Wildcats where they provided the best shortstop-second sacker combo.

“We had so many double plays together,” said Farrington, who called Symonette a beautiful person. “Thanks for the memories you left behind. You will be missed.”

Alvin Knowles, the senior deacon at Mt Tabor, talked about their connection from the Five-Pound Yard in Kemp and their relationship that blossomed when they became members of Mt Tabor

Full Gospel Church and eventually serving on the Deaconate Board.

“Zella had an infectious smile,” he said. “Even when Zella was mad, she would do a little pout with her mouth, but all of a sudden you saw a smile break off.”

Greg ‘Motts’ Mortimer, another softball pitcher, said his days with Symonette also extended back to Kemp Road where they grew up. He noted that while they played in the

NPSA, their paths were interrupted until he visited Mt Tabor with his daughter, who was a member and he got to rekindle his relationship with Symonette.

“I know one thing for sure, she’s a child of the kind and she’s resting in the arms of the Lord,” Mortimer said.

For umpire-in-chief Martin ‘Pork’ Burrows, he first got to know Symonette back in 1991 when he played with her husband

Ken in the Hotel League. He said he always wondered why Symonette would take her lunch hour to sit in the back in right field, but he realised that it was because of the position Ken played.

“Zella was a champion, but Ken was a champion from that time as we won a number of championships in the hotel league before it became the Atlantis League,” Burrows said.

“We won about eight or

nine championships and I remember Symonette coming out to watch us play in all of them.”

When he ventured into umpiring, Martin said he noticed how Symonette would always take the time to encourage him during or after the game about the manner in which he officiated the game.

Deanza ‘Sonny’ Cox, the new sponsor of the Sunshine Auto Wildcats, said when he came on board, Symonette had already left for the Truckers.

“The Wildcats that I joined, never forgot Zella, so when you talked about greatness, Zella’s name always came up. So hats off to Zella,” Cox said. “That’s why I am here tonight. I’m here to represent Zella, who was one of the original Wildcats, who made a difference in fastpitch softball.”

Jenny Isaacs-Dotson, the first female to serve as president of the BSF, expressed her condolences on behalf of the entire softball community.

“It touches home for me particularly as the president of the BSF because I not only played against Zella in slowpitch and fastpitch, but we travelled on the national team as well,” Isaacs-Dotson said. “She was a remarkable person, who I never saw angry, I never saw upset. She was always smiling and always encouraging.

“When I saw the notice coming around about her death, I had to call Mary (Edgecombe-Sweeting) to confirm. But she will be sorely missed. Hopefully we will be able to do something for her on the park at a later date.”

In conclusion, Brent Stubbs, senior reporter at The Tribune, noted that Symonette was a “gem,” who played like “poetry in motion,” similar to the late Kith Butler. He also called for Symonette to be memorialised posthumously in the National Hall of Fame. May her soul rest in peace.

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH they are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, the Agape Academy Eagles are eager about the full return of sporting activities whether on the island of Abaco or here in the capital.

Not only are they bringing in teams to participate in basketball and volleyball tournaments, but Agape is also making the trip to New Providence to compete whenever the opportunity presents itself.

This week, the Eagles, under coach Stephan Johnson, are back in town for another appearance in the Providence Storm Basketball Club’s 2022 Holiday Classic at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

While the Eagles’ senior boys dropped their second consecutive game, losing

25-21 to the undefeated Jordan Prince Williams Falcons, Johnson said he was encouraged by what he saw from his team.

“A lot of my kids have not had an opportunity to play in a tournament of this calibre, so shout out to coach Kevin Johnson and Providence Basketball Club for affording us the opportunity to come here and compete.

“We just try to practice as best as we can and to work on whatever we need to do whenever we get into a game situation. So we’re glad that both our junior boys and our senior boys get to compete.

“Our junior boys are looking very good, but our senior boys have lost two close games. I think we still have a chance to make the playoffs, but we have to win our next games we play.”

In their last game against the Falcons, coached by Ernest Saunders, Johnson

said they showed a vast improvement since losing to Jordan Prince Williams by 15 points in a tournament they hosted in Abaco in October.

some of the games played:

Jordan Prince Williams 25, Agape 21: Kamari Minns scored 12 points and Ellery Lockhart added eight as the Falcons flew past the Eagles. Anthony Mertil had 10 and DeShawn Smith five in the loss.

Jordan Prince Williams led 12-7 at the half.

Queen’s College 32, Government High 16: Leo Burrows scored a game high 20 points to pace the Comets senior boys, who came from a 114-10 deficit at the half. Rasheed Brennen had five in the loss.

CC Sweeting 43, Teleos 35: Jamerolston Vil scored 14 points in the Cobras’ senior boys win.

Cedric Farrington had a game high 14 in the loss.

CC Sweeting came from a 23-16 deficit at the half for the win.

CI Gibson B 31, St George’s 27: Prince Wheatley scored all of his 10 points in the second half and Carson Rolle, who had six in the period, finished with 10 as well as the Rattlers senior boys won.

DeVorne Rigby and Kevaro Russell both had six in the loss after they trailed 15-12 at the half.

Doris Johnson 41, St John’s College 29: Brendon Williams scored 15 points and Stephen Robinson came up with nine in the Mystic Marlin’s senior boys win after leading 16-12 at the half. Tallen Porter had 13 in a losing effort.

CV Bethel 26, Teleos 4: Terrell McCoy came up with 13 and Trinity Bodie added 11 as the Stingrays’ senior girls won. Keziah Butler and A’Zariah Anderson both had two in the loss.

CH Reeves 21, Nassau

Christian Academy 3: Stanley Pratt scored six points and Kavashti Rahming added five for the Raptors as they both scored more than the Crusaders, who trailed 10-1 at the half.

Rufus Johnson had a pair of points in the loss.

St John’s 31, DW Davis

27: Leonardo Rolle and Kymani Bowe had 12 and seven points respectively to lead a 1-2 punch for the Giants junior boys as they out-lasted the Royals, who trailed 19-13 at the half.

Darius Hanna had a game high 13 and Windisky Paul added six in the loss.

Jordan Prince Williams 20, Freedom Baptist 6: Antonio Knowles and Broc Glinton scored eight and seven points respectively for the Falcons in the junior boys division after they opened a 15-3 lead at the half.

Caleb Russell scored three points in the loss.

Agape 20, SC McPherson 16: Tayshawn Clarke scored 20 points, including seven in the second half as they rallied from a 9-5 deficit. Judah McIntosh added seven.

Tieano Ferguson had eight in a losing effort.

St Augustine’s College 27, Teleos 5: Antonicia Moultrie canned nine and Dior-Rae Scott chipped in with eight as the Big Red Machine senior girls rolled past the Cherubim in a late game on Wednesday.

had five in the loss.

Keziah Butler

SHOWN are some of the female softball players who showed up for the candle light vigil in memory of Zella Symonette.

CHILDREN Kenice Darville and Ken Symonette participate in the candle light ceremony for their deceased mother Zella Symonette.

BAHAMAS Softball Federation president Jenny Isaacs-Dotson, umpire-in-chief Martin Burrows, sponsor Deanza ‘Sunny’ Cox and pitchers Mary ‘Cruise’ Sweeting and Ernestine.

PITCHER Greg Mortimer holding his candle as husband Ken Symonette is in the background with his cap on at the candle light vigil last night.

Cowboys kick off Week 17 as huge road favourites at Titans

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

BEFORE the Tennessee Titans face a win-or-go-home game against Jacksonville next week, they host the Dallas Cowboys tonight.

Week 17 kicks off with an interesting matchup that means much more to Dallas.

Coming off a win over the Eagles, the Cowboys (11-4) still have a shot at winning the NFC East and an outside chance to earn the No. 1 seed.

The struggling Titans (7-8) have lost five in a row and will play the Jaguars (7-8) for the AFC South in the regular-season finale regardless of the outcome against the Cowboys.

The banged-up Titans are without quarterback Ryan Tannehill and their main concern should be staying healthy.

Dallas is a 10 1/2-point favourite, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Pro Picks considers this a layup.

COWBOYS, 30-13 New York Jets (minus 2 1/2) at Seattle Mike White returns to try to rescue the season for the Jets (7-8). The Seahawks (7-8) are still battling for a playoff spot, too. Seattle is a tough place to play for a quarterback making his seventh career start.

UPSET SPECIAL: SEAHAWKS, 20-19 Miami (plus 2 1/2) at New England

Tua Tagovailoa is back in concussion protocol and the Dolphins (8-7) have lost four straight. The Patriots (7-8) were a fumble inside the 5 away from beating the Bengals last week.

BEST BET: PATRIOTS, 23-17 Minnesota (plus 3) at Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (7-8) are making an improbable push for the playoffs. The Vikings (12-3) have won an NFL-record 11 games by one score. Their only double-digit victory came over the Packers in Week 1.

PACKERS, 27-23

NBAFROM PAGE 12

BULLS 119, BUCKS 113, OT

Carolina (plus 3) at Tampa Bay

Tom Brady already lost to P.J. Walker. Now, Sam Darnold has a shot to lead the Panthers (6-9) to an NFC South title starting with a win over the Buccaneers (7-8). Tampa Bay has to stop Carolina’s run to give Brady and an underachieving offense a shot.

BUCCANEERS, 20-16 Cleveland (plus 1 1/2) at Washington

The Commanders (7-71) are turning to Carson Wentz to get them to the playoffs.

COMMANDERS, 23-20 New Orleans (plus 6 1/2) at Philadelphia

The banged-up Eagles (13-2) are one win away from securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Gardner Minshew almost beat the Cowboys, but losing Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson to injury was more

costly than losing that game.

EAGLES, 27-16 Arizona (plus 3 1/2) at Atlanta J.J. Watt’s next-to-last game could be a nightmare for Atlanta QB Desmond Ridder.

FALCONS, 20-17 Jacksonville (minus 4 1/2) at Houston Like the Titans, the Jaguars have to prioritize health over winning. Win or lose, Jacksonville plays for the AFC South next week.

JAGUARS, 23-20 Chicago (plus 5 1/2) at Detroit

The Lions (7-8) couldn’t stop the run against the Panthers and now face Justin Fields with their playoff hopes on the line.

LIONS, 30-23 Denver (plus 13 1/2) at Kansas City

The Chiefs (12-3) can slide into the No. 1 seed

with help from the Bengals. The Broncos are a disaster.

CHIEFS, 31-10 Indianapolis (plus 5 1/2) at New York Giants

Nick Foles can’t play any worse this week for the Colts.

The Giants (8-6-1) are aiming to lock up a wildcard spot

GIANTS, 22-20 San Francisco (minus 6) at Las Vegas Brock Purdy and the 49ers (11-4) have a shot at the No. 2 seed.

49ERS, 26-17 Los Angeles Rams (plus 6 1/2) at Los Angeles Chargers

The battle for Los Angeles with two teams headed in opposite directions.

CHARGERS, 27-17 Pittsburgh (plus 3) at Baltimore

The Ravens (10-5) need Lamar Jackson to have any chance in the playoff.

They still can win the AFC North.

RAVENS, 17-16 Buffalo (minus 1 1/2) at Cincinnati

There’s plenty at stake in a potential preview of the AFC championship game. Josh Allen and the Bills (12-3) want to hold onto the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Joe Burrow and the Bengals (11-4) have won seven in a row.

BILLS, 27-24 2022 RECORD

Last Week: Straight up: 10-6 Against spread: 6-10. Season: Straight up: 147-92. Against spread: 119-115-5.

Thursday: Straight up: 12-6. Against spread: 8-10.

Monday: Straight up: 10-7. Against spread: 8-9.

Best Bet: Straight up: 9-7. Against spread: 9-7.

Upset Special: Straight up: 5-11. Against spread: 7-8-1.

MCDANIEL: TUA SUFFERED CONCUSSION IN LOSS TO PACKERS

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained his second concussion of the season in last week’s loss to Green Bay, Miami coach Mike McDaniel confirmed yesterday.

Tagovailoa has not been officially ruled out for Sunday’s pivotal game at New England, though it’s unknown when the Dolphins will see him on the field again.

McDaniel said the Dolphins are moving forward with Teddy Bridgewater as their starter.

The NFL and the players association have launched a joint review of the application of the concussion protocol involving Tagovailoa.

“We welcome that review, and as we have done previously, we will report the results in conjunction with the NFLPA,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said.

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was at the Dolphins’ facility Wednesday but did not offer details on how he is doing beyond “better than yesterday.”

Tagovailoa appeared to hit the back of his head against the ground when he was tackled in the second quarter against the Packers, but he never left the game and wasn’t immediately evaluated for a concussion.

McDaniel said Monday that the team didn’t see anything during the game that would have made them question if Tagovailoa had a concussion.

It wasn’t until they reviewed the tape the next day that they saw inconsistencies with Tagovailoa that concerned them.

BUDDY

FROM PAGE 12

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 42 points and Chicago rallied to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee in overtime.

The Bulls trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter, only to pull even in the closing minute of regulation. DeRozan scored 10 in overtime, Nikola Vucevic hit a 3 in the extra period and the Bulls beat one of the NBA’s best teams after losing to one of the worst — Houston — two nights earlier.

Antetokounmpo matched a season high with 45 points and set one with 20 rebounds. He also committed two turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation, and the Bucks extended their seasonhigh losing streak to four.

WIZARDS 125, SUNS 102

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rui Hachimura matched his career high with 30 points and converted a pivotal three-point play to help Washington beat Phoenix in a meeting of depleted teams.

Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma each had 22 points for Washington as three-time Wizards AllStar Bradley Beal sat out with hamstring soreness.

Deandre Ayton scored 31 points for the Suns, who said yesterday that All-Star guard Devin Booker will miss at least four weeks because of a left groin strain. Phoenix also is missing Cam Johnson, Cam Payne and Landry Shamet.

PELICANS 119, TIMBERWOLVES 118

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored a career-high 43 points, capping it with New Orleans’ final 14 points in the last 2:44, and the Pelicans outlasted Minnesota for its fourth straight victory.

Anthony Edwards, who scored 27 points for Minnesota, missed a baseline fade for the win as time expired in a game in which the Wolves led most of the way, and by as many as 11 points, before losing their fourth straight.

Trey Murphy III scored 21 points, going 5 of 6 from 3, and CJ McCollum had 20 points for the Pelicans. Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 11 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell had 27 points for Minnesota.

HEAT 112, LAKERS 98

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 23 points and 14 rebounds and Miami beat Los Angeles to move over .500.

Tyler Herro had 18 points and nine assists for the Heat (18-17). Caleb Martin scored 13 points and Gabe Vincent added 12.

LeBron James had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, playing on the second night of a back to back. Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder each had 15 for the Lakers.

History was made again on April 10 when Fox was called up to play in the Majors for the Washington Nationals, becoming the eighth Bahamian to reach that lofty plateau, joining the two previous members in the league at the same time.

In his debut game, the shortstop laid down a safety squeeze bunt to tie the game in the eighth inning as the Nationals came from behind for a 4-2 win over the New York Mets.

Also playing in the league was Chisholm and Antoan Richardson, who is now the first base coach for the San Francisco Giants.

The other Bahamians to play in the Majors are Andre Rodgers, Tony Curry, Ed Armbrister, Wenty Ford and Wilfred Culmer, all of whom are deceased.

The 25-year-old Fox recorded his first MLB hit on May 1 in an 11-5 win over Richardson and the Giants, but was sent back to the TripleA Rochester Red Wings on May 3.

On December 13, Fox was designated for assignment by the Nationals where he is awaiting his new assignment for 2023.

At the end of 2022, on December 4 to be exact, Fox teamed up with Todd Isaacs Jr to host the fifth edition of their fast growing Don’t Blink Home Run Derby that returned to its original site at Montagu shore after being staged on Paradise Island.

When it was all said and done, it came down to the first All Bahamian showdown in the final with BJ Murray outslugging Trent Deveaux to cart off the crown, adding his name to the list of champions that included Bo Bichette, the back-to-back winner in 2018 and 2019, Lewis Brinson in 2020 and MJ Melendez last year.

Fifth place finisher Lucius Fox

ORLANDO Magic centre Wendell Carter Jr (34) blocks a shot attempt by Detroit Pistons guard Hami-

dou Diallo (6) during the first half yesterday in Detroit.

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

DENIKA LIGHTBOURNE LOOKING AHEAD TO DAYTONA

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

POINT guard Denika Lightbourne has had a promising career since she left the Queen’s College Comets in grade nine to continue playing for the Lady Indians at Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls, Georgia.

Now in her senior year where she’s teaming up with two other Bahamians, Tanisha Seymour, another senior from Nassau and Tahj Charlton, a junior from Grand Bahama, the 18-year-old Lightbourne has secured a scholarship to compete for the University of Dayton Ohio where she will pursue a degree in computer science.

Home for the holidays, Lightbourne spent some time working out in the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium with veteran women’s coach Anthony Swaby.

He took the time out to make sure that she stays fit and ready to compete when she returns to school in January.

“My dream is to play professional basketball,” said Lightbourne, who has already projected herself as one of the top female players to watch from the time she started playing under coach Kino Demeritte at

In making the transition from the Bahamas to the United States, Lightbourne said she’s been able to improve her game and she’s now content with her ability to play at the next level when she heads to university in August.

“At first it was pretty hard, but because of the players around me, I was able to make the adjustments,” Lightbourne said.

“I think the team we have this year will be able to do some good things, but it’s still a learning process for us.”

The Lady Indians, coached by Lowell Hamilton, emerged as the region champions last year when

they finished in the elite eight.

This year, they are currently 4-8 so far, but Lightbourne said they have the potential to be a whole lot better.

“We started off with a rough start, but we are starting to come together,” said Lightbourne, as she looks ahead to their return to competition against Lake Oconee Academy on January 7.

“The most important games are the region games, so we just want to prepare ourselves for those games next year.”

The 5-foot, 8 1.2-inch Lightbourne said the goal is to finish better than they did last year.

She said as she looks to solidifying her position in the backcourt, she hopes that she can play at a higher level when it counts the most.

Lightbourne, the daughter of La-Shanda and Deniko Lighbourne and siblings to La-Shae and Deniko Jr, said she got an opportunity to play with the women’s national team, which has helped her game tremendously.

She said she’s even more excited abut being home and getting in the workout sessions with Swaby.

“Mr Swaby has always been there for me and I

appreciate the fact that he got me to come in the gym and get in this workout,” Lightbourne said. “I think it’s so important for me to be able to get in some workouts while I am at home.”

Swaby, who continues to assist the women playing in college or the pro ranks, said he has been pleased with the progress that Lightbourne has made and he insists that she will definitely be a force to reckon with in the future.

“Anytime I get the opportunity to help any of the players, I make myself available for them,” Swaby said.

“I believe that if you show them some interest whenever they are invited to try out for the national team, they will be willing to come out because they see that there are some people who are interested in them.”

In Lightbourne, Swaby said he and current

one of the best point

ever come out of

Bahamas.

Daytona, Ohio.

“She needs to understand that once you get older, the body is different,” the coach said. “I have to tell her, ‘Katie, you’ve got understand you’re not 18 anymore.’ The body will get tired. When it gets tired, it’s OK to throttle back a little bit.”

Moving to Florida has led to other changes.

Always a bit reserved, Ledecky now seems far more willing to speak up — even holding her own in good-natured trash talk with her male teammates, according to Nesty.

“This group is a very competitive group, a fun group and, at times, pretty chatty,” he said. “It seems to have made her pretty chatty. You’ve gotta be with our group. I think our group has kind of made her come out of her shell a little bit.”

Ledecky agreed.

“Guys are guys. They love to trash-talk with each other,” she said with a smile. “I’ll poke a little fun

at the some of the guys, give them a little push here and there. I’m definitely pretty comfortable in this environment now.”

Ledecky tackled a brutal programme at the Tokyo Games, where women competed in the 1,500 free for the first time. As expected, she swept the 800-1,500 double but came up short to Australian rival Ariarne Titmus in two shorter freestyle events.

Ledecky settled for silver behind Titmus in the 400 and didn’t even win a medal in the 200, finishing 1 1/2 seconds behind the Aussie in fifth place.

It was the first time Ledecky failed to win a medal in an Olympic race.

“There were some things I would’ve liked to be better in Tokyo,” she conceded. “But also, I was really stretching myself, I was swimming 1,500 at the Olympics for the first time, while also swimming the 200 free. The events were even on the same day, which is something I don’t think anyone else was doing. It was a challenge I had set

my mind to for many years, something I wanted to take on. I don’t regret taking that on.”

The fifth-place finish was certainly an anomaly in Ledecky’s stellar career.

Over three Olympic appearances, she has claimed seven gold medals and three silvers. At the biennial world championships, Ledecky has piled up a staggering 19 gold medals along with three silvers.

She has every intention of going faster.

Ledecky is focused squarely on the 2024 Paris Games, where she’ll likely compete in at least four events. She even is glimpsing ahead to her home-country Olympics at Los Angeles in 2028.

She’ll be 31 by then but sees no reason why she can’t stay on top.

“I’m always setting new goals for myself,” Ledecky said. “I enjoy the process more and more every year. What it takes to stay at this level. What it takes to continue to have your eyes set on something that’s a couple of years away.”

Temple Christian Primary School.

women’s national team coach Donilo ‘Donnie’ Culmer are convinced that Lightbourne could end up being

guards to

the

He said he believes that a number of the division one colleges that passed up on the opportunity to recruit Lightbourne will regret their decision when they see how well she will soar when she settles in at

DENIKA LIGHTBOURNE