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The Tribune PUZZLER

‘READY TO GET GOING’ ON GENER AL ELECTION

Officials to ramp up preparations - as they reject local vote critics

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

Reporter

ACTING Parliamentary Registration Commissioner

Arthur Taylor said the department will ramp up preparations for the next general election next month and rejected claims that his institution was unprepared for the recent local government elections.

“Everybody now is at the

point where they are ready to be going,” he said, adding that teams will be mobilised and sent to islands to verify voters.

He discussed his department’s general election plans with The Tribune and responded to criticism about last week’s elections. Some Family Islands faced significant polling delays and ballot errors.

COLEBY-DAVIS RESPONDS TO BACKLASH OVER VIRAL VIDEO

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

Critics slammed the video as tone-deaf given the country’s economic struggles, but Mrs Coleby-Davis, appearing on Beyond the Headlines with Shanique Miller on Monday, said the video was filmed at a private family Christmas

ELIZABETH MP Jobeth Coleby-Davis responded to the backlash and apologised to those who took offence over a viral video in which she showcased designer jewellery, clothing, and accessories, including items from Rolex, Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Uggs, and Louis Vuitton.

Pageant contestant says she lost crown after she refused to share

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A YOUNG woman’s dream of winning the Miss Teen Exuma and Ragged Island title was dashed after

her crown was allegedly stripped away for refusing to share it with the first runner-up.

Event organisers have attributed the decision to scoring discrepancies. The unexpected turn

of events left Azaria Wilson devastated. She was informed that the first runner-up was the rightful winner. In a letter sent to The

SERIAL GROPER ACCUSED OF ANOTHER SEX ASSAULT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

SIDNEY Cooper, a man National Security Minister Wayne Munroe warned the public about in 2023 because of his history of sexual assaults, was denied bail and imprisoned after he allegedly committed a sexual crime against a 68-year-old woman in a convenience store last

weekend. Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans arraigned Sidney Cooper on indecent assault.

The defendant allegedly accosted an elderly woman and rubbed his erect privates against her buttocks twice at a convenience store on Crooked Island Street on January 25.

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE suspension of electronic processing for extended tourist stays in The Bahamas “just adds to the pain” for visiting boaters and local marinas, the Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) chief asserted yesterday. ABM president Peter Maury said the move unveiled yesterday “is going to add to the inconvenience” for boaters and yachters as they will now seemingly have to visit Immigration offices in-person to extend their stays and economic impact in The Bahamas. FULL STORY -

SIDNEY COOPER

RESORT owner Bob Coughlin and ONE Consultant principal Eric Carey speak to reporters during a media tour of Turtlegrass Resort on Big Samson Cay, Exuma, yesterday. See BUSINESS for stories.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

Media tours Turtlegrass Resort at Big Samson Cay

RESORT owner Bob Coughlin (pictured top right) and ONE Consultant principal Eric Carey (on right in photo below) spoke to reporters during a media tour of Turtlegrass Resort on Big Samson Cay, Exuma, yesterday. See BUSINESS for stories.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

‘Ready to get going’ on general election

from page one

Even yesterday, in Grand Bahama, Deputy Chief Councillor Charlene Reid expressed disappointment over the postponement of the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected councillors on that island.

She said in a statement that the delay is yet another blemish on the local government election, which was held on January 23 in the Family Islands.

“The new act clearly states a timeline of two weeks for installation, yet this timeline has been disregarded,” she claimed.

Mr Taylor insisted that only three polling divisions –– in Bimini, Harbour Island, and North Eleuthera — encountered problems, which he primarily attributed to bad weather.

“In Bimini, there was a case where the weather deteriorated so badly that the box couldn’t go out, and it delayed the flights for a period of time. That ended up pushing the voting back a few hours,” he said, adding that Harbour Island also faced delays due to weather conditions.

He said ferries could not operate that morning and transport ballot boxes due to heavy fog.

He admitted ballot errors in polling divisions nine and ten in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.

He said the department prints ballots locally, and officials only discovered some names were missing after they arrived on the island.

He said when alerted to the issue, he immediately arranged for the ballots to be reprinted. He said sending them to Governor’s Harbour from New Providence caused delays, leading to a late start.

“That was something that we should have caught,” he said. “We

should have looked at it. We should have done our due diligence, but we were able to correct that almost immediately.”

He highlighted other administrative issues, such as concerns with supplies like dipping ink and challenges with presiding officers, but said these were not serious enough to close polling divisions.

He criticised those who commented negatively about the process in public.

He said he only learned about some concerns from the press, which he found disappointing since the department’s command centre was open on the election day.

“I’m disappointed that persons were using that to attack us that we weren’t ready, we weren’t prepared, we weren’t into this and that because my staff worked extra hard to do it properly, and we were planning this for almost three months ago,” he said.

He said out of over 100 voting polls, only three experienced major glitches that affected voting times, but there were no significant issues otherwise.

He said he is still waiting on writs from some islands to officially announce the results.

“The boxes got there on time,” he said. “Votes were cast, votes were counted, the results were given in, and we ain’t get all of them yet, but we got enough to be able to come to some conclusion. What’s the problem?”

He highlighted his track record.

“We know now we can’t deal with waiting the morning of the election to send a box out even a mile away,” he said. “The Harbour Island matter hopefully won’t happen, because if we pack early enough, we can get those boxes sent out two days in advance.”

Speed may have been a factor in latest traffic fatality yesterday

A MAN, believed to be in his 50s or 60s, is dead after crashing into the rear of a garbage truck on East Street South early Tuesday morning.

THOUSANDS of residents participated in the Local Government Election throughout The Bahamas on last week. In Grand Bahama, 67 candidates nominated for a chance to represent their constituents in Sweeting’s Cay, East Grand Bahama, Central Grand Bahama, Pineridge, Marco City and West Grand Bahama.

Photos: Jamika Culmer/BIS

Second in charge of the Traffic Division, Chief Superintendent Coran Jennings, told reporters:

The incident occurred just before 4am near Sapodilla Boulevard and involved a Mack truck and a silver Nissan Teana. The driver of the Teana succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

“Information at this time is that the male in the vehicle was travelling south and collided with the back of the garbage truck.” He suggested that speed may have been a factor, given the damage to the vehicle.

Pageant contestant says she lost crown after she refused to share

Tribune, Ms Wilson shared her initial excitement as a senior at LN Coakley High School participating in the Miss Teen Exuma and Ragged Island Pageant. Describing herself as an introvert, she expressed joy when she was declared the winner of the pageant on December 15. She recalled that the Master of Ceremony had announced her as the winner with a margin of just 0.3 points over the first runner-up. However, her reign was short-lived. Four days after her victory, she said she attended the contract signing, accompanied by the senior director, the contestant manager, a committee member, the first runner-up, and her mother.

Ms Wilson claimed that during the signing, the senior director asked if she would consider sharing the title. The proposal was for Ms Wilson to be Miss Teen Exuma while the first runner-up would take the Miss Teen Ragged Island title. Ms Wilson added that it was suggested that someone at the pageant wanted both girls to participate in a

nationwide competition in New Providence, as Abaco would also be sending two contestants to compete.

Ms Wilson refused to share the title, considering herself the rightful winner.

The situation reportedly escalated on December 20, during a meeting with various parties. Ms Wilson said the contestant manager revealed that she had spent the night reviewing the judges’ scores, which were marked in pen and signed by each judge. She said the scores were then recalculated, revealing that the first runner-up had a total score of 79.95, while Ms Wilson’s score was 79.60.

“The senior director showed that she consulted with the host of the event, who instructed her to strip me of the crown,” Ms Wilson said. “The senior director also mentioned that the individual from Nassau suggested we split the title so both of us could travel to Nassau.”

“I was left confused and felt a great deal of mistrust. How could the people I trusted shatter my dreams so recklessly?” Ms Wilson said.

She said the first runnerup offered to let her take the

Miss Teen Ragged Island title, but she was too devastated to respond.

On December 24, Miss Teen Exuma International posted a statement on its Facebook page, announcing that a discrepancy had occurred during the pageant. The statement claimed that after reviewing the judging sheets, the rightful winner was Jeremika Morley, not Azaria Wilson.

The statement was met with backlash, with many commenters calling the decision “unfair” and “unprofessional.” Some even urged young women to boycott local pageants.

The pageant claimed it had notified the judges about the announcement.

However, one judge expressed disappointment on Facebook, saying many judges were not informed. The judge also claimed no meeting was held after the pageant to address discrepancies with the scores and questioned how such an error occurred.

Ms Wilson said she is seeking closure from the emotional ordeal and hopes the truth will be exposed.

When contacted by The Tribune for comment, one of the pageant’s organisers

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE Galaxy Leader, a Bahamian-flagged vessel seized by Yemeni Houthi rebels in November 2023, was released last week along with its 25-member crew following diplomatic mediation led by Oman.

The crew — nationals from Bulgaria, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania, and Ukraine — had been held hostage but were eventually freed when Oman arranged for an Air Force aircraft to extract them from Yemen.

“The Oman government, who was in constant dialogue with them, assisted with the Air Force aircraft and flew into Yemen, collected them out into Oman so that they could then get home to their countries,” said former Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle, The Bahamas’ Permanent Representative to the International Maritime

Organization.

While in captivity, the crew was treated humanely and allowed limited family contact.

“Very short, wasn’t no long talk, but they were allowed to make some kind of contact with their families, and they didn’t complain of any mistreatment,” Mr Rolle said.

The Galaxy Leader was seized amid ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, where the Iran-backed group has been targeting vessels they believe are linked to Israel or the United States. These actions, framed as retaliation for US support of Israel, have forced many ships to reroute around South Africa, increasing costs and delaying shipments.

“The journey around South Africa costs nearly $200,000 more per trip,” Mr Rolle said. “You have to buy more fuel, and the journey takes another two weeks, which delays goods reaching their destinations.”

The Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier, was out of service for a year, delaying the delivery of thousands of cars. Other consumer goods, including grains for cereal production and clothing, have also been impacted.

“These are not small vessels; we’re talking about ships carrying 20,000 containers,” Mr Rolle said.

“When they take extra time to get to their destinations, it backs up supply chains and increases costs, which are eventually passed on to consumers.”

Other Bahamian-flagged vessels have also come under attack. Mr Rolle confirmed that another Bahamian-registered ship was targeted, though no injuries were reported.

“After these attacks started, the ships started going around South Africa to avoid becoming a target,” he said.

Over 400 Bahamians in US under final orders of removal, says ICE

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

FOUR hundred and twenty-six Bahamian citizens were under final orders of removal as of November 2024, according to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report.

The Bahamians, who were not detained up to that point, are part of a broader list of over 1.4 million people from various countries facing deportation.

The Trump administration has intensified immigration enforcement, increasing daily arrests and expanding deportation efforts. This includes the

use of military planes for removal flights and threats of diplomatic repercussions for countries refusing to accept deportees.

In December 2024, The Bahamas rejected a proposal from the Trump administration to accept third-country migrants deported from the US, emphasizing that the country would only accept its own citizens.

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell noted yesterday that the deportation process involving Bahamian citizens is not new for The Bahamas.

“We accept any Bahamian citizen removed from any country back to The

Bahamas,” he said. “We have a long experience with this. While some people are in a panic because of this flurry of recent publicity and activity, thus far, it seems routine and within the law as far as The Bahamas is concerned. We have no reason to think that any of our international partners would violate international norms on repatriation. We will deal with any request in the usual manner.”

The implementation of deportation orders can be delayed due to factors such as logistical challenges, verification of citizenship, and the issuance of travel documents.

said she would consider providing a statement after consulting with a lawyer. The Tribune did not receive a statement up to press time.

PAGEANT winner Azaria Wilson.

BAHAMIAN-FLAGGED SHIP SEIZED BY H OUTHI

RELEASED ALONG WITH 25-MAN CREW

HIS photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi escort the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, Nov. 19, 2023. Photo: Houthi Media Center/AP

Coleby-Davis responds to backlash over viral video

gathering, their first without her father. It was part of a TikTok challenge led by her young niece and was never meant for public viewing.

“My nieces, when they see me, they see auntie; this is what they get,” she said. “They get that relaxed auntie feeling, and they get the joy of having me participate in all of these crazy teenage things that teenage kids are doing on TikTok and wherever else.”

She said she was upset that the private moment was exposed, noting she is not on TikTok.

“I was even more upset that that side of me that I show in those private settings with my family was exposed. But my niece, they’re young, they live in the States, and this is the TikTok thing, and she had us doing all type of challenges, and it got into the wrong hands and went with the wrong message.” She said after the video gained attention, she spoke to her niece about it.

“I called her and I said, ‘Destiny, did you put the video up?’ She said, ‘Yes, auntie.’ I said, you know,

auntie is in politics and a public figure and you know we were having fun, and I know you’re so proud of your auntie, who’s a politician, and proud to see me just kick back with you as a family, but it’s not (appropriate) and so can you just remove it’?”

“She felt so sad, but I just wanted to make sure that she understood that I love her, I appreciate I had an amazing Christmas with them, and they make me so proud.”

Mrs Coleby-Davis dismissed the controversy as a distraction, emphasising that her record of service speaks for itself.

“I know that my work is what speaks to me,” she said. “I’ve been working in my community. I have been making sure that I’m a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, making sure that my team has been clear of where we can help.

“We continue to help the Bahamian people, whether it be in my constituency or anywhere else in The Bahamas. If I can give help or help someone, I’m there, and that’s the person who I am.”

Coleby-Davis: BPL seeing tangible progress on infrastructure and union relations

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

AS observers await more details about the Davis administration’s Bahamas Power and Light reform plans, BPL’s leaders said they are advancing efforts to modernise its operations, improve electricity reliability, and strengthen workforce unity after years of inconsistent supply and high costs.

BPL CEO Toni Seymour, Energy and Transport Minister Jobeth Colbey-Davis, and Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Mr Kyle Wilson provided updates during their appearance on Beyond The Headlines with Shanique Miller on Monday.

Ms Colbey-Davis outlined progress on infrastructure upgrades, including the addition of two new engines to the grid.

“We’re concluding several major agreements and seeing tangible progress” she said. “Our teams have been working hard to pull lines, upgrade infrastructure, and prepare for the transformation BPL is undergoing. The modernisation effort includes reducing line losses, optimising engine use to lower fuel costs, and incorporating cleaner and more affordable energy sources like renewables.”

She emphasised the

importance of energy efficiency, adding, “We’ve been working diligently on the energy reform because one of the things that we have to make sure of is that we’re not having the line loss that we’ve seen, our engines aren’t overworked, which means once they’re overworked, they’re producing more heat, and it’s costing us more for fuel, but also working in some more affordable fuel, cleaner fuel, and renewables, and working all of those into the mix, then having a properly managed system in terms of the most efficient engines are put out first to generate power, and then you bring on the less efficient later down. And so it’s less costly because it’s not doing so much heavy work in terms of burning to generate the power that’s needed.”

She also stressed the importance of consumer collaboration. “This is a partnership,” she said. “If consumers work to manage their usage at home, it helps us deliver more reliable and affordable power. Together, we can reduce electricity costs across the board. We always try to remind you, if you’re not in the room, turn the light off, turn the switch off, unplug, and so working together, it’s been a list of things that we’ve been doing to make sure we can continue to see the deduction in the cost of electricity.”

Ms Seymour provided

updates on key agreements, including the partnership with the Bahamas Grid Company (BGC), which remains in its final stages.

“The finalised agreement between Bahamas Grid Company and BPL, that’s still in the closing stages. So that agreement has not been fully executed as yet. The Pike employees were on the ground since last summer assisting us with a lot of the overhead line maintenance that was required to get us

through the summer peak, and they’ve completed a number of projects on BPL behalf. So, as far as the staff being seconded over to BGC, those agreements are still being discussed and finalised.”

The government signed the agreement with Pike Corporation last year, creating a 25-year partnership to upgrade and manage BPL’s transmission and distribution network. Under the deal, the government

holds 40 percent of shares in a special purpose vehicle, Bahamas Grid Company, while Pike’s management company, Island Grid Solutions, owns the remaining 60 percent. Meanwhile, Mr Wilson highlighted significant improvements in industrial relations at BPL, attributing the progress to better communication between the union, management, and government, noting that concerns and fears that were once prevalent have largely been addressed. Ms Colbey-Davis acknowledged the challenges of maintaining these relationships but highlighted the value of open dialogue.

“We’ve been doing a good enough job, and we know that some challenges are ahead, but how we iron out and respond to those challenges is what brings the faster solution for the members,” she said.

SCREEN captures from video of Jobeth Coleby-Davis that went viral.

ENERGY AND TRANSPORT MINISTER JOBETH COLBEY-DAVIS

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Study says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely

HUMAN-CAUSED climate change

increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires, a scientific study found.

But the myriad of causes that go into the still smoldering fires are complex, so the level of global warming’s fingerprints on weeks of burning appears relatively small compared to previous studies of killer heat waves, floods and droughts by the international team at World Weather Attribution. Tuesday’s report, too rapid for peer-review yet, found global warming boosted the likelihood of high fire weather conditions in this month’s fires by 35% and its intensity by 6%.

Once-in-a-decade super strong Santa Ana winds, a dry autumn that followed two very wet years that caused rapid growth in flammable chapparal and grass, hot weather, dry air and vulnerable houses in fire-prone areas all were factors in the fast-moving fires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 29 people, study authors said. But the climate attribution team was only able to quantify issues that dealt with the fire weather index, which are the meteorological conditions that add up to fire danger.

The fire weather index — which includes measurements of past rainfall, humidity and wind speed — is where the team looked and found markers of climate change that they could quantify.

The team used observations of past weather and computer simulations that compared what happened this month to a what-if world without the 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Celsius) of humancaused climate change that Earth has had since industrial times. That allowed them to come up with a calculation for warming’s contribution to the disaster. It’s a method that the National Academy of Sciences says is valid. Even though these rapid studies aren’t yet peer-reviewed, nearly all of them are published later in peer-reviewed journals without significant changes, said World Weather Attribution co-lead scientist Friederike Otto.

“The number (35%) doesn’t sound like much” because unlike dozens of its past studies, the team looked at a small area and a complex meteorological measurement in the fire weather index that would generally mean there would be large uncertainties, said Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London. But in this case the climate change fingerprint is big enough that it stands out, she said.

Those conditions are part of what makes California attractive to 25 million residents, said study co-author John Abatzoglou, a climate and fire scientist at the University of California Merced. Southern California has “some of the best climate, best weather on the planet — except when you get a combination

of conditions that occurred here,” Abatzoglou said. “You get the trifecta of dry windy and warm conditions. Those three things, in combination with dry fuels and ignitions, are the perfect recipe for fire disasters.”

Abatzoglou said it’s like a bunch of switches — dryness, fuels, high temperatures, wind and ignition — that all need to be turned on “for conditions to really take off.” Think of it as switches for a light bulb to illuminate — “and so you can think about the artificial warming due to human-caused climate change making the light brighter,” added coauthor Park Williams, a UCLA fire and climate scientist.

The study also found California’s dry season has increased by 23 days and the lack of rain in October, November and December was more than twice as likely now than in pre-industrial times, but because of limitations on the data, researchers couldn’t statistically pinpoint these to both climate change and the specific fires this month, Otto said. But she said “the rains are decreasing — that is because of human-induced climate change.”

Then add in strong winds to whip and spread flames.

Mike Flannigan, a Canadian fire scientist who wasn’t part of the research, said one key to him is the fire season extending longer and “increasing the chance a fire will start during peak Santa Ana winds.”

The research couldn’t specifically quantify how much, if any, climate change affected the Santa Ana winds.

Craig Clements, a climate scientist and director of wildfire study at San Jose State University, said the rapid study makes sense and fits with past research about other fires.

“It’s hard to attribute climate change to every fire event as many do,” said Clements, who wasn’t part of the research.

“If we can state with confidence that the drought is caused by climate change then that is the fingerprint.”

If the world warms another 1.3 degrees Celsius from now, the study said people should expect the type of weather conditions that led to these fires to happen another 35% more often.

Otto said this is not an issue of politics, but science.

“It’s not something where you can say that this was because California did something very wrong. They did a lot of things right. They did some things that they could do better,” Otto said. “But what makes these ever more dangerous, these fires, and what is something that the government of California alone can definitely not do anything about is human-induced climate change. And drill, baby drill will make this much, much worse.”

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Minnis’ faction bad for Pintard

EDITOR, The Tribune.

A TABLOID internet news source published on its site an article that claims that Free National Movement Leader Michael Pintard is set to deny nominations to former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, Desmond Bannister, Renward Wells and Branville McCartney. While this particular internet site is fiercely opposed to the FNM, which inevitably leads one to question the veracity of the alleged claims, it is an open secret that the FNM is composed of two camps, with one supporting Pintard and the other behind Minnis. I addressed this matter in an earlier opinion piece in one of the dailies so I’ll try not repeat the main points I had made. My interest in addressing this civil war within the FNM once again is due to the news site mentioning the names Bannister, Wells and McCartney. When the former FNM Cabinet ministers threw their support behind Minnis in the lead-up to the one day convention on June 1 last year, I was of the viewpoint that a Pintard victory would sound the death knell of their political careers within the FNM as long as Pintard remains at the helm. Remember, Bannister was one of those calling on Pintard to hold an FNM convention in a letter he penned in early December 2023. I am assuming that Bannister was hoping for Minnis to return as FNM leader at convention. That did not happen. His support for Minnis comes as no surprise, as he had served as deputy prime minister in the Minnis administration. After the foregoing letter was published, I recall FNM chair

Dr Duane Sands claiming that Bannister was inactive within the party since the general election loss in September 2021. At the time of the publication of the letter, I initially thought that it was rather odd that Bannister would call for a convention when he had done little, if anything at all, to support the current leadership. Him calling for a convention could realistically be interpreted as a subtle rejection of Pintard as leader.

In the event he is seeking a nomination in Carmichael, it would be an awkward situation for Pintard, knowing that Bannister does not support him. . Concerning McCartney, it is ironic that his former Democratic National Alliance colleague Arinthia Komolafe is backing Pintard. To the best of my knowledge, McCartney has never endorsed Pintard as FNM leader. His endorsement of Minnis ahead of the convention was viewed by some as his attempted comeback to the FNM and a rejection of Pintard. It is ironic that the news source claimed that Pintard wants to run Komolafe in Killarney instead of Minnis. This claim, if true, makes for an awkward dilemma that has the potential to turn into an all-out war in the event the Minnis quartet remains the FNM. I cannot imagine the Minnis quartet receiving nominations from Pintard in light of the acrimonious tension between the two camps. Not helping matters is that the quartet is the defacto face of the Minnisites who have

been a thorn in the side of Pintard. If Pintard refuses to grant their request for nominations, he’ll be dubbed a dictator and a tyrant. If he gives it to them, there’s literally nothing to suggest that they will respect his authority as leader, as we have over two years of the group undermining Pintard. In politics, it is the survival of the fittest. Minnis did not tolerate insubordination while he served as FNM leader, yet members of his camp are holding to the irrational expectation of Pintard turning the other cheek in the face of deviance. E verything about the Minnis quartet screams rebellion against Pintard as FNM leader. While the FNM is often touted as being a large tent to accommodate personalities of differing political ideologies, I cannot envisage the Minnis quartet coexisting with Pintard under the same political umbrella. The political wounds inflicted by both camps will not heal in time for the next general election. As I stated in an earlier opinion piece, if Pintard wants peace of mind, he’ll cut his loses in Killarney by severing ties with Minnis. Severing ties with Minnis would inevitably lead to severing ties with the three other members of the Minnis quartet. While I believe that Minnis as an independent candidate will pull hundreds of votes from the FNM in Killarney, I don’t think he is popular enough to hurt the FNM in Carmichael with Bannister and in Bamboo Town with Ren

ward Wells. KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama January 26, 2025.

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THE HUSK of a cicada, also known as singers, after it has shed its skin. Photo: Aurora Ferguson

$2,000 bail granted in causing harm charge

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted bail yesterday after he was accused of stabbing another man at a liquor store earlier this month.

Magistrate Lennox Coleby arraigned Craig Forbes Sr, 58, on causing harm.

Forbes allegedly got into an argument with Paul Cartwright and stabbed him in the calf with a knife

while the pair were at 242 Liquor Store on Robinson Road around 9pm on January 18.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge. Forbes’s bail was set at $2,000 with one surety. Under the terms of his bail, he must sign in at the Grove Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday by 6pm.

The defendant’s trial begins on April 14.

Mark Penn represented the accused.

MAN SENTENCED TO TWO-YEARS JAIL FOR HAVING UNLICENCED GUN

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN’S family erupted into tears yesterday after he was sentenced to two years in prison for admitting to having a loaded gun in his Acklins home last weekend.

Magistrate Lennox Coleby arraigned Simon Brice, 25, Ishmael McSweeney, 21, Demetria Mackey, 20, Ishkah McSweeney, 18, and Berdesha McSweeney, 23, on possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

Brice was reportedly found with a grey & rusted Ruger P89 pistol and six rounds of 9mm ammunition at his residence in Lovely Bay Acklins on January 26. Brice was the only defendant to plead guilty to the charge.

The charges against the remaining defendants, some of them his siblings, were withdrawn.

Roshar Brown, the defendant’s attorney, said Brice was not known to be a troublemaker. Mrs Brown said her client is an

intelligent, handy young man who maintained a 4.0 GPA in high school. She said he is the eldest child, is well-spoken and works as a fisherman. She begged the magistrate for leniency.

Magistrate Coleby noted the defendant’s young age and that he is a father.

Ultimately, he sentenced Brice to 24 months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. He also ordered Brice to pay a fine of $5,000 to be paid on the 23rd month of his incarceration or risk an additional two years in prison.

During his remand, Brice could work in the mechanic shop and be enrolled in plumbing or electrical training.

Magistrate Coleby told the defendant to consider himself lucky for his lighter sentence and to take care of himself in prison.

Before being taken into remand, Brice tearfully embraced family members present in court.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Lincoln McKenzie served as the prosecutor.

T HREE YEARS PRISON FOR HAVING $55,000 WORTH OF MARIJUANA

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday after admitting to having $55,000 worth of marijuana in his home in Mason Addition last weekend.

Senior Magistrate Raquel Whyms arraigned Alex Williams, 28, and Lorenzo Stubbs, 28, on possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Police reportedly found 55lb of marijuana during a search of Williams’s

residence on North Street near Fort Fincastle on January 26.

Williams was the only defendant to plead guilty to the charge, while his co-accused pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor Sergeant 2257 Wilkinson said Williams had priors of a similar nature.

Williams expressed remorse for his actions.

He was sentenced to serve three years at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

He will return to court for trial on February 12.

Serial groper accused of another sex assault

from page one

Cooper pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Assistant Superintendent of Police S Coakley, the prosecutor, strongly objected to Cooper’s bail. ASP Coakley cited the advanced age of the complainant and the defendant’s propensity for committing similar offences.

Cooper was last charged in December 2023 with exposing his genitals to a woman on Fifth Street and rubbing his body suggestively on a nearby pole while telling the complainant he wanted to do that to her. The outcome of that trial, which was expected to begin on February 19, 2024, is unclear.

Cooper has been convicted of at least 20 sexual assaults over nearly 20 years. Mr Munroe hosted a press conference in August 2023 to warn the public about his release from prison under Registration of Sex Offenders regulations that allow authorities to notify the public about offenders leaving prison to heighten awareness of their presence in an area.

In August 2023, police took Cooper into protective custody after he was wrongfully accused of trying to

abduct a 12-year-old girl. Cooper was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial begins on February 3.

SIDNEY COOPER

QUEEN’s College Primary School Grade 4 students and teachers were welcomed by Governor General Dame Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt in a courtesy call on Friday at Government House.

Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS

Achieve resolutions by making SMART goals

J ANUARY has almost come to an end. How are the resolutions made for 2025 coming along? Maybe there is one that has not quite been picked up in earnest yet. Maybe there is one that has fallen by the wayside. Perhaps another is feeling like realistic for the entire year. A bout one month in, this is a good time to, with new information, be honest about the resources available and make the necessary adjustments.

This week, I had the pleasure of catching up with a friend for the first time this year. We talked about goals, what makes them difficult to achieve, and practices we have implemented in order to increase our chances of reaching our goals.

One goal we discussed was completely outlandish. It clearly came from a place of frustration with the way things were and a desire to turn it around. In response to a lack of movement in a particular area, a goal was set to make moves that required not only a release of inhibitions, but intentionally ignoring circumstances and reasonable personal needs. When faced with the opportunity to pursue the goal, there was a complete and automatic backing away. The reason for the goal was not even considered in that moment because taking the action to achieve the goal was so clearly unnecessary and would not have been enjoyable. It was not an experience that was needed, and it would not have even made a very good story. It would not prove anything to anyone. It became clear, soon after that moment, that goal was not quite right. It seemed like the way to go, but it was ultimately too prescriptive and had risks that would not actually pay off. It was like setting a goal to sleep for 48 hours to combat insomnia—unrealistic

“Goal-setting is not about punishment. It is about paving the way for action to be taken toward a particular end that can be celebrated.”

Sometimes we try to do too much with a single goal. It is so big and demanding that it requires many other goals that are not recognised or articulated in the plan. It is fine to have overarching goals, but the subgoals need to be identified too.

Many people have fallen into the habit of buying more meals than they prepare at home. There rarely seems to be enough time and money to meal plan, grocery shop, and cook. In fact, most people grocery shop without meal planning, end up wasting ingredients and, by extension, money, and come to the conclusion that buying grocery does not make sense. It may be useful to have a goal that addresses this issue, but it has to be framed in a way that sets people up for success. Simply setting a goal to cook more is too vague and it skips important steps. What does “more” mean? What makes it possible to cook a certain percentage of meals or to cook a certain number of days per week? There may be a need to get out of bed earlier, to rework the weekly or monthly budget, to make a list of go-to meals, to spend less time and money at happy hour, to clean the freezer, or any number of other changes.

By Alicia Wallace

and not at all fit for purpose. The current situation has to be understood before a reasonable action to address it can be decided upon.

Our conversation got more exciting when we started talking about

the goals we are enjoying working toward. These are the goals that not only make sense, but are standalone goals that are not connected to any fictitious versions of ourselves. They are goals that acknowledge

who we are now, what we are capable of, and what we want for ourselves longterm. We agreed that we are uninterested in suffering through the achievement of goals. We want to pursue our true desires and engage in pleasant processes on our way to our goals. Goal-setting is not about punishment. It is about paving the way for action to be taken toward a particular end that can be celebrated. Though the path may not be easy, it need not be painful or continuously arduous.

We have to set ourselves up for success. In this scenario, it is also important to be realistic. Going from eating every meal out to cooking every meal is extreme and leaves too much room for failure and the disappointment that is sure to follow. Gradually increasing the goal can help. Two meals per week for one month, then three meals per week in the next month, as an example, could be a more helpful, achievable goals. Once we have SM ART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timebound) goals, we can find ways to work toward them that are reasonable for our lives and the demands on our time and other resources and are also fun. With an entire year (or 11 months) to reach the goal, the road may seem long. It may get a bit bringer repetitive. It is okay to reassess our methods along the way. A monthly check-in can be helpful. By the end of February, chicken breast may be unwelcome in the new-to-meal-preparation household. It may not be that cooking is boring, but that it is time for different proteins, new spins on side dishes, and more creative combinations. It could be fun to explore recipes from a different country every month. For people who are trying to move their bodies more, walking may get a bit old. Change the route, change the pace, and maybe even make turn one of the walking days into a dance day.

One month in, the challenge is not to stick to our goals. It is to reassess and adjust them, and to work toward them in ways we can enjoy.

1. Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology , edited by Shane Hawk. The book selection for February by Feminist Book Club, hosted by Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press, has been nominated for several awards and is a national bestseller in the US. Electric Literature said, “This collection gathers together a spine-chilling range of stories from many of the most exciting Indigenous literary voices, celebrating the power of Native imagination.” Read the book and join the virtual discussion on Wednesday, February 19 at 6pm. Register at tiny.cc/fbc2025. Feminist Book Club will return to in-person meetings at Poinciana Paper Press at 12 Parkgate Road with What Happened to Belén: The Unjust Imprisonment That Sparked a Women’s Rights Movements by Ana Elena Correa on March 19 at 6pm.

2. Found. Gabi Mosely, played by Shanola Hampton, has put together the perfect team to find missing people. Gabi has been kidnapped as a teenager, and every member of the team at M&A had experiences related to missing people and disappearances. They are all personally invested in the cases that come to them. What the team does not know is that Gabi found her own kidnapper and locked him in her basement. In fact, she is using him to read the context and identify clues to solve cases. Those who grow up watching Saved By the Bell may find it interest to see Mark-Paul Gosselaar in a complete different role. Kelli Williams is also in Found, exercising a gift similar to the one she had more than one decade ago in the drama series Lie to Me.

Samsung sets stage for future of AI-powered experiences

GALAXY Unpacked 2025 in San Jose, California, set the stage for the next wave of AI-powered experiences with Galaxy AI.

On January 22, Samsung Electronics announced the release of the Galaxy S25 series, featuring significant hardware upgrades and ushering in a new era of AI-driven innovation. These advancements empower users to unlock new realms of creativity, forge deeper connections and streamline everyday tasks like never before.

The Galaxy S25 series transcends the concept of a smartphone to become a platform for AI integration, with Galaxy AI set to redefine everyday experiences through personalized, meaningful and human-like interactions.

“The Galaxy S25 series has set a new standard of mobile AI innovation though an AI OS we built from the ground up,” said TM Roh, President and Head of the Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, during his keynote address. “Thanks to One UI 7 and its integrated AI agents, users can effortlessly enjoy a more personalized, intuitive and natural mobile experience than ever before.”

Samsung Newsroom explored how the Galaxy S25 series is setting new standards with intuitive solutions that reshape the way people interact with technology.

At the heart of the Galaxy S25 series is the evolution of its AI capabilities, powered by the next-generation One UI 7 operating system. This upgrade introduces advanced features designed to make tasks easy and intuitive. For example, the newly introduced Now Brief learns user routines and delivers customized

information like exercise updates, translations, music and more, directly to the lock screen, eliminating the need to toggle between multiple apps.

Another game-changing feature is AI Select, introduced for the first time on the Galaxy S25 series. Accessible through the Edge Panel, AI Select functions as a personal AI assistant, capable of summarizing lengthy articles in seconds or aiding in creative tasks like generating colourful images with Drawing Assist.

With One UI 7, the Galaxy S25 series’ built-in multimodal AI recognizes natural language, images and text, enabling users to interact naturally and achieve more with minimal effort. This means its intelligent features can be triggered by simple voice commands. For instance, saying “My eyes are tired” prompts the Galaxy S25 series to activate the blue light filter, while “Find a photo of Max from last winter in a red coat, eating cake” searches the Gallery app to locate the desired image.

Circle to Search has also been enhanced to identify music playing on-screen without needing to open a separate app.

While watching YouTube videos, users can also issue voice commands like List the place mentioned in this video and save it as a Note,” and Galaxy AI, powered by Google’s Gemini, seamlessly saves the location directly to Samsung Notes.

The Galaxy S25 series features a Personal Data Engine, developed in partnership with Oxford Semantic Technologies, which contextually understands user preferences and routines while safeguarding data. What’s more, the Galaxy S25 series adopts C2PA

(Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standards, reinforcing transparency and trust and ensuring privacy remains a top priority in this AI-driven digital era.

Samsung continues to advance Galaxy AI through strategic partnerships with third-party app developers and AI solution providers, cementing its position at the forefront of secure AI innovation.

The Galaxy S25 series is powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Elite for Galaxy processor (AP), delivering a significant leap in speed and efficiency. With 40% improved NPU performance, 37% enhanced GPU performance and 30% upgraded GPU performance compared to its predecessor, this processor drives the series’ advanced AI capabilities.

Designed with gamers in mind, the Galaxy S25 series opens up new possibilities for mobile gaming. ProScaler, a display feature that utilizes AI-powered algorithmic processing, reduces noise and enhances the clarity of on-screen visuals, enabling smoother, more immersive gameplay. Along with Vulkan and game engine optimisations, the series offers a 40% boost in Ray Tracing performance, raising the bar for mobile gaming visuals.

Galaxy AI and SmartThings enhance home management through a connected smart ecosystem, driven by AI-powered automation and personalization. SmartThings and Bixby align home environments with daily routines, leveraging voice commands and wearable data to optimise convenience and deliver a personalized smart home experience. Advanced AI features from Galaxy AI and SmartThings extend home

management to include the well-being of family members and pets. For example, these tools allow users to monitor their pets remotely while away and even keep them company by turning the TV on for them. Preparations for pet healthcare services, such as connecting users to preveterinarian consultation services, are underway as well.

As one of the initial members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Samsung has partnered with the Alliance to support, develop and promote Matter, the connectivity standard for smart home and IoT devices, designed to ensure interoperability, accessibility and security across the smart home ecosystem.

Samsung continues to prioritize sustainability with initiatives aimed at reducing environmental impact. The company aims to incorporate at least one recycled material in every module of every mobile product by 2030.

In addition, Galaxy S25 will be the first Galaxy smartphone to include recycled cobalt sourced from the batteries of previously used Galaxy devices through the Circular Battery Supply Chain with each Galaxy S25 battery featuring a minimum of 50% recycled cobalt. These efforts reflect Samsung’s broader goal of exploring how technology can do more for people and the planet, creating a balance between innovation and environmental responsibility.

Galaxy Unpacked 2025 came to an end with a teaser video offering a sneak peek of the slimmer but nonetheless powerful Galaxy S25 Edge, heightening the crowd’s expectations of what new innovations Samsung holds in store ahead.

TECHTALK

AS DEEP SEEK R ATTLES AI industry, here’s a look at other Chinese ai models

HONG KONG Associated Press

THE Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has rattled markets with claims that its latest AI model, R1, performs on a par with those of OpenAI, despite using less advanced computer chips and consuming less energy.

DeepSeek’s emergence has raised concerns that China may have overtaken the US in the artificial intelligence race despite restrictions on its access to the most advanced chips. It’s just one of many Chinese companies working on AI, with a goal of making China the world leader in the field by 2030 and besting the US in their battle for technological supremacy.

Like the US, China is investing billions into artificial intelligence. Last week, it created a 60 billion yuan ($8.2 billion) AI investment fund, days after the US imposed fresh chip export restrictions.

Beijing has also invested heavily in the semiconductor industry to build its capacity to make advanced computer chips, working to overcome limits on its access to those of industry leaders. Companies are offering talent programs and subsidies, and there are plans to open AI academies and introduce AI education into primary and secondary school curriculums. China has established regulations governing AI, addressing safety, privacy and ethics. Its ruling Communist Party also controls the kinds of topics the AI models can tackle: DeepSeek shapes its responses to fit those limits.

Here’s an overview of some other leading AI models in China.

Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen-2.5-1M

Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen-2.5-1M is the e-commerce giant’s open-source AI series. It contains large language models that can easily handle extremely long questions, and engage in longer and deeper conversations. Its ability to understand complex tasks such as reasoning, dialogues and comprehending code is improving.

Like its rivals, Alibaba Cloud has a chatbot released for public use called Qwen - also known as Tongyi Qianwen in China. Alibaba Cloud’s suite of AI models, such as the Qwen2.5 series, has mostly been deployed for developers and business customers such as automakers, banks, video game makers and retailers as part of product development and shaping customer experiences.

Baidu’s ernie Bot 4.0

Ernie Bot, developed by Baidu, China’s dominant search engine, was the first AI chatbot made publicly available in China. Baidu said it released the model publicly to be able to collect massive realworld human feedback to build its capacity.

Ernie Bot 4.0 had more than 300 million users as of June 2024. Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, users of Ernie Bot are able to ask it questions and have it generate images based on text prompts.

ByteDance’s Doubao 1.5 Pro

Doubao 1.5 Pro is an AI model released by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance last week. Doubao is currently one of the most popular AI chatbots in China, with 60 million monthly active users.

ByteDance says the Doubao 1.5 Pro is better than ChatGPT-4o at retaining knowledge, coding, reasoning, and Chinese language processing. According to ByteDance, the model is also cost-efficient and requires lower hardware costs compared to other large language models because Doubao uses a highly-optimised architecture that balances performance with reduced computational demands.

Moonshot Ai ’s Ki M i K1.5

Moonshot AI is a Beijing-based startup valued at over $3 billion after its latest fundraising round. It says its recently released Kimi k1.5 matches or outperforms the OpenAI o1 model, which is designed to spend more time thinking before it responds and can solve harder and more complex problems. Moonshot claims that Kimi outperforms OpenAI o1 in mathematics, coding, and ability to comprehend both text and visual inputs such as photos and video.

A DEMONSTRATION of how Galaxy AI and SmartThings have come together to provide a seamlessly connected home management solution.

Head Start and Medicaid providers hit glitches as Trump freezes federal money

WASHINGTON Associated Press

AS President Donald Trump paused federal grants and loans in a farreaching directive, early childhood education centres and states discovered Tuesday they could no

longer access money they rely on to provide care for some of the nation’s neediest families and children. Across the country, staff trying to access Medicaid and Head S tart funding through payment websites Tuesday morning were locked out,

leaving some scrambling to figure out how they would cover payroll and pay vendors and rent. But the White House said hours later that funding for those programs should not have been affected by the freeze. By late Tuesday, some states and Head

S tart providers reported their access to the sites had been restored.

The confusion left some Head S tart centres weighing whether to close.

Early Flowers Learning, which operates 17 Head S tart preschools with 600 students in southwestern

Michigan, announced it would not open its doors on Wednesday because it could not pay staff — only to learn that website access had been restored.

“I worry about them, you know, certainly trying to hold it together right now, thinking about some of the children that we serve who might not have access to breakfast and lunch if they don’t have a place to go,” said Chanda Hillman said, executive director of Early Flowers Learning.

The funding freeze was temporarily halted by a federal judge late Tuesday, but the disruption showed how reliant programs serving the most vulnerable Americans are on the federal government. The White House would not elaborate on the cause of the outages — and whether they were connected to the directive.

Officials in several states said their staff struggled to access the website used to request funds for Medicaid, a federal program that provides health care coverage for about 80 million of the poorest of Americans, including millions of children.

Commenting on issues with the Medicaid site, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that the administration is “ aware of the Medicaid website portal outage.”

“We have confirmed no payments have been affected — they are still being processed and sent,” Leavitt wrote. “We expect the portal will be back online shortly.”

On the Head S tart payment management system website, some providers got messages that read “Proxy Error” or “ S ystem Maintenance in progress, Interactive Access has been shut down.”

In Mississippi’s Harrison County, staff at an Early Head S tart program messaged parents to come pick up their children early after discovering they could not access the money to stay open.

“Our families are being punched in the gut three times from different angles,” program director Katina S paulding said. “This is so heartless.”

The center later told families that it would reopen Wednesday after learning its funding would not be halted.

In Oregon, Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said the state’s Medicaid portal was shut down and that the state health agency couldn’t log on to seek or receive reimbursements for health services provided to the program’s low-income recipients.

“I can tell you that when federal funds that are meant to serve the most vulnerable Oregonians are suspended or unavailable, that has an impact on Oregonians, and it’s a dereliction of the federal government’s duty to protect Americans,” she said. By the end of the day Tuesday, Head S tart operators expressed relief but said they remained uneasy about the turn of events. Hillman said she was still awaiting confirmation that her federal grant would be renewed.

If it’s not, she will have to once again have to shut down the preschools — this time for good.

FIDE MASTER CECIL

MONCUR CROWNED AS THE NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPION

THE Bahamas Chess Federation proudly announces FIDE master (FM) Cecil Moncur as the 2025 Bahamas national chess champion.

The prestigious tournament concluded in dramatic fashion on January 26, capping off a thrilling 10-player round-robin competition held at Noble Prep Academy January 17–26.

FM Moncur clinched the title in a nail-biting final round against four-time national champion Valentine Cox.

Both players entered the ninth and final round tied with seven wins and one loss, knowing the winner of their match would claim the coveted title.

For Cox, a fifth championship would have placed him among the elite ranks of Bahamian chess legends Frank Gibson, Antoinette Seymour and Kendrick Knowles.

For Moncur, this was an opportunity to solidify his legacy as the Bahamas’ first and only FIDE Master by capturing his first national championship.

The road to victory was anything but easy. Moncur was undefeated in the first three rounds before falling

to 2024 champion Avian Pride, whose calculated play dashed Moncur’s flawless streak.

Undeterred, Moncur regrouped and powered through the remaining rounds, displaying determination and precision to secure his place in the final.

Meanwhile, Cox delivered six consecutive victories before encountering Women’s Candidate Master (WCM) Chika Pride in Round 7.

The youngest and only female competitor, Pride stunned the seasoned veteran with a brilliant performance, forcing Cox to resign and leaving the championship wide open.

The tournament was a showcase of chess mastery across generations.

The five veterans - Cecil Moncur, Valentine Cox, Dr. Kenville Lockhart, Francis Skinned and Curtis Pride Jr. - proved why they remain formidable contenders.

The rising stars, including Avian and Chika Pride, along with Barrington Hawkins, Sohan Umesh, and James Trotman, demonstrated the depth and promise of Bahamian chess. Chess enthusiasts are already lauding this year’s

Nationals as one of the most exciting in recent history.

Final Standings and Recognition

FM Cecil Moncur emerged victorious with an impressive score of 8/9. Congratulations to all 10 qualifiers who competed with exceptional skill and sportsmanship:

1. FM Cecil Moncur (8/9)

2. NM Valentine Cox (7/9)

3. Dr. Kenville Lockhart (6/9)

4. Avian Pride (6/9)

5. Barrington Hawkins (5/9)

6. WCM Chika Pride (4.5/9)

7. Curtis Pride Jr. (4.5/9)

8. Sohan Umesh (2/9)

9. Francis Skinner (1.5/9)

10. James Trotman (0.5/9)

For full tournament results and standings, visit: https://chess-results.com/ tnr1100361.aspx?lan=1.

The Bahamas Chess Federation extends heartfelt thanks to chief arbiter IA Andre White, deputy chief arbiter FA Angel Pride, and tournament director Curtis Pride Sr for their impeccable officiating and organisation. A special thank you to our sponsors Aquapure,

for their

England overcomes Chakravarthy to beat India by 26 runs in third T20

RAJKOT, India (AP) — England overcame Varun Chakravarthy’s 5-24 to beat India by 26 runs in the third T20 to keep the series alive yesterday.

Ben Duckett overcame his poor start to the fivematch series to score 51 off 28 balls as England put on 171-9 in 20 overs. Chakravarthy picked his second five-wicket haul in T20s. In reply, India was restricted to 145-9 (20 overs) as Jamie Overton picked 3-24 in four overs. The hosts lead the series 2-1.

Jofra Archer (2-33) and Brydon Carse (2-28) took a brace each.

India had won the first two T20s in Kolkata and Chennai by seven and two wickets, respectively.

Pune will host the fourth T20 on Friday. This was after India had won a

third consecutive toss and opted to bowl again. The hosts made one change — Mohammed Shami made his long-awaited return to international cricket. Shami last played in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and replaced left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh in the Indian eleven. England fielded an unchanged side. Put in to bat, Duckett was unperturbed as Phil Salt (5) fell cheaply for a third straight game. Duckett struck seven fours and two sixes, putting on 76 off 45 balls for the second wicket with skipper Jos Buttler who scored 24 off 22 balls.

Chakravarthy got into the act by dismissing Buttler in the ninth over, and England was dealt another blow at the halfway stage as Axar Patel removed Duckett as well. It became 108-4 in 12.4 overs as Harry

Brook (8) was bowled off Ravi Bishnoi going for a sweep.

Liam Livingstone rediscovered his touch to score 43 off 24 balls and held the English innings together even as Chakravarthy attacked at the other end.

He dismissed Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton off successive balls in the 14th over. While denied a hat trick, he went on to pick his second five-for in six T20s. Chakravarthy’s best of 5-17 had previously come against South Africa last November at Gqeberha — India lost that game by three wickets.

Livingstone hit five sixes and helped England to its highest total of the series – rescuing his side from a precarious 127-8 in 16 overs.

Chasing 172, India’s top order failed against the

English pacers. Archer unsettled Sanju Samson once again — out caught for three.

Abhishek Sharma scored 24 off 14 with five fours but was caught off Carse in the fourth over.

India was down to 48-3 as skipper Suryakumar Yadav fell for 14 against Mark Wood.

The turning point came when Adil Rashid bowled in-form Tilak Varma for 18 runs in the eighth over.

It left Hardik Pandya to hold the innings together and he tried, scoring 40 off 35 balls.

But India continued losing wickets at regular intervals with Washington Sundar (6), Axar Patel (15) and Dhruv Jurel (2) failing to score big. Pandya hit two sixes but was out caught off Overton in the 19th over to signal an end for Indian hopes.

INDIAN FAST BOWLER JASPRIT BUMRAH WINS ICC CRICKETER OF THE YEAR AWARD

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah won the ICC’s award for men’s cricketer of the year yesterday for his stellar performances in both the red-ball and white-ball format during 2024.

The 31-year-old rightarm paceman became the fifth Indian cricketer to win the award, after Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli.

“When I was a youngster, I saw many of my childhood heroes winning this great award, so (I’m) very happy,” Bumrah said. Kohli won back-to-back awards in 2016 and 2017.

Travis Head of Australia and English duo Joe Root and Harry Brook were the other nominees for the award.

On Monday, Bumrah was also named the ICC

men’s test cricketer of the year for his 71 wickets in 13 matches.

Bumrah masterminded India’s successful campaign at the T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies with 15 wickets at a staggering average of 8.26 and impressive economy of 4.17, which also earned him the player of the tournament award.

“Last year was really memorable and specially winning the T20 World Cup in Barbados will always be close to my heart and I’ll always remember it forever,” Bumrah said.

In a memorable game at the T20 World Cup, Bumrah grabbed 3-14 against archrival Pakistan in a thriller in New York which India won by six runs. He went on to bag 2-18 in the final against South Africa.

Caribbean Bottling and our host venues Noble Prep Academy and Travellers

Rest

invaluable support. Congratulations to FM Cecil Moncur, the 2025 Bahamas national chess champion. Keep up the good work!

THE PRESTIGIOUS tournament concluded in dramatic fashion on January 26, capping off a thrilling 10-player round-robin competition.

FIDE master (FM) Cecil Moncur was recognised as the 2025 Bahamas national chess champion following the prestigious tournament at Noble Prep Academy January 17–26.

ENGLAND’s players celebrate after winning the Twenty20 cricket match against India in Rajkot, India, yesterday. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

ANDY REID AND NICK SIRIANNI HAVE THIS IN COMMON: EAGLES FANS WANTED THEM FIRED

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

“FIRE Andy” chants echoed throughout the stands in Philadelphia during Andy Reid’s final season coaching the Eagles in 2012.

Nick Sirianni heard many of those same fans yelling “Fire Nick” in Week 6.

Now, the two head coaches are facing off in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.

Reid found his greatest success after Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie fired him following a 4-12 season. It was one of the most amicable separations ever seen in professional sports.

Reid won more games (140) than any coach in franchise history, and led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six division titles and five NFC championship games in 14 seasons.

But he couldn’t win the big one — Philadelphia lost to New England in the team’s lone Super Bowl appearance under Reid

— and fans starving for a championship had run out of patience. Lurie gave Reid a game ball and the coach affectionately known as “Big Red” received a standing ovation from employees on his way out of the team facility on Dec. 31, 2012. “I have a hard time standing before people without a few boos involved. But I’m taking it, I’m taking it all in,” Reid told them. “These have been the greatest 14 years of my life.” He added: “Sometimes change is good. … I know the next guy that comes in will be phenomenal. The ultimate goal is a Super Bowl. Everybody in this room, I wish you a big ring on the finger in the near future.

“Hail to the Eagles, baby.”

Reid quickly landed in Kansas City after Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and several team executives went to Philadelphia and spoke with him for nine hours at the airport. Reid was

supposed to board a plane for Arizona to interview with the Cardinals. That never happened.

Instead, he built a dynasty in Kansas City anchored by Patrick Mahomes. They’re on the verge of history, one win away from becoming the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. They’ve already won three rings together in four Super Bowl appearances over the previous five years.

“You think back to 2013, when Andy joined the organisation, made us an immediate winner and really changed the culture here, and then a few years later, he got the quarterback that he had been waiting his whole career for,” Hunt said. “I think there was a comment earlier about why it’s so hard, why nobody has ever gone back to have a chance at a three-peat, I think it’s because those teams didn’t have the combination of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.”

The Eagles hired Chip Kelly to replace Reid. He

lasted three seasons. Then they turned to Doug Pederson, who brought the city its first Super Bowl title in just his second season. Pederson was gone three years later. Sirianni came in as an unpopular hire just like Reid and Pederson were in Philly.

But here’s Sirianni again seeking his first championship, just a few months after he was vilified nationally for reacting emotionally and yelling and gesturing at the fans who screamed “Fire Nick” during a victory against the Cleveland Browns.

ESPN analyst Damien Woody, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, called Sirianni a “clown” on national television. Other former players-turned-talking heads ridiculed Sirianni and questioned his ability to lead the team.

But all Sirianni does is win.

His .706 winning percentage (48-20) is the fifth highest in NFL history. He

has guided to the Eagles to the playoffs in each of his four seasons and nearly beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago when Mahomes rallied Kansas City to a 38-35 victory. Players rallied around Sirianni after the fan controversy in October and that win against Cleveland was the first of 10 in a row.

The Eagles tied a franchise record with 14 wins and got three more in the playoffs, scoring a record 55 points against Washington in the NFC title game.

“This game is about overcoming adversity,” Sirianni said. “There are going to be good plays in the game and there are going to be bad plays in the game. There will be good moments in a season and bad moments in a season.

“It’s about overcoming and embracing the adversity because really what we’ve talked about as a team is like adversity, we’ve all had to have adversity to be in this moment where we are right now, so adversity is what makes you who you are. It’s been the story of the 2023 to the 2024 Eagles. As bad of a feeling we had about how last year ended, I think it makes you who you are. These guys are hungry, and we’ve got one more to go.” Win or lose, Reid’s legacy is set. He has a Hall of Fame résumé. For Sirianni, a victory could silence critics once and for all.

Tush push could play a prominent role in the Super Bowl if championship Sunday was any indication

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer

IF the conference championships are any indication, some of the highest drama in the Super Bowl in New Orleans in two weeks could come on the tush push perfected by the Philadelphia Eagles and decrypted by the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles (17-3) are so adept at their vaunted short-yardage plays that the Commanders committed four penalties with Jalen Hurts & Co. at or inside the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia’s 55-23 rout of Washington on Sunday.

Kansas City’s 32-29 squeaker over Buffalo that sent the Chiefs (17-2) to their third consecutive Super Bowl turned early in the fourth quarter when they stuffed Bills quarterback Josh Allen — or did they? — on fourth-andinches at midfield while trailing by a point.

Although it initially appeared to millions of viewers and at least one official that Allen got the nose of the football across the line, the call on the field was no gain and a turnover

on downs, and replay concurred.

In Philadelphia, referee Shawn Hochuli admonished the Commanders to stop their shenanigans or he’d award the Eagles a touchdown via an obscure regulation in the unsportsmanlike conduct section of the NFL’s rule book.

Sandwiched around Jonathan Allen lining up in the neutral zone and getting flagged for encroachment, linebacker Frankie Luvu mistimed his jump over both lines for encroachment penalties on successive plays in a desperate attempt to keep the Eagles out of the end zone.

The four flags in a fiveplay sequence — the Commanders legitimately stopped Hurts once — put the ball within an inch of the goal line, and Hurts finally plowed into the end zone to give Philadelphia a three-score lead.

After Luvu’s second illegal leap, Hochuli warned Washington that he’d call unsportsmanlike conduct. After Allen jumped offside again on an Eagles hard count, Hochuli had seen enough and, like a scolding parent, announced that referees can indeed award

a team a touchdown for repeated penalties.

“Washington has been advised that at some point, the referee can award a score if this type of behaviour happens again,” Hochuli said during his ingame announcement.

“Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score,” Hochuli told a pool reporter after the game.

“So, No. 4 (Luvu) jumped the ball a couple of times,

that was when the warning came in. Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score.”

It’s right there in Rule 12, Section 3, Article 2 of the league’s rule book. Titled “Fouls To Prevent Score,” it states, “The defence shall not commit successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score.” Further, the rule reads that “if the violation is repeated after a warning, the score involved is

awarded to the offensive team.”

The Commanders finally stayed onside, the flags finally stayed tucked into officials’ pockets and Hurts finally scored, giving Philly a 41-23 lead.

In Kansas City, where the Bills were eliminated by the Chiefs for the fourth time in five years, Buffalo rallied to take a 22-21 lead and faced a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 41 early in the fourth quarter. Allen was stopped on a sneak even though it appeared one official marked the ball past the line of gain before another placed it short. Replay review upheld the call because there wasn’t clear evidence to overturn it.

“It looked to me like he got to it,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said, “and that’s all I can say.”

CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore agreed, saying on the broadcast, “I felt like he gained it by about a third of the football.”

But the Chiefs took over and drove for a go-ahead touchdown.

KC also benefited from a debatable ruling in the first half when Xavier Worthy was credited with a catch

when he wrestled the ball away from Bills safety Cole Bishop for a 26-yard gain to the Buffalo 3 even though the ball appeared to hit the ground. The Bills challenged, but the play was upheld and Mahomes then ran in for a score and a 21-10 lead.

Those pair of calls came a week after Kansas City benefited from two roughing-the-passer penalties during a 23-14 victory over Houston and added fuel to the widely held perception among non-Chiefs fans that officials favour the twotime defending Super Bowl champions.

A flag on Kansas City, however, actually came back to bite the Bills on Sunday.

McDermott took an extra point off the board when Chiefs safety Justin Reid was whistled for being offside on the kick. With the ball at the 1, the Bills tried to run it in and the 2-point attempt failed.

That left the Bills trailing 21-16 at halftime and chasing that point the rest of the game. After Buffalo took a 22-21 lead on its first drive of the second half, Allen was sacked on another 2-point try.

JOSH ALLEN PONDERS WHAT-IFS AFTER BILLS GET BOUNCED FROM PLAYOFFS BY CHIEFS YET AGAIN

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK,

N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen could take plenty of satisfaction from a season in which he became the betting favourite for MVP and the Buffalo Bills defied the doubters who predicted a down year.

Instead, Allen and the Bills again fell short of their goal of winning the Super Bowl, and on Monday, the star quarterback was second-guessing himself about what more he could have done in a 32-29 loss to the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game a day earlier.

Allen took responsibility. He had the ball with an opportunity to tie the game or put the Bills ahead in the closing minutes — only to come up empty on a desperation fourth-down heave that fell through the arms of diving tight end

Dalton Kincaid.

“Yeah, it sucks. You keep going back and thinking about what you could have done differently, plays even throughout the game,” said Allen, who was stopped earlier in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-1.

“Any time you lose, you’re going to have those thoughts in your head and

just understanding that you’re not promised opportunities like that all the time,” Allen added. “You can’t just knock on the door, you got to kick it down.” Try as they might, the Bills and Allen once again will be spectators on Super Bowl Sunday. This marked the fourth time in five years they’ve been eliminated by the Chiefs, and the second time in the conference title game.

Winners of five straight AFC East titles, the Bills became the first team to win 11 or more games over five straight seasons that didn’t reach the Super Bowl at least once over that span. Fairly or not, the narrative remains unchanged. Allen, coach Sean McDermott and the Bills enter another offseason being remembered more for their shortcomings than their successes. “It’s hard to win Super Bowls in this league. We understand that,” Allen said. “And when you’re playing a team that’s now been to three in a row, you gotta go out there and you gotta beat them. You gotta take it from them, and we didn’t do that.”

Buffalo matched a franchise record with 13 regular-season wins and ran away with the division, clinching the title in Week 13. The Bills became the

first team to finish with 30 touchdowns passing and rushing and matched an NFL record by having 13 players catch a TD pass.

And Buffalo did all that following an offseason salary-cap purge that cost them six of eight team captains, including receiver Stefon Diggs, who was traded to Houston.

Using a spread-thewealth approach on offence, the Bills became the only team to beat each conference’s top seed — Kansas City and Detroit — in the regular season. Then they eliminated Bo Nix and the Broncos and Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in the first two playoff rounds, only to have Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs again block their path in a game that featured four lead changes.

If it meant anything, Allen’s teammates had his back. “I can’t even begin to fathom what that dude has to put on his shoulders every single week,” tight end Dawson Knox said.

“He’s got the whole city on his back and he carries it with grace and better than anybody that I could possibly imagine carrying it, what he has to go through, the plays he made last night,” he added.

“The game could’ve easily gone our way. And

then we’d be having different conversations now.”

Until next year, perhaps.

Miller time

Edge rusher Von Miller has every intention of returning, even though the soon-to-be 36-year-old could be a candidate to be cut.

Miller has three years left on his contract, and the Bills could free up a projected $8 million in salary cap space by releasing him.

Not so fast, said Miller, who already accepted a pay cut by agreeing to restructure his contract last year.

“I want to be here. I don’t want to speak for them but I think they want me here, too,” he said.

Playing hurt Knox revealed that Kincaid closed the season playing with a torn PCL in one knee and a fluid buildup in the other.

Meantime, Allen said he’s not sure if he’ll compete in the Pro Bowl Games this weekend after hurting his hand — he didn’t say which — during a goal-line play Sunday.

Free agents The Bills have 11 players eligible to become unrestricted free agents. The most notable on defence are cornerback Rasul Douglas and safety Damar Hamlin. On offence, it’s receivers Amari Cooper and Mack

Hollins and running back Ty Johnson. Safety Micah Hyde, who considered retirement before re-signing to Buffalo’s practice squad in December, told The Associated Press he plans to retire.

Familiar foes In 2025, Buffalo will face the Chiefs for the sixth straight year. Also on the schedule are the Ravens and the

KANSAS City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is doused after their win against the Philadelphia Eagles at the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game, Sunday, February 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

WASHINGTON Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) leaps over the line of scrimmage early towards Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) resulting in a penalty during the NFC Championship NFL football game on Sunday in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/ Daniel Kucin Jr)

‘VJ’ Edgecombe scores 28 in Baylor Bears’ 93-89 loss to BYU Cougars in overtime

PROVO, Utah (AP)

— Kanon Catchings finished with 23 points, Richie Saunders scored six of his 17 points in overtime and BYU beat Baylor 93-89 last night.

BYU opened the extra period on a 9-3 surge for an 87-81 lead. Robert Wright made a pair of free throws and Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe hit a 3-pointer to cut Baylor’s deficit to 87-86, but the Cougars made 6 of 6 from the free-throw line from there to seal it. Saunders shot 2 of 2 from the

field and made both freethrow attempts in overtime. Catchings didn’t miss a shot, making four 3-pointers and shooting 8 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 3 from the foul line. Egor Demin added 15 points and Trevin Knell had 11 for BYU (14-6, 5-4 Big 12).

Edgecombe led Baylor with 28 points and Wright finished with 22. The pair combined for 11 of the Bears’ 18 assists. Baylor (13-7, 5-4) trailed since the 16:36 mark in the first half and by as many

as 11 points early in the second. Wright scored all nine points in a 9-3 surge to get the Bears within 78-76 with 49 second to play.

Demin missed a 3 on the next possession and then Wright tied it 78-all at the free-throw line with five seconds remaining to force overtime.

BYU leads the series 7-6, with each of its wins coming at home.

In Saturday games, Baylor hosts No. 11 Kansas and BYU travels to face UCF.

SEBASTIAN WALCOTT PREPARES FOR MLB SPRING TRAINING

during this offseason,” Walcott said in an exclusive interview with The Tribune yesterday. “I’m just going to continue working hard and hopefully I can transgress to the Major League.”

It’s every player’s dream growing up to get to the MLB, but scouting reports say Walcott, who started out at the Junior Baseball League of Nassau in 2011, has all the tools to become the ninth Bahamian to achieve that goal.

If he does, he would join Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr, who is now entering his second season with the New York Yankees after being traded from the Miami Marlins where he played since making his major league breakthrough in 2020. According to the reports, the 6-foot, 4-inch right-handed Walcott has exceptional bat speed and produces elite exit velocities for an 18-year-old, and some evaluators slap topof-the-scale grades on his raw power.

As a shortstop who made the South Atlantic League All-Star in 2024, Walcott topped the High-A circuit in triples (nine), extra-base hits (50) and total bases (192) while batting .261/.342/.443 as its youngest regular, then dominated during a five-game cameo at Double-A.

“I think it’s just a dedication to my hard work on the field and just the success that I’ve been having with baseball,” he stated.

“I’m just going to continue to work hard and just keep on moving up the ladder, hopefully not only becoming the number one shortstop, but I want to continue working hard on the field so that I can accomplish that feat.”

In addition to being the top prospect in the Rangers’

organisation, he is No.4 on the MLB list of shortstops coming into spring training and is No.17 on the list of all prospects combined.

“It’s a proud moment for us coming from the small Bahamas doing big things. There’s a lot of pride there,” said Walcott’s father Jeff Walcott. “He understands the responsibility that comes along with that.” As he continues to work on his game, Walcott said he wants to continue to build his strength and mobility.

“Those are the main things you have to concentrate on when you’re playing over 100 games, close to 162 games, your body could wear out,” he pointed out.

“So, you just have to continue to build your strength and develop your mobility so your body can recuperate and endure the long season ahead of you.”

Although there was a short break after his debut

in the minor league, Walcott said he was eager to get back to work this month so that he can get locked into what is ahead of him.

“At the beginning of this season, I just want to take it easy because I just finished a season,” said Walcott, who got the opportunity to spend some time at home during the Christmas break with his family and friends.

“Mentally and physically, I wanted to relax, but now that the season is coming up, I have to get ready because there’s a lot of good things in store for me, so I have to be ready.”

Playing in his first season was pretty good, according to Walcott, but now that he got it under his belt, he has to contend with the challenge of playing against competitors who are a little older than him.

“I’ve been playing against older guys just about all of my life, so I think being able to do that and show the Rangers that I am ready

for the older competition,” he stated.

“I want them to see that and to gain their trust in allowing me to play against these guys. Hopefully they’ll have the confidence to allow me to play with them.”

If there’s anything he needs to work on a little more, Walcott admitted that it would be his defence. He’s doing that and more in his off season training in Miami Gardens under the watchful eyes of his agent Scott Boras.

“I wouldn’t say I had a clean year defensively, but I’ve been working on my footwork and my defence and making sure that my throws are accurate and consistent. No one is going to be perfect, but when it comes to defence, I want to limit the errors as much as possible.”

Sometime in February, exact date not confirmed yet as position players report after the pitchers

and catchers, Walcott will be heading to the MLB training camp in Arizona.

“Hopefully I can learn something from them and apply it to my game and use this during the whole season,” said Walcott, who intends to be there as he celebrates his 19th birthday on March 14.

“I feel I have the ability to play at the Major League level.”

His proud father Jeff Walcott, who was an outstanding basketball player and who served as president of JBLN from 2018-2024, said it’s an exciting time for them as a family.

“We’ve always had the confidence that he could compete at a certain level, but my wife, YaEl, and I got to see it first hand having travelled to watch him play last year, along with our older son, Seth,” Jeff recalled of the journey.

“We had an opportunity to witness it first hand and we were very happy to see

from a mental standpoint to see how he blended in and became a part of the older guys.”

From the time he coached his son as a little leaguer on teams that went to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Antigua and the United States of America, Jeff said it’s even more gratifying to watch as Sebastian plays against guys who were an average age of 22 years old in the minor league. Now Jeff said he would like nothing better than to enjoy the satisfaction of watching Sebastian attain the ultimate goal of playing in the Major League.

“The door is close. We can see the Major League door,” he insisted. “It’s a lot of things that have to go right, but we feel that the projectory that he is on now, we feel the door will open for him.

“With God’s help, he stays healthy and all of the rest of it, we feel he can make it. I always tell him that the most valuable player is the player who is available. So he just has to keep his body healthy and he can get there.”

Hopefully he will be an inspiration for his older brother, Seth, a pitcher in his junior year at Nova Southeastern University. Now in rehab after suffering an injury last year, Seth is contemplating playing elsewhere in the fall. Sebastian, who enjoys playing video games and likes to worship at his home church at St Anne’s Anglican Church in Fox Hill, made tremendous strides at the age of 16 when he signed his professional contract.

He was attending K12 Private Online School based in Virginia, graduating in January 2024. Now knocking on the door of MLB in just one year of playing pro baseball.

Tyrese Maxey scores 43 to lift 76ers past Lakers

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Tyrese Maxey scored 43 points to lead a Philadelphia 76ers team without injured Joel Embiid and Paul George to a 118-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night.

Last season’s NBA Most Improved Player, Maxey continued his recent hot scoring streak as he tries to keep the Sixers within striking distance of the play-in tournament.

Maxey had averaged 30.4 points over the last 10 games. And he blew past the mark in the third quarter, finishing with 41 headed into the fourth.

Maxey hit four 3-pointers and made 15 of 26 shots overall from the floor.

He extended his careerbest streak of 25-point games to 11 straight to the delight of a handful of NFC

champion Eagles who sat courtside.

ROCKETS 100, HAWKS 96 ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Green scored 12 of his 25 points in the third quarter and Houston avoided a late collapse to beat Atlanta.

Alperen Sengun added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who led 96-80 after Green’s steal and layup with 5:41 remaining before Atlanta closed within two in the final minute.

Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson each finished with 11 points for the Rockets, who followed their victory in Boston on Monday with their fourth straight win.

Trae Young had 21 points and nine assists for Atlanta, which dropped its season-high sixth straight.

SEBASTIAN Walcott sharing a moment with his parents YaEl and Jeff Walcott.

Kelly Oubre Jr, left, and Adem Bona during

basketball game last night in Philadelphia.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

BAYLOR guard VJ Edgecombe takes the court in an NCAA college basketball game against TCU on Sunday, January 19, 2025, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerry Larson)

Sprinter Anthonique Strachan working her way back on track

as a measuring stick to determine how far she is in her recovery journey.

“Honestly, it is good to be able to go out and compete while actually finishing healthy, especially at an outdoor meet because I wasn’t able to see outdoors last year outside of the two meets that I ran in China. It also let me know that I am technically unable to sprint currently because I didn’t sprint at all on Saturday.

“I basically tried to run an entire 60m while the girls out there were sprinting. It just let me know that I need to step up my physio work and look at things for power in my hamstring but I am very happy that I finished the race healthy,” she said.

The 31-year-old sprinter last saw action on the track in the 200m finals at the Yangtze Delta Athletics Diamond Gala at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre on April 27, 2024.

While running at the event, she wrapped up sixth with a season’s best time of 23.35 seconds.

Following the event, Strachan announced in May that she would be out for the season with hairline fractures in the shins of both of her feet.

Although she completed the event injury-free over the weekend, she expressed that she is still not 100 per cent back to her old self just yet.

“I am not 100 per cent confident with my legs. I

still sporadically feel pain every now and then in my bones and I sort of picked up a hamstring problem trying to make my way back. Coming off the injury I had last year, I started to baby my body a lot and I am kind of sheltering my legs now and when I feel anything I back off a lot. I am grateful that they sent me out there because it let me know where I am at and reassured me that I am not as bad as I think I am,” she said.

‘But I am very happy that I finished the race healthy’ — Anthonique Strachan

Strachan, who had her fair share in run-ins with the injury bug, noted that the recent injury has really tested her, not only physically but also mentally.

“I would say that I am healthy physically, but mentally I am very scared of the pain I felt last year. I was living in my own personal turmoil and I would say that I bent myself in a direction that I didn’t think I could go into. I have experienced a lot of injuries in this sport but I have never experienced anything like I experienced last year. I literally cried for 12 hours a day so it was a lot,” she admitted.

Prior to her injury announcement, the

three-time Olympian was gearing up to make her fourth Olympic Games appearance during the summer in Paris, France.

She appeared to be making headway, especially after advancing to her first global final in the women’s 200m event at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

It is not set in stone just yet when she will return to competition on a consistent basis but she is determined to make this season about her.

“2025 is a me season and it is all about Anthonique. I think a lot of people will be seeing that this year especially, once I get my mind and body on the same accord. Originally, I was thinking about indoors but I am not sure as yet. I have decided to take it in stride and not hamper for a schedule. I will probably wait until about May or June to make a schedule,” she said.

As far as expectations for this year, Strachan is aiming to take down the 100m and 200m national records owned by Chandra Sturrup and Shaunae Miller-Uibo respectively.

“I would love to take both the national records in the 100m and 200m. Our national record in the 100m is 10.84 but I am going to aim for 10.70. The national record for the 200m is 21.74 but my aim is to run 21.50. I don’t have to achieve it this year but I am going to achieve it and that is my aim for everything,” she said.

STAR PERFORMERS TRACK AND

FIELD MEET

7pm. On Saturday, at 2pm, the funeral service for Stevens will be held at the New Bethlehem Baptist Church on the Independence Highway. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Gardens. Stevens, at one point, served as president of both the NPSA and the BGDSA. However, he opted not to run for another term as president of the BGDSA and was replaced by Cara Knowles. He returned for another term as president of the NPSA. Stevens had plans to run for president of the Bahamas Softball Federation, but those plans didn’t materialise as he passed away before the election took place.

VOLLEYBALL

NPVA CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE New Providence Volleyball Association will begin its best-of-five championship series in both the men and women divisions tonight at the DW Davis Gymnasium. In the ladies’ opener at 7:30pm, the Lady Techs will take on the Panthers, followed by the Technicians vs the Avengers in the series. Game two in each series will be played on Friday at the same time and the same venue and game three in each series will be on Sunday, starting at 3:30pm.

THE Star Trackers Track Club is scheduled to hold its 22nd Star Performance Track and Field Classic on Saturday, February 1 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The event, powered by Baker/Greyco Limited, will be held from 9am to 5pm. The registration deadline is on Friday, January 24 at 10pm at www.coachoregistration. com. Meet director Dave Charlton promises that the athletes and spectators will enjoy a very competitive meet that will be contested on time.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS BAHAMAS OPEN HOUSE

SPECIAL Olympics Bahamas is preparing to hold their open house on Dolphin Drive on February 4, 11, 18 and 25 and everyone is invited to attend any session.

Every Tuesday during the month of February, 2025 between the hours of 10am and 3pm, Special Olympics is iinviting the general public along with family and friends to visit our office at #24 Dolphin Drive to view our Wall of Fame. While there, they are asking for guests to sign their Visitor’s Register and leave a phone contact for an opportunity to receive one of their “Special” Red Balls. “Shake hands with our athletes and chat with one

Aaron Simmons named Holland Hurricanes’ basketball Athlete of the Week

FROM PAGE 16

The University of New Brunswick - Saint John - leads the field with a perfect 13-0 mark, but they opted not to compete in the event as they already had something planned at St Paul’s Baptist Church, Bernard Road, Fox Fill.

of our stars,” said a press release. “Join the Inclusion Revolution today.”

Donations of any amount are welcomed and appreciated during the open house dates.

BBSF

SOFTBALL LEAGUE

THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation will hold its 2025 softball league, starting on Saturday, February 8 at the Charles W Saunders High School, Jean Street. The co-ed slow pitch league will allow each team up to a total of 15 players with the registration fee of $200. The deadline for team registration with rosters and team payment is Saturday, January 25, 2025. Interested persons can tournament director Thomas Sears at 424-2888 or email 242softball@gmail. com or Brent Stubbs at 4267265 or emil stubbobs@ gmail.com

LOVE AND

ROMANCE

ROAD RACE AT 6am on Saturday, February 8, Love and Romance will take to the asphalt at our 3rd annual couples, Valentines-themed 5k Fun, Run Walk Push. Hundreds of couplesadorned in their red and white sports outfit - will be running, walking, skating and biking together from Arawak Cay to Go Slow Bend and back. They will traverse along scenic West Bay Street, while being

entertained with romantic instrumental music, local artists singing and civic groups cheering them on along the route. They return to the valentinethemed Race Village where they will receive awards, prizes and surprises.

For more information, persons are asked to contact Marcel Major at 242-804-8595.

Simmons recorded 47 points, a 20-for-34 fieldgoal record, a 6-for-11 three-point record, 10 rebounds, four assists, and six steals across both games. The Hurricanes enter the regular season’s final month vying to win a heated battle for second place in the conference - the team who claims it will earn a bye to the 2025 ACAA Basketball Championships semifinals. Holland’s chase starts with a home-game doubleheader alongside the women against the Mount Allison Mounties on Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2.

RUGBY SEASON OPEN AFTER making some minor repairs to the Winton rugby pitch, the Bahamas Rugby Union opened its 2025 season on Saturday.

The BRU will also play matches on Saturday, February 8, Saturday, February 22, Saturday, March 8 and Saturday, March 22. All ages and all abilities are welcome, including men and women, ‘Golden Oldies’ teams and beginners and seasoned players. The BRU is also inviting persons to come and try rugby this year. The only equipment needed are tennis/cleats and PE kit. For further information, persons are urged to call (242) 812-0417.

WEEKLY RECOGNITION: Aaron Simmons has picked up his second Holland Hurricanes Athlete of the Week honours this season.

BACK ON TRACK: Bahamian sprinter Anthonique Strachan has spent the last eight months nursing a season-ending injury to both feet but was finally able to make a return to the track last weekend at the 2025 Queen’s/Grace Jackson Meet at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2025

Sebastian emerges as Rangers’ top prospect

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

ABaseball Spring Training Camp.

On Monday, the Rangers announced that Walcott, who signed a $3.2 million contract last year, has been invited to the spring training camp in Surprise, Arizona, with a chance to workout with the major league players for a chance to earn a spot on their opening day roster. “I’m pretty excited. I’ve been working very hard

BAHAMIAN Aaron Simmons was named the Holland Hurricanes men’s basketball Athlete of the Week for the week ending January 26.

Simmons shared the honours with Lauren Armstrong, who was named the women’s basketball Athlete of the Week.

Simmons, a secondyear guard from Nassau,

Bahamas, graduated from Louisburg College in 2019. He earned the Hurricanes’ Male Athlete of the Week honours for the second time this season and the Hurricanes’ Male Basketball Player of the Week honours for the third time this season after leading his team to two victories at home this past weekend.

BAYLOR freshman Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe put together a couple of impressive performances last week to be named the Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week on Monday.

He certainly turned some heads in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) DI basketball action to prove why he is one of the top prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-5 athletic guard saw not only his minutes increase but also his production in the Bears’ back-to-back victories against the Kansas State Wildcats and Utah Utes last week.

Following a narrow 74-71 loss against the TCU

Holland defeated Crandall twice in two spectacular, nail-biting matchups, 96-75 and 78-77 to push their unblemished record to 13-0, pushing Holland College into a two-way tied for second place in the ACAA with a 9-5 win-loss record with UNBSJ.

BAHAMIAN sprinter

Anthonique Strachan has spent the last eight months nursing a season-ending injury to both feet but was finally able to make a return to the track last weekend at the 2025 Queen’s/ Grace Jackson Meet at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.

Competing at her first outdoor meet since last April, Strachan

Horned Frogs, Edgecombe upped the ante on the offensive and defensive end for the Bears in their next two games.

He erupted for a careerhigh 30 points, three assists and two steals in Baylor’s 70-62 comeback win against the Wildcats. He could not

be stopped and made 8-of13 field goals on 61.5 per cent shooting in 38 minutes of action.

The Bimini native gave the Bears another gutsy performance this time against the Utah Utes. He stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, six boards, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 38 minutes.

He once again shot the ball efficiently, making 8-of-18 field goals which included four shots from long range.

With his latest scoring output, he became the first Baylor freshman since Keyonte George (2023) to score over 20 points in consecutive conference games. He turned in 25.5 points per game (ppg) and did it while shooting 52 per cent from the field and 54 per cent from deep as Baylor doubled up on the wins.

“VJ” has been hot the last five games, averaging 19.6 (ppg) which is ranked top-5 in the league. He is also putting up 17.4 ppg in conference games.