02272024 NEWS AND SPORT

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Fire at Potter’s Cay destroys five boats

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a fire at Potter’s Cay Dock destroyed five vessels yesterday morning, including a freshly refuelled boat with groceries headed for a Family Island, a top dock official blamed derelict boats and debris for the blaze’s size.

Assistant Commissioner Damian Robinson could not say what caused the fire, which began around 8.24am on Monday. He said no one was injured.

Only one partially damaged vessel remained standing after the blaze.

The owners of the vessels declined to speak to The Tribune.

Ornanique Bowe, president of the Potter’s Cay Dock Fish, Fruit and Vegetable Vendors Association, told the press: “You know the vendors have a lot of concern, especially with the derelict boats out here.”

“Unfortunately, this morning, the boat that caught fire was a boat that was already fuelled up and ready to leave today, so that means all of their groceries and everything has been lost.”

“Transport now is cleaning up the area with derelict boats and debris in the water and stuff like that to make space for boats out here on Potter’s Cay because sometimes you have the fishing boat aligned with the mail boat and all of that.

“It is hazardous because if one catches a fire, all of them will catch a fire.”

Ms Bowe urged stakeholders to come together to address the matter by putting together a strategic plan.

Two separate fire incidents in November and December of 2023 resulted in the loss of three vessels and three stalls at Potters Cay Dock.

FIREFIGHTERS work to extinguish a fire that broke out shortly after 8am at Potter’s Cay yesterday. Police said five vessels were destroyed as a result.

Photo: Dante Carrer

Three shot dead in under 24 hours

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Cesserine Whyte.

Earlier yesterday, a man was killed inside a club on Harbour Island around 12.30am. Police later arrested three men in connection with the incident.

Two videos of the shooting went viral on social media yesterday. A black-andwhite video showed a man walking up to the victim and firing eight shots at close range. Another video captured the shock of club patrons as the shooting happened near them.

On Sunday morning, Michael Woodside, a father of six, was murdered while taking his 16-year-old daughter to band practice.

The girl was grazed with a bullet but did not suffer a serious injury.

In an interview yesterday with Eyewitness News,

the father of the victim of Sunday’s murder victim, Vincent Woodside, cried, saying: “My son ain’ coming home no more.”

“I gone to the truck in the yard and I shake my son head, I say Michael, Michael wake up man, Michael this your daddy talking to you. I feel he pulse, say oh Lord, I ain feel nothing.”

Mr Woodside said one of the bullets pierced his store. “He was my son,” he said. “He was my only support. He was all I work and live for.”

Michael Woodside’s uncle, Fredrick Wallace, said the murdered man was a hard worker and a good father who played an integral role in his children’s lives. The 35-year-old was a watersports operator and a professional welder.

POLICEMAN CHARGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF ATTEMP TED MURDER

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The defendant faced additional charges of four counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm and three counts of possession of ammunition.

Devard Francis represented the accused. King’s family was present in court during his arraignment.

Before being charged, King was dismissed from the police force last Friday.

King and accomplices allegedly shot and injured 23-year-old Tavarus Paul as he was walking near Exuma Street and Cordeaux Avenue on February 18. Later that day, King allegedly got into a gunfight with Inspector Marcian Frazier, PC Lenn King and Able Seaman Decordre

Glinton as they pursued the white Honda Accord the suspects drove. This same vehicle crashed near the Baseball Stadium on Bahamas Games Blvd. King allegedly had a black .40 Glock 23 model pistol, a black 9mm pistol, 20 rounds of .40 ammunition and 24 rounds of 9mm ammunition. He also allegedly had an additional 12 rounds of .40 ammunition. King was informed that his case would be moved to the Supreme Court by way of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). Mr Francis said he intended to pursue an emergency bail application to prevent his client’s remand at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. King’s VBI is slated for service on September 5.

POLICE on the scene of a double shooting that took the lives of a man and a juvenile on Faith Avenue yesterday, bringing the country’s murder count to 30. It was the second fatal shooting in less than 24 hours. Photos: Moise Amisial

Govt defends reallocating $25,000 from a disabilities commission to an Obie memorial

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

OFFICE of the Prime Minister director of communications Latrae Rahming yesterday defended the government’s decision to reallocate $25,000 from the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to memorials at Baha Mar for the late Obie Wilchcombe.

He claimed the money budgeted for the commission was never intended for disabled people but rather

to help the commission generate policies. The reallocation of funds was noted in the book about the government’s mid-year budget performance.

Mr Rahming said the disabilities commission has the budget to do its job. “There have been criticism that the government is removing funds for persons with disabilities like this was a fund to provide assistance to those who are disabled,” he said. “The work of the national commission is to ensure that the provisions

in the Disability Act and the rights of the disabled in The Bahamas is protected and carried out. So their work has not been impacted.”

“When there are circumstances where any government agency or entity have a very important policy item, policy initiative to the interest of Bahamians, particularly those who are vulnerable, there’s never a time they aren’t able to get the kind of funding assistance they need to execute that assistance.”

Nonetheless, critics,

BAARK urges govt to enforce laws against animal cruelty

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMAS Alli-

ance for Animal Rights and Kindness (BAARK) leader is urging the government to enforce laws against animal cruelty and breeding, saying the problem is worsening.

BAARK chairman Laura Kimble said some residents are breeding dogs in horrible conditions to make easy money, calling the suffering some animals experience

“insane”.

“People have beaten dogs to death with baseball bats,” she said. “People chop them with machetes all the time because they’re angry. They abuse these animals. But it’s also worse because of the way they keep them. They keep them locked in boxes or on chains with no shade, short chains, no water. They’re starving on a chain,” she said.

A day after Bahamas Humane Society President Kim Aranha said tourists complain about the stray

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Public is hereby advised that I, COCHISE AKEEM

THOMPSON of P.O Box EE-15770Cowpen Road, Nassau, The Bahamas intend to change my name to COCHISE AKEEM TURNQUEST If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Offcer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

animal population in the country, Ms Kimble said visitors have no idea how badly animals are treated. She said the Animal Protection and Control Act has all the provisions to deal with cruelty and breeding.

“The laws have to actually be enforced against animal cruelty,” she said. “So many people breed their animals. And the suffering is ridiculous. And we can only do what we can, but there’s very few volunteers working, and we’re all exhausted.”

including Free National Movement Senator Maxine Seymour, expressed outrage that the government would take “scarce resources” allocated to a “vulnerable population” to pay for a memorial.

“Yes, we respect and honour our leaders, but not by robbing those in dire need,” she said. “Social Services should have requested an extraordinary budget from finance instead of reallocating sums approved by Parliament for the specific purpose of assisting

the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Those funds need to be returned immediately and in excess.

“Of all the places to confiscate money from, why deprive this group of citizens instead of cutting another budget line? The commission was only allotted $267,284 for this fiscal year, which was already insufficient and now we learn that ten per cent of it was wasted on decorations and hors d’oeuvres at a hotel.

“This administration proves every day that while they mouth principles, like compassion and integrity, their actions say something else. Persons with disabilities need more support, not less. We need to amend legislation to allow for the enforcement of disabled parking infractions, increase parking signs, retrofit government buildings to make them accessible, construct an assisted living facility for adults with disabilities, among other priorities.”

The Public is hereby advised that I, SEAN FRITZ LYNES JR. of P.O Box EE-15770 Forest Drive, Camperdown Heights, Nassau, The Bahamas intend to change my name to SEAN FRITZ TURNQUEST JR If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may

LISA Rahming speaks during a staff memorial for Obie Wilchcombe held at Baha Mar in October last year.

Gibson’s brother ‘did not know’ about transactions at company

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said she called him asking for his identification and to sign paperwork.

He said her constant requests for his identification and signatures annoyed him.

When Mr Gibson’s attorney, Damian Gomez, KC, asked him if Mrs Mackey told him why she needed the signatures, he said she told him his brother needed them.

Lanardo recalled that his brother once called him, asking why he was giving Mrs Mackey a hard time.

“I would say she’s annoying, and he would just say ‘just do it for me’, and then I would just go and do it,” he said.

Documents with his signature on Edwaleno Holdings Limited’s registration and conveyances between the company and Venice Bay were shown to him in court.

“Did you as a shareholder pay Venice Bay Holdings Ltd $150,000 for this property?” Ms Frazier asked him. No, he said.

He also claimed he never received a conveyance in respect to the property.

When asked if he ever demanded money to sign the documents, he said yes.

He said he told Mrs Mackey he was unsure why he needed to sign the documents because it didn’t benefit him.

“I told her I’m not being paid for this,” he said. “I don’t know anything about this.”

“And I’m not being compensated.”

Lanardo said he eventually told Mrs Mackey he wanted his name off and relayed the same message

to his brother. “I told him to take it off, and I would’ve trusted that he took it off when I told him to take it off,” he testified.

When asked about his personal relationship with Mr Gibson, Lanardo said the two were not close.

He also told jurors that he never received money from his brother during his tenure as executive chairman of the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC).

The witness was also questioned about his arrest in connection to the case. He said he was interviewed by police twice.

When Murrio Ducille, KC, asked if he was pressured to give statements to police, Lanardo said he was only pressured to state the truth.

Mr Gibson is facing charges concerning his tenure as WSC executive chairman under the Minnis administration.

The charges stem from Mr Gibson’s alleged failure to declare his interest in contracts awarded by the WSC.

The FNM politician is charged with Mr Elwood Donaldson, Jr, former WSC’s general manager, Rashae Gibson, his cousin, Joan Knowles, Peaches Farquharson and Jerome Missick.

Alongside Mr Gomez, KC, and Mr Ducille, KC, Bryan Bastian, Ryan Eve, Raphael Moxey, Christina Galanos, Ian Cargill and Donald Saunders represent the defendants.

In addition to Ms Frazier, the Crown’s lawyers include Cashena Thompson, Karine MacVean and Rashied Edgecombe.

MORE GROUPS TO GIVE BACK JUNKANOO SEED MONEY

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their absence. If their response is unsatisfactory, the ministry may require them to refund the government’s money.

Mr Bowleg said his ministry would have meetings this week, when he hopes to conclude the matter by the end of next week.

In January, the ministry said an investigation had been launched into all Junkanoo groups that received seed funding, but did not participate in the parades.

“They broke the contract, and they need to come and explain to us why they didn’t live up to the contract as agreed, and once we do that, then we make a determination

on how we move forward,” Mr Bowleg said. The government announced yesterday that Prodigal Sons leader Eric “Scrap” Knowles repaid the government $30,000 after failing to participate in the recent parades. The group had until March 31 to return the funds. “I am pleased to confirm that Mr Knowles and the Prodigal Sons have demonstrated exceptional cooperation and are now in good standing with the ministry,” Mr Bowleg said in a statement. “I would like to express my sincere commendation to Mr Knowles for his steadfast dedication to the advancement of Junkanoo in The Bahamas.”

LARRY D. THOMPSON, 60 “known as Larry Mo”

A resident of Coconut Grove, will be held at Old Trail Cemetery on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Officiating will be Msgr. Simeon Roberts of St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church. He is pre-deceased by his parents; Helen Strachan-Thompson & Livingston Dames; Sister Telecine Smith.

He is survived by his, cousins: the children of Terecita Lightbourne & John Edwards: Hilda Wilson, Everlena, Whitfield Edwards & other members of the Edwards family - Rupert, John, Neaman, Francis, Brice, Jonas, Prince and Willard.

Mr. and Mrs. Alex Clyde and friends of the Coconut Grove community.

BUTLERS’ FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORIUM

RASHAE GIBSON, cousin of Adrian Gibson and also among the group being charged.

ADRIAN Gibson’s brother Lanardo Gibson leaving court yesterday. Photos: Dante Carrer

DAMIAN GOMEZ, KC with his client Adrian Gibson leaving court yesterday.

news network

Puerto Rico faces short-term rental problem

ACTIVISTS want stricter regulations of short-term rentals in Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory sees a growing number of displaced renters and a spike in housing costs, the Hispanic Federation said in a report Wednesday.

The number of units operating as short-term rentals in Puerto Rico jumped to more than 25,000 in 2023 from about 1,000 in 2014, the report commissioned by the federation said.

It found that while short-term rentals create jobs, attract visitors and lead to more transportation options, renters have faced evictions, the cost of goods have increased amid an economic crisis and some ecological areas have been destroyed during new construction.

The report calls for creating a public registry of short-term rentals, classifying them as a business and increasing the island’s room tax from 7% to up to 11% and using the additional revenue to develop affordable housing.

“This has gotten to a point where the impacts are really palpable in Puerto Rico,” Charlotte Gossett Navarro, the foundation’s Puerto Rico chief director, said in an interview.

A key factor in the increase of shortterm rentals was Hurricane Maria, which pummeled the island in September 2017. Many people migrated to the U.S. mainland afterward, while scores of new investors came to the island to buy homes and properties.

That led to a reduction in housing availability and affordability, Gossett said, adding that other factors including the pandemic also are to blame.

Now, between 100 to 400 new shortterm rentals are reported a month in Puerto Rico, with apartments representing 60% of properties available for that purpose.

Dulce del Río-Pineda, who has lived 40 years on the island of Culebra just east of Puerto Rico, said she noticed a big change in the housing market in the past seven years with the influx of shortterm rentals.

It’s an economic benefit,” she said. “At the same time, our young people especially find themselves without any hope of being able to buy their own home. It’s a way of making our community disappear.”

The 64-year-old former special education teacher who now helps to run a local nonprofit said social inequality also has become more dramatic. Some homes on Culebra, a popular tourist destination, now cost $4 million to $8 million.

A recent study by the non-partisan Center for a New Economy and the

Graduate School of Planning of the University of Puerto Rico found that a 10% rise in the number of short-term rentals in a community increases housing rental costs by 7% and the property value per square foot by 23%.

“With so much to offer visitors, tourism will always be an important part of Puerto Rico’s economy,” said Frankie Miranda, the Hispanic Federation’s CEO and president. “However, it cannot come at the expense of Puerto Rico’s residents and communities.”

Activists are calling for rent-control policies; restoring abandoned properties for long-term rentals; designating six or more rental units as a small inn; and designating areas where short-term rentals can operate to protect ecological and agricultural lands.

Various bills have proposed how short-term rentals should be operated. One still under consideration would, among other things, award regulation and oversight of such properties to municipalities.

“The good thing is that the conversation is already happening in the government,” Gossett said. “There’s an awareness that something needs to change.”

But the new report noted that the bills do not address the impact of shortterm rentals on housing, including displacement and gentrification.

Gossett noted that the study found a consensus that short-term rentals can be important for the island, and said the foundation is not seeking a ban on them.

A day before the report was released, Airbnb issued a statement saying it supports the “inclusive regulation” of short-term rentals, which will have to be registered by early June if they’re operating in the capital of San Juan.

Airbnb, which has generated more than $70 million in room tax revenues for Puerto Rico and is behind the majority of the increase in short-term rentals, also had backed a bill that called for allocating 5% of room tax revenues to municipalities. Legislators voted against it in a move that some blamed on a “power game” among lawmakers.

Meanwhile, another bill is pending before legislators that would create a regulatory framework for short-term rentals at a national level. Given the lack of such a framework, the room tax is collected from Airbnb and other companies under an agreement with Puerto Rico’s Tourism Company.

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

Movie ban

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THIS is a complaint as well as a rebuttal to the unrightful banning of the movie “Demon SlayerKimetsu no Yaiba, To the Hashira Training” from a fan. Not only is this blatant xenophobia, but it’s an insult to the intelligence of the audience watching this movie.

First of all, the banning is xenophobic in nature. The story of the movie takes place in Japan, with Japanese characters and monsters. The concept of Japanese “demons” is different from the Christian concept of demons.

“Demons” in Japanese folklore serves as an English umbrella term for a variety of monsters, spirits and mythical beings such as Onis (Ogres), Akuma (evil spirits) and Yokai, which are spirits that take on many forms from moving rocks to playful fox spirits. So by claiming this movie is “demonic” on the fact it depicts these demons not only shows a level of ignorance on such important parts of Japanese folklore but a deliberate lack to understand the mythology of another culture, and misinterpreting it.

Not to mention that the story is about fighting these “demons”. The main character Tanjiro Kamado, becomes a Hashira (a group of demon slayers, handling dangerous threats) to protect humanity from threats such as demons. It is hypocritical to call the movie demonic when the main characters and cast are fighting against the threat of demons. You think in a country that brags about its “christian values” wouldn’t be so mad about this, but apparently not. The Film Council thinks it’s “demonic” to fight “demons”.

Then there is the misunderstanding of

demographics. In the original statements regarding its ban, it was said to be “Inappropriate to young viewers”, “not being in English” and “lacking a story” as one of the main reasons behind the banning. I find these reasons ridiculous.

For starters, the movie is aimed for those who are familiar with Demon Slayer, an already running series with past movies. Those who are actively going to see this movie are already fans who are caught up to the current story. To indicate that it has no plot, when those reviewing the movies have no context of the story at large is a ridiculous claim.

Then there is the claim of the movie not being in English. Many of the existing viewers are already accustomed to watching the shows and other movies with English subtitles. I understand this may be an issue for theater goers and those who may not have some sort of blindness, but there are many companies who dub and localise it for English speaking viewers (examples like Funimation). Many of those dubs are available for movie goers and the general public, so outright banning the movie for its lack of english is not only absurd but quite racist.

Finally there is the discussion and disregard of the audience itself. Demon Slayer is a story marketed towards teenagers and young adults, but many who are younger still enjoy the show. Many of my younger relatives are fans of the show and are able to understand and handle some of its more graphic scenes.

However many young people are allowed to see movies that are rated pg+13 or M like superhero movies or other live action properties. Just because a movie is animated does not mean it is for children or General Audiences. Not to mention, one of its previous movies

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train” aired in theaters before and it had the same level of graphic violence.

Anime is a medium that encompasses many genres, including those that are adult oriented. This movie was never made for a general audience or young children. This is a movie made for fans of Demon Slayer and Bahamian anime fans and this ban shows the level of disconnect and misunderstanding of Bahamian Youth. Any attempt to understand the new and growing interest of bahamians is constantly challenged by outdated, xenophobic and conservative beliefs that are actively hindering the Bahamas as a people and a nation.

I hope to see some sort of resolve to this situation.

There are many young Bahamians who are big fans of anime and come together when many of these big movies come to theaters. When the last Demon Slayer movie came to theatres, many of those fans came dawning costumes of their favorite characters and sharing it to social media as well as experiencing their favorite show on the big screen, with friends and others. Events such as these bring people together and it’s a shame that such rare unity is being taken away for an outlandish, outdated and ridiculous reason.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IF the scuttlebutt is to be believed and the prime minister is getting ready to “ring the bell”, I hope my comrades in the Free National Movement are making good strides to get their act together to properly fight this election.

I say hope, because it seems that the party has not recovered from the flogging we received in 2021 and that was an early election called by us or should I say by the incompetent authority. And no, I am not beating a dead horse to say we were led to a humiliating defeat by the hard headed non consulting leader and prime minister, Dr Hubert Minnis.

Non consulting because among other things, both the former chairman and the former election coordinator, will tell you to this day that they found out about the date of the September 2021 General Election when everyone else in the country did.

We must get our act together because it appears that the former leader and his rabid supporters, who have taken on the role of pesky minions

hell bent on disrupting the agenda of the party as articulated by the leader are not prepared to bend to the will of the people.

Michael Pintard was duly elected to lead the FNM but either directly or indirectly Dr Minnis has done his best to be the epitome of sour grapes.

There are no better examples of this minion hood than the vice chairman Richard Johnson and pesky political gadfly Omar Archer. Johnson had to be silenced and restrained by the courts for his unseemly and disruptive behavior. I understand Omar has now officially joined the PLP and good riddance!

Whatever their reason, many supporters, financial and otherwise, are still offended by the high handed manner in which they were treated and insist that they will not participate in the affairs of the FNM if there is a scintilla of possibility that Dr Minnis could again be the leader.

According to my sources, while he is out promoting his book, for which I congratulate him, Dr Minnis is campaigning

to return as leader instead of telling his people to stand down and continue to rebuild the party that he single handedly almost destroyed. The height of ingratitude to the organisation that made it possible for his to sit in the highest office in the land!!

Unfortunately for my beloved party, Loretta Butler Turner was right when she warned that Dr Minnis was unfit to be leader. We don’t need his distractions with the PLP abusing the trust of the Bahamian people each day God sends. Lying about BPL and BAMSI, spending the people’s money traveling all over the world without any accountability, refusing to answer questions or follow the law and reveal who they are giving contracts to.

My hope is all FNM’s, especially Dr Minnis, would use this Easter season for reflection and determine whether or not they are doing those things necessary for our beloved party to return to government.

Atlantis holds Crystal Awards honouring employees

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that REKHABEN PAREKH of P.O. Box SS-19942 Wellington Lane, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that

VETARE DORIVALJOSEPH of P.O.Box N-356, Golden Isles Road, Carmichael Road, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that

MIKERLANGE PIERRE Pitt Street, off Colebrook Street, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 27th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that

URAL SALMON of #5 Haven Road, Soldier Road, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of February 2024 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

ATLANTIS

Photos: Dante Carrer

Alexander Maillisfirst Bahamian to be ordained deacon in the Greek Orthodox Church

ALEXANDER Maillis

was born into the Greek Orthodox Church in The Bahamas. He was baptised in the church sanctuary on West Street, Nassau. He and his family members went through all the rights of passage there. The Maillis family, descended from Greece, found comfort in a church steeped in spiritual and cultural connection to their family roots. But little did he know when he was playing in the courtyard where little children still frolic after church today, that he would be the catalyst for a history making event. On Sunday, February 25, 2024, he was officially ordained as a deacon - the very first ordination of a Bahamian at this parish.

The event was so significant that His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America travelled from New York to Nassau with a delegation to lead the Holy Sacrament of Ordination.

The Maillis family attended in full force to support Deacon Alexander, including distinguished attorney Pericles Maillis, his father and family patriarch. Parish Priest for the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Nassau, Rev Fr Irenaeus Cox; Rev Fr Elias Villis, Chancellor of the Archdiocesan District; Rev Fr Demetrios Kazakis; and Rev Archdeacon Dionysios Papiris were among the celebrants carrying out the service.

Pericles Maillis, beaming with pride, said that he felt even their family ancestors were smiling down on them on this historic occasion.

“It’s a hugely moving experience,” Alexander shared.

“The Bible teaches us that at all times, we are surrounded by a huge crowd of witnesses. I hope that among those witnesses are our ancestors, and that they are smiling today and joining us in prayer for this auspicious event.”

The Maillis family has a rich legacy. Alexander’s grandfather, Senator Alexander P Maillis, contributed much to The Bahamas and to its Parliament. His contributions were celebrated in a heartfelt tribute by former Prime Minister Perry Christie, who was serving at the time of his funeral. Senator Maillis and his wife were not only nationally responsible and community minded; they were deeply family oriented - a virtue that the Maillis’ hold dear to this day.

Senator Maillis and his brothers all served in World

Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

War II. He was born on Augusta Street in 1916. He was one of five brothers, and they were all sponge merchants during the height of a booming sponge industry in The Bahamas. Their father, Alexander’s great-grandfather, was also a sponge merchant. In his day, Greeks were known as some of the best spongers in the world. He travelled from his homeland in Greece to Tarpon Springs, Florida, to engage in the sponging industry there. After a sponge plague hit the Gulf of Mexico, he was forced to look for new, fertile ground.

Some migrated to Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula. He chose The Bahamas. Back then, there was no Greek Orthodox Church in The Bahamas. The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1937. Before Greeks in The Bahamas had a church of their own, permission was granted by the Archdiocese in America for families here to be baptized and attend churches that were of a trinitarian faith - namely Catholic and Anglican churches.

Once the Greek Orthodox Church was built, the Maillis family found a home that they continue to pour their passion and commitment into to this day. Alexander’s aunt, Alexandra Maillis-Lynch, is currently serving as the Parish President for the church. Other Greek families, such as the Halkitis and Galanos clans, mainly stayed at the churches they were already committed to. But many Greek families did flock to the church, including the Zervos,

Mosko, Klonaris, and so on.

But the Greek Orthodox Church in Nassau is really a melting pot of cultures, where people of the Indian Orthodox faith, Egyptian, Russians, Ukrainians, Serbs, Ethiopians, and other cultures have flocked to participate in Orthodox liturgies.

With the new title of deacon, Alexander will balance his spiritual life with commitment to his own wife and children, and a desire to see even more Bahamian families come into the fold. His wife, who is now Diakonissa Panayiota (Patricia), played a significant role in the journey that led him to the clergy.

Patricia is a first-generation Greek American. She and Alex met at a Greek church conference (the 1998 Young Adult League Conference in Orlando, Florida) where they fell in love. Eventually, he would ask for her hand in marriage, and invite her to move to the beautiful islands of The Bahamas. Her heart was willing, but she did want to know if there was a stronghold for her here.

“She made it clear from the earliest conversations that while she would be open to moving wherever her husband was, the one condition was that there would always be a vibrant Orthodox Church there,” he fondly recalls.

“So I began my foray into Orthodoxy and Parish life in a more than passive way. The desire to ensure a strong and vibrant church led me to involve myself in Parish Council, serving first as Secretary then as President, then as Vice-President and lay member, where I did my best to ensure the liturgical continuity of the Church in The Bahamas through very challenging transitional times. I have been privileged to serve on

the Archdiocesan Council for many years, where I directed my time and energy to the marriage and family committee – a subject that is very near and dear to me. In serving the church, I grew in knowledge and experience of her, and through her, of our Lord Jesus Christ and the faith that is the Orthodox. It is this growth experience which ultimately set me on the course to pursue the Diaconate program and offer myself for service.”

Because of his family responsibilities, Alexander has opted to serve as a permanent deacon. There is no automatic elevation to the priesthood. This will allow him to continue to focus on his career as an attorney and provide for his family, while taking up greater responsibility within the church.

He was born in The Bahamas on July 30, 1975, to Pericles Alexander Maillis and Christina Constantakis Maillis. Both of his parents are of Greek ancestry. He is a third-generation Bahamian of Greek descent, and he is the eldest of three sons born to his parents.

The Maillis farm in western New Providence was the base for a wonderful childhood, enjoying the produce of the farm, the lake, and the sea. Several homes exist on the property, and Maillis family members continue to enjoy the land from generation to generation.

“This was my grandfather’s vision for his descendants as he observed war-torn Europe as a young soldier. I grew up on the land - hunting, fishing, farming, and adventuring were very much a part of life for me, and as a young man, my brothers and I would make our pocket allowance selling produce – fruit and seafood.”

He attended Queen’s College from grade 1 straight to grade 11, which, at the time, would be the time of graduation. He earned his General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examinations and was accepted into the University of Wales, College of Cardiff. There, he earned a Bachelor of Laws and Letters Degree (Honours) before going to London for a year to do his Bar Finals and complete his professional qualifications through the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.

Alexander was called to the Bahamas Bar in September of 1997, and he did his pupillage under the careful eyes of his father. He was practicing in the disciplines of both criminal and civil litigation, family law, contracts, conveyancing, company, and estate planning/probate matters. He has been in practice now for 26 years. He presently assists the Bahamas Bar Association as a Disciplinary Tribunal member, hearing and deciding allegations of misconduct against Bar members. Today, the firm of Maillis and Maillis consists of him, his father, Pericles, and my younger brother Peter, with the prospect of younger members coming and joining the family profession.

During this past Sunday’s historical service, a lovely memento given to attendees included a scripture taken from Galatians 3: 28-29: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”.

This encapsulates the sentiments with which Deacon Alexander accepts his new role as a man of the cloth. He wants people to see beyond borders and difference and come together as one in the Christian faith. The Greek Orthodox Church has always played

an integral part of the country’s spiritual fabric. During the 1973 Independence celebrations, the parish priest, the late Rev Father Theophanis Kolyvas, led the invocation, cementing the church’s place of significance in national history. After Sunday’s ordination service, Archbishop Elpidophoros and the clergy gathered at Rev Theophanis’ tomb to conduct a blessing. At this time, a white dove took off from the rooftop and swooped down over the crowd gathered at the tomb - a moment that for many, would signify the presence of the Holy Spirit during this blessed occasion.

Archbishop Elpidophoros, Deacon Alexander, current parish priest Rev Fr Irenaeus Cox and their delegation paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Philip E Davis during this trip. The archbishop presented PM Davis with a commemorative book from the Diocese’s 100th anniversary celebrations. He received a Bahamas 50th anniversary pendant and other gifts from The Bahamas. He and his delegation were also showered with gifts during the banquet held after the service, including those from the children of the Sunday School of the Greek Orthodox Church. Deacon Alexander thanked his spiritual father and mentor, Rev Fr Nicholas Triantafilou; the late Fathers Andrew Karamitos and Mark Leondis; Presbytera Alexandra Cox, the faculty of the Hellenic College Holy Cross Diaconate Program; the Parish Council of the Greek Orthodox Church of The Bahamas; and all who supported his journey, especially his family and friends, and those who traveled to Nassau to witness this historic occasion.

NEWLY-appointed Deacon Alexander Maillis, Diakonissa Panayiota and their children pause for a photo in the sanctuary of the Greek Orthodox Church with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who conducted the historic ordination.

DEACON Alexander Maillis (second from left) during his ordination along with Archbishop Elpidophoros (center), Rev Father Irenaeus Cox, Parish Priest (third from right) and other clergy.

DEACON Alexander Maillis (right)stands in the sanctuary of the Greek Orthodox Church with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who conducted his historic ordination.

Antisemitism is a scourge of our times

HAVING referred to antisemitism (now, the accepted spelling without a hyphen) in last week’s column, I hasten to follow up this controversial and sensitive issue in more detail today given that currently there is increased violence and rhetoric around the world aimed towards Jews.

To many people, such a rise is hardly surprising in reaction to Israel’s military excesses that have caused thousands of civilian deaths and widespread destruction of infrastructure in Gaza as its forces seek to destroy the terrorist organisation Hamas after its murderous rampage on Israeli territory on October 7. Others argue that Israel’s right to defend itself against such violence should be recognised as legitimate but that nothing can justify the collective punishment of civilians for the actions of Hamas.

Antisemitism is defined as hatred of Jews and discrimination against them. Historians argue about the origins and reasons for anti-Jewish sentiment but they say it goes back for centuries. In relatively

The Peter Young column

modern times, people are only too well aware of the Nazi ideology and policy to exterminate Jews during the Second World War that led to genocide and the horrors of the Holocaust. After Hitler came to power in 1933, he and his Nazi party preached that “Jews” were the source of Germany’s political, social and economic problems and condemned them as “communist subversives” and

profiteers who were disloyal to their own country.

As a result, Jewish refugees began to escape German-occupied Europe in the 1930s. Britain, which was one of their main destinations, often speaks of its proud history as a long-standing democracy in offering sanctuary to those fleeing persecution in their own countries and of being a compassionate and welcoming people. This has continued to the present day, though what has partly caused the current

Emerald Isle back in the news

IRELAND was back in the news earlier this month with the restoration of devolved government in the Northern Ireland Assembly in the parliament buildings called Stormont. After a gap of two years without a functioning government, parliamentary business and the administration of Northern Ireland (NI) has resumed.

Under the 1998 Belfast Agreement – also known as the Good Friday agreement – the UK government transferred legislative and executive powers for certain areas to the devolved NI Assembly. But its powersharing arrangements collapsed two years ago after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew from the assembly over the post-Brexit trading rules that placed the province, which is part of the United Kingdom, on a different basis from the other countries of the Union.

This was unacceptable to the DUP even though its boycott of the assembly seriously affected the province’s public administration; and it meant closure of Stormont because the power-sharing executive needs the support of the largest parties in unionism and nationalism in order to operate.

During the Brexit divorce talks the then British prime minister, Boris Johnson, negotiated a special NI protocol with the EU to ensure the free movement of goods on the island of Ireland as an

EU member state. But this led to the need for checks on goods going between Great Britain and NI and was deeply unpopular with unionists in NI who saw it as a border in the Irish Sea.

Subsequently, the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak, reached a new agreement with the EU called the Windsor framework that introduced new rules on the movement of goods and included a veto on the implementation of EU law in NI.

The DUP now says this has removed the Irish sea trading border and has restored NI’s place within the UK internal market.

The British government has also provided new written assurances about NI’s constitutional position within the UK – and all this has been accepted by the DUP to the extent that they have agreed to participate again in the NI Assembly.

But this is an assembly with a difference. Sinn Fein, the predominantly Catholic party, whose ultimate aim is reunification with the rest of Ireland, has taken on a leadership role after having emerged at the assembly election in 2022 as the largest party in NI for the first time – and its leader has become First Minister while a representative of the mainly protestant DUP is deputy First Minister. Now that the business of governing NI has begun again in earnest, people will

be hoping that the powersharing arrangements will work out. Given the longstanding differences between Catholics and Protestants - and their strongly held positions and well-known reluctance to compromise during a history of political difficulties and violence - it remains to be seen whether such differences can be reconciled within the existing constitutional framework of power-sharing and with Sinn Fein in the driving seat for the first time.

This is a highly significant time for the future of the island of Ireland as a whole.

The Emerald Isle, with the Republic of Ireland’s population of some five million, is such an attractive country in so many different ways too numerous to mention here today. It also has a strong economy with a solid growth rate said to be based on its low corporate taxation regime which makes it a hub for multinational companies who are also seeking – post-Brexit - an alternative English-speaking entry point to the EU.

All that said, Ireland is also famous for two other reasons that some will regard as somewhat more prosaic and commonplace. But they are nonetheless significant. It possesses a fine rugby team that is, arguably, the best in the world at the moment – and it is the home of Guinness!

Beyond the bounds of diplomatic procedure

LAST weekend marked the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This important milestone received comprehensive international media coverage of the war and its implications for the wider world. Most of this was not new and does not bear repetition. However, one development last week struck me as particularly significant; namely, an unusual, if not unprecedented, intervention by new British foreign secretary and former prime minister, David Cameron.

Acknowledging that he was dispensing with diplomatic niceties, Lord Cameron wrote an article published on the US political news website, The Hill, in which he urged the US Congress to back a fresh package of military support for Ukraine. He made it clear that by making this direct appeal he was aware that he was bypassing the normal channels, but he was careful to stress that he did not want to “lecture” the US in any way.

The Foreign Secretary warned against the “weakness displayed against Hitler

in the 1930s”, saying “our joint history shows the folly of giving in to tyrants in Europe who believe in redrawing boundaries by force. Hitler came back for more, costing us far more lives to stop his aggression”.

Unsurprisingly, this direct approach has hardly found favour amongst all Republicans. Reportedly, a foreign aid package, mainly for Ukraine but including funding for other conflicts, has passed the Senate but is being blocked by some in the House of Representatives who consider that the funds need to be used, as a priority, for national security issues

at home like the Mexican border. The war in Ukraine has reached a stalemate. President Zelensky has warned most recently that his country may not be able ultimately to defend itself against Russia without more military backing from the US.

Lord Cameron’s comments amount to a robust intervention in domestic US politics by the foreign minister of an ally. His unorthodox and direct approach may irritate some lawmakers as well as those involved in diplomacy. But it could just sway the thinking of some Republicans in Washington.

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL PUBLIC NOTICE

The Public is hereby advised that I, VERNETTE

CLAUDETTE TURNQUEST of P.O Box EE-15770 Forest Drive, Camperdown Heights, Nassau, The Bahamas intend to change my name to VERNETTE

CLAUDETTE TURNQUEST If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Offcer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

controversy over immigration - with large numbers trying to circumvent the legal immigration route by crossing the English Channel illegally in small boats - is that in the present conditions too many asylum seekers are in reality simply economic migrants seeking a better life in prosperous Britain. Research reveals that the British government’s official position on this issue is that it recognises that antisemitism continues to exist in the UK though, despite a recent rise in the number of antisemitic incidents recorded, its level is still amongst the lowest in the world. Nonetheless, any level of it should be seen for what it is; namely, an attack on the identity of people who live, contribute and are valued in British society. There is some evidence of antisemitic expression by individuals – even before the outbreak of the latest hostilities – but, by various measures, although a form

of antisemitism is judged to be embedded in the nation’s culture, only a small proportion of British adults can be categorised as hard core antisemites. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies and other government institutions are committed to take action to stamp out antisemitism, as they would other forms of extremism, and are in a position to act quickly.

Notwithstanding all this, it is disturbing, in my view, to see how the opposition Labour Party, which could well become Britain’s next government after a general election later this year, remains divided over the issue despite the efforts of its leader, Sir Keir Starmer, to reconcile different factions within his party. These differences were notably pronounced during the leadership of his predecessor who had taken the party to the Left politically. Starmer claims to have rooted out antisemitism since becoming party leader. But that sounds hollow when the Labour candidate for this week’s Rochdale by-election had to be dropped because of hate speech about the Israelis and after it was learned subsequently that he had peddled the grotesque conspiracy theory that Israel deliberately allowed Hamas to carry out its October 7 massacre to provide a pretext for its own Gaza assault.

In this overall context, observers in the UK press have been appalled by emerging reports of threats and intimidation of MPs at Westminster in relation to

their stance on the IsraelGaza war and the wider Palestinian issue. This has included protests outside their houses and the fear of physical attack. These seem to have come to a head during last week’s debate in the House of Commons about the Gaza war. Amidst arcane procedural arguments about a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire, large numbers of MPs pandered to the extremists by ostentatiously walking out of the Chamber. The details are not worth describing since it appeared to be no more than MPs taking advantage of the tragedy in the Middle East by grandstanding about their anti-Israel stance while a massive pro-Palestinian demonstration was taking place outside.

Notwithstanding all that, MPs should surely not refrain from criticizing Israel and bringing meaningful pressure on its government for its horrifically heavy-handed actions in Gaza resulting in civilian deaths on a massive scale and overwhelming destruction of infrastructure – which, to most people, is repugnant and unacceptable.

Some in the UK press have labelled this debate as “one of the most shameful days of our democracy.”

That is, perhaps, another example of media hyperbole. But new Home Secretary, James Cleverly, undoubtedly had it right when he said: “We must not let our democracy be distorted through fear and intimidation.”

A WOMAN holds a Palestinian flag during a pro-Palestinian protest in November. Antisemitism is spiking across the UK and Eurpoe after the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war.

Photo: Thibault Camus/AP

Wednesday,

T HIRTY GRADUATE AVIATION SECURITY SCREENER OFFICER TRAINING PROGRA MME

THE first graduating cohort of Aviation Security Officers and Passenger Screeners Training for 2024 was applauded for completing highly skilled techniques in keeping with international standards and best practices. The commencement exercise for the 30 participants took place at New Providence Community Church, Blake Road on

Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper told the graduates that they are deserving of applause and are now certified aviation security officers.

“Graduates, all 30 of you, this is your special moment. You have successfully completed your training and

now possess the knowledge, skills, and capacity to implement security provisions of the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas National Civil Aviation Security Programme,” the deputy prime minister said. The graduates underwent six weeks of direct instruction, followed by two weeks of on-the-job training.

MAN CHARGED IN RELATION TO TWO SEPARATE MURDERS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was jailed yesterday after he was accused of two separate killings in Coconut Grove this year, including the death of 15-year-old Chester Forbes, Jr. Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Pedro Knowles, 24, with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Alphonso Lewis represented the accused. Inspector Deon Barr served as prosecutor. Knowles and accomplices allegedly got out of a white Nissan vehicle and opened fire on Terrance Francis, Jannice Dean and Keno

Eugene as they stood outside a residence on First Street on January 26. While the 37-year-old Francis died in hospital of his injuries, 50-year-old Ms Dean and 31-year-old Eugene were successfully treated for injuries to their lower extremities.

On February 19, Knowles allegedly shot and killed Chester Forbes, Jr, as he was taking out the garbage with his brother on First Street before fleeing in a grey coloured vehicle. Forbes’ brother was unharmed in the incident that claimed Forbes’ life. Knowles was told that his matter would be transferred to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). His VBIs are set for service on April 25.

MAN CHARGED WITH FIVE COUNTS OF BREACHING BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN awaiting a murder trial was sentenced to three months in prison yesterday after admitting to breaking curfew while on release.

Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, charged Riclaude Tassy, 29, with five counts of violating bail conditions. While on bail for murder, Tassy breached

his residential curfew five times between December 4, 2023, and February 3 in New Providence.

Tassy was previously sentenced to one year in prison for an earlier bail breach on the same charge in September 2022.

After pleading guilty to his latest bail charges, Tassy was sentenced to three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Alphonso Lewis represented the accused.

MAN CARGED WITH POSSESSION OF A MMUNITION WITH INTENT TO SUPPLY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sent to prison after he was allegedly found with 150 rounds of 9mm ammunition in his Bozine Town home last week.

Magistrate Lennox Coleby charged Andrew Davis, 24, and Dellarese Maycock, 50, with possession of ammunition with intent to supply.

Ryzard Humes represented the accused.

Police allegedly found the pair with 150 rounds of 9mm ammunition in their residence shortly after 4pm on

February 21.

Although both defendants pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police Lewis, objected to Davis’ bail, citing his prior charges before the courts.

While Ms Maycock’s bail was set at $7,000 with one or two sureties, Davis’ bail hearing was deferred to March 1. Under the terms of Ms Maycock’s release, she must sign in at the Grove Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 6pm.

The pair’s trial begins on March 25.

DIOCESAN Bishop Dr Anthony Farrington and Transformation Ministries International members paid a courtesy call upon Her Excellency Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt at the Office of the Governor General on

February 7, 2024. Pictured from left: Pastor Ann Rolle, Asst. General Secretary; Elder Dr. Gezel Farrington, First Lady; Bishop Dr. Anthony Farrington, Diocesan Bishop of the 39th Episcopal District of The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Council; H.E. Cynthia Pratt; Minister Denae Austin, General Secretary; Lady Paulette Munnings, National Treasurer; and Minister Shenique Roker, Planning Chairperson.

Photo: Letisha Henderson/BIS

THE BAHAMAS Strong Families Forever (BSFF) Campaign partners called upon Governor General, Her Excellency Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt at the start of Inaugural Bahamas National Marriage Week (February 14th -20th, 2024). Pictured from left: Dr Shyann Williams, Director, Juvenile Detention Centre, Ministry of National Security; Mr Dereo Maycock, Chairman, Men of Today, Men of Tomorrow ; Ms. Cheryl Walkine-Alexandre, Founder/Chairperson, Marriage Children Family Alliance Movement/The Bahamas Strong Families Forever Campaign, Family Life Advisory Council Member, MoETVT; Cynthia Pratt, Dr Anthony Hamilton, President, Civil Society Bahamas; Rev. Roslyn Astwood, Bahamas Christian Council; Mrs Portia Clarke, Marriage Ministry Secretary.

Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS

THE FIRST graduating cohort of Aviation Security Officers and Passenger Screeners Training for 2024 garduate.

Photos: Kemuel Stubbs/BIS

Northwest is hit with snow while Midwest gets a taste of summer

BOSTON Associated Press

FEBRUARY’S end is bringing wild weather to much of the United States, with record heat allowing for golf in Wisconsin and outdoor food trucks in Minnesota, along with an increased fire risk across much of the Great Plains.

But blinding snow in the Northwest is blowing eastward, and places like Chicago should see temperatures swinging from balmy to bitter cold again.

“Definitely not the weather we would expect in February. It’s usually super snowy, freezing, you know, ice everywhere.

And so we are just trying to take advantage of a very nice week this week,” said Tania Sepulveda, a 30-year-old Chicago therapist who was “working from home” Monday, using her laptop in a grassy spot along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The sunny weather won’t last that long. A powerful storm started dumping snow that could reach several feet in higher elevations of the West promises a return of winter conditions to the central US, where it’s been unseasonably warm. High winds are already blowing, raising the risk of wildfires across the Great Plains.

The National Weather Service warned that travel could be dangerous later Monday across parts of the Oregon Cascades and Northern Rockies, predicting near-blizzard conditions with one to two inches of snow an hour and winds reaching upwards of 65 mph (104 kph).

The storm will move into the Great Basin and Central Rockies Tuesday,

carrying much colder temperatures and strong winds across the inner mountain West, said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. “We’ll be very wintry like for the next two days,” he added.

The West is just one place with unusual, and in some cases, dangerous weather conditions. Here is what to expect elsewhere.

This time of year should be the coldest in places like Chicago. But the city and many others across the central US are getting an early taste of summer with temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

The warm conditions have continued since a balmy weekend brought temperatures reaching into the 60s in Denver, Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. Kansas City, Missouri, enjoyed temperatures in the mid-70s.

In Chicago, a high of 67 degrees (19 Celsius) was expected Monday, breaking Chicago’s old record of 64 degrees (18 Celsius). Winds were expected to ramp up to 25 mph (40 kph). Tuesday’s highs were expected in the mid70s, challenging Chicago’s record of 75 (24 Celsius) for the date.

Highs on Monday were expected to reach the mid-60s across southern Wisconsin and extend as far north as Rhinelander, a city of 8,000 just below Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

“We’re blowing away the records in northern Illinois into south central and southwestern Wisconsin,” said Mark Gehring, a weather service meteorologist in Sullivan,

Wisconsin. Monday’s warm temperatures will “just about guarantee” that the typically chilly Minneapolis area will have its warmest winter on record, the local weather service office said. While Monday’s forecast high of 63 (17 Celsius) at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport would be one degree below the record set in 1896, St. Cloud in central Minnesota was expected to reach 59 (15 Celsius), breaking the old record of 55 (13 Celsius) set in 1958.

But it isn’t quite time for scarves and gloves to be stored until next winter.

Places like Chicago will see a dramatic drop in temperatures by Wednesday, with highs just below freezing and winds gusting as hard as 30 mph (48 kph). In Minnesota, colder weather Tuesday and Wednesday could bring an inch or two of slushy snow that could freeze and make for a dangerous Wednesday morning commute, the weather service said.

Weeks of unusually warm weather drove Jessica Blaska-Grady, general manager of the Oaks golf course in the town of Sun Prairie just east of Madison, to reopen for the season on Feb. 9. She said she can remember only one other winter — 2017 — when the course was open in February.

“It’s definitely kind of crazy,” she said. “This is incredibly unusual but I’m not going to lie and say it’s unwelcome. It’s a nice little boost. You’ve got to make hay when the sun shines.”

Lori Cervantes, 53, doesn’t remember a winter like this during the 20 years she lived in Iowa. She moved back eight

US reiterates support for a Haiti troop deployment as

it meets with Caribbean leaders

GEORGETOWN

Associated Press

THE US government on Monday reiterated its support to help restore peace and calm to Haiti, saying it will provide money, equipment and logistical support to a multinational force whose deployment remains uncertain.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations who is in Guyana for a Caribbean summit this week, said the US is playing its part in rallying global support for a UN-backed Kenyan police force. She noted the US government already has pledged $200 million and will work with stakeholders on restoring peace ahead of general elections that have yet to be held. She said deployment of the force is urgent to help Haitian National Police “restore peace and security” as she called on opposition parties demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry to sit

months ago after living in Portland, Oregon, and said “this weather is such a nice treat.”

She took her dog, Gus, on their daily walk in the “unprecedented” weather and meditated in the sunshine outside the golddomed Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.

“It’s a little scary, actually,” she said, noting that flower bulbs are already emerging from the ground and wondering how it might affect farmers and fields this growing season. “It’s way to early to be this warm — and dry.”

Gehring attributed the unseasonable warmth to an El Nino pattern, the term for warming in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean that pushes

the jet stream further north. These bands of strong wind form a boundary between cold northern air and warm southern air. Gehring also noted that climate change has been playing in a role in warming temperatures for decades.

The warmer conditions in many parts of the country have led to the cancellation of winter events like ski races and pond hocket tournaments. The latest cancellation was the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States. But the warmer temperatures have brought increased risk of fires across the Great Plains.

The National Weather Service said dry, gusty

winds were creating what it called critical fire weather conditions, and issued red flag warnings and fire weather watches in parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, up to Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and east to Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Nearby states, including parts of Arkansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin, were under hazardous weather outlooks because of an increased fire danger, according to weather service maps. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an advisory Monday morning discouraging burning anything outdoors, noting that 15 wildfires sprang up over the weekend, consuming more than 30 acres.

US airman dies after setting himself ablaze outside Israeli Embassy in Israel-Hamas war protest

together and discuss a political solution. “The people, they need certainty,” she said, noting that women in Haiti fear venturing out even to attend church services given the country’s growing insecurity. Gang violence has surged across Haiti, with more than 8,400 people reported killed, injured or kidnapped overall last year, more than double the number reported in 2022. In addition, more than 310,000 people have been left homeless as gangs estimated to control up to 80% of the capital of Port-auPrince keep warring over territory. Kenya agreed to lead a multinational force to Haiti that was authorized by the UN Security Council last October. However, it’s unclear when or if a deployment would occur under the current plans. A court in Kenya ruled last month that the deployment is unconstitutional, though the East African nation’s

government has said it is appealing the ruling Thomas-Greenfield welcomed reports that the West African nation of Benin has offered to send 2,000 troops to join the proposed deployment to Haiti, adding that Caricom leaders stressed the need for more French-speaking forces.

The Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica, which are members of a regional trade bloc known as Caricom, already have offered to send troops and police officers. Meanwhile, the South American country of Guyana, which is hosting the four-day Caricom summit, has promised to donate money to the effort.

Thomas-Greenfield spoke after meeting with Caribbean leaders behind closed doors early Monday to talk about Haiti. It wasn’t immediately known what exactly was discussed. Regional leaders who attended were not immediately available for comment.

WASHINGTON

Associated Press

AN active-duty member of the US Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.”

The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.

Bushnell had walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 pm on Sunday and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, set his phone down and then doused

himself in accelerant and ignited the flames. At one point, he said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but law enforcement officials have obtained and reviewed a copy. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

In a statement Monday, the Air Force said, “The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.” The Air Force said it would provide additional information a day after military officials complete notifying his next of kin.

The incident happened as Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking the cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah while a temporary cease-fire deal is being negotiated. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, however, has drawn criticisms, including genocide claims against the Palestinians. Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law in the Israel-Hamas war.

In December, a person self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and used gasoline as an accelerant, according to Atlanta’s fire authorities. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and the act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest.”

WOMEN and children gather outside a police station after fleeing their homes in Cite Soleil due to gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday.

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

PEDESTRIANS take in the warmer than normal temperatures near the North Avenue Beach Pier along Lake Michigan yesterday in Chicago. A warm front is sweeping spring-like weather across a large swath of the country in what is usually one of the coldest months of the year. The rare warmup is sending people out of their homes to enjoy the winter respite but also bringing increased wildfire danger.

Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

A PERSON cycles on a street in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan yesterday. Photo: Heywood Yu /The Canadian Press/AP

IN this image taken from video, police are deployed outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Sunday, after an active-duty member of the US Air Force was critically injured after setting himself ablaze outside the diplomatic compound.

Photo: WJLA/AP

SPORTS

Bahamas ‘still in good position’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas men’s national basketball team may have dropped a “disappointing” game to Puerto Rico in their rematch of the FIBA 2025 AmeriCup Qualifier on Sunday night.

But head coach Moses Johnson said the team is still in good position as they move onto the second window of the tournament in November after the United States of America also suffered a loss to Cuba the same night.

After beating Puerto Rico 88-77 in Puerto Rico on Thursday night, the Bahamas suffered a crashing 86-67 defeat to Puerto Rico on Sunday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium to complete their homeand-away match-up in Group D.

Meanwhile, the other two teams in the group also split their series as the United States of America routed Cuba 100-79 on Thursday in the USA, but Cuba avenged the defeat with a stunning 81-67 triumph in Cuba on Sunday.

At the completion of the first window this weekend, all four teams in Group D are tied at 1-1, which gives Johnson some consolation after suffering the 18-point loss to Puerto Rico before the home crowd on Sunday.

“I told the guys in the locker room that the positive take away from this is we are now tied in our group after the US got beat by Cuba tonight,” Johnson said.

“So any given night, like I told the guys, we have to come to fight. We can’t take anybody for granted. This is a testimony of how you have to manage success. You come off a big win and then you come before your home crowd, you can’t have a let down like this.

“This is a testimony to the guys. We will learn from this as we move forward. We have four more games. All is not lost. We will take the good with the bad.” Johnson noted that the coaching staff selected by the Bahamas Basketball Federation will look at incorporating some of the college players, who are

SEE PAGE 13

PAGE 16

BILLIE JEAN KING CUP: BAHAMAS GIRLS ARE ROLLING ALONG

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s threemember team pulled off their second consecutive victory at the Billie Jean King Cup junior girls under16 tennis tournament in the Dominican Republic.

Following on the heels of their 3-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday, the team came back yesterday and improved to 2-0 with another 3-0 decision over Aruba.

In their first singles match against Aruba, Takaii Adderlery pulled off a 6-0, 6-2 win over Valentina Cheng and Tatyana Madu earned a 6-0, 6-1 win over Mali Baround.

Adderley then teamed up with Breann Ferguson in doubles to win 6-0, 6-2 over Cheng and Isis Martinez.

Captain Larikah Russell said the team had one goal in mind and that was to limit the amount of games they yielded to their opponents.

“Because of that goal, that really motivated them to give 100 per cent and to have laser focus today and I’m proud of them for getting the job done,” said Russell from the tournament.

“I must admit that they are having better control of the points during the match. They are being more in control and playing more aggressively, so that is creating short balls for them to come in and put away the points.”

With that in mind, Russell said she’s very proud of how the players are performing individually.

As for the doubles team, she noted that their

SEE PAGE 14

Dakarai, 17, to bring home 9-ball singles championship title

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas has another world champion in 17-year-old Dakarai Turnquest from Deadman’s Cay, Long Island.

Over the weekend at the 2024 Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Pool League World Championships at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Turnquest carted off the men’s nine-ball singles title in the Platinum Division.

Still in Las Vegas where he’s a part of a 20-member team that is representing the Bahamas in various divisions of the cue sports championships that will wrap up this weekend, Turnquest said he was honoured to be crowned the new champion.

“I put a lot of work in and practiced for a lot of hours,” said Turnquest, who improved on his past two appearances at the World Junior Championships in consecutive fourth-place finishes. “I played in many tournaments leading up to this, but I kept believing in myself. I had the confidence

and I stayed focused in every single match. This time it just happened.”

Improving on his 23rd position in the same tournament last year, Turnquest said he’s relieved that all of his hard work finally paid off.

“I played against a lot of people from different countries, so I had a lot of competition,” he pointed out. “It was very tough to win this tournament because there were a lot of great players here. I’m just happy that I won it and I had fun doing it.”

Not only is Turnquest a billiard wizard who has been participating in the cue sport for the past seven years as a member of the Lloyd’s Sporting Lounge, but he’s also an astute student as the head boy at the NGM Major High School.

“I enjoy playing pool because it’s a lot of fun,” he pointed out. “I play a lot of these international tournaments wearing the Bahamian flag and representing our country.”

This would have been Turnquest’s second major international victory, coming off his victory at the West Coast Challenge in Orlando, Florida, in the nine-ball men’s division and he was third in the eightball division as well.

“Even though you are the best in The Bahamas, you are not the best in the world,” said Turnquest, who is considered to be the country’s best cue player. “You still have to go out there and prove it and I did that this weekend.”

While the tournament is still going on, his father Dominic Turnquest said his son proved to be a chip off

DAKARAI Turnquest draped in the Bahamian flag.

HEAD coach Moses Johnson, right, and player Kai Jones reflect on the Bahamas men’s senior national basketball team’s 86-67 loss to Puerto Rico on Sunday in the FIBA 2025 AmeriCup Qualifier at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

DOMNICK BRIDGEWATER, right, in action against Puerto Rico.

Josh Hart’s late basket after wild possession helps Knicks scrape past

the Pistons 113-111

NEW YORK (AP)

— Josh Hart made the go-ahead basket with 2.8 seconds left after a chaotic possession, and the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 113-111 last night.

Jalen Brunson had 35 points and 12 assists for the Knicks, and it was his missed 3-point attempt with 20 seconds remaining that started the wild backand-forth that led to Hart’s basket.

Detroit’s Ausur Thompson stole a pass by Donte DiVincenzo. But Thompson then lost the ball during

a collision along the sideline, the Knicks came up with it and Brunson found Hart under the basket for his layup. Hart added 23 points and DiVincenzo had 21 for the Knicks, who beat the Pistons for the 14th straight time.

Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and Jalen Duren had 11 points and 16 rebounds for Detroit.

RAPTORS 130, PACERS 122

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

— All-Star Scottie Barnes had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his

fourth triple-double of the season and Toronto beat Indianapolis.

BAISS SOCCER SEASON KICKS OFF MARCH 4

THE Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools Sports will kick off their 2024 soccer season on March 4.

Following up on the hugely 2023 soccer season under the guidance of Yiorgo Coyle, past convener of the games, current convener of BAISS soccer, Sandre Hobbs of Queens College, is seeking to see the games continue to grow in popularity. Additionally, she is working hard to overcome some of the issues which popped

up last season such as an even schedule of homeand-away games and conflicts with BAISS track competition. Regulations for the competition will be distributed soon so teams are aware of the rules of the road by the Bahamas Soccer Referee Association. This season sees the defending champions of the senior boys’ division the Lyford Cay Dragons and the senior girls’ champions, the Queens College Lady Comets, seeking to repeat

as champions but facing stiff competition from St. Andrew’s Hurricanes senior boys and Windsor Academy senior girls.

On the first day of matches, there is a full schedule of senior boys’ games:

Aquinas vs Kingsway; St. Anne’s vs St. Andrew’s; Windsor Academy vs St. John’s College and Queen’s College vs St. Augustine’s College. Defending champions Lyford Cay Dragons get the bye.

on Sunday night.

BAHAMAS ‘STILL IN GOOD POSITION’ AHEAD OF NOVEMBER’S 2ND WINDOW IN FIBA 2025 AMERICUP QUALIFIER

FROM PAGE 12

completing their senior eligibility as they try to make the team a little better for the next two windows.

The Bahamas will now prepare for the second window when the team travels to play Cuba on Friday, November 22 and the United States on Monday, November 25.

During the final window next year, the Bahamas will host Cuba on Thursday, February 20 and the United States on Sunday, February 23.

“It’s all about preparation and effort,” Moses stressed.

“Anytime we step on the court, I feel we can take on

the best in the world, no matter if they are (ranked) number one, 51 or 61.

“I feel the Bahamas has the talent to compete with anybody.”

Free agent Kai Jones, who gladly accepted the challenge to lead the Bahamas in this first window without the service of fellow NBA players Chavano “Buddy” Hield, Deandre Ayton and Eric Gordon, said they just needed some continuity in their shot selection and they will be okay.

“I think once we stay positive and we stay together, we will get better,” Jones said. “We have a great group of guys,

very talented. So I’m very happy to be here to represent my country. I’m happy to be here and happy to be playing.” A total of 16 teams make up the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers. They are split into four groups of four teams each.

Each team will play each opponent in their group twice under a “home-andaway” format during three windows, which will take place in February and November 2024 and then in February 2025.

The FIBA AmeriCup 2025 will be held at the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua, August 23-31, 2025.

RJ Barrett scored 24 points for the Raptors. Rookie Gradey Dick added 18 points and matched his season high with four 3-pointers for Toronto, which won its third straight. Bennedict Mathurin matched his career high with 34 points for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists against his former team.

But All-Star Tyrese Haliburton struggled for

Indiana, finishing with nine points.

NETS 111, GRIZZLIES 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

— Dennis Schroder scored 18 points, Dorian FinneySmith added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Brooklyn beat Memphis, giving Kevin Ollie his first win as an NBA coach. Cam Thomas had 14 points before leaving the game with 7:23 remaining with a right ankle injury.

SPORTS CALENDAR

Lonnie Walker IV added 13 for the Nets. Lamar Stevens scored 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Grizzlies, and Jaren Jackson Jr scored 15 while going 2 of 12 from the field. GG Jackson had an even worse night, making one of his 13 shots, and Memphis shot 38.7% overall.

Ollie improved to 1-2 since being named Brooklyn’s interim coach, replacing the fired Jacque Vaughn.

VOLLEYBALL BBSF TOURNAMENT

THE newly formed Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation is inviting all churches interested in participating in their volleyball tournament to attend a meeting 6pm on Saturday, March 9 at the William Thompson Auditorium, Jean Street. At the meeting, plans will be revealed for the staging of the tournament April 24-27. All churches interested in participating are urged to have at least two members present.

TRACK SPARTANS TRACK CLASSIC

THE Noble Preparatory Academy Spartans will hold their annual Track and Field Classic on Saturday, March 16 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The event will run from 9am to 2pm. The registration fee is $15 per athlete. The entry fee will be $15 for adults in the VIP stand and $8 for children. The general admission will be $10 for adults and $6 for children.

TRACK RED-LINE YOUTH TRACK CLASSIC

THE Red-Line Athletics Track Club’s third annual Red-Line Youth Track Classic will take place over the weekend of May 25-26 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The event, opened to athletes in age categories from under-7 to open, will take place between the hours of 9am to 5pm on day one and from 1-5pm on day two.

The entry deadline is May 15 with a fee of $19 per athlete and $10 per relay team.

All persons registering after May 15 will be charged $25 per athlete.

TRACK RED-LINE Field Classic

THE Red-Line Athletics Track Club will hold its Field Events Classic on Saturday, May 18 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The event, designed for competitors in categories of under-13 to open, will run from 10am to 8pm.

FAST TRACK

INVITATIONAL

FAST Track Athletics announced that its third annual Spring Invitational will take place over the weekend of May 10 and May 11 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex. The entry fee will be $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, persons are asked to contact 242-727-6826 or fasttrackmanagamentoo@gmail.com

BAHAMAS ESPORTS FEDERATION

THE federation is searching for eFootball players to represent The Bahamas regionally in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and potentially at the

Feb. 2024

International Championships. Other opportunities to travel and earn prizes are available. Individuals interested can send an email to contact@besf242.org or reach out via Whatsapp at 242-425-2288. Persons must provide their full name, email and phone number. The deadline for registrants is February 23, 2024.

BASKETBALL CHANGE IN VENUE FOR NEX-GEN CAMP

THE Nex-Gen Camp, which was originally scheduled to be held at the Hope Center, has been changed to the Teleos Basketball Gymnasium on Carmichael Road. Space is limited so persons are asked to book their reservations as soon as possible.

JRC Basketball Academy will stage the third annual elite training camp June 24 to July 13 each day from 9am to noon.

The camp is open to boys and girls who will be placed in groups from ages 6-9, 10-13 and 14-18.

The camp will be conducted by coach JR Cadet, owner of JRC Basketball Academy and an experienced 10-year FIBA pro basketball player who played on the Bahamas men’s team that played in the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament.

The special guest at this year’s camp will be coach Dalton Reitmeier, the head coach at Rabun Gap School USA - a four-year NCAA athlete and former player at IMG Academy.

CHESS CARICOM CLASSIC TEAM

THE Bahamas Chess Federation announced that Avian Pride, Dr. Joseph Ferguson, Polina Karelina and Chika Pride will represent BCF and The Bahamas at the 2024 CARICOM Classic Inaugural Team Chess Tournament.

The event, hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation, is scheduled for March 3-10.

“This tournament holds significance as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of CARICOM and our federation’s 50th year of FIDE membership,” the BCF said. “This tournament is also an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendship and collaboration within the CARICOM region.

FINAL WALK WITH ‘HAWK’

THE general public is being asked to take a final walk with ‘Hawk’ as family and friends pay a special tribute to the late Alpheus ‘Hawk’ Finlayson.

The public is invited to join a special celebration of the life and legacy of Finlayson on Thursday, February 29 from 7-10pm at the Crypto Isle (formerly Luciano’s) on East Bay Street.

For more information, persons are asked to contact Stanley Mitchell at 8166619 or Quinton Curry at 565-1178.

ERON Gordon in action against Puerto Rico at the Kendal Isaacs Gym

NEW York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, top, jumps on teammate Josh Hart after Hart was fouled by the Detroit Pistons during the second half of an NBA basketball game last night n New York.

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

ARGENTINA’S BÁEZ WINS RIO OPEN TITLE AS PLAYERS ASK FOR MORE TOP TOURNAMENTS IN SOUTH AMERICA

chemistry is clicking and they are serving and returning extremely well and they are getting much better.

“I am very excited about the match-up tomorrow (today) against Puerto Rico,” she projected. “The girls know that it is going to be a challenge for us, but they are not worried.

“We know that we have one of the best teams here and so they are just going to go out there and play extremely hard and give it all we got and just believe in each other.”

Russell said that the team is ready to play and she’s excited to see how well they perform in their bid to remain undefeated in the week-long tournament.

William McCartney. “We

FROM

PAGE 12

Island with seven As, one B and two Cs.

“I’m

“So

So said, so done.

“From his time in primary school, he was on the honour roll and he’s still on the honour roll,” the proud father revealed. “When he was in grade six, he got all As in his GLAT exams and when he was in grade nine, he got 10 BJCs with the highest marks in Long

“In grade 11, he took three BJCSEs and he got A in mathematics, A in English and A in geography. So he’s doing extremely well. I always told him that if he doesn’t do that well in school, he won’t shoot pool because school is more important than the sport.”

Dakarai’s victory came in the highest level of the sport, but there were other champions at the lower division, including Kaiwan Nairn in the nine-ball gold division a few years ago and Dario Woodside, who won the eight-ball title in the past as the then top cue player in the country.

Also among the Bahamians competing in the tournament is 15-year-old Jarett Wells, who was fifth in the silver in the nineball tournament and is still competing in the eight-ball competition.

The team competition where most of the players will compete together will be played on Wednesday.

The senior Turquest said they are hoping that as a result of his son’s achievement as the “ambassador” for pool in the Bahamas, they will be able to get the necessary funding from the

DAKARAI and Dominic Turnquest.

government to participate in future events because of the huge financial expenses they incur making the trips.

“When he’s competing, he’s always wearing the Bahamian flag and our national colours,” he said. “He’s a true ambassador for the Bahamas and we deserve more financial support.”

On the heels of this tournament, the new world champion will head to

Birmingham, Alabama, to participate in another tournament from March 30-31 with a huge cash prize on the line. But he can’t wait to get home next week for a celebration with his family and friends for his accomplishment in Las Vegas.

In thanking God, Turnquest said he could not achieve what he did without the help of his parents, his siblings, family and friends and especially Mr Ellis and

Báez is the second Argentinian to lift the trophy, with Diego Schwartzman the first in 2018.

Báez climbed to a careerhigh No. 21 in the rankings yesterday, from his current No. 30. Navone will become a top 100 player for the first time, reaching No. 60 after Rio.

Despite a somewhat tepid final in Rio de Janeiro, some high profile tennis players past and present have argued in favour of more top tournaments in South America to please the eager crowds that flocked to the Rio Open and the Argentina Open earlier this month.

“Unpopular opinion. South America should have its own dedicated swing on the tennis tour with its own Masters series,” said threetime major winner Andy Murray on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

“The way the fans support the tournaments there is incredible. Amazing atmospheres and is clearly part of their sporting culture. Vamos, ATP Tour.”

Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker agreed: “Why unpopular? You’re absolutely right. Tennis should go to countries/continents where tennis is booming.”

Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman asked for more pressure.

“Let ATP know this, Andy. Every year they put us less support,” he said, adding there should be more tournaments in South America “not just because of how the fans support the tournaments,” but also “how many players we have and we had on the top.”

“We deserve more than this from ATP,” Schwartzman said.

Ingrid Major. “The Majors have helped me tremendously in my pool career and I just want to thank them for their support,” he stated. “I can’t express enough the appreciation they deserve.”

The Majors own the Lloyd’s Sporting Lounge, which has five eight-foot pool tables and 12 sevenfoot pool tables where they host various tournaments for local and international pool tournaments.

DAKARAI Turnquest

DOUBLES team of Takaii Adderley and BreAnn Ferguson.

TEAM BAHAMAS, shown from left to right, Takaii Adderley, BreAnn Ferguson, captain Larikah Russell and Tatyana Madu.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Sebastián Báez won his fifth and biggest title Sunday with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against his Argentine compatriot Mariano Navone at the Rio Open.

The fifth-seeded Báez wasn’t seriously challenged by the 22-year-old Navone, a qualifier, in the final of the clay-court tournament. Neither of the two Argentinians had been among the favourites to lift the title, but defending champion Cameron Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz, Stan Wawrinka and Nicolás Jarry had all stumbled.

Bringing Esports to The Bahamas

SUSTAINABLE Me is partnering with the Bahamas National Esports League (BNEL) and the Bahamas Esports Federation to bring the NASEF Farmcraft 2024 competition to participating schools across The Bahamas.

NASEF Farmcraft 2024 is a competition hosted by the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), the US Department of State, and American Space that aims to deepen students’ understanding of the impact of digital technology on agricultural productivity.

Sustainable Me and BNEL are supporting nine students on three teams in New Providence, Grand Bahama, and Eleuthera. As part of this collaboration, a free

workshop led by BNEL founder Geoff Pearce, a prominent figure in the local esports and gaming industry, will guide students through a ‘FARM-A-THON’, giving a taste of the NASEF Farmcraft 2024 experience.

Ava Turnquest, co-director of Sustainable Me, said: “Our collaboration with the Bahamas National Esports League and Geoff is a testament to our commitment to transformative education. We believe that NASEF Farmcraft 2024 aligns perfectly with our mission to engage students in realworld challenges.” She continued: “Beyond the competition, this experience is about teamwork, problem-solving, and real-world applications of

knowledge. We’re so pleased that the participating schools seized this opportunity for their students to develop essential skills while exploring the fascinating realm of agriculture and technology.”

The free ‘FARM-A-THON’ workshop led by Geoff Pearce, founder of the Bahamas National Esports League, will be on Saturday, at the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture offices. The event is part of a series of free workshops offered by Sustainable Me in the lead up to its 2024 summer program ‘Sustainable Studio’, and will run from 10am to 2pm with lunch provided for registered participants. From an introduction to the world of Farmcraft to interactive

Minecraft coding challenges, participants will delve into digital technology and agriculture in a fusion of gaming, coding, and digital sustainability.

Interested participants can RSVP at www.sustainableme.org to confirm their spot.

BNEL founder Geoff Pearce said: “Digital technology is transforming every industry, including agriculture. NASEF Farmcraft provides students with an opportunity to engage with these transformative technologies and think critically about their role in sustainable practices.”

For more information about Sustainable Studio, visit www.sustainableme.org/ sustainable-studio.

READY TO TEE OFF

By JEFAY SIMMONS Tribune Education Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

YOUNG golfers are to participate in the National School Golf Championship. Students from across The Bahamas will gather at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex Golf Course from March 11 through 15 to participate in the tournament.

More than 280 primary and high

school students from public and private institutions are expected to compete in the tournament.

Julian Anderson, deputy director of education, said that more students are being given the opportunity to reap benefits from the sport. He said that increased levels of discipline, sportsmanship and additional opportunities to obtain scholarships, were some of the rewards that could be achieved by students who engaged in golfing.

THE BAHAMAS Primary School Student of the Year Foundation visited Governor General Cynthia Pratt to introduce 2023 Bahamas Student of the Year Matteo Davies. The organisation also introduced its co-patron Hubert Chipman on February 21. The 2024 programme will be held on June 1 and will honour 124 of the best and brightest primary school students. Pictured from left: Myra Mitchell, vice-president emerita; Samuel Evans, vice-president of logistics; Maureen Taylor, vicepresident of finance; Dr Cindy Dorsett, vice-president of operations; Dr Ricardo P Deveaux, president and CEO; Cynthia Pratt; Hubert Chipman, co-patron; Matteo Davis, 2023 Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year; Nivea Davies, mother of Matteo; Tanya Woodside, vice-president emerita; and Margaret Rolle, vice-president, Nassau, Bahamas Pan-Hellenic Council. Photos: Letisha Henderson/BIS

GOVERNOR General Cynthia Pratt received the principal and students of Louise McDonald High School, of Alice Town, Bimini, in a courtesy call at the Office of the Governor General on February 23.

Photo: Letisha Henderson/BIS

‘The world’s fastest mama’

The first thing you notice about Shaunae MillerUibo – the world-famous sprinter who has clinched two Olympic golds for The Bahamas –is her kaleidoscopic style.

From one day to the next, her hair colour swings from magenta Kool-Aid to purple, emerald, blue and yellow.

What’s more, her technicolour mane sits atop a formidable 6’1” muscular frame.

Ever the trailblazer, this Aries star embodies the stereotypical traits of her sign – ultra-competitive, determined, and hard to slow down – which is exactly why Bahamians are so proud to have her competing in the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 May 4-5.

In short, Shaunae is a fierce athlete who won’t be overlooked. Even giving birth to her son Maicel last April didn’t halt this champion.

In true form, the 29-yearold competed at the Bahamas nationals just 10 weeks after giving birth.

CHASING THE SUN

Shaunae is the world’s fastest woman in the 150m and 200m, and her personal best of 21.74 seconds in the 200m is the fastest for The Bahamas.

She took home two Olympic gold medals in the 400m, one at the 2016 Rio Olympics – where she dove to finish the race horizontally – and another in Tokyo back in 2020.

But her path to gold was not without setbacks, including several injuries. “Those watching us never get the full scope of what athletes go through,” she said. “Injuries are one of those things. I’m not only referring to the physical pain but also the mental toughness you need to recover.”

She began running at age six. As a child, she was shy but very competitive, proudly admitting that she “would lace up against anyone who wanted a challenge.”

Shaunae has fond memories of the World Juniors in Moncton because it was her first time competing on the world stage at age 17.

“To walk away with the gold… this was the start of my dreams unfolding,” she said.

Despite her huge success and relocation to Florida, Shaunae always remained very close to her family, many of whom were also blessed with athletic talent.

“All my siblings competed in track and field,” Shaunae said. “My dad, several uncles, and cousins

also ran track, so yeah, I think it’s safe to say it runs in the genes.” She is the grandniece of former Olympian Leslie Miller, the first Bahamian to run the 400m under 47 seconds. She credits her parents as key role models.

“They have taught me to go after my dreams, to work hard, and to be resilient. Most importantly they’ve groomed me to know that what I do isn’t for me but for the glory of God, and I don’t think I could have had any two better role models in my life.”

Her advice to up-andcoming Bahamian athletes chasing their own “sun” is “To always keep God first, choose a sport and event that you love, and always have fun doing it.”

Now that she’s started her own family, she has entered a new life stage that requires balancing her demanding training schedule with the equally intense, 24-7 demands of an infant, her husband and her two German Shepherd dogs Taavi and Amina.

“I’m married to an amazing guy who – being an

athlete himself – understands my lifestyle. My family makes my life easier so that I can compete at my best.”

IT”S LITERALLY

PARADISE

Fortunately, it’s not all grind for the world’s fastest mama. Shaunae enjoys vlogging, photography and listening to gospel music, especially Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Jonathon McReynolds, Tasha Cobbs and Jonathon Nelson.

Her career has taken her to some of the world’s most glitzy and glamorous cities, including Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich, Doha, Beijing, Monaco, London, Moscow, Paris and Budapest.

She may have the world at her fingertips, but she loves coming home to The Bahamas, and her main goal for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 is to represent the country well.

“I think we have an amazing team for the mixed relay and I’m hoping we can qualify The Bahamas for the Olympic Games. It’s wonderful competing here because there’s no other feeling like hearing your home crowd cheer you on. It makes you want to bring your best.”

What she loves most about The Bahamas is, “That our people are goodnatured, always ready to share a good laugh, and that we are, in my eyes, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It’s literally paradise.”

MEDAL GLORY: Shown, from left to right, are American silver medallist Allyson Felix, Bahamian gold medallist Shaunae MillerUibo and Jamaican bronze medallist Shericka Jackson on the medal podium for the women’s 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Photos: Getty Images