02282024 NEWS AND SPORT

DEMOLITION OF 100 SHANTY HOMES BEGINS

Residents hurry to get personal items before structures destroyed

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

AMERIC A N M A N DIES A FTER

FA LL FROM BOAT OFF AB ACO

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter

The man, who has not been identified, was reportedly standing on

Head of Film Control Board defends decision on anime movie rating

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE head of the Film Control Board yesterday defended its decision to give a D rating to the anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To The Hashira

Training”, which prevents it from being shown in local theatres, saying the film has no understandable plot and is not in English. The comment of the board member, who did not respond to questions about disclosing her identity, drew a rebuke from Tecoyo

Bridgewater, Fusion’s chief lawyer, who said the Board were considering matters outside the scope of its regulatory framework.

The board member said eight of nine people on the board, including writers, actors, filmmakers and

Manager ‘pressured’ on W sC payMents

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE former chief financial officer (CFO) of the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) testified yesterday that Adrian Gibson pressured the general manager of the company to resolve delayed payments to landscaping companies.

Sabrina Joaquin, the

CFO from May 2019 to March 2020, said during her tenure at WSC, payments to landscaping companies had to be made on time. She said Mr Gibson pressured WSC General Manager Elwood Donaldson, Jr, to make payments and resolve delays. Murrio Ducille, KC, who represented the defence,

‘he took his last breath in front of Me,’ said unCle

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE uncle of the latest teen murdered in the country said before Andrew Newry took his last breath in front of him on Monday, that he had unsuccessfully tried to learn who his killer was. Wentworth Newry said he was in the shower when he heard gunshots go off.

American man dies after fall from boat off Abaco

from page one

from the water in an unresponsive state and was later confirmed dead.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper announced yesterday that his ministry aims to recruit 100 young Bahamians for lifeguard training.

According to Mr Cooper,

USCG SEARCHES FOR BOAT WITH COUPLE MISSING ON TRIP TO T HE BAHAMA S

the Tourism Development Corporation will spearhead the initiative. “This will be opportunities, real opportunities, for Bahamians to engage directly in work in the tourism industry, where we are currently hiring non-Bahamians to perform these jobs,” Mr Cooper said. “So, in the future, we

hope that there will be more and more lifeguards on public beaches as well. In addition to the hiring or recruitment of these persons by the various cruise lines and the various hotel partners, we saw such a strong demand for lifeguards. We’re delighted to be able to offer this as a third cohort of lifeguards

for training in The Bahamas through the Tourism Development Corporation.”

Mr Cooper said lifeguards would be stationed on heavily populated beaches such as Goodman’s Bay, Cabbage Beach, and Junkanoo Beach.

He said they would help prevent such water-related incidents as shark attacks.

“Lifeguards will ensure that every element of safety that they can influence will be influenced by them,” he said.

“So let’s ensure that everyone we know who might be interested in becoming lifeguards takes advantage of this opportunity.”

“One of the things we’ve also promoted in our

Blueprint for Change is a learn to swim programme all across the islands of The Bahamas. This is something we hope will take root.

“We see millions of tourists come to our shores every year to swim in our beautiful waters. We’d like to encourage mobile payments to swim in our beautiful waters as well.”

PICTURE

‘He took his last breath in front of me,’ said uncle

from page one

yesterday. “I tried to ask him, you know who did it or what is what, but he couldn’t say nothing. I only saw when his eyes rolled back and then blood start pouring out of his mouth, and I saw him took his last breath. That was it.”

Mr Newry and his relatives only later learned that his nephew’s friend was also shot. The identity of the second victim has not been publicly confirmed.

The teen boys were killed Monday night at a residence north of Carmichael Road on Faith Avenue, pushing the murder tally for the year to 30.

The victims were reportedly in a backyard when two men entered the property and opened fire in their direction before fleeing.

The night of Andrew’s death, his father had prepared food for himself and his son and had gone to the store to get more items.

“Time as his daddy came back, he meet his son on the floor laying down, already pass away, quick as that,” Mr Newry said.

The boy’s mother and two sisters live in Miami.

Andrew, according to his uncle, liked to play basketball and used to play the drums in church.

Recently, his uncle became concerned about the company he kept, saying: “After he got involved and stuff like that with company, he just like stopped going to church and stuff. You know, teenagers have their challenges.”

“I would try to talk to him.”

Mr Newry admitted his nephew was once involved in a stabbing incident at Anatol Rodgers High School.

He said: “He wasn’t a troublesome fella, you know.”

“You know, sometimes, you teach the child and when they grow up, they get involved with other company and stuff like that and they tend to stray away. But he had his little challenge, just like normal teenagers.

Recently, I noticed somewhat, you could see a little change about him.”

MARATHON

IF you see something, say something,” Member of Parliament for Marathon Lisa T rahming told her constituents during a special community seminar held in an effort to combat crime.

Resolving Conflict

Among Families Part 1 was designed by MP Rahming in conjunction with the Royal Bahamas Police Force as a strategy to alleviate crime by starting with conflict resolution amongst families.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Janet McKenzie and Teen Challenge

Founder Dr Eric Fox were invited speakers leading the community seminar. They shared their professional knowledge as well as their personal experiences

of working with the public and helping to resolve conflict. They believe that when individuals learn how to resolve differences, how to properly express their feelings, and how to forgive starting right with the people in their homes as well as their extended family, they would be better able to deal with the challenges of life outside the home. ACP McKenzie and Dr Fox also fielded questions and comments from the residents of Marathon, who turned out in strong numbers to participate in the seminar. The event was held at Grace Community Church, Grace Avenue from 6pm to 8pm on February 19, 2024.

ANDREW Newry (pictured below) drew his last breath just outside this house on Monday evening when he and another man were shot and killed. Photo: Moise Amisial

MARATHON MP Lisa Rahming speaks to community members at a seminar held in an effort to combat crime.

Manager ‘pressured’

on WSC payments

from page one

objected to this evidence, calling it hearsay.

Justice Cheryl GrantThompson responded that he could examine inconsistencies during cross-examination.

Ms Joaquin said claims of belligerence and insubordination during board meetings and a failure to meet deadlines were cited when she was terminated at the end of her probation period in early 2020.

During cross-examination with Mr Ducille, Ms Joaquin confirmed that she had made a statement to the police about these matters.

Mr Ducille produced her police report and said her testimony in court contradicted the report, an assertion with which the witness disagreed.

She explained that the statement she gave police was about a particular incident between Mr Gibson and the general manager.

During questioning from Damian Gomez, KC, Mr Gibson’s lawyer, she agreed that her probation was extended, with a notice that she could be dismissed if the company was not satisfied with her work.

When asked how often the general manager was pressured to resolve delayed payments, she said she could only speak of instances when the general manager told her

contractors complained of delayed pay. She agreed that WSC sought to pay all its bills promptly. When asked if the WSC’s need to honour its commitment caused a sense of urgency to resolve delayed payments, she said she could not speak to that. Despite this, she admitted that she appreciated the urgency with which the WSC approached paying companies.

Ms Joaquin also agreed that her duty was to ensure bills were paid on time depending on cash flow. She confirmed that she had reported to the general manager and agreed that he was trying to get payments out on time. However, she said other vendors were not being paid on time –– and she faced no pressure from the general manager to pay them.

After it was put it to her that she had an axe to grind against Mr Donaldson, she firmly opposed the insinuation. She elaborated that she had no axe to grind with

Mr Gibson.

Ms Joaquin told Ian Cargill, another of the defence attorneys, that Donaldson never showed her animosity and treated her professionally.

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 Donaldson, Jr, former WSC’s general manager, Rashae Gibson, Joan Knowles, Peaches Farquharson and Jerome Missick.

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

In addition to Ms Cordell Frazier, acting Director of Public Prosecutions, the Crown’s lawyers include Cashena Thompson, Karine MacVean and Rashied Edgecombe.

CorreC tion

In yesterday’s Tribune, a photograph caption incorrectly identified Lanardo Gibson as the brother of Shane Gibson. He is the brother of Adrian Gibson. Our apologies for the error.

Head of Film Control Board defends decision on anime movie rating

from page one

those in the film and theatre world, rated the anime D. “There was a combination of reasons, and all were written and explained,” she said. “There was no comprehensible storyline. It was not in English. Yes, heavy demonic content was stated, but not ‘because of beheadings’. The violence, blood and beheadings were a separate point.”

She said the board also considered that Fusion’s staff do not monitor “movies to ensure children and teens do not have access to movies that they should not have access to”. She added: “I would encourage all members of the press to do an unannounced check of the facility and observe for yourself if ratings are being indicated and if children and teens are being allowed in movies they shouldn’t be allowed.”

Mr Bridgewater, in response, said the company has a policy and abides by it. He said C-rated movie tickets are only sold to adults over 18.

“Regardless of this,” he added, “am I to assume that the film board’s reason for allocating a D rating and restricting the exhibition of

an already licensed movie is because they assumed it had no storyline (many movies do not have storylines, this is not a valid reason to restrict) and that a minor may or may not have snuck into a movie to view it?”

“I do not believe that the regulations allow for a restriction based on such reasons during deliberations. The regulation clearly states that a film may be denied ‘where it goes against public order or decency or other reasons undesirable in the public interest’. The board thereby would be acting outside of its scope if it disallows the playing of a film because it has no storyline or it anticipates or assumes that a minor may or may not see it when it is exhibited. This, in my estimation, will be ultra vires the powers given to them.”

“This is a pre-emptive penalty. There should be no pre-emptive penalty allocated to the Fusion impacting revenue, our ability to pay employees and suppressing adult citizens’ right to freedom of expression in viewing the film. Our position is fair. We would like the ability for our adult customers to view the film. Also, if this film is allowed on streaming and

on cable TV with a parental advisory, then allow it in our cinemas with a C rating, which is the parental advisory for the cinemas.”

Some anime fans have reacted with outrage to the Film Control Board’s decision.

Tyler Gordon said Demon Slayer is one of the genre’s biggest sellers.

“One of the reasons that is so concerning to me is because it sets a sort of precedent,” he said.

“I interact with a lot of people in the wider anime community who are very, very, very big fans of the Demon Slayer, some who are even eight and ten years old. Their parents monitored their anime content, what they watched, and all that. Demon Slayer is a big one with the kids.”

“Just because they don’t understand the relevance of this movie doesn’t give them judgment to say, well, oh, we don’t want to show this movie.”

Edward Dean, another avid fan, called the ban “a reach” because “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba –The Movie: Mugen Train” was featured at Fusion when it was released in 2020.

He noted that subtitles are available, although the films are not in English.

DEMON Slayer poster - this anime was given a D-rating by the Film Control Board blocking theatres from being able to show it publicly.

ADRIAN Gibson (right) and his lawyer Damian Gomez, KC leaving court on Monday.

Photo: Dante Carrer

Demolition of 100 shanty homes begins

from page one

buildings while residents watched their homes get torn to shreds.

On January 24, officials said they issued 28-day eviction notices to the shanty town residents in Gaza and the Gully. Mr Delancy said none of the structures had building permits, and none of the residents living in the unregulated community owned the land.

“This morning, when we came in, we still found persons in the homes, and they were on the way of packing up,” Mr Delancy added.

“And so, we gave them some time to remove all of the items they wish to move at this time.”

Residents waited until the last minute to remove their belongings because they anticipated the demolition wouldn’t happen.

On Facebook Live, Bishop Silbert Mills, a prominent Abaco resident, showed residents carrying their belongings in garbage bags.

At one point, he showed a man approaching an officer with his passport and other documents.

“You can see in the distance someone is coming back with garbage bags, a load of stuff they are retrieving last minute from their house,” he said.

Mr Delancy said there were over 120 structures in Gaza, some of which were unfinished or just starting to be built. He urged people in the two shanty towns called the Gully and the Farm to

prepare to move as soon as possible.

“We’re just carrying out the mandate under the Buildings Regulation Act,” he said.

Officials are expected to move to the Gully and the Farm today for the ongoing demolition exercise.

Mr Delancy said most residents yesterday appeared to have housing accommodations. The government’s push to demolish shanty towns in Abaco –– where Works Minister Clay Sweeting said more than 90 per cent of the homes reportedly lack running water –– comes after structures in the Kool Acres, All Saints Way, and Area 52 shanty towns of New Providence were destroyed.

Mr Sweeting said the action is not just a demolition exercise, but one that advises “people to adhere to the law.”

Last week, amid concerns about whether enough housing is available for shanty town residents facing eviction in Abaco, Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder said that the island’s housing shortage won’t be solved overnight.

“The housing shortage is not going to be solved overnight. It’s not going to be resolved within a couple of years. And it’s going to be an ongoing problem, but that’s why I encourage all the entrepreneurs out there, anybody that wants to make an investment, Abaco is the place to do it,” Mr Pinder said.

BUILDINGS Control Officer Craig Delancy said there were over 120 structures in the shanty town known as Gaza. He urged people in the shanty towns known as the Gully and the Farm to prepare to get out as soon

as possible.

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PICTURE OF THE DAY

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Women who have inspired us

WOMEN’S Month is almost upon us – and with it International Women’s Day on March 8.

T here are a great number of ways in which our country still needs to make strides when it comes to equality – and the coming month would be the ideal time to address some of those.

Among those are such steps as to properly address the areas of citizenship where women do not have the same rights as men. T he discussion of that has been long, and action is long overdue.

It is also a time to celebrate those among us who have led the way – and those who continue to inspire us.

On this very page, Allyson Gibson highlights a number of individuals as she says she seeks to focus on “what’s right with our country”. She highlights some whose contribution has been long, and she highlights some who are just starting to make waves, such as athlete Devynne Charlton.

Elsewhere in today’s Tribune , you will read in Alicia Wallace’s column of some of the strides that remain to be made – and how the international community is surprised by the failure to deal with issues such as statelessness and gender inequality.

Over the coming weeks, we hope to

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I DON’T know whether or not you’ve seen it but its hideous appearance was unavoidable, even for the visitors in this part of downtown. One day last week while making my trek up the library’s steps, a tourist with his family asked me, excuse me, pointing in the direction of the building.

‘What is that building? Oh, it used to be a magistrate’s court and as a policeman, I had given evidence there many times, but don’t know why we allow it to fall into this state of disrepair.

And then he did the unthinkable, he photographed it, directing his camera at a space or opening and the space of the light, convinced that that was history, went out to the world.

Editor, yes, but why do governments allow state owned buildings to reach the point of no return?

And to counteract this, spawning from our buildings’ demise, the solution then becomes the government’s leasing of privately owned buildings to house government departments, offices and ministries to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, due monthly and bourne by the Public Treasury of the Bahamas, something is very wrong with this picture?

Here is a point that is

highlight such issues, and give a platform to different voices on matters pertinent to Bahamians, and especially Bahamian women.

But as we start out the month, we invite women readers to tell us who are the women who inspired them – and why they proved to be an inspiration.

You can do so by visiting our website, where you may leave comments on a story there.

But you can also write us a letter to this very page, sent to letters@tribunemedia.net. We want to hear your stories. We want to hear the women who inspired you. We want to know why.

When we go forward as a nation, we build on what has gone before. As we seek to improve, we draw on the experiences of others.

Change is never easy. T he people who inspired us fought hard battles of their own. To be able to vote. To be independent. To be able to stand in Parliament as leaders of our people.

But it is also those at every level of society who made a difference. T he teachers. T he spiritual leaders. T he police officers. T he business leaders.

So please, share your stories. Tell us your inspirations. We look forward to each and every one.

directly akin, inextricably tied to this dereliction of duty and obvious disregard for the vital interest, the protection of Bahamian people’s purse, and therefore, when will enough be enough?

And, as is commonly applied a set of measurements, appropriately so, salaries earned, for work performed (proportionally, and/or commensurately to the effort, should be apportioned...and, therefore, one would expect that those salaries for the non performers, ought to be deducted?

Many Bahamians were of the view that it is past time for the parties in the public service and government to end, these were not the period in the lives of ordinary, struggling taken for granted country of people. Just, considering their daily grind, the efforts required to keep one’s head above water (inflation series at the grocery stores is stress enough).

And consequentially, the Bahamian taxpayers were still awaiting the easily verifiable proof, the evidence on the part of the PM Davis’ administration that it has tightened its spending belt, and sought to curtail and restrict all of the unnecessaries, in order to align itself with the hard economic times befalling,

and I must be fair, not just the Bahamas, but the entire world, hastened to point out that the wealthiest of nations would be better able to absorb, stave off the blows to an appreciable degree, than some not so endowed.

In conclusion, matters of the past week it is hoped will have served as a stark warning of just how fragile the tourism product has become and cries, screamed for there to be a substitution, a cradling, and/or a replacement to the reliance so heavily on whether people come or don’t come, what then?

One of the reasons that countries have gone all out to empower its citizenry, so that many irons will be in the fire, not just one main engine operating and where you literally have little to no control over whether or not they come or not? Is there really no place to be as an entire people?

If the authorities don’t believe that that is significant, just consider the monthly salaries for the 20 thousand plus government workers? And there is no reason at all that the Bahamas ought not be able to weather the economic storm, no matter what was thrusted in our direction.

FRANK GILBERT Nassau, February 9, 2024.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

AT A time when too many focus on what’s wrong with our country, I’d like to focus on what’s right with our country. Mrs Katherina Williams (nee Pinder) grew up in a family committed to God, family and nation building service. They daily lived the adage that it takes a Village to raise a child. The Pinder family was foundational in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Virginia Street, and everyone within the sound of St Mary’s bells, was the village. No priest in their parish church could question Mr and Mrs Williams’ support. She quietly and firmly affirmed that no matter how much partying happened on the weekend, Church was the place to be on Sunday morning. Also, if the Priest or the Bishop called, by her example, she made it clear that we were to immediately and happily respond with willing and supportive hearts. The Regency Park Village can attest that Mrs. Williams was a surrogate mother to all and the Williams’ home was a gathering spot for that Village.

I got to know Mrs Andrea Sweeting during the tenure of Ambassador Ned Siegel. His wife, Mrs Stephanie Siegel, worked very closely with the Sister Sister Breast Cancer group, set up a Foundation, that, among other things, funded BRACA gene research, and brought the Susan Komen group to The Bahamas, which led to important advancements,

including the Komen participation in Martathon Bahamas Weekend. The world famous Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, in which Mrs Sweeting’s granddaughter Courtney Spears is a ballerina, came to The Bahamas to assist with fundraising. Mrs Sweeting was front and centre actively participating in all of these efforts. For me, much more striking was her tireless effort in supporting survivors of breast cancer and sharing her personal experiences. In meetings, while Mrs Sweeting validated the importance of research and funding, she always brought focus to the human need and experience. Drawing from her strong faith, she courageously faced her own health challenges, while always focusing on the needs of others, especially personal support – a hug, a listening ear, an encouraging word, and when necessary food or other physical support. Her life was a testament to “it takes a Village”. Devynne Charlton is a young Bahamian athlete breaking world records in her event and proudly representing The Bahamas on the world athletics scene. Naturally we are very proud of her and thrilled that she is establishing new records. Devynne is a product of the Dave and Laura Charlton (her parents) Village. Dave Charlton represented

The Bahamas as a hurdler when he was younger. When Dave, stepping out in faith, started his sporting club, Laura was (and still is) always by his side. Hundreds of Bahamian athletes would have been shaped by Dave and Laura Charlton. I believe that Laura’s was the first woman owned Bahamian pharmacy. Breaking into and succeeding in this business was itself a big challenge. She too stepped out in faith. Thousands of Bahamian parents, across generations, can attest that the sporting club was and still is a Village.

Devynne is the fruit of the Charlton Village. Scores in Regency Park, and beyond, are the fruit of Mrs Williams’ leadership in the Regency Park Village. Hundreds of Bahamians can attest to the influence of Mrs. Sweeting in their lives.

The lives of the late Katherina Williams, the late Andrea Sweeting and Devynne Charlton are a cross generational testament to the indomitable Bahamian spirit that is grounded in faith, the Village raising children and children excelling because they know that the Village is cheering them on to excellence.

During our 50th Anniversary of Independence, let’s herald our success stories, the guidelines for good citizenship and nation building.

ALLYSON MAYNARD

GIBSON

New Providence February 27, 2024

DIVERS visiting the wreck of the Pablo Escobar sunken plane near Norman’s Cay, Bahamas.

Photo: Oriana Polito

Green Tech programme launched at UB to focus on healthy and sustainable building

HEALTHY or sustainable buildings, an emerging concept, is one of the disciplines to which participants in an upcoming Green Tech programme will be exposed.

The initiative was officially launched at the University of The Bahamas on Friday, February 23, 2024.

The programme is a partnership of Green Tech in collaboration with a global society of sustainable designers, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) of the University of The Bahamas (UB) and the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs for senior high school children, university students and professionals.

The objective is to expose participants to multiple disciplines in sustainability, including the goals of the United Nations.

Darnell Whymns, founder of Green Tech Ambassadors and an architectural designer with a specialty in Green Building Design, said the idea is to educate students

and encourage them to “consider the resources that we have and how we use them even after their life cycle. “One of the things that we learned in sustainable design is that healthy buildings increase not only the health of the occupants but their performance,” she said. “In schools, take for instance, according to Harvard University, students learn and have higher results as a result of being in green buildings as opposed to the traditional, conventional buildings. “It will leave a mark in our culture. Green building design affects health; it affects behaviour. I studied behavioural sciences and how building design can impact social behaviour. It is very important as we approach design in our country, that we consider the whole - how would we feel, how would we react and what would be the end result - performance, pleasure, satisfaction and comfort.”

The programme offers

a series of in-person and virtual courses for individuals with careers in the built environment, in architectural construction, electrical engineering and for high school students who are looking for a new approach to career paths.

A pilot programme will be included in public and private schools to address sustainability and the built environment.

Participants in the launch included Perlene Baker, assistant director of Education; Dr Phillip Rahming (author of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas), Jack Travis, celebrity black architect, who gave a virtual charge, and David Whymns, president, NSBE who introduced the organisation’s honorees for Black History Month.

Ms Baker gave a declaration on behalf of Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training and Dominique McCartney-Russell, Director.

T EEN ON BAIL FOR MURDER SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS JAIL FOR HAVING A LOADED GUN

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 19-YEAR-OLD man on bail for murder was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday after he was found guilty of having a loaded gun.

Magistrate Lennox Coleby presided over the firearm and ammunition

trials of Antwan Adderley and Ramond Rolle. Desmond Rolle represented the accused. Adderley was on release accused of killing Gordon McKenzie and Ingramson Toussaint, whom he allegedly shot and killed on Key West Street on February 14, 2023. After reviewing the

evidence brought against the defendants by prosecutor ASP Lincoln McKenzie, Magistrate Coleby found that the defendants did, in fact, have a black .40 Glock with 15 rounds of ammunition in their possession. The duo were sentenced to five years at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

18-YEAR-OLD ACCUSED OF AR MED CARJACKING AND POSSESSION OF DANGEROUS DRUGS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN 18-YEAR-OLD

male was remanded in custody yesterday after being accused of an armed carjacking on Dean Street last week.

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged Lamont Symonette with armed robbery, receiving, possession of dangerous drugs, two counts of possession of ammunition, and two counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Symonette and an

accomplice, armed with handguns, allegedly robbed Silbert Clarke of his silver coloured 2017 Honda HR-V outside a residence in Dean Street on the night of February 21. During this incident, Symonette allegedly stole a Kipling wallet containing $327 in local currency and $550 in Dominican Republic currency. The defendant was reportedly arrested in a yard on Infant View Road. Police allegedly found a black Austria Glock 19 with 36 rounds of ammunition. The defendant also allegedly had another loaded

gun at his home, along with a quantity of marijuana.

Although Symonette pleaded not guilty to the lesser charges, he was informed that the armed robbery charges would go to the Supreme Court by way of a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI). He will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until the higher court grants him bail.

Symonette’s VBIs are set for service on May 20 and June 11. His drug trial begins before the magistrate on May 13.

MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF DANGEROUS DRUGS WITH INTENT TO SUPPLY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter

A

Magistrate Raquel Whyms charged Audie Murphy, 29, with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply. Murphy was allegedly found with a substantial quantity of marijuana on

February 25 in New Providence. After pleading not guilty to the charge, the defendant was told he had to sign in at

“Your

ask? Because

Ms Baker said: “Sustainable education is critical for all of us.

programme will indeed be beneficial to the country. Why you may

our country needs you; our country needs this.”

GROUP Photo of Directors, & Supporters of the Green Education Building Competition.

No more empty words, govt - we need action on equality

We have to demand more from the government

IN two days, it will be Women’s History Month, also known as International Women’s Month due to International Women’s Day being on the eighth.

It is a time to not only acknowledge the work and achievements of women in the past, but to face the issues of the present in a way that can contribute to an equitable future.

We are still living in an inequitable, violent world that privileges men, boys, and the masculine and discriminates against women, girls, and the feminine.

Misogyny and gender inequality are entrenched in the constitution, permeate our laws, and influence behaviour that is often conflated with culture and deemed unchangeable.

Many people continue to ignore the existence of gender inequality and to insist that gender equality does not exist, while looking at and being a part of the evidence that it does, indeed, exist and is affecting all of us every day.

This week, I am participating in the World Conference on Stateless where people from all over the world are talking about stateless, the laws and conditions that lead to it, and the affect that it has on stateless people and broader society. In some of the sessions, the focus is on gender inequality in nationality rights, making it difficult or impossible for women to confer citizenship on their children and spouses.

Several people have made it a point to tell me that they did not know

The Bahamas had this issue. They did not know that things were so bad in The Bahamas. I know that there are many Bahamians who would take great exception to this, feeling the need to defend The Bahamas and insist that it is not a bad place, or that its problems are not so terrible. This is easy to do

By Alicia Wallace

when people do not face these problems themselves, and even moreso when they could not care less about the trials and tribulations of others —particularly those they already consider to be “other.” This, in fact, is evidence of the terrible state affairs. People do not even have the capacity to care about what is happening around them, to people around them, many of whom they depend on for various forms of labour.

Women’s History Month begins in two days, and I take this opportunity to share that my colleagues at Equality Bahamas and I have been requesting a meeting with the Minister of Social Services for months. In fact, we had been requesting a meeting with his predecessor for months as well. It is unclear whether we have ministers who are incapable of meeting with feminist civil society organisations or ministries and departments that are staffed with people who are unwilling to do their jobs or see it as their duty to be the bottlenecks that frustrate so many into nonparticipation. Perhaps it is a combination of the two. This is not only unfortunate, but to the detriment of the country which is struggling to present itself as doing all right, and a government desperate to hide its failures and sugarcoat its complete disinterest in meeting international human rights standards. Civil society organisations such as Equality Bahamas are advocating for women to have full access to our

human rights by participating in and invoking international mechanisms, demanding legal reform, providing public education material, and engaging with community members. This often means its representatives provide written and oral accounts of what is taking place in The Bahamas, how the government is responding to issues, and how government officials engage with advocates and affected people. These reports, generally speaking, are not good. The failure of successive government administrations is colossal, embarrassing, and wholly unnecessary.

In 1993, the Government of The Bahamas ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and reserved on Articles 2(a) and 9(2) which obligate States to “embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated therein[…]” and to “grant women equal citizenship rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children”. The CEDAW Committee has, on more than one occasion, recommended that the Government of The Bahamas withdraw its reservations, stating that these Articles are integral to the intended effect of the Convention itself. In particular, to reserve on Article 2 is antithetical to CEDAW and the ratification of it. How can a government commit to

eliminating discrimination against women, yet refuse to make the necessary changes in the law?

Does a government com mitted to gender equality have ministers with responsibility for the gender department who refuse to meet with women’s rights advocates?

Does it employ people who refuse to coordinate meetings at the request of civil society organisations? Civil society in some countries, with much smaller civic space, often complain of being unable to engage with government except for when they meet in international spaces, particularly where reporting is done. This should not be the case in The Baha mas, especially when the gov ernment has told the Human Rights Council that it is unaware of hos tility toward human rights defenders. We have to demand more of the government. We barely get promises, much less action that moves us toward gender

We are still living in an inequitable, violent world that privileges men, boys, and the masculine and discriminates against women, girls, and the feminine.

equality. Even ending gender-based violence is not a priority for this administration which has failed to pass the GenderBased Violence bill and is pretending as though the marital rape bill has vanished into thin air. It is not enough to make speeches in other parts of the world about its “commitment” to human rights, and it is unacceptable for it to overstate its plans and actions. Equality Bahamas invites members of the public — women and girls in particular — to join us in taking our feminist

demands to the streets. Our International Women’s Day March and Expo is on Saturday, March 9. Meet us at the Eastern Parade at 8:45am for the march to The Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts on Mackey Street, then spend the day with us at the Expo with several none-governmental organisations and practitioners who will facilitate great sessions from Zumba and yoga to letterpress printing and an introduction to bush medicine. Learn more about the event at tiny.cc/ iwd242nassau.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Read the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This international human rights treaty was adopted in 1979 and is knowns at the bill of rights for women. It has 16 Articles that address key areas of focus including gender stereotyping, political participation, education, employment, health, and marriage and family. It is written in relatively clear language, and CEDAW Made Easy is a booklet that provides an overview of the Convention. The results of an online search for “CEDAW Made Easy” should include a UN Women Caribbean page with the downloadable booklet. If you prefer video content, go to the Equality Bahamas YouTube channel to watch the CEDAW Speaker Series which is a set of conversations with experts, largely from the CEDAW Committee, discussing the Articles. As you may guess, a great place to start is Articles 1 and 2 and that recording is at tiny.cc/cedaw1recording.

2. Join Feminist Book Club. The selection for March is Evil Eye by Etaf Rum. We are looking forward to reading this book by a Palestinian author. he hybrid meeting will be on Wednesday, March 20 at 6pm EST. Join in person at Poinciana Paper Press or online. Register at tiny.cc/fbc2024. From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free.

HYUNDAI’S SUPERNAL AND

EMBRAER-BACKED

EVE AIR MOBILITY SEE FUTURE IN ELECTRIC POWERED AIR TAXIS

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer

SINGAPORE (AP) — As the aviation sector seeks ways to make air travel less polluting and more sustainable, aerospace company Embraer and South Korean automaker Hyundai are among the companies betting on a new form of air travel -– air taxis.

Hyundai’s Supernal and Embraerbacked Eve Air Mobility are developing electric aircraft that take off and land vertically. The idea is that such air taxis might provide a sustainable form of air transport for densely populated cities and areas with less developed public transport networks.

Experts say they could help offset carbon emissions from the traditional aviation sector, but there are plenty of technological and regulatory challenges to making air taxis commercially viable.

Falling battery prices,

advancements in technology and the participation of big players like Hyundai mean that such aircraft could soon be a reality, experts say.

Hyundai’s advanced air mobility unit Supernal and Embraer-backed Eve Air Mobility hope to officially launch electric-powered air taxis within the next two to four years.

“Ground transportation is evolving and improving, but to support all the mobility demands of … people in urban areas, ground transport will not be sufficient,” Supernal’s CEO Shin Jaiwon said in an interview. “We have to open the skies above the cities.”

Supernal’s S-A2 electric aircraft, equipped with eight rotors, is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers. The battery-powered air taxi will have a range of about 25 to 40 miles and will be able to take off and land vertically. It’s similar to a helicopter, but quieter and more sustainable in that it can help offset carbon emissions generated from

VISITORS look at a display from Brazilian firm Eve Air Mobility, a spin-off by the third largest aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, in Singapore, Thursday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

traditional air travel, Shin said. Supernal plans to test its first fullscale technology demonstration version in California this year and is in contact with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the E.U’s aviation safety agency about policies and certification issues.

Earlier this week, Supernal and Singapore’s civil aviation authorities and officials in economic development formed a partnership to jointly develop the advanced air mobility sector in terms of research and regulatory frameworks.

Brazilian firm Eve Air Mobility, a spin-off of the third-largest aircraft manufacturer Embrarer, also is testing and developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft which it hopes to launch by 2026.

Like Supernal’s S-A2, the Eve Air Mobility’s aircraft is also expected to carry between four to six passengers with a range of 60 miles, without generating any local carbon emissions.

Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility, says that the electric-powered aircraft could a new alternative for getting around in cities or areas lacking good public transport but they’re not replacements for traditional aircraft.

“We’re going to be putting more people in the air, we’re giving an alternative -– just like electric vehicles are on the ground in 2D, we want to make sure that we can make the same thing that happens but in 3D,” Bordais said.

Air taxis are just one of many ways that the aviation sector is considering to improve sustainability. Airlines

are moving toward using a blend of sustainable aviation fuel made from renewable sources, with the industry aiming for net zero emissions by 2050. Aviation firms are also designing more fuel-efficient aircraft and engines.

The effort also requires regulatory changes.

“For the aviation industry to really take off in a sustainable manner, we have to look at how government policies can help create a conducive environment for new technologies and industries to take shape on a global level,” said Mabel Kwan, managing director of Alton Aviation Consultancy.

For now, the air taxi industry and other forms of air mobility still have hurdles to cross, such as the battery costs, devising new regulatory and safety frameworks for such travel, and certifying such aircraft.

With suitable regulatory changes, the technology has developed to the point, however, where air taxis are feasible, said Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst based in Singapore. “There’s the feasibility of operating in various environments, various air spaces, various cities and urban environments,” said Brendan Sobie. Supernal’s Shin acknowledged that battery costs are still high for vehicles like air taxis.

“However, as battery technologies continue to improve and further develop over time, we believe that manufacturing will also be improved and developed, so the overall cost of making such vehicles will be going down,” he said.

REDDIT STRIKES $60M DEAL ALLOWING GOOGLE TO TRAIN AI MODELS ON ITS POSTS, UNVEILS IPO PLANS

By DAVID HAMILTON AP Technology Reporter

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

— Reddit has struck a deal with Google that allows the search giant to use posts from the online discussion site for training its artificial intelligence models and to improve services such as Google Search.

The arrangement, announced Thursday and valued at roughly $60 million, will also give Reddit access to Google AI models for improving its internal site search and other features. Reddit declined to comment or answer questions beyond its written statement about the deal.

Separately, the San Francisco-based company announced plans for its initial public offering last Wednesday. In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Reddit said it reported net income of $18.5 million — its first profit in two years — in the OctoberDecember quarter on revenue of $249.8 million.

The company said it aims to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RDDT.

The Google deal is a big step for Reddit, which relies on volunteer moderators to run its sprawling array of freewheeling topic-based discussions. Those moderators have publicly protested earlier Reddit decisions, most recently blacking out much of the site for days when Reddit announced plans to start charging many third-party apps for access to its content.

TOPPLED MOON LANDER SENDS BACK MORE IMAGES, WITH ONLY HOURS LEFT UNTIL IT DIES

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL,

Fla. (AP) — A moon lander that ended up on its side managed to beam back more pictures, with only hours remaining before it dies.

Intuitive Machines posted new photos of the moon’s unexplored south polar region Tuesday.

The company’s lander, Odysseus, captured the shots last Thursday shortly before making the first U.S. touchdown on the moon in more than 50 years. Odysseus landed on its side, hampering communication and power generation.

Once sunlight can no

longer reach the lander’s solar panels, operations will end. Intuitive Machines expected that to happen sometime between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday. The mission, part of NASA’s effort to boost the lunar economy, was supposed to last until at least Thursday, when lunar nighttime sets in. NASA has six experiments on board.

Intuitive Machines is the first private business to land a spacecraft on the moon without crashing. Another U.S. company launched its own lunar lander last month, but a fuel leak doomed the mission and the craft came crashing back to Earth.

The photos

(Intuitive Machines via AP)

ODYSSEUS lunar lander over the south pole region of the Moon. The toppled lunar lander is still beaming back pictures of the moon, as its nears the final hours of its life.

were taken shortly before last Thursday’s touchdown.

HYUNDAI’S Supernal’s CEO Shin Jaiwon speaks to The Associated Press during an interview at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, Thursday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

US barrels toward another government shutdown showdown: 4 essential reads

far apart on funding the government, as a group of hard-right

such as new restrictions on abortion access as part of any agreement. A short-term spending deal reached just a little over three months ago, which averted the last threatened shutdown, gave Congress two deadlines: March 1 and March 8, 2024, with different departments closing down if funding isn’t passed by each date.

If following U.S. politics feels a little like “Groundhog Day,” you’re not alone. The Conversation has been covering the increasingly frequent shutdown close calls in recent years by asking experts in politics, economics and other fields to provide context and explain the consequences of a government shutdown. The following is a roundup of some of those articles from our archive.

1. A shutdown is the wrong way to negotiate a budget

The small band of conservatives who keep staging these showdown standoffs often use fiscal discipline as a rallying cry. The government is spending too much money, they say, and it’s up to them to put a stop to it.

On the goal of reducing the high U.S. budget deficit – currently about $1.6 trillion – you won’t get an argument from Raymond Scheppach, former deputy director of the Congressional Budget Office and retired professor of public policy at the University of Virginia.

But trying to cut the deficit by holding the government hostage is the wrong way to do it, he wrote.

“First of all, shutdowns don’t get results,” Scheppach explained. “The U.S. has had 21 shutdowns over the past five decades, three of which have been major. These have all caused real harm to the U.S. economy, but they haven’t led to the

spending levels Republicans wanted.”

If today’s conservatives are serious about cutting the swelling budget deficit, Scheppach suggested they take a different tack – genuine negotiation – which has generally yielded just the results they sought.

2. Why political brinkmanship keeps getting worse

One big problem with negotiation is that many lawmakers in both political parties are encouraged by increasing levels of hyperpartisanship to dig in their heels and refuse to compromise. And compromise is a key part of any reasonable negotiation.

That’s the assessment of Laurel Harbridge-Yong, a Northwestern University political scientist and a specialist in partisan conflict. She doesn’t expect this to change anytime soon – even though the public wants it to. So you now have many Republicans who are more willing to fight quite hard against the Democrats because they don’t want to give a win to Biden,” Harbridge-Yong wrote. “However, even if individual members think they’re representing their constituents, representation at the aggregate level can be poor. What the public as a whole – which tends to be more moderate – wants is compromise and resolution.”

3. Shutdowns have longlasting costs

The group of Americans most directly affected by a shutdown are federal workers. When a shutdown happens, most are furloughed without pay, while others whose work is deemed essential –such as many in national defense – must still work, but also without getting a paycheck.

When the shutdown ends and the government is funded again, paychecks

resume and workers get back pay for however long it lasted. But shutdowns can have lingering effects on worker morale and retention rates. That drives up the price tag of shutting down the government and can cause long-term damage, wrote Susannah Bruns Ali, an assistant professor of public policy and administration at Florida International University.

“Shutdowns lead to more people being more likely to leave government employment – and higher workloads and lower motivation for those who remain,” she explained.

“These conditions may feed Republican political goals, but they harm the millions of Americans who depend on competent, timely assistance from the public servants on the government payroll. This ultimately leads to lower work performance and employee retention problems.”

4. Shutdowns are uniquely American

Many other countries also seem to have a great deal of political partisanship, so you might expect fights over government shutdowns to be relatively common.

If you thought that, you’d be wrong, according to Garret Martin, who studies transatlantic relations at the American University School of International Service.

“Other Western democracies experience polarization and political turmoil, too, yet do not experience this problem,” he explained. Take the British system, famous for its raucous Parliamentary sessions: “Government shutdowns just don’t happen – in fact, there has never been one and likely never will be.”

The reason for the difference comes down to four factors, Martin explained: legislative power, ease of passing a budget, political stakes and appropriation rules.

Bryan Keogh

The Conversation

PRESIDENT Joe Biden summoned congressional

leaders to the White House on Feb. 27, 2024, in a bid to avoid a government shutdown. Democrats and Republicans remain

PRESIDENT Biden and Vice President Harris met on Feb. 27, 2024, with congressional leaders to avert a shutdown.

Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

US couple missing in the CaribbeanHere’s what to know

SAN JUAN Associated Press

AUTHORITIES in the eastern Caribbean are scouring waters in the region in hopes of finding a missing US couple who were aboard their catamaran Simplicity more than a week ago when police say it was hijacked by three escaped prisoners from Grenada.

Police have said that

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are presumed dead. The search for them began on Feb. 21 after someone discovered their catamaran abandoned on the shores of St. Vincent and alerted authorities.

Police say the three prisoners escaped from a police station on Feb. 18 and hijacked the catamaran a day later. Authorities said the prisoners then illegally entered the southwest coast of St. Vincent on Feb. 19 and docked the boat. Two days later, the three men were arrested along the island’s northwest coast.

Here’s what to know

about the case: It’s unclear why the escaped prisoners hijacked the couple’s catamaran, but it was moored at Grand Anse beach, near to the police station where the three men escaped.

Police believe the men hijacked the catamaran with the couple aboard and then allegedly threw them into the water while travelling to St. Vincent, which is located north of Grenada.

They have noted that there were signs of violence aboard the catamaran.

Police in Grenada have identified the escaped prisoners as Trevon Robertson, a 19-year-old unemployed man; Abita Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer; and Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor.

All were charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell also was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm.

Vannie Curwen,

Grenada’s assistant police commissioner, has said the men had been placed in a holding cell rather than in jail, because a judge hadn’t yet ruled whether they would be released on bail.

The Salty Dawg Sailing Association has described Brandel and Hendry as veteran cruisers and longtime members who were “warmhearted and capable.” It noted that Brandel served on the association’s board for two years.

The association said the couple had sailed their boat in the 2023 Caribbean Rally from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua and planned to spend the winter cruising the eastern Caribbean. A GoFundMe donation page stated that Brandel had become a first-time grandmother.

Nick Buro, Brandel’s son, and Bryan Hendry, Hendry’s son, said in a statement Tuesday that they were “incredibly saddened” to hear that the couple was presumed dead, but added that they remain optimistic about the ongoing search.

“While the end of their life may have been dark, they brought light, and that light will never be extinguished from the hearts and minds of the people who knew, loved and cared so deeply about them,” they said.

Police in Grenada and St. Vincent have provided limited information about the case of the missing couple, noting that the investigation is ongoing, though they have said the couple is presumed dead.

Authorities haven’t yet shared any specific evidence linking the three men to the couple’s disappearance. St. Vincent police say the men

have been cooperating in the investigation.

The men pleaded guilty this week to immigrationrelated charges, and are scheduled to be sentenced on those counts in early March.

Authorities haven’t said whether prosecutors in St. Vincent or Grenada would pursue the case involving the couple. Grenada Police Commissioner Don McKenzie said the attorney generals and prosecutors on both islands “are in discussions.”

Meanwhile, Grenada police sent a team of five officials to help with the investigation in nearby St.

Vincent. Police in Grenada have launched an investigation into how the men were able to escape from their holding cell. McKenzie has said the police station should have been secure enough to prevent such an escape, and that authorities are looking into whether it was a “system failure” or a “slip up.” McKenzie has said no officers have resigned or been disciplined, although one supervisor at the station has been transferred to another location “to ensure a thorough investigation in this matter.”

Two men convicted of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, nearly 22 years later

An

trafficking conspiracy and firearm-related murder for killing the pioneering DJ over what prosecutors characterized as revenge for a failed drug deal.

“Y’all just killed two innocent people,” Washington yelled at the jury following the guilty verdict.

Jordan’s supporters also erupted at the verdict, cursing the jury. “I love y’all,” Jordan said to the group who sat in the courtroom pews before they were escorted out by US Marshalls after more yelling.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, worked the turntables in Run-DMC as it helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as “It’s Tricky” and a fresh take on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” Mizell later started a record label, opened a studio in his old Queens neighbourhood and helped bring along other talent, including rapper 50 Cent. Mizell was gunned down in his studio in front of witnesses on Oct. 30, 2002.

Like the slayings of rap icons Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. in the late 1990s, the Mizell case remained open for years.

Authorities were deluged with tips, rumours and theories but struggled to get witnesses to open up.

Jordan, 40, was the famous DJ’s godson. Washington, 59, was an old friend who was bunking at the home of the DJ’s sister. Both men were arrested in 2020 and pleaded not guilty.

Twenty years is a long time to wait for justice,”

Assistant US Attorney Artie McConnell had told jurors in a closing argument, urging them: “Don’t let this go on for another minute.”

The men’s names, or at least their nicknames, have been floated for decades in connection to the case.

Authorities publicly named Washington as a suspect in 2007. He, meanwhile, told Playboy magazine in 2003 he’d been outside the studio, heard the shots and saw “Little D” — one of Jordan’s monikers — racing out of the building.

Prosecutors contend that the two men turned on the rap star over a cocaine deal. Mizell had been part of Run-DMC’s anti-drug

message, delivered through a public service announcement and such lyrics as “we are not thugs / we don’t use drugs.”

But according to prosecutors and trial testimony, he racked up debts after the group’s heyday and moonlighted as a cocaine middleman to cover his bills and habitual generosity to friends.

“He was a man who got involved in the drug game to take care of the people who depended on him,” McConnell said in his summation.

Prosecution witnesses testified that in Mizell’s final months, he had a plan to acquire 10 kilograms of cocaine and sell it through Jordan, Washington and a Baltimore-based dealer. But the Baltimore connection refused to work with Washington, according to testimony.

According to prosecutors, Washington and Jordan went after Mizell for the sake of vengeance, greed and jealousy.

Two eyewitnesses, former studio aide Uriel Rincon and former Mizell business manager Lydia High, testified that Washington blocked the door and ordered High to lie on the floor. She said he brandished a gun.

Rincon identified Jordan as the man who approached Mizell and exchanged a friendly greeting moments before shots rang out and one bullet wounded Rincon himself. Three other people, including a teenage singer who had just stopped by the studio to tout her demo tape, testified that they were in an adjoining room and heard but didn’t see what happened.

Other witnesses testified that Washington and Jordan made incriminating statements about the Mizell killing after it happened.

Neither Washington nor Jordan testified. Their lawyers questioned key prosecution witnesses’ credibility and their memories of the

long-ago shooting, noting that some initially denied they could identify the attackers or had heard who they were.

“Virtually every witness changed their testimony 180 degrees,” one of Washington’s lawyers, Susan Kellman, told the judge during legal arguments.

The witnesses said they had been overwhelmed, loath to pass along secondhand information or scared for their lives.

Washington’s defence also tapped a retired psychology professor, who testified that people’s recollections of any event can become a blend of what they

actually experienced and subsequently learned.

The trial shed limited light on a third defendant, Jay Bryant, who was charged last year after prosecutors said his DNA was found on a hat at the scene. They assert that he slipped into the studio building and let Washington and Jordan in through fire door in the back so they could avoid buzzing up.

Bryant has pleaded not guilty and is headed toward a separate trial.

Testimony suggested that he knew someone in common with his co-defendants, but there’s no indication that Bryant was close with Mizell, if indeed they ever met.

Bryant’s uncle testified that his nephew told him he shot Mizell after the DJ reached for a gun, a scenario no other witnesses described. McConnell said Bryant was “involved, but he’s not the killer.” Prosecutors’ theory doesn’t even place Bryant in the studio, though that’s where authorities found the hat with DNA from him and other people — but not the other defendants, according to court filings.

Still, McConnell suggested that Jordan or Washington could accidentally have left the hat behind after Bryant came into contact with it.

But lawyers for Washington and Jordan portrayed the garment as a key piece of evidence in their clients’ favour.

“Jay Bryant is literally reasonable doubt,” one of Jordan’s lawyers, Michael Hueston, told jurors.

While the case may complicate Mizell’s image, Syracuse University media professor J. Christopher Hamilton says it shouldn’t be blotted out.

If he was indeed involved in dealing drugs, “that doesn’t mean to say his achievements shouldn’t be lauded,” said Hamilton, a former entertainment lawyer and Brooklyn prosecutor who grew up partly in Mizell’s neighbourhood. Hamilton argues that acceptance from local underworld figures was a necessity for successful rappers of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

“You don’t get these individuals without them walking through the gauntlet of the street,” Hamilton said.

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THE YACHT “Simplicity”, that officials say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, is docked at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be US citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada.

Photo: Kenton X. Chance/AP

RUN-D.M.C.’S JASON MIZELL, Jam-Master Jay, poses with teenagers gathered at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Oct. 7, 1986, in New York. Two men were convicted of murder Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 in the death of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay, a brazen 2002 shooting in the rap legend’s studio.

Photo: G. Paul Burnett/AP

BLTA CONGRATULATES HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON’S MICHAEL MAJOR JR FOR WINNING THE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association congratulates Howard University Bison’s Michael Major Jr for winning Rookie of the Week for the Mid Eastern Atlantic Conference.

The Bison, who are now 1-3, captured their first win of the season against the District of

Junior

Columbia Firebirds and Majorplaying in the singles and doubles matchup - was instrumental in the team’s first win.

“In singles, Major would earn his maiden win as a tennis collegiate playing number two singles over Durall from UDC 6-3 7-5. Major would then go on to capture

his first collegiate doubles win with partner Justin Cadeau in the top spot 6-4.

“With such a strong performance, Major Jr earned Rookie of the Week honours for his conference. The BLTA congratulates Major and all the best this college season.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Daniil Medvedev opened his title defence at the Dubai Championships yesterday by beating Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 7-5 in his first match since losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner.

The top-seeded Medvedev had withdrawn from tournaments in Doha and Rotterdam because of fatigue and a right foot problem following his loss to Sinner at Melbourne Park.

Trailing 5-3 in the second set, Medvedev won four straight games to clinch the win. He will face Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the hard-court tournament.

“In general, to be honest, (I’m) happy with my level because it’s not easy to come back after an injury,” the fourth-ranked Medvedev said in his on-court interview.

Medvedev said he “didn’t feel any pain” in defeating the 47th-ranked Shevchenko.

After losing to Sinner, Medvedev had taken 10 days off and “started feeling pain here and there” when he returned to practice.

Among other first-round matches yesterday, fourthseeded Karen Khachanov beat Luca Van Assche 6-2, 6-3; fifth-seeded Ugo Humbert outlasted Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; and eighth-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

A LOW-RANKED AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER IS BANNED AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA AT TOURNAMENT

LONDON (AP) — A low-ranked American tennis player who competed for the University of North Carolina has been suspended for two years after testing positive for marijuana during an ATP Challenger tournament, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced yesterday.

The ITIA said Casey Kania’s in-competition urine test contained cannabis in August 2023 at Cary, North Carolina, where he lost in the doubles quarterfinals. He is a 21-year-old with a career-high doubles ranking of 1,317th and $482 in career tennis earnings, according to the ATP website.

The tour’s site shows that all of his ranking points and all of that prize money were earned during the lower-tier tournament in Cary — and everything he accumulated there must now be relinquished, the ITIA said.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Andy Murray hinted he is heading into the “last few months” of his career after rallying past Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at the Dubai Championships for his 500th hard-court win.

“I obviously still love competing and still love the game, but it obviously gets harder and harder the older you get to compete with the young guys and keep your body fit and fresh,” the 36-year-old Murray said in an on-court interview after his firstround win on Monday.

playing with an artificial hip, has considered retirement before. This was only his second win of the year. After losing in straight sets to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round of the Australian Open last month, Murray said it might be the last time he enters the season’s first major. Murray improved to 18-5 for his career

As a college sophomore at UNC last year, Kania received an at-large bid to the NCAA doubles championship and lost in the round of 32, according to the college team’s website.

The news release yesterday from the London-based ITIA said Kania was unable to show he bore no fault for the violation, but the agency said it did accept that the player “did not intentionally breach the provisions” of the sport’s anti-doping programme. That was the reason for a two-year ban, the ITIA said; an intentional violation is punishable by a four-year suspension.

Kania’s period of ineligibility began Feb. 2, when the ITIA’s decision was issued, and will expire Feb.1, 2026. His results, prize money and ranking points from the Cary event, and any tournament after that until now, are forfeited.

MICHAEL Major Jr in action for Howard University Bison.

‘Coach Yo’ and Ole Miss on a hot streak

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

WITH just two games remaining until the end of the NCAA Division 1 season, coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels have turned it up a notch to reel off four straight wins.

The team’s latest victory came against the Missouri Tigers in a 66-45 blowout at the Mizzou Arena on Monday.

The seventh win of the last 10 games helped the Lady Rebels to claim their 20th win for the third consecutive season and a double-bye in next month’s Southeastern Conference Tournament.

“Coach Yo” and her team are also chasing history as no other Rebels team has earned 12 wins in the SEC and with just two wins separating the 10-4 (SEC record) team, they are locked in.

“We are on a mission. We knew tonight that if we won we would clinch a double bye and that’s like the golden ticket in SEC play and Missouri just happened to be on the schedule next. We had two really good days of great

practice. We were focused on trying to get stops every possession and I didn’t have to really say much. Our team did most of the talking.

“Ole Miss hadn’t won 12 games in conference play in its history so that is what we are chasing and we have two more games.

“It’s gonna be tough, this is our three-game week but there’s no excuses, every team has it and this is our turn,” the Grand Bahama native said. The 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis women’s champions meant business against the Tigers on the defensive end. The 20-7 (win/loss record) team has prided themselves on stingy defence and that was on full display Monday night.

Coach Yo’s team held Missouri to their lowest scoring half of the season with their 26-17 lead at the break. After a low scoring second quarter by the Tigers, they managed to put up 16 to the Rebels’ 18 in the third.

However, a 22-12 fourth quarter surge by the Lady Rebels helped them to put their opponents away by 21 points.

McPhee-McCuin talked about the collective effort

on defence displayed by the Southeastern Conference team.

“They make it very difficult to defend them. I was just really proud of our team. Two years ago

we came here and did not allow them to make a three and we wanted to recreate that again and so our team was incredibly passionate about taking away the three and making them

have to floor it. Holding them to 17 points in the half is beautiful basketball for a team that takes pride on the defensive end,” she said.

The Lady Rebels, who are just one win away from clinching the third seed, did not allow Missouri to hit any of their seven attempts from deep. Additionally, they outrebounded their opponents 42 to 28 and dominated the offensive glass 18 to 5.

The team collectively dished out 10 helpers and poked the ball away eight times on the night. The defensive masterclass against Missouri made it the fourth time Ole Miss held a power five team under 50 points this season.

Snudda Collins, who returned from injury, paced the team with a game-high 14 points.

Prior to Monday night, the Lady Rebels collected wins against the Florida Gators, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Georgia Bulldogs.

“Coach Yo” and the team will look to knock off the Kentucky Wildcats and Arkansas Razorbacks to make Rebels history.

They matchup against the Wildcats at 7pm on Thursday.

CLEVELAND (AP)

— Max Strus drilled a 59-footer as time expired, his fifth made 3-pointer in the final four minutes, to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a wild 121-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks last night.

After the Mavericks took the lead on P.J.

Washington’s dunk with 2.9 seconds left, the Cavs quickly inbounded the ball to Evan Mobley, who passed back to Strus — who made four 3s in a span of 67 seconds down the stretch to keep Cleveland close.

Strus then took a dribble before launching his shot from well beyond mid-court. As it swished through the net, Strus was tackled to the floor by teammates as the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd erupted.

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, Strus added 21 and Jarrett Allen 19 for the Cavs, who improved to 12-3 since Jan 26.

Luka Doncic had 45 points and 14 assists a day before turning 25 for the Mavericks. Kyrie Irving added 30 for Dallas, which lost for just the second time in 10 games.

CELTICS 117, 76ERS 99

BOSTON (AP) —

Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and Boston earned its ninth straight win, powering past Philadelphia.

Jayson Tatum added 29 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, to help the NBA-leading Celtics post their 25th consecutive home win over an Eastern Conference opponent.

Boston won despite connecting on just 5-of-22 3-pointers and committing 14 turnovers. But the Celtics outscored Philadelphia 64-48 in the second half and dominated with a 56-28 rebounding edge.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 32 points and five assists. Philadelphia has lost four of its last five and is just 4-8 since Joel Embiid was sidelined with a knee injury.

WARRIORS 123, WIZARDS 112

WASHINGTON (AP)

— Klay Thompson scored 25 points on a forgettable evening for Stephen Curry, Chris Paul demonstrated his value to the Warriors in his first game in seven

weeks, and Golden State beat Washington. Curry was held scoreless in the first half for the first time in the regular season since Nov. 23, 2012, against Denver. He missed his first seven shots, six from 3-point range — and three of them airballs, including a 32-foot heave at the halftime buzzer.

Curry got on the board with a 3-pointer 53 seconds into the third quarter and the Warriors went on to outscore the overmatched Wizards 38-17 in the period. He finished with 18 points and shot 4 of 16 on 3-pointers while the rest of the Warriors went 17 for 30 from beyond the arc.

Jonathan Kuminga added 21 points for Golden State, which has won 11 of 14 and moved into ninth place in the Western Conference, percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers.

BUCKS 123, HORNETS 85

MILWAUKEE (AP) —

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, Damian Lillard had 23 points and Bobby Portis scored 21 as Milwaukee pounded Charlotte for its most lopsided victory of the season.

Milwaukee rolled to a 58-26 lead at the break by holding Charlotte to the lowest point total any team had produced in a half all season. This represented the second-lowest point total the Bucks had ever allowed in the first half of a game, behind only the 25 they yielded in a 94-81 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on March 3, 1972.

Milwaukee has won three straight since the All-Star break to improve to 6-7 under coach Doc Rivers. The Bucks have allowed fewer than 100 points in four of their last seven contests after reaching that goal just once in their first 52 games of the season.

Miles Bridges scored 17, Tre Mann 16, Brandon Miller 14 and Davis Bertans 12 for the Hornets, who lost for just the second time in their last seven games.

PELICANS 115, KNICKS 92

NEW YORK (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 26 points, Brandon Ingram had 24 and New Orleans beat New York.

Zion Williamson added 21 points for the Pelicans.

Donte DiVincenzo led the Knicks with 23 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 20 off the bench.

Jalen Brunson (neck spasms) and Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles tendinopathy) did not play for the Knicks, who are still without starters Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.

TIMBERWOLVES 114, SPURS 105

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

— Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, returning from an injury scare right before halftime, and Minnesota beat San Antonio without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns missed the game due to personal reasons. Earlier in the day, Towns memorialised a high school teammate on Instagram. Minnesota coach Chris Finch said before the game that he hoped Towns would only miss one game.

Rudy Gobert, back after missing a game with a left ankle sprain, added 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Timberwolves in his latest matchup with fellow French countryman Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama had 17 points and 13 rebounds as San Antonio lost its fifth in a row and 12 of its past 13 games. Wembanyama

scored eight points in just over five minutes to open the game but didn’t score again until a 3 with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

HAWKS 124, JAZZ 97

ATLANTA (AP) —

Jalen Johnson had 22 points with 13 rebounds and Atlanta never trailed after scoring the first 12 points and beat Utah.

The Hawks have won two straight games after losing All-Star point guard Trae Young for at least four weeks with a torn ligament in his left pinky finger. Dejounte Murray, who has taken over primary ballhandling duties, scored 17 points with 11 assists.

De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points Bogdan Bogdanovic had 19 in Atlanta’s balanced attack. Collin Sexton led Utah with 22 points. Walker Kessler added 14 points with 12 rebounds. Utah has lost six of its last seven.

MAGIC 108, NETS 81

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)

— Franz Wagner scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and Orlando rolled over Brooklyn.

Moritz Wagner added 16 points and five rebounds. Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony scored 12 points apiece off the bench for Orlando. Dennis Schroder

scored 15 points in his third start for the Nets. Trendon Watford had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Forward Mikal Bridges, playing in his 450th consecutive games, scored four points, his lowest scoring output of the season. Bridges, who has never missed a game in his five NBA seasons, did not score in the first half and missed all seven of his 3-point shots.

PISTONS 105, BULLS 95

CHICAGO (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 26 points and Detroit stopped a six-game losing streak by beating Chicago.

Owners of the NBA’s worst record, the Pistons bounced back from a heated loss at New York the previous night and picked up just their ninth win of the season despite big efforts by Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond.

Simone Fontecchio scored 17, and Jaden Ivey finished with 15 points, helping the Pistons beat the Bulls for just the second time in 18 games.

Vucevic had 25 points and 10 rebounds. DeRozan scored 25.

BAHAMIAN big man

Deandre Ayton, as a result of an injury to his hand after a hard fall, was out for the remainder of last night’s game between his Portland Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat.

He exited the game with 12 points (6-9 FG), 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 19 minutes. “Ayton had a dominant first half, posting a double-double before exiting due to a hand (injury) he suffered after a hard fall following a Kevin Love charge,” according to RotoWire.com.

Duop Reath will likely receive increased minutes in his absence.

Ayton’s next chance to suit up is Friday’s matchup with Memphis.

On Sunday night in the Trail Blazers’ 93-80 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in Portland, Ayton led Portland with 26 points and 19 rebounds.

He was 11 of 16 from the field, while the Trail Blazers shot 34.7% overall from the field.

Portland was 3 of 32 from 3-point range, with two of the makes coming in the final minutes.

The Trail Blazers missed 23 in a row at one point in dropping their eighth straight to fall to 15-41.

COACH

TaylorMade Limeade unveils latest sponsorship agreement with versatile Charisma Taylor

TaylorMade Limeade proudly unveils its latest sponsorship agreement with Charisma Taylor, the esteemed Bahamian national record holder.

Taylor has consistently represented The Bahamas on the global stage, displaying exceptional performance in various track and field disciplines, including triple jump, long jump and hurdles.

This partnership marks a significant milestone for both parties, underlining TaylorMade Limeade’s dedication to nurturing and promoting Bahamian athletic talent.

Taylor recently embarked on her new journey as a professional athlete under the expert coaching leadership of Bahamian Olympian Leevan Sands and coach Matt Kane, catapulting her career to new heights.

During the 2024 track season, Charisma Taylor is set to proudly sport her own clothing line brand across all apparel and paraphernalia at international and local sporting events while representing her sponsor, TaylorMade Limeade.

Thanks to the generous support and partnership of TaylorMade Limeade, she was able to bring to life four distinct and captivating designs, perfectly timed for her much-anticipated European tour debut.

These designs, carefully crafted with TaylorMade

Limeade’s assistance, not only showcase her creativity but also reflect her style and personality. While she awaits and hopes for an initial major contract with prominent companies, Taylor expresses gratitude for the support of the Bahamian family-owned business, TaylorMade Limeade, along with the support of Bahamian-owned brand, For Da Culture (FDC). Taylor also hopes that this opportunity ignites the beginning of a new entrepreneurial avenue. We firmly believe that this collaboration signifies the inception of TaylorMade Limeade’s unwavering commitment to supporting Bahamian athletes.

“Taylor also expresses sincere gratitude to businesses and individuals who have supported her along the way. We encourage

Word leader Ken Mullings excited to be in Scotland

FROM PAGE 16

Armory in Champaign, Illinois, where he has been training for the past year, Mullings tops the list heading into the championships, which will feature at least four other Bahamians.

He is followed by Sander Skotheim of Norway with 6,281 on February 4. The third best performer is Simon Ehammer of Switzerland with 6,242 on January 28.

“I feel this will be the most stacked field that has been to Worlds in a while because everybody has been doing their PBs in the seven events, so it could go either way,” he said. “It just depends on who is on that day.”

Ehammer, by the way, is the silver medallist in the

last World Indoors in Belgrade two years ago with a Swiss record of 6,363. Later that year, he went on to earn world long jump bronze and European decathlon silver.

But despite being a talented long jumper, that discipline has also been his downfall in combined events competitions, as he recorded three no-jumps at the European Indoors and the Hypo Meeting last year.

Skotheim, on the other hand, comes into Glasgow with a match up against his fellow Norwegian rival Markus Rooth that has inspired both youngsters to better one another’s national decathlon records outdoors in recent years.

Rooth scored 8,307 in 2022, which Skotheim broke at the start of last

year with 8,590, but Rooth reclaimed the record to win the European Under-23 title with 8,608. Despite the history behind the field, Mullings said he’s not perturbed because he certainly has nothing to lose as the new kid on the block.

“We’ve been doing some good stuff in practice so hopefully that shows up in the meet,” Mullings said. “I just have to go out there and execute. “That is going to be a big deal for me. Once I don’t crack under the pressure and just execute the same way I’ve been doing, I will be alright.”

On Saturday, the 60 metres, long jump, shot put and high jump will be contested, followed by the 60 metre hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m on Sunday.

businesses, irrespective of size, to join us in championing our Bahamian athletes. TaylorMade Limeade extends its heartfelt wishes

to Charisma Taylor for a successful 2024 season. We eagerly anticipate her continued achievements on the global stage.”

PAAVO NURMI’S FIVE OLYMPIC RUNNING GOLDS WILL BE DISPLAYED IN PARIS NEXT MONTH

MONACO (AP) — The five Olympic gold medals won by Finnish running great Paavo Nurmi will return to Paris and be on display next month to mark a century since his unique achievement at the 1924 Paris Games.

To mark the upcoming Paris Games, the medals will be exhibited from March 27-Sept. 22 at the Monnaie de Paris on the left bank of the river Seine. They will form part of a larger exhibition of Olympic medals called “D’or, d’argent, de bronze” (Of gold, silver and bronze) organised by the museum of the French mint.

Nicknamed “The Flying Finn,” Nurmi was one of the first superstars of sport. His five medals are the most athletics golds won at a single Games.

“As famous as the Hollywood stars of his day, lauded by U.S. presidents, Nurmi was the first truly global sports star,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said on Monday.

World Athletics said Nurmi’s grandson Mika Nurmi and Finland four-time Olympic champion Lasse Viren — a long-distance running great himself — will be guests at the March 27 ceremony.

The Paris Games in July are followed by the Paralympics in August.

“Based on the seven events, my weakest event is the 1,000, so I just have to execute in the first six events and then run with the boys in the 1,000,” he stated.

“So my strength is from when the competition starts.

“Hopefully it will be strong enough to have been right out there before I get into the final event, which is my weakest event.”

With the United Kingdom being a big fan of the multiple events in track and field, Mullings said he hopes that he can feed off the intensity in the stadium and soar high. He’s the first of the Bahamian team to be in Glasgow, along with team manager Demaris Cash.

The others expected to compete at the championships are women’s 60 metre hurdles co-world record holder Devynne Charlton, triple jumper Charisma Taylor, sprinter Anthonique Strachan and men’s long jumper LaQuan Nairn. While he waits for their arrival today, Mullings said he’s taking it all in stride, getting adjusted to the similar type of weather he’s accustomed to in Illinois. “We have the potential to

do some great things,” said Mullings of Team Bahamas.

“We’re a very small team, but a capable one.

“So it’s very possible that we can do some great things.”

Mullings sent out a “shoutout” to his mother, and asked the Bahamian public to offer their prayers as they show their support for Team Bahamas this weekend.

WORLD LEADER: Ken Mullings is preparing to compete at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland this weekend. As the surprised world leader, the Bahamian indoor and outdoor national champion is already in Glasgow, getting acclimatised ahead of the gruelling seven-event heptathlon competition on Saturday and Sunday.

TAYLORMADE Limeade has unveiled its latest sponsorship of versatile athlete Charisma Taylor.

CARIFTA SWIMMING TRIALS: LAST CHANCE MEET ALL SET FOR KING’S COLLEGE ON WESTERN ROAD

FROM PAGE 16

“It

“Now

time and the pool will be tested this week.

“It is expected for us to test the pool by putting water in the pool on Thursday or Friday of this week and then we will continue moving from there.

“What we want the public to appreciate is that the investment in these facilities is not to rush it but make sure they are done properly so that we don’t have to continue coming back and forth with the maintenance.

“But make sure that we do it right so when we we do the maintenance it is done properly to sustain these facilities for a long period of time,” he said.

The Bahamas is scheduled to host the CARIFTA Swimming Championships March 28 to April 7 in hopes of earning the coveted sixth straight aquatics title.

Although Cargill is confident in the ability of the swimmers to overcome the setbacks, he vocalised his thoughts on the lack of preparation in the 50 metre pool.

“I feel our athletes are gonna go into CARIFTA under raced in that they would not have enough preparation in the 50m pool. That is particularly concerning because we are the five-time defending champions and defending our CARIFTA title here at home. Now that the facility won’t be ready, most of our athletes would not have the opportunity to swim and get ready in the 50m pool,” he said.

“We are gonna be very challenged but nonetheless I feel like our athletes always rise to the occasion and they should be able to continue to defend the CARIFTA crown and be the only country to win CARIFTA six years in a row. We have won it five years in a row and we are hoping that the sixpeat will happen this year also irrespective of all of the challenges they have faced,” he added. Team Bahamas had a record showing at the 2023 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in Willemstad, Curaçao.

The swim team was greeted by the sounds of sweet Junkanoo music at home after hauling in an historic 85 medals which included 37 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze.

HAALAND SCORES FIVE GOALS IN MAN CITY’S 6-2 ROUT OF LUTON IN FA CUP

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

ERLING Haaland looks determined to make up for lost time. The Norway striker scored five goals to power Manchester City into the quarterfinals of the FA Cup in a 6-2 win against Luton yesterday. It was his eighth hat trick in a season-and-a-half with City and the second time he has scored five in a single game for the club.

Perhaps more significantly, it was evidence that Haaland is fully back up to speed after recently returning from a foot injury that ruled him out for more than a month between December and January. “My fitness is getting back to its best finally,” he said. “I feel good. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Haaland had scored only three goals in seven appearances since making his comeback on January 31.

By his remarkable standards, that represented a relative drought, but he looked back to his devastating best at Kenilworth Road with a first-half hat trick and two more after the break. Four of those goals came from assists by Kevin De Bruyne, who has also missed large parts of the season through injury.

ERLING HAALAND (AP)

Mateo Kovacic added a sixth for City, while Jordan Clark struck twice for Luton.

Haaland was denied a possible double hat trick when he was replaced by Julian Alvarez in the 77th minute. It was the second time City manager Pep Guardiola substituted the striker after scoring five goals, having taken him off during the 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig in the Champions League last year.

Haaland now has 27 goals in all competitions for the season after scoring 52 in his first year at the club. His performance and linkup play with De Bruyne will also fuel the belief City can emulate last season’s treble of trophies when it won the Premier League title, FA Cup and Champions League. The forward completed his hat trick after 40 minutes, having opened the

Photos: Dante Carrer

scoring in the third and adding a second in the 18th.

Clark pulled one back for Luton in the 45th and made it 3-2 with another seven minutes after halftime.

But Haaland quickly extended City’s lead with further goals in the 55th and 58th.

Kovacic completed the scoring with a long range effort in the 72nd.

NEWCASTLE SURVIVES

Newcastle avoided a potential upset at Blackburn but needed penalties to overcome the seconddivision team.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka pushed away Dominic Hyam’s spot kick at the end of the shootout to secure a 4-3 win on penalties after the game had finished 1-1 through extra time.

LEICESTER ADVANCES

Abdul Fatawu fired Leicester to a 1-0 win over Premier League team Bournemouth with a stunning extra time goal.

Substitute Fatawu struck in the 105th — curling a shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.

Leicester won the Cup in 2021 but has slumped since then and was relegated to the second division last season.

SWIMMING SETBACK: The Bahamas Aquatics Federation was hoping to host the 2024 CARIFTA Swimming Trials at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre (shown on this page) from March 8-9 but, due to ongoing renovations at the facility, the meet will be carried out at King’s College on Western Road instead.

Word leader Ken Mullings excited to be in Scotland

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

While his aim was to get ready for the decathlon in the Olympic Games this summer, Ken Mullings took a shot at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, but he didn’t know that he would be the top heptathlon qualifier going into Glasgow, Scotland, this weekend.

As the surprised world leader, the Bahamian indoor and outdoor national champion is already in Glasgow getting acclimatised ahead of the gruelling seven-event competition that will be spread over Saturday and Sunday.

“We were training outdoors trying to qualify for Paris and we ended up scoring big enough to go to Worlds, so this is just another meet for us,” said Mullings of his training sessions in Urbana, Illinois, with coach Petros Kyprianou.

“Hopefully, the training pays off and we execute the same way and score some big points again.”

After his breakthrough year in 2023 in the 8,000point territory with a personal best of 8,060 points, Mullings came out this year, establishing his PBs in six of the seven disciplines for an indoor national record of 6,340. The performance catapulted Mullings to 21st on the world indoor all-time

list and pushed him on top of the leaderboard table going into the Worlds.

With his impressive total of 6,340 points, posted on January 17 at

the University of Illinois

CARIFTA SWIMMING TRIALS: LAST CHANCE

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Aquatics Federation was hoping to host the 2024 CARIFTA Swimming Trials at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre March 8-9 but, due to ongoing renovations at the facility, the meet will be carried out at King’s College on Western Road instead.

The last chance meet, which traditionally takes place in a 50-metres long course pool at the aforementioned venue, will now relegate junior swimmers to a short course 25m pool due to the circumstances.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg made the announcement to reporters at the home game of the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers on Sunday.

“That facility will not be prepared for them to have their swimming trials. The federation has been updated on a weekly basis on the progress of this project of the swimming pool and it is their duty to tell the swimming community what is happening,” Bowleg said.

The repairs at both the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium and the National Swim Complex started on November 1 last year.

However, swimmers have not been able to utilise the country’s only 50m pool since last summer and have competed in only shortcourse meets on the local

Junior Davis Cup team in the win column again

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE the Bahamas’ Junior Billie Jean King Cup for the under-16 girls’ contest was suspended because of the rain in the Dominican Republic, the Junior Davis Cup team got in their match and they prevailed with a 3-0 decision over Aruba.

Jerald Carroll won the opening singles 6-1, 6-1 and Jackson Mactaggart took care of the second singles 6-1, 6-3.

Carroll and Mactaggart teamed up in doubles to win 6-1, 6-0.

With the win, the Bahamas advances to the main draw and captain Spencer Newman said he’s excited

to see how well the team, which also includes William McCartney, performs the

rest of the week. “We had another good day here in the office in the Dominican Republic,” Newman said.

“Jerald got out there again and put a quick point on the board, winning 6-1, 6-1, only dropping two games now in two matches, so it’s a pretty impressive start from him,” Newman said.

“We had Jackson Mactaggart step on the court next in the number one spot and secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory, which got the win over Aruba. We were able to put the two together in the doubles line-up to see how they mesh and they took care of business pretty swiftly.”

As they move into the quarterfinal, Newman said

SEE PAGE 12

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: Ken Mullings is preparing to compete at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland this weekend. As the surprised world leader, the Bahamian indoor and outdoor national champion is already in Glasgow, getting acclimatised ahead of the gruelling seven-event heptathlon competition on Saturday and Sunday.

AN outside view of the Betty Kelly Kenning Swimming Complex.