04062023 NEWS AND SPORT

‘UnlawfUl to detain for over 48 hoUrs’

AG says govt abiding by law - so no immigration change after ruling by Privy Council

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

AttoRNeY General

Ryan Pinder said a new Privy Council ruling would not change current immigration detention practices because the government has complied with the law in recent times - despite the ruling being hailed as a “landmark” by Fred smith, KC.

the Privy Council ruled yesterday that Kenyan national Douglas Ngumi was unlawfully detained for all but two days while officials organised his deportation, breaking with the supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, which found it was reasonable to detain him for at least three months while arranging his removal from the country.

UNION: ‘Lead a Nd we w ILL fOLLOw yOU… maybe’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

tHe head of the hotel union has a message for Atlantis executives who want workers to speak out against Royal Caribbean International’s proposed Paradise Island project:

“Put your placards on and go do what you (are) telling us to do.”

“Lead and we will follow

you … maybe,” said Darrin Woods, the president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU). Mr Woods’ comment yesterday came after Atlantis president and managing director Audrey oswell urged staff in a letter to speak out and “make their voices” heard on the project, which has been approved subject to

aG cONSIderING fINe Over SUNkeN ShIp Off a bacO

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

AttoRNeY General Ryan Pinder said his office is considering fining the owners of a ship that sank off Abaco late last year and has yet to be removed. the onego traveller, which is registered in Antigua and Barbuda, sank with heavy fuel on board on December 29, 2022.

In February, Mr Pinder said the government ordered the ship to be

ResoR ts see significant Rise in Room demand

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

ResoRts are enjoying room rates that are 10-15 percent higher than preCoVID levels because “the perfect storm of demand is working for the Bahamas”, a senior hotelier said yesterday.

Robert sands, the Bahamas Hotel and tourism Association’s (BHtA) president, told tribune Business that an increase in how long stopover visitors spend in this nation - anywhere from one to two days more - is also making “a significant difference” to the industry’s performance as it enters the peak easter holiday period.

FUL Story - S ee bu S ine SS

Stat S ShOw

HigH R ate of success on bOat reScUeS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

tHe Royal Bahamas

Defence Force and its partners rescued 243 locals who were in distress at sea over the past four years, failing to locate only ten people presumed to have died. Commodore Raymond King discussed the success rate of search and rescue efforts with The Tribune after officials ended their search for two Bimini men, James toote, Jr, and Naz’r Robins, who disappeared while travelling from Grand Bahama to Bimini last month.

removed from the Bahamas within 45 days.

Yesterday, he said: “the ship is still in our waters. We have been advised that a salvage company has been selected and will begin work on the salvage of the ship. We are looking at the possibility of imposing fines for their delay.”

He said officials couldn’t give a proper environmental assessment of the

SEE page five

readers

Berry Island family homeless after early morning fire

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A GREAT Harbour Cay family of nine is homeless after an early morning fire destroyed their house yesterday.

More than a week after a fire in Bimini displaced 22

residents, the incident is the latest to expose the inadequate emergency services on some Family Islands, with residents saying no firefighting equipment was available to extinguish yesterday’s blaze.

North Andros and Berry Islands MP Leonardo

Lightbourne said authorities are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

“I know that police are doing their investigation at the moment,” he told The Tribune. “From what I heard thus far, it was something sparked in the home, and one of the

younger kids in the home was brave enough and saw it and woke up everybody in the home and that’s how everybody made it out in terms of the fire. But I think it’s a bit more electrical than anything, but the police are still doing their investigation and as

soon as we get information, we’ll be able to speak more about what took place.”

Mr Lightbourne said the blaze happened between 4am and 5am.

He said area MP and Minister of Social Services Obie Wilchcombe travelled to the island with a delegation to assess the damage. He said officials had offered the displaced family housing and food.

“The family is now in a safe place,” he said. “They’ve already been sorted with accommodations along with food items, etc. And so, we are doing everything that we can to ensure that their lives are still somewhat in normalcy. It’s a lot more to be done but as time goes on, we’ll put some more initiatives in place to ensure that the family is back to normal.”

Mr Lightbourne confirmed there is no firefighting equipment on the cay, but said he is confident this will be

corrected shortly.

“To be honest, we had a fire truck that was donated at some point, however, that fire engine truck was retrieved back from the original owner,” he said.

“However, there hasn’t been a fire truck in, I want to say about two to three months. This has just been a (recent) situation, this hasn’t been something that’s been ongoing. Prior to that, (it) might have been eight months since the fire truck might have been there and since that it has been removed.”

“The issue here isn’t just a Great Harbour Cay issue. I mean if you go through the entire Family Islands, we lack numerous infrastructures and equipment in terms of medical facilities and so forth, so this isn’t just a Great Harbour issue, this is an issue we need to put handson throughout the entire Bahamas, and we’re moving towards having those issues resolved as a government.”

US Embassy building on pace for early 2024 completion

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE new $310m US Embassy building on East Hill Street will be completed by 2024, officials said yesterday. US Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts accompanied reporters on a tour of the 90,000 sq ft compound, highlighting its “climatesensitive details”.

“This building is very well insulated. It uses quality materials,” she said. “So, it won’t cost a lot of money, but most importantly, it won’t use a lot of energy to keep it cool and to maintain it. And that means that we will have a reduced carbon footprint, so that’s really important to us. And then there’s also aside from these climate-sensitive details a lot of little add-ons that I think make this building special.”

Project director Stephen Ziegenfuss said there are between 300350 persons working on the construction site, 100

of whom are Bahamian.

Mr Ziegenfuss said:

“We begin with a heavily insulated building with energy efficient equipment inside. You’ll see LED lights everywhere. The air conditioning system is very efficient. Right now, we have temporary air conditioning in here, so we can get the furniture going.

“But the permanent air conditioning system will be a very energy-efficient piece of equipment. In the back, we have solar panels that will be generating electricity.”

Ms Pitts said the facility would be opened to the public a few months after completion.

“There’s these little challenges you encounter,” she said. “You move in and you find out that something isn’t quite working right, you got to fix it. So, it’s going to take a few months after completion for us to actually open the doors to the public, but we’ll be moving in.”

us Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts accompanied reporters on a tour of the 90,000 sq ft compound, highlighting its “climate-sensitive details”. The media also saw a celebration of Bahamian culture with featuring Junkanoo and singing by school children.

ArchitecturAl renderings of what the new US Embassy will look like when completed. According to US officials the building is on pace to be finished by early 2024

US VISA FEES INCREASING

US visa fees will increase on May 30. According to the US Department of State, visitor visas for business or tourism purposes will increase from $160 to $185, as will other nonpetition-based NIVs, such as student and exchange visitor visas.

The fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers will increase from $190 to $205.

“NIV fees are set based on the actual cost of providing NIV services and are determined after conducting a study of the cost

$5.6m GRAN t SIGNEd w I th Idb FoR hEA lth

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Economic Development and the Inter-American Development Bank signed a $5.6m grant to reinforce healthcare infrastructure in The Bahamas, enhance primary care coverage and modernise the healthcare system.

Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said the grant established non-reimbursable technical cooperation, which will support ongoing IDB investment projects that the Ministry of Health and Wellness is currently executing.

“The Technical Cooperation support is granted by the European Union Caribbean Investment Facility (EU-CIF) in the amount of $5.6m,” he said yesterday.

“The resources from this facility, more specifically, will be channeled towards reinforcement of infrastructure and the procurement

of equipment for primary health care in the country.”

The health sector investment project with the IDB includes improvements to the delivery of the healthcare model, enhancement of the capacity for provision of primary care and modernisation of the health information system, according to Mr Halkitis.

He expressed gratitude of the grant, as it adds value to the government’s existing plans aimed at improving the delivery of health care throughout the country.

“I reiterate, that resources from this grant initiative will be applied to construction, rehabilitation and retrofitting of clinics in family islands,” Mr Halkitis added.

“In addition, consideration will also be given to purchasing ambulances for selected islands.”

Daniela Carrera Marquis, the country representative for the IDB group in The Bahamas, noted the project’s importance.

“It is such an important

Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis.

project for the Bahamas to congratulate the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry Economic Affairs and Minister of Finance on this

opportunity to bring not only more resources, but also to tackle the key issues of access to good health services,” she said.

of these services,” the State Department said.

“The Department uses an Activity-Based Costing (ABC) methodology to calculate, annually, the cost of providing consular services, including visa services. The fees for most non-petition based NIVs were last updated in 2012, and certain other NIV fees were last updated in 2014.”

“Other consular fees are not affected by this rule, including the waiver of the two-year residency required fee for certain exchange visitors.”

Photos: Moise Amisial

‘Unlawful to detain for over 48 hours’

Mr Ngumi’s lawyers, including Human Rights Bahamas’ (HRB) Fred Smith, hailed the ruling as “landmark”, saying it clarifies the parameters around which people can be detained pending deportation.

“The ruling affirms what HRB has stated repeatedly: the authorities have no lawful right to detain a person suspected of violating the Immigration Act for more than 48 hours at absolute maximum. They must either bring such individuals before the courts, or release them immediately, or deport them,” HRB said in a statement.

“Further, it confirms that even after a person pleads guilty and is convicted of violating the Act, and a recommendation for deportation is made by the courts, the authorities cannot continue to hold that individual for more than two working days in the absence of a signed Deportation Order.”

However, Mr Pinder, in a statement to The Tribune, suggested detention practices have been reformed since Mr Ngumi was in custody.

“We accept that there were issues in the past with detentions outside the required period but that is not the case today,” he said.

“Since coming to office, the OAG has implemented specific reforms to address this. We meet weekly with the Detention Centre and ensure that persons are detained and deported in accordance with the law and their constitutional rights are protected at every stage.”

Meanwhile, the Privy Council rejected Mr Ngumi’s request for substantially more than the $750,000 the Court of Appeal awarded him as damages for the

torture, unlawful detention and rights violations he experienced, finding the assessment of local judges reasonable.

Immigration officials arrested Mr Ngumi on January 12, 2011, holding him in detention until they released him on August 4, 2017. Mr Ngumi tearfully testified during his Supreme Court trial of the harm he experienced in custody — beatings with a PVC pipe, teargas, and exposure to diseases, among other trials.

The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal agreed that he was unlawfully detained for more than six years.

The Privy Council, however, has sided with Mr Ngumi’s lawyers on whether it was reasonable for him to be held for at least three months while officials arranged his deportation.

The judgement of the final appellate court said: “Given that the liberty of the subject is at stake, there is an implied public law duty on the Minister to act with due diligence and expedition in making such a decision (on deportation) within a reasonable time and a similar implied public law duty on the GovernorGeneral to act with due diligence and expedition in deciding within a reasonable time whether to authorise detention. Absent special circumstances, such decisions should ordinarily be made within a matter of one to two working days.

Unless the Minister or the Governor-General, as the case may be, can show that longer than this is required for due consideration to be given to the making of their respective decisions, after that time the lawful basis for the continued detention of the detainee will fall away and he must be released at that point.”

“The Board has no hesitation in concluding that

the order made by the Magistrate’s Court in this case was a recommendation for deportation. First, Charles J found as a fact that the Magistrate’s Court made a recommendation, and this finding was not among the findings challenged by the

appellant in the Court of Appeal. Secondly, the Magistrate’s Court plainly had no power to order deportation but did have power to make a recommendation for deportation. In the circumstances, what was recorded as an order for deportation is properly to be construed as a recommendation for deportation.

“Nonetheless, no deportation order was ever made in the appellant’s case, as the Court of Appeal emphasised. Thus the appellant’s detention quickly became unlawful and the question of a reasonable period in which to make arrangements to effect his removal did not even arise. Both the Judge and the Court of Appeal erred in reaching the contrary conclusion.

“There is no doubt that the appellant was lawfully arrested and his initial detention was lawful. He should have been brought before the Magistrate’s Court within 48 hours, but this was not done and he was detained unlawfully

in the days that followed. He was convicted on his guilty plea of overstaying on January 18 – an immigration act offence - and detained pending sentence. That was lawful. On January 20, the Magistrate’s Court made an order recommending deportation. The appellant’s detention was thereafter authorised by section 41(4) Immigration Act but only for up to two working days absent special circumstances. In the absence of any deportation order in that time or at all, his detention after the expiry of the two-day period was and remained unlawful. It follows that he falls to be compensated for the period just short of three months that was deducted by the courts below from the overall unlawful detention period.”

Mr Smith argued Mr Ngumi was entitled to as much as $11m, but the Privy Council rejected his arguments.

“The Board,” according to the judgement,

“has emphasised on many occasions that it will not interfere with the Court of Appeal’s assessment of damages unless satisfied that there was an error of principle or that the award was manifestly too low or too high and therefore plainly wrong. This reticence is informed by ordinary principles of appellate restraint, and by the recognition that what is a reasonable sum must reflect local conditions and expectations. The assessment of compensation in

The Bahamas is primarily a matter for the Bahamian courts, familiar with local conditions and the society they serve, who are better placed than the Board to say what is appropriate by way of damages. Guidance from other jurisdictions can provide insight but cannot be a substitute for the Bahamian courts’ own assessment of what levels of compensation are appropriate for their own jurisdiction where it exists.”

Pictured The Bahamas Immigration Detention Centre on Carmichael Road. Yesterday a judge ruled that it is unlawful to detain someone for more than 48 hours. This ruling came from the Privy Council in the case of Kenyan national Douglas Ngumi who was unlawfully detained for all but two days while officials organised his deportation, which took 30 days. Fred Smith KC hailed it as a ‘landmark’ ruling.

Photo: Moise Amisial

AG considering fine over sunken ship off Abaco

from page one

incident because the ship hasn’t been removed.

Environmental advocate Joseph Darville said the ship poses no current environmental challenge.

“Far as I could know, there was nothing streaming like oil or fuel from the ship because I’m sure they would have been able to close the areas off where it might have been able to escape,” he said yesterday. “And so far, there is nothing that’s happening now that would cause any serious damage to the environment.”

“As the attorney general said, the path is going to be to actually lift the thing (ship) up and get it onto a barge and get it out of here. And then after that is accomplished, then to assess the actual damage to that specific area.”

Up to January 11, remediation efforts for the ship were continuing, with 3,119 tons of steel coils and 4,505 tons of Ferix in bulk still submerged in waters up to that time, according to the Ministry of Transport and Housing.

The OnegO Traveller, which is registered in Antigua and Barbuda, sank with heavy fuel on board south of Sandy Point, Abaco on December 29, 2022. The government ordered the ship to be removed from The Bahamas within 45 days; however to date the boat is still there. Attorney General Ryan Pinder said “The ship is still in our waters. We have been advised that a salvage company has been selected and will begin work on the salvage of the ship. We are looking at the possibility of imposing fines for their delay.”

Stat S Show high rate of SucceSS on boat reScueS

from page one

“It is most regrettable and unfortunate when persons go missing, and we are unable to locate them or find them. It can be a myriad of reasons why,” Commodore King said.

“One, you often find that persons don’t have the necessary safety, communication and survival equipment on board vessels as prescribed and as enforceable by the Port Department.”

“And so, by the time family members raise the alarm that family members are missing, there’s absolutely no means of communication. And if they don’t have (on) the various safety equipment, let’s say life vests, it makes it extremely difficult to locate and find persons if they don’t have this safety equipment on board.”

The RBDF acknowledged that weather plays a big part in how successful search efforts become.

He said suspending a search is one of the toughest calls a commander can make.

“Every day (that) passes, the probability of a person being found diminishes considerably consistent with weather conditions and so many times you have to close cases after exhausting, extensive hours or after five or seven days,” he added.

“It’s one of the toughest calls any commander can make to suspend the search and we always conduct our searches in collaboration with BASRA. We use the United States Coast Guard, aerial assets to assist us in determining the recommended search patterns and the probability of survival given various search patterns and so it is done professionally and with due care and concern.”

Commodore King said authorities have received many calls of distress from vessels in the area of Bimini and Grand Bahama over the years.

He said some of the vessels in distress were being used for suspected human smuggling operations.

“What we have also uncovered is that a lot of those unregulated human smuggling attempts may have went wrong and the

weather conditions weren’t favourable, and the vessel would’ve capsized,” he said.

“So, it’s a mixture of human smuggling, but we have had a lot of cases whereby it was just recreational and persons enjoying the sports and commercial activities. A lot of times, vessels ran out of fuel. They exhaust their fuel and now they’re drifting and we have to assist them by either giving them fuel or we tow them in.”

Mr King said the RBDF is usually alerted to reports of people missing at sea when concerned family members call police or the RBDF’s Harbour Patrol.

For his part, Eddie Whan, chairman of the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (Northern Bahamas), estimated that BASRA saved some 1,400 people at sea over the last five years, including undocumented migrants.

“We haven’t lost a lot (of people),” he said in a recent interview. “We have been quite successful, thank God, and overall, I can’t count more than about a dozen that we actually lost since I’ve been in charge.”

The OnegO Traveller

The Tribune Limited

Give our helpers a helping hand

LACKING in resources, suffering a cut in government funding, sometimes loudly criticised publicly – it’s a wonder that Bahamian non-profit groups are able to do their work at all.

Worse, many such groups find themselves so tangled up in red tape. In fact, before the Non-Profit Organisations Act 2019 was passed, it could take between three and seven years to be able to be registered under the Companies Act.

Imagine how that works – a group of concerned citizens identifies a problem that they feel they can come together to resolve, but it takes years and years before they can jump through the regulatory hoops in order to actually tackle the problem they wanted to deal with.

In some cases, that could be far too late for any action to be effective at all, even if those involved had maintained the determination to keep going over all that time.

One group during the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian was in discussions to receive a grant from the United Nations to help with the recovery effort – but months of work were lost because of how that group was categorised under the Companies Act, and the process of applying for the grant had to start from scratch. That money could have been of instant help to people after Dorian – but we tied ourselves up in red tape.

For many groups, they find themselves setting up without being formally incorporated – which proves a challenge for received donations, or even setting up a bank account.

One organisation found it took them a year to become registered as a notfor-profit body, then ten more months

to receive a licence, and then even more months to open a bank account.

Still other groups find themselves confused about how the process of registering even works. One group was quoted $3,000 to have the paperwork done for them, but was uncertain and decided to keep operating informally.

All of this has emerged from a report commissioned by the Organisation for Responsible Governance (ORG) – and highlights the difficulties faced in the non-profit and volunteer sectors.

It is not just small groups that find they experience such problems – even international bodies have tried to become registered and had trouble doing so.

This is a problem in two areas – for the groups concerned it is a hindrance to being able to raise funds and carry out their work, while from the perspective of authorities it makes it a harder area to regulate and monitor. A group that carries on informally is not subject to the closer eye that might be necessary to ensure actions are being carried out properly.

The good news is that there have been improvements since the 2019 Act was implemented, but there are still challenges with areas such as VAT waivers or other tax breaks and an inconsistency on how decisions are made.

Better is at least the right direction –but we hope the government pays close heed to the findings of this report, and looks to remove the road blocks that get in the way when it comes to organisations that are simply looking to improve the lives of Bahamians.

Colonialism and Haiti

EDITOR, The Tribune.

COLONIALISM: The policy or practice of acquiring fully or partial control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Global attitudes towards colonialism varies, yet one common point of acceptance is that colonialism has been exploitive, destructive and is morally wrong. What so many colonial powers did historically, raping their colonies of natural resources, harvesting everything above and under the host regions, often with no worries regarding the morality of their process and how the native population was treated.

Can we use this concept to build, rather than destroy? Can colonialism be rebranded for the 21 Century?

Issue: Haiti - Historically a petri dish of colonialism. Once the colonialist left, they left the nation in disarray, a political and social vacuum filled by self declared leaders, Papa Doc Duvalier followed by Baby Doc, Jr, and a slew of Generals.

Dictatorship throughout the nation’s history. Presently Haiti is being torn apart by gangland violence financed and politically inspired by several powerful families vying for supreme power. The world looks upon this situation realising that throwing money at the problem will not achieve anything except enrich the several family fiefdoms. Sending in troops to take control of the situation is a challenge no one or group of nations is willing to do. What then can be done?

Many Haitians are being terrorised, oppressed and murdered.

The New Colonialism: The policy or practice of one

nation(Canada) to acquire full or temporary control of another nation in order to achieve a humanitarian goal, the Democratization of a failing nation.

Canada is a multi-lingual nation speaking French, the language of Haiti. Canada has very close ties to Haiti as well. Canada is a former colony that understands the pitfalls of colonialism, historically and practically. Canada could proceed using these following tenants:

1. Official invitation of Haiti to join Canada’s Federation fully or temporarily. If fully Haiti would become a province of Canada in time(say 10-15 years) Haiti could be a protectorate moving towards full membership, or be a member over a 10-15 year period, allowing the authorities to bring the nation into a normalcy judicially, politically, socially and financially.

2. Canadian police and military action will be required to seek out and crush all forms of violent gangland activities. The RCMP, Canadian Police Forces across Canada will supply investigators to seek out all forms of financial, political, military and international corruption. The Haiti Oligarchs will be brought to justice.

3. Canadian Forces will train, equip and assist Haitian Police and Military Forces so that they can be self sufficient in their policing abilities.

4. Economic and political ties between Canada and Haiti and the Caribbean will become a primary focal point of policy in the 21 Century binding a multinational alliance.

Jesus focal point of our history

EDITOR, The Tribune.

corrupt officials to the public domain may be demanded. Land reform, full equality in a new democracy offered and given through Haitians’ efforts.

A national vote must be offered to all in Haiti, voting upon their place in Canada. Will a majority of Haitians accept Canada’s offer to join the Federation fully or in a temporary status ending in 10-15 years time?

The horrors that Haiti is going through is not new to Haitians. Corruption has influenced and often controlled the nation and its people for many decades. Only a strong statement of action will bring peace to the Haitian people, and not temporarily but for all time. Haiti’s potential economic future can only be accomplished if the Haitian status quo changes directly and forcefully.

Giving Haitians the opportunity to become Canadian Citizens experiencing all the benefits a Canadian experiences, or accepting Canadian assistance to change Haiti’s future while remaining an independent nation...A vote for future change no matter how you look at it. Stop the brain drain in Haiti where professionals and educated alike are leaving the nation. Thousands of Haitians leave their homeland to enter the horrors of forced migration. Canada can end all of this, increase our immigration potential needs and strengthen democratic institutions throughout the Americas.

Is there a future for a New Colonialism, a process that can be life giving, lifting up nations and their populations in need?

STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario. April 2, 2023

CHRISTIANS throughout the world are currently reflecting on the death, burial and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Holy Week. In his classic little book titled More Than a Carpenter, American Christian apologist Joshua McDowell said that Jesus entered the human race in a small Jewish community 2,000 years ago, yet people everywhere still remember Him.

More books have been written about this Jewish carpenter from Nazareth than on any other person in recorded history. Indeed, Bahamian independence was achieved 1973 years after the time of Christ, which underscores His centrality to Bahamian history. Bahamians, even those of the secular persuasion, should ask themselves this important question: Which individual has made the most important, seminal contribution to The Bahamas?

Many Bahamians would automatically mention the name Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, the nation’s first prime minister, who led the nation to Majority Rule and Independence; and was responsible for building many of our national institutions. Others might argue that it is Sir Milo B Butler. A few might mention Sir Stafford Sands or Sir Roland Symonette. And then there are probably others who would mention the name Sir Randol Fawkes. As important as these prominent Bahamians were in building the modern Bahamas, all of them failed collectively to measure up to the infinite stature of Jesus Christ.

What Jesus has done for The Bahamas is infinitely greater than what the foregoing National Heroes have accomplished.

Indeed, without Jesus, there would be no Bahamas to begin with. When the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered Guanahani in the New World on October 12, 1492, he renamed the Arawak inhabited island San Salvador, which means Christ the Saviour.

Like his Spanish sponsors King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella, Columbus was a Catholic. The Spanish monarchy wanted to establish a base in the New World, with the aim of expanding its financial tentacles. There were religious motivations, although Columbus and the Spanish brought a holocaust to the indigenous peoples throughout the West Indies. King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella were also responsible for terrorising the Jewish people within their domain after introducing the Spanish Inquisition in 1478. But let’s get back to Jesus -- the focal point of Bahamian history. Had Christianity not existed, it is doubtful that the events on October 12, 1492 would’ve occurred -- a series of providential events that would eventually lead to European slaveholders carrying across the Atlantic Ocean millions of our West African ancestors to the New World. When H G Wells was asked which person had left the most permanent impression in history, he replied that it was Jesus. Bear in mind that Wells was an atheist. The historical evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ is incontrovertible.

Concerning the resurrection, sceptics such as Venturini and Kirsopp Lake all failed to refute it.

According to McDowell,

as a sceptic he was unable to refute Christianity because he was unable to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of the eleven apostles of the Lord, only one, John, died a natural death. The remaining ten died as martyrs for their belief in the resurrection of their Lord. As the noted New Testament theologian George Eldon Ladd said concerning the resurrection, “the only rational explanation for these historical facts is that God raised Jesus in bodily form.” Undoubtedly, the Bahamian sceptic who loves science would retort that science disproves the resurrection. McDowell was spot on when he pointed out that the matter pertaining to the resurrection is outside the realm of scientific proof. One cannot use the scientific method to prove that Sir Lynden and the Progressive Liberal Party defeated the United Bahamian Party in 1967, as science is “based on observation, the gathering of data, hypothesising, deduction, and experimental verification...” Like the issue of Pindling and the historical events surrounding Majority Rule, the Bahamian sceptic will have to utilise the legal-historical method instead. While the aforementioned great Bahamian National Heroes are still in their graves, Jesus Christ is alive, having defeated death on our behalf. Bahamians need not die in their sins. There’s redemption at the foot of the cross. Each Bahamian should reflect on what Christ has accomplished for this country. After all, it is He -- not Sir Lynden or Sir Milo or Sir Randol -- who is the focal point of Bahamian history.

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama April 5, 2023.

5. Property ownership in Haiti will become a prime concern. Possible land transfers from

MEERKATS enjoying an Easter treat at ZSL London Zoo, in Regent’s Park, London, yesterday.

Photo: Yui Mok/AP

Union: ‘Lead and we will follow you… maybe’

environmental approvals.

Ms Oswell previously called the government’s approval of the project “premature,” citing concerns about its potential environmental impact.

“The potential impact on our beaches, marine life and water supply could be devastating if the appropriate environmental controls and practices are not carefully planned and executed,” she wrote to staff members on Tuesday.

“As the leader of tourism for The Bahamas and longtime stewards of the ocean and its marine life, caring for the environment has become part of our DNA. It is at the core of who we are and what we do.”

Mr Woods, nonetheless, said workers need to know the facts before opposing the deal.

“First and foremost, I have to understand the reasoning behind it because not because you tell me I must take a stand, I must go and take a stand, because the problem is you find that people, what they’re trying to do is get other people to fight their battles for them,” he said.

“You have to first tell me what it is. How is it advantageous for us as Bahamians? How is it disadvantageous for us as Bahamians? Not because it affects you as an individual. Even when we call our members to do some stuff, (we have to) explain to them how it is going to impact them.”

Mr Woods questioned what Atlantis executives have done to stop the project other than speak to the media.

“If they’re so passionate about it, why they don’t do something?” he said.

“Tell them to put on placards and walk down the street like how they are telling us to go and do it. They wouldn’t do it.”

In her letter, Ms Oswell

suggested the project could affect the livelihoods of tourism workers on Paradise Island. To this, Mr Woods said: “We are in an industry where it is driven by occupancy. As a matter of fact, every day you go on a job — what could happen unless you own the place?”

“It’s easy to rabble rouse people. It’s easy to do that but we have to know what the substance is.”

The $110m Royal Caribbean project will feature water sports, entertainment venues and other amenities. However, Atlantis executives have raised concerns about the desalination and wastewater treatment plants required to service the project and potential “noise from large numbers of people, music, jet skis and other activities and amenities offered at the project.” Last month, Prime Minister Phillip Davis acknowledged Ms Oswell’s concerns about the development, saying: “I think they may have been ahead of themselves in the sense that those concerns all will be taken into account when the final decisions are made in respect to what the development looks like.”

“They still have to go through the environmental process to determine what is environmentally friendly. That’s not my call; that is the Department of the Environmental Planning and Protection Agency. They will look at what is there and they will tell us about the environmental impact that the development has, and they will decide whether it will go on in that in the form or fashion.”

In a statement yesterday, RCI said it would share details about the economic benefit and environmental impact of the Paradise Island project in the coming weeks.

AtlAntis president and managing director Audrey Oswell urged staff in a letter to speak out and “make their voices” heard on the RCI beach club project; however president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) Dennis Woods asked them to tell the union why they should.

MeAnwhile, in a statement yesterday, RCI said it would share details about the economic benefit and environmental impact of the Paradise Island project in the coming weeks.

Dame Marjorie Davis; nation builder, hero and a selfless exemplar

“True holiness does not mean a flight from the world; rather, it lies in the effort to incarnate the Gospel in everyday life, in the family, at school and at work, and in social and political involvement.” - Pope John Paul II Holiness and heroism are sometimes evidenced in extraordinary acts of courage. They may also be manifested in a lifetime of love, service and generosity exhibited in the struggle and transcendence of daily life and decades. Dame Marjorie Davis came to exemplify holiness and heroism in her remarkable and dutiful life.

She was born on All Souls Day, November 2, 1928, five years short of a century ago, into a British Crown Colony in which racial, gender and class inequality were entrenched, and a few decades before the struggle for majority rule gathered intensity and pace.

Her public career and civic contributions would span the transformation of the colony into a modern sovereign state, including the achievement of independence and its commemoration 50 years later.

The country often lionizes political figures as national heroes. But there are other heroes in fields such as health care, the arts, philanthropy and education. With the death of Dame Marjorie, the country has lost such a hero and a selfless exemplar.

Her parents, Cyrus ulysses Davis and Hilda (nee Tinker) bequeathed a treasury of gifts: a loving home; a devout faith animated by the eucharist, devotions and good works; a commitment to education and personal growth; a spirit of community service; a highly disciplined work ethic; and a sense of dignity for herself and others.

The young Marjorie was primarily shaped and formed by a quartet of privileges: the Davis family, the Catholic Church, Government High School and Girl Guides.

She never took them for granted and invested them collectively like a down-payment cum endowment that grew into an ever-expanding surplus of love devotedly used to encourage the gifts and to improve the lives of countless others.

In the Davis family, she was the second child of 12, one of whom died at birth. The family influences included her parent’s families, including Sir Cyrus’s siblings, Monica, Donald Webster after whom DW Davis Junior High School is named, and Winston “Tappy” Davis, all devout roman Catholics who were devotees of exemplary service.

At the family parish church, St Francis Xavier Cathedral, the eucharist was both thanksgiving and sustenance for the Davis family and for Marjorie, a daily communicant of many years.

The life of Christ was inspiration and exhortation. Naturally self-effacing, she lived a life of simplicity and humility. She eschewed materialism and pretension. Hers was not an ostentatious, arrogant and showy faith seeking attention, plaudits and acknowledgement. She was often genuinely surprised when honoured.

Originally Anglicans, her parents converted to roman Catholicism, due in great measure to the influence of Benedictine monks.

Sir Cyrus’s contributions to the Church were such that in 1949 he was made Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory by Pope Pius XII.

The example of her parents also inspired Marjorie, who volunteered for various church ministries and groups including the Legion of Mary, which was devoted to visiting the sick and those confined to their homes. She also taught under the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) programme for some years.

Government High School loomed large in the life of The Bahamas and in Marjorie’s personal and professional development. Few students could attend the prestigious institution. Indeed, many young Bahamians were only able to complete junior high school.

She obtained Junior and Senior Cambridge Certificates at the school. After GHS she attended the university of Toronto, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies. In 1950 she obtained a Teacher’s Certificate from the Ontario College of education.

It was rare for a Bahamian to be able to pursue tertiary education in the late 1940s and the 50s. It was even rarer for a woman. She was among the first Bahamian women to attend university.

Over the ensuing decades she demonstrated a profound commitment to education, including personal support for family members and encouragement of new generations of women to pursue university education.

She insisted that education was critical for national development, and a means for the promotion of equality and social justice for black Bahamians, women and those without economic means.

She began her career as an educator in 1950 as a

Latin teacher at her high school alma mater, Latin for “nourishing mother”. Over approximately 20 years, she taught several other subjects including: Spanish, religious Knowledge, Commerce, Mathematics, Accounts/ Bookkeeping and religious Studies.

Marjorie Davis was part of a generation of first-time Bahamian teachers at the school including: Anatol rodgers, Keva (eldon) Bethel, Hugh Sands, CV Bethel and Jean Knowles. With various professional avenues closed to them, teaching was a profession in which women of academic ability could excel and advance.

The classroom is where educational theory meets practice. The best teachers know that they are not primarily teaching a subject. Foremost, they are teaching and molding a human being.

A number of former students and colleagues believe that her time as a teacher was among her more memorable and enjoyable years in education.

She developed lifelong friendships, and over 19 years taught many Bahamians who would feature prominently in the country’s development. Vincent Vanderpool Wallace recalls her as an outstanding Latin teacher, who wanted her Catholic students to better appreciate what was being conveyed in the Latin Mass.

ellen Coakley Serville also remembers Ms. Davis as an excellent teacher, who was calm and patient, especially for those who did not appreciate why they had to take Latin. Ms. Davis encouraged her love of languages.

Another former student, who would later become a Supreme Court Justice, recalls that when they began to work together in Zonta, that “Ms Davis” gently and repeatedly admonished her to call her “Marjorie”.

The student was moved that this traditional woman of deep faith was nonjudgemental, did not breezily impute bad motives to others, and understood human weakness. Ms. Davis corrected students firmly but gently and lovingly, sometimes with a wry smile. She was neither harsh nor bellicose or rude.

Ms Davis understood the importance of the holistic development of young people. She became the Girl Guides leader at GHS. Guiding is a fellowship and much more. It is a way of life.

From her youth until her death, Marjorie Davis was deeply committed to the mentoring and development of many generations of Bahamian guides through the Bahamas Girl Guides Association.

She imparted and lived the Girl Guide Law. Its tenets were part of her daily life and were demonstrated in her professional career and decades of volunteerism in myriad organizations.

The tenets: A Guide is loyal and can be trusted. A Guide is helpful. A Guide is polite and considerate. A Guide is friendly and a sister to all Guides. A Guide is kind to animals and respects all living things. A Guide is obedient. A Guide is cheerful and has courage in all difficulties. A Guide makes good use of her time. A Guide takes care of her own possessions and those of other people. A Guide is self-controlled in all she thinks, says and does.

A former Girl Guide now in her 70s, who fondly remembers leaders like Betty Cole and Ms. Davis, observed: “Being a member of Guides helped me to be a better person. We had plenty fun as Guides.

“But I also learned a lot. It made me a better mother and friend. It helped me develop skills and a way of thinking that helped me in

my career. And it made me a lifelong volunteer.”

The contributions of Guiding are well known. It also has had a sociological impact. Girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds became guides. And it was a training ground for women leaders in a deeply misogynistic society. Through her teaching and leadership in Guides, Ms. Davis touched the lives of thousands of Bahamians on a personal level. She was mentor and a guide in both senses, exemplifying her Christian and family values and the precepts of the Association.

In 1970, she was appointed Assistant Commissioner for the Central District. From 1993 to 1998 she served as Chief Commissioner. She was a member of the Association for approximately seven decades.

After being awarded a Commonwealth Bursary to the uK, Ms. Davis studied at the university of Hull in england, where she attained an Advanced Diploma in education in 1965.

As The Bahamas attained majority rule and was moving toward independence, it urgently needed Bahamian talent in every area of national life, especially education and the public service.

In 1969, two years after majority rule, she completed her Master of education, with a major in Guidance and Counselling, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in education.

Marjorie Davis and her generation had a sovereign nation to build, fostering and employing the talents and energy of many who were previously denied opportunity in their own land.

More Next Week: Volunteer and Nation Builder • Front Porch is now available in podcast on The Tribune website under the Editorial section.

Through her teaching and leadership in Guides, Ms. Davis touched the lives of thousands of Bahamians on a personal level. She was mentor and a guide in both senses, exemplifying her Christian and family values and the precepts of the Association.

Even after Trump’s indictment little has changed o the political landscape

THIS morning, the 2024 American presidential election is almost exactly 19 months away. Is all the suspense already gone?

Events this week certainly make that a more likely outcome.

Many observers have long suspected that a curious anomaly that has dominated American national politics for half a dozen years already will continue to do so.

The anomaly? Current President Joe Biden might have a tough time beating any Republican opponent in 2024 – with the notable exception of the man he is almost certain to face. The same man he defeated already: his predecessor Donald Trump.

Trump’s indictment in New York City on Tuesday revealed that almost nothing has really changed on the national American political landscape as the result of the November 2020 election, the January 6, 2021, storming of the US capitol or the November 2022 election.

You’d think that those events would have changed minds and the course of political developments in America. But they have seemingly altered very little.

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

Trump’s Manhattan indictment was on charges that are either spurious or substantial, depending on whom you consult.

Once safely back in Florida after his court appearance, Trump’s response was altogether characteristic, though he did look tired and almost haggard after his historymaking day as the first US president ever indicted for a crime, in or out of office.

“They can’t beat us at the ballot box, so they try to beat us through the law. We are a nation in decline, and now these radical left lunatics want to interfere in elections by using law enforcement,” Trump said, linking his prosecution and the multiple investigations he faces to his phony claims of a rigged election in 2020.

“We can’t let that happen.”

Trump said prosecutors in Atlanta should stop investigating his effort to

overturn the 2020 election in Georgia; mocked a New York state investigation into his business, and described as a “lunatic” the Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the federal probe into his handling of classified documents and his actions in helping to incite the January 6 mob attack on the US Capitol.

“With all of this being said, and with a very dark cloud over our beloved country, I have no doubt nevertheless we will make America great again,” Trump said. “The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” he added.

Not much new there. Nor was there anything new in the support for Trump in his indictment by almost all national Republican politicians – despite the

fact that he is blamed for GOP failures in the past three American national elections. Perhaps most notable was South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham on TV right after Trump’s indictment was announced, looking bleary and disheveled, shouting that viewers on Fox News should immediately contribute to Trump’s legal defense. That was embarrassing, even in the context of the chaos that is American politics these days.

As to the legal merits of the New York indictment of Trump, it’s hard to know what to believe. There are lots of legal experts all over the place on this.

A law professor who worked in independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s office during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment told reporters this week that in her opinion, Trump’s

positions as a candidate and a former president don’t make his actions political rather than criminal.

“To call this political, when it is about a politician, is double-speak,” Kim Wehle said. “There are plenty of politicians who have been indicted, prosecuted and convicted over the course of American history. The fact that he is embroiled in politics does not somehow lower the

standard or change the standard for prosecution from the standpoint of lawyers and the law.” Wehle said she believes Bragg would have indicted Trump only if he believed he could prove crimes were committed. “But by all accounts, Bragg is a careful and experienced prosecutor. He understands the stakes, so I doubt this will be a flimsy case,” she said.

Wisonsin supreme court judge changes and the effects of gerrymandering

It’s hard to minimise the significance of an election held in Wisconsin on Tuesday. This midwestern swing state, once reliably Blue but moving through Purple toward Red in recent years, voted to fill a position on the state’s supreme court being vacated by a reliable conservative justice. The ideological balance on the state’s highest court hung in the balance for the evenlysplit six remaining judges.

A Democrat won, rather easily. Liberal-leaning family court judge Janet

Protasiewicz triumphed, and it wasn’t that close. The state supreme court has been in the hands of a conservative majority for 15 years; in fact, only the surprise defection of one of them kept Wisconsin from actually overturning the 2020 presidential election results in the state and certifying a bogus Trump slate.

The conservative majority court in Wisconsin had repeatedly enabled former governor Scott Walker to seriously weaken the state’s public employee unions, and might well have ratified the

GOP-dominated legislature in its attempts to enforce an ancient law over 150 years old that might have outlawed abortion in the state.

Furthermore, this court had approved some of the more outlandish gerrymandering in the entire country over the past several years.

All of this can now prospectively be undone by the new liberal majority on the court.

One well-respected local commentator told reporters that this was an election that

was overwhelmingly about abortion and redistricting.

“These are issues that affect people’s real lives, and they’re deeply intertwined. In a decade of polling,” he said, “roughly 60 percent to 65 percent of Wisconsin voters have consistently said that abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. Gerrymandering means that the majority cannot enact its beliefs into law.

“If I had one big thing that I want to get across to you, it’s that the deadlock between the political

branches, which is related to districting, is one of the reasons why the supreme court has become such a hot race,” he said. “Because it’s become the arbiter of that deadlock.”

Electing judges brings us to a famous American jurist.

Readers may well remember US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The first woman ever appointed to the American high court, she was the choice of President Ronald Reagan and had been educated at Stanford University, where she met her husband. Growing up on a ranch in Arizona, O’Connor embraced conservative jurisprudence.

But over the years of her service on the court, she also became a swing vote of reason on many issues. When her husband began succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease in the 2005, O’Connor resigned from the court to care for him.

This opened the door for President George W Bush

to choose Samuel Alito as her replacement. It was the pivotal event, beginning the high court’s move to the right, now embodied in a sturdy 6-3 majority.

O’Connor is still alive, and still speaking out. The point of mentioning her in the context of the Wisconsin high court election is that she is a passionate advocate for appointing judges rather than electing them as is now the case in many states.

Wisconsin’s experience over the past 15 years of rightward, unrepresentative judicial decision-making by its highest court is regrettable. But there’s no guarantee that the new liberal majority won’t make similar oversteps in the exercise of its legal purview in the years to come.

As O’Connor says, appoint judges. Don’t make them politicians by electing them. Especially not now, when the country is so polarised.

florida teams make splash in basketball championships

AFTER the nets had finally been cut down on the 2023 men’s and women’s American national collegiate basketball championships, there were no Florida teams still standing. But it was certainly an unexpectedly fine men’s tourney for the likes of the University of Miami, Florida Gulf Coast and Florida Atlantic.

It was nice to see high-performing athletes representing Florida schools on the basketball court as

well as on the football and baseball fields. The women’s final drew a TV audience of ten million viewers to watch the LSU Tigers derail Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. That figure set a record, and the gesturing and fingerpointing during and after the game between these teams should help to promote the popularity of this women’s sport to new and unprecedented levels.

MiaMi forward Norchad Omier drives to the basket past Connecticut center Donovan Clingan during the second half of a Final Four college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, in Houston.

Photo: David J. Phillip/AP

ForMer President Trump leaves Trump Tower for Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Tuesday. Trump will be booked and arraigned on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign.

Photo: Corey Sipkin/AP

Sweeting says govt is progressing in addressing conch population decline

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs

Clay Sweeting defended the government’s efforts to manage queen conch fishing yesterday. His comments responded to a letter published in The Tribune, in which the writer demanded answers about the government’s progress on advancing the “conchservation project”.

Minister Sweeting said his ministry is continuously aiming to strengthen the Department of Marine Resources, despite strained financial resources.

In a press statement, he said: “The Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs continues its holistic efforts to manage the queen conch fishery on behalf of, and in partnership with, the Bahamian people. “We are all in this together. The need to balance urgent current needs against the absolute necessity for sustainability is at the forefront of the ministry’s considerations.

“This responsibility involves due consideration of reputable scientific studies and, importantly, the opinions of a variety of stakeholders such as the Bahamas National Trust and direct resource users such as fishers. Future

m an remanded witHout bail on gun tHreat cHarge

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 50-year-old man was remanded after he was accused of threatening someone with a gun.

Dana Pratt, stood before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on a charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. It is alleged that on April 2, Pratt endangered the life

of Parish Armaly with a handgun.

The accused was not required to plead. His case will be transferred to the Supreme Court by way of a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI), which is due to be served on June 5.

He may apply for bail at the higher court, but until then will be remanded to prison.

t H ree to pay $7,000 bail on illegal gun c H arges

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN and two women faced court yesterday accused of possession of a loaded gun.

Terran Clarke, 24, Sherise Clarke, 47, and a 16-year-old female, appeared before Magistrate Kendra Kelly on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MURDER suspect has been remanded after he was accused of breaching his bail.

Clarington Bowleg, 31, represented by Ian Cargill, faced Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on seven counts of violation of bail conditions.

Bail had been granted by the Supreme Court after he was accused of the fatal shooting of Anthony Petit on Barret Street, Harbour Island, on February 5, 2021.

It is alleged that between February 14 and March 1 this year the accused failed to charge his court imposed

It is alleged that on April 3 in New Providence, the three were found by police with a black G3C Taurus pistol with the serial number erased, as well as 12 unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition.

All three pleaded not guilty. Each was granted $7,000 bail.

The trial is due to begin on May 4.

generations not yet able to speak for themselves are also heavily considered.”

Mr Sweeting noted initiatives the government has implemented to protect conch and other marine resources.

“Fisheries officers have also been placed throughout the islands. The officers are increasingly equipped with needed tools such as trucks in order to conduct enforcement patrols. In addition, training and technical tools to scientifically measure the size of conch at landing sites have been supplied to fisheries officers,” the statement said yesterday.

“Measures, such as a closed season, a minimum lip thickness of 14mm to protect juvenile conch, removal of conch from bag limits, the landing of conch in the shell so enforcement officers can determine maturity and other measures have received consideration. One necessary initial measure implemented in January 2021, included a ban on the export of commercial quantities of conch to help to reduce fishing pressure.”

electronic monitoring device (EMD) on five occasions. Bowleg is further accused of failing to sign in at the Harbour Island Police Station on March 24 and 29.

He pleaded not guilty. His counsel said Bowleg had informed his local station that he would be unable to sign in on the days in question because he was sick. Mr Cargill also said EMDs have a tendency to malfunction. The lawyer said it is a prevalent issue.

With the prosecution objecting to bail, Bowleg was sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. His trial is set for June 28.

one gram of Hemp gets man 25 Hours community service

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was ordered to complete 25 hours of community service after admitting to marijuana

possession.

Leo Whyms, 34, appeared before Magistrate Shaka Serville on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs. On April 1 in New Providence, Whyms was

arrested after he was found with one gram of Indian Hemp. He pleaded guilty and said the drugs were for his own personal use.

Whyms was granted a conditional discharge and placed on three months probation. He was also ordered to complete 25 hours of community service. Failure to complete these would result in a $450 fine or a one month prison sentence.

m urder suspect H eld after failing to c H arge H is emd

Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting responds to a letter questioning the government’s progress in the ‘Conchservation project’.

EASTER OFF TO AN EGG-CITING START

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

WITH MUCH excitement about the Spring Break, Tambearly International School students kicked off their Easter celebrations.

Christina Chandler, vice principal at Tambearly International School said the students in grades Pre-k through twelve came together to put their creative talents to work, creating dioramas using blown eggs as the characters of their settings.

“Each grade level was tasked with selecting and designing a theme using recycled materials to create the settings and egg shells as the characters. Themes reflected concepts studied in all subject areas including novels and works of pop culture studied in literature class, science concepts, events from history studies, musical productions performed through the music classes, Tambearly students favourite sports game, fashion and design, and gaming and technology,” said Christina.

She said Tambearly students did an “eggcellent” job working together to create their eggstravaganza displays. And the excitement and joy in all grade levels was realised with the dedication each student had in planning, preparing, and implementing their teams plan. Christina said all are looking forward to making this an annual event.

Adding extra incentive to earn merit points for house teams, she said families were invited to visit the display during Parent Teacher Conferences and share details learned about the students’ studies through autumn and winter term from the eggstravaganza display.

“Pre-K students, ages three and four, learned all about the life cycle of a chicken through their barnyard display of a very colourful and bright chicken coop. Montessori students, ages three through five, shared a prehistoric display depicting herbivores and carnivores in the swamps and forest of 150 million years ago.

Kindergarten students created a display reflecting on character traits of power and strength used to help others. Each student created an egg character of their favourite fictional superhero,” said Christina.

Moreover, Grades one and three focused on science studies creating works that reveal elements of outer space. Grade one’s diorama is out of this world with a representation of all planets in the universe being navigated by grade one students as egg-aliens in their UFO’s. Grades two and four egg characters were both set in a lovely spring day. Grade two represented all creatures great and small, while grade four egg characters were in a competitive game on the sports field.

“Grade five dioramas depict historical events the Battle of Hastings (1066) and Norsemen eggs rowing their viking ship into battle at Stamford Bridge (1066) reviewed in class and a fashion show of lovely young eggs strutting in style.

Grade six shared displays representing settings in literary works. The sonnet The Kraken, by Alfred Tennyson (1930) shows egg characters fiercely trying to steer their ship away from the slumbering tentacles of the Kraken. Fairy tales Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin were represented in a display comparing and contrasting the works,” said Christina.

She said the grade seven students shared various topicssuch as; a representation of Cats, the musical, gladiators at a Roman amphitheater, and passengers on Bahamas Egg Ways taking flight for the holiday break. While Grade eight created a scene from Stranger Things, showcasing the alternate dimension of “The Upside Down”.

“Grade nine shared an intense soccer match between minion eggs. Grades 10-12 created scenes from favorite novels studied this year, A&P by John Updike, The Lord of The Flies by William Golding, and The Diamond Necklace by Guy de Maupassant. Their interactive dioramas were a big hit with parents as they provided QR scan codes linking to the excerpts from the novels represented in their scenes,” said Christina.

The vice principal said Tambearly International School students are currently working hard, using their creative talents in preparation of their upcoming 2023 School Art Show hosted by Bahama Mar’s The Current Art Gallery on May 19 - May 22, 2023. Readers are asked to please support and enjoy the masterpiece works of Tambearly students.

STUDENTS showing off their work at Tambearly International School.

US House leader and Taiwan president meet as China protests

CALIFORNIA

Associated Press

Risking China’s ire, House speaker kevin McCarthy welcomed Taiwan President Tsai ingwen to a high-level meeting on Us soil as a “great friend of America” on Wednesday in a fraught show of Us support.

More than a dozen Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including the House’s third-ranking Democrat, joined Republican McCarthy for the talks at southern California’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, against a backdrop of rising tensions between the Us and China.

The members of Congress rose to their feet to greet the Taiwanese leader at a long table lined with bouquets. The formal trappings of the meeting, and the senior rank of some of the elected officials, in themselves threatened to run afoul of China’s position that any interaction between Us and Taiwanese officials is a challenge to China’s claim of sovereignty over the island.

McCarthy said he wanted the Taiwan president to see that “this is a bipartisan meeting of members of Congress,” not any one political party.

“We will continue to find ways for the people of America and Taiwan to

work together to promote economic freedom, democracy, peace and stability in Asia,” the House speaker said.

The United states broke off official ties with Taiwan in 1979 while formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Beijing government.

The Us acknowledges a “one-China” policy in which Beijing lays claim to Taiwan, but it does not endorse China’s claim to the island and remains Taiwan’s key provider of military and defence assistance.

For Tsai, it was the most sensitive stop on a week long journey meant to shore up alliances with the Us and Central America.

The Us House speaker is second in line of succession to the president. no speaker is known to have met with a Taiwan president on Us soil since the Us broke off formal diplomatic relations.

China has reacted to past trips by Taiwanese presidents through the Us, and to past trips to Taiwan by senior Us officials, with shows of military force.

The Chinese responded to a visit by then-House speaker nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last August with its largest live-fire drills in decades, including firing a missile over the island.

Chinese officials have pledged a sharp but

unspecified response to the meeting with McCarthy. There was no immediate reaction from China on Wednesday, a holiday there. However, Chinese vessels started a joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern waters of the Taiwan strait, state media announced Wednesday morning. Taiwan’s Ministry of national Defence said Wednesday evening it had also tracked the Chinese Army’s shandong aircraft carrier passing through the Bashi strait, to Taiwan’s southeast.

Brazil man kills four children with hatchet at day care centre

BRAZIL

Associated Press

A MAn with a hatchet jumped over a wall and burst into a day care center Wednesday in Brazil, killing four children and wounding at least four others, authorities said.

The assailant turned himself in at a police station and did not appear to have any connection with the center, which offers nursery services, preschool education and after-school activities. The dead were between the ages of 5 and 7, authorities said.

Authorities were searching for a motive, the police detective leading the investigation, Ronnie Esteves, told television reporters in Blumenau, a city of 366,000 in southern Brazil, near the Atlantic coast.

The state’s civil police chief, Ulisses gabriel, confirmed that the attacker was a 25-year-old man from neighboring Parana

state. He will be charged with murder and attempted murder. Police believe the attack was an isolated act and not related to any other crimes, gabriel said. images broadcast on networks showed weeping parents outside the private day care center called Cantinho do Bom Pastor. The attack took place on the center’s playground, according to the local affiliate of television network globo. nsC, the affiliate, showed a photo of the suspect with a closely shaved head. Police have yet to confirm his identity.

Blumenau’s mayor, Mário Hildebrandt, suspended classes and said he will declare a 30-day mourning period. Authorities said any reports of other attacks or threats against schools in the region were false. school attacks in Brazil have happened with greater frequency in recent years. Last week, a

student in sao Paulo fatally stabbed a teacher and wounded several others in sao Paulo.

Brazil has seen at least one past attack on a day care center. That attack also occurred in santa Catarina state, in May 2021, when an assailant used a dagger to kill three children under 2 years old and two adults.

From 2000 to 2022, 16 attacks or violent episodes happened in schools, four of them in the second half of last year, according to a report from researchers led by Daniel Cara, an education professor at the University of sao Paulo.

There is no single factor to explain the rise of such attacks, but a common denominator is what Cara calls “a crisis of perspective” regarding economic problems and the likelihood that each assailant endured situations of frustration and violence, including bullying and harassment.

China’s “deliberate action has jeopardized regional stability and caused tension in Taiwan strait,” Taiwan’s defence ministry said. “However, external pressures will not hinder our determination to move toward the world & defend our country.” The Biden administration insists there is nothing provocative about this visit by Tsai, which is the latest of a half-dozen.

“The first thing to emphasize is that these transits by high-level Taiwanese authorities are nothing new,” secretary

A supporter of Taiwan, center, confronts protesters opposed to Taiwanese independence outside a hotel where Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to arrive in Los Angeles, Tuesday.

of state Antony Blinken told reporters Wednesday during travel in Europe. “They are private, they are unofficial, but they are nothing new.” given that, Beijing should not use the transits as an excuse to take any actions, to ratchet up tensions, to further push at changing the status quo,” Blinken said.

“There’s no reason for the Chinese to overreact in any way,” national security Council spokesman John kirby told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll watch this as closely as we can.”

The Taiwan president’s visit to America comes as China, the Us and its allies are strengthening their military positions and readiness for any confrontation between the two sides, with Taiwan and its claim to sovereignty a main flashpoint. Confrontation between the Us and China, a rising power increasingly seeking to assert its influence abroad under President Xi Jinping, surged with Pelosi’s visit and again this winter with the cross-Us journey of what the Us says was a Chinese spy balloon.

Women sit in an embrace outside the “Cantinho do Bom Pastor” daycare center after a fatal attack on children, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina state, Brazil, yesterday. A man with a hatchet jumped over a wall and invaded the daycare center, killing four children and wounding at least five others, authorities said.

Photo: ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

Photo: patrick rodrigues/AP

SPORTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023

Going for the gold

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas CARIFTA team is ready to win gold on home soil at this year’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

Last week the team rolled out a full 80-member team for the first time in Bahamian history as athletes look to shine at The Bahamas’ record ninth hosting of CARIFTA.

With the countdown for the event now down to zero as the opening ceremony for the event will take place 4pm tomorrow at the Thomas A Robinson stadium, first-time athletes are ready to leave it all on the track and field.

The Bahamas’ 80-member team has more than 50 first-time athletes on this year’s team. Among this year’s first timers is none other than Amari Pratt. The under 20 performer initially qualified for CARIFTA in 2020

but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled. However, she is happy to make her CARIFTA debut on home soil.

“I am kind of excited. I know what I came to do.

I am just going to execute my race the best I can and try to come home with the gold,” Pratt said.

She said she is very excited to see her hometown crowd, including her friends and family. She also looks forward to the support of the Bahamians.

Darvinique Dean is also set to make her CARIFTA debut in under 17 girls 400m race and 400m hurdles. Dean secured her spot on this year’s CARIFTA team by qualifying in the under 17 400m race with a time of 56.58 which bested the qualifying mark of 56.64 at the CARIFTA trials and nationals.

“I am very excited. I am glad that I am here to represent my country. I am glad that I am doing it at home so people can know

who I am and to just do well,” Dean said. She said physically she placed emphasis on her diet and mentally she tries to get a full night of rest in preparation for morning practice while also having a play no games mindset.

Melvinique Gibson will look to make her name

known in her CARIFTA debut in the under 20 girls 4x100m race and possibly the 4x400m relays. Gibson talked about how it felt to be selected to an historic team.

“It feels good, it feels like a dream come true and everything I said last time just came into fruition so I

DEVYNNE CHARLTON BILLBOARD UNVEILED IN STAPLEDON

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DEVYNNE Charlton, who is an inspiration to her younger sister, is hoping that more Bahamians will aspire to follow in her footsteps as her images and accomplishments were splashed on a billboard in her community.

thank God most of all,” she said. She added that she feels 100% ready physically and that she goes the extra mile to practice at home after evening sessions to give herself an extra push ahead of her big debut.

SEE PAGE 20

TEAMS ARUBA AND T&T TOUCH DOWN

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Aruba and Team Trinidad joined Team Bahamas yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium after their arrivals to the island nation.

With the 50th Oaktree CARIFTA Games set to start tomorrow (April 7), teams have made their way to The Bahamas to get settled in the Games Village at Breezes Bahamas.

The island nation’s record ninth hosting of the games is special as it coincides with the 50th year of The Bahamas’ Independence. CARIFTA teams are looking to get in some last minute practices ahead of Easter weekend as all 28

Caribbean countries prepare to go to war on the track and field at the TAR stadium.

Richard Luydens, head coach of Team Aruba, talked about the practice sessions with his athletes.

Luydens said the team began their commute to

The Bahamas on April 4 and arrived in the country yesterday morning after staying one night in Miami.

He said it’s the team’s first time practicing this week because the stadium in Aruba is under renovation so athletes have not been on the track in a while.

The 12-member team of Aruba made a few laps around the track yesterday to test the fastness of the track, according to their head coach.

He added that most of the team consists of sprinters, long distance runners, along with two jumpers. On the day, they practiced some jumps and their long distance running.

SEE PAGE 18

The Stapledon Neighbourhood Watch Committee unveiled the billboard which displayed her accolades in the women’s 100 metres hurdles that include one-time World Indoor Championship and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, an Olympic Games and World Championship finalist, two-time national record holder and one-time World Athletics Indoor World Tour champion.

Flanked by her parents David and Laura Charlton and her younger sister Anthaya, who came home from Kentucky to view the Oaktree Medical Center’s 50th CARIFTA Games this weekend, Charlton said she was honoured by the billboard that is erected at the corner of Tonique Williams-Darling Highway and Christie Avenue.

Also in attendance for the event was Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, Masai Russell, a hurdles/sprints team-mate of Charlton in Kentucky and members of the Stapledon Neighbourhood Watch Committee and some of the sponsors.

“I hope this can be something that can show other young kids in Stapledon what they can do,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what community you come

SEE PAGE 15

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) — Miami

star centre fielder Jasrado

Jazz Chisholm Jr exits with injury after a steal attempt WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? A LOOK AT THE OPTIONS IF HE LEAVES PSG

“Jazz” Chisholm Jr left yesterday’s 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the first inning with a stinger in his right shoulder after a steal attempt.

Batting in the leadoff spot with Luis Arráez out on a scheduled day off, Chisholm Jr led off the first with a single to right field. He was caught stealing second and appeared to get hurt after Minnesota second baseman Kyle Farmer tagged him.

Chisholm Jr slid headfirst into Farmer’s left leg and remained down on the field for a few minutes after the play.

He later said he felt numbness in his upper body area immediately afterward and couldn’t lift his arm to get himself off the ground, but regained feeling a few minutes later when he went to the locker room.

He said he wasn’t evaluated for a concussion since it was his neck and shoulder specifically that collided with Farmer.

“It was the first time I think I’ve ever

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer

PARIS (AP) — When Lionel Messi was jeered by Paris Saint-Germain fans during last Sunday’s home defeat to Lyon, their relationship looked like it had reached a breaking point.

Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal after leaving Barcelona against his will in 2021, with an option for an extra year if both parties agreed. But talks have reportedly broken down and Messi’s departure this summer looks increasingly inevitable.

There were high hopes he could lead PSG to an elusive Champions League title, but instead the Qatari-backed club went out in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.

He was among the players jeered last season after PSG was knocked out by Real Madrid, and although Messi’s form was outstanding in the first half of this campaign, it dipped significantly after he led

MIAMI Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, right, walks with Jazz Chisholm Jr, centre, as he is helped off the field after he was injured attempting to steal second base during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins yesterday in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

BATON EXCHANGE: Darvinique Dean gets ready to pass the baton to Jamiah Nabbie during yesterday evening’s CARIFTA Games practice session at Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

Photo: Tenajh Sweeting

RICHARD LUYDENS

Pre-School hosts their inter-house sports day

from as long as you work towards your goal, you can get up there.”

It was the second such billboard posted in Stapledon Gardens as Charlton joined World and Olympic Games women’s 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who was the first highlighted for her achievements.

“I don’t know if people knew what neighbourhood I grew up in honestly. I think it will do something, seeing that I grew up in the same place just as them,” she noted. “Just the impact that I’ve had on sports, I feel a lot more kids taking part in the hurdles.”

Having made her mark on the international scene as one of the top 10 competitors in the hurdles on the global stage, Charlton said it’s an event that more athletes should pursue in their effort to get to the same position.

This was the first time since 2013 when she participated in the CARIFTA Games that Charlton has been in attendance, so with the event taking place this weekend at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, she’s delighted to be here to lend her support.

“With this being the 50th edition and also our 50th anniversary of Independence, I think this is going to be a special time for us and I just wanted to be home to be a part of it,” Charlton said.

Once she returns to Kentucky on Sunday, she will prepare for her outdoor season opener next week in Florida to get the ball rolling for the champaign towards the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.

Without putting any restrictions on herself, Charlton said the goal is to get on the podium and win a medal on the biggest global stage of the sport.

As for her younger sister, Anthaya, who is fast becoming one of the top collegians in just her freshman year at Kentucky, Charlton said she may have the fastest time on paper in the 100m, but they have not gone headto-head to determine who is definitely the best.

Anthaya Charlton, who also competes in the 100 and 100m hurdles as well as the long jump, said while her time has established her as the best, she’s just delighted to have her

older sister as her biggest supporter in training in Kentucky.

“Now we need two signs. I need my own. I want my billboard on the street too,” said Anthaya.

On Tuesday, Charlton was named the Freshman Athlete of the Week after she clocked a personal best of 11.13 to move to No.2 in the NCAA, and was third in the long jump with 21-feet, 4 3/4-inches at the Texas Relays over the weekend “I am now the fastest in the 100m between the two of us. But I will let her keep the hurdles. I don’t want to take the two spots away from her right now.”

After quitting track last year, Anthaya Charlton said she’s just thrilled to be back and back in a big way as she has excelled beyond the level she attained last year.

“I think it’s going to be a really good season for me,” said Charlton, who just completed her CARIFTA eligibility last year, but encouraged the 80 members of this year’s team to go out and enjoy themselves and represent the Bahamas on our home territory.

Russell, who was named the Women’s Runner of the Week at the Texas Relays, said coming from Washington DC, to be able to view the palm trees and other natural resources in the Bahamas, was breathtaking.

She noted, however, that nothing topped watching the billboard unveiled for her close friend Devynne Charlton.

“I think this just gives all of us the inspiration to go out and accomplish all that she has achieved,” Russell said. “It’s crazy and exciting to have two sisters like this training and competing with you.”

Additionally, Russell said she’s even more eager to watch the competition during the games before they return to Kentucky to continue their training and competition.

Bowleg congratulated Stapledon for taking the initiative to recognise and show appreciation for one of their own.

“Devynne is one of those athletes who has tried hard and has grown over the years and has made all of us very proud,” Bowleg said.

“I hope that I will still be the minister on the sideline when she wins her first Olympic medal because I have supported her from the time she went through her battle with injuries and was able to bounce back. She knows what she wants and, as a former coach, when you find athletes like that, you just need to give them all the support they need. That is what I’ve tried to do for her.”

Bowleg welcomed the Charlton girls and their friends from Kentucky and indicated that he

hopes they will all enjoy themselves during the CARIFTA Games.

Laura Charlton, speaking on behalf of her husband, said it’s a great feeling to see that where she was born and bred, she’s now being recognised for her accomplishments.

“This should also serve as an encouragement for other youngsters in the community to let them know that they too can achieve the same thing that she has,” Laura Charlton said. “We are very thankful to the community for taking the opportunity to recognise her in this fashion.”

Stapledon Community Watch president Jouette Smith said when they do things in Stapledon, they do it big or they don’t do

it at all. He noted that they did one for Miller-Uibo and since January, they were making plans for this second unveiling that took place.

“On this billboard is over 30 sponsors from across the length and breadth of the Bahamas. That there is no easy task,” he said.

“All of them have pledged in one way or the other to assist this community in any initiative or all of our initiatives that we may have.”

Smith added that he promised Laura Charlton that Devynne would be the second person to be unveiled on the billboard and he’s pleased to do it for an athlete who has represented the Bahamas very well on the global stage.

MESSI FROM PAGE 14

Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar. PSG coach Christophe Galtier defended Messi by saying it was others who should raise their game.

“You can’t expect Leo to do everything,” Galtier said after the Lyon game. “The boos are very harsh. He’s a player who gives a lot, who gave a lot in the first half of the season. But it’s also down to the others to surpass themselves.”

Since its array of stars returned from the World Cup, PSG has lost eight games overall in 2023. Others have played far worse than Messi. Yet PSG fans seem to primarily blame the Argentina star for the alarming slump — perhaps perceiving that his previous good form was motivated purely by his quest to win the World Cup, which he did as the tournament’s best player.

PSG fans are also unhappy that he rarely comes over to applaud them after games.

Messi has cut a distant figure since PSG was eliminated 3-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last month.

If the next nine French league games are to be Messi’s final appearances in a PSG shirt, here’s a look at where the 35-year-old superstar could go next.

MESSI VS.

RONALDO, AGAIN?

When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018, it brought the curtain down on the most fascinating player rivalry in modern soccer history. After years of competing for supremacy with Messi at Barcelona, he moved to Juventus.

Ronaldo now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr in Riyadh and speculation has been growing that Messi could be heading to the Middle East as well to city rival Al Hilal — which is reportedly prepared to offer a record-breaking salary.

Messi played against Ronaldo in January for PSG in an exhibition game in Riyadh against a combined XI from Al Nassr and Al Hilal.

Ronaldo’s arrival has already boosted Saudi’s soccer profile and having Messi would do so even more as it prepares to stage the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in December.

MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg joins community leaders and family of Devynne Charlton for the unveiling.

DEVYNNE Charlton flanked by her sister Anathaya and parents David and Laura Charlton in front of unveiled sign in Stepledon Gardens where they reside.

MEMBERS of the Kids College Pre-School hosted their inter-house sports day competition on Friday at Garden Hills Park. There were a number of events for the youngsters heading into the Easter holiday break. The winners in the various events are pictured above.

@

G L

GYMNASIUM

First all-lady pro fights in more than a decade

In their first boxing show in more than a decade, First Class Promotions, in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, hosted the first all-female professional world title boxing match in the region this past weekend at the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium.

The event was held to celebrate and honour the life of Bahamian boxing great Ray Minus Jr. Also, in efforts to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) disease which the boxing legend has developed.

The first women’s matchup on the night featured Brazil’s Simone Silva who came into the event with a 17-22-0 (winloss-draw) record. She faced off against Philadelphia’s Oshae Jones, who sported an unblemished 2-0-0 record. Jones emerged victorious after exchanging blows with her opponent for eight consecutive rounds en

route to another win and 3-0-0 record.

In the night’s 10-round main event, Toronto’s Lindsay Garbatt, sporting a 9-9-2 record, stepped into the ring against Jaimie “The Miracle” Mitchell whose record was 8-1-2 coming into this highly-anticipated matchup.

The two went headto-head in the ring for the World Boxing Association (WBA) International world title.

After a gruelling 10-round match that saw both women up the ante in round eight, exchanging powerful blows leading up to the final bell, Mitchell emerged victorious and left the ring as the champion.

First Class Promotions will now turn their attention to the British Commonwealth title match which will feature another women’s card and the undercard will feature the men.

The event is expected to be held on October 6.

BAHAMIAN boxing great Ray Minus

TORONTO’S LINDSAY GARBATT, right, and Jaimie “The Miracle” Mitchell face off.

FORMER international pro boxing champion Ray Minus Jr shares a moment with his father Ray Minus Sr and his daughter Rayshell, as he was honored on Friday night by First Class Promotions during their inaugural all-female pro card at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

JAIMIE “The Miracle” Mitchell with her belt and corner trainers after beating Toronto’s Lindsay Garbatt in the 10-round main event.

Photos by Moises Amisial /Tribune Staff

JAIMIE “The Miracle” Mitchell punches Toronto’s Lindsay Garbatt in the 10-round main event.

FORMER international acclaim professional boxing champion Ray Minus Jr, flanked by his family and friends is introduced to the public during the First-Class Promotions’ inaugural all- female pro boxing card on Saturday night at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

OSHAE Jones is tended to in her corner.

Analysis: Will load management impact the NBA scoring race?

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer

THE most famous scoring race in NBA history was probably the 1978 edition, when George Gervin edged out David Thompson by seven hundredths of a point.

Thompson scored 73 points in his team’s final game of the regular season, only for Gervin to answer with 63 later that day. It was an example of how two talented players — with a tight margin separating them — can push each other to some impressive heights.

Will we see anything similar this coming week from Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic? Embiid is the current leader at 32.97 points per game. Doncic is at 32.75. The regular season ends April 9 — 45 years to the day after Thompson and Gervin produced their fantastic finish to the 197778 season. Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are scheduled to play at Brooklyn at 1pm. That game should end around the time Doncic and the Mavericks tip off against San Antonio.

So it’s easy to imagine Embiid putting up a huge number and leaving Doncic to try and answer with his own scoring binge. And that would be fitting, given that this season has already had two 71-point games from Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard.

(Lillard is a close third in the scoring race at 32.17 ppg, but he’s had a calf injury and hasn’t played since March 22 for the out-of-contention Portland Trail Blazers. He has appeared in 58 games — the exact number needed to qualify for the scoring title.)

Doncic scored 60 points in a Dec. 27 game against

the New York Knicks, and Embiid had 59 on Nov. 13 against Utah. There’s no telling how high they might go if there’s enough motivation to chase the scoring championship.

Of course, that’s the big question: How big a priority is it? Especially for Embiid, who won last year.

The 76ers have four games remaining. They’re currently third in the Eastern Conference, three games behind Boston and 2 1/2 ahead of Cleveland. If Philadelphia’s postseason seeding becomes certain, would Embiid — who is also an MVP candidate — sit out to rest up for the playoffs?

Doncic may not have that choice. The Mavericks are a game out of the last play-in spot in the West, and they need him in the lineup as they try to salvage their rapidly

Rashford scores again in Manchester United victory, Newcastle routs West Ham

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

THE composed finish. That now-familiar fingerto-the-temple celebration pose.

Marcus Rashford continued his prolific post-World Cup scoring spree for Manchester United yesterday to put the team back on course for Champions League qualification.

The England forward’s 28th-minute goal secured a 1-0 victory over Brentford in the pouring rain at Old Trafford as United ended a three-match winless run in the Premier League to move back into the top four.

United is tied for points with third-place Newcastle, which was helped by some woeful defending by relegation-threatened West Ham in a 5-1 thrashing at the London Stadium.

Callum Wilson and Joelinton scored two goals apiece in Newcastle’s fourth straight win. Boos from the home fans greeted the final whistle, with West Ham only out of the relegation zone on goal difference and manager David Moyes seemingly back under big pressure.

Newcastle and Man United look to be the

BUCKS WRAP UP TOP SEED IN NBA WITH 105-92 WIN OVER BULLS

By CHARLES GARDNER Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP)

—

Bobby Portis had 27 points and 13 rebounds, starting in place of the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks wrapped up the top seed in the NBA playoffs, beating the Chicago Bulls 105-92 last night.

Antetokounmpo was ruled out before the game because of right knee soreness. He had 28 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists against Washington on Tuesday night.

Brook Lopez had 26 points, point guard Jrue Holiday added 20 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds and Jevon Carter had 16 points in a starting role.

Khris Middleton started for the Bucks, but played just eight minutes before exiting with right knee soreness. He was 0 for 3 from the floor.

deteriorating season. Of course, that means winning games is the priority, so Dallas may not be in a position to feed Doncic the ball in an effort to get him the scoring crown.

Gervin finished the 1977-78 season at 27.22 ppg, with Thompson at 27.15. That is, according to Sportradar, the closest race since 1969-70, when the NBA started using points per game to determine the scoring champion instead of total points.

• Here are the other four closest races since then — and how they ended:

1993-94: David Robinson 29.79, Shaquille O’Neal 29.35.

Robinson and O’Neal gave the NBA a Thompson vs. Gervin redux in ‘94. Well, half of one.

Robinson poured it on in San Antonio’s finale,

scoring 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. That performance broke the team record for single-game scoring — set by Gervin in his 63-point game 16 years earlier. It left O’Neal needing 68 points for the title, but he managed only 32. Brian Hill, Shaq’s coach in Orlando, called the SpursClippers game a “farce.”

1997-98: Michael Jordan 28.74, Shaquille O’Neal 28.32. Another near-miss for Shaq, although he played only 60 games that season while Jordan played all 82. Jordan scored 44 points in his final regular-season game for Chicago. O’Neal needed 59 the following day and scored 33. It was the 10th and last scoring title for Jordan.

2009-10: Kevin Durant 30.15, LeBron James 29.71.

This was a close race, but it wasn’t overly suspenseful because James was rested at the end of the season and didn’t play in any of Cleveland’s last four games. Durant scored 31 points in Oklahoma City’s finale, but even if he’d gone scoreless, he’d have won.

2011-12: Kevin Durant 28.03, Kobe Bryant 27.86.

Durant won his third straight title after scoring 32 points in the regularseason finale. Bryant could have passed him with a 38-point effort the following night, but he sat out the Lakers’ game at Sacramento as the team prepared for the playoffs. James finished at 27.15, making this the last time the top three scorers were within a point of each other — a scenario that could be repeated this year.

Milwaukee improved to 58-22, fighting back from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit.

The Bucks lead fellow Eastern Conference foe Boston by three games with two games remaining.

Jae Crowder and Wes Matthews combined to harass Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan throughout the game, with DeRozan finishing with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Coby White added 14 points, and Zach LaVine had 13.

The Bulls built a 61-51 lead early in the third quarter.

But the Bucks responded with a 15-0 run, paced by six points from Portis and four from Lopez.

The Bulls started the night in 10th place in the East and already having clinched a play-in berth.

favourites to claim the final two Champions League spots behind Arsenal and Manchester City, the teams battling for the title.

Tottenham is three points further back in fifth but has played one game more.

RASHFORD’S FORM Rashford is in his careerbest scoring form, having netted 28 goals in all competitions — 15 of them in the league — to be tied with Bruno Fernandes and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the most in a single season since Alex Ferguson retired. There could be as many as 17 games left for United, which is still in the FA Cup and the Europa League.

No player in the Premier League has scored more than Rashford’s 11 since the competition resumed in late December after the World Cup, explaining the nonchalance with which he took his goal against Brentford as he met Marcel Sabitzer’s nod-down with a sidefooted finish into the roof of the net. United hadn’t scored in its last three league games — a 7-0 hammering by Liverpool, a 0-0 stalemate with Southampton and a 2-0 loss at Newcastle on Sunday.

“We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts,” Rashford said, “so we are pleased to win and hopefully we can get back to where we were a few weeks ago.” Luke Shaw’s 250th appearance for United lasted just 37 minutes before he was replaced by Tyrell Malacia because of an apparent injury.

WILSON’S RECORD

Wilson scored early in each half for Newcastle to take his goal tally to 12 in 13 meetings with West Ham, meaning only Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen have netted more times against the team from London in the Premier League.

The England international presents a podcast with West Ham striker Michail Antonio, and he promised he would dance

the Macarena if he scored in the game. He was true to his word after the sixthminute opener. Joelinton made it 2-0 before Kurt Zouma pulled a goal back for West Ham, which collapsed in the second half with a couple of big mistakes at the

back. Nayef Aguerd’s error allowed Wilson to score just 21 seconds after the restart before goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski made a mess of clearing Bruno Guimaraes’ ball over the top eight minutes from time, allowing Alexander Isak to lob the ball into an

empty net. Joelinton broke clear in the 90th for Newcastle’s fifth goal. Asked about West Ham’s fans leaving early, Moyes said: “I would have left as well. But the players were working as hard as they could, their effort was fantastic.”

MANCHESTER United’s Marcus Rashford, right, challenges for the ball with Brentford’s Aaron Hickey during their English Premier League soccer match at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, yesterday. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

MAVERICKS guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey during the first half Sunday in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr)

TEN RED-LINE ATHLETICS MEMBERS CARIFTA READY

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter

AS one of the top local track clubs in the country, the coaching staff of the Red-Line Athletics is quite pleased with the 10 members selected to represent the Bahamas on the 80-member team for the Oaktree Medical Center’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

Selected from Red-Line Athletics are Darvinique Dean, Bayli Major, Madison Moss in the under-17 girls division, Quinton Rolle and Eagan Neely in the under-17 boys, Nya Wright in the under-20 girls and Clinton Laguerre, Johnathan Fowler, Tumani Skinner and collegian Shimar Bain in the under20 boys.

Dean, who switched her focus from the sprints to the hurdles, said she was pleased to have been given a chance to compete in both the 400m and 400m hurdles in the under-17 girls division.

“I feel very excited with this being my first-year under-17,” said the 15-yearold ninth grader at St Augustine’s College. “I did a very good job at the final trials, which was a result of the way my season has gone. “I’m hoping to PR and medal. I want to come first, but if I don’t, I will go for the silver or the bronze. I just want to get one.”

As for the team, Dean said everybody has been working hard so she’s confident that the Bahamas will be represented across the board in all of the divisions.

Fowler, an 18-year-old 12th grader at SAC, will be a part of the under-20 boys 4 x 100m relay pool in his first appearance at CARIFTA.

“I’m extremely excited and extremely grateful and blessed to be here and to be in this position,” Fowler said. “I just want to be able

to do my best and put my best foot forward.”

Looking at the team, Fowler said there are athletes entered in just about every event, which should bolster the Bahamas’ chance to excel.

Major, a 15-year-old 10th grader at SAC, said although this is her first rodeo, she’s just as thrilled as everybody else to be representing the country at home.

“I want to go out there and give it my all and hopefully win a gold medal,” she said. “I am just looking forward to doing my PR and performing very well in this meet.”

Based on what she’s seen, Major said all of the athletes have worked extremely hard to get on the team, so she’s confident that the Bahamas will put on a very good showing.

Skinner, who considers himself to be one of the fastest quarter-milers in the country, will be in for an encore on the national team, having made his first CARIFTA squad last year.

“Being back on the team is just a wonderful experience,” he stated. “I was advised by our coaches to just continue training and I rose to the occasion and made the team again.”

To the new members on the CARIFTA team, Skinner recommended that they “eat right, get to bed on time and be ready to saw off Jamaica head.”

He said he’s looking forward to running a 47 split on both the under-20 boys 4 x 400m and the mixed 4 x 400m relay teams.

As for Team Bahamas, Skinner said it’s a “powerful team” and he’s confident that the Bahamas “could win the whole thing. Watch out Jamaica.”

For 14-year-old Neely, who is just in the eighth grade at SAC, making the team at such a young age is more than he could bargain for. But he promised to make the Bahamas very proud.

“It’s very breath-taking for me, being so much,” Nelly admitted. “Performing at the national level

is going to be a very good experience for me. I just want to get a feeling of what to expect as I get older.”

And on his assessment of Team Bahamas, Neely said they have alot of athletes who are performing very well, so he’s eager to see how well everyone does.

Head coach Tito Moss, who won’t be a part of Team Bahamas, but will serve as the assistant to meet director David Charlton, said this year they doubled their number from five to 10 making the team.

“We are very elated. We have six hurdlers and four quarter-milers that make up Team Bahamas,” Moss pointed out.

“I’m really pleased with the work that our coaching staff has done. These kids worked hard and they made the team. So I’m really pleased.”

With seven of their team making their initial appearance at the games, Moss said they just want to encourage the athletes to focus on their execution and not worry about what

the other countries are doing.

“If you are locked in on what you have to do, it will get you through,” he said. “We are trying to get them to not allow the moment to be too big for themselves.

I also want to thank coach Mike Armbrister for all the work he’s done to get the athletes to stay as injury free as possible.”

Although he’s not a member of the coaching staff for Team Bahamas, Armbrister said he will be available to assist wherever possible and whenever he’s called on to help out.

“I think we have some up-and-coming athletes who were projecting to be ready for this stage next year,” he said. “To our surprise, they qualified this year. “Some of them made the transition from the sprints to running the hurdles and, while it was a gamble, it was a gamble that paid off. I think the coaches put in the time and effort to get the kids ready and this is a result of what they did.”

Team Trinidad and Tobago immediately got their training underway on the track. The country named a 63-member squad in early March ahead of this year’s CARIFTA Games. Their team will look to make some noise on Easter weekend with 20 more athletes than last year’s total.

The team worked on their relay techniques, practicing their jumps and making their rounds around the track. Kelvin Nancoo, head coach of Team Trinidad, talked about his expectations for Easter weekend’s 50th CARIFTA Games. “I expect us to do very well. They have trained well so now this is the opportunity to go out and do it,” Nancoo said.

He added that Trinidad’s jumpers and multi-event athletes will perform well on the track and field.

Also, he expects that Team Trinidad will win all of the relays and that Tafari Waldron will definitely take home a win in the 5,000m long-distance race.

T&T’s head coach said its a great opportunity to compete in The Bahamas for the 50th CARIFTA Games and he wishes the country well as it celebrates the 50th year of Independence.

The highly-anticipated Team Jamaica was expected to arrive late last night.

This year’s games will feature 600 athletes from 28 Caribbean countries.

The first event of Easter’s CARIFTA is the opening ceremony, which is set to take place on April 7 at the Eastern Grandstand of the TAR stadium. The ceremony is slated to begin at 4pm and end at 7pm.

FRANCO AND RAMIREZ HOMER IN RAYS 7-2 WIN OVER NATIONALS

By HARVEY VALENTINE Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)

JAZZ FROM PAGE 14

experienced anything like that,” Chisholm said. “I slid into him, I felt it, I felt my head a little bit. I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I’ve ran into something before.’ Went to turn over and was not feeling my arms. My neck started getting stiff, and I just panicked.”

Bryan De La Cruz replaced him in centre field.

Chisholm said he still plans to play Thursday against the New York Mets. “I’m good until I’m not,” Chisholm said. “I’m gonna be on that field until I can’t play on the field anymore.”

— Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez each had two hits including a home run, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Washington Nationals 7-2 yesterday.

The Rays improved to 6-0 and extended the best start in franchise history. They are off to the best start of any team since Baltimore opened 7-0 in 2016 and are the first team to win its first six games by four or more runs since the 1884 St. Louis Maroons won their first 13 by at least four runs.

“We’ve got some real serious magic on this team,” reliever Ryan Thompson said after closing out the win. “I think a lot of us could start to feel it in spring training. It’s hard to explain. I just feel like the vibe is just a little unique this year versus what I’ve felt in the past.”

Taylor Walls and Randy Arozarena had two hits each for Tampa Bay, which has outscored opponents 44-13.

Shane McClanahan (2-0) allowed two runs on five hits and four walks over six innings, allowing at least one baserunner in every inning but the sixth. He struck out six.

“There’s something real nice about when you settle in and cruise a little bit, but it’s not as sweet as the ones where you’ve really got to earn it,” McClanahan said. “I had to battle and it was a fist fight and kudos to these guys in this locker room for having my back and fighting with me.”

MIAMI Marlins centre fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts as he is injured attempting to steal second during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins yesterday in Miami.

MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. is out attempting to steal second base as he collides with Minnesota Twins second baseman Kyle Farmer during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 5, 2023, in Miami.

MEMBERS of the Red-Line Athletics team pose with some of their coaches.

MARLINS manager Skip Schumaker, right, walks with Jazz Chisholm Jr. as he is helped off the field yesterday.

(AP Photos/Lynne Sladky)

COCA-COLA SPONSORS OUR CARIFTA SWIM TEAM

THE Caribbean Bottling Company (Bahamas) Ltd. (CBC), local producers of Coca-Cola, has sponsored the 2023 CARIFTA Bahamas Aquatics Team, which travelled to compete in the renowned CARIFTA Games being held in Curacao over the Easter weekend.

“We’re thrilled to come on board as one of the sponsors for this year’s group of young and talented athletes. As the four-time defending CARIFTA swimming and water polo champions, we’re excited to assist Team Bahamas as they go on to represent the country on the international stage.

“It’s always encouraging to see the discipline and commitment that our young athletes display, and we are humbled to have been able to support them,” said Jadrian Turnquest, CBC marketing manager.

CBC provided funding for branded water bottles and towels, along with Powerade and Dasani beverages to keep the team hydrated throughout the competition.

“Rehydration is extremely important when

we are very pleased to have provided Powerade and Dasani to our Bahamian athletes who are participating,” Turnquest added. Said Algernon Cargill, president of Bahamas Aquatics: “Through the generosity of corporate Bahamas, we have consistently been able to place among the best countries

IFTA Swimming and Water Polo Championships, and last year, achieved what was never accomplished before – we won CARIFTA Aquatics for four consecutive years, and five times out of the last six years. Our young team is anxious to continue to make history at the 2023 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships.”

CBC marketing manager Jadrian Turnquest, back right, pictured with the CARIFTA Games swim team prior to their departure for Curacao.

SHOWN, from left to right, are Jonathan Thronebury, CBC marketing director, Caellum Darville, CARIFTA team member, and head coach Camron Bruney.

CARIFTA: SUBWAY BRONZE SPONSOR

GAMES

FROM PAGE 14

Shayann Demeritte will look to make the Bahamas proud in the 100m and 200m race. Demeritte qualified for CARIFTA multiple times throughout the track season leading up the 50th edition of the games. Demeritte talked about how it feels knowing she will compete in front of a home crowd.

“I am very excited because I know that The Bahamas will come out to support and I know that they will have our backs,” she said.

The under-17 athlete added that she is mentally preparing through prayer and physically she is working on starting stronger to be in tip0top shape for her three events (100m, 200m, 4x100 relays).

Madison Moss is excited to make her CARIFTA debut in the under 17 girls 100m hurdles action.

She said that although she is excited, it is kind of nerve-racking knowing that it is going to be home but physically she credits long practices, long evenings and early mornings for what she will be able to do in the event.

For the boys, some of this year’s Team Bahamas firsttimers are Adam Musgrove, Eagan Neely, Laquan Ellis, Zion Hendfield and Johnathan Fowler.

Musgrove is set to compete in this year’s under 20 boys 100m and 200m race.

“It feels amazing, it feels like a dream come true,” he said.

He added that competing at home will definitely give the team an advantage from the thrill of the crowd to step a little harder, throw a little further and jump a little longer.

Eagan Neely will perform for The Bahamas in the 400m race for the first time. He said that so far he is enjoying the experience of being a CARIFTA athlete and he cannot wait to compete against all the different countries.

Laquan Ellis will look to leap for gold in Easter weekend’s triple jump event. The athlete grew up in Bimini but studies abroad and decided to compete at this year’s event

after missing the last one due to injury. Ellls talked about his mindset going into his CARIFTA debut.

“It feels great, it’s a blessing nonetheless and I am pretty proud to be able to represent my country,” he said.

Zion Henfield, a first time competitor at CARIFTA, will look to make his parents and country proud at this year’s games in the 800m race.

He said he feels like his own special person and it feels great to make it and achieve something his parents could be proud of.

Johnathan Fowler will look to bring home gold for the “G” team at this year’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

Fowler said the third time’s the charm as he missed the first CARIFTA he was selected to, the second time the games were not hosted and now the third he is ready to go.

He added that he is very excited and feels extremely blessed. The young athlete said it feels like he is in the best shape of his life and he is ready to compete in front of the home crowd.

Pharez Cooper, team manager for Team Bahamas, said chemistry has been a big factor in practice sessions with athletes.

Cooper said the team got together for the first time at a church service on Sunday and the officials immediately noticed some synergy between them.

“Chemistry is very important, not just on the field but with each other as individuals, you can’t just have challenges or malice in between the teammates,” Cooper said.

He added that being on the same wavelength is important as well and matching the capabilities of their teammates.

Like many of the firsttime athletes, Cooper believes the home advantage will lift Team Bahamas to a CARIFTA win.

Additionally, he finished by saying practice sessions have been very beneficial because it is the athletes going against other really good athletes and he believes that things are coming along well and Team Bahamas is just about ready.

SUBWAY Bahamas comes on board as a bronze level sponsor of the 50th CARIFTA Games in Nassau over the Easter weekend. Pictured, from left to right, are Dion Miller, Subway operations manager, Shantika Jones, Subway multi-unit manager, Lynden Maycock, LOC chairman, and Fernerin Hanna, marketing director.