06152023 NEWS AND SPORT

‘NO ONE WA N TS BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN H AITI’

Prime Minister says there’s no appetite for international force

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH United

States

Vice President

Kamala Harris renewed the Biden administration’s push for a multi-national security force in Haiti during her visit to The Bahamas last week, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said there is still no appetite among CARICOM countries for sending forces to the country.

COP shows off 50 new bikes

“Boots on the ground is not the question right now,” Mr Davis said, noting that Haiti’s defence force disbanded years ago. “The question is, how do we, as a community, assist the Haitian national police to restore law and order in the country and the mechanism for that.”

“At the moment, we are suggesting that the mechanism will be providing the resources, assisting in

DPP: “No DecisioN ma De yet’ ON MP RA PE ALLEGATION CASE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

CORDELL Frazier, Acting Director of Public Prosecutors, said her office received the police file on an MP accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend but has not yet made a decision on the matter. Her comment came after Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said

the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s legal team is discussing the matter with her office.

“It’s no longer than this morning I’ve met with my legal team and we are in communication,” Commissioner Fernander said yesterday. “The legal team is in communication now with our DPP office, so just stand by and results will be

hea D oF UB resigNs For ‘PersoN al a ND Family reasoNs’

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE University of the Bahamas announced the surprise resignation of president Dr Erik Rolland yesterday, saying he will leave his position on June 30 for “personal, family reasons”.

After a lengthy, exhaustive process, Dr Rolland was named UB president in May 2022.

The university said Janyne Hodder, a permanent resident of The Bahamas for the past 40

years, will serve as acting president for the remainder of Dr Rolland’s contract, which expires in July 2025.

Ms Hodder was the president of the College of the Bahamas from July 2006 to June 2010.

In a statement, the university said: “A veteran educator and leader in higher education administration, Ms Hodder began her career as a teacher at

F

X hea D: i’ll TIE US UP IN BAHA M AS ‘For years’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

FTX’s founder has warned he will use the Bahamian judicial system to block efforts to bring additional fraud, bribery and corruption-related charges against him “for years” by going all the way to the UK-based Privy Council. Sam Bankman-Fried, the embattled crypto exchange chief, warned US prosecutors in Tuesday filings in New York that he “intends to pursue” his legal rights all the way through the Bahamian judicial network to the system’s highest court of need be.

FIRST CASE OF MONKEY P OX CONFIR MED IN BAHA M AS

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A 31-YEAR-OLD man with no relevant travel history has been diagnosed with monkeypox, the first reported case of a Bahamian confirmed with the disease.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness said the man presented himself with symptoms of the virus on June 1 and was placed in isolation until tests confirmed the disease.

“Surveillance and public health protocols were

COMMISIONER of Police Clayton Fernander said the RBPF has recieved 50 new motorcyles to assist with the flow of traffic on the most populated islands. For full sotry see PAGE 5.

Photo: Moise Amisial

RESIGNING UB president Dr Erik Rolland

PM tours renovated PMH, expanded bed capacity eases hospital crisis

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter Ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis toured the Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday, saying the crisis is subsiding.

Newly renovated facilities were among those Mr Davis visited, including PMH’s special pathogens unit, a medical block elevator, a male medical ward and a women’s surgical ward.

Mr Davis, during a tour of the facility in January, had said the institution was in crisis.

“I think about several months ago when I toured the hospital, and I made a statement, many criticized me for saying I did not know, but the question of not knowing, it was not that I didn't know that the health care system had been in shambles, is just the extent of that shambles that was shocking to me,” he said yesterday.

“When I walked through these halls last time I was here, patients were on gurneys in the corridor –– they

are no longer there. We now have a modular hospital, I could call it that, for patients with infectious disease with negative air.”

“The work has not yet been complete, there's still a lot more to be done and we can assure the Bahamian people that we will fulfil our mandate, ensuring that facilities are available for the provision of healthcare.”

Health and Wellness

Minister Dr Michael Darville said improvements are being made to the accident and emergency section.

“As we toured that area today, I feel very comfortable that within a matter of months, we would have that particular portion of the renovation in service again, creating more space to see our patients and to be able to ensure that our staff functions in the appropriate environment,” he said.

Mary Walker, the hospital administration, highlighted the number of beds made available because of the renovations. She said more than 52 beds had been returned to date.

Fernander: Shooting victim ‘didn’t realise she was hit’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander said the 27-year-old mother injured in a police-involved shooting on Sunday did not initially know she had been shot.

Police reported that shortly before noon on Sunday, officers were executing a search warrant on a home in Sunset Park. As they entered the property, they shot a pit bull that reportedly attempted to attack them.

During the incident, the woman, who police said frequented the property, was shot in her upper body.

A press release from police said the bullet ricocheted off the pit bull, but Commissioner Fernander said the shot went through the dog before striking the woman, who is in serious condition in hospital.

“I had experts revisit the scene and what we discover

in their findings is that after the bullet hit the dog it exited to the side, to the left side, and it went down into the ground on the concrete pavement,” he said yesterday. “And there are damages there that indicate that the bullet hit the concrete pavement. “The victim was not too far from that general area, and we suspect she didn't

even realise that she was hit. It wasn't until some of the officers saw that she was bleeding and everybody in the yard say, ‘oh she was shot;’ she didn't even realise that she was shot.”

The commissioner wished the victim a “speedy recovery". He said police reached out to her family to update them.

However, he disputed their claim that she was breastfeeding when shot.

“There's a lot of talk that she may have been nursing a little infant. That is not so, and I always say don't listen to rumours, get the facts,” he said.

“You are investigators as well. Be very careful with that: Get the facts.”

Commissioner Fernander confirmed that body cameras captured the shooting.

On Tuesday, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe revealed that the government is seeking to buy 300 body cameras in view of the recent events.

“In light of some recent events, we intend to expand body cameras as one was at the scene that evening,” he said. “We intend to acquire 300 more. We intend to continue to develop the real-time crime centre to be able to coordinate all of the efforts and technology that are being acquired.”

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander.

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville visits upgraded hospital facilities.

Photos:Moise Amisial

Davis administration denies Minnis charge

UB tax exemptions are being reduced

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration has denied Dr Hubert Minnis’ claim it is reducing the taxes the University of The Bahamas is exempt from paying.

“The Prime Minister has now burdened the University of The Bahamas with VAT that will have to be passed on to our young people,” the former Prime

Minister said in his contribution to the Budget debate in the House of Assembly.

“This will have a negative impact on our tertiary education. If the university purchases personal items, $20m of aids, computer aids, they now have to pay tax with the new bills that are brought here.

“$2m will be paid by the university, but the budget of the university did not go up, which means that they will have to find this additional

money from somewhere else.”

The Davis administration tabled an amendment bill to the University of The Bahamas Act earlier this month.

According to the bill, the amendment “seeks to maintain existing tax and duty exemptions on personal property excepting value added tax and exclude value added tax on the acquisition of real property by the board or university”.

Dr a NthoNy h amiltoN atteNDs cleaN eNergy sUmmit rePreseNtiNg csB aND cPDc

PRESIDENT of Civil Society Bahamas (CSB)

Dr Anthony Hamilton attended the PACC 2030 Climate Resilient Clean Energy Summit on Paradise Island on June 9, 2023. He was representing CSB as well as the Caribbean Policy Development Center (CPDC).

PACC 2030 convenes top US government officials, Caribbean governments, US and Caribbean companies, civil society leaders,

and many more to tackle the impacts of climate change on the Caribbean.

In addition to the recent advocacy on climate change, CSB has undertaken a series of in-depth forums, tackling the debt crisis in the Caribbean.

The third and fourth national consultation forums will take place on June 26. The theme for the third session is: “Older Generation Insight: We’ve Conquered this Mountain

Before!”. The fourth debt consultation session is being held under the theme: Bahamas National Debt Profile - Anatomy of the Debt, Public and Personal, of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas: Implications for National Financial Health and Solutions”. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is scheduled to speak. For more information, visit www.civilsocietybahamas.org.

Director of communications Latre Rahming said Dr Minnis does not understand the bill.

“The change in VAT treatment,” he said, “relates to the unlikely event the university were to sell the property.”

“The buyer would no longer be able to claim a VAT exemption on that purchase. The university has never sold the real property, so this is only clean up and standardises

the VAT treatment among statutory entities.”

Meanwhile, Dr Minnis accused Mr Davis of misleading people when he said the 2023/2024 Budget would have no tax increases.

“He must have thought that he was technically keeping his promise by simply calling a tax by another name,” he said.

“There are new levies and fees I guess he thinks the Bahamian people can’t

understand the fine print.

“He has now burdened our ports with new and increased taxes that will have to be passed on directly or indirectly to all of us. He has now provided the legislation for the imposition of a new health and wellness levy and an immigration levy.

“Then this Prime Minister has announced the increase in NIB contributions scheduled for 2024.”

PRESIDENT OF UB RESIGNS FOR ‘PersoNal aND Family reasoNs’

from page one

Queen’s College and went on to teach at The Bahamas Teachers’ College, joining the College of The Bahamas faculty at its founding. She later served as principal and vice-chancellor of Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and vice-principal at McGill University before returning as president of the former COB.

“We have advised the chair of the academic senate and the leaders of the bargaining units at UB, which represent all UB team members. We are grateful to our colleagues for their commitment to national and international accreditation to promote the university’s growth and

development. The board is deeply grateful and thanks all administration, faculty, staff and students, as well as external stakeholders for their unwavering support of our national university.”

Daniel Thompson, president of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas, said Dr Rolland had an excellent relationship with UTEB. He said following the departure that UTEB wants to ensure its industrial agreement negotiations go well and will conclude soon.

“We don’t select the president, but whoever succeeds as president, we must ensure that they succeed in what they do for the sake of national development and the job security, continuity and

sustainability of our members,” he said.

In July 2021, UB announced that a presidential search committee appointed in November 2020 shortlisted Dr Rolland, Dr Ian Strachan and Sir Anthony Seldon for president. The university took months to announce its choice, sparking speculation that the board was anxious about how and when to reveal its nonBahamian choice for the role.

UTEB advocated for Dr Strachan, the only nonBahamian shortlisted, to get the position. It is not clear why he was not named acting president of the institution. He was appointed executive vice president effective April 1, 2022.

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis claims the Davis administration is reducing the taxes that the University of The Bahamas is exempted from paying, while they have denied they are doing so. Director of communications Latre Rahming said Dr Minnis does not understand the bill.

Photo: Austin Fernander

‘No one wants boots on the ground in Haiti’

recruitment, assisting them in training and ensuring that they’re able to execute their jobs. And so that is the first line of initiative that has been discussed. We’re hoping that boots on the ground will not be necessary, and I don’t know that there’s any appetite for any of the superpowers or anyone to put boots on the ground at this time.”

“We think it should be a Haitian solution, that the Haitian people and those who are the leaders in the Haitian community ought to get together to determine their solution to the Haitian situation.”

Gangs have terrorised Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, paralysing that country’s economy.

Few countries have expressed interest in sending armed forces to Haiti.

Although The Bahamas could be affected by the ongoing crisis there, the Davis administration is concerned about the potential political fallout of sending Bahamians in harm’s way and is reluctant to do so, The Tribune understands.

Mr Davis, the chair of CARICOM, hosted regional leaders in Jamaica to address Haiti’s political, security, and economic challenges.

He said he aimed to identify influential leaders in Haiti and bring them together to talk.

“And so that’s what was taking place in Jamaica, there were about 50 leaders of political parties from the business community, discussing the way forward for Haiti,” he said, adding there was a lot of tension among the group, “a lot of issues and many of them are very far apart.”

He added: “As I mentioned to them, I said, ‘look, the North Pole and the South Pole – they’re very far apart. But despite the distance, they have common features, so let’s identify the common features that exist between distances and let’s build upon those to bring harmony and the only way they could is to talk which they have not been doing.”

Mr Davis said Haiti’s stakeholders are all receptive to some form of assistance to the Haitian national police.

“There has to be a space of peace created for there to be free and fair elections,” he said. “And the only way that can be done is by beating back the gangs, making sure people can move about freely

without fear of the body being attacked violently in any way or form, and without fear of violence, and until that is there, there’ll be no free and fair elections. So that is a key step initiative that we are

working on.”

Mr Davis said former Prime Minister Perry Christie, former St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony and former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding are

arbiters among the Haitian stakeholders.

“They chaired all the sessions up until 10 o’clock last night and they intend to make a trip to Haiti in due course as soon as we get together,” he said.

rBPF sho s oFF Ne motorcylces to ‘assist ith t r a FFic maNagemeNt’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Royal Bahamas Police Force has acquired 50 motorcycles, according to Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander, who said the bikes cost millions. He said they would be sent to the most populated islands to help provide the police with more equipment and manpower.

“We are pleased at this time that we have 50 bikes to assist with the management of traffic flow within The Bahamas, especially Nassau,” he said, adding that the police have heard

complaints about traffic jams in the early mornings and late evenings.

“So, we know the corridors that continue to plague us, continue to get complaints, you now will see cycles assisting in the smooth flow of traffic –– the rush hours in the morning and late afternoon,” he said.

Commissioner Fernander said he is confident officers will operate the motorcycles properly.

“As I indicated within the contract, we have the professionals, the personnel are down here and they’re training the officers with

respect to the servicing,” he said.

“The bike itself will tell you when it’s time for service. It would be some indication to know that tomorrow it’s time for service and we will have to pay attention to it.

“Our government is providing us with the resources; we now have to take care of the resources and the Bahamian people will get what they deserve with that presence out there.”

Last month, the government acquired a fleet of 100 new police vehicles, valued at $2m, to aid the fight against crime.

First case oF moN ey PoX coNFir meD iN Bahamas

from page one

activated and remain ongoing,” the ministry said. The World Health Organization announced the end of the global emergency around monkeypox in May.

According to a WHO situational report, only 552 new cases were confirmed between May 26 and June 5, with six new related deaths reported. The WHO said there were around 275 new cases per week during the twoweek period, most of which were reported from the European and South-East Asia regions.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness identified gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with other men (MSM)

or individuals with multiple sexual partners as people with a high risk of exposure to the virus, but encouraged everyone to follow health protocols.

The protocols include

“washing your hands properly and often with soap and water, using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser until soap and water are available, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces regularly, and maintaining physical distance from others, particularly if you feel ill.”

Symptoms of Monkeypox include skin rash/ lesions, fever, headache, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. Symptoms can last for two to four weeks. According to the ministry, the

death rate associated with the disease is low, ranging between three to six per cent of persons infected.

Last June, PAHO director Dr Carissa Etienne warned of an inevitable outbreak of monkeypox in The Bahamas.

In October, 1,400 monkeypox vaccines arrived in The Bahamas through a Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO’s) fund.

Dr Darville did not reveal a date for the official rollout of the vaccines, though he said the highrisk groups would receive doses “very shortly”. He also said negotiations with PAHO were underway for a second batch of vaccine doses.

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RECORD DATE

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“Leader in Personal Banking Services”

ALTHOUGH United States Vice President Kamala Harris renewed the Biden administration’s push for a multi-national security force in Haiti during her visit to The Bahamas last week, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said there is still no appetite among CARICOM countries for sending forces to the country.

Photo: Moise Amisial

COMMISIONER of Police Clayton Fernander sits on one of the newly acquired BMW motorcylces which will be used to assist with traffic management on the most populatd items he said.

Photo: Moise Amisial

The Tribune Limited

A Haitian solution - from which Haitians?

A SLIGHTLY curious note has entered the discussion over how best to respond to the situation in Haiti.

Repeatedly, there are comments that what is needed is a “Haitian solution”.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said as much again yesterday.

He said: “We think it should be a Haitian solution, that the Haitian people and those who are the leaders in the Haitian community ought to get together to determine their solution to the Haitian situation.”

That sounds all well and good, except that Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has already called for one solution – and no one seems to be offering what he has asked for.

In October, Mr Henry and 18 other top-ranking officials signed a document authorizing Mr Henry to request “the immediate deployment of a specialised armed force, in sufficient quantity” to stop the crisis in the country, particularly the “criminal actions of armed gangs”.

Mr Henry went on to ask for such a force, a call echoed by the UN envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime.

So when Mr Davis said yesterday that there is no appetite to send such a force, what Haitian solution is being considered if the one put forward by the nation’s Prime Minister is being rejected?

Perhaps Mr Henry has changed his mind since October? Not so. Last week, Mr Henry reiterated his request for such a force.

In fact, while Mr Davis says “I don’t know that there’s any appetite for any of the superpowers or anyone to put boots on the ground at this time”, Jamaica has reaffirmed it would take part in such a force and US Vice President Kamala Harris last week renewed the push for a multi-national intervention.

So if the Prime Minister is asking for such a force and it’s not being given to him, whose solution are we listening to?

According to Mr Davis, we are trying to assist the Haitian police. We cannot help the nation’s defence force – as that disbanded years ago. And we cannot ask the nation’s elected representatives what they want – because all the terms have lapsed.

So it is to the police we are turning – some of whom were protesting to such an extent that it prompted the withdrawal of our diplomats from Haiti – airlifted out to the Dominican Republic and not returned since.

Mr Davis said: “At the moment, we are suggesting that the mechanism will be providing the resources, assisting in recruitment, assisting them in training and ensuring that they’re able to execute their jobs. And so that is the first line of initiative that has been discussed. We’re hoping that boots on the ground will not be necessary, and I don’t know that there’s any appetite for any of the superpowers or anyone to put boots on the ground at this time.”

We seem to be no nearer a solution from the talks held in Jamaica either –Mr Davis noting that there has been a lot of tension, “a lot of issues and many of them are very far apart”.

Politically, it is likely there is little eagerness for committing troops to an area with no clear local leadership, an uncertain mission and no definite end date for withdrawal.

Already, police in Haiti have suffered a deadly toll. Leaders around the region will not be wanting to see their own forces arriving home in body bags.

So where does this leave Haiti? Mr Henry’s voice seems like it is being ignored – or at least not answered – and there is a lack of definite leadership elsewhere.

Haiti is in a desperate mess – but if we really mean it when we say we want Haitian solutions, we probably ought to have a better answer for why we are ignoring its Prime Minister’s plea.

Legacy of the Prime Minister

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE legacy of Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis is being written in bold strokes. Since captivating the audience at COP 26, he has shown the world that the size of a country does not define the power of its voice. Davis’s quiet demeanour, far from indicating a lack of strength, has symbolised his unique approach, which embodies the concept of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. His tenaciousness in the face of criticism is a testament to his conviction that actions indeed resonate louder than words.

Most notable is Davis’s role in addressing climate change, where he has emerged as a force to be reckoned with. His impassioned calls for unity and action have catalyzed a transformation for The Bahamas from a victim of climate change to a brave combatant. His clarion call for financial and technological support on the global stage underlines the urgency of tangible commitments from world leaders.

The leadership of Davis has revealed The Bahamas as more than a sun-seekers paradise. It is a country ready to confront the sobering realities of our time. Davis has done so not just through powerful rhetoric but also through substantive policies for environmental conservation and resilience. The results speak for themselves: The Bahamas now boasts the cleanest air in the world.

Davis’s political resolve has also been unwavering. His diplomatic skill was clearly displayed in his support for Commonwealth Secretary Patricia Scotland’s re-election, taking a stand against more prominent contenders. He has challenged the established global systems, critiquing the European Union’s blacklisting practices and thereby bringing attention to disparities in global finance and regulation. His daring stance exemplifies The Bahamas’ refusal to be silenced.

Under Davis’s stewardship, The Bahamas is carving its niche in regional and global affairs. His response to Haiti’s instability emphasized Caribbean interconnectedness and shared responsibility for regional stability. Davis’s leadership has elevated The Bahamas from a small island nation to an important player in international diplomacy.

This new perception of The Bahamas, curated by Davis, goes beyond merely having representation; it ensures that the country’s voice is heard, its contributions are valued, and its concerns are addressed. Davis’s tenure demonstrates that effective leadership can transcend the size of a nation and help it play a meaningful role on the global stage.

Davis’s tactics have not only raised The Bahamas’ international stature but

have also charted a path for other smaller nations. The era of diplomacy he ushers in empowers small nations to stand up for their interests. His leadership style encapsulates the spirit of The Bahamas: humble yet bold, quietly determined yet globally influential. Davis’s impact transcends policy-making. His lasting legacy is his transformational influence on how The Bahamas perceives itself and how it is perceived globally. Under his leadership, The Bahamas has evolved from a passive participant to an active agent in world affairs.

In an increasingly interconnected world, Davis has championed the need for a collective voice for all nations, irrespective of size.

The Bahamas is leading the charge, demonstrating that even small island nations can lead important global discussions. Davis’s speeches, far from mere political rhetoric, express the hopes and aspirations of the Bahamian people, a commitment reflected in all his actions.

As we look back on Davis’s tenure, we must applaud his courage, vision, and resolve. His story is that of a nation asserting its position on the world stage. The metamorphosis of The Bahamas from a small island nation to a global player is a testament to Davis’s leadership. With ‘Brave’ Davis at the helm, The Bahamas is braver, stronger, and more influential than ever.

JANICE KEMP

Nassau

June 11, 2023

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis meeting hospital staff yesterday.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Bell on Nassau Cruise Port; Minnis administration ‘executed a bad lease’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

IMMIGRATION Minis-

ter Keith Bell and former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis clashed over the Nassau Cruise Port yesterday after the Carmichael MP said the Minnis administration executed a bad lease agreement.

Mr Bell claimed the country would lose “hundreds of millions of dollars” in revenue for at least 27 years even though the government invested millions in the Nassau Harbour.

Mr Bell said the Minnis administration executed a lease for 93 acres of land, adding: “All we got and all we’re getting is an estimated $2.8m per year for 93 acres.”

Mr Bell said while the port would earn an estimated $575.8m over five years, only $18m would go to the government in lease fees.

“The revenue lost by the government include rent from Festival Place, facility fees and berthing fees,” he said. “Y’all know what is berthing fees. That go to them. We ain’t getting nothing. The revenue over 25 years for them is over $2bn and the government then gets the liabilities, and they get the assets. Who do that –– the competent authority himself. Only the FNM could’ve cut such a bad deal.”

“In 2023, it is estimated that the port will earn

$78m in revenue and pay a lease to the government of $2.8m. In 2024, the port revenue is estimated to be $90m and the lease fee to government is $2.6m. In 2025, $97.6m goes to the port. The government gets $2.6m. In 2026, the port will get $105m, the government gets $2.6m. In 2027, the last

year of projections, the port gets $114.8m, the government gets $2.8m. Call the police. Over the five-year period, the government will get $18m and the port will get $575,800,000.”

Responding, Dr Minnis accused Mr Bell of misinforming Bahamians.

“Previous to this port,

we were collecting I think 70 cents per passenger,” he said. “It has subsequently gone up now to $10 per passenger.”

“In addition to that, the government gets 10 per cent VAT on the revenue which is added. In addition to that, the port is owned 51 per cent by the Bahamian

DPP: “No decision made yet’ on MP rape allegation case

from page one

out shortly.”

Ms Frazier told The Tribune: “We are in discussions as indicated by the COP. No decision made yet by my office. Will advise once a decision is made.”

A woman filed a complaint with police about an MP, her ex-boyfriend, on April 7.

Yesterday, Commissioner Fernander said he would not give a timeline

for when a decision will be made on the matter.

“I don’t believe in giving a timeline on the investigations because there’s so much different lines of inquiries that you have to do,” he said.

“Sometimes you think it’s the end, and then some other lines of inquiries come up and you have to follow that lead. So, I don’t like giving timelines, but we are working on that.”

The lawyer of a woman

accusing a sitting MP of rape and abuse has expressed concern about the length of the investigation.

Bjorn Ferguson, the lawyer, suggested the length of time shows a double standard in how authorities treat complaints against influential people versus those with less influence.

“We would have expected that by now, the investigation file would be

in the hands of the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions for pre-charging review,” he said. “This process that we are witnessing cannot invite confidence from women who file complaints against men with a perceived sense of power and influence.”

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has countered Mr Ferguson’s claims, saying the facts of the case determine the length of the investigation.

people and 49 per cent by the global port which means after expenses the bulk of it goes to the Bahamian people.”

Dr Minnis also noted that as passenger volume increases, so will the nation’s revenue.

For his part, FNM deputy leader Shanendon

Cartwright questioned why the Davis administration would still proceed with the deal if they thought it was a bad one. In a later interview with The Tribune, Dr Minnis said: “They are the government so cancel it if it’s a bad one, but if it’s not, then shut up.”

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell and former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis clashed over the Nassau Cruise Port yesterday after the Carmichael MP said the Minnis administration executed a bad lease agreement.

Photo: Austin Fernander

view of Bahamas and Caribbean

one-dimensional and ignorant

THE US Vice President Kamala Harris came to The Bahamas last week for considerably less than a day to meet with Caricom leaders.

As promoted by the US Embassy in Nassau: “The Vice President’s trip delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance cooperation with the Caribbean, pursue shared prosperity and security, and celebrate the common bonds between our nations.

“The Vice President is travelling to The Bahamas during Caribbean-American Heritage Month and will celebrate the longstanding people-to-people ties between the Caribbean and the United States.”

“US Embassy Nassau’s Chargé d’Affaires, Usha Pitts praised the timing of the visit. ‘Vice President Harris will be the highestranking US government official to visit The Bahamas since Independence in 1973. Her visit commemorates not just 50 years of Bahamian Independence, but also 50 years of enduring partnership between our two nations,’ said Chargé Pitts.”

Despite the public relations by US, Bahamian and Caribbean officials, and the pomp, somewhat limited circumstance, short duration and outsized security blanket of such a visit, what did the very brief visit achieve?

Along with other Caribbean states, The Bahamas has historic, generally warm, and long-term ties with the United States of America. We share a maritime border, mutual values and concerns as democratic nations, and family and other bonds.

As a small developing state we do not expect the same “special” relationship as that of the US and UK. But with such geographic proximity and our steady support of US interests, neither do we expect to be taken for granted as we have been.

If The Bahamas was not serving as Chair of Caricom, it is likely that we would not have seen such a highprofile visit for many more decades. That it took half a century and a regional meeting for a several hour visit is revealing and embarrassing.

The Vice President did not really “visit” The Bahamas per se. She was here for a Caricom meeting, with the country as mostly a backdrop as the US seeks to counter the influence of China in the region and globally.

Despite the big production, the visit seemed fairly empty. Was it not possible for Ms. Harris to at least make the effort and stay in The Bahamas for one full day and overnight to take more time with Caricom leaders and to meet more Bahamians? Why is our region constantly treated as an afterthought?

While the US describes The Bahamas as a friend, there has been general neglect and mostly indifference by the superpower of its smaller neighbour, which it sees in mostly circumscribed security terms.

Few Bahamians realised that it was Caribbean-American Heritage month in the US. The inclusion of that reference in the Embassy statement felt somewhat patronising, especially given the brevity of the visit, while parts of the statement had the quality of irony a Calypsonian might tease with good humour.

Ms. Harris announced a 100 million dollar aid package for Caricom. For reference and comparison the cost of the new US embassy cum fortress downtown Nassau is a $310m complex.

The package, while a movement in the right direction, is a pittance in terms of US resources and the needs of the region as we confront the ravages already being felt by climate change.

As noted by US officials: the meeting built “on the US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PAC 2030), launched by the Vice President and Caribbean leaders in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas”.

As reported in The Nassau Guardian, the Vice President promised to “lead a diplomatic campaign to push for the reform of multilateral development banks, in order to improve low-cost financing to Caribbean countries”.

This is critical cum existential as Caribbean nations struggle with huge debt burdens, increasingly higher interest payments, and the difficulty of funding essential infrastructure, criminal justice, social development, and climate resilience and mitigation projects.

But the proof will be in what is negotiated and when with multilateral finance agencies. Those who have worked this brief before in foreign and finance ministries in the region are not holding their proverbial breaths.

Further, given the history of pledges by developed states, including the US, we will see whether the 100 million materialises and in what form. Recall the billions in assistance promised by the US and others as a part of the Paris Climate Accords.

And recall all the aid The Bahamas was promised in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

The “years of enduring partnership between our two nations” touted by

the well-regarded Ms Pitts includes the 11 years in which the US has embarrassingly failed to have an ambassador in residence in The Bahamas.

How did we get here and what is the future of USCaricom relations generally, and US-Bahamas relations in particular? First a little bit of history and more in subsequent columns.

And a clue: Were it not for the vigorous presence of the People’s Republic of China in the region, would the US be making the catch-up moves it could and should have made decades ago?

Recall those colourful and cartoonish caricature maps of various countries, depicting nations or regions with an image that supposedly captured the essence or sense of place of a particular area.

Such a map of the United States might be illustrated with a Hollywood camera and the Golden Gate Bridge representing California; Florida, with palm trees and oranges; the Statue of Liberty for New York; oil rigs and cacti for Texas, and so on.

From the viewpoint of most Americans, including its political and business elite, what might a caricature map of the contemporary Caribbean look like?

Perhaps images of Fidel Castro or Che Guevara, with a communist emblem, alongside rum and cigars representing Cuba, migrants

on boats for Haiti, images depicting marijuana and reggae for Jamaica, and sandy beaches with jade and aqua waters, coconuts and tropical drinks like daiquiris for the rest of Caribbean archipelago “lazing” from The Bahamas to Aruba.

Most Americans see the Caribbean as a tropical paradise, with natives insouciantly enjoying warm ocean waters and breezes, and where very little happens. A friend recalls working at a major resort and queried if the staff lived in houses or went to school.

Another friend, who owns a resort wear store for tourists, said she has frequently and condescendingly been praised for how well she speaks English. She recounts the general ignorance of many of her American customers, black and white, about The Bahamas and the Caribbean.

More Americans only realised The Bahamas was a separate country when they had to get passports after 9/11. The slick advertising of Caribbean destinations adds to the stock postcardlike mentality that views the region as a place for holidaying where nothing else really happens.

The West Indies has been romanticised for centuries. Many writers have chronicled the caricaturing of the region and the dismissal of its various peoples as a monolithic mass of blacks and Hispanics, with little agency or seriousness of purpose.

The silky tone of Harry Belafonte, who popularised and crooned Jamaica Farewell, became the background music for the tropes and one-dimensional images most non-West Indians still have of the region.

“Down the way

Where the nights are gay

And the sun shines daily on the mountaintop

I took a trip on a sailing ship

And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop

“But I’m sad to say I’m on my way

Won’t be back for many a day

My heart is down

My head is turning around

I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town …

Whatever happened to that “little girl” or woman who “did get leave” in Kingston Town? What was her life story? What was her ancestry? What was her family like, her dreams, her profession? Where are her descendants?

Were any of them part of the Caribbean Diaspora, like Vice President Harris’s father who is Jamaican, as well as generations of Americans and others who have excelled globally.

Despite Bob Marley’s emancipatory fervor, most North Americans are lulled by the hypnotic simplicity of Three Little Birds, as they imagine themselves on a beach escaping the daily grind and stress of the metropole.

“Don’t worry about a thing

‘Cause every little thing, gonna be all right.”

The West Indies is in their imagining a stress - and anxiety-free zone, where the twin legacies of slavery and colonialism are long gone. Most people, including most Americans and Bahamians, are generally ill-informed of the world past their own geographic confines.

But how does the American political class view the Caribbean today, especially from the perches and suites of the White House, Capitol Hill, the State, Defence, Justice and other departments and agencies?

Certainly, the leaders of the American superpower should have a more informed and sophisticated understanding of the region.

While some US officials may view the Caribbean as somewhat more than sun, sand, sea, their views of the region have been onedimensional for decades, lacking in layers, texture and some granularity.

There remains a vast ignorance of the Caribbean by government, political, military, business and media elites, who once saw the region through the lens of the Cold War and who now view it shortsightedly as mostly a battleground with China.

More Next Week.

(Front Porch is now available in podcast on The Tribune website under the Editorial Section).

To tourists we are an idylic paradise free of stress or care, to politicians we are seen through the lens of the Cold War, and more recently a battleground in their tensions with China

US rival tensions continue to build as China’s recent affair with Cuba taking centre stage

“THE Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict,” according to the US State Department’s historical office.

Few would argue. Now, Cuba’s continuing dalliances with America’s most important rivals seem poised to trigger new tensions – but this time with China.

China’s clandestine flirtation with perpetually economically-depressed Cuba was just shown in much clearer focus when the well-respected Wall Street Journal reported that China and Cuba had reached an agreement in principle to build an electronic eavesdropping station on the island. China planned to pay to the Cuban government billions of dollars as part of the negotiations.

Current American National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that “we have been concerned since day one of this administration about China’s influence activities around the world, certainly in this hemisphere and in this region; we’re watching this very, very closely”.

Another White House source, speaking anonymously, said US intelligence agencies have decided that Chinese spying from Cuba has been an “ongoing” matter and is “not a new development”.

President Joe Biden’s national security team was reportedly briefed by the intelligence community soon after he took office in January 2021 about a number of sensitive Chinese efforts around the globe. Supposedly, these initiatives were in nations where Beijing was weighing expanding logistics, basing and collection infrastructure as part of the People’s Liberation Army’s attempt to further its influence, the official said.

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

So we in The Bahamas find ourselves, through the accident of geography and the reality of obdurate Cuban economic depression under decades of Communist mismanagement, once again potentially at the nexus of superpower competition.

Since the end of World War II and the successful revolution led by Mao Zedong (once known simply as Chairman Mao), US-China relations have been fraught, to say the least. While the most visible symbol of these tensions has long been the US support for an independent, democratic Taiwan (also called “the republic of China”), a broader geopolitical rivalry has dwarfed that regional issue. In truth, and especially as the reality of Russia’s stunning military unpreparedness and incompetence has been revealed by its misbegotten campaign in Ukraine, China has emerged as the clear counterpoint to the US in the world’s current duopoly.

Still, Taiwan persists as a sore point. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year obviously infuriated Beijing and the Chinese soon thereafter launched extensive, threatening military exercises around Taiwan. Pelosi’s visit was the first in 25 years by the most senior official in the American Congress.

Beijing also was angered by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover in the US last month that included a brief meeting with current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in southern California.

Still, despite what Washington well realizes are serious provocations by politicians of both parties, the Americans are not

passively allowing relations with China to deteriorate.

CIA Director William Burns met in Beijing with his counterpart in May. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan also has met recently with high-ranking Chinese officials.

Furthermore, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced plans for a visit to Beijing, though timing has proven to be problematical. And US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently spoke briefly with China’s minister of national defense at a security forum in Singapore.

India recently replaced China as the world’s most populous nation. But the Chinese are right up there with America at the apex of world economics and military might now.

Becoming significantly less a factor – except for its massive nuclear arsenal and

extensive mineral wealth deposits, of course – is Russia, against whom the US and its NATO allies creep inexorably closer to engaging in an active shooting war. There figures to be much posturing and saber-rattling by the Western allies in the next month in advance of the July 11 NATO summit meeting in former Soviet province Lithuania. The drumbeat has already begun.

In connection with a visit this week to Washington by the NATO secretarygeneral, Blinken said “I think we can say with conviction that you’ll see at the summit the Alliance reaffirm its commitment – of course, the shared commitment to Article Five and to defending every inch of NATO territory.

“You will see us following up on our commitment to reinforce our defense investments, to strengthening even more the

FEW would argue. Now, Cuba’s continuing dalliances with America’s most important rivals seem poised to trigger new tensions – but this time with China. Below, President Joe Biden addresses Canada’s parliament on March 24, 2023 (left). Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian Russian Vladimir Putin shake hands after meeting on March 21, 2023. (right)

Alliance’s deterrent and defense capacity, and to operationalize many of the plans and programs that were put in place in the Strategic Concept and that continue to be elaborated right now in advance of the summit.”

At almost the same time, as if to support Blinken’s promise, the State Department said that “pursuant to a delegation of authority from President Biden, we are authorizing our 40th drawdown (of an existing Congressionally-approved military and economic aid package) for Ukraine, which will provide $325m more worth of US arms and equipment.

“This security assistance package includes critical air defense capabilities, additional munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, and other equipment essential

to strengthening Ukraine’s forces on the battlefield.”

Preparedness for and determination to defeat Russia were also on display last weekend. 24 NATO countries, including newest member Finland, took part in combined air force drills in Germany. This was reportedly the biggest single deployment of air assets in NATO’s history, as more than 250 aircraft and 10,000 military personnel were participating. The New York Times said “this was a war game that was supposed to look exactly like the response should be if a NATO member were attacked.”

If Putin and his allies remain in control in Moscow, it looks ever more likely that some very unsettling developments lie ahead in Europe, with implications far beyond the immediate ravaged war zone in Ukraine.

DesPite iNDictmeNt t rUmP says ‘i ill Not DroP oUt oF the race’

YOU could hardly avoid it on cable TV Tuesday afternoon or on network TV that evening. Former US A Donald Trump flew down to Florida from his northern New Jersey golf club to appear in a Miami federal courtroom to subject himself, however briefly, to the American criminal justice system he

once oversaw and that now threatens his freedom.

Indicted by a grand jury on 37 federal charges in connection with alleged improper handling – theft, actually – of super-sensitive, highly classified documents revealing national security secrets, Trump had to begin the probably lengthy process

of facing criminal charges and defending himself.

There is much speculation about how long this trial will drag on, but it could easily take a year or more. A DC law professor said Trump could die in jail if convicted. Such a prospect might persuade others to get out of the race. Not Trump. He thrives, as always, on controversy. And it certainly seems as if his GOP base remains solidly behind him. In fact, according to a recent CBS News poll, eighty percent of likely

Republican primary voters in a new poll think Trump should still be able to get back to the Oval Office even if he’s convicted in the classified documents case.

76 percent of those same voters told pollsters they’re more concerned that the indictment against Trump was politically motivated than about any national security risk that might have been involved in the ex-president’s decision to retain some very sensitive material. 61 percent of that group also

said the indictment won’t change their view of the former president.

After his brief court appearance on Tuesday, Trump was seen waving and giving his familiar thumbs-up to a crowd who had gathered in downtown Miami to catch a glimpse of their hero. He reportedly went straight from the courtroom to hold an impromptu rally in Miami’s famous Cuban exile “Little Havana” neighborhood. In an interview published in the American political gazette The Hill,

Trump was asked the following question by his longtime crony Roger Stone: “Are there any circumstances under which you could see yourself dropping out of the 2024 presidential election?” “No. None whatsoever,” Trump said. He called the indictment “a disgrace.” “No, I see no case in which I would do that. I just wouldn’t do it. I had opportunities in 2016 to do it. And I didn’t do it,” Trump said. “I will not drop out of the race.”

Photos: Associated Press/Andrew Harnik/Mikhail Tereshchenko

FORMER President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up before boarding his personal plane at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Trump appeared in federal court Tuesday on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department’s efforts to get the records back.

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Immigration Department collects $80m in revenue ytd; ‘largest in our history’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

IMMIGRATION

Min-

ister Keith Bell said the immigration department collected nearly $80m in revenue between last July and this March –– the largest in the agency’s history.

“The revenue collected was $79,920,315.92, the largest in our history,” Mr Bell said during his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly yesterday.

“So apart from recruiting the largest number of recruits in the history of immigration, apart from having the largest numbers of repatriations, we also have seen through our improved efficiency the largest amount of revenue collected by the Department of Immigration.”

Despite the revenue record, Mr Bell said his ministry would likely petition Cabinet for more funding to deal with repatriations since his department continues to process “very large numbers” of migrants from Haiti, Cuba and other countries.

He said the department has already deported over 2,500 migrants this year.

“For the first four months of this year, we would’ve repatriated more than half of all of the irregular

migrants we did for the entire last year. That is significant,” Mr Bell said. “It is also very, very mindboggling because of these trends, it means then that in this budget, we have put 1.9 or so million dollars for the repatriation exercise.

“Now last year, we spent $1.9m and if present trends continue, it is likely that we will be coming back to the Cabinet or Parliament for

contingency funding for repatriations.”

He said the rise in illegal migration activity is concerning and noted the government would strengthen the Immigration Act.

He said: “Whereas traditionally, we could’ve seen a boat of irregular migrants from one particular country, we are now witnessing significant boatloads of

irregular migrants from various countries. In one boatload of persons, persons from Nicaragua, Italy, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic. We’ve never seen this before and so I had a meeting yesterday with the United Nations Human Rights Commission.”

“I also had a meeting last week with the International Organisation for Migration and they have

sought to partner with us to ensure that these trends where we see a mixture and a divergence of nationals from various countries that we’re able to seek to address it.”

“It’s something that’s very significant and the IOM and the UNHCR is concerned about it and so they are also working with us to see how best they can address that.”

The increasing number of unaccompanied children found on migrant vessels is another worrying trend, Mr Bell said.

“On one boat, there were 51 children unaccompanied and so it’s a cause of major concern,” he said. “Between the period January to June, some 99 children have been repatriated to their home countries.”

FIRST LABOUR FORCE SURVEY SINCE COVID-19 EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED JUNE 20

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Department of Statistics will release the latest labour force survey on June 20th, according to Labour director Robert Farquharson.

The survey results are highly anticipated because this is the first survey in three years. Officials postponed the study because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to complete the 2022 census.

Mr Farquharson said the statistics department finished the survey on May 3. His comments came during a press conference announcing a Labour on the Blocks job fair scheduled in the Fox Hill community on June 17 at the Fox Hill Community Centre from 9am to 3pm. He estimated over 600 jobseekers will be in attendance.

He encouraged people to register for the fair through

his department’s Facebook page or website portal.

He also urged people to dress appropriately. He said the department will provide clothing to people who need proper attire.

Mr Farquharson said there would be numerous job opportunities in the upcoming months.

“The Hilton has indicated to us that they expect to open this year, and they’re going to need to employ between 300 and 400 persons there,” he said.

“We have also had indication from a number of companies in Grand Bahama about some investment opportunities that are becoming available next month and we expect additional job fairs to be held in Freeport of this year to accommodate that.”

“In Long Island, they’ve also indicated because of investment opportunities.

They’re going to want the department to come to

Long Island to seek persons to be employed in Long Island, as well as in South Eleuthera.

“We look forward in the very near future, six to 12 months to have employment opportunities spring up in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Long Island, Exuma and in Eleuthera.”

Among the companies scheduled to attend Saturday’s job fair are Norwegian Cruise Lines, Four Seasons Resort, MSC Cruise Lines, John Bull, Warwick Hotel, Sandals Resort, Norman’s Cay Resort, Osprey Construction Company, Bella Mente Spa, FML Group of Companies, AML Foods Limited, McDonald’s, Little Caesars, Family Guardian, the Bahamas Humane Society, Everyday Tools, Dairy Queen, Supervalue, Aetos Holdings Limited, Foresight Security Services and ICS of The Bahamas Company Limited.

ACCUSED OF UNLAW FUL SEXUAL INTERCOURSE W ITH A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY

WOMAN

A 36-YEAR-OLD woman is behind bars after being accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy last month.

Racquel Williamson was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse and indecent assault before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

On May 26th in New Providence, Williamson allegedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy. Between April 23 and May 6 in Mangrove Cay, Andros, Williamson allegedly indecently assaulted the minor. placed on one-year probation after admitting to attacking a man with a conch beater on Sunday.

Demica Cash, 41, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and death threats before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

On June 11, in Eleuthera Avenue in Yamacraw Shore, Ms Cash assaulted Quinton Munroe with a dark grey conch beater and threatened him with death.

After admitting to the offence, Ms Cash

was placed on one-year probation. placed on two months probation after admitting to stealing almost $200 of groceries last month.

Demetrius Bastian, 43, and Ernestine Ford, 38, were charged with stealing from a shop before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux.

The pair stole $177.28 worth of assorted groceries from Quality Supermarket on West Bay Street on May 23rd. After pleading guilty to the offence, the accused were granted a conditional discharge. They were placed on two months’ probation. If they default on their probation conditions, they will face a two months prison sentence.

$5,000 bail after he was accused of breaking into a woman’s car and stealing over $200 worth of her property last month.

Tenhaj Thompson, 36, was charged with stealing and damage before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

Between 7.00am and 8.20am on May 27, Thompson allegedly broke the left rear glass panel of a 2006 Nissan March belonging to Kara Cartwright, causing $250 worth of damage.

After entering the car, the accused allegedly stole a black wallet containing $80 cash and $130 worth of credit cards belonging to Ms Cartwright. Following his plea of not guilty, Thompson was told his trial would begin on July 7. after allegedly threatening someone with a shotgun earlier this week.

Kermit Ferguson, 47, was charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

On June 11th, in New Providence, Ferguson allegedly endangered the life of Bertram Burrows with a black Maverick pump gage shotgun.

After pleading not guilty to the charge, Ferguson was denied bail and sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. His trial is to begin on August 8.

THE Department of Statistics will release the first labour force survey in three years (since the onset of COVID-19) on June 20th, according to Labour director Robert Farquharson.

Photo: Austin Fernander

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell said the immigration department collected nearly $80m in revenue between last July and this March –– the largest in the agency’s history. Photo: Austin Fernander

Haitian kids live in private orphanages.

Officials want to shutter them and reunite families.

HAITI Associated Press

MYLOUISE Veillard was

10 when her mother dropped her off at an orphanage in southern Haiti and promised her a better life. For three years, Mylouise slept on a concrete floor. When she was thirsty, she walked to a community well and hauled heavy buckets of water herself. Meals were scarce, and she lost weight. She worried for her younger brother, who struggled even more than she did at the facility.

It’s a familiar story among the estimated 30,000 Haitian children who live in hundreds of orphanages where reports of forced labour, trafficking, and physical and sexual abuse are rampant. In recent months, Haiti’s government has stepped up efforts to remove hundreds of these children and reunite them with their parents or relatives as part of a massive push to shut down the institutions, the vast majority of which are privately owned.

Social workers are leading the endeavour, sometimes armed with only a picture and a vague description of the neighbourhood where the child once lived. It’s an arduous task in a country of more than 11 million people with no residential phonebooks and where many families have no physical address or digital footprint.

“They’re almost like detectives,” said Morgan Wienberg, co-founder and executive director of Little Footprints, Big Steps, one of several nonprofits that help reunite children and families.

“It definitely comes down to a lot of persistence.”

The social workers fan out through cities, towns and villages. They walk up hills, navigate mazes of tin-roof shacks and knock on doors. With a smile, they hold up a picture and ask whether anyone recognizes the child.

They find that some orphanages relocated children without notifying their parents, or families were forced to flee violence in their community and lost touch with their kids.

On occasion, social worker Jean Rigot Joseph said he’ll show children pictures of landmarks to see if they remember where they lived.

If he locates the parents, he’ll first determine whether they’re open to reunification

SIBLINGS MYLOUISE VEILLARD, left, and Myson walk home with water they collected from a well, for cooking, cleaning and drinking, in a rural area of Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Haiti, Thursday, May 25, 2023. The siblings were considered “poverty orphans” for three years until they were reunited with their mother, Renèse Estève, who had dropped them off at an orphanage where she believed they’d get better care. Their mother brought them home after she was startled at the weight they had lost, convinced they’d be better off living in grinding poverty.

before revealing he found their child.

Like more than 80% of children in Haiti’s orphanages, Veillard and her brother are considered “ poverty orphans.” Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with about 60% of the population making less than $2 a day. When parents can’t afford to feed their children, they temporarily place them in orphanages, where they believe they’ll received better care.

“When parents give up their kids to orphanages, they really don’t see it as giving their children up forever,” Wienberg said.

Roughly 30,000 children out of some 4 million nationwide live in about 750 orphanages across Haiti, according to government figures. Many were built after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people. In the months that followed, the number of orphanages in Haiti skyrocketed by 150%, leading to an increase in trafficking, forced labour and abuse.

A 2018 report by Haiti’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research and others found that just 35 of 754 orphanages — less than 5% — met minimum standards and were allowed to operate. Meanwhile, 580 orphanages received the lowest score, meaning the government should order them closed.

In response to the report, Haiti’s government has

banned construction of new orphanages and shut down existing ones. But closing orphanages can be dangerous. Government officials have been threatened or forced to go into hiding as owners seek to keep generous donations flowing from abroad; US faith-based donors are the largest funders of orphanages in Haiti, according to Lumos, a nonprofit that works to reunite children in orphanages worldwide with their families.

There is no group or association that speaks on behalf of orphanages in Haiti since the vast majority are individually owned.

Homes are a necessity for children whose parents cannot feed them or protect them from violence, said Sister Paesie, who founded religious organization Kizito Family in Port-au-Prince. It houses and offers free schooling to some 2,000 children from impoverished slums.

“The idea is to remove them from violence,” she said, and parents are invited to visit.

Gangs control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince, according to the UN, and have been blamed for a surge in killings and kidnappings, especially in areas where children at Kizito Family are from.

Sister Paesie condemned orphanages that are linked to the lucrative adoption business.

“It gives rise to so much abuse instead of trying to

help the parents, which we always try to do,” she said.

But reuniting children with parents is hard when they’ve fled violence and have no home, she said.

“In the last month, I have seen so many mothers sleeping on the streets with their children,” she said. “I have dozens of mothers asking me every single day to take their children because they have no food to give them.”

Reunification efforts have been successful in more rural parts of Haiti where gangs don’t have as much control and families can grow their own food.

In rural southern Haiti, some 330 children are now living again with their families. When that day arrived for Mylouise, now 17, and her brother, they were so excited they ran out of the orphanage and left their sandals behind, recalled Renèse Estève, their mother. They joined Estève, her new partner, their new child and one other sibling in a one-bedroom home by the foot of a mountain where farmers grow corn, potatoes and vetiver, a plant whose oil is used in high-end perfumes.

Wienberg’s nonprofit built Estève the home as part of an effort to help support families after reunification to avoid further economic strain and another separation. Other efforts include hiring an agronomist to help families produce crops to eat or sell amid the crippling inflation

that has pushed Haitians into even deeper poverty.

Two of the children sleep on the concrete floor; there are only two small beds in their house. Near the beds, the children keep their only toys: a small stuffed moose and teddy bear, a Hello Kitty purse and a “Black Panther” lunchbox.

Estève said leaving children at the orphanage was painful, even though she visited them occasionally. She didn’t have a job or a partner to help feed and care for them. During their visits, the kids told her they weren’t doing well and asked for food. Estève herself struggled to eat at home, thinking of her two children.

“Sometimes I felt like killing myself,” she said.

One day, startled at the weight they’d lost, she decided to pick up the children with the help of social workers. She was convinced they’d be better off in grinding poverty than at the orphanage.

Key to reunification efforts are mentors such as Eluxon Tassy, 32, who works with children living on the street, in orphanages or in transition preparing to return home.

“I understand exactly what they’re going through,” he said.

He was 4 when his mother dropped him off at an orphanage on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, where he lived for nearly 15 years. He said he also was forced to spend two years with a family that exploited him as a child domestic worker, known in Haiti as a restavek. He never went to school despite promises from the family to enroll him in exchange for cleaning the house and tending to farm animals.

Tassy’s first priority when helping children navigate the transition back home is gaining trust and building confidence. He uses art and music, singing the alphabet with the younger ones. He asks how they feel about their orphanage but is careful not to question them too much.

Sometimes he has to explain the concept of a family and the importance of affection if a child doesn’t remember his parents or has spent much time away from them.

In Estève’s case, her children reconnected almost immediately with her. To celebrate, she cooked two meals that day: the traditional Haitian spaghetti breakfast, and later, rice and beans laden with a fish sauce.

“It was easy,” she said.

“We were a family again.”

SIBLINGS MYLOUISE VEILLARD, center, and Myson look at pictures on a phone with Morgan Wienberg in a rural area of SaintLouis-du-Sud, Haiti, Thursday, May 25, 2023. Wienberg is executive director of Little Footprints, Big Steps, a nonprofit that helped reunite the siblings with their mother and built their mother’s home as part of an effort to help support the family after reunification to avoid further economic strain and another separation.

POPE SOON TO BE RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER SURGERY

ROME Associated Press

POPE Francis is expected to be released from the hospital “in the coming days,” as he recovers well and without complications from abdominal surgery last week, the Vatican said Wednesday.

In his daily medical update, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Francis again rested well overnight, was at work during the day and had received the Eucharist during a moment of prayer in the chapel of his hospital suite.

The 86-year-old pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on June 7 for surgery to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall and remove intestinal scar tissue that had caused intestinal blockages.

Francis in 2021 had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed at Gemelli because of a narrowing of the intestine, and had at least two prior abdominal surgeries in Argentina.

Citing Francis’ doctors, Bruni said the pope’s recovery “is proceeding regularly, without complications,

and as such his discharge is planned for the coming days.”

Daily Il Fatto Quotidiano quoted an email from the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Battista Re, to his colleagues saying Francis’ return to the Vatican was expected Thursday or Friday.

Francis already has a full agenda scheduled for next week, including a reported audience with Cuban President Miguel Diaz Cane and one with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. On June 23, he’s due to preside over an audience in the Sistine Chapel with artists to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the contemporary art collection in the Vatican Museums.

The Vatican typically cancels papal audiences during July, a summer break that will give Francis time to recover more fully before his expected Aug. 2-6 trip to Portugal for World Youth Day. Other upcoming travel includes an Aug. 31-Sept. 4 visit to Mongolia, the first-ever by a pope, and a Sept. 23 day trip to Marseille, France.

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

A CANDLE with the image of Pope Francis is left at the entrance of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, Wednesday, June 14, 2023, as Pope Francis is recovering from the abdominal surgery he underwent last week.

Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

FOUR SEASONS SUMMER FUN RUN/WALK TAKES PLACE THIS SATURDAY

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Four Seasons Race Management will host their second seasonal fun/run walk this Saturday at Goodman’s Bay Beach. The event is under a theme that will allow persons to participate in bikini tops or bareback which is optional. The fitness event will get underway at 6am and the first place male and female finisher will receive a cash prize of $100.

The fun run/walk will be open to all demographics including pets and is geared towards having a collective fun time on the beach.

Marcel “Bop” Major, owner of four seasons race management, talked about the purpose of these types of events.

“Events like these are very important because people are becoming more health conscious and if you are healthy you tend to have a better quality of life, you are able to sleep better, think better, and perform better…so it makes you a more well rounded person when you decide you want to do some form of exercise,” Major said.

He added that the event is going to be very exciting for families, children, and pets.

There are two routes for the event – Route A and Route B. The first route allows participants to start east by the parking lot on the sand and complete one mile heading west on the sand at Goodman’s Bay. Route A will be a total of two miles going east to west and back.

Meanwhile, Route B is the completion of Route A twice which is four miles.

The event will not only have a racing component but competitors can partake in extracurricular activities as well. Beach activities will include beach volleyball, frisbee throwing, a best beach body and best abs contest.

The BikiniTop and Bareback Beach Fun/ Run Walk participants will also lend a hand to a worthy cause.

All proceeds from the event will go to Erin Brown for Disability Advocacy & Inclusion Management.

“Every race that we stage we have a charitable component and part of the proceeds goes to charity. We identified Erin Brown because she is an athlete and is doing some great work in the community so we searched around for a suitable person…she’s a great person and her advocacy deserves and requires some help and we are happy to assist,” Major said.

Although event organisers have up to 120 persons registered, they are encouraging more people to sign up for Saturday. The cost of registration is $20 per person and it will come with a “swag” bag. Interested individuals can sign up at www.

fourseasonsracemanagement.com or call 804-8595.

Bahamas to host Speed Capital International Championships

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

SPEED Capital is bringing its international championships to The Bahamas for the first time. The three-day event is set to take place starting at 6pm on Friday and will continue until Sunday, June 19 at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

The championships will host 600 athletes from eight different countries including The Bahamas. Athletes will commute here from Grenada, Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Canada, United States of America, and Barbados. Competitors will range from ages 5-18 at this weekend’s inaugural meet.

Luke Robinson, chief executive officer of Speed Capital, talked about why The Bahamas was chosen at the destination for the International Championships.

“For us it was reciprocal. The Bahamian cohort of athletes that has been actively coming to our events in Florida has surpassed roughly about 300, so when we were looking at creating an international event, naturally it was home for us

to come back to The Bahamas and show the same level of support that they have shown us in the States,” Robinson said.

He added that he also wanted to introduce an experience to The Bahamas that is second to none in terms of the technology that they plan to use at this weekend’s threeday international championships. With 600 athletes prepared to compete and 225 of them coming from the USA, it was imperative for Speed Capital to introduce technology that makes the track meet go quicker and more efficiently.

Derrick Greene, director of operations for Speed Capital, talked about the technology that will be utilised June 16-18 to eliminate the hold ups at the track meet.

“We have scanners, computers, we have technology. So what we did was take that out of the hands of the people and put it in the hands of our technology,” Greene said.

The scanners will allow for multiple athletes to be checked into their respective races and events in a shorter time frame.

“I can scan 20 girls for a 400 metre event in 51 seconds I can check them in have them lined up in their heats in 51 seconds [and] that’s great,” he said.

Greene said the technology works alongside the timers, not against it, therefore, if a meet is too far ahead of schedule they can slow it down or if a meet is running behind schedule, there are technological measures that can ensure that the event gets back on track or ahead of it.

“I can scan a person or heat and if somebody is missing or the heat is low I will be able to change the heat immediately – hit a button, upload it to the timer, the timer sees the heat change [and] lane change automatically in the system [and] within a couple seconds that’s going

down the track,” he said.

The meet will also see the introduction of a real-time check in system which allows coaches to see the status of athletes as it changes in terms of them being checked in for races in a timely fashion.

Robinson added that these technological advancements have allowed them to wrap up meets with more than 1,000 plus participants by 3pm.

The inaugural meet is supported by The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) and National Sports Authority (NSA).

Moses Johnson, general manager of the National Sports Authority (NSA), said he does not believe the Speed Capital International Championships will be a one-time event.

“We look for a multi-year partnership that we can bring these type of activities to the shore of paradise as we partner with the NSA and BAAAs for this event – especially for kids 5-15, that’s where you find the next Stevie Gardiners and Shaunae Miller-Uibos,” Johnson said.

Robinson said Speed Capital is 100% committed to multi-year

RED-LINE ATHLETICS ATHLETES READY FOR THE NEXT STEP

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Red-Line Athletics track club saw a few of their star athletes cross the stage at the St Augustine’s College graduation ceremony yesterday. The newest members of the class of 2023 celebrated their milestone in front of family, friends, and guardians at the Atlantis Imperial Ballroom. The Red-line Athletes included Alexis Brown Jr, Clinton Laguerre, Tumani Skinner, Johnathon Fowler, Ezthia Maycock, Jadyn Demeritte, and D’Angelo Collie. The athletes are preparing for the next step as they venture into early adulthood.

Tito Moss, head coach of Red-Line Athletics, talked about how proud he was of the class of 2023 athletes.

“I am really ecstatic and I am really proud of them,” Moss said. “What we are working on at Red-Line is to get as many of them as possible off to school. We have about 9 or 10 of them graduating and so far have gotten six of them sorted for college, so for us it’s good that they are finishing at this level and getting ready to matriculate to another level.”

One of the many athletes

that will be studying abroad

is Johnathon Fowler. The young athlete has had quite the year on and off the track. On the track, Fowler was one of the four members on the under 20 4x400m relay team that set a new Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) record earlier this year. Also, he competed at CARIFTA for the first time as part of the historic 80-member Team Bahamas. Recently, Fowler competed with his fellow clubmates at the 2023 Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

However, the sprint athlete’s prowess did not only exist on the track as he graduated with honours (cumulative average 3.00 to 3.49).

Ezthia Maycock embodied the definition of a student athlete. She graduated with honours alongside Fowler and D’Angelo Collie, who also collected the award for Physics. Additionally, she won the 2023 academic award for religion. In sports, Maycock was a member of Team Bahamas and also competed at

the Penn Relays for SAC’s 4x400m team. She talked about how it felt to balance being both an astute student and focused athlete.

“I have learned to divide my time between school and practice,” she said.

“Sometimes it could be stressful but I always had to remember my goals that I am working towards and to never give up.”

Ultimately, Maycock said it felt amazing to graduate and was glad that her journey was successful. She thanked the track club for

allowing her to experience things she never had before and said she hopes to apply everything she learned at her school in life and college.

Tumani Skinner is known for his impressive stints at the 34th BAISS track and field championships and in the crowd-pleasing under 20 4x400m mixed relay at the 50th CARIFTA games. Skinner also participated in this year’s Penn Relays.

After participating as a Redline athlete for four years, he talked about the

MEMBERS of Speed Capital, The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) gathered at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium for the announcement of the inaugural Speed Capital International Championships this upcoming weekend.

Three-day event comes to nation for the first time

JOHNATHON Fowler

ALEXIS Brown Jr

CLINTON Laguerre

EZTHIA Maycock

BAHAMAS TO HOST SPEED CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

FROM PAGE 14

events in The Bahamas and it is not a one and done.

“The natural matriculation process is going to take place year after year we will get bigger and we will get better and continue to improve . . . the best thing we can hope to look for is healthy participation, the kids having a great time and from there we can continue our partnership with NSA and the BAAAs,” the CEO added.

The various local and international athletes will compete in all events except the pole vault this weekend.

Interested individuals can pay a fee of $20 per day for adults – children five and below are free. The event starts at 6pm tomorrow, 9.30am on Saturday, and noon on Sunday.

FOUR SEASONS WILL HOST SUMMER FUN RUN/WALK THIS SATURDAY

FROM PAGE 14

However, if none of those avenues are suitable they will be hosting a packet pickup from 12 noon to 7.30pm on the eastern side of the field on Goodman’s Bay Beach this Friday. Persons can bring cash or card to sign up inperson. The last-minute option to register will allow participants to sign up from 5am before the race on Saturday if necessary.

The event is sponsored by Bahamas Brewery, Global Insurance Agency Ltd, Thompson Trading Co Ltd, and Bahamas Wholesale Agencies. Event organisers are encouraging more local companies to sponsor before or after the event by visiting the website or contacting the number directly.

ENGLAND PICKS BROAD OVER WOOD FOR 1ST ASHES TEST AGAINST AUSTRALIA

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — England favoured Stuart Broad’s experience over Mark Wood’s raw pace for the first Ashes test at Edgbaston after naming its team two days early in a show of confidence on Wednesday.

With James Anderson and Ollie Robinson healthy enough to return to the team after resting injury niggles in the recent one-off test against Ireland at Lord’s, there was just one spot left in the seam attack for the series opener against Australia on Friday.

Wood, England’s quickest bowler, was edged out by Broad, who led the attack impressively against the Irish and whose record of 162 caps and 582 wickets is bettered only by Anderson.

Broad’s selection guarantees another chapter in his rivalry with Australia opener David Warner, who was dismissed by Broad seven times in 10 innings in the 2019 Ashes.

Moeen Ali will slot straight in at No. 8 and as the spin option after coming out of retirement following an injury to Jack Leach.

Opener Ben Duckett and No. 5 Harry Brook are the only players in the England team to be making their Ashes debuts in Birmingham, while Broad and Anderson have both taken the field 35 times against Australia.

RED-LINE ATHLETICS ATHLETES READY FOR THE NEXT STEP

happiness surrounding his newest accomplishment and time at the track club.

“It feels great and I feel [a] huge relief of having finished my high school journey … Redline has molded me into a stellar athlete and allowed me to achieve things [that] I didn’t know were possible. It has taught me discipline and social skills,” he said. He started off running the 100-metre and 200m races. However, as time progressed he added the 400m race to his arsenal and has broken records in that event and in the 4x100m relays. As he embarks on his new journey, the athlete will pursue a degree in environmental science while working hard to become a

professional division one athlete. Skinner said that he is grateful to be a part of great institutions such as SAC and Redline and one day he will pass on the experience and knowledge that was given to him.

Similar to Fowler and Skinner, Clinton Laguerre is ready for the next step in his life journey.

The SAC student contributed to breaking the under 4x100m BAISS record. Additionally, Laguerre represented SAC along with his teammates and schoolmates at the 2023 Penn Relays.

He was also selected as a member of Team Bahamas once again.

Laguerre reminisced on his previous graduations leading up to the big one.

“I am very excited that I

am walking out of the doors of high school I remember when I was walking on stage at my preschool graduation and here I am today walking on a bigger stage,” he said.

He added that although he is a Red-Line Athlete he is still grateful for his start with Star Trackers in the ninth grade upon his arrival from Abaco.

Nonetheless, after joining Red-Line he felt very welcome and offered a special thanks to the coaching staff who encouraged and supported him every step of the way. Laguerre is now in pursuit of his studies in computer technology and information systems and will look to obtain his goal of being the first to acquire a degree in his family. He has not made a

final decision on a college yet but is in correspondence with multiple coaches and universities.

Alexis Brown Jr joined Red-Line Athletics last year as a 400m and 800m distance runner. The 17-year-old represented the track club as one of 20 members at the Texas Tech High School in January. He talked about how it felt to finally be done with high school.

“I feel phenomenal, this has been on my mind since grade ten and to finally do it is unbelievable,” Brown said.

Although Brown has not made a decision on a college as yet, he said Redline Athletics has been keeping him on the right track and always stressed the importance of school for a track

athlete, which made him want to be a better version of himself.

Therefore, he thanked SAC and the track club for guiding him through his high school life.

“I know I want to major in computer science [and] I want to continue to strive to be the best version of myself whether on the track or off, my goal is to be the best Alexis I can be,” he said.

Coach Moss expects his athletes to now celebrate their newfound successes and believes some of them have a real chance to make it to the professional level. His last word of advice to them was continue to work hard, perfect their craft, and remain disciplined as the responsibility now belongs to them.

CHAOS RULES THE DAY AS US OPEN COMES TO THE GLITZ OF LOS ANGELES

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brooks Koepka says he enjoys the chaos and there’s no shortage of that in this U.S. Open, even for those who manage to avoid the traffic.

Players are still trying to digest the blockbuster announcement of the PGA Tour ending a legal and moral battle with LIV Golf by becoming partners with the Saudi Arabia national wealth fund that paid for all those PGA Tour defections.

And then came news late Tuesday night that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was turning over dayto-day operations while he recovers from what was described as a medical situation.

And on Thursday, they take on the North course at Los Angeles Country Club that won’t look like most U.S. Opens except for usual doses of frustration from the toughest test in golf.

“Bogeys are OK. I’m going to remind myself of that because I don’t do that so well,” said Max Homa, who holds the course record of 61 set 10 years ago in the Pac-12 championship.

“It’s a hard golf course. You’re going to hit some good shots that go in some really weird spots. But if you keep hitting good shots you’re going to make some birdies to make up some ground.”

That sounds like a typical U.S. Open. It just doesn’t look like one.

U.S. Opens are typically in the suburbs, not on the edge of Beverly Hills with office buildings and high-rise condos lining the edge of the course built between Wilshire and Sunset boulevards.

The aiming point off the first tee is the “H” on the Beverly Hilton sign.

And while this golf course looks big — the fairways average 43 yards in width — it actually plays smaller than the target appears because of the severe slope in some of the fairways and angles required to access pins.

“It makes you think,” Masters champion Jon Rahm said. “It has very intricate green complexes. You’ve got to play the angles a little bit, and especially if you miss the greens, you’re going to find yourself in some interesting spots to get up and down.

“It’s got everything. It’s got all the ingredients to be a great week.”

And it has the shadow of Saudi Arabia’s influence on golf, though

that’s nothing new, either. The U.S. Open last year was in the Boston suburbs of Brookline, one week after LIV Golf began its inaugural season and with speculation over who would be next to leave for the big riches of Saudi-funded golf.

Phil Mickelson made his first U.S. appearance since leaving for LIV as one of its ringleaders. He has been largely missing, doing his tedious preparations last week, and showing himself for the first time on Wednesday in a practice round.

The USGA likes to refer to last Monday as the longest day in golf because of 36-hole qualifiers held at 10 sites across the U.S. and Canada.

Not this year.

“It turns out last Tuesday was the longest day in golf,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said, referring to the day of the PGA Tour’s stunning revelation of a partnership with the Saudis.

“All of us got together on Wednesday and said, ‘Gosh, all these stories we wanted to tell, maybe it’s going to be harder to tell because media will be focused elsewhere.’”

And then he remembered the same feelings — and outcome — from last year.

“Once the balls go in the air, the athletes take the narrative back,”

Whan said.

As always, there is a growing list of candidates. Even the current Big Three in golf is a little disjointed. Scottie Scheffler and Rahm have managed to separate themselves from the pack at Nos. 1 and 2 in the world ranking.

Koepka joins them even though he rarely sees them — the PGA Tour has suspended LIV players, so the best only congregate at the majors. But he is a force again in the majors, having been runner-up at the Masters and winning the PGA Championship for his fifth major.

And to think he only started playing them regularly in 2015. His target is 10 or more.

“I don’t think it’s out of the question for me,” Koepka said. “I think the way I’ve prepared, the way I’ve kind of suited my game for these things is going to help me. I’m only 33. So I’ve definitely got quite a bit of time. I’ve just got to stay healthy and keep doing what I’m doing.”

The North course features the winding barranca — something along the lines of a ditch and an old riverbed — that winds through eight holes of the front nine and reappears on the right side of the 17th hole. It has two par 3s of 284 yards or

longer, and another that could play as short as 80 yards. The final three holes average 518 yards — all of them par 4s — and then it has sixth hole, where players can easily reach a green they can’t see from the tee because of the sharp turn to the right, and they can easily make a big number.

“You could see anything from a 7 to possibly a 2,” Koepka said. “It’ll be a fun hole to just stand on and watch. If I was watching, that’s where I’d go stand.”

Stand on the 14th tee and listen to the spider monkeys and other forms of wildlife — heard not seen — behind the tall wall that guards Hugh Hefner’s Playboy mansion on the other side.

LACC oozes celebrity, even if the club has a history of keeping celebrities off their membership rolls. This is a golf club, and for the first time, it gets to test the best in the world.

“It’s taking away the big numbers,” Collin Morikawa said.

“Big numbers can add up really quickly out here with back-to-back long holes, long par 3s. You’ve just got to really take advantage and be smart when you’re trying to make those birdies.”

That sounds like any U.S. Open.

RICKIE Fowler chips to the green on the 16th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament at The Los Angeles Country Club on Wednesday, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez)

BROOKS Koepka hits from the fairway on the 14th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament at The Los Angeles Country Club on Tuesday, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt York)

ROYALS LOSE 1B PASQUANTINO TO SEASON-ENDING SHOULDER SURGERY

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(AP) — Royals slugger

Vinnie Pasquantino has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery, taking one of the best hitters out of the Kansas City lineup as it strives to turn around a miserable start to the season.

Pasquantino was hitting .247 with nine homers and 26 RBIs though his first 61 games, but he began feeling some discomfort in his shoulder during a game against Baltimore on June 9. He had an MRI exam Monday that revealed the extent of the injury.

“I was hoping for the best but probably more realistic expectations,” said first-year Royals manager Matt Quatraro, whose club went into Wednesday night’s series finale with the Cincinnati Reds with a majors-worst 18-49 record.

“I think moving forward, this is what needs to be done to put him in the best spot to perform and to have him the best for us going forward,” Quatraro said. “I think he intellectually, like, wrapped his head around it, and knows that it’s what’s best for him. But you know, it’s not an easy thing for him to swallow, either. And he’s a competitor.”

Along with infielder Bobby Witt Jr., outfielder MJ Melendez and the versatile Maikel Garcia, Pasquantino is part of a young core that the Royals hope can lift them from the big league basement. But with surgery on the horizon, Pasquantino will be out of the lineup until next spring training, putting even more pressure on the rest of them to perform.

Nick Pratto will handle most of the first base duties in his absence, while infielder Matt Duffy also can play first base. Quatraro even floated — perhaps tongue-incheek — the possibility of catcher Salvador Perez playing there, something he’s done 10 times over the course of his 12-year major league career.

In the meantime, Pasquantino plans to be around the club and provide whatever positive vibes he can.

“Everyone knows we’re struggling to win games,” Quatraro said. “And his point is, I want to be out there while we’re struggling that it’s that much sweeter when we get through it together. And that’s the competitor. But I think it’s unavoidable, you know? So he’ll go wrap his head around it. ... It’s not something that by any means I expect him to become a coach, but he is someone that people respect for the way he goes about his business, the way he plays the game, the way he competes.”

SAKKARI, VEKIC LOSE IN 2ND ROUND AT GRASS COURT NOTTINGHAM OPEN AS SEEDS TUMBLE

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Top-seeded Maria Sakkari and former champion Donna Vekic were eliminated from the grass-court Nottingham Open at the last-16 stage on Wednesday.

Sakkari was beaten 6-1, 6-4 by Alize Cornet and Vekic, the winner in 2017 and the runner-up in ‘19, lost Viktorija Golubic 6-4, 6-1.

On Tuesday, defending champion and secondseeded Beatriz Haddad

Maia was defeated by lucky loser Daria Snigur 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.

Another seed to fall in the second round was Lin Zhu, who lost 6-2, 6-4 to Magdalena Frech. Lin was the eighth seed at the Wimbledon warmup event.

Britain’s Heather Watson gave home fans something to cheer by beating Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-4 to set up a meeting in the quarterfinals with Golubic.

GIANTS RALLY FOR 8-5 WIN OVER CARDS IN 10 INNINGS TO COMPLETE 3-GAME SWEEP

By JOE HARRIS Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mike

Yastrzemski is comfortable at the plate with the game on the line and he showed it on Wednesday.

Yastrzemski hit a gametying two-run homer in the ninth inning and Thairo Estrada had the go-ahead single in 10th, and the San Francisco Giants rallied to complete a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with an 8-5 victory.

“The kind of thought process is, I’ve struck out plenty of times in my life, like one more doesn’t change anything,” Yastrzemski said. “So, there’s a calmness in that.”

Yastrzemski’s shot, which came on a 2-2 count with two outs in the ninth inning off Cardinals closer Giovanny Gallegos, made it 5-5. The Cardinals extended their skid to five games and fell to a seasonworst 15 games under .500. It was the third blown save of the season for Gallegos.

“We just don’t execute,” Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado said. “This has nothing to do with the coaches, it has to do with the players and as players we don’t execute.”

The late offensive spark lifted the Giants’ winning streak to four games.

“Nobody we’d rather have up in those kind of moments because his heartbeat is so slow,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said of Yastrzemski. “You know

he’s going to be totally prepared for the moment. Nothing’s going to be too big for him and he’s going to get a good swing off. Not always going to end like that, but obviously we’ve seen him with some pretty big home runs over the last couple of years.”

Estrada’s single scored Yastrzemski, who was the automatic runner at second base. Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade Jr. followed with RBI singles off Steven Matz (0-7).

“We just have to play better,” Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner said.

“There’s a lot of things that don’t go our way, but you usually can fight through that stuff when you’re playing good baseball.”

Tommy Edman’s second

career grand slam gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead in the second inning and Jordan Walker added an RBI single in the third as St. Louis chased Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani after just three innings.

But the San Francisco bullpen shut the door from there as five relievers combined for seven scoreless innings. Tyler Rogers (1-4) got the win with a perfect ninth inning and Camilo Doval earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities.

“Those guys are a grindy group and I have faith in every single one of them,” Yastrzemski said. “So, it’s really cool when they have that moment to kind of step up and do what they do. And it’s not easy for them to mentally stay in when

we go down early like that and to keep us in the game. That’s probably the biggest thing that allows us to come back there.”

Cardinals starter Jordan Montgomery gave up three runs in 6 1/3 innings, allowed seven hits, walked two and struck out seven.

Highly touted rookie Luis Matos made his debut for the Giants in centre and singled in his first major league at-bat as part of a two-run first inning. Estrada and Patrick Bailey had RBI singles during the rally.

“I had a little bit of nerves, just a little bit not that much, but at the same time since I saw the team in spring training that kind of helped me get more comfortable,” Matos said through an interpreter.

Yastrzemski ended Montgomery’s day with an RBI single in the seventh to make it 5-3 and start the Giants rally.

MOVES

San Francisco recalled Matos and INF David Villar from Triple-A Sacramento. Matos, 21, was hitting .398 with a 1.120 OPS and seven home runs in 24 games at Sacramento. He went 1 for 3 before being lifted for pinch hitter Michael Conforto in the seventh. RHP Keaton Winn was optioned to Sacramento.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: OF Mitch Haniger (fractured right forearm) was placed on the 10-day Injured List. … INF J.D. Davis (right ankle sprain) was not in the lineup after being removed from Tuesday’s game in the third inning.

Cardinals: LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain) got a second opinion and is deciding on treatment options.

UP NEXT

Giants: Neither team has announced a starter as the Giants start a three-game series at the rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (4-3, 4.02 ERA) kicks off a three-game series on Friday night at New York against the Mets. Mikolas is 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Mets.

WIMBLEDON PRIZE MONEY UP MORE THAN 11%, WINNERS OF SINGLES TO GET $3M EACH

TENNIS

LONDON (AP) — The total prize money at Wimbledon this year will rise by more than 11%, with the winners of the singles each getting 2.35 million pounds ($3 million).

The total prize fund at the championships will be 44.7 million pounds ($56.5 million), the All England Club said Wednesday. That is an increase of 17.1% compared to 2019, the last Wimbledon before the pandemic.

The earnings for the winners of the singles competitions are back to the levels they were in 2019. The prize for the singles champions had dipped to 1.7 million pounds in 2021, after the tournament was canceled in 2020, and was 2 million last year.

Officials said a priority was placed on supporting players in the early rounds. Those who lose in the first round will earn 55,000 pounds ($69,500), a 10% increase from last year.

SAN Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores, left, scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner (7) during the 10th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, in St. Louis. The Giants won 8-5. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

SAN Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski is congratulated by teammate Joc Pederson (23) after hitting a two-run home run during the ninth inning. (AP

Photo/Jeff Roberson)

KAZAKHSTAN’S Elena Rybakina kisses the trophy as she celebrates after beating Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur to win the final of the women’s singles on day thirteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Saturday, July 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FIFA MAKES

DEAL FOR

orlD CUP, ENDS STANDOFF WITH BROADCASTERS

By GRAHAM DUNBAR

AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) —

FIFA ended a standoff with broadcasters in five major European television markets by agreeing to a Women’s World Cup rights deal Wednesday just five weeks before the first match.

The deal struck collectively with the European Broadcasting Union ended nine months of jibes aimed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino at free-to-air networks in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Infantino repeatedly aired his anger with the broadcasters — which all have national teams playing in the 64-game tournament — for offering as little as 1% of the fees they paid for the men’s World Cup.

The July 20-Aug. 20

World Cup is being hosted by Australia and New Zealand with many groupstage games scheduled through the night and early hours of the European morning.

No price was announced for adding the five countries plus Ukraine to the 28-nation rights deal FIFA already struck with the Geneva-based EBU last year.

Instead, FIFA did hail European broadcasters committing to screen more women’s soccer from next season.

“As part of this agreement,” Infantino said in a statement, “the EBU has committed to working towards broadcasting at least one hour of weekly content dedicated to women’s football on its own digital platform and broadcaster network.”

This would be a “substantial additional commitment … thus helping to further grow the sport,” FIFA said.

“We see women’s football as being central to our content strategy and one of the cornerstones of the new digital platform we hope to launch next year,” EBU director general Noel Curran said.

Tensions between FIFA and broadcasters like Britain’s BBC, Germany’s ZDF and Italy’s Rai rose last month when Infantino suggested the tournament could be blacked out in those countries.

That would have been hugely damaging to the fast-flourishing women’s game. FIFA also had the option of showing games on its own streaming platform.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is the first under FIFA’s strategy of selling broadcast and sponsor rights separate to the men’s edition. FIFA had historically included the women’s tournament as an add-on to sweeping rights deals for the men’s World Cup.

AJAX TO HIRE COACH MAURICE STEIJN FROM SPARTA ROTTERDAM TO REPLACE JOHN HEITINGA

AMSTERDAM (AP)

— Ajax is hiring “overperformer” Maurice Steijn as its new coach to replace John Heitinga, whose contract was not extended after the Amsterdam club finished a disappointing third in the Dutch Eredivisie.

The club said Wednesday the 49-year-old Steijn will sign a three-year deal to join from Sparta Rotterdam, which he led to sixth place in the Eredivisie this season after rescuing it from relegation trouble a season earlier. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Steijn said he was a little surprised at getting the offer from the biggest club in Dutch soccer.

“I didn’t expect Ajax to come to me this year,” he told reporters.

He wants his Ajax team to stay true to the club’s traditional values.

“With Ajax you look for a combination of winning and great soccer,” he said.

LUKA MODRIC PENALTY COMPLETES THRILLING 4-2 WIN FOR CROATIA OVER NETHERLANDS IN NATIONS LEAGUE

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands

(AP) — Veteran midfielder Luka

Modric scored an extra-time penalty to seal a thrilling 4-2 victory for Croatia over the Netherlands and a place in the Nations League final.

Thousands of ecstatic red-andwhite clad Croatia fans chanted “Luka! Luka! Luka!” after the 37-year-old completed the scoring from the penalty spot in the 116th minute on Wednesday.

“We couldn’t believe how many fans for Croatia there were in the stadium.

“That was really phenomenal,” Modric said through an interpreter. “They give us great support and that’s something that drives us and moves us forward.”

It was Modric’s 165th appearance for his country. He said after captaining Croatia to victory over Morocco in the third-place game at the World Cup in Qatar he wanted to “continue until at least the Nations League and after we will see.”

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said Modric was, “in one word: fantastic.”

“Sometimes there’s a player for the opponent who is so decisive and so good that I can — it’s hard to say — enjoy watching,” Koeman said.

Croatia was runner-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and third last year in Qatar.

Substitute Bruno Petkovi also scored in extra-time with a shot from just outside the penalty area that flew low into the corner, just out of the reach of Justin Bijlow as staunch Dutch resistance finally crumbled.

Another substitute, Netherlands forward Noa Lang, had forced the game into extra time with a volleyed equaliser six minutes into stoppage time.

Earlier in the pulsating match,

a 55th-minute penalty by Andrej Kramari — awarded for a foul on Modric — and a shot by Mario Pašali in the 73rd minute cancelled out Donyell Malen’s 34th-minute opener to keep Croatia and Modric in the hunt for their first major international title.

It ended the Netherlands’ latest attempt to add another international trophy to the European Championship the country won in 1988.

The Netherlands has finished as runner-up at three World Cups

— in 1974, ‘78 and 2010.

Lang scored only his second international goal after coming on in the 85th minute. But he squandered a great chance in the second half of extra time when he shot into the side netting with Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovi out of position.

Modric shot into the goal in the 24th minute, but referee István Kovács had already stopped play because of Pašali ’s overhead kick that floored Nathan Ake. Spain plays Italy in the other

semifinal in the eastern Dutch city of Enschede on Thursday. The final and third-fourth playoff of the third edition of the Nations League are Sunday.

The Netherlands lost 1-0 to Portugal in the first final of the biennial Nations League during Koeman’s first stint as coach of the national team.

Two years later, in 2021, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe scored as France beat Spain 2-1 to take the title.

yliaN mBaPPe harry aNe coUlD Be soccer’s BIGGEST TRANSFER STORIES THIS SUMMER

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

MANCHESTER, England

(AP) — Kylian Mbappe’s decision not to take up the option of a 12-month extension on his Paris SaintGermain contract could spark a bidding war for the French superstar this summer.

PSG is adamant he will not be allowed to leave as a free agent when his current deal runs out at the end of next season, meaning he could be put up for sale during this transfer window if a resolution over his future is not agreed.

Real Madrid has coveted Mbappe for a number of years and in 2021 unsuccessfully launched a bid of $190 million to take him to the Bernabeu. The Spanish giant would appear to be the likeliest destination for the World Cup-winning forward — especially at a time when it needs to find a replacement for Karim Benzema, who has joined Saudi Arabian team Al-Ittihad.

But Mbappe has this week described reports claiming he wants to move to Madrid this summer as “lies.”

“I have already said that I will continue next season at PSG where I am very happy,” he tweeted.

PSG will be put in a difficult position if Mbappe sticks to his current stance that he will not leave this summer and also will not sign a new contract.

The Qatari-backed French club has already seen Lionel Messi walk away as a free agent, after the Argentine great agreed to join MLS team Inter Miami, and would likely miss out on one of the biggest transfer fees in the history of soccer if Mbappe leaves for nothing as well.

Madrid is unlikely to be the only major European club interested in Mbappe, but his price tag means only a select few could afford to fund the deal.

Here’s a look at other star players who could be on the move.

HARRY KANE (TOTTENHAM)

England’s all-time leading goal-scorer is entering the final year of his contract and continues to be linked with moves to Manchester United and Madrid.

Tottenham has resisted all previous attempts to lure its iconic striker away but faces the risk of losing him for nothing if he refuses to extend his current deal.

Kane has never won a major trophy and turns

FRENCH soccer player Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session with the French national team at the national soccer team training centre in Clairefontaine, west of Paris, Tuesday. The door is open for Real Madrid to try signing Kylian Mbappé because the France superstar decided not to extend his Paris Saint-Germain contract into 2025.

30 before the start of next season.

Spurs also know this summer may be the last chance to command a big fee for Kane, and reportedly value him at $123 million.

It remains to be seen whether Madrid’s reported interest cools in light of Mbappe’s potential availability.

In addition, that could also mean PSG is in the market for a new striker this summer.

ILKAY GUNDOGAN (MANCHESTER CITY)

Fresh from lifting the Champions League trophy in Istanbul, City’s inspirational captain is set to become a free agent, unless a new contract can be agreed soon.

Gundogan has repeatedly been linked with a move to Barcelona, but City manager Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he wants the 32-year-old midfielder to stay.

Having completed the treble — including the Premier League title and FA Cup — this season, it might be the perfect time for the Germany international to say farewell.

DECLAN RICE (WEST

HAM)

After seeing his England midfield partner Jude Bellingham sign for Madrid, Rice is also expected to be on the move this summer. Arsenal appears to be leading the race for his signature, despite the midfielder also

being linked with Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

An all-action midfielder, Rice would be a statement signing for Arsenal after the London club’s Premier League title challenge collapsed in the final weeks of the season.

VICTOR OSIMHEN (NAPOLI)

The free-scoring forward has established himself as one of the most exciting strikers in the world and has picked up many admirers as a result.

Manchester United has been linked most heavily, given Erik ten Hag’s need to bring in a top-class replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left in November.

Osimhen might not be the only member of Napoli’s league title-winning team who gets attention this summer — especially following the departure of inspirational coach Luciano Spalletti. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was outstanding last season, while defender Kim Min-jae is another player who has been linked with United.

JOSKO GVARDIOL (RB LEIPZIG)

One of the stars of the World Cup, the Croatia defender has been linked with a move to Manchester City. However, Leipzig is expected to demand a worldrecord fee for a defender if it

is to sell Gvardiol.

United paid 80 million pounds (then $97 million) for Harry Maguire in 2019.

Guardiola has already spoken of the need to build on City’s Champions League success. Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic is another player City has been linked with.

Maguire, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future at United after losing his place under Ten Hag. He has been linked with a move to Tottenham.

MASON MOUNT (CHELSEA)

Chelsea has rejected a bid of around $51 million from United for the England midfielder, a person with knowledge of the offer told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to comment publicly.

Ten Hag has identified Mount as one of his top targets this summer as he looks to add more depth to a squad that won the League Cup and finished third in the Premier League last season.

But, with a top striker his priority, he is limited to how much he will able to spend elsewhere and it remains to be seen if United will go as high as Chelsea’s reported valuation of around $89 million.

Along with Tottenham, United has also been linked with Brentford goalkeeper

David Raya.

Mount has previously been linked with Liverpool and Arsenal.

RANDAl KOLO MUANI (EINTRACHT FRANKFURT)

The France striker impressed at the World Cup but was only in the squad as a late injury replacement before seizing his chance to shine.

He’s long been seen as a target for Bayern Munich as the German champion has looked short of a center-forward since Robert Lewandowski left last year, but PSG and Manchester United have also been reported to be interested.

Kolo Muani scored 23 goals and set up 17 more in his single season with Frankfurt, which only qualified for the Europa Conference League next season.

MOISES CAICEDO (BRIGHTON)

Perhaps if Arsenal had been successful in its attempts to land Caicedo in January, it would not have fallen away so dramatically late in the season. The midfielder has established himself as a stellar talent and looks certain to leave Brighton this summer. Arsenal continues to be linked, along with Chelsea, while many more are likely to monitor his situation.

CROATIA’s Luka Modric celebrates after scoring his side’s fourth goal against Netherlands during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between the Netherlands and Croatia at De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Patrick Post)

(AP Photo/Michel Euler)

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHER-

FORD, N.J. (AP) — Jeff Nixon has spent most of the past quarter century working almost exclusively with running backs, including the past 12 in the NFL.

The 48-year Nixon has coached Reggie Bush and Christian McCaffrey just to name a few and he joined the New York Giants this year with the idea of working with Saquon Barkley, a fellow Penn State player.

As the Giants ended a two-day mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, Nixon has yet to work with Barkley. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft was franchised by the Giants in March and the two sides have yet to reach an agreement on a new long-term contract.

Since he has not signed the franchise tender offer, which would pay him $10.1 million in 2023, Barkley is not eligible to work out with the team.

Nixon has talked with Barkley since being hired to replace DeAndre Smith, who left after one season to take a job with the Indianapolis Colts. Nixon described the 26-year-old as a great kid and a very talented player. He did not say what the two discussed and he said he would not discuss contract issues, referring to coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.

“So I’ve watched a lot of football,” Nixon said. “And, he is a very, very exciting player. Yes. But again, I’m just excited about the guys we have here and I have been working with.”

Besides Barkley, the Giants have four other running backs on the roster — veteran Matt Breida, and youngsters Gary Brightwell, Jashaun Corbin and rookie Eric Gray. Nixon said they all can run and catch, but they have to be able to block to get on the field.

Barkley has been one of the league’s top backs when healthy. He was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 91 passes for 721 yards and four more TDs. He followed that in 2019 with a 1,003-yard rushing season in a campaign marred by ankle injuries. He missed most of 2020 with an ACL injury and struggled the following year. Last season was the return of the Barkley of old. He rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 57 passes as the Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Nixon said his coaching style is simply to work with the players to help him get better. It’s looking for a weaknesses and working to fix them.

“Most guys at this level, they want to be coached,” Nixon said. “They want to know how you know, what they can do to be a better football player. And that’s my job as a coach to help them, give them those little things that can help them be the best that they can be.”

Nixon worked with Daboll for a year in Miami, when Daboll was the offensive coordinator. Back then, Daboll wanted his coaches to be honest with the players so they knew where they stood and had a clear idea what needed to be worked on. Nixon said that belief is in place with the Giants.

“I’ve coached some great ones, and the great ones are always trying to get better at something,” Nixon said. “They want to know, yeah, I rushed for 1,500 yards this year, but what are you going to do to help me stay on that track or rush for more? Or how are you going to help me become better at pass protecting or running a certain route.

“That’s our job, just to constantly try to keep getting those guys better,” Nixon said.

ra eNs’ lamar ac soN gettiNg Familiar ith Ne oFFeNsi e coorDiNator toDD moN eN

By IAN NICHOLAS QUILLEN Associated Press

OWINGS MILLS, Md.

(AP) — For all the talk of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson learning new offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s scheme, it’s the different coaching style that has jumped out so far at minicamp. Monken, hired after guiding Georgia’s offence to back-to-back NCAA titles, has been one of the most consistently loud, instructive voices through the first two days of the mandatory sessions.

It’s even caught Jackson a little by surprise, who only got acquainted with Monken after agreeing to his five-year, $260 million extension in late April.

“When I first signed,

when I seen him, I didn’t really think he was that explosive when he was speaking and stuff like that,” Jackson said. “You get him in the meeting room, he’ll have you laughing and stuff. But he’s dead serious about the stuff that he’s saying.”

It’s a bit of practice what you preach for Monken, who has pledged to give Jackson more control in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage than he had with predecessor Greg Roman.

Jackson acknowledged he’s trying to be more vocal, referencing an exchange he had with receiver Nelson Agholor about a route on the first day.

“He’s embraced it,” Monken said of Jackson. “He’s embraced trying to be louder, trying to be in control. He’s embraced learning the system, and

we’ve still got a ways to go.”

Over four seasons, Roman led a Ravens offense that was elite on the ground but below average through the air.

Baltimore finished bottom six in the NFL in three of those years in passing yardage, including last in 2020. The Ravens’ passing touchdowns and yards per attempt declined in each subsequent season after Roman’s debut in 2019, from 37 TDs and 7.6 yards per attempt during Jackson’s 2019 NFL MVP season to 19 and 6.6 last year.

Jackson missed five starts each in 2021 and 2022. He was on pace for a career high in passing yards in 2021 before injury setbacks, but also threw a careerworst 13 interceptions.

This is Monken’s third NFL coordinating job after

stints with the Buccaneers and the Browns. It’s his first time working directly with Jackson.

“It’s hard (to evaluate) right now, because we’re in the early stages of what we do,” Monken said. “But I’m impressed.

There’s not a throw he can’t make. It’s like any player, when we get to the line of scrimmage, it’s, ‘What are they doing? What does that mean to us? Are our eyes in the right spot? Are we giving ourselves a chance on every single play to be successful?’”

The Ravens also made significant additions at wide receiver this offseason, signing three-time Pro Bowler Odell Backham Jr. and the veteran Agholor, and selecting Zay Flowers 22nd overall in the draft.

That makes five players who were all first-round

picks among Jackson’s passcatching options, likely the most talented receiving group he’s ever had. Now it’s about making good on the potential for improvement.

“I mean, nobody cares about the expectations,” Jackson said. “That’s the guys that have got to get out there and do what they do. The reason they were picked first round is to make those plays and stuff like that. And I believe we’ve got the guys to do it.”

NOTES: Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said LB Roquan Smith will wear the green dot helmet this season. Smith joined the Ravens in the middle of last season from the Chicago Bears, then signed a five-year extension in January. ... RB JK Dobbins (soft tissue injury) missed the second day of minicamp.

Diggs retUrNs to Practice ith Bills coach sayiNg recei er’s coNcerNs are resol eD

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)

— Stefon Diggs was back on the field practicing on Wednesday, and Bills coach Sean McDermott said whatever lingering issues from last season that raised concern and confusion over the absence of Buffalo’s top receiver a day earlier have been resolved.

To begin with, McDermott said Diggs didn’t skip the team’s mandatory session on Tuesday, but was in fact excused. As for the issues that led to Diggs’ concerns in questioning his role in the offence, the coach said the team and the receiver are “in a real good spot.”

McDermott made an unscheduled appearance with reporters after practice to address questions raised regarding Diggs’ status, by clarifying and expanding on the limited comments he made in helping create the stir a day earlier. That’s when he said he was “very concerned” with the receiver leaving the team’s facility and missing a mandatory practice.

In laying out a timeline, McDermott said he and team officials spent Monday and Tuesday having conversations with Diggs to address the receiver’s concerns. The team and player then agreed to take a break from talks, with McDermott saying he excused Diggs from practicing and then picked up the conversations later in the day.

“Sometimes you’ve got to have conversations, you need communication and I appreciate Stef being willing to communicate,” McDermott said. “And you guys need to understand, Stef’s a valuable member of this football team. He’s one of our captains and a leader. ... And I love him.”

Though Diggs has yet to address reporters or share his concerns publicly, he was a welcome sight wearing his No. 14 white practice jersey and shorts in making his offseason practice debut. Diggs skipped the team’s previous voluntary workout sessions, which opened in mid-April.

Diggs was limited to participating in only the stretching and individual portions of practice, while watching

team sessions from the sideline, some of them alongside offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. During a stretching session, Diggs reached over and shook hands with quarterback Josh Allen.

McDermott said Diggs’ limited practice time was by design in “ramping him up” toward the start of training camp. The Bills canceled their final mandatory session on Thursday, and are off until reporting to camp in suburban Rochester late next month.

While McDermott didn’t divulge the details of his conversations with Diggs, Allen shed light on the issues a day earlier. The quarterback said Diggs’ concerns are unresolved issues stemming from last season, which include getting the receiver more involved in the offence and having more game-planning input as among the player’s concerns.

“I think that there are some things that could have gone better last year and didn’t,” Allen said. “I think as an organisation, maybe not communicating the right way with

everything.”

Diggs is entering his fourth season in Buffalo, and last summer was rewarded with a four-year, $96 million contract that kicks in this season.

Since being acquired in a trade with Minnesota in March 2020, the 29-year-old has been one of the NFL’s most productive receivers by combining for 365 catches for 4,189 yards and 29 touchdowns — one fewer than he had in Minnesota — in his three seasons in Buffalo.

Diggs’ production hit a lull in the latter portion of last season, when he went through a three-game stretch in which he had 10 catches for 123 yards and no touchdowns.

Otherwise, his 108 catches and 1,429 yards ranked second on the single-season Bills list, and he matched a team record with 11 touchdowns receiving.

Diggs has posted various notes on social media hinting at his unhappiness over the past few months. He was particularly upset over how the Bills season ended with a dud

in a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the divisional round of the playoffs in January.

It was an outing in which Diggs was caught by TV cameras making animated raised-arm gestures at Allen on the sideline.

His frustrations spilled over afterward, when he immediately bolted from the locker room before McDermott addressed the team, leading to teammate Isaiah McKenzie chasing down Diggs and convincing him to return.

Bills centre Mitch Morse was unaware of the issues bothering Diggs, while pleased — and not surprised — the two sides talked it out.

“They’re doing the thing that they’re supposed to do, which is to have possibly uncomfortable conversations, have some candidness, which can be hard at times, but in the end you appreciate it,” Morse said.

“I want Stef and everyone to be the happiest version of themselves. He is one of the best teammates I’ve been around.”

BALTIMORE Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, and Tyler Huntley workout during NFL football practice Wednesday, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

BUFFALO Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) reacts during NFL football practice in Orchard Park, N.Y., Wednesday. (AP

Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

golDeN Nights’ sUccess liFts las egas to aNother le el iN sPorts orlD

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) —

Massive cheers rather than the usual boos rained down on Gary Bettman on Tuesday night because nothing could keep Vegas Golden Knights fans from enjoying what the NHL commissioner was about to do.

He first presented the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to Jonathan Marchessault and then moments later handed the Stanley Cup to captain Mark Stone, who shared it with the rest of the team.

“What has happened here has been simply incredible,” Bettman told the crowd. “Not only is Vegas a hockey town, it’s a championship town.”

The modern era for Las Vegas sports began when the NHL awarded the city an expansion franchise in 2016, and the Knights began playing in the 201718 season. Owner Bill Foley issued his famous “playoffs in three, cup in six” proclamation and Vegas made the Stanley Cup Final in its first season and won it all this year — its sixth season.

Since the Knights came on board, Las Vegas has acquired an NFL team in the Raiders and the WNBA’s Stars moved from San Antonio and became the Aces. The Aces won the championship last year and this season are again the league’s best team.

More sports milestones could be ahead for Vegas.

The Nevada Legislature voted Wednesday to help fund a new Las Vegas stadium for the Oakland Athletics. Next is Gov. Joe Lombardo’s signature, which could come Thursday. Major League Baseball’s owners also must approve the move.

LeBron James has also made noise about wanting to own an NBA franchise in Las Vegas, and Commissioner Adam Silver told “Inside the NBA” last week that expansion will be considered once a media-rights deal is reached. He said talks “will begin in earnest probably next spring.”

“We don’t have anything specific (on expansion) right now, but I think it makes sense over time if you’re a successful organization and continue to grow,” Silver said. “There’s no doubt there are a lot of great cities interested in having the NBA.”

Las Vegas has a long history of being a go-to city for major events, and that’s especially true now.

The Super Bowl will be played at Allegiant Stadium in February, the Final Four will be there in 2028, and Formula One will plant its flag on Las Vegas Boulevard in November.

It’s been an incredible journey for a city that, because of legalised sports betting, was mostly shunned by professional leagues in the past and was ruled out at one time from hosting NCAA championship events. The NFL once even nixed a Super Bowl ad touting Las Vegas tourism.

Now the NFL not only has scheduled its premier event for Las Vegas, the league placed its popular draft in the city last year.

It’s not, however, that Las Vegas was devoid of sports before the Knights came along. Basketball has long maintained a prominent presence because of the famous UNLV teams that became a national brand and won the NCAA Tournament in 1990 to the NBA Summer League becoming the place of business for all 30 clubs to USA Basketball making this its home training site to five conferences staging their basketball tournaments here.

Major boxing and UFC fights, NASCAR and the National Finals Rodeo have long helped define Las Vegas sports, and under the national radar, the Triple-A team has been around 40 years and is among the top draws in minor-league baseball.

But when the Knights came along, that took Las Vegas to another level in how the city viewed itself and the outside world perceived southern Nevada. Las Vegas was truly in the club at that point as home to a team in one of the four major professional sports.

And then the fans packed T-Mobile Arena, the Knights changed how games are presented with elaborate shows before the puck drop and — most importantly — the franchise won right away.

“Best place to play,” Knights forward William Carrier said.

“This building is unbelievable and we saw it (Tuesday). We fed on their energy and we got a couple big goals here. You can tell that everyone wants to come play here now.”

MEMBERS of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate after they defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 to win the Stanley Cup in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)