10032022 NEWS AND SPORT

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AXE-WIELDING KILLER SHOT DEAD BY POLICE

POLICE fatally shot a man who killed another man with an axe in the street last night.

The incident took place before 7 o’clock last night in the Mount Royal Avenue area.

Police press liaison officer, Chief Superinten dent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters that police were alerted to an argu ment at Kenilworth Street between two men which resulted in one man being chopped in his upper body.

She said responding offic ers found the victim lying in the street and saw a man armed with an axe standing over him, “attempting to chop him a second time”.

“Hence he was fatally shot,” CSP Skippings said.

Both victims’ bodies were removed from the scene last night.

She appealed to residents of the country to learn how to resolve conflicts without violence. She urged people to stop and think before acting and advised those in tense situations to reach out to someone for help to resolve issues.

One victim in yesterday’s incident is said to be in his 20s while the other is said to be in his 40s.

CSP Skippings did not know the relationship between the two men, but

FRIEND PAYS TRIBUTE TO WOMAN SHOT DEAD AT ARAWAK CAY

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE best friend of a 19-year-old woman who was shot and killed at Arawak Cay yesterday said the victim was a kind and loving person.

Halleyandrea Feliz told The Tribune yesterday that Candice Clarke was a happy individual who shared everything with her.

According to police, sometime around 1.45 am the deceased was with another woman when she was approached and subse quently shot multiple times at Arawak Cay by a man

wearing a hooded jacket.

EMS visited the scene and confirmed that there were no vital signs of life.

Ms Feliz in a Facebook post expressed her outrage and sadness over her best friend’s killing.

“How heartless can you be to kill someone? How heartless can you be to take life? What goes around comes back around. Family and friends are left with broken hearts this morning. First thing I wake up to is a call that my best friend got shot and died. Whoever did it your life is not going to be

REMEMBERING

ELIZABETH

HUMAN SMUGGLING VICTIMS LAID TO REST

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A HAITIAN official urged his countrymen not to take dangerous voyages at sea, as nine unidenti fied women who died in a human smuggling operation were buried on Saturday.

Police suspect that some 45 people were travelling to Florida from New Provi dence on July 24 when their boat capsized in rough seas near Blackbeard’s Cay.

The boating tragedy left

17 Haitians dead, includ ing a pregnant woman and two minors, while several people are believed to be still missing.

According to officials, six

of the 17 people who died from the tragedy have been identified.

Five of the victims are listed as follows: Mary Saimphorin, Kourtney Volmyr, Annette Mesidor, Bobley Fertilus, and Altan ice Ivroy.

The funeral of the nine “Jane Does” was held at Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road on Saturday. No public viewing was allowed.

Some representatives of the Haitian community

BAHAMASAIR ‘CRIPPLED’ BY CABIN CREW ACTION THAT HITS PASSENGERS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

HUNDREDS of Bahamians and tourists yes terday had their travel plans thrown into chaos when Bahamasair was forced to cancel all afternoon flights due to an “unwarranted sickout” by 80 percent of rostered flight attendants.

The “unforeseen” indus trial action sparked long lines of frustrated passen gers at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) after the national flag carrier confirmed it was forced to cancel outbound flights from Nassau to key Florida destinations includ ing Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

MINNIS: FNM’S SHANTY TOWN PLANS WOULD SOLVE PROBLEM

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minis ter Dr Hubert Minnis has urged the Davis adminis tration to follow the former government’s plan to address the proliferation of shanty towns.

In recent weeks the issue has been reignited and the Free National Movement has called for the govern ment to take definite action to address the problem.

Yesterday, the former prime minister was adamant that his administration had a plan that was effective, as he told the government to take a systematic approach toward the growth of unregulated communities throughout The Bahamas.

SHADOW OF CRIME NEVER GOES AWAY

A STATE memorial service was held for Queen Elizabeth II at Christ Church Cathedral yesterday, honouring the country’s former monarch. Before the event, a procession of law enforcement agen cies and parliamentarians left Rawson Square for the church. Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longestreigning monarch, died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. See page eight.

PHOTO: Moise Amisial

HAITIAN Chargé d’affaires Louis Harold Joseph.

Chicken Sandwiches:

Deluxe & Crispy

HUMAN SMUGGLING VICTIMS LAID TO REST

showed their support somberly watching the cas kets of the nine women being displayed.

The overall attendance of the service was scarce and no government officials were present.

However, Bahamas Chris tian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander was in attendance and shared his sadness over the tragedy.

The newly appointed Hai tian Chargé d’affaires Louis Harold Joseph, who spoke Creole and was assisted by a translator, gave his sympa thy for the victims and urged the Haitian community not to partake in smuggling operations.

“Brothers and sisters listen clearly. They (the victims) were seeking a better life and they lost their lives. We must learn from this capsize,” Mr Joseph said.

“Yes, we have a lot of problems in Haiti but that does not mean just to leave Haiti in any condition. Don’t believe that we can just go on any organised voyage, that they love us — those people are only seeking to make money. If they did really love

us they would have greater precautions in what they do,” Mr Joseph said.

During his remarks, Mr Joseph also highlighted the government of The Baha mas’ support to the Haitian community. He continued: “We must do everything in our power not to abuse the hospitality that the Bahamian people and the

government has shown to us.”

For his part, Dr Antoine St Louis, president of the United Association of Hai tians and Bahamians, shared similar sentiments urging Haitians not to take such deadly voyages.

Mr Louis spoke to The Tribune after the funeral ser vice on Saturday.

“It is our prayer that such a thing never happens again. That everyone who has a family will tell them this is not the way.

“We call those people who took their (victims) money gangsters, that’s what they are. They do not care about lives, they just care about making money.

“They are not helping the people, they are just making

life worse for them,” he continued.

Additionally, consultant Louby Georges told The Tribune that no one would be satisfied with the turnout of the service, he noted a lot of people were not even aware of the funeral being held on Saturday.

Mr Georges, a member of the Haitian Bahamian com munity, said many people did

show interest in coming. but were unfortunately unaware.

The managing director of Legacy Memorial who did the funeral arrangements for the victims held back tears as she spoke about the tragedy of the unidentified women.

The victims were report edly laid to rest at the Southern Cemetery also known as Spikenard Cemetery.

CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS UNION ELECTION RESULTS PUT ON HOLD

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell @ tribunemedia.net

THE certification of the Bahamas Union of Teach ers’ recent election results has been put on hold after three candidates, includ ing one who contested the presidency, launched dis putes regarding the poll.

BUT Secretary General Tiffany Delancey Laing confirmed to The Trib une yesterday that due to the concerns raised, the Department of Labour launched an investigation.

As a result, the certi fication of the election results is pending the out come of the department’s probe and the status quo as it relates to union exec utive posts stands.

“Please be advised that the registrar of trade unions has informed the Bahamas Union of Teach ers that some candidates who ran in the BUT elections on Thursday, September 22, 2022 have written letters of pro test,” a memorandum to BUT members by Belinda Wilson, incumbent BUT president, read on Sep tember 29.

“The BUT’s election cannot be certified until the completion of the investigation.

“Three candidates that wrote protest letters are as follows: Dion Johnson candidate for president, Jason Haley candidate for vice president and Crys tal McIntosh Ferguson candidate for assistant treasurer.

“The 15 unofficial suc cessful candidates await the outcome of the inves tigation and the certificate of the election as we look forward to serving you for the next three years.”

Mrs Laing explained some of the challenges that were experienced on election day.

She said: “What’s hap pening is that a few of the candidates would have contested the elec tions legitimately due to anomalies or inconsisten cies with the election as it related to some things that happened with the way the Department of Labour handled the election.

“Certain polling stations particularly at Walker’s Hall there were no ballots for vice president at the opening of the poll and so for about two or three hours or so no one was able to vote at that poll.

“Some things had to happen as a result of that which were not consistent with what should happen and so you know it dis advantaged some of our candidates and then at the other polling station we had some things happen that really should not have happened with an election.”

She continued: “I applaud the efforts of the Department of Labour but at the same time we understand that with an election the size of ours, things can happen and things did happen.

“It disadvantaged some of the candidates and so in fairness to them they sub mitted some complaints and as a result of that an investigation had to be launched and so we got a letter from the registrar letting us know that they launched an investigation into the concerns and as a result the certificate will not be issued at this time.

“So, the status quo remains until an investiga tion has been completed and until persons are sat isfied everyone has to remain in their positions.

“As secretary general I can tell you anyone would be concerned when you send the majority of the ballots to an island that only has a little over a hundred members and you send hundreds of bal lots over there, why?” Mrs Laing also asked.

“So, you know there were just some things that caused you to be very

concerned.”

She said it was not immediately clear how long the investiga tion would take to be completed.

In a letter outlin ing some concerns, Mr Johnson said Mrs Wil son’s memo expressing optimism over another three-year term would not overshadow his desire to ensure the equality and equitable treatment of all membership for the future of the organisation.

“Belinda Wilson, presi dent of the Bahamas Union of Teachers, took the time to name me in a dispute between myself and the Department of Labour,” Mr Johnson wrote.

“This action against the government is to ensure any member of the Baha mas Union of Teachers with the ambition to seek executive office, will be afforded the opportunity to participate in a fair and honest election process.

“If the circumstances were different and I was sitting in the chair of president, I would have expected the same type of action from our good president.

“I do note that the formal statement of the president is consistent with how the next three years of the executives of the Bahamas Union of Teachers will operate. An official communica tion to the membership of this union should come through the office of the secretary general unless that officer has been subjugated.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express the real contemplation of matters that should be of greater interest to the desk of the president: allowances have yet to be paid for work already completed. When will subject coordinators, level head, team leaders and other teachers with post of responsibilities receive their allowance for the academic year 2021-2022?

“More than 500 mem bers left the Bahamas Union of Teachers within a year, and more than 40 teachers left the members in less than 24 hours after the elections held on Sep tember 22, 2022 for just $2 less dues. What is the plan to address the emergency of membership loss?

“Finally members of this great union, the fear of change should never overshadow our judge ment of being fair. A fair election process for all will solidify the true ben efit of being a member of an organisation that will cater to all and not only a selected few.”

HAITIAN Chargé d’affaires Louis Harold Joseph.

THE FUNERAL was held at Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road on Saturday.

PAGE 2, Monday, October 3, 2022 THE TRIBUNE Photo: Moise Amisial

‘Deal fairly’ with all public officers

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Public Ser vice Minister Brensil Rolle yesterday told the Davis administration to “deal fairly” with all public offic ers amid claims that some in the service were being victimised.

According to Mr Rolle, it was becoming common practice for some offic ers to be treated as “political operatives” when this should not be the case as they’ve served in many instances consecutive governments.

Mr Rolle made the comments yesterday, tell ing The Tribune he stood by assertions that career civil servants were being removed from their posts without cause or due process.

“What they need to do is deal fairly with public offic ers,” the former minister said in an interview with The Tribune yesterday.

“The first thing they need to do is treat public officers properly and don’t characterise them as being political operatives because they work for all govern ments and I am talking about career public officers and the individuals who are being affected are career public officers and that is sad that politics is implied in that.

“The big question is, is the PLP prepared to offer compensation to the people that they have sent home and individuals that they have transferred because they did it for police officers and they did it for (Finan cial Secretary) Simon Wilson. So, the same should apply across the board.”

He spoke after the Free National Movement last week accused the govern ment of weaponising the Ministry of Public Service to go after career civil serv ants who have served across different administrations.

The party said the gov ernment’s conduct was destroying the bedrock of democracy.

“Senior officers are sent home by decree in letters signed by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, which are renewed every two weeks and usually contain the following lines: ‘In accord ance with General Orders 1125, you are hereby placed on administrative leave with immediate effect…’

General Orders 1125 speaks to investigations of public officers for wrong doing and insubordination and describes a process that must be followed,” the FNM said in a statement last week.

“However, the civil servants being targeted have immaculate records of serving with distinction throughout their careers, and no such process is initi ated. The Ministry of Public Service (MPS) has refused to provide these officers with justification on why this serious action has been taken against them and why the MPs would use extreme measures and send them on leave without even a shamed process on their file.

Pain

“Some of the offic ers are still on leave, and others who returned are ‘redeployed’ out of their positions. They are not assigned any work and are left to stare at the wall for the entire day. The intent of which is to inflict psychological pain. This continues even after it has been reported that the Davis administration has settled an undisclosed amount with Mr Simon Wilson, Financial Secretary, who spent years on admin istrative leave. Another cadre of senior officers the Davis administration believes do not support the PLP and did not send home are also ill-treated and left to stare at walls.”

The statement contin ued: “Their responsibilities and duties are reassigned to junior officers and PLP supporters who have para chuted into the public service on hefty contracts, lacking knowledge, skills, and prerequisites for the jobs. A glaring example of this are qualified career civil servants trained as Family Island administra tors, officially transferred to the Department of Local Government in the rel evant substantive post, and assigned to various family island administrators’ offices.”

The party accused the Davis administration of having singled out everyone from this group who they believe do not support them and as a result they are dis missed from their official posting by General Orders. The officers are then sent

back to their previous min istries, only to discover that their original positions were already filled.

“They have no portfolio and are left idle. Meanwhile, the Davis administration has hired unqualified PLP supporters to fill the Family Island administrator posi tions. These officers have sued the government, but the Davis administration has not moved to settle the matter the way they have done for Mr Wilson and others,” the FNM claimed.

“Senior career civil serv ants are overshadowed by the many retired perma nent secretaries the Davis administration has rehired on contracts, some to lead critical ministries, snatching away public officers’ oppor tunities to progress further in the service.”

The FNM claimed that to date, some fourteen retired permanent secretaries were holding essential portfolios.

At the same time, many senior officers are disen gaged or left to take on work below their pay grade, leaving a knowledge and experience gap that is trick ling down and demolishing the foundation of the public service.

“This all-out war against career civil servants is destroying the bedrock of Bahamian democracy and removing the guardrails required for good govern ance and political stability. Besides a weakening public service, the Davis adminis tration’s cruel actions will create a heavy financial burden on the public purse and a careless increase of the national debt, as side lined public servants are still entitled to their salaries and emoluments that the government must pay.

“We ask the prime min ister: When will senior civil servants on administrative leave return to work?

“When will senior civil servants who were stripped of their duties be given work in line with their positions? When will the government pay the civil servants who they have sent home and were found to have done nothing wrong?

“The outright victimi sation of civil servants the Davis administration believes does not support the PLP must stop,” the FNM said.

Officials in the Office of the Prime Minister did not respond to requests for comment.

“I think if they were to go back and look at the FNM’s plans they would see that it would resolve the problem,” Dr Minnis told The Tribune when he was contacted for comment yesterday. “It has to be done systematically.”

Dr Minnis said his administration had been confronted with serious challenges and there had to be a concerted effort to tackle the vexing issue.

“When I was prime min ister we recognised that that was a vexing ongoing prob lem that had to be resolved similar to the dump fire that we had here in New Providence,” Dr Minnis continued.

Much of the work came in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which decimated the areas in Abaco.

“What we met there really in these shanty towns was open cesspits where the water table within the com munity of Marsh Harbour and adjourning areas were contaminated, there were multiple buildings that did not meet the (building) code.

“The Mudd was the largest shanty town in The Baha mas. The Mudd and Pigeon Peas together and then there were multiple illegal com merce such as prostitution, illegal sale of multiple things alcohol, drugs, etc. There were also multiple illegal generators and what we found significant was some of the generators were really really huge to power entire communities and those gen erators had to be moved there by crane which meant those individuals had to be assisted.

“So, those were just some of the problems we met and we subsequently cleaned up the Mudd and fenced it in. We cleaned up Pigeon Peas and fenced it in and we cleaned up the other area and fenced it in so that they could not be utilised again.”

He continued: “Then the last one that we were deal ing with was the Farm. We ensured that there was one entrance and we put police and defence force guards at the entrance which meant that we monitored individu als coming in. “We ensured that they

had the necessary status and the plan was individuals that qualified for citizenship would have gotten their citizenship and permanent residency would have gotten those.

“Those that were illegal would have been dealt with appropriately also and we had started with the pur chase of a police van that was going to be placed there 24/7 to monitor and ensure that there was no expansion, no growth, etc. Immigra tion officers were regularly patrolling the area and we were breaking down all of the buildings that were not to code and individuals were encouraged to rent facilities that would meet the zoning codes and those that were regularised and had gotten their status were encouraged to purchase land just like everyone else and build their homes so we could have proper communities.”

Dr Minnis said with respect to The Mudd, the plan was for the area to be developed into a memorial park.

He said once this was com plete, officials planned to set their sights on Eleuthera and Andros.

“However we were stopped by the courts and as a result of that the Farm has subsequently mushroomed over the last year. In fact now almost as far as Treas ure Cay Airport.”

Last week, the FNM said there was a significant number of unregulated developments springing up on several islands.

“Bahamians through out the country, and in

particular New Providence, Abaco, North Andros and Eleuthera, are raising the alarm that there are signifi cant numbers of unregulated developments or shanty towns springing up in their communities and expanding on a daily basis,” the FNM said in a statement at the time.

“The concerns from many tax-paying residents have fallen on the deaf ears of a number of Progressive Liberal Party MPs, some of whom represent these vari ous communities.

“What is even more disap pointing and shocking is the deafening silence from the government of The Baha mas, most especially the prime minister and the min ister of works, in response to this matter.

“Not only are Bahamians concerned about the number of these developments that are popping up in their back yards but we are also worried that the Davis administra tion seems paralyzed, unable and unprepared to address this very serious issue.”

Works and Utilities Minis ter Alfred Sears has advised people who are contemplat ing building on land that does not belong to them to cease and desist because the government “will not toler ate it”.

He said officials have a team from building con trol and also town planning who have visited Abaco and prepared a report on unreg ulated communities there.

According to the minister, officials will be announcing “shortly” the measures that they will be taking.

The Minnis administra tion began demolishing illegal structures in Abaco last year in a bid to eliminate the remaining shanty towns on the island after many of the communities were wiped out by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

However, the demoli tion exercises were stopped after Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson ordered the government to cease and desist further interference with those com munities until the judicial review of the matter was completed.

Service For Mrs. Doreen JanEtta Kemp, 86

of Blair Estates, Nassau, The Bahamas, who died at her residence on Monday, 26th September, 2022, will be held at Trinity Methodist Church, Frederick Street and Trinity Place on Thursday, 6th October, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

Rev. Milton Lightbourne, Minister of Ebenezer Methodist Church will officiate.

Mrs. Kemp was predeceased by her husband, Jude Kemp.

She is survived by her children, Ian (Sandra), Beth (Kim) and Samantha (Jay); grandchildren, Heather-Ann (Travis), Tamsin (Nicholas), Andrew (Camille), Justin (Candis), Scott (Caitlyn) Kyle; great-grandchildren, Mercie, Carter, Grayson, Kole and Colton; brother-in-law, William (Billy) Kemp; sisters-in-law, Agnes Roberts, Joey Kemp and Ann Kemp; her caregiver, Althea Saunders and many other family members and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a donation to The Bahamas Heart Association, P.O.Box N.8189, Nassau or direct deposit, Sir Victor Sassoon Heart Foundation, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Branch #15135-003, Account No. 2412310 OR Ebenezer Methodist Church FOCUS Group, direct deposit, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Palmdale Branch, Account No. 057451193606 in memory of Mrs. Doreen JanEtta Kemp.

Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

WITH the return of students to classrooms last month, Social Services and Community Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe said there was a slight increase in the number of persons who sought school uniform assistance from the government.

In August, the minister predicted more than a thousand persons would seek assistance in preparation for back to school.

“I’m sure the demand will be there given the state of the growing economy,” he said at the time. “The truth is that many are still not where they were threefour years ago because of Dorian and the pandemic.”

During his budget debate contribu tion in June, the minister said financial assistance for school uniform purchases will be doubled compared to previous years.

Mr Wilchcombe told The Tribune this week that while 839 people in New Providence sought assistance, 918 needed the help in the Family Islands for a total of 1,757.

“There is a slight increase in the number of requests,” he told The Trib une. “We are aware that some requests are pending.”

When asked by this newspaper if the government has established a feeding programme for students this school year, he responded: “The ministry’s pilot breakfast programme together with the Ministry of Education will soon be announced.”

Mr Wilchcombe has said the Davis administration is committed to fulfill ing the pledge of the social revolution, which is to “feed the poor, heal the sick, guide the youth and bring peace to every heart.”

During his speech in Parliament last week, Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis detailed an expansive list of what he considered his government’s accom plishments to date, from ridding the country of the COVID-19 emergency orders to introducing measures to help Bahamians cope with the inflationary high cost of living.

“It has been a priority for my admin istration to offer both compassion and relief, via both social support and empowerment. Our administration is providing substantial support to success ful, local feeding programmes run by churches and NGOs.

“The funding for social assistance increased by 50 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.”

Minister criticised over possibility of bringing theatre festival to Bahamas

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Chester Cooper has drawn criticism from cultural activists over a recent meeting with Broadway produc ers about possibly bringing a theatre festival to The Bahamas.

Tourism officials recently met with the producers to discuss ways the country’s orange econ omy can be expanded.

The news was met with much resistance from cultural proponents.

Among them was former Director of Culture Nicolette Bethel who pointed to Shake speare in Paradise, The Bahamas’ own theatre festival which she co-founded.

She wrote on her website:

“On September 30, 2022, ZNS reported that the Minister of Tourism and Deputy Prime Minister sat down with a pair of Broadway producers in New York City and talked about bringing a theatre festival to The Bahamas. Because the govern ment is investing in the Bahamian orange economy. Come all the way again?

“Shakespeare in Paradise, The Bahamas’ very own interna tional theatre festival, is now in its 14th season. What’s more, it is going on right now. It opened on September 19 and runs through October 8. And it’s pretty popu lar, too. Some shows have sold out already.

“This leads me to two conclusions.

“Either the Minister of Tour ism does not know about Shakespeare in Paradise, or the Minister of Tourism thinks that what Shakespeare in Paradise has been doing for the last fourteen years is not good enough for his purposes.

“We Bahamians should all take deep offence.”

She said Shakespeare in Para dise, since 2009, has presented more than 70 shows to 50,000 people involving 900 performers in 20 venues.

“Ninety percent of our per formers are local. In that time, we have spent more than $1.2 million, most of it going into the Bahamian economy, on food, drink, costumes, transportation, accommodation, t-shirts, set materials, programmes, customs

duties, freight, VAT, chair rent als, tents, stipends, fees and other things.

“But the Minister of Tourism and the New York producers are talking about bringing in a thea tre festival here. And these New York producers who the Minister of Tourism says will start building the Bahamian orange economy are talking about internships and writing shows with Baha mian content and I’m sitting here going: How is this building our economy though? What are we talking about here?

“Because, let’s face it. Broad way producers really have no interest in investing in some other country’s orange economy. Broadway producers are business people who are looking to benefit their investors.”

Shakespeare In Paradise, she said, has mounted 33 Bahamian productions, from small oneperson performances to full-scale musicals, reviving Bahamian clas sics and presenting new shows.

“We do what we do well enough to have been invited to join the international Shake speare Theatre Association. We care enough about our coun try’s tourism product to host the Shakespeare Theatre Asso ciation’s annual conference at Atlantis in 2023. We do what we do well enough that I will be taking over as president of the

Shakespeare Theatre Association in January 2023.

“And we’ve done all this with out any serious investment from any Bahamian government. Since 2009, Shakespeare in Paradise has put over $1.2 million into our economy; of that, the Ministry of Tourism has provided us with perhaps $50,000. Maybe a four percent investment in what we are doing is commendable — you tell me. But it isn’t building our economy.

“I do not recall ever being approached by the Ministry of Tourism to be advertised by them in their multi-million-dollar cam paigns. I have never seen any photograph from any Shake speare in Paradise show make it into Ministry of Tourism ads. I have never seen the Ministry of Tourism tell any tourist that there is such a thing as Bahamian theatre.”

For her part, Pamela Burnside, manager of Doongalik Studios Art Gallery, expressed anger over the situation.

“Year in and year out, decade after decade, we, the Baha mian people who are the world class creators and makers of the unique Bahamian orange econ omy, are bombarded left, right, and centre, with the very same infuriating ignorance that contin ues to stifle our development as a people and as a country,” she

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Chester Cooper.

wrote in a letter to the editor.

“How will we survive when the ‘powers that be’ remain obliv ious to the obvious, and cannot see what they lookin’ at - even though it is staring them right in the face? Frankly and sadly, the ‘powers that be’ do not have a clue about all the amazing cul tural things that are taking place in the very country they are sup posed to be leading! And to add even more insult to injury, they do not even pause to ask, and seek, and find.

“Yet they are ready, willing and able to go traipsing all around the world on our dime with huge questionable delegations to ‘dia logue face to face’ with ‘foreign,’ take photographs with ‘celebri ties,’ and spout off in front of cameras about bringing ‘udder people tings’ home - at consid erable expense I might add - to contaminate our own culture.

“Are they ever going to get it? ‘It’ means: be who you is not who you ain’t, drop ya bucket where you stand, put ya money where ya mout’ is, consider operating from the bottom up by taking care of we, the people, and our unique Bahamian culture, first; otherwise: say ya sorry, then shut up and listen, bring ya money, and register for ongoing classes on ‘Bahamian Culture: How to be a ‘true true’ Bahamian’ 101, so we can learn ya.”

Security firms urge using alarm systems in homes and businesses

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

WITH a recent increase in armed robberies in the capi tal raising concerns, local security firms are urging people to get alarm sys tems in their homes and businesses.

The Tribune contacted a few local security firms for tips on how citizens and busi nesses can be protected.

An employee of Westech Security, who works in the alarm system department, advised people to purchase an alarm system as a method of protection.

“Although all systems are the same we do have dif ferent types, but basically all of them do the same thing. When you arm it up, you know, it sends a signal through the central station of the alarm companies, and then we make the neces sary calls and so forth,” the worker said.

Additionally, getting a surveillance system was another method the worker suggested, noting that these types of systems could be used just about anywhere once the individual has inter net access.

“You can have it pro grammed to be seen

wherever you are.”

Westech Security advised people to be vigilant and to take the necessary precau tions of protection.

When contacted, Car ibbean Security Services suggested businesses have a panic button in place that will trigger a silent alarm to the central monitoring centre which would dispatch police to that area.

Leron Williams spoke on behalf of Glen Romer who is the president of Caribbean Security Services.

“Anyone should go ahead and make sure they have a panic feature on an alarm system inside their business establishment. They need to have CCTV and cameras. I always consider that to be a great marriage, both go together hand in hand. But if you don’t put in a CCTV system, you definitely want the alarm system because that allows you to have the panic feature where you can push the panic button then somebody would be alerted that there’s something going on,” Mr Williams said.

Mr Williams added that he thinks private consultation for most businesses is needed in the country, so that they can be aware of what is avail able on the market today.

He said based on today’s technology business owners can get security system apps on their phones which alerts those connected to the system that a robbery or something is in progress.

He also pointed out that advertisements being tinted on establishment’s windows can be dangerous because people are not able to see what’s happening from the outside of the building.

“Criminals use that to their advantage so there’s several things that store owners and business owners need to be consulted on,” he said.

As it relates to the con cern of alarm systems not being affordable, local secu rity firms told The Tribune that the systems are worth it especially if they can save someone’s life.

ABACO police are investigating an attempted suicide at Guana Cay.

Police said shortly before 9pm on Thursday, Sep tember 29, officers were alerted that a 76-year-old man had consumed a large quantity of prescription medication and appeared to be in distress.

The man was taken to the Marsh Harbour Clinic for medical attention and later airlifted to New Providence for further medical help.

Police are appealing to members of the public to help those who may be in a crisis by paying special attention to the follow ing warning signs: feeling a sense of hopelessness, increased use of alcohol and drugs, engaging in reck less or, risky behaviour and/ or sudden withdrawal or isolation from family and friends.

MUNROE WARNS THOSE COMMITTING CRIMES

‘POLICE WILL GET YOU’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Min ister Wayne Munroe on Friday expressed confidence in the gov ernment’s crime plan despite the country’s murder count surpass ing 100 fatalities.

He told reporters that many of the nation’s murders are “domes tic related” and mentioned introducing programmes to divert young people from crime.

The minister’s words came as police were aggressively investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of an adult male who was found with gunshot injuries to his upper body in southwestern New Providence on Thursday night.

Preliminary reports revealed that shortly after 9pm, police responded to information of a ‘dark male’ lying in the street at High Point Road off John F Ken nedy Drive.

Responding officers summoned EMS personnel who confirmed there were no signs of life.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Criminal Investigation Depart ment’s retreat on Friday, Mr Munroe gave a stern warning to individuals contemplating com mitting crimes and challenging police.

“Well, we don’t think that magically the fellas involved in gang-banging are gonna stop because we reach 100,” he said. “We don’t think that gangbangers were created overnight. We see them ranging in age now from 15 up to about 23-24.

“We are telling them, as it’s been happening, if you insist on committing crime, the police are now out on saturation patrols; they will get you. If you choose to be foolish enough to pro duce a gun on the police, they will respond. The police are very aware that we have people who have no compulsion in taking life. And the one thing I encourage all officers is when you see these people who decide that they’re

going to arm themselves, menace a society and produce a gun on the police. Could you imagine that - if you would shoot at the police, who would you not shoot at?

“And so we do not expect that miraculously anything that you can say to somebody who’s willing to gun another fella down in the street is going to change their tra jectory now. A lot of the murders are domestic related. People don’t get along with people, people get aroused and suddenly decide to stab someone to death or shoot someone.”

In August, Police Commis sioner Clayton Fernander said he was of the view that there was room to “finish the year strong”, not surpassing 100 murders this year. At that time, there had been 85 killings.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis on Wednesday said his gov ernment was introducing a broad range of policies to better protect Bahamians.

He added that the government has already started several initia tives in this regard by recruiting more workers to law enforcement agencies among other measures.

Mr Munroe pointed to more assistance for law enforcement.

“The only persons who are going to turn the tide is us and so we’re introducing programmes to divert young people from crime. We’re giving the police more resources, more vehicles to be on the streets to get the people who decide they want to be menaces to society and, as we say, we do it holistically by introducing pro grammes so when you are in the prison we educate you for your release,” he explained.

“And so I said it from the beginning, there is no magic number. All over the world after lockdowns were lifted crime has gone up. So, that’s the reality of it. It may be that we did not have programmes operating during COVID and so that is how a young boy who was 15, who was 11 not so long ago, who was in primary school not so long ago,

can end up charged with three murders.”

The Freetown MP repeated that expanding the ShotSpot ter initiative and work in Grand Bahama must be done because that island has experienced a “little uptick” in gun violence.

“We’ve expanded the range of body cameras, CCTV networks on a very practical level. There are other resource issues that we met in place that we’re moving to address,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson, officer-in-charge of CID, revealed that his department was presented with some of the more up-to-date equipment to carry out investigations.

He said he is encouraged every day by members of the public who are calling anonymously and coming in to see him personally.

Meanwhile, Mr Munroe said Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander and his team visited Abaco and Grand Bahama about a week or two ago, noting offi cials are not satisfied with the police accommodations in Marsh Harbour.

He said they would move to address that.

“There have been stations that were damaged. The police presence there. There are issues related to vehicles that we’re moving to address, but with very little having been done in the two to three years since Dorian, we’re now seeking to move at light speed to address it,” he said.

AXE-WIELDING KILLER SHOT DEAD BY POLICE

FROM PAGE ONE

said it is believed one victim is a resident of the area where the incident took place.

This comes after two men were fatally shot by police in separate incidents last month.

On September 26, police said they shot a wanted suspect dead in Gamble Heights after he allegedly pulled a gun on officers.

Police said they recov ered a handgun and ammunition from the deceased.

A few days before that incident, police said a teen allegedly involved in an armed robbery was fatally shot after pulling a gun on officers.

According to initial reports, police officers attached to Operation Ceasefire responded to a call about an armed robbery in the area of Rob inson Road.

As officers neared Miami Street off Robinson Road, they spotted the vehicle allegedly involved in the armed robbery. Two men were inside. After attempt ing to stop the vehicle, the driver sped off toward Washington Street, near Cordeaux Avenue. There, police shot and wounded one of the men after he got out of the vehicle, produced a firearm and “engaged the officers,” said police.

Shortly after the shoot ing, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived and confirmed the man, said to be in his late teens, had died.

Police said they recov ered a firearm with ammunition from the body.

In August, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said officers have “the right to do what they have to do” when confronted with armed people who put their lives in danger.

He added that the police are not “in the business” of letting off “warning shots” in these situations.

That same month, police said a man was shot and killed when he produced a handgun and engaged the officers. At the time, police said officers from Opera tion Ceasefire responded to information about people with illegal handguns on a property on Miami Street, between Cordeaux and Balfour Avenues. A man was found on the property and shot by a police officer when he produced a hand gun and engaged officers on the scene, police said.

In April, a man wear ing a bulletproof vest was shot by police when they responded to an armed robbery after 1am in the area of Delancey Street.

In January, a police officer shot and killed a Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer who allegedly “charged” at him and tried to disarm him. Last year, 21 police-involved shootings were recorded, of which 13 were fatal. CSP Skippings said His Majesty’s coroner is investigating this latest incident.

WOMAN SHOT DEAD AT ARAWAK CAY

FROM PAGE ONE

easy. I wish the image of her (haunts) you for eternity.”

In an interview with The Tribune, Ms Feliz described Ms Clarke as a “respectable”, “kind”, and “loving” person.

When asked if the victim expressed any concerns about her safety or felt threatened, Ms Feliz said not at all.

“She was so happy and goofy. She tells me everything, something like that she would have said.”

Ms Feliz continued: “She devoted her life to being her sister’s Superman. Nobody is perfect, but I can say that she was a true friend indeed. She’ll never be forgotten as long as I am living, I will carry her with me.

“She was a person that would give you her last. If you don’t have it, she’ll give you what she has and then try to get for herself. Everyone who’s close to her knows that she would do everything just to make people happy.”

Ms Clarke was a chef and a graduate of Anatol Rodgers High School.

It is said she was the eldest of her siblings.

She would have celebrated her 20th birthday this month.

This homicide comes after the country recently reached a triple digit murder count for the year. Ms Clarke’s death pushed the murder count to 102, according to this newspa per’s records.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 5029991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS

NOTICE is hereby given that SAMANTHA VALCIN of Prince Charles Drive, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 3rd day of October, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

As for an estimated cost, he said: “Having a look at Marsh Harbour where the police are now - they can’t stay there. Their station was completely destroyed and in my estimation we’ll require a completely new police station for Marsh Harbour as that will be the divisional headquarters.

“It’s likely to have to be a substantial building that can with stand hurricanes because we see that they come there. I would have no ideas about that until the plan is drawn, but it just has to happen. You can’t sit back as the previous administration did and don’t address it.”

While discussing his message to CID, the minister said to men and women in the frontline the motto of the police force was courage, integrity, and loyalty.

“I encourage them that when in meeting all of the failures of the society because that’s what the police (at) CID are engaged (with),” Mr Munroe said. “They are engaged with the people who have committed crime, who have failed, that if it ever starts getting to them - going on these scenes and seeing the carnage, dealing with the victims who have been abused sexually – that if it starts to get to them, that they have to have the courage to ask for help because it could affect you mentally. I encourage them in their integrity that’s personal to them that they should not be dis tracted by all of the defamation,

POLICE ‘ZONING IN’ ON SUSPECT IN EXPAT MURDER

POLICE said on Friday that they are “zoning in” on a suspect in the killing of British expatriate Marcus Hinsbey.

Speaking at the Criminal Investigation Department’s retreat on Friday, Chief Super intendent Michael Johnson, officer-in-charge of CID, gave an update on the homicide investigation.

He explained that police are looking at some camera foot age, call logs, and some other evidence that he could not disclose at this time.

When pressed if the footage showed a potential suspect or person of interest, he answered: “Well, I can’t say that. I cannot speak to that, but I’m very encouraged by that investigation. We have had many persons reach out to us since that incident occurred and we are at a point right now that we’re zoning in on a suspect.”

Hinsbey was discovered inside his condominium in the gated Westridge complex with multiple lacerations to the body last Monday morning. He was a technical accounts

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe. (File photo)

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(THE CONVERSATION)

Hur ricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S., tore part of the roof off a hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida, and flooded the building’s lower level emergency room, sending staff scrambling to move patients as water poured in. At least nine hospi tals and dozens of nursing homes had to transfer patients after losing access to clean water because of the storm.

Health care services are essential at any time, but when disasters strike, those services become even more cru cial as injuries rise.

Yet in many coastal communities, the hospitals were built in locations that are at increasingly high risk of flooding during hurricanes.

I study ways to improve disaster communications, including how health care organizations prepare for severe weather events. Here’s what research shows about the rising risks.

• High percentage of coastal hospitals at risk

Given the impact of climate change, many areas are susceptible to severe weather events and hazards. Health care facilities, including hospitals, clin ics and long-term care facilities, are no exception.

A study released Sept. 29, 2022, as Ian was leaving Florida, found that even weak hurricanes can pose a severe risk to scores of hospitals along the U.S. coasts.

In 25 metropolitan areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the authors found that at least half of the hospitals are at risk of flooding from a Cate gory 2 storm, defined as wind speeds of 96 mph to 110 mph. In some cities, including Lake Charles, Louisiana; Naples, Florida, and Ocean City, New Jersey, 100% of the hospitals are con sidered at risk.

Those risks are rising with climate change. The study’s Harvard Uni versity authors estimated that the likelihood of coastal hospitals flooding would rise 22% this century.

What’s important about this finding is that communities can begin to iden tify hospitals at high risk and develop both backup plans and measures to help protect them and their patients.

The U.S. has a history of hospital disasters during severe weather. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 opened many people’s eyes to what disrupted health care systems look like.

During that storm, many hospitals were without power and the abil ity to communicate, and experienced damage to water and sewage services. Several could not replenish supplies of food, medicine, blood and linen, yet had to continue operations under hor rific conditions.

The TV drama “Five Days at Memorial” is built around that disas ter and how the staff at New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center struggled to keep patients alive while cut off by floodwater. It has triggered a lot of conversations around preparedness and risk in these critical facilities.

• Assisted-living communities overlooked

My research explores how under served and vulnerable populations prepare for and manage disasters.

In particular, I’ve done fieldwork analysing how older adults living in retirement and assisted-living commu nities perceive their own risks.

Ideally, these facilities should be able to provide the same services during disasters as before, without interruption.

The reality is that when infrastruc ture is overwhelmed, older adults may be trapped in dangerous conditions, unable to evacuate. They also might not be mobile enough to be easily res cued, especially if the facility spans several floors.

Staff might not be available to administer medications. Electricity or power for life-sustaining medical treatments might not be available.

Health care workers in these care facilities are also not always able to execute disaster plans or protocols, if such plans exist.

After Hurricane Irma knocked out power to Florida in 2017, a dozen patients died in a nursing home that lost power for air conditioning.

That led to a state law that now requires nursing homes to have backup generators. But Ian showed that even that isn’t enough to keep residents safe.

Other populations, such as people with physical, sensory or cognitive dis abilities, and those who are medically vulnerable, including homeless popu lations, also need to be considered in health care-related disaster planning.

While those who are homeless may find shelters, including shelters created for disaster relief, it is not uncommon for people who are home less to seek medical services or find refuge in hospitals.

• Resilience and disaster plans

After disasters, hospitals are essen tial for treating the rise in injuries, as well as mental health issues among disaster victims. More than 700 res cues were launched during Ian and its aftermath.

Therefore, it is important for hos pitals, as well as nursing homes, to develop hospital disaster resilience plans. These plans for hospitals cover topics like safety, staffing, surge capac ity to handle a sudden increase in patients, handling emergency services amid flooding, and disaster plans, training and communications.

• Looking long term, better building design, flood barriers and safer loca tions may be necessary

The Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care Center in New Orleans is one model of how to design a health facility to withstand a disaster. The building was built to handle high winds, and the emergency department is on the second floor, at least 21 feet above base flood elevation.

Storms like Ian are a difficult reminder of the importance of pro tecting these facilities so emergency medical care is available in disasters, and why disaster planning at all health care sites is crucial.

(This article is by Brett Robertson of the University of South Carolina for the conversation.com. The Conversa tion is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commen tary from academic experts.)

Oblivious to the obvious in The Bahamas

Editor, The Tribune

The 14th annual Baha mian ‘Shakespeare in Paradise’ (SiP) Theatre Festival actors were pre paring to ‘go on stage’ at the Philip A. Burrows Black Box Theatre on Friday night as I listened, aghast and incredulously, to our Minister of Tourism excitedly gushing about bringing Broadway to The Bahamas, New York style!

In my late husband, Jack son L. Burnside III’s letter to the press dated February 12, 1992, he emphatically stated: Few countries can compare with The Baha mas for creativity and innovation. The creativity of our people is our great est resource. Our survival depends on the commit ment of the leadership and the full appreciation of ourselves. By placing value and appreciating our native ingenuity, Culture can become our most pro ductive social, economic as well as political resource.

Fast forward to thirty years later, and I am sit ting down to my computer once again, distraught and angry, to put pen to paper yet again to address the unconscionable foolishness that continues to discour age the talented creatives of this country and make us wonder why we cannot be treated with the respect and dignity we deserve by the ‘powers that be’- be they ’mustard‘ or ‘ketchup’

since there really is no dif ference with respect to this scenario!

Year in and year out, decade after decade, we, the Bahamian people who are the world class crea tors and makers of the unique Bahamian Orange Economy, are bombarded left, right, and centre, with the very same infuriating ignorance that continues to stifle our development as a people and as a country. How will we survive when the ‘powers that be’ remain oblivious to the obvious, and cannot see what they lookin’ at - even though it is staring them right in the face? Frankly and sadly, the ‘powers that be’ do not have a clue about all the amazing cultural things that are taking place in the very country they are sup posed to be leading! And to add even more insult to injury, they do not even pause to ask, and seek, and find!

Yet they are ready, will ing and able to go traipsing all around the world on our dime with huge ques tionable delegations to ‘dialogue face to face’ with ‘foreign,’ take photo graphs with ‘celebrities,’ and spout off in front of cameras about bringing ‘udder people tings’ home - at considerable expense I

might add - to contaminate our own culture!

Are they ever going to get it? ‘It’ means: be who you is not who you ain’t, drop ya bucket where you stand, put ya money where ya mout’ is, consider oper ating from the bottom up by taking care of we, the people, and our unique Bahamian culture, first; otherwise: say ya sorry, then shut up and listen, bring ya money, and regis ter for ongoing classes on “Bahamian Culture: How to be a ‘true true’ Baha mian” 101, so we can learn ya!

P.S. and FYI: The SiP Theatre Festival runs until October 8 at the Dundas Centre for the Perform ing Arts, which is located on Mackey Street next to the Ranfurly Home for Children. Tickets are $30 each and are unfortunately mostly sold out, but I am sure that the SiP admin istration team and cast would consider putting on paid encore performances for all the members of Parliament and Cabinet, including the huge delega tion that travelled to New York, because you all need enlightenment - and as an additional bonus: attend ance credits can also be applied towards your examination scores!

Yours sincerely, PAM BURNSIDE Nassau, October 1, 2022

Beach access in Cable Beach

EDITOR, The Tribune

My sister and her husband are currently visiting from England. She is partly disa bled and is unable to walk long distances. Since due to the pandemic they have been unable to visit for some years I thought it would be nice to drive them to a local beach.

Our first choice was to the public beach west of Sandals.

It was here that I first met my wife 35 years ago. However, there was absolutely nowhere to park anywhere near that beach, every car parking space being taken by Sandals employees.

We, therefore, drove to Goodman’s Bay, only to be confronted by a similar scenario,

this time due to cars presumably parked by workers at the Wynn development to the east of Goodman’s Bay (there were only a couple of people on the beach or at Good man’s Bay). Again, we were prevented from parking anywhere near this public beach.

Why is the Government allowing these scandalous situations to persist? How dare these developers prevent Bahamians from using the public beaches in this area? Can the Minister of Tourism and/or the Minis ter of Works please address these vexing issues which directly affect Bahamians wishing to enjoy our beautiful beaches?

2, 2022.

Hurricane Ian flooded a hospital and forced evacuations from nursing homes – many health facilities face rising risks from severe storms

MEMBERS of “Vella de Xiquets de Valls” react after fall their human tower during the 28th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, on Sunday. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

CUBAN MIGRANTS APPREHENDED ON BIMINI

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ELEVEN Cuban migrants were appre hended on Bimini on early Friday morning, police reported.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen Rolle reported that shortly before 5am, security officers contacted officers of Alice Town Police Station to say suspected illegal immigrants were walking near a busi ness establishment.

When officers arrived at the location, they saw nine men and two women completely soaked and dehydrated.

ASP Rolle said the group of individu als – who were identified later as Cuban nationals – could not show proof of legal status.

He said as a result they were all arrested and handed over to the Bahamas Depart ment of Immigration for processing and deportation.

• In Abaco, a woman was arrested for allegedly breaching the Liquor License Act.

Shortly before 1pm on Friday, a team of officers from the Marsh Harbour Police, acting on information, executed a search warrant at a yellow apartment complex in Murphy Town.

Officers searched the interior of the residence and discovered a large quantity of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products for sale.

The homeowner could not produce a business license and as a result the woman was arrested and taken into police custody.

Investigations are continuing in the matter.

THREE MEN IN HOSPITAL AFTER SHOOTING INCIDENT

POLICE are aggressively investigating the circumstances surrounding a shooting incident that left three men in hospital.

The incident occurred shortly after 3pm on Saturday in southeast New Providence.

Initial reports indicate that the men were standing outside a residence on Sugar Apple Street, Pinewood Gardens when a Japanese vehicle occupied by three men pulled up and opened fire on them.

All of the men were injured and taken to hospital by a private vehicle where their con ditions were listed as stable.

Police also report that a suspect was shot by a security guard during an attempted armed robbery on Friday.

Shortly after 9pm, two men armed with shotguns entered a business in southeast New Providence and demanded cash. While inside, the men “engaged” a security guard, resulting in one of the suspects being shot.

The would-be thieves left the business with out any stolen property.

Acting on intelligence, officers went to a residence off Alexander Boulevard where they found the weapons along with two men ages, 21 and 20, believed to be responsible for the incident. The suspects were subsequently arrested and the weapons confiscated.

The search is on for a third male who was reportedly shot during the incident.

US Embassy hosts student visa town hall in Freeport

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE United States Embassy hosted a student visa town hall in Freeport for the first time since Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic to provide vital information about the process for students interested in pursuing studies in the US.

The meeting was held at the Pelican Bay Resort on Friday evening. A consular officer was present to share informa tion and answer questions.

Suemayah Abu-Douleh, public affairs officer at US Embassy Nassau, was pleased with the turnout of interested parents and students on Grand Bahama.

“This is the first time in a long while we have been back out here after Dorian and COVID,” she said. “And so we are really pleased to talk to parents and students about the different opportunities that we have available at the embassy.”

Ms Abu-Douleh said that soon the embassy will have an Education USA space/section in Nassau.

“We are hoping with our Education USA advisor we will be able to provide subser vices in Grand Bahama,” she

added.

She said the purpose of the meeting was to let students and parents know how they can help and support their process as they apply to uni versities in the US.

According to Ms AbuDouleh, students must first

obtain the I-20 form from their university of acceptance.

She encouraged potential candidates to get that form in as early as possible to the embassy.

“Sometimes it is a delay in getting that and we encour age them to apply early and

ask their university for that form to make sure you have an appointment for visas,” she explained.

There are several different student visas available, but the F-1 Visa is the one that most international students will need to acquire to attend either high school or college in the US.

“It is the traditional student visa in the US, although there are a few special cases,” she explained.

“It is important for us to have opportunities for stu dents to study in the US, but it is also important for them to do it early because we want to make sure they do not miss any classes and the first week of orientation. We encourage them to start the process early by starting to look at the uni versities they want to apply to early and get those acceptance letters and apply for the visa.”

Ms Abu-Douleh stressed that the embassy takes student visas very seriously.

When asked if there is a cer tain quota for student visas in the Bahamas, she said there is none, but said that their busy season is in the Fall or Spring when school starts.

Anyone interested in apply ing for student visas in the US can check out the US Embassy website at https:// bs.usembassy.gov/visas/

MANY parents and students attended to learn more about the process of applying for student visas to study in the USA.

PHOTOS by Denise Maycock

SUEMAYAH ABU-DOULEH, Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, was in Freeport for the Student Visa Town Hall staged at the Pelican Bay Resort on Friday at 6pm.

Remembering Queen Elizabeth II

A STATE memorial service was held for Queen Elizabeth II at Christ Church Cathedral yesterday, hon ouring the country’s former monarch. Before the event, a procession of law enforcement agencies and parliamentarians left Rawson Square for the church. Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. PHOTOS: Moise Amisial

Shadow of crime never goes away

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

THE Bahamas reached an unwanted landmark last week – the 100th murder of the year.

Despite Police Commis sioner Clayton Fernander being adamant in August that the country would not pass 100 murders this year, we have passed that total before the end of Septem ber. Much as we might wish he had been proven right, he has been proven very, very wrong.

Quite why he said that at the time was baffling. The murder count already stood at 85, and as he spoke, he acknowledged that there had been a 21 percent increase in mur ders so far in the year. Last year, 119 murders were recorded – put a 21 percent increase on that overall and you can see the gap between Commis sioner Fernander’s stated goal and the pace of mur ders at the time would have required a staggering turnaround to stay under 100.

Spike

That pace has slowed some, it would seem –murders are up 16 percent year on year now – but nowhere near enough of a slowdown to stop hitting that grim total. And that’s before we even get to the Christmas season, which often sees a spike in crime, especially robberies.

Much has been made of a gang war having driven many of this year’s mur ders, but we have heard little about that of late.

Instead, National Secu rity Minister Wayne Munroe chose to talk tough, telling criminals that the police will get them.

He said: “Well, we don’t think that magically the fellas involved in gang banging are gonna stop because we reach 100. We don’t think that gang bangers were created overnight. We see them ranging in age now from 15 up to about 23-24.”

He added: “We are telling them, as it’s been happening, if you insist on committing crime, the police are now out on sat uration patrols; they will get you.”

And yet, while talking about gangbangers, he went on to say that “a lot of the murders are domes tic related.

People don’t get along with people, people get aroused and suddenly decide to stab someone to death or shoot someone”.

So in other words, some are down to gang crime, some down to domestic reasons – the same as ever.

Although he does shoot down one claim – from the previous commissioner, who claimed reduced murder rates had nothing to do with COVID-19. Mr Munroe said: “All over the world after lockdowns were lifted crime has gone up. So, that’s the reality of it.”

When it comes to the numbers, the deadliest

year in The Bahamas in 2015, during the Christie administration, when 146 people were killed. That was a jump, but the pre vious years had shown a steady increase, from 111 in 2012 to 119 in 2013 to 123 in 2014.

After 2015, there was a drop to 111, then it rose again to 122.

Overall though, the numbers were high – but 2018 was the odd year out, with 91 murders. Then came the COVIDaffected years of 2019 and 2020 with 79 and 73 mur ders respectively, then back up to 119 last year as lockdowns were lifted.

How high do we com pare internationally? Well, the highest murder rate in the world is in El Salvador, with 61.7 mur ders per 100,000 people. Other countries in the top ten include Hondu

“Despite Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander being adamant in August that the country would not pass 100 murders this year, we have passed that total before the end of September.

Much as we might wish he had been proven right, he has been proven very, very wrong.”

ras, Venezuela, Jamaica, Belize, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines, although some of the data is out of date.

We rank one place out side the top ten, 11th, just behind Nigeria and just ahead of Trinidad and Tobago, with 31.96 mur ders per 100,000 people as recorded in 2017.

By comparison, the United States had a murder rate of 4.96 per 100,000 in 2018.

The Bahamas faces a mix of regional and local factors – but other than saturation patrols, which has been the go-to solution after a spate of murders here for many years, what are we trying?

Mr Munroe talks of “introducing programmes to divert young people from crime” and giving the police “more resources, more vehicles to be on the streets” and “introducing programmes so when you are in the prison we edu cate you for your release”.

More controversially, Commissioner Fernander has suggested looking at the constitution to stop people from being enti tled to bail – that would be people who haven’t been convicted of the crime yet being packed off to prison while they wait for our incredibly slow court system to find them a date to answer their charges. More sensibly, he also calls for more judges and faster courts.

Certainly, a shake-up of the courts would be

in everyone’s interests –court cases that last for years and years are of no help to anyone. Criminals commit crimes know ing it might be a decade before they have to answer for their actions, if at all, and knowing it is far more likely they’ll meet their fate out on the streets rather than inside a courtroom.

But as well as our high murder rate, there is another rate that stands out for The Bahamas – the number of criminals being shot dead by police.

Mr Munroe spoke after recent police shootings, saying: “If you choose to be foolish enough to pro duce a gun on the police, they will respond. The police are very aware that we have people who have no compulsion in taking life.

“And the one thing I encourage all officers is when you say these people who decide that they’re going to arm themselves, menace a society and pro duce a gun on the police. Could you imagine that –if you would shoot at the police, who would you not shoot at?”

Coroner

The courts are again a factor here, with the coro ner not having progressed investigations into police shootings at a significant speed.

Internationally, The Bahamas ranked in the top ten in the world in 2018 for the most police killings per head of population.

The number there is recorded per ten million residents – so it is skewed somewhat given our small population, but if we had ten million people on our islands, there would have been 275 killings by police in that year.

By comparison, the United States, from where we hear so much about cases of police brutality, even leading to global campaigns of protest, had 28.54 killings per ten mil lion people.

So what does all of this say? Some things are clear, others less so. It’s clear this isn’t a problem that has sprung up just this year, it’s equally clear that there are regional factors involved.

What’s less clear is what we are doing about it. The commissioner has talked recently of “making great headway”, but given what he predicted about the murder total for the year, how accurate do we think his words are?

At least Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has acknowledged the grav ity of the situation. He said last week: “We are in danger of losing a genera tion, and it is incumbent upon us all to ensure that that does not happen.”

That said, crime hardly featured in his party manifesto.

Mr Davis has a national address coming up soon. When he speaks to the nation, we shall see where his priorities now lie.

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander.

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

Deep breaths in the dark

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

HAVE you ever noticed that when ever you take a breath; not a shallow, routine, in through the nose and out through the mouth breath, but a deep sustained proper breath – every thing suddenly gets a little better. Your mental clarity is enhanced, your posture improves and you imme diately feel more relaxed and energetic.

It’s subtle, but it works. Try it. Take a deep breath, hold it and count – ten, nine, eight, seven, six. Now slowly exhale and try to imagine if taking deep breaths at night were the only way to margin ally appease the chronic enduring pain in your left lower leg.

This is the story of my patient hereafter referred to as Eddie. Three years ago, he lost his balance and fell 14 feet off a scaf fold while at work on a construction site. Four teen feet, for comparison, is the average height of a one-storey building. He landed hard, directly on his left heel and heard a snap. The impact was so severe it sent a shock wave of pain from his heel to his central spine.

Eddie fell backwards and screamed in agony. Within seconds his man gled foot and ankle, now contorted into a pretzel fold, was swollen and throbbing with unimagi nable intensity. He was 51 at the time.

Eddie has high blood pressure but fortunately doesn’t have any other medical issues and was not on any medication that may have complicated his predicament. He tried to move but couldn’t stand because the pain was simply too unbearable. His co-workers immedi ately ran to his aid and, given the intensity of his fall, feared he may be paralyzed. When they saw that he was able to move,

they helped him into a car and drove him to the hospital.

While there, bruised and bloodied, Eddie was examined but the extent of his injuries was rel

“During the day, he doesn’t have to think about breathing. He just does it naturally. But at night, he turns off all the lights in his room and in the quiet of the dark, he makes a conscious decision to breathe slowly and deeply to deflect from the unbearable pain he’s had to endure for so long.”

egated to his left lower extremity so an X-ray of that area was performed. It was significant for a displaced and severe heel and ankle fracture. His treating physician gasped when looking at the X-rays. Surgery couldn’t be performed at the time because his foot, ankle and leg were too swollen so Eddie was placed in a cast and advised to only ambulate with the use of crutches.

His pain, given its severity, had to initially be managed with sched ule II narcotics. The high dose should have been enough to tran quilize him but it never abated his pain entirely.

Eventually, he had to be switched to something less

potent after a few weeks because of the pain medi cation’s highly addictive properties.

With no relief from the pain and now on weaker medication, Eddie began to become depressed. His blood pressure was dan gerously elevated because of his pain and doctors feared he might have a stroke if it couldn’t be better controlled.

He was in a cast for three months and repeated X-rays showed adequate healing so surgi cal intervention was never employed. The doctor removed the cast and referred Eddie for physi cal therapy. For more than one year, Eddie endured the therapy and had mul tiple follow-ups with his orthopaedic team but his pain never subsided.

He was caught in a conundrum of not wanting to get hooked on pain kill ers and not knowing what else could be done to ease the pain. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to live.

Ultimately his physician signed off on him and said that there was nothing else that could be done.

At this time, frustrated and afraid, Eddie sought the advice of another foot and ankle specialist. While there, he was given six steroid injections into his foot and ankle and was started on heat therapy in-office. Initially, Eddie noted some improvement but within weeks his pain had returned. From there he was referred back to orthopaedics for a surgical consultation. But refusing to operate, they decided to inject the patient them selves after which Eddie’s

pain was even more intense.

Eddie then opted to see me for another opinion at the advice of a friend. I immediately sent him for an MRI. While his foot fractures had sub sequently healed, results were significant for arthritis (likely post-trau matic in nature) diffused throughout his left foot and ankle. A bone cyst in his heel was also observed.

I advised Eddie to start ambulating with the use of a CAM walker boot to offload pressure to the area and to continue using his cane for added stability. I further recom mended he return to his original physician to dis cuss his recent MRI report findings but he refused.

After

one month of ambulating with the boot and taking oral anti-inflammatories, Eddie continued to report 10/10 pain exacerbated by prolonged weight bearing, particularly at night. During the day, he doesn’t have to think about breathing. He just does it naturally. But at night, he turns off all the lights in his room and in the quiet of the dark, he makes a conscious deci sion to breathe slowly and deeply to deflect from the unbearable pain he’s had to endure for so long.

At this point I had no choice but to diagnose him with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and having exhausted all possible treatment options that I can pro vide within my scope of practice, I referred him

to rheumatology and neurology for continued treatment of the same.

It’s never easy for a medical professional to look someone in the eye who trusts you and has come to you for help and say ‘This is as far as I can go’. We are born and trained and take a Hip pocratic oath that we will save lives but saving patients from pain is what

“Take a deep breath, hold it and count – ten, nine, eight, seven, six. Now slowly exhale and try to imagine if taking deep breaths at night were the only way to marginally appease the chronic enduring pain in your left lower leg.”

we do far more often. It is in our DNA to want to help and in my heart, I hope that one day Eddie will be pain-free.

CRPS is a severe neuropathic pain that typically ensues follow ing injury at a specific site. Patients often oscil late between a spectrum of symptoms including burning, throbbing and swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness and changes in temperature or colour of the affected region. The etiology is poorly defined but is likely secondary to damage within the sym pathetic nervous system.

The mainstay of treatment centres around therapy and oral medication.

Surgically excising his cyst and filling the area with bone grafting material coupled with concentrated therapy and analgesic and anti-neuro pathic medications may ultimately be the key to the amelioration of his pain. Nonetheless, the take home message that he’d like to share with readers is to never give up and to seek medical atten tion as soon as possible. Beyond that, he empha sizes the importance of never being afraid to get a second and third opinion if necessary because the consequences of compla cency can be dire.

During childbirth, expectant mothers are taught to breathe to help facilitate an easier deliv ery. Athletes conversely have a more controlled breathing pattern for opti mal sports performance. Eddie never dreamt he’d be forced into early retire ment and dependent on disability cheques to pay his monthly expenses. But his story is an important one because it reminds us all that despite our best efforts, medicine and therapy has its limitations and one injury can require years of treatment and still yield poor results.

So, when you see or hear of someone going through a similar circumstance, take a deep breath and give thanks that breath ing to you is natural and not a conscious concerted attempt, desperately made in the dark of night, to negligibly mitigate years of unending pain.

• Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D Kemp is the founder and medical director of Baha- mas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, West ern New Providence. He served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospi tal Foundation in his role as co-vice-chairman.

Join the international fight for climate justice

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassa dor to the United States of America and the Organiza tion of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Common wealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto).

ON September 23, at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister of Anti gua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, made a clear and unequivocal statement, concerning the impact of Climate Change.

He said: “Mr. President, the effects of global warm ing are universal; they reach every country. But it is vital that we all under stand that, in as much as global warming is univer sal, its damaging effects are not the same; the burden falls mostly on the poor in small developing nations, such as mine. That is why, as the representative of the people of Antigua and Bar buda, I must stand up for their rights; including their right to livelihoods and to life.”

Prime Minister Browne continued: “My voice cannot be stilled while danger gathers in the skies above my small and vul nerable country. I have no choice but to fight unrelent ingly for climate justice”.

The statement by the Antigua and Barbuda leader resonates with all leaders of small island states across the world who are frustrated with the fail ure of the world’s worst polluting nations to honour their pledges to provide funds for adjustment and for building resilience to the extreme weather con ditions, which their actions are causing.

More particularly, the leaders of small island states are demonstrat ing their readiness to fight back in the face of dis regard for the persistent loss and damage they are

experiencing without any effort to compensate them.

Thus, Vanuatu is seek ing the approval of the UN General Assembly, during this current session, for an opinion by the Interna tional Court of Justice on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from the impacts of climate change.

Similarly, Antigua and Barbuda along with Tuvalu, Palau, and Niue have estab lished the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and Inter national Law (COSIS), which is registered with the UN.

The objective of the Commission is to seek an advisory opinion directly from the International Tri bunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on compensa tion for persistent loss and damage caused by Climate Change.

The Vanuatu initia tive, and the Commission established by Antigua and Barbuda and three other small islands, reflect their joint frustration with the failures of the COP process to address the damage being done to small countries.

The efforts of these small countries are winning active support from international legal experts. A team of 17 highly regarded interna tional lawyers has joined COSIS to provide legal advice on the approach to ITLOS.

There is also wider sup port from organizations such as the Commonwealth Foundation and “The Stop Ecocide Foundation”, a charitable fundraising and commissioning body,

which was founded with the intention of getting Ecocide recognized as an international crime at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Ecocide Foundation is partnering with “Stop Ecocide Inter national” – a panel of expert lawyers who want to see ecocide outlawed internationally.

“Ecocide” is defined as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substan tial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts”. Given the wide body of evidence, gathered by international environmental experts, there can be no govern ment of any country that can claim, with any credibil ity, that they do not know that pollution is causing “widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts”.

But there is still a long road ahead before the Eco cide definition could be adopted by the court. One of the court’s 123 member countries would need to submit the definition to the United Nations Secre tary-General, triggering a formal process that could lead to an amendment of the Rome Statute, which sets the court’s rules.

There would, of course, be great opposition to this by the world’s greatest polluters. Consequently, enormous pressure would be put on small states not to pursue any of the legal initiatives now being con templated by Vanuatu, by Antigua and Barbuda, Tuvalu, Palau and Niue,

and by The Ecocide Foundation.

However, as I told a “Virtual Islands Summit 2022 Symposium”, organ ized by the Stop Ecocide Foundation on September 29: “Something has to give in this unlevel playing field in which small island states and low-lying coastal states are made to suffer. The peoples and governments of small island states cannot sit back while their coun tries are destroyed and they, themselves, are dislocated from their homelands”.

A global alliance of small island states and states with low lying coastlands can be a powerful global force for the protection of each

other, and of all life on Earth.

It calls for Caribbean countries, especially the most vulnerable such as The Bahamas, and the smaller islands of the East ern Caribbean, to join the COSIS and Stop Ecocide initiatives. These coun tries have the most to lose; therefore, they must fight the hardest.

The destruction wreaked by Hurricane Fiona in the Eastern Provinces of Canada, and the decimation and loss of lives in Florida and South Carolina in the United States, over the last two weeks, should, at last, persuade the remaining doubters in governments

and industry, in these two countries, that their present circumstances are bad, and their future will be worse unless they also take imme diate action.

Prime Minister Browne spoke for the peoples of all small states when he told the UN general assembly: “My voice cannot be stilled while danger gathers in the skies above my small and vulnerable country”.

There is a global train for climate justice that is now running on an international railroad; all small countries should board it.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sir ronaldsanders.com

PRIME Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, Friday, Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

UKRAINE TAKES CONTROL OF CITY; RUSSIA USES DRONES

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked the Ukrainian president’s hometown and other tar gets Sunday with suicide drones, and Ukraine took back full control of a strategic eastern city in a counteroffensive that has reshaped the war.

Russia’s loss of the east ern city of Lyman, which it had been using as a trans port and logistics hub, is a new blow to the Kremlin as it seeks to escalate the war by illegally annexing four regions of Ukraine and heightening threats to use nuclear force.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s land grab has threatened to push the conflict to a danger ous new level. It also prompted Ukraine to for mally apply for fast-track NATO membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that his forces now control Lyman: “As of 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) Lyman is cleared fully. Thank you to our militaries, our war riors,” he said in a video address.

Russia’s military didn’t comment Sunday on Lyman, after announc ing Saturday that it was withdrawing its forces there to more favourable positions.

The British military described the recapture of Lyman as a “significant political setback” for Moscow, and Ukraine appeared to swiftly capi talize on its gains.

Hours after Zelenskyy’s announcement, Ukrainian media shared an image of Ukrainian troops carrying the country’s yellow-andblue flag in front of a statue marking the village of Torske, 15 kilometres (9 miles) east of Lyman and within sight of the Russian-held Luhansk region.

Shortly later, a video posted online showed one Ukrainian soldier saying that Kyiv’s forces had begun to target the city of Kreminna, just across the border in Luhansk.

Outgoing artillery could be heard in the background.

Russian military correspondents also acknowledged Ukrain ian attacks targeting Kreminna.

In another online photo, an Ukrainian soldier stood before giant watermelon landmark just south of the village of Novovorontsovka on the banks of the Dnieper River, along the Russiancontrolled province of Kherson’s northern edge.

A Ukrainian flag flew above the statue as several apparently deactivated landmines lay beside it.

FEDS VOW MAJOR AID FOR HURRICANE IAN VICTIMS AMID RESCUES

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)

— With the death toll from Hurricane Ian rising and hun dreds of thousands of people without power in Florida and the Carolinas, U.S. officials vowed Sunday to unleash an unprecedented amount of federal disaster aid as crews scrambled to rescue people still trapped by floodwaters.

Days after Ian tore through central Florida, carving a deadly path of destruction into the Caroli nas, water levels continued to rise in some flooded areas, inundating homes and streets that were passable just a day or two earlier.

With branches strewn across the grounds of St. Hillary’s Episcopal Church in Ft. Myers, the Rev. Charles Cannon recognised the immense loss during his Sunday sermon but also gave thanks for what remained. That included the church’s stained-glass windows and steeple.

“People think they have lost everything, but you haven’t lost everything if you haven’t lost yourself,” he said.

Deanne Criswell, admin istrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the federal gov ernment was ready to help in a huge way, focusing first on victims in Florida, which took the brunt of one of the strongest storms to make landfall in the United States.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to visit the state on Wednesday.

Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to bar rier islands left many people isolated amid limited cell phone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet.

And officials warned that the situation in many areas isn’t expected to improve for several days because all of the rain that fell has nowhere to go since waterways are

overflowing.

Nearly 850,000 homes and businesses were still with out electricity Sunday, down from a peak of 2.67 million.

Criswell told “Fox News Sunday” that the federal gov ernment began to arrange the “largest amount of search and rescue assets that I think we’ve ever put in place before” to supplement Flori da’s resources.

Even so, recovery will take time, said Criswell, who visited the state on Friday and Saturday to assess the damage and talk to survivors. She cautioned that dangers remain.

“We worry a lot about the direct impacts from the storm itself as it is making landfall, but we see so many more injuries and sometimes more fatalities after the storm,”

Criswell said. “People need to stay vigilant right now.

Standing water brings with it all kinds of hazards — it has

debris, it could have power lines, it could have hazards in there that you just don’t know about.”

At least 54 people have been confirmed dead: 47 in Florida, four in North Caro lina and three in Cuba. The weakened storm drifted north on Sunday and was expected to dump rain on parts of Virginia, West Vir ginia, Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned of the potential for flash-flooding.

More than 1,000 people have been rescued from flooded areas along Florida’s southwestern coast alone, Daniel Hokanson, a fourstar general and head of the National Guard, told The Associated Press.

In rural Seminole County, north of Orlando, residents donned waders, boots and bug spray to paddle to their flooded homes on Sunday.

Ben Bertat found 4 inches (10 centimetres) of water in his house by Lake Harney after kayaking there.

“I think it’s going to get worse because all of this water has to get to the lake” said Bertat, pointing to the water flooding a nearby road.

“With ground saturation, all this swamp is full and it just can’t take any more water. It doesn’t look like it’s getting any lower.”

Gabriel Madling kayaked through several feet of water on his street, delivering sand bags to stave off water that had crept to his doorstep.

“My home is close to underwater,” Madling said. “Right now, I’m just going to sandbag as much as I can and hope and pray.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSan tis said Saturday that multibillionaire businessman Elon Musk was providing some 120 Starlink satellites to “help bridge some of the

communication issues.” Star link, a satellite-based internet system created by Musk’s SpaceX, will provide highspeed connectivity.

The bridge to Pine Island, the largest barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, was destroyed by the storm, leaving it accessible only by boat or air. Some flew out by helicopter.

An aerial photo of the Mad Hatter Restaurant on nearby Sanibel Island that was posted on social media shows a mostly vacant patch of sand where the restaurant used to be. The staff is safe, according to a message on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

“The Mad Hatter Restau rant, unfortunately, is out at sea right now,” the Facebook page reads. “The best news from this devastating scene is that there is still land for us to rebuild.”

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson on Sunday defended Lee County offi cials from accusations that they had been slow in order ing evacuations on Tuesday ahead of the storm, a day later than some other coun ties in the area did.

“Warnings for hurricane season start in June. So there’s a degree of personal responsibility here. I think the county acted appropri ately. The thing is, a certain percentage of people will not heed the warnings regard less,” Anderson said on the CBS show “Face the Nation.”

Elsewhere, power remained knocked out to at least half of South Carolina’s Pawleys Island, a beach com munity roughly 75 miles (115 kilometres) up the coast from Charleston.

In North Carolina, the storm downed trees and power lines. Two of the four deaths in the state were from storm-related vehi cle crashes, and the others involved a man who drowned when his truck plunged into a swamp and another killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in a garage.

125 DIE AS TEAR GAS TRIGGERS CRUSH AT INDONESIA SOCCER MATCH

By AGOES BASOEKI and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press

MALANG, Indonesia (AP)

— Police firing tear gas after an Indonesian soccer match in an attempt to stop violence triggered a disastrous crush of fans making a panicked, chaotic run for the exits, leaving at least 125 people dead, most of them trampled upon or suffocated.

Attention immediately focused on police crowd-control measures at Saturday night’s match between host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city and Persebaya Sura baya. Witnesses described officers beating them with sticks and shields before shooting tear gas canisters directly into the crowds.

It was among the deadliest dis asters ever at a sporting event.

President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation of security proce dures, and the president of FIFA called the deaths “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension.” While FIFA has no control over domestic games, it has advised against the use of tear gas at soccer stadiums.

Brawls are common among rival Indonesian soccer fans, so much so that the organiser had banned Persebaya supporters from Are ma’s stadium. But violence still broke out when the home team lost 3-2 and some of the 42,000 Arema fans, known as “Aremania,” threw bottles and other objects at players

and soccer officials.

Witnesses said the fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch and demanded that Arema manage ment explain why, after 23 years of undefeated home matches against Persebaya, this one ended in a defeat.

At least five police vehicles were toppled and set ablaze outside the stadium. Riot police responded by firing tear gas, including toward the stadium’s stands, causing panic among the crowd.

“The stadium turned into a smoke-filled battleground when police fired tear gas,” said Rizky, who goes by one name. He came with his cousin to watch the game.

“I felt hot and stinging in my

eyes, I couldn’t see clearly while my head was dizzy and everything went dark ... I passed out,” he said.

When he woke up, he was already in the emergency room. He said his cousin died because of head injuries.

“We wanted to entertain our selves by watching a football match, but we got disaster,” he said.

Another spectator, Ahmad Fatoni, said police had started beat ing the fans with sticks and shields, and they fought back.

“Officers fired tear gas directly at spectators in the stands, forcing us to run toward the exit,” he said.

“Many victims fell because of short ness of breath and difficulty seeing due to tear gas and were trampled.”

He said he climbed the roof of the stands and only came down when the situation calmed.

Others suffocated and were trampled as hundreds of people ran to the exit to avoid the tear gas. In the chaos, 34 died at the stadium, including two officers, and some reports include children among the casualties.

“Some were trampled, some fell down and some got hit,” Rian Dwi Cahyono told Sky News from the hospital, where he was being treated for an injured arm. Asked what triggered the panic, he replied: “Tear gas.”

National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the death toll had been revised to 125 from 174, after authorities found some of the vic tims were counted twice.

More than 100 were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospi tals, 11 of them in critical condition.

East Java police chief Nico Afinta defended the use of tear gas.

“We have already done a preven tive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles,” he told a news conference early Sunday.

Indonesia’s soccer association, known as PSSI, suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefi nitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season.

Grieving relatives waited for information about their loved ones

at Malang’s Saiful Anwar General Hospital. Others tried to identify the bodies laid at a morgue while medical workers put identification tags on the bodies of the victims.

“I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country, don’t let another human tragedy like this happen in the future,” Widodo said in a tel evised speech.

“We must continue to maintain sportsmanship, humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indo nesian nation.”

He ordered the sports minister, the national police chief and the PSSI chair to conduct a thorough evaluation of the country’s soccer and its security procedure.

Youth and Sports Minister Zai nudin Amali said the incident “has certainly injured our soccer image.” Indonesia is due to host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11, with 24 participat ing teams. As the host, the country automatically qualifies for the cup.

In a statement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed con dolences on behalf of the global football community, saying “the football world is in a state of shock.”

The statement did not mention the use of tear gas.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was praying for “those who have lost their lives and for the wounded following clashes that erupted after a soccer game in Malang, Indonesia.”

THE BRIDGE leading from Fort Myers to Pine Island, Fla., is heavily damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Saturday. Due to the damage, the island can only be reached by boat or air. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

JOSE CRUZ, 13, carries an empty Jerrycan through receding flood waters outside his house as his family heads out to look for supplies, three days after the passage of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers, Fla., Saturday. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A MAN sprinkles flowers during a candle light vigil for the victims of Satur day’s soccer riots, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

BBA full steam ahead with Caribbean Cup

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemeddia.net

With the assurance that the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Sta dium will be completed by November, the Bahamas Baseball Association is moving full steam ahead with the hosting of the fourth Caribbean Cup.

Scheduled for Decem ber 4-11, the Caribbean Cup will feature teams from the US Virgin Islands, Haiti, Puerto Rico, defend ing champions Curacao, Colombia, Aruba, Peru and Cuba, all vying for a spot at the Central Ameri can and Caribbean Games, scheduled for next year in El Salvador.

Cuba, by the way, has already qualified for the games and so the remain ing teams will be joining

them either by winning the tournament if Cuba is not successful or, if they do, by being the runners-up.

In attendance at the press conference to officially launch the tournament were Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, BBA president Sam Rodgers, chairman of the Local Organising Com mittee Teddy Sweeting and his deputy chairman Lyrone Burrows and the Caribbean Baseball Con federation (COCABE) president George De Lira and his executive chairman Ramsey Betorina.

In preparation for the tournament, the BBA and the Bahamas Government are working feverishly on having the new stadium completed.

Architect and project manager Mike Foster, before taking the media and the COCABE execu tives on a tour of the

facilities, assured everyone that it will be ready in time for the tournament.

The stadium, according to Foster, will have a price tag of $55 million when completed, but everybody will love the synthetic surface that will be laid down this month, while the remaining cosmetic and infrastructural work is done.

Foster said at present, the stadium lights also have to be installed, along with the LED scoreboard, the corporate boxes and the concession stands will be completed, while the pond and the roads around the stadium are being done simultaneously.

Bowleg, before leaving to attend the funeral ser vices of the late sprinter

Shavez Hart in Abaco, said with the majority of play ers coming from the Great Britain team that recently qualified for the World Cup, this will be the first step towards the Bahamas having its own team assem bled for the international competition.

“This is the beginning of the road for us qualifying for a higher level tourna ment,” said Bowleg, as the Bahamas Basketball Fed eration is in the process of doing so in the Americas region.

“I want to thank the organisers, along with the president and his assistants and COCABE for being here and hosting this event at the end of the year.

“Baseball is on the move. This is just the beginning of what is to come,” Bowleg said. “This is one of those initiatives that go with the

‘NARDO’ LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW TEAM

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemeddia.net

THE hard work is certainly paying off for talented Bahamian national team point guard Dom nick ‘Nardo’ Bridgewater.

The 22-year-old Bridgewater, who stands at 5-feet, 11-inches, inked his name on a contract last week to play for the US Avignon/ Pontet Basket, the top division II team in the France Basketball League.

“I feel pretty good about it. It’s a great opportunity,” Bridgewater told The Tribune Sports before he left for France over the weekend.

This is Bridgewater’s second year since professional basket ball player Jaruan ‘Kino’ burrows, also an agent, completed the recruitment process through his organisation called Raw Talent Sports to head to France to further his basketball skills.

“I’ve had some ups and downs, but it was a solid experience. It’s been nice so far,” said Bridgewater about his transformation to playing at the professional level overseas.

“It’s also nice to get to experi ence the different culture.”

Since he went to France, Bridge water said his game has improved tremendously and he’s now seen a vast improvement in his personal

commitment to being a young man. “It’s been a big change for me,” Bridgewater said.

“I only hope that I can learn from the performance as I attempt to become a better individual on and off the basketball court.”

If there’s any disappointment so far for Bridgewater, it would have been the fact that the team he played for last year didn’t get to advance to the league’s championship.

“I got hurt in my last four games of the regular season and I couldn’t play to help my team,” Bridgewater said.

“I think that was my biggest downfall.”

With his new team this year, Bridgewater said he’s excited to move to the next level in France.

“I’m excited about what’s going on,” he said.

“I believe the hard work that I put in over the summer is finally paying off. So I’m pretty pleased about it.”

Just like he did when he stepped in to play on the men’s national team, Bridgewater said he’s looking to step in and make a con tribution to US Avignon/Pontet Basket.

“It was an awesome experience,” said Bridgewater about wearing the national colours as a member of the men’s national basketball

team this summer. “Anytime you can represent your country, it’s an awesome experience. It was a lot of fun for me. I’m looking forward now to helping my team win the championship.

“I know I have a lot of them to improve on like my jump shot, but in time, I know I will get them. I see myself improving every day.

Morton, Braves reach $20 million, oneyear deal for 2023

ATLANTA (AP) —

The Atlanta Braves have reached a deal with start ing pitcher Charlie Morton on a $20 million, one-year contract for 2023 with a $20 million club option for 2024 that does not include a buyout.

Morton, 38, is 9-6 with a 4.29 ERA in 30 starts this season. The right-hander went 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 33 starts to help the club win the World Series last year.

The two-time All-Star has compiled a 23-12 record and a 3.80 ERA with Atlanta since the start of last season, and his 416 strikeouts are third-most in the NL. His contract this season is $20 million.

Morton’s 200 strikeouts this season are fifth-most in the NL, and he is one of just three pitchers in Atlanta franchise his tory to log at least 200 strikeouts in multiple sea sons. Hall of Famers John Smoltz (five seasons) and Phil Niekro (three seasons)

are the only others to do so. Morton fanned Wil Myers on April 14 earlier this season for the 1,500th strikeout of his career.

Originally drafted by Atlanta in the third round of 2002 out of Barlow High School in Redding, Con necticut, Morton made his major league debut with the Braves in 2008.

Morton was dealt to Pittsburgh the following year in a trade for out fielder Nate McLouth and spent seven seasons with the Pirates. He moved to Philadelphia for the 2016 season before join ing Houston in 2017. He then played two years with Tampa Bay starting in 2019.

YANKEES’ JUDGE HEADS ON ROAD STILL AT 61 HOMERS, 4 GAMES LEFT

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won’t break the American League home run record at Yankee Sta dium, remaining at 61 as New York headed on the road for its final four regu lar-season games after a 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Ori oles yesterday.

Judge struck out three times and walked once, disappointing a crowd of 44,332 that watched the Yankees regular-season home finale in rain for much of a chilly, blustery afternoon.

New York finishes the regular season with four games at Texas, starting tonight.

Judge took a called third strike from rookie Kyle Bradish leading off the first inning, then couldn’t check his swing and stranded the bases loaded when he struck out on a curveball in the second. He walked in the fifth and fanned against Bryan Baker in the seventh,

Playing with the national team will definitely help me as well.”

While he would like to be one of the Bahamians playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bridgewater said he’s still pleased to be in the position that he is in right now.

“God has placed me in this route, so I’m pretty pleased about it,” he said. “I’m enjoying it because my ultimate goal is to get to the high est level that I can get, whether it’s here in France or wherever I end up playing.”

Bridgewater expressed his grati tude to God for giving him the ability to play, his mother Natalie Roker for instilling in him the virtues of being a young man and Burrows for opening the door for him to play in France.

Despite his height, Bridgewa ter said he makes the most of his ability to move around the court, which has been the strength of his game. He hopes to start playing with US Avignon/Pontet Basket as soon as he arrives in France.

“That’s one of the many chal lenges that I’m faced with,” Bridgewater said. “I have to learn the plays and get used to the guys on the team. I’m confident that I will be able to step right in and make my presence felt.”

Just as he did with the men’s national team this summer.

RONALDO SPARED AS MAN UNITED HUMILIATED BY CITY

By JAMES ROBSON AP Sports Writer

MANCHESTER, Eng land (AP) — So complete was the humiliation of Erik ten Hag’s first Manches ter derby that he chose to protect Cristiano Ronaldo from enduring the shame of being associated with such a performance.

A 6-3 defeat to Man chester City at the Etihad yesterday flattered United, with substitute Anthony Martial firing twice late on to add a modicum of respectability to the score.

But it could not disguise the total dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Premier

PAGE

Tagovailoa has concussion, no timetable for return

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Friday there is no timetable for the return of quarter back Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a concussion when he hit his head against the turf a day earlier against the Cincinnati Bengals.

McDaniel also defended the team’s handling of Tagovailoa’s injury last Sunday in a win over the Buffalo Bills, when the QB took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano late in the first half and appeared to hit his head on the turf.

Tagovailoa stumbled when he got up and was taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a con cussion, then returned to the game at the start of the third quarter.

McDaniel reiterated Friday that Tagovailoa was cleared by several layers of medical professionals during last Sunday’s game and said the QB did not have a head injury.

“My job as a coach is here for the players. I take that very serious,” the first-year coach said. “And no one

else in the building strays from that.”

Many observers ques tioned why Tagovailoa was allowed to return to the field against the Bills. He was not in the concus sion protocol leading up to Thursday’s game.

CHARLIE Morton (AP)

DOLPHINS quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 29. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson)

A VIEW of the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium over the weekend.

SPORTS PAGE 13 MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2022 World Cup, Page 18 DOMNICK Bridgewater

YANKEES’ AARON JUDGE HEADS ON ROAD STILL AT 61 HOME RUNS, FOUR GAMES LEFT

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dropping to 1 for 7 with six strikeouts, five walks and a hit batter since hit ting No. 61 at Toronto on Wednesday night.

Trying to become the first Triple Crown winner since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012, Judge tops the AL with 130 RBIs. His batting average fell to .311, four points behind league leader Luis Arraez of Minnesota.

Baltimore (82-77) guar anteed its first winning season since 2016. The Ori oles went 52-110 last year and became the first team since at least 1900 to have a winning record one season after losing 110 or more.

AL East champion New York (97-61) took another hit to an injury-ravaged bullpen when Ron Mari naccio left while pitching to Jorge Mateo in the eighth.

The Yankees will be with out Clay Holmes until the playoffs because of rota tor cuff inflammation, and Aroldis Chapman (3-4)

was once again wild, walk ing three, including rookie Gunnar Henderson with the bases loaded, as Balti more surged ahead in the seventh.

Chi Chi Gonzalez, a 30-year-old right-hander, made his Yankees debut after pitching for Minne sota and Milwaukee in the majors earlier this season. He threw to Jose Trevino, his batterymate at Oral Roberts in 2012 and ‘13.

Gonzalez allowed one run, four hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Bradish gave up one run — unearned — three hits and five walks in five-plus innings.

Logan Gillaspie (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth in his first big league decision, Baker struck out five while getting six straight outs, and Dillon Tate got three outs for his fifth save.

Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI double in the first.

Aaron Hicks scored from second base in the fifth when Bradish bounced

a wild pitch and catcher Adley Rutschman threw the ball into center for an error. Cedric Mullins reached on an infield hit starting the seventh against Chapman, has walked 28 in 35 1/3 innings. After Chap man walked three of four batters, Austin Hays fol lowed with a sacrifice fly off Marinaccio.

WEB GEMS Yankees 3B Josh Donald son made a backhand grab on Jorge Mateo’s basesloaded grounder in the sixth and from foul territory made a strong throw for the inning-ending out. ...

Hicks saved two runs with a sprinting catch on Terrin Vavra’s slicing liner near the left-field line in the seventh.

FOR THE BOOKS

New York went 57-24 at home, matching most wins at new Yankee Stadium. Baltimore was 38-43 on the road, up from 20-61.

IN THE SEATS

The Yankees drew 3,136,207 for 78 home dates, down from 3,304,404 in 2019, the last season before two years of COVID restrictions.

They had 16 sellouts, up from 12 in 2019.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Félix Bau tista may not pitch for the rest of the season because of the sore left knee he injured Friday.

Yankees: Matt Carpenter (broken left foot on Aug 8) will not work out initially in the outfield at the Somerset, New Jersey, training camp this week. He was moved to the 60-day IL on Sunday, ruling him out of the Texas series.

... RHP Miguel Castro (strained shoulder) could be activated Monday.

... LHP Wandy Peralta, sidelined since Sept. 18 with back tightness, threw

Arsenal soaring, Liverpool struggling in EPL

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

IT’S looking increas ingly like Arsenal is the real deal in the English Premier League.

It’s also looking like Liv erpool hasn’t got what it takes to mount another title challenge.

Arsenal made it seven wins from eight games to open the season by beating Tottenham 3-1 in the north London derby on Saturday, ensuring Mikel Arteta’s team will stay top for at least another week.

The only defeat for Arse nal came at Manchester United, but that was only after an encouraging and dominant performance for large spells at Old Trafford.

On current form, it looks well within Arsenal’s grasp to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2017.

Getting in the top four might be the extent of Liv erpool’s ambitions after a 3-3 home draw against an entertaining Brighton team already molded in the bold style of its new Italian coach, Roberto De Zerbi.

Leandro Trossard scored twice in the opening 17 min utes and completed his hat trick in the 83rd at Anfield after Roberto Firmino’s double sparked Liverpool’s fightback.

Liverpool, the 2020 champion and the biggest league rival of dominant Manchester City in recent years, is already 11 points behind Arsenal and has won only two of its first seven games. Conor Gal lagher scored a 90th-minute

winner for Chelsea in its 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace, the team where the mid fielder spent last season on loan.

Newcastle won 4-1 at 10-man Fulham, Everton rallied to beat Southamp ton 2-1 away, West Ham beat Wolverhampton 2-0, while Bournemouth and Brentford drew 0-0.

DERBY JOY Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka were the scorers for Arse nal, which cruised to the win at Emirates Stadium as Tottenham played with 10 men from the 62nd minute.

Emerson Royal’s red card was for a needless studs-up challenge on Gabriel Mar tinelli when the score was 2-1.

Harry Kane equalized via a penalty for Tottenham, which would have climbed above Arsenal into first with a win but instead saw its 13-game unbeaten run in the league — stretching back to last season — come to an end.

City can climb back to a point behind Arsenal with a win over crosstown rival Manchester United on Sunday.

“It’s a really hungry and humble team, believe me,” Arteta said. “It’s nothing that we have done yet and there’s still a lot of things to improve. That’s the direc tion we’re taking.”

DE ZERBI’S

FAST START

De Zerbi immediately put his stamp on Brighton after his arrival as Graham Potter’s replacement, set ting the team up in a 3-2-4-1 formation at times at Anfield and taking risks

in possession against one of the world’s best press ing sides. It was a bold ploy and it took Liverpool by surprise, getting instant results through goals in the fourth and 17th minutes by Trossard.

Liverpool got to grips with Brighton’s playing style and mounted a fight back. Firmino scored either side of halftime before goalkeeper Robert Sanchez miscued his punch from a corner which hit his own defender, Adam Webster. The ball dribbled into the net in the 63rd.

Brighton claimed a point — one even Liverpool man ager Jurgen Klopp said was deserved because of the visitors’ adventurous play — when Virgil van Dijk missed a clearance off substitute Kaoru Mito ma’s cross and Trossard steered home a finish at

the back post. “We have to learn how to improve with the ball possession and to increase our ball speed and it is up to us to decide it,” De Zerbi said.

“It’s really hard to control the game in the Premier League — only Manchester City is doing that.”

Klopp likened Liver pool’s confidence to a “little flower.”

“And when someone stamps on it, it is really dif ficult,” he said.

GALLAGHER’S RETURN

Conor Gallagher’s late winner was his first goal for Chelsea but it felt bit tersweet for the England midfielder.

“It was written in the stars,” said Gallagher, who was one of Palace’s best players last season.

“Unfortunately it came against Palace but I’m just

buzzing to get my first goal.

“Everyone knows how much I loved it here and I thank the whole club and the fans - even today with the reception they gave me.”

Indeed, Gallagher was warmly received when he stepped on the field at Selhurst Park in the 76th minute for the first time since his loan spell, but any friendly sentiment was quickly forgotten when he curled in a brilliant shot from the edge of the area. Gallagher responded to the goal with a muted celebration.

Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring for Palace after seven min utes and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalized with a neat finish late in the first half. Chelsea is eight points behind Arsenal but has played one game fewer.

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League champions, or Erling Haaland’s status as arguably the most fearsome forward in world football.

What a contrast between the Norwegian — who scored his third hat trick of the season — and Ronaldo, who watched on from the sidelines.

Ten Hag was scathing in his criticism of his team and revealed he opted against bringing on his 37-year-old striker in order to protect the player’s reputation.

“I wouldn’t bring him in because we are 4-1 down,” said the United manager. “Out of respect for Cris tiano, for his big career.”

Ten Hag made no attempt to protect his other players, who were 4-0 down

at halftime and trailing 6-1 before Martial’s late double, with Phil Foden also hitting a hat trick.

“The plan was to show bravery and confidence, but we didn’t from the first minute,” Ten Hag said. “We left Haaland and we were not tight.

“For the first goal we won the ball and could have cre ated a great chance, but instead we gave it easily away and then it was like a pack of cards.

“I criticized them, I told them. Me as well, because I didn’t get the message through. With this lack of confidence we cannot win games. I don’t think this attitude is Manchester United, we can act much more brave.

“We are in the process and I knew before that big teams like City, when you

are not good you get ham mered and we were not good. We didn’t follow the rules and principles of the way we play and you get hammered.”

United fans began to leave at halftime to avoid witnessing further indigni ties after a traumatic first 45 minutes.

Foden struck after just eight minutes and then again on the stroke of the interval, with Haaland scor ing twice inbetween.

Antony scored a won derful goal from distance after 56 minutes but City was soon back on top, with Haaland completing his treble and then setting up Foden to do likewise.

Martial’s goals — the second coming from the penalty spot — made it the highest-ever scoring game between the rivals.

Guardiola, meanwhile, is running out of words to praise his unstoppable center forward, who now has 17 goals in 11 games for City – and scored his third hat trick in successive home league games.

“Of course, the qual ity we have alongside him helps him to score goals,” Guardiola said. “But what he has done, I didn’t teach him once.

“When the ball is right, and he attacks the box, how he moves behind the cen tral defender away from the action, he has incredible instincts that the ball will arrive there and it comes from his mum and dad. He was born with that.”

But Guardiola warned the Norway international that there is still improve ments to be made to his game. “He said, ‘I prefer to

touch the ball five times and score five goals.’ I don’t like that,” said the City man ager. “I want him to touch the ball more and more.

“So he became a football player to score goals. I like that he’s more part of the situations, but don’t forget his biggest talent is to put the ball in the net.”

DRAW FOR 10-MAN LEEDS Luis Sinisterra was sent off as 10-man Leeds held out for a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.

The Colombian was shown a red card by referee Stuart Attwell for a second bookable offence when fail ing to retreat 10 yards for a free kick just after halftime.

Sinisterra had already been show a yellow card for a foul on John McGinn in the first half at Elland Road.

a bullpen session and will face hitters at Somerset on Tuesday or Wednesday.

UP NEXT Orioles: RHP Dean Kremer (6-8, 3.17) starts today’s opener of a sea son-ending series against visiting Toronto and José Berríos (11-7, 5.37)

Yankees: RHP Luis Sev erino (6-3, 3.41) starts today in the opener of a fourgame series at Texas and LHP Martín Pérez (12-7, 2.93). After Wednesday, the Yankees have five off days before their Division Series opener at home on October 11.

NISHIOKA BEATS DENIS TO WIN KOREAN OPEN

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Japan’s Yoshi hito Nishioka claimed his second career title after beating fourth seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada 6-4, 7-6 (5) to win the Korean Open yesterday.

The 27-year-old Jap anese, who beat top seed and world No.2 Casper Ruud in the quaterfinals, was impres sive in defense and his counter-punching style eventually wore down his higher ranked oppo nent in just under two hours at the Seoul Olym pic Park Tennis Center.

The unseeded Nish ioka, appearing in his second championship match this year after reaching the Washington final in August, started the brighter and found his rythym early to claim the first set.

The second set saw momentum change as Shapavolov found his range from the back court to take a 3-1 lead.

But Nishioka rallied to take the set into a tie break where he held firm to win his first tourna ment since his maiden title at the Shenzen Open in 2018 — where he also beat Shapovalov in their only previous meeting.

The ATP Tour returned to Seoul for the first time since 1996 after the city was awarded a single-year licence to stage the Korean Open.

But Leeds, which had manager Jesse Marsch watching from the stands as he observed a touchline ban for his own red card against Brentford last month, was able to secure a point against the visitors.

Illan Meslier was twice called into action in the first half to deny Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey.

After Sinisterra’s red card, Philippe Coutinho hit the post with an acrobatic attempt.

Leeds is in 12th place in the Premier League and Villa one point behind in 14th.

NEW York Yankees’ Aaron Judge walks to the dugout after striking out in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

GABRIEL JESUS, left, celebrates with Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka after scoring his side’s second goal against Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium, in London, England, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Albert Pujols hits 702nd HR, ties Ruth in RBIs, Cardinals lose 7-5

By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols hit his 702nd career home run and tied Babe Ruth for second on the all-time RBI on Sunday, but the Pittsburgh Pirates took the game from the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5.

Yadier Molina and Pujols, who will retire at the end of the season, were honored in a 46-minute ceremony prior to their last regular-season home game. Pujols called it “pretty awesome” and “a great day.”

“I’m really blessed to be back here,” said Pujols, who has 468 homers with the Cardinals. “To finish my career where everything started, it means a lot.”

Ben Gamel and Bryan Reynolds homered for Pittsburgh, which has won four of six. Reliever Chase DeJong (6-2) got the win for the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits over 1 2/3 innings. David Bednar

recorded his 19th save in 23 opportunities.

Reynolds snapped an 0-for-16 skid with his 27th homer of the season.

“I was really proud of our guys, we battled back,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said.

Pujols ripped a tworun double in the opening inning, and Molina brought him in with a fly to left for a 3-0 lead.

“He continues to just wow everybody,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “That was no different.”

The 42-year-old Pujols followed with his 23rd home run of the season in the third inning, a 409-foot drive off Roansy Contre ras that tied the game at 4. Pujols is fourth on the alltime home run list behind Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762). He’s also now tied with Ruth for second in RBI (2,214) behind Aaron (2,297).

Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright started their 328th game together. Wainwright (11-12) allowed six runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Molina, Pujols and Wain wright were all removed from the game together

so they could walk off as a trio with two outs in the fifth. Wainwright has yet to decide if he will come back next season. “Great emotional day for me,” Molina said. “Just to walk with Albert, Waino, it was a great moment for baseball.”

Marmol planned it: “We wanted all three of them to walk off together. Not a bad way to go out.”

Pujols began his career with St. Louis in 2001 and left for the Los Angeles Angels in 2012. He signed a free-agent contract with the Cardinals on March 28.

The Cardinals, who already clinched their fifth NL Central title in the last 10 years, closed the regularseason with 26 wins in their last 34 home games.

SAYING GOODBYE

Pujols and Molina were given gifts from the team, including a set of golf clubs, a silver plate and one-of-akind artist drawings of each player. The city of St. Louis is also honoring them with a day: Oct. 4 for Molina and Oct. 5 for Pujols.

The two have a combined 41 years in the majors.

Former teammates Matt Holiday, Ray Lankord and Jason Isringhausen were present for the ceremony.

Padres snag a wild-card berth

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The San Diego Padres are going back to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2006, a spot that they clinched during the sev enth inning of a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox yesterday.

The Padres were batting when the Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brew ers in 12 innings. The sellout crowd of 41,407 at Petco Park stood and cheered the sealed wildcard spot. The Padres trailed 2-0 at the time but Kim Ha-seong homered a few minutes later.

The Padres had a chance to win in the ninth when they put two runners on with two outs against Liam Hendriks but pinch-hitter Jorge Alfaro, who has five walk-off plate appearances this year, grounded out.

It’s the seventh playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth since Petco Park opened in 2004. The Padres haven’t been to the World Series since 1998.

Lance Lynn (8-7) and Blake Snell (8-10) were locked in a scoreless duel when Elvis Andrus homered off the San Diego lefty with one out in the sixth, his 16th.

Lynn allowed one run and five hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked one. Snell allowed one run and three hits in six innings, struck out six and walked one.

MARLINS 4, BREWERS 3 (12 INNINGS)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Miguel Rojas knocked in the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning to give Miami a win over Milwau kee and deflating Brewers’ playoff hopes in the race for the final National League wild-card spot.

Milwaukee (84-75) is two games behind the Philadel phia for the third NL wild card. The Phillies, who beat the Washington Nation als 8-1 in a rain-shortened game Sunday, hold the tie breaker with the Brewers and both clubs have three games left.

JJ Bleday started the 12th at second for the Mar lins, advanced on a ground out and scored when Rojas laced a base hit through the infield off Trevor Gott (3-3). Tyrone Taylor started at second in the Brewers’ half of the 12th. Tanner Scott, the fifth reliever used in the game, struck out Victor Caratini but walked Christian Yelich. Willy Adames flied out. Keston Hiura struck out to end the game that took 4 hours and 12 minutes. Scott picked up his 20th save of the season.

Huascar Brazoban (1-1) worked out of a basesloaded jam in the bottom of the 11th when Tyrone Taylor hit into a fielder’s choice. Marlins starter Pablo López turned in seven strong innings for the Marlins.

PHILLIES 8, NATIONALS 1 (6 INNINGS)

WASHINGTON (AP)

— The Philadelphia Phil lies picked up another key victory as they try to end an 11-year playoff drought, using three RBIs apiece from Kyle Schwar ber and Bryson Stott, plus Zack Wheeler’s five score less innings, to beat the Washington Nationals 8-1 Sunday in a rain-shortened game.

The six-inning win helped Philadelphia take three of four from the worst-inthe-majors Nationals to improve to 86-73 after get ting to town on a five-game losing streak.

Philadelphia and Mil waukee both have three games left: Philadelphia at Houston, and Milwaukee hosting Arizona.

Wheeler (12-7) had seven strikeouts and no walks and allowed just two hits: dou bles by Ildemaro Vargas in the third and César Hernández in the fifth.

Left-hander Patrick Corbin gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings Sunday, closing this year with a 6-19 record and 6.31 ERA.

ANGELS 8, RANGERS 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout’s 39th homer was one of his three hits in Los Angeles’ season-best seventh consecutive victory.

Shohei Ohtani extended the majors’ longest active hitting streak to 17 games with a first-inning single, equaling his 17-game streak for the Nippon-Ham Fight ers in 2016.

Rookie Livan Soto and Taylor Ward also had three hits for the Angels, who swept a six-game homes tand for the first time since July 2016.

Corey Seager hit a tworun homer for the Rangers, who have lost five straight and 11 of 14. Texas was swept in a three-game series at Angel Stadium for the first time since Septem ber 2018.

The Angels sent 10 bat ters to the plate during their six-run first inning against Tyson Miller (1-2).

Jaime Barria (3-3) pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief of starter Tucker Davidson for the Angels.

BLUE JAYS 6, RED SOX 3

TORONTO (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit two home runs, Whit Merrifield also connected and Toronto edged closer to clinching home-field advantage in the wild-card round by beating Boston.

The Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep with their 16th win in 19 games against Boston this season. That’s the most victories by any major league team against a division opponent this season and the most wins the Blue Jays have had against an opponent in a single season.

Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman left after three innings because of a cut on his right middle finger. Gausman allowed two runs and four hits, struck out four and walked none. Right-hander Zach Pop (4-0) pitched two perfect innings. Jordan Romano finished for his 36th save in 42 chances.

Merrifield went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and scored twice. He’s 10 for 20 over his past six games.

Bobby Dalbec hit a solo home run and had three RBIs for the Red Sox.

All three Toronto homers came off Boston righthander Michael Wacha (11-2), who allowed five runs and six hits in four innings and lost for the first time since May 31 against Cincinnati.

ASTROS 3, RAYS 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Jeremy Pena hit an early two-run homer and drove in an insurance run late, lifting Houston over Tampa Bay.

One pitch after Jose Altuve’s leadoff bunt single, Pena belted a cutter by Rays starter Corey Kluber (10-10) over the right-field fence and into the home bullpen. That put the Astros ahead early, and Houston maintained that lead with strong pitching and key defensive plays, including Pena’s diving stop and throw to deny Ji-Man Choi in the fourth inning.

After homering only once in August, Houston’s rookie shortstop has five homers since Septem ber and is up to 21 for the season.

Astros starter Luis Garcia (15-8) pitched six innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and one walk with four strikeouts. Rafael Montero recorded his 14th save.

Kluber gave up six hits and just those two runs across five innings, striking out four.

ATHLETICS 10, MARINERS 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Robbie Ray was tagged for home runs by Shea

Langeliers, Cristian Pache and Nick Allen, and Seat tle’s hopes of hosting the AL wild-card series took a serious blow with a loss to Oakland.

Oakland starter James Kaprielian no-hit the Mari ners for 5 2/3 innings before giving up a two-out single to Ty France in the sixth inning. Kaprielian (5-9) struck out seven, and beat Seattle for the third time this season.

Langeliers added a second homer in the ninth inning, a three-run shot.

Ray’s lackluster outing didn’t help his case to be part of Seattle’s three-man rotation for the wild-card series. Ray (12-12) failed to make it through the sixth inning, allowing five earned runs for the second time in his past four starts.

GUARDIANS 7, ROYALS 5

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber allowed two runs over five innings in his final start before the postseason, Josh Naylor and rookie Will Brennan hit three-run homers and Cleveland defeated Kansas City.

Bieber (13-8) is sched uled to start Game 1 of the wild-card series Friday for the AL Central champions. Cleveland has won 11 of 13 and is an MLB-best 22-5 since Sept. 5.

The right-hander gave up both runs — one unearned —in the fourth and scat tered seven hits, struck out three, walked one. Bieber finished the regular season with 198 strikeouts in 200 innings.

ROCKIES 4, DODGERS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — German Marquez gave up one hit over six innings to help Colorado end a seven-game losing streak by beating Los Angeles.

Brendan Rodgers hit a home run for the Rockies, who were victorious for just the second time since Sept. 19.

Trayce Thompson had two of the three hits for the Dodgers, and starter Tyler Anderson (15-5), who is expected to assume the No.

3 spot in the rotation when the playoffs begin, tied a career high with 10 strike outs in five innings.

Marquez (9-14) gave up three walks and struck out eight in ending his threestart losing streak. Daniel Bard got his 33rd save.

TIGERS 5, TWINS 2

DETROIT (AP) — Eric Haase and Victor Reyes homered, and Detroit took advantage of Minnesota’s sloppy play, including three errors in the first inning, for the win.

Twins’ prospect Simeon Woods Richardson (0-1) is the youngest pitcher in the majors this season allowed three runs — two earned — and three hits in five innings. The Twins’ defense did him no favors at the start, committing three errors in the first inning.

The Tigers turned the two throwing errors by catcher Ryan Jeffers and a misplay by first baseman Jose Miranda, along with Miguel Cabrera’s single, a wild pitch, a walk and a stolen base, into two runs.

The Twins scored two unearned runs in the fifth.

Jeffers reached on a field ing error and scored when Carlos Correa walked with the bases loaded. Nick Gor don’s sacrifice fly scored Gilberto Celestino.

Alex Lange (7-4) got the win and Gregory Soto picked up his 30th save with a perfect ninth.

CUBS 8,

REDS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Will son Contreras got several standing ovations in what could be his final home game at Wrigley Field, Marcus Stroman threw six scoreless innings and Chicago won its seventh straight, beating Cincinnati.

Nelson Velázquez drove in four runs and Seiya Suzuki had two hits and two RBIs. The Cubs, aided by three walks and a hit batter, knocked out a Chase Anderson in a five-run first and cruised to their 11th win in 12 games in their Wrigley Field season finale.

The Reds have dropped six straight and 19 of 23.

WALCOTT AND MILLER ARE MLB PIPELINE TOP 20 PROSPECTS

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

YOUNG Bahamian baseball talent continues to garner the attention of Major League Base ball scouts and achieved another “first” for the local development of the sport.

Sebastian Walcott and Janero Miller were listed among the top 20 Inter national Prospects for the class of 2023 by MLB Pipeline. The Bahamas is one of only three coun tries with multiple players listed in the top 50.

The Dominican Republic produced 32 players and Venezuela produced 14. Cuba, Mexico and Korea each have one player on the list.

This marks the first time that The Baha mas has had two top 20 players on the list of international prospects for the upcoming class.

Walcott, a 16-yearold 6’3” 170-pound SS is ranked No.8 while Miller, a 16-year-old 6’2” 170 pound CF/LHP, is ranked No.16.

Both players are prod ucts of the International Elite Sports Academy.

Walcott received scout ing grades of hit: 60, power: 50, run: 50, arm: 60, field: 55, and overall: 55.

“The Bahamas has emerged as a hotbed for international talent in recent years, and Wal cott is carrying on the tradition. In fact, some believe the long and lean shortstop could eventu ally rival Miami’s Jazz Chisholm as the best international prospect to come from the Baha mas because of his elite athleticism, physical pro jection and baseball IQ,” said his MLB Pipeline analysis. “At the plate, Walcott has a chance to hit for average with plus power potential. He’s already an above-average runner and he could be a potential base-stealer in the future. For now, he projects to hit near the top of the order, but he could evolve into a mid dle-of-the-lineup hitter that drives in runs.”

Walcott is reportedly expected to sign with the Texas Rangers. Miller received scout ing grades of fastball: 55, curveball: 55, slider: 50, changeup: 50, control: 50, and overall: 55.

“A two-way player from the Bahamas, Miller is a switch-hitting centre fielder and a left-handed pitcher who has a chance to make an immedi ate impact. He throws a fastball in the 92-93 mph range and has a curve ball that could be an above-average pitch in the future. Add the slider and his changeup, and Miller has a chance to be a middle-of-the-rotation type of hurler,” his MLB Pipeline analysis said.

“Along with his strong arm, Miller’s athleticism stands out, and it’s why he could see some time in the outfield one day. The team that signs him will ultimately decide if he plays the outfield, and it’s too early to tell which direction he will go. What we do know is that Miller is yet another talented player in a long line of very interesting prospects from the Bahamas.”

They’ll need to sweep a three-game series against the Cubs in Cincinnati to avoid the franchise’s second 100-loss season.

Stroman (6-7) gave up five hits, struck out seven and walked two. Anderson (2-4) lasted just seven bat ters and got one out. The right-hander was tagged for five runs, walked three and gave up two hits.

CARDINALS’ Albert Pujols celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates yester day in St Louis.

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

PADRES’ MANNY MACHADO, centre, celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Allen rallies Bills to win after Ravens’ 4th-down try fails

BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Bass kicked a 21-yard field goal on the game’s final play, and Josh Allen rallied the Buffalo Bills from a 17-point deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 yesterday.

With the score tied at 20 in the final quarter, the Ravens (2-2) had second down from the Buffalo 1-yard line. Two straight runs failed to reach the end zone.

On fourth-and-2, Lamar Jackson had to scramble, then threw a pass into the end zone that was inter cepted by Jordan Poyer for a touchback with 4:09 remaining.

From there, Allen calmly guided Buffalo (3-1) into field goal range, capping his team’s comeback from a 20-3 deficit late in the second quarter.

Allen threw for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Jack son passed for 144 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

J.K. Dobbins scored two early touchdowns for the Ravens, but they allowed a 4-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Isaiah McKenzie in the waning seconds of the first half to make it 20-10.

Buffalo controlled the third quarter and tied it on Allen’s 11-yard touchdown run.

PACKERS 27, PATRIOTS 24

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Mason Crosby made a 31-yard field goal as over time expired and Green Bay beat New England.

Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe made his debut for New England, playing the majority of the game after Brian Hoyer left with a head injury.

Zappe and the Patriots (1-3) played well enough to force overtime, but Aaron Rodgers bounced back from a dreadful first half.

Each team went threeand-out on its first overtime possession. The Packers (3-1) then marched 77 yards in a 12-play drive that lasted nearly seven minutes before Crosby made his winning kick.

Green Bay had tied the game at 24 on Rodgers’ 13-yard touchdown pass to rookie Romeo Doubs with 6:14 remaining.

Rodgers went 21 of 35 for 251 yards and two TDs, also connecting with tight end Robert Tonyan. Aaron Jones rushed for 110 yards.

Zappe was 10 of 15 for 99 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker.

JETS 24, STEELERS 20

PITTSBURGH (AP)

— Breece Hall ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining and New York beat Pittsburgh, which got a spark after rookie quarterback Kenny Pick ett relieved the ineffective Mitch Trubisky.

The Jets (2-2) won at Pittsburgh for the second

time in franchise history.

Zach Wilson, making his season debut, led New York down the field late after the second of Pickett’s three interceptions with 3:42 to go.

Wilson took the Jets 65 yards in 10 plays, the last when Hall churned across the goal line.

Wilson finished 18 of 36 for 252 yards with a touchdown and two inter ceptions. He also became the first quarterback in Jets history to catch a touch down when he hauled in a 2-yard pass from Brax ton Berrios in the second quarter.

The Jets were up 10-6 at the half when the Steel ers inserted Pickett, who became the first QB in NFL history to run for a pair of touchdowns in his debut.

The second was a 2-yard scramble that gave the Steelers (1-3) a 20-10 lead with 13:41 remaining.

Wilson responded with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis that drew the Jets within 20-17 with 7:35 to go.

Pickett drove the Steel ers into New York territory, but his throw to Pat Freier muth was high and late and was picked off by a diving Michael Carter II.

Pickett finished 10 of 13 for 120 yards. His last inter ception was a Hail Mary attempt on the final play.

GIANTS 20, BEARS 12

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Daniel Jones ran for two touchdowns before injuring an ankle, and Saquon Barkley had 146 yards rushing and ran the wildcat offence at times after both New York quar terbacks were hurt in a win over Chicago.

Jones scored on runs of 21 and 8 yards, New York rushed for 262 yards and Graham Gano kicked field goals of 44 and 43 yards as the Giants improved to 3-1 under rookie coach Brian Daboll. It’s their best start since 2011, when they won the Super Bowl.

Michael Badgley kicked four field goals for the Bears (2-2) while filling in for Cairo Santos, who missed the game for per sonal reasons.

Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor were injured a roughly 10-minute span in the second half. Jones (8 of 13 for 71 yards and 68 yards rushing) injured an ankle when he was sacked by Jaquan Brisker late the third quarter. Taylor went into the concussion proto col after scrambling for a first down with 8:35 to go.

Chicago’s Justin Fields was 10 of 21 for 163 yards, ran for 52 yards and was sacked five times.

SEAHAWKS 48, LIONS 45

DETROIT (AP) — Geno Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score in the first half, and Seattle held off Detroit.

Smith finished 23 of 30 for 320 yards, including a

17-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly and a 2-yard pass to Noah Fant. The vet eran quarterback ran seven times for 49 yards, includ ing an 8-yard score on his second drive.

The Seahawks (2-2) were stopped on a third down late in the third quarter, but the Ford Field play clock wasn’t set properly. Seat tle took advantage of the second chance as Rashaad Penny ran 36 yards for a touchdown on third-and-16, opening a 38-23 lead.

T.J. Hockenson had eight receptions and set career highs with 179 yards receiv ing and two touchdowns, the second of which helped the Lions (1-3) pull within three with 5:26 remaining.

Smith picked apart Detroit on the ensuing drive, which ended with Penny’s 41-yard touchdown run on third-and-5. Penny finished with 151 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Jared Goff’s fourth touchdown pass went to Justin Jackson with 1:06 left, cutting the deficit to three once again. Seattle then recovered the onside kick.

Smith’s favourite target was DK Metcalf, who had seven catches for 149 yards.

Goff was 26 of 39 for 378 yards with four touchdowns and an interception that Tariq Woolen returned 40 yards for a TD. Jamaal Wil liams ran 19 times for 108 yards and two scores.

EAGLES 29, JAGUARS 21

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Miles Sanders ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, Jalen Hurts threw for 204 yards and ran for a score, and Philadelphia beat Jack sonville and former coach Doug Pederson.

Trevor Lawrence threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns to Jamal Agnew. Lawrence was strip-sacked on the final drive of the game, sealing the win for the Eagles.

It was one of four lost fumbles for the second-year quarterback.

The Eagles (4-0) shook off an abysmal start — Hurts had a pass inter cepted by Andre Cisco and returned 59 yards for a TD. Lawrence hit Agnew from 4 yards out to give the Jaguars (2-2) a 14-0 firstquarter lead.

Hurts then ran virtu ally untouched up the middle, took a crushing hit at the goal line and pow ered through for a 20-yard touchdown. It was his fourth rushing TD of the season. Sanders tied it on a 10-yard TD run.

A fumble by Lawrence late in the second quarter set up Kenneth Gainwell’s 10-yard rushing TD that put the Eagles ahead for good.

COWBOYS 25,

COMMANDERS 10 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cooper Rush won again filling in for Dak Prescott, throwing a touchdown pass to Michael Gallup in the receiver’s

2022 debut as Dallas beat Washington.

Rush also had a TD toss to new No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb while improving to 4-0 in his career as a starter.

He’s led the Cowboys (3-1) to three straight wins since Prescott fractured the thumb on his throwing hand in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay.

The Commanders (1-3) lost their third straight. Washington had several promising drives stalled by penalties, and flags also wiped out interceptions by Benjamin St.-Juste and Kamren Curl.

Dallas’ defence has held its first four opponents to 19 or fewer points for the first time since 1973.

Washington’s Carson Wentz was flagged for intentional grounding twice a week after being sacked nine times. He threw two interceptions, the second all but clinching the Dallas vic tory in the fourth quarter.

CHARGERS 34, TEXANS 24

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Herbert threw for 340 yards and two touch downs and Austin Ekeler scored three times as Los Angeles built a big early lead, then held on to beat Houston.

Houston scored 17 straight points to get within three with about 8 1/2 min utes left.

The Chargers (2-2) then put together a 12-play, 84-yard drive, capped by Ekeler’s 14-yard reception, to put the game away and snap a two-game skid.

Ekeler scored on runs of 10 and 20 yards in the second quarter as Los Angeles raced out to a 21-0 lead.

The banged-up Chargers looked great early, scoring on five of their first six pos sessions to build a 27-7 lead by halftime despite Her bert still dealing with a rib injury and the team play ing without star defender Joey Bosa, who had groin surgery, and top receiver Keenan Allen.

Davis Mills threw for 246 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, get ting going after halftime after a slow first half.

A bright spot for the Texans (0-3-1) was the continued strong play of rookie Dameon Pierce, who had 131 yards rushing,

highlighted by a 75-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

FALCONS 23, BROWNS 20

ATLANTA (AP) — Dee Alford intercepted Jacoby Brissett’s pass with less than a minute remaining and Atlanta held on to beat Cleveland.

The Falcons (2-2) spoiled the Georgia homecoming of Cleveland’s Nick Chubb, who ran for 118 yards and a touchdown with his high school team watching.

Younghoe Koo’s 45-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 2:28 remaining gave the Falcons the lead.

The Browns (2-2) moved past the 50 but on third and 23, Alford picked off Brissett’s pass intended for David Bell.

The Falcons leaned on a balanced running attack led by rookie Tyer Algeier, who had 10 carries for 84 yards.

Caleb Huntley and Cordar relle Patterson each ran for touchdowns.

Atlanta’s Marcus Mariota passed for only 139 yards with an interception.

TITANS 24, COLTS 17

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Derrick Henry rushed for a season-high 114 yards and a touchdown and Ten nessee’s defense held up late to beat Indianapolis.

Tennessee (2-2) has won a franchise-record four straight in the series and improved to 11-2 against AFC South opponents since 2020. The Titans scored no second-half points for the second consecutive week.

Henry topped 100 yards in the first half as Tennessee took a 24-3 lead.

Indy (1-2-1) has one win in its past six games and blew late three scoring chances.

Matt Ryan threw two sec ond-half touchdown passes to Mo Alie-Cox. But a sack knocked Indianapolis out of field-goal range on the final play of the third quar ter, Jonathan Taylor lost a fumble on the Colts’ next series and Chase McLaugh lin missed a 51-yard field goal with 1:58 to play.

CARDINALS 26,

PANTHERS 16

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

(AP) — Kyler Murray threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns and added one rushing as Arizona over came another lacklustre first half to beat Carolina.

Murray threw TD passes of 23 yards to Marquise Brown and 2 yards to Zach Ertz and also ran for a 4-yard score. The Cardi nals (2-2) held a 17-minute advantage in time of possession.

Arizona’s defence frus trated Baker Mayfield, forcing three turnovers. He had five passes batted at the line of scrimmage and repeatedly overthrew open receivers.

Arizona took its first lead in regulation this season on Matt Prater’s 39-yard field goal with 11:22 remaining.

Three-time NFL Defen sive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, playing just four days after having his heart shocked into rhythm after going into atrial fibrilla tion, then deflected a pass by Mayfield that Dennis Gardeck intercepted and returned to the Carolina 5.

Two plays later, Murray scored on a designed roll out for a 20-10 lead. Murray found Brown on a corner route to push the lead to 26-10.

RAIDERS 32, BRONCOS 23

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Jacobs ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns, Amik Robertson returned a fumble 68 yards for a score and Las Vegas beat Denver. After opening their first season under coach Josh McDaniels by losing three straight one-score games, the Raiders (1-3) did enough on the ground with their biggest rushing game in six years and on defence to hold off Russell Wilson and the Broncos (2-2).

Maxx Crosby had two of Las Vegas’ three sacks as Denver repeatedly failed to take advantage of good field position.

After getting a 5-yard TD pass from Wilson to Court land Sutton to cap a 34-yard drive in the first quarter, the Broncos turned three other chances with prime field position into one field goal and the fumble by Melvin Gordon III that Robertson returned for the touchdown.

Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 237 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a 3-yard TD that cut the Raiders’ lead to 25-23 after completing a 55-yard pass to KJ Hamler.

Jacobs put it away with a 7-yard TD run with 2:01 to play.

COLUMN: TUA SHOULDN’T HAVE PLAYED, BUT COMPLEX ISSUES REMAIN

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Columnist

THERE’S one thing we can all agree on: Tua Tagovailoa had no business being on the field.

Not in the second half last Sunday.

Not in the first half Thursday night.

Beyond that, it gets a lot more complicated.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback was taken away on a stretcher with a con cussion during a prime-time game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, an especially frightening inci dent because it came a mere four days after another hard hit against the Buffalo Bills left him wobbly.

“I’m sick,” former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho said in a video posted to Twitter. “When are we gonna care about player safety? Enough is freakin’ enough.”

Thing is, the league has taken steps to make the game safer, from concus sion protocols to equipment

changes to new rules that penalise brutal blows.

But there are no easy answers when it comes to protecting players who will ingly take part in a violent sport, knowing it’s impos sible to totally wipe out the risk of catastrophic injuries.

The NFL could surely do more. So could the teams. And the players’ union. And the players them selves, who are often their own worst enemies when it comes to their health and welfare.

That said, something clearly fell through the cracks in this case.

Everyone who viewed the hit Sunday — Tago vailoa was shoved after an off-balance throw, the back of his head slamming into the turf — saw the telltale signs of a concussion.

Tagovailoa climbed to his feet like a punch-drunk boxer. He shook his head, apparently trying to clear the cobwebs. His legs buckled, causing him to drop briefly to his knees, before he was helped to

the sideline. Stunningly, he missed only three Miami snaps at the end of the first half. Tagovailoa returned after the break to finish the game, leading Miami to a 21-19 victory over the Bills.

While the QB and his team insisted a back injury caused his rubbery legs, that explanation was right fully met with scepticism.

So much so that the NFL and the players’ union launched a joint

investigation to ensure concussion protocols were followed.

The probe is expected to take up to two weeks. At the very least, Tagovailoa should have been forced to sit until it was completed.

It also seems logical in these sort of cases to require a more extensive exami nation by an independent medical team, to ensure a head injury was not the cause of the problem even

when a player passes the initial tests.

Instead, the Dolphins — the AFC’s last unbeaten team before their 27-15 loss to the Bengals — cleared Tagovailoa to play on a shorter-than-usual turna round against the reigning conference champions.

With about six minutes left in the first half, eve ryone’s worst fears were realised. Tagovailoa was chased down by a 340pound lineman, spun around and tossed to the turf head-first.

While on the ground, Tagovailoa’s hands froze in front of his facemask, his fingers flexed awkwardly in what appeared to be the socalled “fencing response” caused by a traumatic blow to the brain.

He didn’t get up this time.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw last night. I couldn’t believe what I saw last Sunday,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, reflecting the exasperation and outrage coming in from around the league a day

later. “I’ve never seen any thing like it before. It just was really something that I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

JC Tretter, president of the NFL Players Associa tion, said it’s imperative to determine how a player with what he called “a no-go symptom” was cleared to re-enter a game in the first place on Sunday, not to mention why he was allowed to play again four days later. Tretter also acknowledged that the pro tocols are hampered by the inexact science of determin ing brain injuries. Mistakes can be made, even when every step is followed to the letter of the guidelines.

“Until we have an objec tive and validated method of diagnosing brain injury, we have to do everything possible, including amend ing the protocols, to further reduce the potential of human error,” he said. “A failure in medical judgment is a failure of the protocols when it comes to the wellbeing of our players.”

DOLPHINS quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is assisted off the field after he was injured during their game against the Buffalo Bills. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

BILLS quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs for a touchdown against the Ravens yesterday. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Mahomes throws for 3 TDs, Chiefs top Buccaneers 41-31

By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Florida (AP)

— Patrick Mahomes threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, including an electrifying jump pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 41-31 victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night.

Playing in a packed sta dium only four days after Hurricane Ian ravaged por tions of Florida, Mahomes had TD throws of 16 yards to Travis Kelce, one yard to Edwards-Helaire and 10 yards to Jody Fortson while making NFL history by reaching 20,000 yards pass ing faster than anyone else.

Edwards-Helaire and tight end Noah Gray rushed for TDs for the Chiefs (3-1), who won the first meet ing between Mahomes and Brady since Tampa Bay’s 31-9 rout of Kansas City in the Super Bowl — also played at Raymond James Stadium — two seasons ago.

The short pass to Edwards-Helaire was Mahomes at his improvisa tional best: He escaped two defenders, did a 360-degree spin move and flipped the ball over a crowd to the running back in the back of the end zone.

Brady completed 39 of 52 passes for 385 yards and three TDs without an interception for Tampa Bay (2-2).

The Bucs, however, played from behind the whole night after rookie Rachaad White fumbled

TUA

FROM PAGE 13

“There was no medi cal indication from all resources that there was anything regarding the head,” McDaniel said Friday.

“If there would have been, of course, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I prematurely put someone out there.”

Tagovailoa had an MRI on Friday in addition to the X-rays and CT scans that were taken the night before at a hospital in Cincinnati.

He had a headache Thursday night and Friday morning, McDaniel said.

the opening kickoff and Mahomes threw his TD pass to Kelce two plays later.

Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed sacked Brady, forcing a fumble that Mahomes turned into Gray’s TD, with the tight end taking a direct snap from centre on the 1-yard plunge that put Kansas City up 28-10.

Brady threw TD passes of 13 yards and one yard to Mike Evans, who returned from serving a one-game suspension for his role in a on-field brawl at New Orleans two weeks ago. He had eight receptions for 103 yards.

Evans’ second TD trimmed Kansas City’s lead to 28-17 at halftime. That was as close as the Bucs got until Leonard Fournette’s 5-yard TD reception cut Tampa Bay’s deficit to 41-31 with 3:30 remaining.

Brady wouldn’t get the ball back until less than a minute was left.

Kansas City finished with 417 yards of total offence, including a 189-3 edge on the ground, against a defence that had allowed a league-low 27 points through three games.

The Bucs sacked Mahomes three times and intercepted him once, but it was not the “coming out party” linebacker Shaquil Barrett had predicted his team having against an offensive line the Chiefs have overhauled since struggling against Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl loss.

With Hurricane Ian approaching the Florida’s

“I’m not even really thinking about timetables or anything regarding him as a player right now,” McDaniel said.

“It’s all about Tua the person.”

Tagovailoa was sacked by Bengals defensive tackle Josh Topou late in the first half of Thursday night’s loss to the Bengals.

On the play, he spun awkwardly and was thrown to the turf. While on the ground, Tagovailoa appeared to display the fencing response, with his fingers frozen in front of his face.

He remained down for more than seven minutes

Gulf Coast, the Bucs evacu ated for four days to the Miami area, where they practiced Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Dolphins’ training facil ity while the NFL made contingency plans to move the game to Minneapolis if it couldn’t be played in Tampa.

The Glazer family that owns the Bucs has announced it is donating $1 million for hurricane relief. The NFL Foundation is matching that donation, and the Bucs on Sunday night began a “Florida

before being loaded onto a backboard and stretchered off the field.

The Dolphins later said he was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities.

He was discharged from the hospital Thursday night and flew back to Miami with the team.

McDaniel said Tago vailoa was interacting with teammates on the flight home.

He sat next to McDaniel and talked to him about the game. “His personality was normal Tua,” McDaniel said.

Before the injury, Tagovailoa was having a

Strong” campaign to raise funds, as well as honour emergency personnel and first responders.

Players and fans observed a “moment of support” prior the national anthem, and the Bucs also paid trib ute to those affected by the hurricane in a video pres entation displayed on giant scoreboard screens before the game.

INJURIES Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (ankle) was inactive for the third straight game.

... Bucs WRs Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio

breakout season, high lighted by throwing a career-high six touchdown passes in a Week 2 win over Baltimore. Now the former Alabama star faces another obstacle in what has been an up-and-down career.

The Dolphins, amid a rebuild in 2020, drafted Tagovailoa No. 1 overall to be a franchise-altering player following a college career that included a 2018 national championship.

But when that didn’t happen as quickly as Miami anticipated, questions arose about whether to stick with the young quarterback or go in another direction. Tagovailoa seemed to be

Jones (knee ), as well as LT Donovan Smith (elbow), played for the first time since Tampa Bay’s seasonopening victory at Dallas.

... Bucs CB Logan Ryan left with a foot injury in the first quarter. ...

TE Cameron Brate (con cussion) and CB Carlton Davis (stinger) left in the second half.

UP NEXT Chiefs: Return home to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, October 10.

Buccaneers: Host the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.

answering those ques tions through the first three weeks of the season, efficiently utilising the weapons that Miami sur rounded him with during the offseason, including star receiver Tyreek Hill, to lead the Dolphins to a 3-0 record heading into Thurs day’s game.

Including his 110 passing yards before leaving Thurs day’s game, Tagovailoa is second in the league in passing yards (1,035) and he has thrown 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.

Tagovailoa has dealt with several injuries, including a dislocated right hip in 2019 at Alabama.

KENYAN KIPRUTO WINS THE LONDON MARATHON

LONDON (AP) — Debutant Amos Kipruto won the men’s race at the London Marathon on Sunday, with Yalemzerf Yehualaw triumphing in the women’s.

Kipruto, a world bronze medallist in Doha in 2019, finished in a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, 39 seconds. The 30-yearold Kenyan beat Leul Gebresilase of Ethiopia into second with Belgian Bashir Abdi finishing third.

Yehualaw recov ered from a fall to win the women’s race. The 23-year-old appeared to trip on a speed bump with 6 miles remaining, but recovered to rejoin the leading pack and came home in 2:17:25, the third fastest time at the event.

Defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya had to settle for second.

This year’s race took place in October for the third and final time, after it was moved in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Yehualaw’s victory came just six months after making her debut over the distance. She is the youngest London Marathon champion.

Kipruto pulled away from the rest of the field as it reached the final 5 kilometers (3 miles).

The race will return to its traditional April date next year.

Marcel Hug and Cath erine Debrunner won the wheelchair titles and set new course records.

Defending champion Hug won in 1:24:38. Debrunner won the race for the first time in 1:38:24.

VIKINGS HANG ON FOR 28-25 WIN OVER SAINTS IN LONDON

By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer

LONDON (AP) — Greg Joseph kicked a 47-yard field goal with 24 seconds left and the Minnesota Vikings hung on for a 28-25 win over New Orleans yesterday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the Saints’ Wil Lutz’s 61-yard tying attempt hit the left upright and then the cross bar as time expired.

Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson beat Marshon Lattimore on a 39-yard reception to set up Joseph’s go-ahead kick — after the kicker had missed an extra point earlier in the quarter.

The missed kick left the Vikings with a 25-22 lead.

The Saints then had an eight-play drive and Lutz made a 60-yard field goal with 1:51 left to tie the game for the Saints (1-3), who have lost three straight games. But Lutz’s next attempt was just a little bit off.

Jefferson had 10 recep tions for 147 yards and ran for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter for the Vikings (3-1).

The Vikings squandered multiple scoring chances, settling for field goals — Joseph was 5 for 5 — but still held off a New Orleans team that played without key starters including quar terback Jameis Winston and running back Alvin Kamara.

Kirk Cousins completed 25 of 38 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown and an

interception. The Vikings under first-year coach Kevin O’Connell are off to their best start since going 4-0 in 2016.

The Saints arrived early in the week to acclimate to the time difference, but in the end it didn’t matter and their losing streak is now at three games under coach Dennis Allen.

Down 16-7, Saints backup quarterback Andy Dalton led two scoring drives to help New Orleans take 22-19 lead.

Saints tight end/quar terback Taysom Hill took a direct snap and ran it in from 2 yards for the goahead score in the fourth quarter and Dalton found a wide-open Jarvis Landry for the 2-point conversion to give the Saints a 22-19 lead.

Dalton completed 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.

After the Saints rallied and cut Minnesota’s lead to 16-14 on Latavius Mur ray’s 1-yard run late in the third quarter, the Vikings drove again but an inten tional grounding and false start pushed them back and Joseph made it 19-14 with a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings led 13-7 and had first-and-goal on the 3 after Justin Jeffer son’s 41-yard reception in the third quarter, but were pushed back by a delay of game penalty. Cousins then threw short to Adam Thielen instead of going to a wide-open Jefferson in the back of the end zone.

One play earlier, Cous ins threw behind Jefferson in the end zone and the receiver couldn’t hold on.

The Vikings were in control early. Alexander Mattison weaved through traffic for a 15-yard touchdown reception on Minnesota’s opening drive during which the Vikings were 3 for 3 on third down.

The Saints had no first downs in the first quarter, but got help when safety Tyrann Mathieu inter cepted a long pass intended for Irv Smith Jr.

Dalton then drove the Saints 60 yards and found

Chris Olave for a 4-yard touchdown pass — the rookie’s first NFL touch down — to make it 7-7 early in the second quarter.

The Vikings squandered two good opportunities deep in Saints territory late in the second quarter. Tight end Johnny Mundt dropped a short pass on a third-and-1 from the 10 and Minnesota opted for a field goal instead of going for it.

On the next possession, Dalton fumbled on a stripsack by Za’Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson. Har rison Phillips recovered to set up the Vikings from the

Saints 20 with just under a minute in the half and three timeouts.

After a completion for no gain, they didn’t use a timeout, had an incomple tion and then a false start penalty. Joseph then kicked a 36-yard field goal and the Vikings went into the half with a 13-7 lead.

The Saints were also without wide receiver Michael Thomas.

GOOD LUCK

IN LONDON

The Vikings improved to 3-0 in London games — with wins in three different stadiums.

The Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 in 2013 at Wembley Stadium and topped the Cleve land Browns 33-16 four years later at Twickenham Stadium.

Drew Brees led the Saints to two victories — in 2008 and 2017 — both at Wemb ley Stadium.

This was the fifth NFL game at Tottenham, the Premier League club’s sta dium that cost more than $1 billion to build and opened in 2019.

INJURIES

Vikings rookie Lewis Cine was carted off the field with a leg injury late in the first quarter. He was block ing on a punt return when he sustained the injury. Cine clutched his left leg as he went down.

The Vikings immediately ruled him out. ... DL Carl Granderson was ruled out at halftime.

UP NEXT Vikings: Host NFC North-rival Chicago Bears next Sunday; their bye is in Week 7.

Saints: Host the Seat tle Seahawks in the first of back-to-back games at the Superdome.

VIKINGS cornerback Kris Boyd (29) reacts after making a turnover during an NFL match between Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London yesterday. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

AMOS Kipruto (AP)

KANSAS City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates a touchdown during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night.

(AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

‘GREAT WAY TO FINISH MY LAST TRAINING CAMP IN PARADISE’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Udonis Haslem said there was no better way for the Miami Heat to begin the National Basketball Associ ation’s 2022/23 season than hosting their training camp in The Bahamas.

It’s the third time that the Heat came to the Bahamas and Haslem was a part of the team in 2013 and 2016 when they stayed at the Atlantis resort on Para dise Island. This time, they spent the past week at the Baha Mar resort.

For Halsem, this will be his 20th and final year, all in Miami, as he completes the longest tenure by any player in the league right now. “Great way. Great way to finish my last train ing camp in Paradise,” Haslem told the media on Saturday following an open house workout session for the residents and visitors to the Bahamas.

“It’s always much love whenever I come to the Bahamas. It’s just like being in Miami. The love is unmatched. I appreciate it a lot. It’s a dream come true to start off my last year the right way.”

As an undrafted player in Miami, the team’s captain said the Heat has a tremen dous organisation to play for.

“It’s not easy putting together a playoff or cham pionship calibre team every year,” he pointed out. “You go through your ups and downs and you will always have draft picks. “Some teams up the tank and do it the other way. “We did it to find those needles in the haystack and those dia monds in the rough.”

Last year, the Heat clinched the eastern con ference title and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before they got eliminated by the Boston Celtics. The Heat, coached by Erik Spoelstra, returns with basically the same team with the exception of defensive specialist PJ

Tucker, who has gone to the Philadelphia 76ers.

During the week, Spoelstra and his staff have been watching their rookies and a couple of players out of their D-League develop mental programme to help fill in the void.

The core of their team will include Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Victor Oladipo, Dewayne Dedmon, Duncan Robin son, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vin cent, Max Strus, Omer Yursev and Haslem.

They’re looking to add to their roster from a list that includes Marcus Gar rett, Darius Days, Jamaree

Bouya, Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson.

Haslem, the team’s cap tain, represented the club during the press briefing. He said if the players all buy into the programme presented by the coaches, they too can have a long career in the league like he does.

The 42-year-old Haslem noted that they are pre paring for the start of the pre-season on Tuesday at home at the FTX Arena in Miami against the Min nesota Timberwolves, who have added Rudy Gobert to play with Anthony Towns.

The Heat’s 35th regular season will also open at home on October 19 when

they will entertain the Chi cago Bulls.

“Last year we didn’t lose much. Everybody is basically back,” he said.

“Health issues is going to be our major thing. But right now, we’re here in the Bahamas in Paradise. We’re bonding, so it’s been a great trip here so far.”

As for the expectations for the team, Haslem said the goal as usual is to win another championship title.

“We always have cham pionship expectations. We don’t come into the season thinking about anything else,” he pointed out. “But we know it’s a long road before we get there. There are steps that we have to get

there. The championship is always our expectations.”

Haslem said the trip here was just like a home game, so they enjoyed playing in front of the Bahamian crowd. The Heat also hosted a children’s clinic on Thursday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

“It’s been a great week. We got some work in,” he said.

“We had a little bit of rain, but we held on pretty good. Some of the younger guys got on the water slides and some of the older guys played some golf.

“So it was good to be here. We had everything here to be successful to get ready for this season.”

US WOMEN WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT

GOLD AT WORLD CUP, TOP CHINA

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

SYDNEY (AP) — The names on the United States team have changed, the Americans’ dominance has not.

A’ja Wilson scored 19 points, Kelsey Plum added 17 and the United States beat China 83-61 on Sat urday to win its fourth consecutive gold medal at the women’s basket ball World Cup. “It feels great,” said Wilson, who was selected as the tour nament’s MVP. “We came here on a mission, we got it. We got gold. Now we’re going home with some hardware. It feels great to us. Australia was great to us. I didn’t see any kanga roos, but it’s OK because we are leaving with a gold.”

This was one of the most dominant teams in the Americans’ storied history in the World Cup that now has won 11 gold medals. They’ve won four straight gold medals for the first time.

This also was the biggest win in a gold-medal game, surpassing the 20-point wins that the Americans had done twice.

“Everybody wants to beat us. Everybody wants what we have and that’s gold medals and victories,” Breanna Stewart said.

What started with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi has now been passed down to Wilson and Stewart. With Alyssa Thomas the oldest player at 30, the domination

could continue for years to come. “It’s been an incred ible journey just to continue to lay that foundation down like so many of the greats in front of us have,” Wilson said. “Now it’s our turn to step up and be in that situation.”

Host Australia defeated Canada 95-65 to win the bronze medal, led by 41-year-old Lauren Jack son’s 30 points.

As they’ve done all tour nament, the Americans did it on both ends of the court, playing stellar defence as well as using a high-pow ered offence.

The Americans (8-0) finished the World Cup averaging 98.8 points — just short of the mark held by the 1994 team that aver aged 99.1. They won by an average of 40.8 points, top ping the mark held by the 2010 team.

The game was a sellout with nearly 16,000 fans — the biggest crowd to attend a women’s World Cup game since the inaugural tourna ment in 1953 in Chile.

Led by Li Yueru and Wu Tongtong, China hung around. The Chinese team trailed 33-28 late in the second quarter before the US went on a 10-2 run high lighted by fast-break layups by Stewart and Wilson to extend the advantage to double-digits.

Jin Weina hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to get China back to within 10.

The US was just too good to let the upset happen,

outscoring China 25-14 in the third.

The Americans did have one scary moment when Thomas went down after a collision with Li in the lane. She was helped off the court, but returned a few minutes later.

“It was a tough game as we expected,” Thomas said. “By no means is this game easy. We stuck to it and pulled out a win.”

China won its first medal since the 1994 World Cup when the team also took the silver and are a rising power in women’s basket ball. After the game, the team posed for a photo

with their flag and men’s great Yao Ming, who is the president of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Li finished with 19 points and Wu added 13 before leaving the game in the fourth quarter after her knee gave out driving to the basket. She had to be car ried off the court.

The victory was the 30th in a row in World Cup play for the Americans, who haven’t lost since the 2006 semifinals against Russia.

The Soviet Union holds the World Cup record with 56 straight wins from 195986. This is only the second time in the Americans’

storied history they’ve reached four consecutive gold medal contests. They also did it from 1979-90, winning three times.

This US team, which has so many new faces, con tinued to dominate the paint even without 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner, outscoring its opponents by an average of 55-24.

The teams met in pool play and China gave the US its toughest game, losing by 14 points.

CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Plum are part of an incredible group that won

Griner was sentenced in August to nine years in a Russian prison after she was convicted of drug pos session. The US honoured her by not having anyone wear her No. 15 on the roster.

WOMEN’S WORLD

FIBA Secretary Gen eral Andreas Zagklis was pleased that half of the officials in the tourna ment were female and five of the 12 head coaches were women. Both China and the US had women in charge of their teams, the second straight time that two female coaches made it to the gold-medal game.

MISSING IN ACTION

The US was without Kah leah Copper for the second straight game after injuring her left hip in the win over Serbia in the quarterfinals.

Copper landed hard on her hip driving to the basket and had to be helped off the court.

China was missing its star guard Li Meng, who sat out a second consecutive game with what Chinese media reported as having a fever due to body fatigue.

a World Cup and WNBA title in the same year. There have been 14 total now.

HONOURING GRINER

“This is for BG. I hope BG knows she’s in our thoughts,” Stewart said. “We can’t wait for her to come home and hoping that she’s going to be home as soon as possible. BG, we got the gold for you and we miss you and we love you.”

PLAYERS from the United States celebrate with with their trophy after defeating China in their gold medal game at the women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

VETERAN forward

GOLD medallists United States pose for a photo after defeating China in the final at the women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

VETERAN forward Udonis Haslem speaks to the media during the Miami Heat’s training camp at the Baha Mar resort. Heat players are also seen here practicing.

Photos: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

KAI JONES’

PRESEASON DEBUT: 5 POINTS,

IN

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter

KAI Jones and the Charlotte Hornets offi cially began their 2022-23 campaign as the NBA preseason got underway yesterday.

Jones played sparingly late in the fourth quarter but finished with five points, five rebounds and a blocked shot in just nine minutes of the Hornets’ 134-93 loss to the Boston Celtics yes terday at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jones powered home a pair of dunks over Celtics centre Luka Samanic that went viral postgame.

The Hornets are now under coach Steve Clif ford, in his second run with Charlotte after James Bor rego was fired following the season.

Charlotte connected on 35 percent of its overall shots and made only five of 33 shots from 3-point range. Boston led 68-46 at halftime and stretched the lead to as many as 46 in the second half.

Clifford called Jones “an exceptional athlete” and “phenomenal worker” when asked about his role in the frontcourt at train ing camp. “Kai [Jones] to me, right now, is more of a

centre. He can play some four. Even for our league he’s an exceptional athlete and physical.

“How quickly he puts himself in a place where he can legitimately play night in and night out in NBA games is just purpose of play,” Clifford said.

“For all young players, especially inside guys, that’s the hardest thing. Playing to your strengths, helping your teammates play to their strengths, so we’ll see.”

The Hornets return vet eran centre Mason Plumlee, third year player Nick Richards and rookie Mark Williams all at the five spot.

Plumlee got the start and played 15 minutes while Richards played 18 and Williams received 11 min utes in the rotation ahead of Jones.

MINUTES

Forwards Jalen McDan iels and JT Thor were also ahead of Jones in the rota tion at 19 and 15 minutes respectively.

Jones called his rookie season “a beautiful expe rience” at Hornets media day but looks forward to making a bigger impact.

“With my athleticism, I can have a two-way impact,” he said. “Lob threat, blocking shots, just being versatile.”

In 2021, he excelled at the G-League level on assign ment with the Greensboro Swarm averaging 16.5 points on 61.4 percent shooting from the field – 32 percent from three-point range – 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks in 32 total G League games. He also posted 15 total double-doubles.

BBA

opening of the new sta dium, but we look forward to many more events to come in the future.”

Sweeting, the secre tary general of the BBA, said they are delighted to host the event, which is an historic venture for the Bahamas, but one that they hope to take advantage of by producing one of the best teams ever assembled to represent the island nation.

However, he noted that Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm and Lucius Fox will both be in attendance, but will not be able to participate for the Bahamas in the qualifier because they are on Major League 40-man rosters.

Should the Bahamas qualify, Sweeting said they will then be eligible to com pete for the Bahamas at the CAC Games.

“We will have all of our other minor league play ers on the team,” said Sweeting, who noted that the coaching staff will be announced very shortly.

“We are going to be very competitive and we’re look ing forward to showcasing the talent that is available in what is called “the show.”

“Our expectations is that we will have a very good chance to qualify for the CAC Games. With the competition of the sta dium, we will have all of our minor league players available to compete for the Bahamas because it’s their offseason.”

Sweeting noted that once the team is assembled, they will get to travel to Grand

Bahama for a mini training camp as the final touches are put on the completion of the stadium.

But he noted that there probably won’t be any opportunity for the team to participate in any scrimmages before the tournament.

De Lira thanked Bowleg, whom he called his “best” friend for keeping his word on allowing the tournament to be staged in the Baha mas and the LOC, headed by Sweeting and president Rodgers for their leader ship in making sure that the tournament comes off.

“The Bahamas is coming up in baseball,” De Lira said.

“The tournament will give the Bahamas a chance to showcase the young play ers coming up.”

And Rodgers said it’s a great time for baseball in the Bahamas and the BBA is ready to push the sport to higher heights.

“There are a lot of other qualifying tournaments and we will try to push it as high as we could,” Rogers said. “The sky is the limit.”

With just one 90-foot international baseball diamond available in the country, Sweeting said they have to limit the amount of teams participating in the tournament.

The visiting teams will use Super Club Breezes as the Games Village.

The tournament is expected to cost about $250,000.

Once the tournament is completed, Sweeting said there are plans to reintro duce night league baseball and also to introduce a

professional baseball league for the Bahamas.

FROM PAGE 13

ARCHITECT Mike Foster gives BBA and COCABE executives a tour of the new Andre Rodgers Base ball Stadium over the weekend.

CELTICS’ BRODRIC THOMAS, left, and Hornets’ Kai Jones, right, pursue the ball in their preseason game yesterday in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)