10062022 NEWS AND SPORT

BPL BILLS HIKE ‘FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN’

Retail chief brands fuel charge rises ‘completely insane’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Federa tion of Retailers co-chair yesterday warned that elec tricity fuel charge hikes of up to 163 percent will be “the final nail in the coffin” for COVID-ravaged businesses yet to regain financial viability.

Tara Morley told Trib une Business that many retailers and other compa nies had undertaken such “extraordinary” cost-cut ting efforts during and after

the pandemic that there was little left to “trim” as she slammed Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) pro posed fuel tariff increases as “completely insane”.

Describing the situation as “infuriating for every single Bahamian citizen in the country”, she added that it was “mind bog gling” that this nation has yet to begin the transition to renewable energy at an great scale despite its abun dance of sun and other natural resources.

SEE PAGE 10

FUSION BRACED FOR $400,000 ELECTRICITY COSTS INCREASE

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

FUSION Superplex is bracing for an increase of more than $400,000 in elec tricity costs due to Bahamas Power and Light’s bill hike, with its chief executive officer telling this newspa per the triple blow of higher electricity prices, increased food costs and an expected rise in employment wages has been known to “close down businesses”.

Carlos Foulkes said the next year will be difficult

for the business.

The CEO anticipates an increase in the facility’s power bill of about $466,000 in 2023, assuming the busi ness’ consumption patterns from this year remain the same.

“This increase in fuel surcharge will represent an increase of 62.8 percent of our annual bill. This year we paid $742,000 in elec tricity costs. With this new increase, we anticipate that our bill will jump to $1.2

VOLUNTEERS HELP MAN SEARCH FOR HIS MISSING MOTHER

PM INTRODUCES PUBLIC PROCUREMENT BILL 2022

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis introduced the Public Procurement Bill 2022 in the House of Assembly yesterday, which once enacted will repeal the current law and bring new changes in relation to the country’s bidding process.

According to Mr Davis, the main purposes of the bill is to increase transparency, create greater administra tive efficiency, discourage

and detect procurement process abuse while at the same time, encourage the development of local

businesses, including micro, small and medium enter prises (MSMEs), women or youth owned establish ments among others.

Plans to rewrite the Public Procurement Act 2021, which was initiated under the Minnis adminis tration, were announced in August by the Davis admin istration, which called the law in its current format not workable.

This was also suggested as the reason for their

SEARS: BPL ‘IS ON THE PRECIPICE OF FINANCIAL FALLOUT’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

WITH Bahamas Power and Light on the “preci pice of financial fallout”, there was no room to defer increasing the fuel sur charge, resulting in higher electricity bills for consum ers, Public Works Minister Alfred Sears said yesterday.

According to the minis ter, a glimpse of the power provider’s dire financial

CONCERNS OVER BUS SAFETY AFTER DAYLIGHT KILLING

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE president of a trans portation union said the safety of bus drivers and passengers is a concern after the brazen daylight killing of a bus driver this week.

Harrison Moxey, the United Public Transporta tion Company’s (UPTC) president, told The Tribune yesterday that the tragic incident has raised concerns of safety on buses.

On Tuesday, police reported a double shooting

FRONT PORCH: FAILURE BY LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION

VOLUNTEERS in Grand Bahama have been searching for 56-year-old Stephanie Chisholm of Eight Mile Rock who suffers from a mental illness and has not been seen since July. Jerad Bethel (pic tured), the missing woman’s son, is concerned about his mother’s welfare because she requires care for a mental and medical condition.

MINNIS: PRIME MINISTER CANNOT BE TRUSTED

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Chief Reporter

KILLARNEY MP Dr Hubert Minnis asserted yesterday that Bahamians do not trust Prime Minis ter Philip “Brave” Davis, pointing to what he sug gested was an unfulfilled commitment to stave off additional financial burdens on residents already strug gling with inflation.

Dr Minnis was refer ring to the prime minister’s announcement on Tues day that Bahamas Power and Light bills were set to rise as the power provider was forced to increase its monthly fuel charge in response to rising fuel costs.

The rate increase is set to be reflected in consumers’ electricity bills beginning November.

However, Mr Davis at the time gave an assur ance that the bill increases will only be temporary and are expected to come down over the next 12 to 18 months.

Despite this, the former prime minister predicted the increase would have a snowball affect on busi nesses and further launch people into financial hardship.

“The prime minister had made a commitment,” Dr Minnis said. “He had said that the Bahamian people cannot accept a burden at this particular time because of the pain and the perils that we’re going through.

“Then his Minister of Works Alfred Sears said there would be no increase in fuel charge. Then sud denly there’s an increase in fuel charge announced yes terday (Tuesday).”

He also said: “So, what has he done by increas ing the fuel charge on the populace?

“We are already expe riencing inflation, which the prime minister had

KILLARNEY MP Dr Hubert Minnis.

contributed to. The cost of living will go up even further.

“Already there is a CAR ICOM report that states that some Bahamians go to bed with only one meal per day. Some go to be with two meals per day and some have none and the prime minister has increased this burden on the populace.

“The businesses will also suffer. They will have an increased cost, which means they run the possibility of laying off individuals.

“The food shops, the res taurants will increase, the mom-and-pop shops will increase, their overhead will increase.”

Dr Minnis said the situ ation has drawn concerns about whether Mr Davis and his administration can be trusted.

“Can you believe this prime minister? I say no. This prime minister cannot be trusted. This prime min ister we cannot believe.

“When he said that there would be no tax increase but real property tax increased, mortgages increased as a result of what they have done, fuel charge increased so electricity bills have increased as a result of what he has done. He cannot be trusted.

SANDS: GOVT HAS TAKEN THEIR EYES OFF THE BALL

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

WITH Bahamas Power and Light bills set to rise, Free National Move ment Chairman Dr Duane Sands called on the Davis administration to be less “distracted” and more con siderate of the Bahamian public.

Dr Sands made these statements yesterday morn ing in a circulated voice recording on social media, one day after Prime Min ister Phillip “Brave” Davis announced that there will be a $20 increase in the BPL monthly fuel charge for bills at $182 or less and more than that amount for higher bills per month.

Dr Sands said this administration has “taken their eyes off the ball” after months of FNM Leader Michael Pintard questioning the Davis administration’s failure to uphold the fuel hedging strategy put in place by the previous FNM administra tion, which Mr Pintard said saved the Bahamian people tens of millions of dollars in electricity costs.

Dr Sands said, “For months, we in the opposi tion have raised the alarm about the distracted Prime Minister of the Common wealth of the Bahamas and his Cabinet. Our leader, Michael Pintard, has warned over and over that this administration had taken their eyes off the ball.”

Dr Sands added, “More interested in frequent travel for photo opportunities. More content to focus on foreign policy. They have been completely inatten tive to important issues that matter at home. Like NIB, like crime and now like BPL. Sadly, it is fright eningly clear how distracted they have gotten.”

The prime minister also admitted on Tuesday that since the start of the war on Ukraine in February, he had wanted to hold-off on the up to 163 percent increases in the BPL fuel charge for longer to give struggling Bahamian fami lies more time to rebound

from COVID-19.

Dr Sands called Mr Davis’s seven-month avoid ance of the issue “reckless”.

“Yesterday after repeat edly reassuring the public that there would be no fuel hike on BPL bills, it became very clear that this adminis tration’s year long, reckless background and back room meddling in BPL has cre ated such a crisis that the prime minister had no alternative but to take the podium to address the matter.”

Dr Sands called the timing of the announce ment absurd after the recent decline and stabilisa tion of fuel prices.

“Oil prices peaked in March of 2022 at around $122 per barrel. And as of yesterday, October 4, they were at their lowest level since January of this year and yet our prime minister says an increase in fuel sur charge is unavoidable,” he said.

“So struggling Bahamians will be made to pay huge amounts of fuel surcharges, in large part, because of the failure of this administra tion to adequately hedge and for other decisions that have placed BPL’s fiscal position in a perilous state.”

After concerns yester day from local residents, merchants and consum ers about not being able to afford the rates, Dr Sands questioned whether the Davis administration had considered the impact on individuals, local businesses and tourism overall.

PAGE SEVEN

FREE National Movement Chairman Dr Duane Sands.

IN the wake of criticism about increases to Baha mas Power and Light bills, the Office of the Prime Minister released a statement last night explaining why the course of action was taken.

“When the current administration came into office, we were faced with an historic economic, unemployment, and fiscal crisis,” OPM said.

“Notwithstanding the severe fiscal constraints, we took a number of steps to provide direct relief to families. But the most important task before us was to get the economy moving again. Through out the first year in office, the Bahamian economy has continued to add jobs.

“Early in 2022, Baha mas Power and Light requested that an increase in fuel charges to be charged to customers, reflecting the huge leap in global energy prices fol lowing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The prime minister understood that despite the fact that the economic recovery was underway, a great number of Baha mians were still looking for work. In addition, gas prices were rising, and global inflation was driv ing prices up across the board – making life even more unaffordable, espe cially for the unemployed.

“He decided to delay the increase, so that Bahamians did not have to shoulder all these bur dens simultaneously, so that more Bahamians would have an opportu nity to find work, and so that summer electricity bills (when usage typically rises substantially) would not be too expensive for families to afford,” OPM said.

The statement said sev eral measures have been put in place to “ensure that the increase was handled as carefully as possible”.

“For a large majority of BPL customers, this ini tial increase will be less than $20 a month. If the needed increase had been rolled out all at once, as suggested by some, the resulting surge in monthly electrical bills would be far higher. Instead of approving a sudden increase, the fuel charges are being increased in stages to allow the Baha mian people to prepare and adjust their electricity consumption patterns.

“In addition, we will raise the VAT ceil ing from $300 to $400. This means that Baha mian households whose monthly electric bills are below $400 will not be paying VAT on their bills. This will offset some of the costs associated with the monthly increase, especially for lowerincome households.”

OPM said the increase was implemented when the weather is cooling down and electrical con sumption is decreasing as a result.

“The correspond ing decrease in electric bills that typically occurs during this time of year will partially absorb the fuel charge increase.

“The destruction caused by the Clifton plant fire in 2018 and issues with the installation of the Wärtsilä engines created a situation where we were forced to rely primarily on diesel-pow ered engines instead of engines that ran on the more affordable heavy fuel oil. “This resulted in cost overruns that the sav ings from the fuel hedge facility introduced in 2020 could offset. As a result, when we assumed office in 2021 it was clear that new investments were needed to strengthen BPL’s financial situation.”

The statement also said “contrary to reports, the hedge funding initiative continues to be used to generate savings where

Fusion braced for $400,000 electricity costs increase

million,” he said.

After multiple instances of disrup tions of power at the cinema from BPL, Mr Foulkes said despite BPL’s great customer service, the genera tion of power has been continuously lacking.

“The next coming year will be dif ficult because we are increasing the power consumption rates, we are increasing the costs of inventory and food supplies and then we anticipate a cost for employment. Those three factors have been known to close down businesses. So this is a very sig nificant increase in power and it can be detrimental to the small business community,” Mr Foulkes said.

He was likely referring to the Davis administration’s plans to increase the minimum wage.

In September, Tribune Business reported that Fusion Superplex reduced its workforce by 25 percent compared to pre-COVID levels as part of a $3m cost savings package “critical” to its “survival and keeping on the lights”.

And last year, Fusion Superplex was forced to place between 350 and 400 staff on furlough due to COVID19 pandemic restrictions.

The entertainment facility is not the only business anxious about the power price increases.

Bronson Beneby, owner of Cour tesy Food Store, said with the high rate of operation costs in The Baha mas, especially for small businesses, an increase for any utility bill is a heavy burden.

“Any increase is a negative effect, in terms of operating costs,” he said.

“Of course it (electricity) is a necessity. I know most businesses, they’re looking for a decrease. BPL

has been one of the major tolls on any business and they’ve been the cause of a lot of businesses going out of business,” said Mr Beneby.

Khandise Smith-Bain, owner of Grace and Glory Company, a local accessory store said BPL’s monthly increase will mean her small business is “holding onto a raft in rough water in an effort to stay afloat”.

“As a small business owner it’s already difficult to maintain a profit able business in this current economic environment and this just compounds

the issue even more. The cost of importing materials can be incred ibly taxing on my bottom line and to add an increase in operating expenses adds further strain on us.

“We’ve already had to endure the setbacks of COVID and the increase in the basic cost of living. It’s like holding onto a raft in rough water in an effort to stay afloat,” Mrs SmithBain said.

Prime Minister Philip Davis announced the BPL rate increase on Tuesday.

“For a large majority of BPL cus tomers, who consume less than 800 kWh (kilowatt hours), the fuel charge is increasing by 2 cents per kWh, which will result in an increase this quarter of less than $20 per month,” he explained. “If your current monthly bill is $182 or less, you fall in this category.

“For those who consume more than 800 kWh, the increase will be 4.3 cents per kWh.

I want to note here that we will raise the VAT ceiling from $300 to $400, so going forward, no VAT will be due on any electric ity bills under $400, which will take some of the sting out of the 4.3 cent increase for a great many BPL con sumers subject to the larger increase.”

SEARS: BPL ‘IS ON THE PRECIPICE OF FINANCIAL FALLOUT’

straits could best be seen in the millions it owes to the Shell company.

As a result, he revealed an arrangement had been reached for the government to provide a subsidy to Shell in the amount of $10m each month.

The payments began on Saturday, October 1, 2022 and will continue until June 2023.

This would mean the arrears BPL owed to Shell is pegged at around $90m.

Nonetheless, Mr Sears said it was not the government’s intention to place hardship on Bahamians.

“BPL is on the precipice of financial fallout if we do not act immediately to align the fuel charge with current global prices, ensure reliable sources of clean, reliable and sustainable energy and move to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels as promised by our blueprint for change,” Mr Sears told the House of Assembly yesterday.

“Therefore, BPL will aggressively implement the necessary systems trans formation to improve its operational efficiency in the generation transmission and distribution of power, protect vulnerable consumers and take account of the losses incurred by the utility pro vider during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pan demic in 2020 came on the heels of a series of cata strophic storms between 2015 and 2019 that impacted The Bahamas costing more than $9 billion in damage. Further, we were already on a slow rebound from the previous global recession. These reali ties were the main catalysts for BPL’s then board and executive management team to implement a fuel hedg ing strategy in July 2020 that pegged BPL’s fuel charge at 10.5 cents per kilowatt hour.”

Mr Sears said at the time the fuel hedge worked in the country’s favour when energy costs were an historic low. He added that during this time, there was a prolonged period of low fuel costs and Baha mians benefitted from the hedging.

However, in the last 12 months, fuel costs have increased globally at an astounding rate due to the

global economic and political shocks, he told Parliament.

The minister said the fuel used to generate electric ity now, which is diesel and mostly what BPL uses, has increased over the past year by 100 percent.

He told members of Par liament that the low strike price— $45 — of the hedge strategy per barrel and the assumptions of relying on more heavy fuel rather than diesel were compromised by a number of factors.

“Those factors included the fire in 2018 at Clifton Pier which limited BPL’s capacity to burn heavy fuel and the poor design and execution of the new Wartsila engines, which rely also on diesel fuel. Thus, these factors eroded the benefit of the hedge strategy and placed BPL in a spiralling cash crisis.

“Notwithstanding the global trends, BPL has main tained the fuel charge of 10.5 cents per kWh; however, as the hedged volumes were declining under the current hedging strategy, and the absence of any sign of imme diate relief in the market, BPL is no longer able to

realise any of the benefits of its current hedging that had existed at the outset of the fuel hedging strategy. Further, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the exit from the pan demic have caused fuel prices to skyrocket with no signifi cant decline anticipated in the foreseeable future.

“That being said, BPL finds itself at a crossroads. Not even future market experts had anticipated that there would have been a 100 percent increase in fuel prices due to the adverse impacts of the pandemic and the ongoing war. Further, present market conditions are not considered conducive to increasing the hedge vol umes under the terms of the existing hedge strategy.

“Continuing in this manner has become abso lutely untenable to our power provider and the company must now move to adjust the monthly fuel charge to carry out necessary systems transformation and ensure the sustainability of its operations.”

He also said: “We are cog nisant that an increase in the

fuel charge may not be popu lar at this time. However, I assure this honourable House as the prime minister did yes terday, that deferring it or refusing to do it will create greater hardships down the road or, worse case scenario, result in the catastrophic failure of BPL, something no right-thinking Bahamian could ever consider.

“It is for this reason that yesterday (Tuesday), BPL announced an increase in electricity rates due to the rising cost of fuel needed for the generation of electricity at its plants throughout the country.”

Mr Sears assured Bahami ans that the BPL was aware of the possible hardships associated with the increase.

For a large majority of BPL customers, who con sume less than 800 kWh (kilowatt hours), the fuel charge is increasing by two cents per kWh, which will result in an increase this quarter of less than $20 per month. For those who con sume more than 800 kWh, the increase will be 4.3 cents per kWh.

BPL has said the price increases will be gradually phased in.

During each phase of the implementation, customers can expect an increase of two cents per kWh up to 800kWh and 4.3 cents for all units over 800kWh.

“I wish to further explain to consumers that consump tion of 0-799 kWh will be charged at a rate of 12.5 cents; however, consumption exceeding 799 kWh will be charged at the higher rate. In simplistic terms, the first 799 kWh on all consumer bills, regardless of total con sumption, will be billed at the lower fuel charge for the pre scribed period.

“The intent is for two cent increases to continue quarterly to August of 2023, capping 18.5 cents per kWh for consumers who use less than 800 kWh or 27.6 cents per kWh for those who con sume more than 800 kWh. BPL anticipates a gradual decline after August 2023 but must emphasise that this is most certainly contingent upon the fuel supply market at that time.

“I must emphasise that the intent of this fuel charge increase is to help right size and not enrich BPL and is for a period of approximately 12 months. Further, the highest fuel charge increase for the higher category of consump tion — above 800 kWh — is just two cents higher than the 25 cents per kWh charged at the height of the global reces sion in 2010 and is only for three months between June and August 2023. Even with these increases the electric ity rates will be lower than a number of our regional counterparts. The most vul nerable consumers will pay less than the rates currently employed in Jamaica, Bar bados, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands,” Mr Sears said.

PUBLIC Works Minister Alfred Sears speaking yesterday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

TO BPL BILLS INCREASE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS of the Bain and Grants Town community are in uproar after Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis announced that Bahamas Power and Light will be increasing its monthly fuel charge in response to rising fuel costs.

According to Prime Minister Davis those with a current monthly bill of $182 or less would see an increase to about $20 per month or two cents per kilowatt hours of electric ity used.

Those with higher bills will pay almost double that amount at 4.3 cents per kilowatt hour.

With the rate increase set to be reflected in consumers’ electric ity bills beginning November, yesterday The Tribune canvassed residents in the “Overthe-Hill” community.

Some residents were unable to speak on the matter as they said they have been without elec tricity for over 15 years.

However Tarese Evans, who has been in this constituency all her life, is dissatisfied with the increase, as she believes the government should increase the minimum wage before raising the electricity rates.

“I don’t feel good about it. Y’all (the gov ernment) raising the light bill, what about the mini mum wage bill what was on the table before that?” asked the 44-year-old.

Ms Evans added: “It will affect me tremen dously. He (Mr Davis is) trying to tell you to keep your light bill below $150, but at the end of the day some of these single mothers can’t pay light bill until two, three months later because of minimum wage. Carry up minimum wage then you could bring up what you want to bring up, when ever you want to bring it up.”

Sharing similar views, was a 23-year-old resi dent of the community who also believes the government should raise the minimum wage as a result of rising prices in the country.

“I feel like if they raise the price on any item or anything in this country, they are supposed to raise the minimum wage,” said the resident who asked to be identified as Ms Percentie.

“They are supposed to raise our benefits, income, or taxes. I believe they should give us our tax return, as they are col lecting VAT. All that NIB we are paying every month and still can’t get

no service when you go to the clinic, or hospital,” she added.

As she recently relo cated from Harbour Island to New Provi dence 10 months ago, Ms Percentie said she is faced with the financial hardships of the “high” electricity bills.

She said: “To turn on the light is $300 to $400 just to start off with. To pay it monthly sometimes it would range from $150 and up, and it’s only me one.”

A 20-year resident of the area who gave his name as Ricardo told this newspaper that the price increase makes no sense, but rather is “hurting the poor people”.

“To me I don’t think that making sense because that just hurt ing the poor people and it done high already,” he said.

“That hurting us more and more and crippling us. That doesn’t make no sense to the poor people.”

According to Ricardo, on average his monthly electricity bill is $600 and sometimes less if he makes a conscious effort to conserve.

He pleaded for the gov ernment to seek different alternatives in an effort to “help the poor man”.

“They need to go to solar or something because we have a lot of sun in this hemisphere and so if they go solar, they wouldn’t have to be needing all of this oil — take that venture if anything,” he said yesterday.

Given the present situa tion, a local resident, who requested anonymity, told The Tribune he has no disputes against the price increase.

“It is what it is, you can’t stop it. Regard less of what we say, once their mind is made up to do it, they will do it. Just pay your bill; every gov ernment what come into power will make changes and the change might not be better for the poor people, but it will be changes. The poor people just have to get with it,” he told this newspaper yesterday. According to the resident, he has been consistent with paying his electricity bill and encour aged locals to adapt to the changes and do likewise.

“If you want live com fortable you will pay your bill, if you want to drive a car you will put gas in the car, if you want light in your house, you will pay your bill.

“Don’t care how much people complain, their mind is already made up to do what they have to do. We can’t control these things.”

PM introduces Public Procurement Bill 2022

non-compliance with the reporting conditions of the law.

“This bill would, when enacted, repeal and replace the Public Procurement Act 2021,” the prime minister told parliamentarians yesterday.

“This act was rushed through the consultation and legislation process and came into force two weeks before the end of the administration. The bill is the first of several bills which will be brought to the House to either amend or repeal legislation which was rushed through with little thought about the practical consequences on the govern ance process.”

Under the proposed leg islation, persons who are interested in participat ing in the procurement of goods, works or services shall directly register or be registered by the public pro curement department via the electronic system.

“The original act largely excluded public bodies from its application,” Mr Davis continued.

“However, the minister may now apply all or parts of this act to public bodies by order.

“In the interim, public bodies are expected to publish their procurement guidelines and ensure that they comply with new princi ples for procurement outlined in part two of the second schedule of the act and any guidance issued by a domestic regulatory authority.”

Additionally, the bill allows for a procuring entity, mean ing a government ministry or department, etc, to enter a framework agreement, which Mr Davis described as an agreement by a supplier to provide goods or services under a predetermined pric ing structure and on specified terms and conditions within the period specified therein.

“This will allow a pro curing entity to enter into an agreement comprising a long-term relationship with a provider or range of provid ers to place orders without

going to tender each time,” he also said.

“The benefits of such agreements include poten tially reduced transaction costs and better value to the procuring entity and best suits large volume buying. In addition, it removes the need to undertake an entire procurement process as the process undergoes complete procurement to establish the framework and for suppliers to join it.

“The regulations are expected to fully address the process for entering into and accessing framework agreements.”

The bill maintains the establishment of a public pro curement board; however, it will now consist of seven members instead of nine “to ensure administrative efficiency.”

Additionally, each procur ing entity shall establish a tender committee that will be responsible for reviewing bids and recommending the award of contracts valued over $25,000, according to the bill.

“Where the estimated value of a proposed pro curement contract is more than $24,000 but does not exceed $400,000, the tender committee shall evaluate and recommend that the procuring entity award the procurement contract subject

to the approval of the min ister responsible for the procuring entity,” the bill reads.

Where the contract value is worth more $400,000 but under $2.5m, the tender com mittee shall forward it to the board along with their recommendations.

Meanwhile, contracts over $2.5m are to be forwarded by the tender committee to the board for their recommenda tion, which thereafter will be sent to Cabinet for approval.

With respect to the type and bidding methods, Prime Minister Davis said the bill allows for the reorganisa tion of procedures to make it clear that the competi tive process should always be followed, “with the only exception being the noncompetitive direct award process (formerly named lim ited bidding.”

“Notable changes include the requirement that con tracts below a certain threshold amount should be conducted by national bid ding unless approval is sought from the chief procurement officer to open such a process to national and international bidding,” Mr Davis added.

“Section 31, which for merly addressed limited bidding, has been renamed direct award as this is what the provision always allowed,

“Although the availabil ity of direct awards has been increased to allow for direct awards in several different circumstances, the process has changed such that a pro curing entity can no longer make a direct award and provide justifications after already making the award. The new method, which aids in transparency, is that approval must be sought by any procuring entity seeking to make a direct award before making such an award.“

He also revealed that the financial threshold for quo tation requests has been increased to $25,000 to ensure that procuring entities take advantage of the efficiencies in this process for a more sig nificant number of contracts.

“The original act limited the ability to use requests for quotation if the contract exceeded $5,000 for goods and $10,000 for works or ser vices,” he said.

Mr Davis also noted that in anticipation of the bill’s enactment, the government has already launched its GoBoneFire eProcurement platform which he said will allow for the smooth adminis tration of the legislation.

FNM LEADER ACCUSES PM OF ‘MISLEADING’ THE PUBLIC

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Move ment Leader Michael Pintard accused Prime Min ister Philip “Brave” Davis of “misleading” the public and being “disingenuous” after saying procurement legislation brought by the former administration was “rushed”.

Mr Pintard explained yesterday the claims are “untrue for a number of reasons”.

While presenting the bill for an act to repeal and replace Public Procure ment Act 2021, the prime minister said the 2021 Pro curement Act was “rushed” through the consultation and legislative process and came into force two weeks

before the end of the last administration.

The opposition leader told The Tribune he is happy that Mr Davis and his team have heard the petitions by the opposition that have called on them to do the responsible thing, which is to follow the law.

But he sought to address the prime minister’s comments.

“The prime minister laid that Bill, the proposed amendment in the House of Assembly. We are going to take our time to go through and give a comprehensive response, but a few things about what he laid in the House of Assembly. He sought to mislead the public and was disingenuous when he said several things. One, that it was rushed legis lation, little thought had

gone into it, was the second point. And third, that he saw many practical diffi culties with the bill itself, which is why they are going to amend it,” Mr Pintard said.

“These are untrue for a number of reasons. One is the actual draft of the leg islation the Procurement Act that was brought into force was peer reviewed locally and internationally.

The PLP got a copy early, had a chance to study it, the Chamber of Commerce, the Organization for Responsi ble Government.

“The government of The Bahamas at that time when we were in power were assisted by the InterAmerican Development Bank in developing that legislation. In fact, we saw two consultants with their

Dr. Franklin Walkine

Wishes to announce his retirement from the Clinical Practice of Medicine, October 31, 2022.

I wish to thank all my patients for the opportunity to participate in their health care. Any patients wanting their notes should request them from the office.

The office hours are from Monday to Friday

am

1 pm.

assistance, and the World Bank also had an oppor tunity to provide some guidance in this process. So again, this thought of little thought going into it that was rushed, is patently false.”

The Marco City MP men tioned when the Progressive Liberal Party was in opposi tion, they voted for the very bill that the prime minis ter has criticised. The bill’s tabling comes days after Mr Pintard warned that the party intended to take legal action against the govern ment to initiate a judicial review targeting its refusal to follow the Public Pro curement Act.

The opposition leader said the FNM will ask for a written legal opinion on the matter.

“As we study what has been laid by the gov ernment, we will then determine if the kinds of amendments they wish to make seek to gut the exist ing legislation so that it has no tea - that will be a deal breaker for us and we will certainly continue. But again, it’s important for us to go through this to see what they are seeking to accomplish.”

Last week, a day after the FNM’s legal threat, Mr Davis challenged the oppo sition to “bring it on”. Yet, this week the prime minis ter announced a new Public Procurement Bill would soon be released for consul tation and then the bill was tabled yesterday.

Asked if he thinks talks of legal action pushed the government, Mr Pintard answered: “Certainly, they are responding to the pres sure, the relentless pressure that we placed on them to comply with the law. How ever, we are not alone in this. There are non-gov ernmental agencies that are talking about what are the tenets of responsible gov ernment, the Organization for Responsible Govern ment is one of them. And clearly, the behaviour of the administration up to this point is not consistent with those principles of responsi ble government.”

and the renaming ensures that laymen reading the act understand its implications.

PRIME

Davis

Austin Fernander

of a bus driver who was killed and a 16-year-old boy who was injured during a shooting on a public jitney.

The double shooting occurred at Florida Court and Robinson Road, while the 15A bus was on its route.

Although Mr Moxey said the killing seemed like an isolated targeted incident, he said it still must have been traumatising to pas sengers on board the bus at the time.

“Passengers and drivers’ safety is a grave concern, especially given what took place. We’re sorry for the deceased and for his family,” he said.

Mr Moxey told this newspaper he did not know the victim who was shot and killed.

When asked how the safety on buses can be improved, Mr Moxey sug gested increasing the presence of police in the transportation system.

“Police patrol and police undercover moving through the system from time to time,” he said.

He also said uniform officers would also help tremendously to let people know that there is protec tion in the bus system.

Mr Moxey explained it is important for safety pre cautions to be put in place so people feel comfortable on buses.

“Because once you have a safety concern, and pas sengers are reluctant to use public transportation auto matically, that’s going to affect your business. So yes, that’s one of the things, you know and to experience something like this that’s also understandable.

“We, the public transpor tation, you know, ought to also bear that in mind that we are carrying passengers, senior citizens, and children at large, we have to also be careful nowadays.”

On Tuesday, when asked if the incident raised a con cern to officers to increase their patrol, especially on bus routes, CSP Skippings said, “We are definitely concerned about it. But yet again, it speaks to individu als and it speaks to family. You hear me keep saying that. When that individual left home or when he left a residence, somebody knew he had a weapon. The right thing to do would be to con tact the police to save a life. We are concerned about it. We do have saturated patrols.”

Rent-to-own housing initiative launching soon

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

HOUSING and Transport Minis ter JoBeth Coleby-Davis announced yesterday that her ministry will soon be launching its rent-to-own hous ing initiative, a programme she said is designed “to expand the path to homeownership for hardworking Bahamians.”

Mrs Coleby-Davis, speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, called the plan “A Place to Call Home,” and added that the first phase of development will be rolled out in Abaco.

She said the project will initially include five housing units that will be built in the Spring City community.

“Deputy Speaker, we are starting ‘A Place To Call Home’ in Abaco, because this administration under stands the need for housing on the island is great,” she told parlia mentarians during her contribution yesterday.

“We also understand that the cost of rent on the island is significant –so this RTO initiative will assist in lowering the cost of housing. Deputy Speaker, I said in my address to the Abaco Business Outlook that we will not abandon Abaconians. My minis try will deliver on that promise.”

She also revealed that similar plans are in the works for other Family Islands, which will be announced soon.

“Deputy Speaker, in our party’s

Blueprint for Change, we committed to the implementation of a rent-toown initiative to expand the path to homeownership for Bahamians,” she said.

“As I speak, Deputy Speaker, the Department of Housing is currently reviewing over 1,200 active applica tions for housing. Each customer service representative at the depart ment is currently managing over 350 applications.

“These applications, Deputy

Speaker, are from all segments of Bahamian society and include teachers, nurses, police officers, hospitality workers, and bankers to name a few.”

Insisting the Davis administration believes wholeheartedly in empow ering dedicated Bahamians through homeownership, Mrs Coleby-Davis said it was important for the gov ernment to make opportunities available for locals.

“The mission statement of ‘A

Place To Call Home’ is to provide a sustainable path to homeownership, to empower, to create value and to make a difference in the lives of Bahamians,” she said.

“The core values of the Rent To Own initiative, Deputy Speaker, are embodied in the acronym – Integrity, Innovation, and Impact. A Place To Call Home will be built on integrity.

“We will be transparent, honest, and accountable with the Bahamian people. Deputy Speaker, A Place To Call Home will be innovative.”

She also revealed that the govern ment will use technology and proven best practices from countries world wide for its housing initiative.

Housing models will range from a two-bedroom, one-bathroom model to a three-bedroom, two-bathroom model, she also said.

“A Place to Call Home, Deputy Speaker, gives Bahamians the opportunity to save up for their first dream home while living in it at the same time.”

Mrs Coleby-Davis continued. “Over an agreed fixed period, rent will be paid to the Department of Housing. A portion of the rent will go towards a down payment for the mortgage, property maintenance, and insurance costs.”

According to the housing min ister, a reservation deposit will be required to enrol in the housing ini tiative and successful applicants will have to take a home ownership edu cation course through the housing department.

FNM DEPUTY: ‘NO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN’ ON CRIME

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Free National Movement has called on the government to get a grip on rising violent crime.

Free National Movement deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright spoke to report ers yesterday about the government’s handling of crime, noting in March, the opposition party made 14 recommendations to the government “to assist in trying to combat this scourge of crime.”

Mr Cartwright added: “At that time there (were) 22 murders in the Common wealth of The Bahamas.

Since then, we are talking about 75 plus murders in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas but yet there is no comprehensive plan - not one piece of significant piece of policy or piece of legisla tion to help deal with this issue that continues to be a debilitating issue throughout our communities as bodies continue to drop.”

As Mr Cartwright spoke

to reporters he empha sised that the opposition accepts that crime is not a “political issue” however, the government must lead and bring all stakeholders together to tackle it.

Back in July, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said it was time to stop politicising crime as he accused the former admin istration of dismantling a long-term plan to address it. He said there is a crime plan

the former Minnis admin istration agreed to in 2016, which was a part of “Vision 2040”.

However, members of the opposition have continued to call on the government to create a crime plan. The opposition also made it clear there has not been a con clave held between them in the government in respect to crime.

For her part, Senator Barnett Ellis of the FNM

yesterday noted that Police Commissioner Clayton Fer nander had said less than two months ago that he believed the year would close with fewer than 100 murders.

The country’s murder count currently stands at 104, according to this news paper’s count.

“The prime minister must lead the charge in coordinating the various stakeholders in addressing crime prevention, enforce ment and rehabilitation.

Furthermore, we call on the government to aggressively engage in this matter and find a way to facilitate the work of law enforcement to keep the country safe. That is one of the government’s most important jobs, and we demand they do it,” she added.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday also addressed concerns about the country’s crime state and murder count for the year.

When asked about the country’s climbing crime, the

prime minister told reporters at the House of Assembly, “I’m totally concerned” and that plans are in place to address the issues.

“You’ll find that satura tion patrols are out there,” Mr Davis said.

Mr Davis continued that crime would be higher if the recent initiatives launched by the police had not been established.

There have been three murders since Sunday.

A bus driver was killed and a 16-year-old boy was injured during a brazen day light shooting on a public jitney on Tuesday.

A man was shot and killed by police on Sunday night after he fatally chopped another man with an axe. Earlier on Sunday, a woman was shot and killed at Arawak Cay around 1.45am. She was walking with another woman when she was approached and shot multiple times by a man wearing a hooded jacket.

EMS personnel arrived at the scene and confirmed there were no signs of life.

HOUSING and Transport Minister JoBeth ColebyDavis in the House of Assembly yesterday. Photo: Austin Fernander

FREE National Move ment deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright. Photo: Austin Fernander

TELEPHONES

(242) 322-1986

Manager (242) 502-2394

Department (242) 502-2386

fax (242) 328-2398

Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608

fax (242) 352-9348

Hurricane Ian capped two weeks of extreme storms around the globe:

Here’s what’s known about how climate change fuels tropical cyclones

(THE CONVERSATION) When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, it was one of the United States’ most powerful hur ricanes on record, and it followed a two-week string of massive, devastating storms around the world.

A few days earlier in the Philippines, Typhoon Noru gave new meaning to rapid intensification when it blew up from a tropical storm with 50 mph winds to a Category 5 monster with 155 mph winds the next day. Hurricane Fiona flooded Puerto Rico, then became Can ada’s most intense storm on record. Typhoon Merbok gained strength over a warm Pacific Ocean and tore up over 1,000 miles of the Alaska coast.

Major storms hit from the Philippines in the western Pacific to the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic, to Japan and Florida in the middle latitudes and western Alaska and the Canadian Mari times in the high latitudes.

A lot of people are asking about the role rising global temperatures play in storms like these. It’s not always a simple answer.

It is clear that climate change increases the upper limit on hurricane strength and rain rate and that it also raises the aver age sea level and therefore storm surge. The influence on the total number of hurricanes is currently uncertain, as are other aspects. But, as hurricanes occur, we expect more of them to be major storms. Hurricane Ian and other recent storms, including the 2020 Atlantic season, provide a picture of what that can look like.

Ourresearch has focused on hurri canes, climate change and the water cycle for years. Here’s what scientists know so far.

Rainfall: Temperature has a clear influence

The temperature of both the ocean and atmosphere are critical to hurricane development.

Hurricanes are powered by the release of heat when water that evaporates from the ocean’s surface condenses into the storm’s rain.

A warmer ocean produces more evaporation, which means more water is available to the atmosphere. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, which allows more rain. More rain means more heat is released, and more heat released means stronger winds.

These are basic physical properties of the climate system, and this simplicity lends a great deal of confidence to scien tists’ expectations for storm conditions as the planet warms. The potential for greater evaporation and higher rain rates is true in general for all types of storms, on land or sea.

That basic physical understanding, confirmed in computer simulations of these storms in current and future cli mates, as well as recent events, leads to high confidence that rainfall rates in hurricanes increase by at least 7% per degree of warming.

Storm strength and rapid intensification

Scientists also have high confidence that wind speeds will increase in a warm ing climate and that the proportion of storms that intensify into powerful Cat egory 4 or 5 storms will increase. Similar to rainfall rates, increases in intensity are based on the physics of extreme rainfall events.

Damage is exponentially related to wind speed, so more intense storms can have a bigger impact on lives and econ omies. The damage potential from a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, like Ian at landfall, is roughly 256 times that of a category 1 storm with 75 mph winds.

Whether warming causes storms to intensify more rapidly is an active area of research, with some models offering evidence that this will probably happen. One of the challenges is that the world has limited reliable historical data for detecting long-term trends. Atlantic hur ricane observations go back to the 1800s, but they’re only considered reliable

globally since the 1980s, with satellite coverage.

That said, there is already some evidence that an increase in rapid intensi fication is distinguishable in the Atlantic.

Within the last two weeks of Septem ber 2022, both Noru and Ian exhibited rapid intensification. In the case of Ian, successful forecasts of rapid intensifica tion were issued several days in advance, when the storm was still a tropical depression. They exemplify the signifi cant progress in intensity forecasts in the past few years, although improvements are not uniform.

There is some indication that, on aver age, the location where storms reach their maximum intensity is moving poleward. This would have important implica tions for the location of the storms’ main impacts. However, it is still not clear that this trend will continue in the future.

Storm surge:

Two important influences

Storm surge – the rise in water at a coast caused by a storm – is related to a number of factors including storm speed, storm size, wind direction and coastal sea bottom topography. Climate change could have at least two important influences.

Stronger storms increase the potential for higher surge, and rising tempera tures are causing sea level to rise, which increases the water height, so the storm surge is now higher than before in rela tion to the land. As a result, there is high confidence for an increase in the poten tial for higher storm surges.

Speed of movement and potential for stalling

The speed of the storm can be an important factor in total rainfall amounts at a given location: A slower-moving storm, like Hurricane Harvey in 2017, provides a longer period of time for rain to accumulate.

There are indications of a global slow down in hurricane speed, but the quality of historical data limits understanding at this point, and the possible mechanisms are not yet understood.

Frequency of storms in the future is less clear

How the number of hurricanes that form each year may change is another major question that is not well under stood. There is no definitive theory explaining the number of storms in the current climate, or how it will change in the future. Besides having the right envi ronmental conditions to fuel a storm, the storm has to form from a disturbance in the atmosphere. There is currently a debate in the scientific community about the role of these pre-storm disturbances in determining the number of storms in the current and future climates.

Natural climate variations, such as El Niño and La Niña, also have a substantial impact on whether and where hurricanes develop. How they and other natural variations will change in the future and influence future hurricane activity is a topic of active research.

How much did climate change influence Ian?

Scientists conduct attribution studies on individual storms to gauge how much global warming likely affected them, and those studies are currently underway for Ian.

However, individual attribution stud ies are not needed to be certain that the storm occurred in an environment that human-caused climate change made more favorable for a stronger, rainier and higher-surge disaster. Human activi ties will continue to increase the odds for even worse storms, year over year, unless rapid and dramatic reductions in green house gas emissions are undertaken.

(By Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell and Suzana J. Camargo, Columbia University for theconversation.com. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Prices on goods and services

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THERE are not many Bahamians who are going to agree with the recently announced rate hikes in their electrical bills. The economy is gradually bouncing back post the effects of Dorian and the lingering pandemic. With the increased interna tionally based fuel costs and the drastic cuts in the supply chain, across the board, many nations, inclusive of The Bahamas, inflation is literally ‘kill ing’ The Bahamas.

Prices on goods and ser vices have gone through the roof and there appears to be no end in sight. It is clear to right think ing Bahamians that it is not the fault of the Davis administration that this phenomenon is being played out even as you read this. The price hikes, while minimal, will appear to be ‘bad’ optics politi cally. The PM and his administration have no control or input in the cost of a barrel of oil on the international market.

Unless and until we employ different sources

of renewable energy, we Bahamians, like the rest of the world, are stuck with fossil based energy such as coal mines. Cli mate change is critical to the well being of the Earth but until we usher in affordable alternative sources, we are like dogs barking at the Moon. Yes, the Prime Minister and his delegation to Cairo, Egypt, within the next few weeks will achieve much, but there is still much more to be done about inflation.

High energy prices will become an economic staple. In the food stores one is already able to appreciate and see the inflationary rise in prices. Last week I was able to purchase a very small T bone steak for under $12.00 This week end past the same sized steak was almost B$21.00 There were absolutely no chicken wings. Centre Pork Chops were nowhere in sight. There were no

spinich; iceberg lettuce or fresh limes. The ones that were on display were dried like a prune.

It is feared by many that NIB rates will be increased due to several factors. The biggest one is that administrations have used NIB as an easy source of capital develop ment funds for decades. Hence, today the funds are precarious in the extreme. The choice is simple. Raise the rates or go insolvent. There are no other viable alternatives in my considered view.

The Davis administra tion with Destiny. They can step up to the plate and postulate but they must not be detracted by foolishness. Again, I say that the optics could have been better, especially when the nation is on a roll. The PLP, in my view, is on the right track BUT marketing and percep tion may continue to be problematical.

ORTLAND H. |BODIE, JR. Nassau, October 5, 2022.

Unlicensed and uninsured vehicles

EDITOR, The Tribune.

DID I hear the Police complaining about the level of unlicensed vehicles and also uninsured?

Check when you can Licence a vehicle –daily between 8.30am and 2pm – average working person does the school run gets to work at 9am just can take an hour lunch but usually takes that for school pick-up at 3 pm – so Transport when will average working person license a vehicle children have to be collected?

Suggest Licensing at the least should stay open till 3.30pm daily maybe two days a week till 4.30pm especially at month end (more money around).

Possibly the good Minister may consider

as this is supposed to be a ‘New Day’ for us – service above!

Police need to be checking more for unli censed vehicles - why are they not online with Auto Insurers so they have a current list to look up as to who has vehicle insur ance? Stop this three-month cover deal then lapse for the next nine, God help you if you are involved with an uninsured vehicle.

Could vehicles have an additional decal which would show that your vehicle is insured through to a specific date? Sepa rate from the license decal?

A SPACEX Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon capsule, with a multinational crew of four astronauts, lifts off from Launch Complex 39-A Wednesday, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., beginning a five-month mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“Then with the European Union he has made com mitments in three different communications, three dif ferent letters according to the newspaper. He had com mitted to the EU that he would follow through with certain programmes. He did not do it. So, he has a track record of unworthiness and cannot be trusted.”

Dr Minnis also questioned whether there will be an increase to National Insur ance Board contributions.

Earlier this year The Tribune exclusively reported that the fund was in peril, following an actuarial review.

“He has said that there will be no increase in National Insurance contri butions so we look forth to see whether we can accept his word or we will see further increase in NIB con tributions increasing the burden to the poor Baha mian populace.”

Dr Minnis said his admin istration had plans for BPL that would have avoided increasing the burdens on Bahamians.

These included the fuel hedging programme and a new power plant that uti lised liquified natural gas.

However, he insisted the Progressive Liberal Party government did not have a

plan. “Now with respect to BPL, we had a plan. We had a hedging programme in place so that we locked in fuel at certain costs and that brought the power bill down by 50 (percent) in some instances 60 percent. You review your bill, you would see it brought it down.

“The election was held but the Cabinet paper was prepared to carry on the hedging. Did the prime min ister see the Cabinet paper? He must inform us whether he saw the Cabinet paper, or he just ignored the Cabi net paper and subsequently ignored the hedging.

“If he did not see it then why was the Cabinet paper not shown to the prime min ister to be brought forth to carry out the hedging?

“Then we had another component. We had a nego tiation, a deal for a new power plant that we were working out with Shell (North America). The plan is we were introducing LNG storage facilities so that we can shift over to LNG.

“All would have caused a further decrease in the elec tricity bills. So, there was a plan, our plan was hedging, our plan was the new power station and LNG.

“The prime minister, they have no plan,” Dr Minnis said.

MAN IN COURT ACCUSED OF KILLING PRISON INMATE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN accused of kill ing a prison inmate last year claimed he was at a viewing for his grandfa ther and aunt, who both died of COVID-19, at East Sunrise Mortuary on Bail lou Hill Road when the murder occurred.

Diallo Williamson, 34, stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney for ser vice and signing of his VBI on a charge of murder.

In his latest court appearance he stated his innocence claiming that this incident was part of a larger conspiracy involving the same prison officers set to testify in his trial.

Williamson is accused of causing the death of Mikhail Miller at the Bahamas Department

of Correctional Services (BDCS) between October 31 and November 1, 2021.

Miller, who was sentenced to three months at BDCS for stealing earlier that October, is said to have died of blunt force trauma.

From the onset, Wil liamson denied any involvement in this matter saying that he was not at the prison at the time.

He further claimed that a larger conspiracy was at play here.

After being informed of his notice of alibi, the accused called on his brother and other inmates in prison at the time of the incident to speak in his defence.

Williamson is expected to enter his official plea for the charge on December 2 before Justice Bernard Turner.

MAN FINED $500 FOR POACHING CRAWFISH

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined $500 in Magistrate’s Court yesterday for poaching crawfish in a protected area.

Lushone Rolle, 36, represented by Sonia Timothy, faced Magis trate Samuel McKinney on a charge of poaching.

On September 23 near Cistern Cay, west of Indigo Island, Rolle was apprehended by Royal Bahamas Defense Force officers in a 12ft white whaler vessel.

It was in this exclusive fishery zone protected by the BNT that authorities saw him throw a cooler containing 31 crawfish tails overboard.

In court the accused pleaded guilty to the charge.

As part of her plea of mitigation, Ms Timo thy stated that this was her client’s first offence and that he works in the fishing industry. She fur ther stated that Rolle is remorseful for his actions and is committed to not reoffending.

In addition to citing his early plea of guilt, the attorney asked the court to be as lenient as possi ble with the defendant.

The defendant was fined $500 for the offence or risks one month in prison.

The crawfish seized in this incident is to be for feited to the Crown.

Search goes on for missing Eight Mile Rock woman

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE search continues for a missing 56-year-old Eight Mile Rock woman who suf fers from a mental illness and has not been seen since July.

A team of volunteers, including family and friends, gathered at the International Bazaar on Tuesday evening searching the area for Steph anie Chisholm, of Hanna Hill.

Jerad Bethel, the missing woman’s son, is concerned about his mother’s welfare because she requires care for a mental and medical condition.

Chisholm has diabetes and suffers from schizophrenia.

Over a dozen people joined Mr Bethel around 5.30pm as he searched the burned out and dilapidated building structures in the Bazaar. They also searched among overgrown bushes in the area as well as the adja cent property at the rear of the old Princess Tower/Royal Oasis Resort.

“We are in search for my mother Stephanie Chisholm, and just trying to search as much as we could so we would not leave anything unturned,” he said. “We do not know whether something happened or if she is safe. We don’t know if any foul play is involved or if she is sick somewhere and doesn’t have the strength to get up and come home - all of that is a

big concern, right now.

“She has been missing for a little over two months since the end of July. She suffers from schizophrenia and is diabetic. She has sugar and all of that is a concern, right now.”

According to Mr Bethel, his mother was last seen at the KFC near one of their family member‘s home in the Freeport area.

He has been searching for her since August 1 when she did not return home. Mr Bethel has been check ing places that his mother is known to frequent in the Freeport area.

“We have not found her,” he said. “I would normally roam the areas she would be in to see if she is there because I know where she would go. And so, I would

always check on her to make sure she is okay in those areas.”

Mr Bethel has got assis tance in his search efforts from some police officers, family members, friends, and local citizens in Grand Bahama.

“I want to say thanks to everyone who has been showing up, posting, and calling,” he said. “Even if it was not her, it is good just to know that people are actu ally looking. If it is the wrong person, it does not matter because the important thing is that people are looking.”

Mr Bethel said he is the oldest of his mother’s five children.

“I love her to death, despite the challenges (she may have). I keep her dear to my heart.”

They have also searched in Eight Mile Rock, but have not been able to locate her.

According to a police flyer, Ms Chisholm is about five feet, five inches tall. She has a dark brown complexion, black hair, and dark brown eyes. She weighs 130 pounds and is of a slim build.

Anyone with information concerning her whereabouts is asked to contact police in Grand Bahama at 3503014/6, 911, or the nearest police station.

VOLUNTEERS during the search on Tuesday evening.

JERAD Bethel

FAILURE BY POLITICAL LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION

THE violent crime rav aging New Providence continues unabated. Political leaders and law enforcement are seemingly incapable of offering workable strategies to combat the rate of murder and other crimes.

As noted by others and in this column, the failure to try, convict and punish offenders in a timely manner, contributes significantly to the murder rate as does the failure to deal with the issue of bail.

Still, the brazenness and openness of killings and other violent crime are alarming and frightening. A few weeks ago, mere teen agers were caught on CCTV robbing a popular liquor store. A jitney driver out on bail is killed on a bus and his 16-year-old assistant is shot. Why is a youth that age not in school?

A young woman is gunned down at Arawak Cay, a venue highly trafficked by Bahamians and visitors. An off duty police officer is shot.

A friend recalls a recent robbery at an upscale res taurant in western New Providence. How many more murders will there be before the end of the year?

We are in a cycle of sys temic gun violence and retribution. We are also beset by entrenched social dysfunc tion and a culture of violence.

While successive politi cal directorates have made many efforts over the years to address gun violence and revenge killings, they appear out to sea in understand ing and addressing broader social dysfunction and cul tural problems.

VIOLENCE

The roots of our myriad social problems which con tribute to violence are complex and longstanding. After his party was defeated following 25 years in office, the late Sir Lynden Pindling bemoaned the incivility and violent mindsets of younger Bahamians, especially young men.

He was upset by coarse language in public, states of public undress and other signs of social decay. He did not grasp the causes and roots of increasingly dysfunc tional behaviour.

Of course, the permissive and pervasive drug culture of the 1980s and 90s played a significant role.

The widespread corrup tion of the era, including by the political elite, poisoned minds, bodies and the social culture.

Sir Lynden regretted his failure to institute a model of national service that may have helped to arrest some of the decline.

The instinct for this type of social intervention was correct, though it was never tried.

Fifty years after independ ence is a time to reflect on what we have done success fully and poorly as a country. Crime, violence and social dysfunction can be found in many countries, including the Caribbean and the Americas.

While governments have rightly prioritized economic growth and certain areas of

social development, includ ing health care, education and housing, there has been a lack of imagination, will and resources dedicated to various kinds of social inter vention, including youth development.

The social ills in our coun try are writ large.

The filth, slackness and incivility in the country, especially in more urbanized areas, are so egregious we cannot even get Bahamians to keep public spaces clean.

A recent social media meme listing “guidelines - for a better Bahamas and future generations,” ended with this plea: “Don’t urinate in public spaces.”

A friend forwarded the meme with this retort: “You mean it’s that bad that we have to ask people not to uri nate out in the open.”

Politicians understand eco nomic growth and jobs are vital to their survival and that of the countries they lead. Every Bahamian Prime Min ister has promoted growth and sought to address crime through the police and the courts.

Some of the heads of government, some more suc

for some individuals, it is not a social strategy. Good social interventions borrow from progressive and conservative thinking.

Incarceration and law enforcement are not enough in addressing crime and vio lence. Governments cannot change the family structure. But in a small country like ours, strategic social inter ventions can positively affect the lives of hundreds or thousands quicker and more effectively than in a county with tens of millions.

multifaceted approach to reducing gun violence, one proven to work in other cities.”

The programme’s litera ture notes:

“To create lasting change we work directly with the individuals who are most likely to carry a gun or get shot, and with the commu nities where gun violence is most concentrated.

The state of our social dysfunction, inclusive of crime and violence, is so entrenched we need the level and sort of imagination, political will and resources that were required to address the aforementioned times.

CRISIS

We will have to wait and see if the facility is built.

cessfully than others, have also addressed various areas of social development. Yet none of them really seemed to have grasped the sociolog ical and cultural roots of our social dysfunction.

This lack of understanding was not a matter of ill will. Many of our political lead ers simply lack a sociological imagination or thinking.

By example, some leaders at home and abroad, with a more conservative mindset on dealing with crime, opt for the “pull themselves up by the bootstrap mentality”. While this may be effective

By example, a well-funded and organized after school baseball or performing arts programme in an inner city area of New Providence may touch the lives of hundreds of young people, redirecting quite a number from gang involvement.

There are scores of such models from around the world, programmes and interventions we have not utilized. This column has pre viously offered a number of examples.

One new example which Bahamian officials might explore is: “Chicago CRED a violence preven tion initiative spearheaded by former US Education Secretary Arne Duncan. [The programme] take[s] a

“Through Street Outreach, Coaching & Counselling, Workforce Development, and Advocacy & Preven tion we lift young men and women, and rally neighbour hoods to dramatically rewrite the story of gun violence in Chicago.”

We are in a longstanding cultural crisis. Some analo gies may be helpful. When Sir Lynden came to office, his party had to build certain national institutions. When Hubert Ingraham became Prime Minister his admin istration invested heavily in economic development and infrastructure to reform and modernize a moribund country.

During COVID-19, Dr Hubert Minnis kept the coun try afloat through vast social spending in health care, eco nomic assistance and social and food assistance.

This will require a PM and government that grasp the degree of the crisis, the need for prolonged social intervention, and a willing ness to speak to the country articulately and consistently about the depth of our social dysfunction.

Bureaucratically, this may mean transforming the Min istry of Social Services into a genuine Ministry of Social Development, of which Social Services would be one department. Such a ministry should have a change leader who understands the nature of the problems with which we are confronted. It may include a policy and plan ning staff inclusive of those with expertise in sociology, criminology and social inter vention, including Bahamian and international practition ers and experts.

The current admin istration announced its

But imagine what $40 million can do if invested in various social interven tion and youth development measures that may address social violence in the medium and long-term.

Many in our middle and upper middle class elite, who live in gated communities and mindsets, may believe crime is happening among those people and that they can ring-fence themselves off from such violence. This is a deadly delusion.

Writing recently in The Atlantic on America’s fail ures during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff writer Ed Yong offered: “Substantial social progress always seems unfeasible until it is actually achieved. Normal led to this. It is not too late to fashion a better normal.”

We should not become normalized to the levels of crime, violence and social decay and dysfunction we are experiencing. Things can get worse, much worse, if we accept our current state as normal.

intention to build a mediumsecurity facility at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services that could cost up to $40 million.

ABOVE: The scene after a jitney driver was killed on a bus and a 16-year-old shot. BELOW: Police at the scene after an off duty officer was shot.

“Some of the heads of government, some more successfully than others, have also addressed various areas of social development. Yet none of them really seemed to have grasped the sociological and cultural roots of our social dysfunction.”

Just how far can you push the rules and get away with it?

JOAN and her friend Marilyn were in her New York City kitchen, warding off the unseasonable chill out side with steaming mugs of coffee. They were talking about the world’s current number one bogeyman.

“Hey Mar, I have to say, I’m starting to wonder why the CIA doesn’t just figure out a way to get rid of Vladimir Putin. People all around the world think the American spy agency can do whatever it wants to do. It has money, secret support from various Con gressional committees in Washington, and relation ships secured with money or dirty tricks all around the world.

“I wish Joe Biden would just give them the word to kidnap or otherwise remove Putin from his Kremlin throne. Maybe even assassinate him. This guy is pushing the world toward what they used to call mutual assured destruc tion. Surely some of those clever government lawyers can concoct a rationale for removing Putin. Tell me I’m wrong here.” Marilyn looked over at her friend. “I assume you’re serious, Joanie.” Joan nodded affirmatively. “And that you’re asking me because I used to work in Washington.” Another positive shake of the head.

“OK. Here’s why the CIA doesn’t just go into Russia and take out Putin. It would be illegal, immoral and ultimately unwise. And it probably wouldn’t work anyway.” Here’s what Mar ilyn told her friend.

This is a story that goes back over 50 years. In Feb ruary 1976, then-President Gerald Ford issued a doc ument called Executive Order 11905, which prohib ited any member of the US government from engaging or conspiring to engage in any political assassination anywhere in the world.

Ford’s order came largely as the result of a truly blue-ribbon Senate panel that had investigated American government involvement in several assassination plots under Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson that had come to light and embarrassed Washington. Those plots came to light partly as the result of the Watergate investigation into political skulduggery by Richard Nixon and his staff. That misbehaviour included spying on antiwar Americans by the CIA, which violated the agency’s charter.

That Senate select com mittee included some of the giants of the Senate. The chair was Frank Church, a confirmed internationalist and Democrat from Idaho. His vice-chair was the redoubtable John Tower of Texas, a Republican hawk who was the first Republi can Senator from Texas in over 90 years when he won a special election to suc ceed Vice President-elect Lyndon Johnson in 1961. Other members included future and past presiden tial candidates Howard Baker of Tennessee, Barry Goldwater of Arizona, Gary Hart of Colorado and Walter Mondale of Minnesota.

In its report, the com mittee said it “needs no more information to be convinced that a flat ban against assassination should be written into law. We condemn assassination and reject it as an instru ment of American policy.

Surprisingly, however, there is presently no stat ute making it a crime to assassinate a foreign official outside the United States.”

The committee’s report offered many of the first public details of US Gov ernment involvement in assassination plans against five foreign leaders. The first of these was Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of what is now the central African nation called the Democratic Republic of Congo that has also been called Zaire and emerged as independent from Belgian colonial rule in 1960. As the UN and other Western nations tried to get accustomed to the end of centuries of Euro pean domination in Africa, Lumumba’s fierce person ality and friendliness with the USSR caught the eye of American CIA director Allen Dulles.

The Senate committee found that “it is clear that the Director of Central Intelligence, Allen Dulles, authorized an assassination plot. There is, however, no evidence of United States involvement in bring ing about the death of Lumumba at the hands of Congolese authorities.”

Next on the prospective American hit list was someone closer to home. Fidel Castro’s suc cessful Cuban revolution alarmed Dulles and other Eisenhower administra tion hawks and American uneasiness about Castro continued under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

The 1975 Senate commit tee reported that “we have found concrete evidence of at least eight plots involv ing the CIA to assassinate Fidel Castro from 1960 to 1965. The proposed assas sination devices ran the gamut from high-pow ered rifles to poison pills, poison pens, deadly bac terial powders, and other devices which strain the imagination.”

Later, Castro is reported to have said that “if surviv ing assassinations were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal.”

Next on the CIA’s reported hit list was Dominican Republic dic tator Rafael Trujillo, who ruled that nation for 30 years until he was assas sinated in 1961. The CIA didn’t actually kill Trujillo, whose regional rivalries disrupted America’s “back yard” and unsettled US policymakers as Castro did.

The Senate committee found that “though there is no evidence that the United States instigated any assassination activity against Trujillo, certain evi dence tends to link United States officials to the assas sination plans.

“The day before the assassination a cable, per sonally authorized by President Kennedy, was sent to the United States’

Consul General in the Dominican Republic stat ing that the United States Government, as a matter of general policy, could not condone political assas sination, but the same time indicating the United States continued to support the dissidents and stood ready to recognize them in the event they were suc cessful in their endeavour to overthrow Trujillo.”

Further away, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, were assas sinated during a coup by Vietnamese generals on November 2, 1963. The Senate committee reported “evidence before the Com mittee indicates that the United States government offered encouragement for the coup, but neither desired nor was involved in the assassinations.”

That coup in Saigon was a pivotal event in intensify ing American involvement in Vietnam and soon led the US much deeper into its disastrous Vietnam War, which didn’t end until 1975 and nearly tore America apart.

That war’s effects are still being felt today.

Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile in 1970. An avowed socialist-Marxist, he made Washington uneasy. He ruled for three tumultu ous years before a military coup toppled him.

The Senate committee found “there is no ques tion that the CIA received a direct instruction from President Nixon on Sep tember 15, 1973 to attempt to foment a coup. But the Cold War setting in which these assassination plots took place does not change our view that assassina tion is unacceptable in our society.”

In

its final report, the Senate commit tee concluded that

“such activities (as assas sination plots) are almost always eventually revealed.

The damage to American foreign policy, to the good name and reputation of the United States abroad, to the American people’s faith and support of our govern ment and its foreign policy is incalculable. This last point - the undermining of the American public’s con fidence in its government is the most damaging conse quence of all.”

As she finished her history lesson, Marilyn noticed that her friend had forgotten her coffee as she listened.

“Hey, Joanie, want a hot refill?” Joan glanced down, and nodded yes. She was quiet and pensive as Mari lyn worked at the kitchen counter.

“Mar, I understand what you’re saying. I had

forgotten about all that American mischief back in the day. And I can see why President Ford issued that order. But the CIA and American administrations have boasted, especially since 9/11, about killing foreigners.

“One of them was the leader of a sovereign coun try, Saddam Hussein in Iraq. What’s with that?”

Marilyn returned to the table with fresh drinks for both.

“That’s true. But the stunning events of

September 11, 2001 offered a rationale for widely justifiable and accept able targeting of bad actors overseas. Congress passed legislation greatly expand ing executive branch authority to go after terror ists. The killing of Saddam Hussein was justified and rationalized under the antiterrorist legislation.

“After 9/11, although there was no explicit refer ence to the assassination ban, Congressional resolu tions were broad enough to authorize actions that

otherwise would be prohib ited under Ford’s executive order banning assassina tion. Few objected 11 years ago when a US Navy Seal team killed bin Laden in Pakistan.”

Joan was still puzzled.

“But Putin is threatening the whole world!”

“Sure,” Marilyn replied. “He’s an evil man, behaving hatefully. But he has some thing the others lacked. He has nuclear weapons. What if the CIA tried to kill him and failed?”

MISSILE LAUNCHES AS US REDEPLOYS CARRIER

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Thurs day after the United States redeployed an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s previous launch of a nuclear-capable missile over Japan.

The latest missile launches suggest North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is determined to continue with weapons tests aimed at boosting his nuclear arsenal in defiance of international sanctions.

Many experts say Kim’s goal is to eventually win U.S. recognition as a legitimate nuclear state and the lifting of those sanctions, though the international community has shown no sign of allowing that to happen.

The latest missiles were launched 22 minutes apart from the North’s capital region and landed between the Korean Pen insula and Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The first missile flew 350 kilometres (217 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 80 kilometres (50 miles) and the second flew 800 kilometres (497 miles) on an apogee of 60 kilometres (37 miles).

The flight details were similar to Japanese assessments announced by Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada, who confirmed that the mis siles didn’t reach Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

He added that the second missile was pos sibly launched on an “irregular” trajectory. It is a term that has been pre viously used to describe the flight characteris tics of a North Korean weapon modeled after Russia’s Iskander missile, which travels at low altitudes and is designed to be maneuverable in flight to improve its chances of evading mis sile defences.

South Korea’s mili tary said it has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Japanese Prime Minis ter Fumio Kishida said North Korea’s continued launches were “absolutely intolerable.”

The launches were North Korea’s sixth round of weapons tests in less than two weeks, adding to a record number of missile launches this year that has prompted condemnation from the United States and other countries.

On Tuesday, North Korea staged its most provocative weapons demonstration in years, firing an intermediaterange missile over Japan for the first time in five years.

The launch led the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and halt trains.

Experts said the weapon was likely a Hwa song-12 missile capable of reaching the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and beyond.

Other weapons tested earlier reportedly include Iskander-like missiles and other ballistic weapons designed to strike key targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there.

Thursday’s launches came as the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan returned to waters east of South Korea in what South Korea’s military called an attempt to demonstrate the allies’ “firm will” to counter North’s contin ued provocations and threats.

BPL bills hike ‘final nail in the coffin’

FROM PAGE ONE

Demanding that BPL and the Government “stop playing around and fix the problem”, Ms Morley told this newspaper it was “absurd” that electricity costs for Bahamian retail ers - which are almost equivalent to the monthly rental costs they pay - are now poised to increase even further.

The Davis administra tion and BPL have sought to emphasise that the fuel charge increases should be short-term in nature, and this component - which typically accounts for between 50-60 percent of total customer bills - will start to reduce in about 11 months’ time from Septem ber 1, 2023. And, by giving advancing warning and phasing the increases in, they are hoping businesses and households have suf ficient time to prepare and mitigate any impact.

Ms Morley, while acknowledging that other countries are going through their own respective energy crises, was unconvinced that Bahamian retailers and the wider private sector will emerge unscathed even if BPL’s fuel charges start to moderate as the stateowned utility monopoly is predicting.

“Honestly it’s com pletely insane that we are continuing to have these astronomically high energy costs here in the country,” the Federation co-chair told Tribune Business. “We have a lot of businesses that are already struggling and all

this is going to do is exacer bate the problem. We’ll see some businesses no longer able to make ends meet, so that means less customers for BPL.

“There’s no doubt this is going to be the final nail in the coffin for some busi nesses. For a lot of retailers electricity is almost the cost of rent. It is absurd that now that becomes a even larger expense... People are going to have to look at every single cost on their books and operate accord ingly because you cannot operate without light.

“I feel so many people have done extraordinary cost-cutting on the back of COVID so I don’t know how many can trim back more. That’s why I think it’s going to be a matter of some people having to shut down. That’s always some thing that’s on the line.” Many businesses were yesterday crunching the numbers to determine how much their energy bills will likely increase over the next 15 months, with the high est users bracing for six to seven-figure rises.

BPL has segmented the fuel charge increases, which all customers will see for the first time in their November billings, into two categories in what it described as an effort to protect the most vulnerable low income families. Customers that consume less than 800 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per month will see their fuel charge rise via a series of rolling two cent quarterly increases, while for those using more than

that threshold it will be a 4.3 cents per kWh quarterly leap.

However, analysis seen by Tribune Business shows that, at the peak of the fuel tariff increase between May 1 and August 31, 2023, Bahamian families consum ing 800 kWh or less will suffer up to a 76 percent hike compared to the cur rent 10.5 cents per kWh rise.

That three-month period also represents peak summer, coinciding with maximum demand and the greatest energy consump tion. As for businesses and households that use over 800 kWh, fuel charges are set to increase by 138 per cent, 163 percent and 138 percent - more than dou bling compared to the present 10.5 kWh rateduring the periods of March 1 to May 31, 2023; June 1 to August 31, 2023, and Sep tember 1 to November 30, 2023.

Having warned that busi ness failures and closures may well result from BPL’s fuel cost spike, Ms Morley said it was “extremely frus trating” that The Bahamas has made so little progress in replacing fossil fuels with cleaner renewable alterna tives despite having spent the better part of two dec ades talking about such a move.

“A solution seriously needs to be put into effect,” she told Tribune Business. “This is getting infuriating for every single Bahamian citizen in the country. Forget businesses. As a citizen I’m outraged.

It’s totally mind boggling to me. I don’t understand.

“Everyone globally is going through increases in rates, so I can appreciate everything is going up, but it’s frustrating that we as a nation have not addressed our severe energy issues. It seems more important than ever, and we need to be shifting away from these fossil fuels. For a country that relies on sun, sand and sea for its tourism mar keting, with sun being the first word, why would they not invest more in solar infrastructure?

“It’s not only a much greener solution but also a more economical solu tion for consumers and businesses alike. I think the Government and BPL need to stop playing around and fix the problem,” Ms Morley continued. “Obvi ously it’s [the BPL fuel charge increases] not posi tive news for the nation. I just feel like it’s consistently negative, negative, negative news coming out of what’s going on with energy in the country.

“This problem has been in existence for some time now. Why are we not addressing it? I would have less of an issue with the rate increase if, in a year’s time, we switch to solar and be more energy effi cient. That’s not the case. There’s not been any posi tive movement in energy for decades now. I just wish there was some way to get moving forward.”

Alfred Sears KC, min ister of public works and utilities, yesterday sought

to reassure Ms Morley that the “movement” she is seeking is about to happen. He told the House of Assembly yesterday that BPL was “in the advanced stages of an implementa tion plan” for a 60 Mega Watt (MW) solar photovol taic (PV) power generation plant for New Providence, which was touted as reduc ing the state-owned utility’s annual $300m fuel bill by some $23m.

Pledging that BPL is also set to implement a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in New Providence over the next 12 months in a bid to smooth out elec tricity grid volatility, and facilitate the integration of renewables, he added that the Government is also moving to roll-out micro grid solutions through the Family Islands.

Sir Franklyn Wilson, FOCOL Holdings’ chair man, told Tribune Business that the steep fuel charge increases unveiled by BPL were “very concerning” but unavoidable given the surge in global energy costs that peaked at $127 per barrel in March 2022.

“It’s negative any way you skin the cat,” he said. “It’s energy, so you’ve got to pay more in expenses and overhead. There’s no spin on that. But the fact of the matter is this. How can you avoid it? You have to pay for the fuel. No one will give you the fuel. You have to find ways and means to reduce demand. You have to find ways in the short run to conserve. That’s all you can do.”

BIDEN AND DESANTIS JOIN TOGETHER IN IAN RECOVERY EFFORT

By JOSH BOAK and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) — President Joe Biden surveyed the devastation of hurricane-ravaged Florida on Wednesday, promising to marshal the power of the federal government to help rebuild as he comforted local residents alongside Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 foe.

Biden praised DeSantis’ handling of the storm recovery as both men — who have battled over pandemic protocols and migration as the gov ernor mulls a presidential bid — put aside politics for a few days. The state is struggling to recover from the wreckage of Hurricane Ian, which tore through southwestern Florida last week and left dozens dead.

“Today we have one job and only one job, and that’s to make sure the people in Florida get everything they need to fully, thoroughly recover,” Biden said in a community that bore the brunt of Ian’s assault. He warned that the rebuilding effort will take months or years.

“It’s going to take a hell of a long time, hopefully without any snags in the way,” he said as DeSantis stood behind him, hands folded as

he squinted into the glaring sunlight.

“Later, after the television cameras have moved on, we’re still going to be here with you.”

The days after Ian’s landfall in Florida have prompted a temporary détente between Biden and DeSantis, who had spoken on the phone at least three times to coordinate recovery efforts. They spent part of Wednes day meeting with area residents and, for Biden, absorbing the full scope of Ian’s devastation.

After Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived earlier at Fisherman’s Wharf — where homes and busi nesses lay in ruins amid debris and muck — DeSantis offered his hand to the president for a shake. Next to them as they spoke was a boat that the storm had lifted into a cafe

The solidarity, however fleeting, continued Wednesday afternoon when DeSantis formally welcomed Biden to his state and praised the collaboration with officials on the ground and the federal government in Washington.

“We are cutting through the red tape and that’s from local govern ment, state government, all the way up to the president. We appreciate the team effort,” DeSantis said.

Biden said DeSantis had done a “good job” when asked by reporters

to assess the governor’s handling of the recovery efforts.

“We have very different political philosophies ... but we worked hand in glove,” Biden said. “On things related to dealing with this crisis, we’ve been completely lockstep. There’s been no difference.”

The breadth of the devastation that Biden witnessed was immense. The presidential motorcade drove by wind-shorn trees, some uprooted, others with branches pulled back wards by the storm. Fields off the highway were still flooded, forming stagnant lagoons.

Signs for stores and restaurants were blown out; ruined mattresses were piled in neighborhood streets, a building was tipped to the side like a chess piece. An armada of work ers and repair trucks struggled with recovery.

Hurricane Ian has resulted in at least 98 people confirmed dead, including 89 in Florida, and many people still wait for power to be restored. Ian’s 150 mph winds and punishing storm surge last week took out power for 2.6 million in Florida.

Many people still are unable to get food and water, although DeSantis said power has been restored to more than 97% of the state.

With the midterm elections just a month away, the crisis was bringing together political rivals in common cause at least for a time.

Biden and DeSantis have had a multitude of differences in recent years over how to fight COVID-19, immigration policy and more. In recent weeks, they tussled over the governor’s decision to put migrants on planes or buses to Democratic strongholds, a practice that Biden has called “reckless.”

Along with DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott has also been one of Biden’s most prominent Republican critics. He, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and other state and local officials joined the president and governor. Rubio, like DeSantis, is up for reelec tion in November.

Jeff Rioux, a general contractor in Fort Myers and a registered Repub lican, said as he mopped up floors and tore out soaked drywall from his flooded house that he welcomed Biden’s visit.

“The world does need to see what happened here. It’s going get some help down here,” Rioux said of the national attention. “At some point you’ve got to put politics aside. People are hurting down here. It’s not right or left, it’s America at the end of the day.”

It’s official: MLB season ends for Antoan, Jazz, Fox

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

A 2022 Major League Baseball season filled with both milestone moments and disappointments officially concluded yesterday for Bahamians in the league with last night’s regular season finale.

Antoan Richardson and the San Francisco Giants missed the play offs this season and finished .500 at 81-81 following last night’s 8-1 win over the San Diego Padres. In 2021, the Giants finished 107-55 and captured the National League

West division title. Richardson, who completed his second season as the club’s first base coach, said the team underwent several dif ficulties that derailed their return to the playoffs.

“Coming off the 107 wins last year, there was a lot of excite ment coming into this season. We just ran into some tough patches, got some injuries and that kind of made it challenging for us to have similar success. No doubt about it we wanted to make the most of our chance to finish strong here, finish on a positive note, and ulti mately just continuing to learn

how to get better,” Richardson said.

“Just looking forward to figur ing out how to comeback next year, try to get into the playoffs and make a run at this thing.”

Looking ahead to the future, Richardson said he looks forward to the day when he is joined by Giants prospect Ryan Reckley and gets to share the field with him in the big leagues.

“It’s exciting to have Ryan in the organisation. Got an oppor tunity to connect with him a few times when we went down to Ari zona to play. He’s doing well, I

think he was a little homesick, but that’s the tough part about leaving home for the first time, coming to this environment, trying to learn a new culture, that’s always a thing that we all have to overcome. But he’s doing a really good job,” Richardson said.

“Every time I talk to coaches and staff about him they sing his praises, so personally really excited to see what his develop ment looks like over the next couple of years and I’ll try to help him as much as I can to help him to get up here to San Fransico and play some games with us.”

Radshad shines in France debut

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Radshad

Davis made his French debut and is off to a noteworthy start with Vendee Challans Basket of the Nationale Masculine 1 League.

The second year pro has averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists per game as the club split their first two games on opening weekend.

In the season opener, he finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in an 89-67 win over C’Chartes.

He followed with a team high 16 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, and five rebounds in a 74-71 loss to Loon-Plage.

“I’m super excited to join the team and bring my experience to win the championship,” Davis said at the time of his signing this summer. “It’s great to join the club and I expect it to be a great experience.”

The NM1 is the pro fessional level third-tier division in France. The two top teams from each season of the competition are promoted to the LNB Pro B, which is the French second division

Challans head coach, Sebastien Lambert, said the versatile Davis should help bolster the lineup at several positions.

He is a powerful wing player who is coming off a

very interesting season in Europe.

“He will be a very good complement between our guards and our forward positions,” Lambert said.

“He likes to attack the rim and has a reliable out side shot. He is a complete player who also takes a lot of rebounds and who still needs to develop his creative side. He will have to adapt to a new culture and a different league but I know that the people of Challans will know how to welcome him as they should so that he feels happy to defend the col ours of the VCB.”

The club finished 13-19 last season in Group C.

At the national team level, Davis recently partic ipated in the latest window of the FIBA World Cup ‘23 Americas Qualifiers.

The Bahamas clinched qualification with a 97-80 win over the US Virgin Islands on July 1. Davis fin ished with 12 points off the bench.

Davis played in four games of the qualifying windows and averaged 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. He spent his first pro season last year with Decolor Fundacion Globalcaja La Roda in the LEB Silver League. The LEB Silver is the third tier in the Spanish basketball league system, after the Liga ACB and LEB Gold.

In 26 games, he averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. La Roda finished sixth in the East Division at 14-12.

Djokovic near flawless to reach 2nd round in Astana

ASTANA, Kazakhstan

(AP) — Novak Djokovic delivered a near-flawless performance to ease into the second round of the Astana Open with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Cristian Garin yesterday as he goes for a third straight tournament title.

Djokovic dropped just six points on his serve and won the last five games to seal the win in just 62 minutes.

Djokovic is coming off a victory in Tel Aviv last week and — aside from a match at the Laver Cup — the Wimbledon champion hasn’t lost since the French Open quarterfinals.

“From the start to the end, (it was) a great per formance,” Djokovic said.

“Playing in a new tourna ment, different conditions, the first match is never easy. Obviously you are looking

One of the seminal moments of the season was Washington Nationals infielder, Lucius Fox, becoming the ninth Bahamian to make his debut in the MLB.

“We had a chance to interact in Washington and in typical Baha mian fashion were talking after the game behind home plate,” Richardson said. “He was really excited about the opportunity, I remember talking to him and looking in his eyes and he was like a little kid on Christmas Day, just really enjoying the moment,

HIELD AND PACERS ROUT KAI, HORNETS 122-97

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

CHAVANO “Buddy” Hield and Kai Jones went head-to-head as the NBA preseason continued last night.

Hield and his Indiana Pacers made their presea son debut with a 122-97 win over Jones and the Char lotte Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Hield finished with seven points on 3-8 shooting, 1-4 from three-point range. He also added five rebounds, three steals and two assists in 20 minutes. He played 17 of his 20 minutes in the first half and finished with five points on 2-6 shooting as the Pacers took an early 59-43 lead at the half.

Each of the Pacers’ start ers played between 18-22 minutes and 16 players on the roster received playing time in the rout.

For the second consecu tive game, Jones played sparingly late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach and tallied just eight minutes.

In last Sunday’s pre season debut against the Boston Celtics, Jones fin ished with five points, five rebounds and a blocked shot in just nine minutes of the Hornets’ 134-93 loss at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Hornets will close out the preseason with a rematch against the

FAN

(3). Nardi was playing just his fifth tour-level maindraw match and impressed the third-seeded Greek, who didn’t earn a single break point.

“He’s a player that can play very well in the future,” Tsitsipas said.

“There weren’t any holes. I believe today he was able to sustain that level from the beginning to end, and that was extremely impressive.”

to see how you are going to adapt, but I did it perfectly, really, played as well as I can.”

Djokovic will next play Botic van de Zandschulp.

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz lost in the opening

round on Tuesday in his first match since winning the US Open title to cap ture the No. 1 spot.

Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the quarterfinals by beating 19-year-old Luca Nardi of Italy 7-6 (2), 7-6

Roberto Bautista Agut also reached the quarterfi nals as he followed up his first-round upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime by beating Pavel Kotov 6-1, 7-6 (5).

Marin Cilic, who lost the Tel Aviv final to Djokovic, had to come from behind to beat Oscar Otte 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the first round to set up a round-of-16 match against Karen Khachanov.

(AP) — The owner of a sports memorabilia auction house says he has offered $2 million to the fan who caught Aaron Judge’s Ameri can League-record 62nd home run.

JP Cohen, president of Memory Lane Inc. in Tustin, California, told The Associated Press yesterday that he has texted and emailed Cory Youmans, the man who caught Judge’s mile stone shot Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Cohen says Youmans has not yet replied.

“I feel the offer is way above fair, if he is inclined to sell it,” Cohen said in a telephone interview with the AP yesterday.

Youmans grabbed the historic souvenir on

the fly as it sailed into the front row of sec tion 31 in left field. The homer pushed Judge past Roger Maris for the AL season record — a mark many consider baseball’s “clean” standard because the only National League players who hit more have been tarnished by ties to steroids.

Youmans, who is from Dallas, works in the finan cial world. He was asked Tuesday what he planned to do with the prize while security personnel whisked him away to have it authenticated.

“Good question. I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

The record price for a home run ball is $3 million, paid for Mark McGwire’s record 70th from the 1998 season.

NOVAK Djokovic eased into the second round of the Astana Open with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Cristian Garin yesterday.

RADSHAD DAVIS, a second year pro, has averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists per game as he made his French debut with Vendee Challans Basket of the Nationale Masculine 1 League.

GREEN AND BARNES SEAL THE GAME FOR UB MINGOES MEN’S SOCCER TEAM

STRIKER Marlon

Barnes might have started things off for the UB Min goes in the BFA season opener against Ren egades FC. But it was Ronaldo Green that sealed the game.

Greene scored a hat trick plus one to lead The Mingoes to the 5-3 season opening win over Ren egades Friday night at the Roscow RL. Davies Field.

Renegades struck first in the 30th minute to go up 1-0 early.

Barnes responded with a brilliant goal just under a minute later to tie the match at 1-1.

The Renegades were able to connect in the 38th minute to take the lead again at 2-1.

The Mingoes though were not going to stop pressing.

Two minutes later, Green struck again to even the score at 2-2 heading into half time.

Green came out strong in the second half scoring in the 47th and 48th minute to put The Mingoes up 4-2.

For security, Green scored again in the 60th minute after a Renegades’ penalty kick in the 59th minute. The Mingoes take the emphatic win 5-3 to go 1-0 on the season.

Green said the win makes a huge statement to the league.

“I think everyone was doubting us in the start of the season and the presea son games and this game shows that we are here to play,” he said. “We are here to make a statement and win this season.”

Assistant head coach Alex Thompson added this match was a big win over such a strong side. “The team that we played is a good team and one that you cannot take lightly as they are well-coached and they are very good going forward,” he said.

The win, he said, also solidifies Green as the best player in the league on the best up and coming team. “He had four goals today and could have had a few more and a few more assists,” he said. “The win also says that we have support around him and players who are slowly but surely learning their roles. As the season goes on and the guys mature more in the system I think you will see a better team.”

The Mingoes play Cava lier FC 9pm Wednesday at The Roscow R.L. Davies Field and then Baha Jrs FC 5pm Sunday at the same venue.

talking through the journey and how he was enjoying life as a major leaguer. I was really excited for him. We don’t get an opportunity to see the work that’s done behind the scenes and these play ers put so much time and effort into this so I’m just really happy for him, happy for Jazz and the others that are coming along.”

On April 10, Fox made Bahamian history with his MLB debut and his story book-ending exceeded his own lofty expectations.

Fox got the start at short stop, flashed his defensive prowess on one side of the ball, and got his first RBI of his MLB career with a sac rifice bunt in the Nationals’ 4-2 win over the New York Mets at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Fox also scored the game’s final run to lead the Nationals to their first win of the season.

Fox was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in December and joined the fifth franchise of his MLB career.

In the final week of Spring Training, Fox was recalled from the Nation als’ Triple-A affiliate (Rochester Red Wings) to the big league club and had an immediate opportunity at the opening week roster after several injuries to vet erans in the Washington middle infield.

“I just have to thank God first off, for being with me through this whole journey, ups and downs, injuries, but it’s everything I ever imagined, plus more,” Fox told the broadcast team in his postgame availability.

“When I found out I was getting the start, I probably played the game over three times in my head before I got to the ballpark but this lived up to the expectations and it beat it. I’m happy to be here, I’m happy we got the win, and hopefully, I’m here for many more.”

He got the first hit of his career in a win over San Francisco when he finished 2-5 with a run and an RBI.

Fox originally signed with the Giants in the Inter national Signing Class of 2015. “This is where it all started. Signing day, I came to [Oracle Park to] watch the Giants play,” Fox said.

“To actually get that first hit in the Giants’ stadium, it’s special. But I kind of had that feeling in my mind that I was going to do something special today.”

The 2022 season was highlighted by Jazz Chisholm Jr who solidi fied himself as one of the sport’s rising stars.

When the Nationals hosted the Marlins on April 27, Chisholm and Fox became the first pair of Bahamas-born players to appear in the same MLB game in over 50 years.

They were members of the same International Signing Class in 2015 and seven years later, they made Bahamian baseball history once again on the field.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other pair of Bahamians to play in the same game were Andre Rodgers and Tony Curry, who faced each other six times during the 1960 and 1961 seasons.

Despite an injury short ened season, Chisholm reached another historic milestone when he became the first-ever Bahamianborn MLB All-Star.

Chisholm’s last appear ance on the field in a Marlins uniform was June 28.

He originally suffered the back early in the season on a slide and eventually re-aggravated the injury in late June, which forced him out of the lineup. Chisholm also revealed that he played this season with a torn meniscus which he suffered prior to the season.

“We went and got an MRI. It came back that I tore my meniscus. I asked

the doctor, ‘Hey, can I play this season? Because I feel like I’m really gonna tear it up this season. So can I play?’ And he was like, ‘You can but you’re gonna be dealing with a lot of swelling every day and all that stuff.’ I was like, ‘I’ll just take care of that and that’d be fine.’ And going on, I ended up playing the whole season and just planned to get the surgery after the season,” Chisholm said.

“I went through a lot of swelling and a lot of chang ing my mind in the middle of stolen bases, kind of slide in different ways. Most of the times I got thrown out was because of my knee and how I was getting into the bag.”

He followed with an All-Star campaign that included a .254 batting average with 14 home runs, 54 hits, 45 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and scored 39 runs through 60 games.

Chisholm went 4-6 with a double, a home run, three runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases in the Marlins’ 9-7 win over the Atlanta Braves in April.

It was the first four-hit game of his MLB career.

Chisholm joined Gary Sheffield (1995) as the only players in Marlins history to have at least eight total bases and two stolen bases in the same game.

One of Chisholm’s many highlights this season came during a four-game stretch following a “players only” meeting that addressed

several clubhouse con cerns, one of which reportedly centred around Chisolm’s personality and approach to the game.

He responded by hitting .375 with four homers, nine RBI, and seven runs scored over the course of the next four games, all wins for Miami.

Immediately follow ing the June 8 meeting, Chisholm blasted two home runs, including his first grand slam and a career-high six high RBI to power the Marlins’ 12-2 win over the Nationals.

He discussed his approach to criticism with the MLB Tonight crew on MLB Network.

“I think have a tool that’s called ‘I don’t care’ and I use it to my fullest poten tial. I just go out there and have fun,” he said. “The game blesses me every day to come out here and be able to enjoy it and espe cially a place like Miami

where anybody would kill to live so to play a profes sional sport here is even more amazing so I just go out there with that attitude because I don’t care what anyone else has to say, I’m just out here living my life and enjoying the game. The game doesn’t owe anyone anything and it’s given me a lot so I just have fun with it.”

Inspired by his play and charisma, Bahamian culture took centre stage as the Marlins hosted its second “Bahamian Herit age Night” on June 27.

A crowd of 18,722 filled the stadium, the third larg est crowd of any Marlins home game this season, as opposed to the 7,500 that attended the first Baha mian Heritage night in 2021.

Chisholm wore Baha mian flag themed cleats, batting gloves, and a ban danna to commemorate the occasion.

FINISH WITH 111 WINS, BEST IN NL SINCE 1906 CUBS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers finished with their 111th vic tory to become the National League’s winningest team in more than a century, and Clayton Kershaw tuned up for the postseason with nine strikeouts in beating the Colorado Rockies 6-1 yesterday.

Trea Turner hit a tie breaking three-run homer in the fifth inning for the NL West champions, who finished 111-51 to become the NL’s winningest team since the 1906 Chicago Cubs went 116-36.

Kershaw (12-3) reached 2,807 career strikeouts. He allowed one run and one hit in five innings and walked one as the Dodgers ended a three-game skid.

The Dodgers open the Division Series on October 11 against the New York Mets or San Diego.

ATHLETICS 3, ANGELS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Vogt homered in the final at-bat of his career and scored the first run on a sacrifice fly after Shohei Ohtani pitched no-hit ball into the fifth, and Oakland beat Los Angeles.

Ohtani (15-9) finished with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings, and he hit .273 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs.

TWINS 10, WHITE SOX 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Arraez won the AL batting title, hitting a third-inning double after walking twice to finish the season at .316, and Minnesota rolled past Chicago.

Arraez was all but assured of topping the Yan kees’ Aaron Judge for the batting crown when the day began.

Gary Sanchez and Jer maine Palacios homered during a six-run first inning for Minnesota, which snapped a four-game skid.

MARINERS 5, TIGERS 4

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Rodríguez put an exclama tion point on his Rookie of the Year candidacy with his 28th home run, Ty France hit a game-ending single and Seattle beat Detroit.

Rodríguez set a fran chise record with his sixth leadoff homer this season and finished off his rookie campaign hitting .284 with 25 doubles, 75 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

RANGERS 4, YANKEES 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Judge was out of the lineup a day after hitting his American League record 62nd homer, and New York lost its regu lar-season finale to Texas.

The AL East champion Yankees (99-63) missed a chance to reach 100 wins for the 22nd time. They get an extended break before opening the AL Division Series at home on Tuesday.

METS 9, NATIONALS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor and New York geared up for the play offs by routing Washington, completing a fantastic regular season with the sec ond-most wins in franchise history.

Jeff McNeil won the major league batting crown without taking a plate appearance, and New York (101-61) finished with the same record as Atlanta atop the NL East — although the Braves clinched the divi sion title Tuesday because they already held the sea son-series tiebreaker. Next up for New York is a bestof-three wild-card series at home against San Diego beginning Friday night.

GIANTS 8, PADRES 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) — David Villar hit two home runs and Austin Slater also connected for San Francisco, which beat play off-bound San Diego to finish the season at 81-81.

The Padres head to New York to face the Mets in a wild-card series starting Friday night. San Diego finished 89-73. The Giants finished at .500 for the first time in the franchise’s 140 seasons.

SAN Francisco Giants’ J.D. Davis (7) is congratulated by first base coach Antoan Richardson after Davis hit a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning of a base ball game in San Francisco on September 27.

(AP Photo/John Hefti)

UB Mingoes men’s soccer players Marlon Barnes Junior Kelly and Ronaldo Green in action.

Photos: UB ATHLETICS

LUCIUS FOX

JAZZ CHISHOLM JR

Pro Picks leans toward Broncos to kick off Week 5

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

A MONTH into the season, it’s clear Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan are still adjusting to their new teams.

The star quarterbacks go head-to-head this week tonight when Wilson and the Denver Broncos (2-2) host Ryan and the Indian apolis Colts (1-2-1).

“I think here, the tran sition has been great,” Wilson said.

“I can’t speak for (Ryan), but I think the transition has been great. Obviously, it’s a different environ ment, a different challenge and everything else, but I think what’s made it so great here, for me person ally, is my teammates.

“My teammates have been so welcoming and so on it every day. ... The walkthroughs, the time, the energy, the focus they put in daily and that obsession that they put in makes it easier for me and better for me.”

Wilson still hasn’t found a rhythm in rookie coach Nathaniel Hackett’s offence. Ryan has a veteran coach in Frank Reich, but ball security has been his biggest problem. He has nine fumbles and five inter ceptions in four games.

Both teams have injury concerns at running back. The Broncos lost Javonte Williams to a season-end ing knee injury.

The Colts are being cautious with All-Pro Jona than Taylor because of an ankle injury.

“On a normal week, you kind of got a lot of time,” Taylor said about short rest. “So just trying to push as much treatment as I can to see how far I get feeling well before we have to take off.”

The Broncos are threepoint favourites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. After going 20-12 against the spread over the past two weeks, Pro Picks aims to stay ahead and leans toward the home team in an even matchup.

BRONCOS: 24-20

Los Angeles Chargers (minus 3) at Cleveland Justin Herbert and the banged-up Chargers (2-2) are back on track. Their defence has to slow teams down in the second half. The Browns (2-2) are a couple of plays away from being 4-0.

Philadelphia (minus 5 1/2) at Arizona

The Cardinals (2-2) haven’t scored a point in the first quarter and they’re 9-16-1 at home under Kliff Kingsbury. The Eagles (4-0) are the only unde feated team in the NFL. They’ll continue their reunion tour as they face Zach Ertz after dominating Carson Wentz and beating Doug Pederson.

UPSET SPECIAL:

CARDINALS 27-24

New York Giants (plus 8) vs Green Bay in London Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (3-1) needed over time to beat third-string QB Bailey Zappe and the Patriots. The Giants (3-1) have some QB injury con cerns, too.

PACKERS 26-16 Tennessee (minus 2 1/2) at Washington

The Titans (2-2) have turned things around after losing their first two games. They’ve scored a touch down on the opening drive of each game.

That might be enough against the struggling Com manders (1-3).

TITANS 24-20

Seattle (plus 5 1/2) at New Orleans

The Seahawks (2-2) are rolling on offence behind Geno Smith, but their defence is struggling. The

Saints (1-3) nearly beat Minnesota without Jameis Winston, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas.

SAINTS 27-20 Pittsburgh (plus 14) at Buffalo

The Steelers (1-3) kick off the Kenny Pickett era after the rookie QB was 10 for 13 with three picks last week in a loss to the Jets.

Josh Allen and the Bills (3-1) finally won a onescore game after seven straight losses.

BILLS 30-17

Chicago (plus 7) at Minnesota

The Vikings (3-1) need to get their pass rush going. The Bears (2-2) need to get a pass game.

VIKINGS 27-16 Houston (plus 7 1/2) at Jacksonville

A year ago, it would’ve been hard to believe the Jaguars (2-2) would be touchdown favourites against anyone.

Doug Pederson has this team vastly improved. The Texans (0-3-1) have showed fight and stayed competitive.

JAGUARS 26-17

Miami (minus 3 1/2) at New York Jets

Teddy Bridgewater makes his first start for the Dolphins (3-1). Zach Wilson tries to get the Jets

to their first 3-2 start since 2017.

DOLPHINS 23-20

Detroit (plus 3) at New England

The Patriots (1-3) turned to Zappe because Mac Jones has an ankle injury and Brian Hoyer sustained a concussion.

The Lions (1-3) are allowing a league-high 444.8 yards and 35.3 points per game.

PATRIOTS 24-22

Atlanta (plus 8 1/2) at Tampa Bay

Tom Brady finally got the Buccaneers (2-2) going offensively, but now the defence has major issues. The rebuilding Falcons (2-2) won’t have Cordar relle Patterson.

BUCCANEERS 31-13 San Francisco (minus 6 1/2) at Carolina

Coming off an impres sive Monday night win over the Rams, the 49ers (2-2) need to avoid a let down against the struggling Panthers (1-3).

49ERS 23-18 Dallas (plus 4 1/2) at Los Angeles Rams

The Rams (2-2) had major problems against San Francisco’s defence.

Led by Micah Parsons, the Cowboys (3-1) present plenty of issues for oppos ing offences.

RAMS 24-20

Cincinnati (plus 3) at Baltimore

The Bengals (2-2) are coming off extra rest after Joe Burrow led the defending AFC champs to two wins in five days.

The Ravens (2-2) would be unbeaten if they could protect double-digit, sec ond-half leads at home.

They were outscored 82-38 in two losses to Cincy last year.

RAVENS 31-27

Las Vegas (plus 7 1/2) at Kansas City Patrick Mahomes and the rest of Kansas City’s offence looked unstoppa ble against a tough Tampa defence. The Chiefs (3-1) have won seven of eight at home over the Raid ers (1-3). Las Vegas rode Josh Jacobs’ legs to Josh McDaniels’ first win as Raiders coach.

CHIEFS 30-23 2022 RECORD

Last Week: Straight up: 11-5. Against spread: 10-6.

Season: Straight up: 38-26. Against spread: 34-30.

Best Bet: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 1-0.

Season: Straight up: 3-1. Against spread: 3-1.

Upset Special: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 1-0.

Season: Straight up: 2-2. Against spread: 2-2

Man City, Real Madrid march on in Champions League, PSG held

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — Man chester City and Real Madrid marched on with a third straight win in the Champions League yes terday, and former Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui was fired by struggling Sevilla minutes after a 4-1 loss at home to Borussia Dortmund.

Paris Saint-Germain was held for the first time despite Lionel Messi’s fine opening goal in a 1-1 draw at Benfica.

Erling Haaland was needed on the field for only the first half yet still scored twice in what has become a routine rout for Man City this season, 5-0 at home to Copenhagen.

It is now five goals in three Champions League games and 19 in 12 club games overall for the relent less Norwegian forward.

Madrid is making less spectacular progress in defence of its title yet had 35 attempts on goal in hold ing off Shakhtar Donetsk for a 2-1 win.

First-half goals from Madrid’s young Brazilian forwards, Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior, opened a five-point lead in Group F

over Shakhtar before their return game in Poland next week.

Lopetegui’s exit from Sevilla, where he won the Europa League title in 2020, seemed likely after only one win in seven La Liga games left the team 17th in the table.

It was confirmed after the loss to a rampant Dort mund, which followed a four-goal loss to Man City in the Spanish club’s previ ous home game in Group G. Fans chanted Lopetegui’s name as he left the field.

PSG went to Benfica tied on six points and left tied on seven after a lively, wellmatched game in Lisbon.

Messi’s 127th career goal in the Champions League was a curling shot after link ing passes with fellow star forwards Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.

Also in Group H, Juven tus closed the gap on the leaders with its first points in a 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot scored in each half.

Chelsea got its first win in the competition for new coach Graham Potter, cruis ing past AC Milan 3-0, though Salzburg now leads Group E. Noah Okafor kept up his goal-a-game

rate in the Champions League to lift Salzburg to a 1-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Christopher Nkunku, the France forward who is a widely speculated transfer target of Chelsea, opened the scoring in Leipzig’s 3-1 win over Celtic in the group led by Madrid.

HAALAND’S DOUBLE

A sweeping right-shot from near the penalty spot.

A goal poacher’s pounce

on a loose ball after a goal keeper’s save. But no hat trick this time for Man City’s prolific forward.

Haaland was taken off at halftime as coach Pep Guardiola let other young players shine and JuliánÁlvarez, who joined in the offseason from River Plate, got City’s fifth goal in the 76th.

The English champion is now unbeaten in 21 home games across four years in the elite European

competition. Lyon was the last visiting team to win.

LOPETEGUI OUT

Lopetegui rebuilt his career at Sevilla after a disastrous 2018, when he was fired as Spain coach at the World Cup — before the first game in Russia — for agreeing to join Real Madrid after the tourna ment. He was then fired at Madrid before October was over.

Three full seasons at Sevilla brought yet another Europa League title for the club and qualification three consecutive times for the Champions League.

Sevilla has been expected to re-appoint Jorge Sam paoli, who first left to guide Argentina to the 2018 World Cup. Sampaoli has been available since leaving Marseille in the offseason after leading the club back into the Champi ons League.

DI MARIA DELIGHTS

Three assists from Ángel Di María ensured Juventus finally earned its first points after losses at PSG and at home to Benfica — both former clubs of the Argen tina winger.

Rabiot scored in each half against Maccabi Haifa, either side of Serbia striker

FINCH, WADE HELP AUSTRALIA TO TIGHT T20 WIN OVER WEST INDIES

GOLD COAST, Aus tralia (AP) — Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade revived Australia’s run chase before Mitchell Starc clinched the threewicket win with a ball to spare yesterday in a dramatic last over of the series-opening Twenty20 international against West Indies.

Both teams are using the two-game series to fine-tune for the T20 World Cup later this month.

West Indies posted 145-9 after being sent in to bat and then had Australia at 21-2 in reply when paceman Sheldon Cottrell dismissed David Warner and Mitch Marsh in the second over.

That brought regu lar opener Finch to the crease at No. 4 and he scored 58 runs from 53 balls despite Australia slipping to 58-5 in the eighth over, sharing a 69-run sixth-wicket stand with Wade.

When he was out, caught in the outfield trying to hit Alzarri Joseph (2-17) over midwicket, Australia still needed 19 runs off 17 deliveries.

Odean Smith made it more interesting when he bowled Pat Cummins (4) in the penultimate over, leaving Australia requiring 11 runs off six deliveries.

Cottrell conceded 38 runs in his first three overs but was given the ball for the final over, which started with Wade hitting a boundary to reduce Australia’s target to seven runs off five balls.

But Cottrell was unlucky twice not to pick up wickets, with Wade and then Starc both dropped in the outfield attempting to hit a win ning boundary.

Starc (6 not out) even tually got the Australians to 146-7 in 19.5 overs. Wade was unbeaten on 39 off 29 deliveries.

“Got a little bit close there,” Finch said in his post-match TV interview. “Nice to get across the line in a close one.”

The West Indies will play two T20s against Australia this week and two unofficial warmup games in Melbourne next week before beginning the preliminary round of the T20 World Cup on October 17 against Scot land in Hobart.

Dušan Vlahovic’s 50th-min ute goal.

“I try to do my job, it’s what makes me happy, cre ating assists to score goals,” Di María said.

RED BULLISH

Longtime allies with the Red Bull organisa tion, Leipzig and Salzburg earned wins in the early games yesterday.

Salzburg is now the unbeaten leader of Group E after Okafor’s 71st-min ute penalty was enough to beat Dinamo Zagreb. The 22-year-old Swiss for ward shapes as the next talent who could follow the well-worn path from the Austrian champion to its German sister club.

Leipzig got its first points in Group F with two late goals from Portugal for ward André Silva to ease past Celtic 3-1, leaving the Scottish champion in last place.

PSG’s Neymar performs a reverse kick during the Champions League group H soccer match between SL Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain at the Luz stadium in Lisbon yesterday.

Photo/Armando Franca

EXUMA HALF MARATHON EXPECTED TO SET ‘NEW RECORD’ AND GIVE ECONOMIC BOOST IN NOVEMBER

EXUMA’S tourism prod uct is expected to receive a much-needed boost next month when the Exuma Half Marathon returns, with a record number of runners ready to depart from Regatta Park.

With the 8th annual race fully in person, the event’s organisers say there has been unprecedented enthusiasm from tourists and locals alike. “The last two years or so have been hard on everyone,” says Jeff Todd, who founded the Exuma Half Marathon, fea turing the Run for Pompey, with Kevin Taylor in 2015.

“It’s clear that people are excited to be back to

in person for this outdoor event. We are expecting 300-plus runners, which would be a new record for us. Our sponsors have also stepped up in a big way, so this year we are just seeing a big outpouring of support from both the community and tourists eager to be back in Exuma.

Meanwhile, as a nonprofit, every dollar collected from registrations will go towards a great cause.”

Exuma Half Mara thon raises funds for The Pompey Scholarship, awarded in June to one graduating student from LN Coakley High School in Exuma, so he or she can

pursue post-secondary edu cation that fall.

Students must submit an application to a school com mittee, demonstrating a financial need and why this scholarship will make a dif ference in their lives.

Eairik Bullard, who received the award last summer, cited the death of his mother as his inspira tion to succeed. “She was a huge supporter of my academic endeavours and she helped to push me to greater heights,” Bullard writes. “Her wishes for my life are what pushes me to do better every day - going to college, graduat ing with a degree and living

my dreams. I made a silent promise to myself that I would complete her dreams for my life and make her proud of me on that gradu ation stage.”

A total of eight scholar ships have been awarded since 2015, Todd adds.

The Run for Pompey, a community run of just 2km around the pond in George Town, and annual The Pompey Scholarship, are named after Pompey, the slave who in 1830 led

a rebellion on Exuma. Thanks to his courage and resilience, Pompey stopped the transfer of 77 men, women and children off the island.

This resistance is now considered a key precur sor to emancipation in The Bahamas, which occurred in August 1938.

Fast forward to 2022, Exuma Half Marathon has become an anticipated date on the tourism calendar. On November 12, four races will leave from Regatta Park, including a 2K, 5K, 10K and half marathon.

All runners will receive a commemorative t-shirt, swag bag and the coveted “Piggie Medal”, a tip of the hat to the world-famous swimming pigs.

Pauline Davis, double gold medallist and The Bahamas’ original “golden girl”, will once again serve as event patron, draping a Piggie medal around each and every neck that crosses the finish line.

“Returning to Exuma and being event patron was an easy decision,” the Bahamian icon explains, who released her memoir earlier this year, Running Sideways: The Olympic Champion Who Made Track and Field His tory. “This event ticks all the boxes, in my view. It supports the island and

brings in tourism dollars. It teaches us history and sup ports a student every year. And it brings our com munities together. I can’t wait to see everyone in November.”

This year, Exuma Half Marathon will feature a fes tival atmosphere in Regatta Park, Taylor adds, who also serves as race director.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is stepping up to provide live entertainment, food stalls, activities for children and other attrac tions once the race is over, with the celebration going well into the afternoon.

“Whether you are a runner or not, there will be something for everyone,” Taylor says.

The event is supported by a dedicated group of supporters, including GIV Bahamas, BAF Financial & Insurance, Sands Beer, Caribbean Bottling Com pany Limited (Dasani and Powerade), Friends of Exuma, Glinton, Sweet ing O’Brien, Diane Phillips & Associates, Aliv, Grand Isle Resort & Residences, Peace & Plenty, Exuma Markets, Chat N Chill, Cash N Go, BahamasLocal. com and Athletica.

To register, runners can visit the event’s website (runforpompey.com), or sign up in person in the lead up to the race.

MARATHON COURSE FOR PARIS OLYMPICS ANNOUNCED, LOTS OF UPHILL

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The marathon course at the 2024 Paris Olympics will pay homage to women who protested during the French Revolution by retracing a route they took in 1789. It will also include a strengthdraining 438 metres of uphill racing, a punishing endurance test that organ isers proudly described yesterday as “a challenge without precedent.”

And in an Olympic first, female marathoners will get the privilege of com peting last, on the final day, August 11.

The men will race on August 10.

The runners will race from Paris to the royal town of Versailles — a route that includes some punishing climbs — and back again.

“A challenge without precedent,” said Tony Estanguet, the head of the Paris organising committee.

“We’re aware of the chal lenge it represents.”

Paris to Versailles is also the route that was taken by thousands of women, and some men, on October 5, 1789, to plead for food at the spectacular palace of King Louis XVI.

Estanguet called the mar athon route “a wink at the history of France.”

It will start from Paris City Hall and wind past famed landmarks, including

the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, before leaving the capital and beginning its upward ascent to Versailles, southwest of the capital. The climb has 13 percent gradients in its steepest parts. After running past the Versailles Palace, the racers will then double back for the return leg to Paris.

They’ll have another shorter climb before legburning downhill sections, this time with 13 per cent downhill gradients, before racing to the finish in central Paris in front of Napoleon’s golden-domed tomb at the Invalides.

Paula Radcliffe, a former women’s mara thon world record holder, told The Associated Press that the route’s bumpiness could work against run ners who usually have the fastest times over 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards) and better suit those who can produce a steadier, more sustained effort. “It’s absolutely going to level the playing field,” she said in an interview at Paris City Hall, where the route was unveiled.

The downhills on the way back into Paris could be especially tough for tired legs, she warned.

“There will be a lot of specific training done in preparation to make sure that your legs can not only handle the uphills but the downhills,” she said.

ENTERING its 8th year, the race has become a draw for tourists and locals alike.

EAIRIK BULLARD, middle, a graduate of LN Coakley High School, became the 8th recipient of The Pompey Scholarship last summer.

RUNNERS take off from the starting line at Regatta Park. After two years of being virtual, the Exuma Half Marathon is returning to in person.

Photos: Jeff Todd

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MUSK? MOST OF THE PLANS ARE A MYSTERY

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AND TOM KRISHER Associated Press

A SUPER app called X? A bot-free free speech haven? These are some of Elon Musk’s mysterious plans for Twitter, now that he may be buying the com pany after all.

After months of squab bling over the fate of their bombshell $44 billion deal, the billionaire and the bird app are essentially back to square one — if a bit worse for wear as trust and good will has seemed to erode on both sides.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX and Twitter’s most high-profile user since former President Donald Trump was booted from it, has shared few concrete details about his plans for the social media platform. While he’s touted free speech and derided spam bots since agreeing to buy the company in April, what he actually wants to do about either is shrouded in mystery.

He could own one of the world’s most powerful com munications platforms with 237 million daily users in a matter of weeks, though the deal is not final. The lack of clear plans for the plat form are raising concern among Twitter’s constitu encies, ranging from users in conflict regions where it offers an information life line to the company’s own employees.

“Both users and advertis ers are — understandably — anxious about whether the move will fundamen tally change the culture of the platform,” said Brooke Erin Duffy, a professor at Cornell University who studies social media. “And so, Musk will need to decide whether he wants to quash their concerns by retaining core features (the content moderation system,

for instance) and keeping the company public — or whether he will undertake a full-scale overhaul.”

Muddling things further, on Tuesday Musk tweeted that “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” with out further explanation.

Although Musk’s tweets and statements have been cryptic, technology analysts have speculated that Musk wants to re-create a version of China’s WeChat app that can do video chats, mes saging, streaming, scan bar codes and make payments.

He gave a little more detail during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in August, telling the crowd at a factory near Austin, Texas, that he uses Twitter frequently and knows the product well. “I think I’ve got a good sense of where to point the engineering team with Twitter to make it radically better,” he said.

Handling payments for goods could be a key part of the app. Musk said he has a “grander vision” for what X.com, an online bank he started early in his career that eventually became part of PayPal, could have been.

“Obviously that could be started from scratch, but I think Twitter would help accelerate that by threeto-five years,” Musk said at the August meeting. “So it’s kind of something that I thought would be quite useful for a long time. I know what to do.”

For now, Twitter has immediate and pressing problems Musk will need to deal with if he takes ownership of the company. Its social media rivals are struggling with declin ing stock prices and some, like Snap, even announced layoffs. Government regulation and attracting younger users away from TikTok are also challenges.

TRADERS gather around a post as Twitter shares resume trading on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022.

Photo:Seth Wenig/ AP

DOCTORS HOSPITAL ANNOUNCES 2022 STUDENT CAREER EXPO

DOCTORS Hospital Health System (DHHS) is proud to announce our 2022 Student Career Expo, where we aim to introduce local high school students to the wonderful career paths in healthcare.

The two-day event is scheduled for October 11th & 12th 2022 at the National Training Agency at Glad stone Road and will feature presentations by DHHS’ leadership team.

The fair comes just a few days after we hosted Guidance Counselors from both the public and private

school systems where we invited them to select a cross-section of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders with an interest in sciences to attend.

DHHS remains commit ted to inspiring the next generation of healthcare leaders and profession als through programs like this and our ever-expand ing Bridge to the Future initiative.

We invite parents and guardians to contact their school’s Guidance Counse lor’s Department to sign up.

PATRICK TOMLINSON BAHAMAS OPTIMIST NATIONAL CHAMPION

TWELVE-year-old sailor Patrick Tomlin son was awarded the prestigious title of The Bahamas Optimist National Champion October 1-2 at one of the country’s biggest ever sailing cham pionships, receiving the prestigious Geoffrey Hol owesky Trophy for his achievement, presented by Diane Holowesko.

Sailing since he was just six years old with Lyford Cay Sailing, Patrick made the national team at age nine, since then he has represented his country multiple times at the World, European and American Championship level. This week he travels to Rio de Janeiro with a team of four junior sailors to compete in The South American Opti mist Championships.

The Bahamas Optimist National Championship was hosted at The Nassau Yacht Club in conjunction with The Bahamas Sailing Association and The Baha mas Optimist Association with sailing in Montagu Bay. Fidelity Bank Baha mas were the generous title sponsors and Mr Gowon Bowe, CEO, joined the entourage on Sunday to watch first hand this amaz ing annual event on the water and later in the day awarded the trophies at the presentation ceremony.

NBA

Celtics at the Spectrum Center on October 7. The Pacers will play their second preseason game on October 7 on the road against the Knicks at Madi son Square Garden in New York, New York and will conclude their preseason schedule with a rematch when they host the Knicks at Gainbridge Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Hield continues to be the focus of trade rumours but has a role on this current Pacers roster as a veteran leader, one of just two play ers returning to the roster at least 29-years-old.

His game high three steals in last night’s game was indicative of the improved effort on the defensive end.

“Buddy is one of the very best at what he does - shoot the ball,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “And Buddy showed us in the second half of the season that he is a very capable defender and very capable of being that good defender within a defensive system.”

In addition to his improved scoring num bers, Hield also reached his

A total of 98 boats, skip pered by children aged eight to 15, with the excep tion of Kai Clarke, a very talented six-year-old, took to the waters this weekend.

Our Bahamian sailors travelled from Abaco, Grand Bahama, Exuma, Harbour Island and Eleuthera to join the New Providence clubs in this very special annual event.

Little wind resulted in late starts each day, though six races were accomplished to bring the final results overall.

As an open champion ship, The Bahamas teams were joined by a contingent from the USA and Puerto Rico, though it was the top placed Bahamian sailor who took the national title.

The Green Fleet of boats which comprises sailors with less than a year’s sail ing experience, sailed their own separate course closer to the shore.

Tyresse Mckenzie from Exuma took first place with Preston Thompson from Hope Town in second and Mateo Theberge from The Bahamas National Sailing School in third.

On the Championship Fleet, sailing further out in the bay, our American rivals took many of the top places with Isabel Veiga from Lau derdale Yacht Club taking the overall first place. Our

career high of nine assists on three separate occasions during his time in Indiana. He credited Carlisle’s free flowing offence.

Hield’s 4.8 assists per game with the Pacers was an increase from 1.9 per game with the Kings.

“Rick does a good job just letting me be myself and just letting me play freely and do random things but in accordance with his offence and control in the system. As a player, you want to be free and be myself but in the structure of his offence,” he said.

“Rick’s offence allowed me to expand a little bit more. I was able to do more with the ball, be creative and play freely.”

Both Hield and Jones competed alongside each other at the national team level for the first time this past summer when The Bahamas competed in the lastest window of the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifiers.

Jones averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game in contests against Venezuela and Argentina while Hield averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists against the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Argentina.

Bahamian top finishers were Patrick Tomlinson, Lyford Cay (1st), Craig Fer guson, Bahamas National Sailing School (2nd), Zane Munro, Lyford Cay (3rd), Jude McCarroll, RNSC (4th) and Finley McKinneyLambert, Eleuthera Sailing Academy (5th).

It was an exceptional display of junior skill and sportsmanship by all and our visitors to Nassau from so many family islands and further afield had an exceptional weekend of camaraderie.

As a non-profit organisa tion, The Bahamas Sailing Association wishes to thank all the corporate sponsors without whom this event would not have been pos sible, most notably Fidelity Bank Bahamas for their generous contribution.

The next major event on the junior sporting sailing calendar is The Cecil Cooke Memorial Regatta sched uled for October 22-23 also hosted at The Nassau Yacht Club.

There will be several other boat classes involved in this event and it is always one of the most popular junior regattas of the year.

ON THE HIGH SEAS: The Bahamas Optimist National Championship was hosted at The Nassau Yacht Club in conjunction with The Bahamas Sailing Association and Bahamas Optimist Association with sailing in Montagu Bay.

PATRICK TOMLINSON, 12, receives the prestigious Geoffrey Holowesky Trophy and The Bahamas Optimist National Champion title for his achievement, presented by Diane Holowesko.