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Volume: 121 No.5, November 27, 2023
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COURT FIGHT AHEAD OVER NATIONAL FLAG Supreme Court rules full trial needed on Bahamas copyright By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Supreme Court has dismissed a second Government bid to strike out a $328.5m damages claim over allegations that it pirated the design for the Bahamian national flag. Justice Neil Brathwaite, in a November 24, 2023,
POWER AND WATER WOES frustrating BRILANDERS
verdict ruled that James Alexander Darling’s contention that his copyright was violated “contains a number of curious features” that need to be resolved by a full trial of the matter, although his ruling did not identify what these ‘curious features’ entailed.
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BRILAND residents were yesterday said to be holding an “emergency meeting” after power and water outages disrupted the tourism hot-spot’s Thanksgiving and run-up to the peak winter season. Tribune Business obtained copies of a flyer, calling residents and business owners to a 3pm meeting at the Harbour Island All-Age School “to address the deficiency of water and electricity.”
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
revised laWsuit expands list of defendants against nygard By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net A CLASS action lawsuit in New York accusing Peter Nygard of assaulting 13 women in a wide-ranging criminal enterprise has been revised after the former mogul was convicted of sexual assault in Canada. The revised lawsuit expands the list of defendants to include
companies, many of them tied to Nygard, that allegedly facilitated his criminal conduct. It also goes after five Canadian citizens who were critical officials in his companies and allegedly helped him evade accountability. The lawsuit reiterates some previous claims, including that Nygard used funds from his companies to SEE PAGE THREE
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
Woman sues PASSPORT OFFICE FOR $21K OVER BARRY RASSIN, chair of the Rotary Club, hugs Augustine “Gus” Roberts who received the Peter CHAIR COLLAPSE
Full of Heart
Christie Heart of Rotary Award, named after an outstanding Rotarian who passed away in 2018 - a 1988 charter member and a past president of the Rotary Club of New Providence. Photo: Dante Carrer
Henfield says desantis remarks ‘distasteful’ By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net FORMER Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ vow to flatten The Bahamas if it tried bombing his state is distasteful. For the second time, Mr DeSantis said last week that the United States would quickly “flatten”
DARREN HENFIEL D The Bahamas if “someone in The Bahamas was
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net
launching missiles into Fort Lauderdale”. His comment while campaigning for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination came while defending Israel’s reaction to the conflict Hamas started when it attacked that country last month. Bahamians have reacted bitterly to his comment, noting the implausibility
A WOMAN is seeking more than $20,000 in special damages and other awards after a Passport Office chair she sat in collapsed in 2018. Lakeisha Pinder claimed in her writ that she suffered significant personal injuries, loss and damage because of the accident. While waiting for the matter to be heard and resolved, she filed an application seeking an interim payment of $21,959.57. She supported her
SEE PAGE FIVE
SEE PAGE FIVE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 3
Revised lawsuit expands list of defendants against Nygard
from page one make political contributions and bribe local government and law enforcement personnel. The original lawsuit had nine alleged Bahamian victims. However, the plaintiffs in the latest suit are 13 United States residents whose identities are withheld. It is unclear
whether Bahamian women are still party to the case. One woman, a former employee of Nygard Companies, alleges that Nygard repeatedly assaulted and battered her between 2017 and 2018 at one of his properties. She claims she was continuously pressured to participate in group sex
acts. Jane Doe No 2 met Nygard in New York City at the W Hotel and was invited to The Bahamas, where Nygard allegedly raped her after she refused to have sex with him. Jane Doe 3 alleged that she was hired to model for one of Nygard Companies’ multi-day fashion shows
during Superbowl weekend in 2014. She claimed that Nygard encountered her backstage and began rubbing her vagina without consent. A model manager allegedly recruited Jane Doe No 4 by offering her a model opportunity with Nygard’s companies in The Bahamas. She flew on Nygard’s private jet
to this country. While she was here, Nygard allegedly solicited her to be an assistant in one of his companies. Once employed, she was allegedly forced to engage in sexual acts under threat. Another woman allegedly met Nygard in this country after being invited to a “pamper party”. She was allegedly required to
attend “swinger’s clubs” and engage in sex acts with Nygard after being promised a legitimate job. The lawsuit argues that the W Hotel in New York was negligent in protecting its patrons. Earlier this month, Nygard was convicted of four counts of sexual assault in Toronto, Canada.
Women United: Allegations against politicians Women’s group seeks to meet and police in Nygard case should not be ignored With Laroda before year’s end WOMEN United, a women’s advocacy group, said allegations that politicians and the police disregarded Peter Nygard’s “unsavoury practices” can’t be ignored. The group’s statement yesterday came after Nygard was convicted earlier this month in Canada of sexual assault. After the verdict, Kai Bickle, Nygard’s son, told reporters most of the abuse women received happened in The Bahamas. He claimed police brought escaped women back to Nygard’s property, where they were assaulted. He said his father used “jurisdictional loopholes” to avoid accountability here. “It is alleged that many
women found themselves unwittingly lured into attending events at Nygard Cay, only to become victims of trafficking facilitated by our own compatriots,” Women United noted yesterday. “The tragedy lies in how some sought opportunities, unaware that these situations would turn out to be non-consensual. “This grave situation demands introspection about our culture and societal norms. We must question why individuals like Nygard felt empowered to perpetrate such atrocities behind closed doors, assured that he wouldn’t face scrutiny or arrest. It’s an alarming reflection on our collective values that
allowed such exploitation to thrive unchecked and to this day remains unchecked. The majority of his crimes allegedly happened here in The Bahamas and yet no charges have been laid against him here and we have therefore made no extradition request to try him here to make him defend the allegations that have been made against him. “Women United firmly believe that change begins with acknowledging these unsettling truths and actively working towards a culture that respects and safeguards the rights of all individuals, especially women. We call upon all members of society to join
us in this crucial conversation and take decisive actions to prevent such heinous acts from ever occurring again. The group said: “We cannot ignore the uncomfortable fact that there are allegations that politicians and the police turned a blind eye to the unsavoury practices that were occurring. This laissez-faire attitude towards the mistreatment of women in our country must change. It perpetuates a culture where women are seen as second-class citizens and where they continue to be abused as their abusers feel that they will not be called upon to answer for their crimes.”
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net ADVOCACY group Women United said it is still pushing to amend the Protection Against Violence Act and wants to meet with the new minister of state for social services before the end of the year. The group and other advocates opposed the Protection Against Violence bill that was passed in Parliament in July. Before he died, former Social Services Minister Obie Wilchcombe vowed to consider the recommendations from women’s groups to amend the law. Lisa Bostwick-Dean, vice president of Women United,
told The Tribune yesterday that the group intends to “become very proactive in advocating or in working with the government” to achieve its goal. Myles Laroda, State Minister for Social Services said he recently met with a women’s group regarding the Protection Against Violence Act. He said a month ago, he had a brief meeting with a representative from the United Nations, and he assured them the government is committed to tackling gender-based violence. In August, women’s groups said critical provisions were missing from the Protection Against Violence Act.
Rotary Foundation honours service at their 12th annual Award Gala By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net LEGENDS were honoured and prizes were distributed amid the sounds of Junkanoo and smooth jazz during the Rotary Foundation’s 12th annual Awards Gala at the Rosewood Ballroom, Baha Mar on Saturday night. Over 200 guests gathered under the leadership of the Bahamas Rotary Clubs district Governor David Kirkaldy. The gala marked this year’s Rotary Foundation month by honouring Rotarians and non-Rotarians who have made significant contributions to societal development. At 6pm, the celebration began with a performance from a jazz band as Mr Kirkaldy, his wife, assistant governors, club presidents and Humanitarian honourees entered the ballroom, wearing suits and gowns, long and short, of red, white, green and black. During the remarks, laughter, dancing and celebrations that followed, a three-course meal of salad, chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables and creme brûlée was served, along with beverages. Overall, 18 Humanitarian Awards were given out to those who volunteered their time, talent, finances or other resources to the Rotarian community. Forty-five Paul Harris Fellows, four major donors and three benefactors were also honoured for their outstanding contributions to the foundation. Further, two special surprise awards were given out from Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas. The Rotary Bahamas
Disaster Relief Award went to Rotarians Kendal Strachan and Shanley Toote for their service, disaster relief assistance and response over the past several years. The Peter Christie Heart of Rotary Award, named after an outstanding Rotarian who passed away in 2018, went to Augustine “Gus” Roberts, a 1988 charter member and a past president of the Rotary Club of New Providence. Mr Roberts was granted the award for his longstanding dedication to the Rotary Community and epitomising its motto: “Service above self”. Barry Rassin, chair of the Rotary Foundation, spoke to the honorees that evening both congratulating and thanking them. “What you do enables us to change lives around the world and I can’t tell you how important that is. I have had the opportunity to visit many countries and see the look on the faces of children, adults, mothers, when they see a Rotary pin, they smile, because they know people are going to change their lives forever. “You certainly create hope and you constantly do that. We believe that Rotarians always step up to a challenge. So on behalf of those children around the world, thank you,” Mr Rassin said. Those Humanitarian Award recipients include Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt; former Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson; Human Rights advocate and Attorney Frederick Smith; Bahamian Professional Baseball Player Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm; Janyne Hodder, the Acting President of the University
of The Bahamas; and Dr David Mindorff, the former principal of the Lyford Cay International School who suddenly passed away on October 19. Other Humanitarian awardees include floral and wedding specialist Melinda Pinder; diplomat Claudio Lins; philanthropist and contractor Jason Thompson; Mavis Knowles, a community builder on the island of Eleuthera; Kevan Dean, executive director of engineering services, Atlantis resort; Ravanno Ferguson, a philanthropist and founder of Fast Track athletics; Dr Sean Leonardo Knowles, the psychiatric medical officer at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services; Theresa HavenAdderley, managing director at Isles of Knight Limited; philanthropist and chef Romero Dorsette; Sebastian Bastian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas to Central America; pastor, author and evangelist Rex Major; and Melissa Munroe of the Gambier Community Development Association. Those Paul Harris Fellows from Rotary Clubs throughout The Bahamas, who were honoured include Shelby Brice, Samita Ferguson, Owen Coakley, Megan Minus, Malika Lynes, Dava Bullard, Andrae Thompson, Nakiesha Bain, Montegomery Penn, Angelica Bastian Lockhart, Liacarla Adderley, Patrick Newman, Johann Bain, Santosha Smith, Naahma Rahming Barker, Pertino Albury, Keith Roye, Lisa Deveaux and Jamal Davis. Other Paul Harris Fellows include Tamara
MEMBERS of the Rotary Club of Nassau pose for a photo during a Rotary gala event held at Rosewood, Baha Mar on Saturday. Photos: Dante Carrer
ROTARY Foundation Chair Barry Rassin, his wife Esther, District Governor David Kirkaldi and his wife Christina. Evans, Simmone Bowe, Chantel Nesbitt, Reginald Saunders, Calnan Weech, Shanley Toote, Nateisha Bain, O’Niel Bain, Nicholia Lockhart, Derek Smith, Lashanta Smith, Lathera Major, Daswell Cox, John Laramore, Deidree BainToote, Sophia Rolle, Harry
Kemp, Leah Lowe, Doneth Cartwright, Kent Forbes, James Anderson, Tameika Watson, Magnal Thompson, Joan Pinder, Marvin Bethell and Deno Moss. Major Rotarian donors include Leroy Archer, Carla Card-Stubbs, Felix Stubbs and Melanie
Halkitis. Benefactors include Terez Simmons, Doneth Cartwright and Deno Moss. The Rotary Foundation was founded in 1917 as a philanthropic chapter of the international Rotary Community.
PAGE 4, Monday, November 27, 2023
THE TRIBUNE
Frustrated over no promotion in 31 years
PUBLIC Service and Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said those who believe they have been overlooked can contact the public service’s hotline with their concerns. She also noted that promotions for BDOCS officers won’t happen until next year.
By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net AFTER 31 years without a promotion, Telsene Thompson thought her moment had finally come on Friday. Public Services Minister Pia Glover-Rolle and other officials gathered at the Department of Physical Planning to announce the promotions of 60 people who missed out on career advancement from 2020-2022. Much to her frustration, Ms Thompson was not among the beneficiaries. “I feel very slighted today,” she said after the press conference. “I thought I would have been in it.” Ms Thompson said she began working at the Ministry of Works in 1980. She said she runs a section at the ministry, has qualifications, good annual confidential reports, and shows up to work on time, but has continually been ignored for promotion. She
said she retires in two years. “I feel bad about it today, really bad,” she said. “I’m not happy at all. My next step is I’m going to see the permanent secretary to see what happened.” The Tribune could not determine why her superiors had not recommended her for promotion. However, Mrs GloverRolle said those who believe they have been overlooked can contact the public service’s hotline with their concerns. She said hundreds have been overlooked over the years, noting a department or ministry must recommend employees for promotion because the Ministry of Public Service does not know who they are. “We’re allowing public servants to reach out and say, ‘me, I think I should be there,’” she said. “We’re resolving those issues. What we’re doing is a very comprehensive exercise, so if it’s a matter of them being not only promoted, but maybe they are due for some reclassification,
maybe even confirmation in some instances, we’re making sure that we handle everything that is outstanding on their files in this one exercise.” Mrs Glover-Rolle said: “It’s going to be a bright Christmas for public servants.” Tiffany Clarke, who said she was due for a promotion for seven years, expressed joy at getting her letter on Friday. Aileen Spencer had been in the public service for 35 years and was delighted to be advanced. “To make it more impactful,” she said, “I got double promotions at one time. I had one in 2016, and my promotions this time went back to 2020 and 2022. So I am happy Minister Pia GloverRolle thought it necessary that public servants like me get what we deserve because we have a lot of public servants who work, who perform, who have bachelor’s degrees, and for years, we’re not able to be compensated.”
CorreCtions offiCers’ promotions will be delayed until 2024, says Glover-rolle By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net PUBLIC Service and Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said promotions for more than 400 Bahamas Department of Corrections officers won’t happen before the end of the year because the documents, which were recently submitted, must be processed one by one. Prison Commissioner Doan Cleare said earlier this month that 444 corrections officers were awaiting promotions. He said he hoped the promotions would begin before the end of this month, noting the department’s last promotion exercise happened last year, with only 19 people promoted. Mrs Glover Rolle told reporters on Friday that people were promoted in the corrections department in 2021 with another round of promotions coming soon. “I don’t see that being possible between now and the end of the year, because this is over 400 physical paper files that we have to process,” she said. “And the Ministry of Public Service team, while we work around the clock, seven days a week, we’re only so many
employees and sections that handle our promotions. Earlier this month, Commissioner Cleare also suggested that the BDCS should get a commission similar to the Royal Bahamas Police Force Police Service Commission, a body empowered to make recommendations and promotions of officers above the rank of inspector. Currently, the promotion of BDCS officers falls under the Public Service Commission, which also deals with promotions for all other public servants. Commissioner Clear said it is “very unfortunate” that it takes so long to promote corrections officers compared to other law enforcement groups. Mrs Glover-Rolle said public service could be reimagined because there are many more workers now than when the institutions were established. “While we may have a Public Service Commission and there is also a Police Service Commission, there may be need for a Teacher Service Commission,” she said. “There may be need for a Correctional Service Commission. These are the things that we analyse as our consultants are reviewing our agenda for a reimagination of the public service.”
PHA Supplies Management Agency distributes Thanksgiving lunches THE Public Hospital Authority’s Supplies Management Agency distributed Thanksgiving lunches to hundreds of residents in the Nassau Street community on Friday. Dominic Williams, Director of Supply Management at PHA, said 150 hot meals were prepared and groceries were distributed. This initiative was
aimed at giving back to the community in the hope of making a difference, Mr Williams said. “We relocated our main warehouse to Nassau Street in the former Jimmy’s building and we thought it a bit fitting with Thanksgiving that we do outreach to the Nassau Street community,” he said. “So, the staff have so gratefully donated
canned goods, and we have all got together to prepare a hot meal.” Mr Williams said his team intends to become a pivotal part of the community, calling this initiative the first of many. “It’s just a small token to the community so that we can make our presence felt and it’s a way to give back,” he added. “It will be the first of
many, you know, we want to continue to be a community partner and we want to make sure that we do as much as we could.” A supporter, who asked to remain anonymous, said she appreciated the gesture. “I have lived in this community for a while and I am appreciative for this gesture. “This has made my day a little bit easier.”
THE PUBLIC Hospital Authority’s Supplies Management Agency distributed Thanksgiving lunches to hundreds of residents in the Nassau Street community on Friday.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 5
Henfield says DeSantis remarks ‘distasteful’ from page one of The Bahamas attacking Florida. “This is the second time he said it,” Mr Henfield said yesterday. “It bothers me in a sense that The Bahamas contributes so much to the economy of South Florida. And he’s the governor of Florida. “That he should decide to choose us as a hypothetical country to bomb, I’m wondering, the first time you did it, you can say, well, okay, yeah, he didn’t give it much thought, he’s under pressure. “But then he goes and does it again, so you wonder, how do we attract this type of ire from the Governor of Florida, even in a hypothetical, that he would think of bombing us.”
“Perhaps the point he seeks to make is associated with proximity, but it’s not lost on Bahamians that he chose us to play war games with. We have been, and, by God’s grace, will continue to be good, peaceful, and caring neighbours.” After the governor made similar comments earlier this month, the US Embassy in Nassau downplayed his remarks, noting the close relationship between the US and this country. Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell told The Tribune: “The US government has made it clear that he does not speak for the US government.” Mr Henfield said Governor DeSantis should choose another country as his example.
“I thought he couldn’t possibly be this whimsical wanting to be president of the United States,” he said. “Our only hope is that the governor, although using a hypothetical scenario, would bear in mind that we are not the enemy of South Florida but one of its finest friends. He needs only to check his many merchants whom Bahamians support at a very healthy clip every year. “The Bahamian people and others who call our country home spend an estimated $2 billion annually in South Florida. As governor of Florida, DeSantis should be looking to strengthen relations between his state and The Bahamas, not threatening to destroy us, even if only hypothetically.”
REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Florida Gov Ron DeSantis speaks during the Family Leader’s Thanksgiving Family Forum, November 17, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP
WOMAN SUES PASSPORT OFFICE FOR OVER $21,000 OVER CHAIR COLLAPSE IN 2018 from page one request by claiming that she would not only succeed at trial but that damages would not be substantially reduced when the government is found at fault. The defendants, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General, filed Siobhan Dean and Andreae Francis’
affidavits on January 20, 2023. Although they did not witness the incident, they said the chairs were checked regularly daily and showed no defects. Mr Francis said he was informed that when Ms Pinder sat in one of the chairs, “one of the legs separated, causing Ms Pinder to end up on the floor”.
The government denied liability, saying the duty of care was performed by ensuring the chair was safe before the accident. “As such, they claim that the accident was mere happenstance and that there was no evidence that the chair was faulty,” Justice Neil Brathwaite wrote in his decision, released last week. “They further raise the issue
of contributory negligence and intimate that the plaintiff may have in some way contributed to the accident.” Ultimately, the judge denied the plaintiff’s request for an interim payment. He said that to grant interim payment, the court must be satisfied that the defendant has either admitted liability, that a judgment has been obtained for
damages to be assessed, or that the plaintiff would succeed on the question of liability “without any substantial reduction in damages for fault on his part”. He concluded that a court may favour the defence, given its argument that the chairs were checked to ensure safety. “Given the high standard
required to be met on an application for an interim payment where liability is still an issue, and bearing in mind that this application is not a trial of the matter with full consideration of tested evidence that a trial entails, I am unable to conclude that the plaintiff ‘would’ be successful at trial,” he wrote. He ordered that each side bear their own costs.
GOVT LEASING 18 ROOMS FOR BAHAMIANS DISPLACED BY SHANTY TOWN DEMOLITIONS residents in All Saints Way, because some of them had building permits, and some indeed had had occupancy permits. “So we do not expect to have a massive demolition exercise as has been carried out in Kool Acres because that area was clearly
By JADE RUSSELL AND LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporters MINISTER of State for Social Services Myles Laroda said 18 rooms at the Poinciana Arena on Bernard Road have been leased to provide housing assistance to Bahamians displaced by shanty town demolitions. The Unregulated Communities Action Task Force demolished the Kool Acres shanty town earlier this month. Mr Laroda said only a few people are getting housing assistance right now. “It’s not like you’re going to have this overflow of people who may have been in the shanty towns running there,” he said about the leased space. “There have been individuals who would have been there who are staying with family and didn’t ask for any assistance at all. So, the numbers are relatively small with regards to who is there.” He said two rooms are currently occupied by people affected by the demolition. This newspaper understands two rooms are currently being occupied by families affected by the
MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES MYLES LARODA shanty town demolition. Some structures in the All Saints Way shanty town are expected to be demolished within the next two weeks, according to Luther Smith, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Works. He said that the community has a mixture of regulated and unregulated structures. Although Works and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting previously said 162 structures in the Kool Acres and All Saints Way shanty towns would be demolished, Mr Smith suggested that the objectives for All Saints Way are not finalised.
He said on Friday that a decision on demolishing structures there will happen in the next two weeks. “We’re not targeting that many homes, but there are structures there, which are clearly unregulated, and those have to come down,” he said. “Further, they are on land which is either agricultural or Crown lands, and, therefore, they are on land that the owners do not have. So we have to then have a discussion with the persons responsible for lands as to what should happen to these persons.” “We have begun to do a very careful review of the
Funeral Service for LISA SIMONE COLEBROOK, 54 a resident of #3 Jasmine Gardens, will be held at Mount Tabor Church, Willow Tree Avenue & Mount Tabor Drive, Pinewood Gardens, on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Officiating will be His Grace Bishop Neil Ellis. Interment follows in Old Trail Cemetery, Old Trail Cemetery. Left to cherish her memories, Sister: Wendy Colebrooke; Brothers: Jefferey (Black Angel) (Carol), Raymond (Gayle), David, Dilleth (Leander), Deron, Gerald Colebrooke; Nephews: Dustin (Mia) Bowe, Diamond Bevel, Ian, David, Destri, D’Angelo, Gordon, Gerald (JJ), Philipe Colebrooke, Joshua James, Fredrick and Craig Whylly; Nieces: Carla, Raquel (Konto) Miller, Uland, Crystal, Sierra, Gerxanya Colebrooke, Shamelia Munroe, Vannesa Colebrooke, Candice Ferguson, and Annmarie Pickstock; Grandnieces and Nephews: Amelia Cox, Alexandria and Teshawn Colebrooke, D’Hari Bowe, Tianna Rose, Jamara and Janyih Armbrister, Tierra Thompson, Kamia Darville, Tianna Miller, Haley, Dante, Alicia, Iesha Colebrooke. Friends may pay their last respects at Demeritte’s Funeral Home, Market Street, on Monday, from 1-5:00 p.m. & on Tuesday at the church from 9:00 a.m. until service time.
unregulated. Mr Smith said following the review, the Ministry of Works will make a “determined policy decision” on whether the structures should be demolished. “Those which we would be satisfied have been there legally, we will have to
make a determined policy decision as to whether they should be coming down,” he said. “Those structures that conform to the code, a policy decision would have to be made by the ministry as to whether they should, in fact, be demolished.”
PAGE 6, Monday, November 27, 2023
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We should take time to give thanks FOR some, the weekend gone was all about giving thanks. Many Bahamians – and visitors to our nation – take part in the traditions of Thanksgiving weekend. A US tradition by origin, of course, but one that many have absorbed by our proximity and connections to our northern neighbour. In Friday’s Tribune, columnist Diane Phillips considered when we would give thanks as a nation, and in today’s Tribune, columnist Dr Kenneth Kemp talks about the things for which he is grateful. Among those is that he has reached his 100th column in The Tribune – for which we ourselves are grateful, with his thoughtful words having been a regular feature of The Tribune’s pages. But Dr Kemp also talks about another series of his, over on his TikTok, where he asks celebrities what they are most grateful for. Tony Hawk talks of his family and his ability to work, Magic Johnson also talks about family, and health. Paula Abdul is grateful for God and her kind heart. And so it goes. As a nation, we often obsess about what is wrong and fail to reflect as readily upon what is right. At the weekend, for example, Rotary held a glitzy occasion to recognise some of the best of our nation – the Bahamians who have made a difference. The Paul Harris Fellowship award was to be given to lawyer Fred Smith – although he was not in attendance at the event itself. Mr Smith is a name familiar to Tribune readers – and a thorn in the side of many a politician who perhaps might wish Mr Smith was not so good at his job. He has been a champion of the oppressed and a fighter where he was needed. As the name of Peter Nygard appears yet again with another lawsuit in New York, it is worth noting the years that
Mr Smith has spent in legal battle with Mr Nygard, despite the numerous threats he suffered along the way. He has fought to ensure that human rights are protected, even when it comes to those in shanty town communities who are dismissed by many others. Mr Smith has even had his nationality questioned in the past by those who have claimed he is not Bahamian, even when he is more Bahamian than most of us, tracing his family routes to one of the last remaining Lucayans after the Spaniards left the islands. That is a typical tactic of those who cannot win the argument on its own – to try to undermine the person speaking instead. Even The Tribune has fallen foul to that – Sir Lynden Pindling would often refer to “that crazy French woman on Shirley Street” despite the Dupuch family being fourth generation in The Bahamas. There are more – many more – Bahamians who should be celebrated too. In recent times, we have reported on Denton Gibson, a new launch director for NASA in Florida. We have reported on Jervon Sands, the fourth Rhodes Scholar for The Bahamas, following in the footsteps of Dr Desiree Cox, Dr Christian Campbell, and Dr Myron Rolle. There are Chevening scholars, there are NBA stars, there are Olympians, there is Coach Yo – Yolett McPheeMcCuin who led Ole Miss to triumph in the Battle 4 Atlantis last week. The Bahamas has a lot to be thankful for – and Bahamian compatriots who deserve to be celebrated. One of the joys of news reporting is being able to share the adulation for those who strive and succeed – whether they are at the top of their field or just starting out. So we too give thanks, for all the opportunities Bahamians offer to celebrate their success.
Women still wait on protection EDITOR, The Tribune. NOVEMBER 25 marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the beginning of 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, culminating on December 10 - Human Rights Day. This year’s theme, “UNiTE! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls,” calls for meaningful action and funding towards creating a safer Bahamas where women and girls are free from violence. This week is also National Women’s Week, a critical time for the government to hastily prioritise the needs of women and girls in The Bahamas. As a reminder, to this administration: We are still awaiting the promised shelter that a mere $500,000 has been allocated for, the same amount of money being spent on holiday decorations, amidst an increase in
violence against women in recent years. We are still awaiting amendments to the Protection Against Violence bill to address gaps identified by advocacy groups and other experts with additional and specific protections for women and girls that do not leave us dependent on generalized language. We are still awaiting legislative equality with men when it comes to the transfer of Bahamian citizenship to our children. We are still awaiting the appointment of a substantive minister for Social Services to give focused attention to gender affairs. Bahamian women and girls are entitled to live free from gender-based violence, no matter where it occurs, whether at home, work, school, church, or in a public space. As leaders, we must work with urgency to build a Bahamas for all Bahamians. One where there
are adequate safe homes and shelters for those fleeing abusive relationships. Where girls can have safe neighbourhoods to grow up unharmed, secure and healthy, and develop to the maximum extent of their potential. Where women with disabilities can thrive and use their immense gifts and talents toward nation building without prohibitions. Violence against women and girls is not just a violation of human rights, it is a barrier to a safer, more progressive Bahamas. A less patriarchal Bahamas, where women are equal and empowered. (If you or someone you know is in a crisis situation, contact The Bahamas Crisis Centre’s 24-HOUR HOTLINE at 328-0922 for support). SENATOR MAXINE SEYMOUR Shadow Minister, Social Services November 26, 2023
THE TRIBUNE
FNM to re-evaluate EDITOR, The Tribune. THE West End and Grand Bahama by-election should be a wake-up call for the FNM. Yes, the PLP poured plenty resources into the contest. They also made plenty promises and signed quite a number of contracts. It is mostly a PLP seat. Governing parties tend to do well in by-elections. There may have been something of a sympathy vote for Obie Wilchcombe. Still, an overconfident FNM got a royal you-know-what. There may have been a number of reasons for the loss, including the increasing flow of money into elections. Are more and more voters asking for cash in order to vote? This is a serious problem. Plenty voters, including FNMs, once again stayed home. This is another serious problem. And Lincoln Bain continues to do well, even if he and his group of independents are unlikely to win seats. But they can spoil the chances of the FNM. The FNM should not underestimate his appeal to certain voters. Whatever the variety of reasons for the PLP’s win and the FNM’s loss, both parties need to be careful what lessons they learn. An arrogant PLP, whose vote share increased, could easily take the wrong lesson. A by-election is not the same as a general election. The PLP only got approximately 30 percent of the vote at the last general election. PLP leader Philip Brave Davis was never as popular as he might think or as popular as certain polls
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net might suggest. The cost of living crisis, including ridiculously high BPL bills, is an economic nightmare for poorer Bahamians and the middle class. And the PLP seems to be living in a bubble of extravagance. The All for Me Baby mindset is alive and well in the PLP. At the last election, the FNM came relatively close in a good number of seats. The decision to call the election during a COVID-19 wave when people were in the hospital and dying was a disaster. Many FNMs stayed home. Given the aforementioned and the fact that we have thrown governments out every five years for the past three decades, the FNM should be poised for victory. But they should not take this for granted. The PLP are desperate and hungry to hang on to power and the many benefits it brings. The FNM should not underestimate this hunger, the PLP’s organisational power, their willingness to promise voters heaven and earth, and their capacity to raise significant election resources from their benefactors. To win, the FNM needs to get its house in order. This includes strengthening the branches and party associations while securing good candidates. FNMs are tired of the seemingly endless division between two former leaders and prime ministers. Hubert
Ingraham and Hubert Minnis need to repair whatever problems they have and help to unify the party. If either wants to run for leader again, so be it. If Michael Pintard wants to run again, he should run. Whoever wants to run should do so. The party needs a convention next year. Whoever wins, the party should close ranks and support the leader as we head into the next election. FNMs have had enough of these big egos fighting each other. Everyone needs to grow up and come together. All Together has been the party’s theme since its beginning. It is time for leadership. It is time to prepare to take the country in a different direction than the PLP. If the FNM loses the next election because Ingraham, Minnis, Pintard and others cannot come together, this will be a disaster for the FNM but even more so for the country. If we lose the next election because of infighting, FNMs will not forgive those who kept the party divided for selfish reasons. Good party politics is about adding on not cutting off; coming together not driving apart; building up not tearing down. We need unity! When the FNM won in 1992, the theme was “Time for a change.” Well, it’s time for the big personalities in the party to change course and come together. Stop the petty games and solve your problems like grown people. The country is waiting and so is the FNM. HOPEFUL FNM Nassau, November 26, 2023
Nygard’s conviction a wake-up call EDITOR, The Tribune. WOMEN United commends the recent conviction of Peter Nygard by the Canadian Court system. The verdict stands as a pivotal moment, shedding light on the unfortunate reality faced by many women who have suffered due to the reprehensible actions of individuals like Nygard. His conviction serves as a stark wake-up call, exposing the complacency of those who allowed his continued operations here in our country. We cannot ignore the uncomfortable fact that there are allegations that politicians and the police turned a blind eye to the unsavory practices that were occurring. This laissez-faire attitude towards the mistreatment of women in our country must change. It perpetuates a culture where women are seen as second-class citizens and where they continue to be abused as their abusers feel
that they will not be called upon to answer for their crimes. It’s time for a profound shift in our mindset — one that prioritises the care and protection of women, rejecting any form of abuse or degradation. It is alleged that many women found themselves unwittingly lured into attending events at Nygard Cay, only to become victims of trafficking facilitated by our own compatriots. The tragedy lies in how some sought opportunities, unaware that these situations would turn out to be non-consensual. This grave situation demands introspection about our culture and societal norms. We must question why individuals like Nygard felt empowered to perpetrate such atrocities behind closed doors, assured that he wouldn’t face scrutiny or arrest. It’s an alarming reflection on our collective values that allowed such
exploitation to thrive unchecked and to this day remains unchecked. The majority of his crimes allegedly happened here in The Bahamas and yet no charges have been laid against him here and we have therefore made no extradition request to try him here to make him defend the allegations that have been made against him. Women United firmly believes that change begins with acknowledging these unsettling truths and actively working towards a culture that respects and safeguards the rights of all individuals, especially women. We call upon all members of society to join us in this crucial conversation and take decisive actions to prevent such heinous acts from ever occurring again. WOMEN UNITED Nassau, November 26, 2023
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Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 7
URCA investigates service outages by BTC and Aliv By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net THE Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is actively investigating service outages by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Aliv, noting the investigation is hoped to be completed in the next few months. Juan McCartney, URCA’s corporate and consumer relations manager, told The Tribune
that URCA is concerned about the environment in which the licensees are providing quality of service for consumers, particularly on the Family Islands. “So what we had over the summer months, in particular, were a series of outages in various islands regarding both service providers Aliv and BTC,” he said. “So URCA is currently conducting an investigation into all those outages to better understand what occurred, and what sorts of remedies should be applied.”
Mr McCartney said URCA’s rules for outage reporting and mitigation are out for consultation. He said these rules will assist in more “stringent regulations” on the reporting of outages of the country’s major service providers. Along with mitigating the outages moving forward. “So, we’ve drafted those,” he said. “The licensees, BTC, Aliv, etc, they’re reviewing them and they’re forwarding their proposals. And we’re going to publish our responses to
A MAN, WOMAN AND GIRL ACCUSED OF HAVING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO ENDANGER LIFE By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN, a woman and a 17-year-old girl were granted bail after allegedly being found with a loaded gun in an abandoned building after the man had been shot and injured in a gunfight. Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged Billy Norelis, 26, Felicia Norelis, 28, and the 17-year-old with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.
Billy Norelis allegedly got into a fight with Cidouline Myrtil at his residence on Sandilands Village Road on the night of November 19. Norelis reportedly threatened Myrtil with a handgun only for him to end up shot during the altercation. Norelis was successfully treated for his injuries in hospital under police guard. Later the same day police recovered a green and silver coloured .40 pistol and a single round of .40 ammunition in an abandoned building on Bernard Road. After being informed that the matter would be transferred to the Supreme
Court by voluntary bill of indictment (VBI), the accused were told that their bail was set at $7,000 each. Under the conditions of the bail Billy Norelis is expected to sign in at Elizabeth Estates Police Station every Wednesday and Friday by 7pm. Felicia Norelis is expected to sign in at the Wulff Road Police station every Wednesday and Friday by 7pm. The juvenile has to obey a residential curfew unless under adult supervision. The VBI in this matter is set for service on February 16, 2024.
MAN ACCUSED OF CAUSING HARM AFTER ALLEGEDLY INJURING ANOTHER MAN IN FIGHT By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was granted bail after he was accused of injuring someone in a fight outside the mall last
week. Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain charged Lanardo Remy, 44, with causing harm. Remy allegedly injured Terrance Rolle during a fight on Marathon Road
on November 18. After pleading not guilty to the charge, the defendant was granted $2,000 bail with one or two sureties. The trial in this matter begins on June 4, 2024.
woman pleads ‘not guilty’ to charge of STEALING A HANDBAG CONTAINING $1,400 IN CASH By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A WOMAN was granted bail yesterday after she was accused of stealing a handbag containing $1,400 in cash earlier this month. Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Miriam Wilson, 52, with stealing. Wilson allegedly stole
a black Guess bag valued at $450 belonging to Jermaine Machen from a residence on Roosevelt Avenue on the morning of November 18. The purse contained $1,400 in cash. After pleading not guilty to the charge, Wilson was informed that her police bail of $1,000 would be extended. Wilson’s trial begins on June 18, 2024.
MAN FINED FOR DRUG POSSESSION WITH THE INTENT TO SUPPLY By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was fined $500 after admitting to having 4 3/4oz of marijuana on him earlier this month. Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged Jonathon Saunders, 23, with possession of
dangerous drugs with intent to supply. Saunders was arrested after police found him with 4 3/4 oz of marijuana in New Providence on November 6. After Saunders pleaded guilty to the offence, he was ordered to pay a fine of $500 or risk one month in prison.
those proposals moving forward.” There was a large outcry about service disruption and network outages across multiple islands this summer, including Grand Bahama, Abaco, South Andros, Mangrove Cay, and Mayaguana. McCartney said they haven’t received the same volume of reports of outages in the Family Islands since the summer. He said it appears proactive steps have been taken by service providers to address those outages. Asked when the outages
investigation is expected to be completed, Mr McCartney said he could not say at this time. “It’s often a lengthy process, but they’re working on it actively. I wouldn’t expect it would last much longer than another few months,” he added. On November 15, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the service quality provided by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Aliv is “unacceptable” with their failings “difficult to comprehend”. Speaking at the Utilities
Regulation and Competition Authority’s (URCA) digital transformation forum, Mr Cooper blasted both providers over the level and quality of communication services they offer – especially to Family Island residents. “As far as BTC and ALIV is concerned, we believe that you must find more ways to collaborate within the framework of what is possible within URCA’s guidelines to improve service delivery, most importantly, in the Family Islands,” Mr Cooper said.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
By-election more of a revelation of the state of the FNM than a test of the PLP
FNM leader Michael Pintard stands beside the party’s candidate for West GB and Bimini Ricardo Grant. The FNM lost ground at the polls and it may indicate there is much work ahead for them at the next general election.
By MALCOLM STRACHAN WHEN the by-election in West Grand Bahama and Bimini was called following the passing of Obie Wilchcombe, there was a sense that it would be a mid-term test of the PLP administration. In truth, it seems to have turned out to be more of an assessment of the state of the FNM in opposition. Before a single vote was cast, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham warned that historically by-elections favour the PLP – and so it proved, with the party not only retaining the seat but increasing its vote in the process. That doesn’t mean that the FNM were on a hiding to nothing at the ballot box – far from it, simply ceding the ground would have raised more questions still about the state of the party. Still, the campaign trail did not prove kind to the party, not least for exposing tensions within. Mr Ingraham, after his early caution, was all in for the party, showing up on the campaign trail and coming up with some of the best soundbites along the way. One of the strongest lines in the campaign was asking how if Obie Wilchcombe could not deliver for the constituency, how anyone could expect a newcomer to politics to do so. But while Ingraham joined the rallies and voiced his support, one figure was notable by his absence. Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was nowhere to be seen – except, that is, when he took time out from his not very busy schedule to announce that he was not just releasing one memoir, but a whole series of three memoirs. Forgive me for saying so, but Dr Minnis is probably by some distance the least popular Prime Minister we have had – I can certainly imagine some people buying a single-volume memoir for historic interest, but quite what hubris Dr Minnis must have to think there is an eager community salivating for a three-volume memoir is beyond me.
Tell us about the last fight you had that split the FNM, by all means. Tell us about the challenge of governing during the pandemic and Hurricane Dorian, absolutely. But we’re not sure that takes three books. So why is Dr Minnis wanting to share his story with us again? Well, rumours persist that his interest in leading the party is not over – and that he thinks he can become Prime Minister again despite the landslide defeat he suffered at the last election. It would not have taken much for Dr Minnis to dispel any suggestion of a divide between the party, but he chose not to show any support for the FNM candidate – on its own, so be it, but if there are Minnis loyalists within the party, that was a signal to those too. As it happens, the byelection ended up with a low turnout, with a bizarre video showing someone dressed in party regalia saying he had $50,000 to give out if people brought him their voter’s cards. The outcome of that we shall wait and see, but the party distanced themselves from having anything to do with it – with the video emerging after the party made its own claims without providing evidence of PLPs handing out money in T-shirts. Whatever the truth of these claims, if we are to believe the party’s campaign coordinator, David Wallace, people were telling the FNM they would only show up to vote if they were given a financial incentive. Wallace, himself a former MP for the area, said: “People were calling you and saying ‘I’m not coming to vote until somebody come and touch me’. I said ‘touch you?’ I went to see a young lady and she said to me straight and plain, their position was, if they want my vote, this is what I want. “I was working one polling division, Jones Town, and I got a call, one fella say he got 25 fellas together and they all got their voter’s card and they ain’ voting till somebody touch me. It was something like, it was
breeding on its own or festering. One person said it, then the next person said it, and I said to myself, no man, you got to vote on principle.” If correct, it means the FNM’s platform was not incentive enough on its own for people to come out – and perhaps that we are living out a self-fulfilling prophecy where allegations of vote-buying have become an expectation from voters. In the end, whatever the reason, not enough voters came out overall – but notably the FNM could not stir up enough voters to say they have had enough of the current administration. They could not even stir up the party’s most recent Prime Minister, so maybe that should not come as a surprise. Perhaps after two more years of the new MP, the constituency may feel different, but for now it’s bad news for the FNM. Party leader Michael Pintard ended up defending his leadership after the vote rather than being able to attack the government’s record following the vote. And all the while with Dr Minnis a shadow in the background. All in all, the campaign ended up being about the FNM – allegations against the candidate about participation in a pyramid scheme, questions about the absent Minnis, questions over what the candidate’s plan for the constituency was, doubts about the party leadership – more than the government, and that is never a good sign for a party in opposition. Now that vote is over, we might as well start the ticking clock down to the next one – the general election. The FNM has issues to sort out before then – and seems not to be eager to call a convention in a hurry, presumably not least because of fears of a leadership challenge. If it is to succeed at the general election, it has to change the narrative to point out the failings of the government rather than their own. The work to do that, if the party is to thrive, has to begin now.
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INSIGHT
PAGE November 27, 2023 PAGE10, 10,Monday, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023
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The changing tide
...be more thankful because gratitude is a magnet for miracles and in this changing world, we could all benefit from the opportunity to just breathe, say thanks and count our many blessings. I WAS born in Nassau, Bahamas, many years after the 1960s civil rights movement and segregation fight that plagued America, our closest neighbour. So, as a young black child, with the fortune of time, I was mercifully and geographically shielded from the weight of my own complexion. And, even though I grew up in a biracial family, race thankfully never entered our day-to-day conversation. It was only with age, travel, a lot of experience and a bit of research that I discovered the intricacies of religion, skin colour and culture on human acceptance and perceived value. Today, on New Providence, races comingle, families intertwine and few count their friends by number of white, black or brown. In that regard, not much has changed in the years since I was a young boy. But, while The Bahamas enjoys an overriding
By DR KENNETH D KEMP
peace despite a few unpleasant undercurrents, we are in the minority of nations so blessed. Throughout the rest of the world there’s been a changing tide and the dormant ‘us versus them’ mentality now takes centre stage. If you think I’m exaggerating, you need look no further than the evening news. Don’t get me wrong, throughout history there have always been certain sectors of society who’ve been at odds; Native Americans versus American settlers, Blacks versus Whites, Jews versus Arabs or in even broader terms, rich versus poor. But somehow the civility of discourse
has become notably eroded and no side is willing to listen to the other. In the US, republicans versus democrats offers a sound example. The precipitating cause for this change is unknown to me but I speculate it’s deeply rooted in fear. As that fear boils over, people typically become angry and irrational so the central tenets of decency and democracy are being challenged more than ever. And yet, to rectify it is so simple. The two sides have to be willing to listen to one another. They have to be willing, in the words of Atticus Finch, to climb into someone else’s skin
and walk around in it. The warmth and sentimentality of the looming holidays elicits a time of love and giving, which in this moment presents the best opportunity to alter course. This past thanksgiving, I thought a lot about what we as a nation have to be thankful for and the list is exhaustive. If more people in The Bahamas, one of the most beautiful countries on planet Earth, adopted an attitude of gratitude, our country would become infinitely better overnight. In this same regard, I challenged a few patients to reveal what they were most grateful for and to then do something for someone they
love to express their gratitude. Many shared thanks for their parents, their children and their spouses. Others were thankful for a job, a roof over their head and a warm meal on a daily basis. I’m grateful for my incredible family, staff and office manager, a small circle of great friends, stellar health and my patients. One such patient earlier this week took two buses on her day off and passed countless other doctors to see me for treatment of her chronic heel pain. The following day, another patient flew in from Abaco just to see me and returned to the airport immediately following his visit. Similarly, a young woman who attends school in Switzerland refused to have her foot ailment treated by anyone but me and waited for her thanksgiving break to do just that. I am eternally grateful for all my patients, but especially ones like those who travel and entrust me with their care. I appreciate them as much as they seem to appreciate me. This week also gave me a chance to be grateful for this, my 100th column, and the chance to help patients beyond the four walls of my office. Gratitude is a sentiment that should be pervasive year-round and not only during the holidays. Something my patients and I bond over is our desire to celebrate the triumphs of not just ourselves and closest loved ones, but also our friends, neighbours and fellow countrymen at every available opportunity. I’m even more grateful that on social media (tiktok. com/@dr.kennethdkemp), I have a series called “why I’m grateful” where I ask different celebrities what they’re most grateful for and they graciously responded in kind. Singer and actress Tamela Mann and her husband David were most grateful for life, health, love and family. Basketball legend and successful entrepreneur Magic Johnson was equally grateful for health and family. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk was thankful for his family and the ability to still be working in his profession at the age of 55. The former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, said that he was grateful that he was given the chance to lead his country. Meanwhile former Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was grateful that he was pardoned by President Donald Trump, after spending eight of his 14-year sentence in prison on federal charges of public corruption. Singer, dancer and choreographer Paula Abdul was grateful for God, her kind heart and the ability to do what she loves every day. Country music legend, Randy Travis and his wife Mary were most grateful for their Christian
faith and salvation and in a deeply moving message, Judge Lynn Toler told me that she was most grateful for her mother. Heart-warming as they sound, people aren’t watching, much less pressing the like and share buttons. Like I said, the tide is changing. Videos about food, dancing and animals still garner significant attention. But those featuring beautiful, provocatively clothed or entirely undressed, individuals are more coveted with remarkably higher engagement. Wholesome, feel-good videos simply don’t sell quite as much anymore. That’s why news reports are inundated with doom and gloom stories and barely a sprinkle of positivity. This is a huge juxtaposition from the 50s and 60s where advertisers couldn’t dream of showing a woman’s bare arms and television shows like I Love Lucy, The Three Stooges, Bewitched, Leave it to Beaver and The Brady Bunch ruled the airwaves. In a world that more-thanever celebrates self-love and acceptance, the general populace en masse now prefers to complain rather than applaud. Despite that, there is still so much this holiday season to be thankful for. I’d even venture to guess that if the question of ‘why are you grateful’ is posed to various people from different backgrounds locally, their answers, like those of my celebrity participants, will share parallel sentiments. That’s because despite our differences and the wars around us, deep down inside the nostalgia of our youth remains pervasive and we realise things could be much worse. When I started this column two years ago, I never imagined it would become as popular as it has. In retrospect, I suspect its popularity hinges on the fact that it consistently serves as a looking glass into what others have endured and in doing so reminds us how lucky we truly are; how thankful we should all be. A truly unintended side effect of a desire to help and educate but one I’m most proud of. I encourage all my readers throughout this holiday season and beyond to be more thankful because gratitude is a magnet for miracles and in this changing world, we could all benefit from the opportunity to just breathe, say thanks and count our many blessings. This is The KDK Report. UÊ V > i`ʼ/ iÊ*À ViÊ vÊ* ` >ÌÀÞ½]Ê ÀÊ i iÌ Ê Ê i «Ê ÃÊÌ iÊv Õ `iÀÊ> `Ê i` V> Ê` ÀiVÌ ÀÊ vÊ > > >ÃÊ ÌÊ> `Ê iÊ V>Ìi`Ê Ê >ÛiÃÊ6 >}i]Ê7iÃÌiÀ Ê iÜÊ *À Û `i Vi°Ê iÊÃiÀÛi`Ê>ÃÊ Ì iÊ`i«ÕÌÞÊV > À > Êv ÀÊÌ iÊ i> Ì Ê Õ V Êv ÀÊwÛiÊÞi>ÀÃÊ > `Ê iÊVÕÀÀi Ì ÞÊà ÌÃÊ ÊÌ iÊ L >À`Ê vÊ` ÀiVÌ ÀÃÊv ÀÊÌ iÊ *À ViÃÃÊ >À}>ÀiÌÊ Ã« Ì> Ê Õ `>Ì Ê Ê ÃÊÀ iÊ>ÃÊ V Û Vi V > À > °
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INSIGHT
Monday, November 27, 2023,PAGE PAGE 11 11 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023
Pollution from coal power plants contributes to far more deaths than scientists realised, study shows
GUOHUA POWER STATION, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China’s Hebei province, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. The world is off track in its efforts to curb global warming, a new international report calculates. Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP displaced by natural gas and its own potential effects on on multiple factors – how utilities began replacing nations are headed toward By LUCAS HENNEMAN George Mason University renewable energy for gen- human health. much the plant emits, which coal with natural gas plants a future with substantially erating electricity. Globally, Two months of emissions way the wind blows and and renewable energy. less coal, the International AIR pollution parti- however, coal use is pro- from Plant Bowen, a coal- how many people breathe The shift to natural gas – a Energy Agency expects cles from coal-fired power jected to increase in coming fired power station near in the pollution. Unfortu- cleaner-burning fossil fuel global coal use to increase plants are more harmful to years. That makes our Atlanta, show how wind nately, US utilities located than coal but still a green- through at least 2025. Our study and others human health than many results all the more urgent influences the spread of air many of their plants upwind house gas contributing to experts realised, and it’s for global decision-mak- pollution. Lucas Henne- of major population cen- climate change – led to like it make clear that more than twice as likely ers to understand as they man. Tracking coal PM2.5 tres on the East Coast. even further air pollution increases in coal use will harm human health and to contribute to premature develop future policies. To understand the risks This siting amplified these reductions. the climate. Making full use deaths as air pollution parcoal emissions pose to plants’ impacts. Today, coal contributes COAL AIR POLLUTION: ticles from other sources, In an interactive online about 27 percent of electric- of emissions controls and human health, we tracked WHAT MAKES IT SO BAD? new research demonstrates. how sulfur dioxide emis- tool, users can look up our ity in the US, down from a turn toward renewables are surefire ways to reduce In the study, published A landmark study in the sions from each of the estimates of annual deaths 56 percent in 1999. in the journal Science, col- 1990s, known as the Har- 480 largest US coal power associated with each US Globally, however, the coal’s negative impacts. leagues and I mapped how vard Six Cities Study, linked plants operating at any power plant and also see outlook for coal is mixed. UÊ"À } > ÞÊ«ÕL Ã i`Ê Ê US coal power plant emis- tiny airborne particles point since 1999 travelled how those numbers have While the US and other www.theconversation.com sions travelled through the called PM2.5 to increased with the wind and turned fallen over time at most US atmosphere, then linked risk of early death. Other into tiny particles – coal coal plants. each power plant’s emis- studies have since linked PM2.5. We used sulfur dioxA US SUCCESS STORY sions with death records of PM2.5 to lung and heart ide because of its known AND THE GLOBAL Americans over 65 years disease, cancer, dementia health effects and drastic FUTURE OF COAL old on Medicare. decreases in emissions over and other diseases. Our results suggest that Engineers have been Following that research, the study period. air pollutants released from the Environmental Proeffective We then used a statistical designing coal power plants were tection Agency began model to link coal PM2.5 scrubbers and other polassociated with nearly half regulating PM2.5 concen- exposure to Medicare lution-control devices that a million premature deaths trations in 1997 and has records of nearly 70 mil- can reduce pollution from of elderly Americans from lowered the acceptable lion people from 1999 to coal-fired power plants 1999 to 2020. 2020. This model allowed us for several years. And the limit over time. It’s a staggering number, PM2.5 – particles small to calculate the number of EPA has rules specifically but the study also has good enough to be inhaled deep deaths associated with coal to encourage utilities that news: Annual deaths asso- into our lungs – comes from PM2.5. used coal to install them, ciated with US coal power several different sources, In our statistical model, and most facilities that did plants have fallen sharply including gasoline combus- we controlled for other not install scrubbers have since the mid-2000s as fed- tion in vehicles and smoke pollution sources and shut down. eral regulations compelled from wood fires and power accounted for many other The results have been operators to install emis- plants. It is made up of known risk factors, like dramatic: Sulfur dioxsions scrubbers and many many different chemicals. smoking status, local mete- ide emissions decreased utilities shut down coal Coal is also a mix of many orology and income level. about 90 percent in faciliplants entirely. chemicals – carbon, hydro- We tested multiple statis- ties that reported installing In 1999, 55,000 deaths gen, sulfur, even metals. tical approaches that all scrubbers. Nationwide, were attributable to coal air When coal is burned, all of yielded consistent results. sulfur dioxide emissions pollution in the US, accord- these chemicals are emitted We compared the results of decreased 95 percent since ing to our findings. By 2020, to the atmosphere either our statistical model with 1999. According to our that number had fallen to as gases or particles. Once previous results testing the tally, deaths attributable to 1,600. there, they are transported health impacts of PM2.5 each facility that installed How PM2.5 levels from by the wind and inter- from other sources and a scrubber or shut down coal power plants in the US act with other chemicals found that PM2.5 from coal decreased drastically. have declined since 1999 as already in the atmosphere. As advances in frackis twice as harmful as PM2.5 more plants installed polluing techniques reduced As a result, anyone down- from all other sources. tion-control devices or shut wind of a coal plant may be The number of deaths the cost of natural gas, and down. Lucas Henneman. breathing a complex cock- associated with individual regulations made running In the US, coal is being tail of chemicals, each with power plants depended coal plants more expensive,
INSIGHT
PAGE November 27, 2023 PAGE12, 12,Monday, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27 , 2023
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Breaking the OECD hold on global tax governance “THE Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is nothing less than a Club of the world’s wealthiest countries which is determined to bend powerless countries to its will”. I wrote that statement in 2002 after four years of negotiations with the OECD against its unilateral imposition of a regime to counter what it called the ‘Harmful Tax Competition Initiative (HTCI)”, launched in 1998. Unfortunately, in 2001, it succeeded in imposing its arbitrary HTCI, which killed the provision of global financial services by developing nations, including in the Caribbean, by threatening and imposing sanctions on countries that tried to stand up for
World View By SIR RONALD SANDERS their sovereign right to set their own tax levels. It was aided in this unjust action to establish itself as the only global rule maker on taxation, by the absence of a strong, united resistance from developing countries. Since then, there has been no end to the OECD’s relentless – some may say, ruthless – efforts to control and dictate tax levels for the rest of the world. Today, the OECD, comprising 38 of
the world’s 180 nations are still blacklisting countries that do not comply with the so-called “standards” that it sets, using a mechanism, euphemistically named, “The Global Tax Forum”, in which many developing states have become complicit in their own loss of autonomy on tax matters. The 27 member states of the European Union (EU) are a powerful and important bloc in the OECD,
IN 2022, fifty-four African nations, led by Nigeria, frustrated by the OECD’s stranglehold, successfully brought a resolution to the UNGA, recommending that the UN Secretary-General produce a report on “the promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations”. outnumbering other countries by 11 votes. Among the other 11 members are the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and, sadly, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico from Latin America. When the EU does not succeed in securing OECD endorsement of any of its ambitions, it implements its own. In September 2000, Sir Lester Bird, the late Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, whose country had battled courageously against the dictates of the OECD, declared in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that OECD action on global taxation was contrary to international law. In this regard, he called on the OECD “to resolve to halt its insidious process and place any discussion on tax issues in this multilateral forum (the UN) where it rightly belongs”. His call went unheeded. And, over the following 23 years, the OECD alone has dictated rules, regarding taxation. In the course of it, the financial services sector in developing states was decimated at a high cost, which continues to mount as the OECD instigates self-serving global directives. Then, in 2022, fiftyfour African nations, led by Nigeria, frustrated by the OECD’s stranglehold, successfully brought a resolution to the UNGA, recommending that the UN Secretary-General produce a report on “the promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations”. Encouraged by the admission in the report that the UN has a role to play and its identification of three options that could be followed, the Africans submitted another Resolution, seeking to wrest control from the OECD. The Resolution, entitled
“Promotion of inclusive and effective international cooperation at the United Nations, was adopted on 22 November 2023 by a vote of 125 in favour, 48 against and 9 abstentions. Ten countries, surprisingly including Dominica and Venezuela, absented themselves. Naturally, all 27 of the EU states voted against the Resolution. They were joined by the US, the UK, Japan and other countries with strong dependent, economic or military links to the OECD nations. However, it is notable that Mexico and Costa Rica – both OECD members – abstained from the vote. The question is what happens now? One certainty is that the powerful states of the OECD will not allow international taxation to be taken from their control, by placing it in the UNGA. Even before the resolution was adopted on November 22, the big OECD countries had been working against it. That work will continue in their accustomed way – through coercion and inducements to break the resolve of the developing countries that so overwhelmingly voted for the Resolution. The powerful states of the OECD have until Augst 2024 to once again divide and rule developing countries. By that time, an ad-hoc working group will have the responsibility to draft terms of reference for a UN framework convention on international tax cooperation. Undoubtedly, the big OECD countries will field their toughest negotiators; developing countries, including the Caribbean, need to do the same. The large OECD countries are the principal advocates of the merits of competition in the provision of goods and services in the world because their industrial and agricultural
capacity has reached the point where they need unrestricted entry to global markets to meet their expanding and increasing domestic financial challenges. But while they promote competition in the areas of their competitive advantage, they decry it in taxation which is the last frontier of autonomy for developing countries. Already the big OECD countries are disparaging the Resolution, desperate to make it fail when it is considered by the UNGA in 2024. The language being used is remarkably deceptive. For instance, a UK representative is reported to have said, “If we’re to deliver an improved tax system through the UN community, there must be the broadest possible buy-in from the start”. Regrettably, that edict did not apply to the OECD’s rules and standards, which its members developed by themselves and which they now pressure developing nations to accept. The pursuit of a fair, just, and equitable international tax system is paramount. This system should reflect the needs, priorities, and capacities of all countries, considering the unique challenges faced by regions like Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Hopefully, this time – the countries of the global south, including the Caribbean, will not sacrifice their long-term interest for short term crumbs. The OECD of 38 nations should not dictate terms for the other 142 states in the world community. That undertaking should rightly reside in the UN. (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com)
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 13
Hamas releases third group of hostages as part of truce, and says it will seek to extend the deal GAZA STRIP Associated Press
THE fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third exchange under a four-day truce that the
its offensive “with all of our might” once the truce expires. Ahead of the latest release, Netanyahu in body armour visited the Gaza Strip, where he spoke with troops. “At the end of the day we will return every one,” he said of the hostages, adding that “we are continuing
A RED Cross convoy carrying Israeli and foreign hostages heads to Egypt from the Gaza Strip at the Rafah border crossing yesterday. Photo: Fatima Shbair/AP US said it hoped would be extended. In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners. Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said one was airlifted to a hospital, and the director of Soroka Medical Centre said Elma Avraham, 84, was in lifethreatening condition as “a result of an extended period of time when an elderly woman was not taken care of as needed.” The youngest hostage released was Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual Israeli-American citizen whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct. 7. “What she endured was unthinkable,” Biden said of the first American freed under the truce. He did not know her condition and did not provide updates on other American hostages. Biden said his goal was to extend the cease-fire deal as long as possible. In all, nine children ages 17 and younger were on the list, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Three more Thai nationals were released. Separately, Hamas said it released a Russian hostage “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin.” The Russian-Israeli citizen was the first male hostage to be freed. The Palestinian prisoners released were children and young men, ages 15-19, largely accused of public disorder, property damage and in some cases causing or threatening physical harm to Israeli officers by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. Many were scooped up from protests and confrontations with troops. In turn, many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation. A fourth exchange is expected on Monday — the last day of the cease-fire during which a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. Most are women and minors. International mediators led by the US, Egypt and Qatar are trying to extend the cease-fire that began Friday. “We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing,” said two of Edan’s relatives, a great aunt and cousin, in a statement thanking mediators. Hamas for the first time said it would seek to extend the deal by looking to release a larger number of hostages. Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had spoken to Biden and reiterated his offer to extend the ceasefire by an additional day for every 10 hostages Hamas releases. But he said Israel would resume
until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” It was not clear where he went inside Gaza. This is the first significant pause in seven weeks of war, marked by the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamasruled Gaza. The war has claimed more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians killed in the initial attack. Hamas’ military wing released a video showing militants handing over the hostages to Red Cross workers and paramedics, with some of the balaclava-wearing fighters and hostages waving goodbye to each other. Families from the southern Israeli town of Kfar Aza embraced, cried, and applauded Sunday at the news that hostages from their town had arrived in Israel. More than 70 members of the kibbutz of around 700 people were killed and 18 were kidnapped. The freed hostages have mostly stayed out of the public eye. Hospitals said their physical condition has largely been good. Little is publicly known about the conditions of their captivity. Merav Raviv, whose three relatives were released on Friday, said they had been fed irregularly and lost weight. One reported eating mainly bread and rice and sleeping on a makeshift bed of chairs pushed together. Hostages sometimes had to wait for hours to use the bathroom, she said. Pressure from families has sharpened the dilemma facing Israel’s leaders, who seek to eliminate Hamas as a military and governing power. Hamas and other militant groups seized around 240 people during the incursion into southern Israel that ignited the war. Fiftyeight have been released, one was freed by Israeli forces and two were found dead inside Gaza. The pause has given some respite to Gaza’s 2.3 million people, still reeling from relentless Israeli bombardment that has driven three-quarters of the population from their homes and levelled residential areas. Rocket fire from Gaza militants into Israel also went silent. War-weary Palestinians in northern Gaza, where the offensive has focused, returned to the streets. Entire city blocks in and around Gaza City have been gutted by airstrikes. But those among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled the north have been turned back by Israeli troops while trying to return to check their homes. “They open fire on anyone approaching from the south,” said Rami Hazarein, who fled Gaza City. The Israeli military has
ordered Palestinians not to return to the north or approach within a kilometre (around a half-mile) of the border fence. The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said Israeli forces opened fire Sunday on two farmers in central
Gaza, killing one and wounding the other. An Israeli military spokesperson said they weren’t aware of the episode. The United Nations says the truce has made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water,
and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war, but it calls the amount of 160 to 200 trucks a day “hardly enough.” It was able to deliver fuel for the first time since the war began,
and to reach areas in the north for the first time in a month. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said 50 Egyptian aid trucks crossed through Israeli checkpoints to reach Gaza City and northern areas Sunday.
SPORTS PAGE 14
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023
NFL, Page 16
Flames win Baha Mar Hoops crown By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
U
niversity of Illinois at Chicago Flames’ forward Mikeal Brown-Jones called the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championships one of the greatest tournaments he’s ever played in. His comments came amidst the Flames’ glowing celebrations after they captured the championship title yesterday with a nailbiting 58-57 victory over the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Spartans in the Convention Center at Baha Mar. “I had a lot of fun here in the Bahamas. I’m just happy we won the championship,” stated Brown-Jones of the
SEE PAGE 15
UNIVERSITY of Illinois at Chicago Flames celebrate after winning the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championships yesterday in the Convention Center at Baha Mar. Photo: Dante Carrer
VILLANOVA WILDCATS TAKE 3RD BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS TITLE By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net THE Villanova Wildcats added a third Battle 4 Atlantis title to their collection after they triumphed 79-63 over the University of Memphis Tigers on Friday in the championship game at the Imperial Arena, Paradise Island. The third championship victory, following their wins in 2013 and 2017, made the Wildcats the team with the most titles in the history of the men’s tournament to date. Additionally, they hold the best win/loss record in the tourney’s history books with 9-0. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Tar Heels won in convincing fashion against the Arkansas Razorbacks 87-72 in the third place game. Defence was a major key to the Wildcats pulling off the 16-point win over the 5-1 Tigers.
Within the first six minutes of the opening half, the Wildcats got out to a 16-2 lead. During this period, the Tigers were ice cold and held to 1-for-10 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Villanova were on fire from behind the arc, shooting 5-for-8 on threes. Kyle Neptune, who is in his second season as the Wildcats head coach, talked about the team’s tough defensive effort. “I really thought we came out and set the tone. I was really proud of the guys, especially in the first 10 minutes or so,” the Wildcats head coach said. The Big East team pushed out to a 23-8 advantage with under eight minutes remaining in the first half of the contest and closed out the segment leading 44-18. At the halfway mark, the Tigers were held to under
SEE PAGE 17
6TH BEST OF THE BEST REGATTA IN MONTAGU BAY THIS WEEKEND By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH sailing now officially declared the national sport of The Bahamas, the hype has intensified as the skippers and their crew get their boats ready to compete in the sixth Best of the Best Sloop Sailing Regatta in Montagu Bay this weekend. The event is expected to feature more than 80 boats competing in classes A, B, C and D as well as a junior segment and according to Clyde Rolle, one of the members of the organising committee, they anticipate that the competition will be extremely fierce. Boats from Long Island, Exuma, Acklins, Ragged Island, Cat Island and Mayaguana will participate in the four classes when the
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TRACK AND FIELD CLASSIC ‘A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
VILLANOVA Wildcats celebrate after adding a third Battle 4 Atlantis title to their collection after they triumphed 79-63 over the University of Memphis Tigers in the championship game at the Imperial Arena, Paradise Island, on Friday. Photo: Dante Carrer
THE inaugural Bahamas Law Enforcement Co-Operative Credit Union Limited’s Law Enforcement Track and Field Classic on Saturday was termed a tremendous success, not just by the organisers, but the participants as well. The meet was staged in two sections with the high schools and clubs competing earlier in the day, while the Customs, Immigration, Road Traffic, Royal Bahamas Police and Defence Force and the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services went head-to-head for bragging rights. Omar Neely, chairman of the board for the Credit Union, said they wanted to spread their message to the law enforcement agencies that they are their friends
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PRO BOXER CARL HIELD TO SQUARE OFF WITH COLOMBIAN EDINSON JIMENEZ By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net LESS than a week removed from his second professional win, veteran boxer Carl Hield will be back in the ring again on Tuesday. The professional boxer is set to take on Colombia’s Edinson Jimenez in Santa Marta, Colombia, at Fight Night 2 in the super welterweight division. The professional bout is slated to begin at 6pm. Hield shared his expectations going into his third professional fight on Tuesday. “My third match is going to have the same outcome. My mindset is to go in and do what I have to do and if the knockout comes, it would be good. I am just
trying to stay as active as I can for next year’s Olympic qualifiers and try to put myself in a position to fight for a world title as well,” he said. After two successful bouts, the Bahamian boxer has an undefeated 2-0-0 (win/loss/draw) record headed into his next match against Jimenez. The latter has been a pro boxer since 2001 with a 65-5-3 record in 73 matches. The Colombian’s last professional win came against Jasit Cera, who was making his pro debut, in 2013. As for Hield, in his previous two matches he was victorious, earning technical knockout victories in both. The seasoned boxer’s first win came against Colombian Elkin Bolaño in his pro debut at the International Knockout Night
CARL HIELD in Cartagena, Colombia. He followed this feat with one of his most impressive wins yet against Colombia’s Diomedes Miranda, who sported a 21-5-0 record, last week Wednesday at the Fight Night in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Hield said he has learned a lot from his two fights in the professional ranks. “The pros are a bit different from the amateurs. After the first and second fight I am now more patient and relaxed. I realised in my second fight I was waiting for the punches, instead of rushing and throwing punches like I did in the first fight. As time goes during training and preparing for fights, I am adapting more to the professional side of boxing,” he said. Before his transition to pro boxing in October, Hield was one of the country’s most decorated boxers at the amateur level. During his amateur tenure, the 36-year-old competed in 51 total matches and ended with a
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THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 15
BAHA MAR HOOPS NASSAU CHAMPIONSHIPS
Flames win Baha Mar Hoops crown FROM PAGE 14 Flames, who hail out of Chicago. “I knew we would pull it off. We’re a together team. In a tough game like this, it just shows who’s the toughest team.” To add to his excitement about being in the Bahamas, Brown-Jones carted off the most valuable player award and he was named to the All-Tournament team with team-mate Keyshaun Langley, Delaware’s Jyare Davis, George Washington’s James Bishop IV and UIC’s Isaiah Rivera. “All praise to the Lord,” said Brown-Jones on receiving his special awards. “It’s all his doing.” Brown-Jones and UIC, coached by Luke Weasley, joined previous champions in Vermont in the initial year in 2017, followed by George Southern in 2018, Liberty in 2019, Toledo in 2021 and the University of North Carolina Wilmington took the title last year. Jalen Breath converted a pair of throws with 3.5 seconds to seal a 58-57 lead for the University of North Carolina Greensboro. The charity shots came just after Jaden Brownell canned a two-point with 9.4 on the clock to push UIC ahead 57-56 after a review to determine if it occurred
before the shot clock expired. Brown-Jones finished with a game high 15 points, nine rebounds and two block shots to lead UIC. Donovan Atwell had 11 points and both Keyshaun and Kobe Langley had 10 points apiece. UNC, coached by Mike Jones, got 14 points from Isiash Rivers, who also had five rebounds. Steven Clay had nine points and three rebounds, Filip Skobalj also had nine points and both CJ Jones and Jaden Brownwell added eight points each. Meanwhile, the George Washington Revolutionaries, coached by Mike Martin, clinched the consolation third place after they pulled away from the Delaware Blue Hens in the second half for an 81-71 victory. James Bishop IV scored as game high 28 points with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Maximus Edwards had 24 points, eight rebounds and two steals and Darren Buchnan Jr added 13 points with eight rebounds and two assists. Delaware, coached by Martin Ingeisby, was led by Jyare Davis with 23 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
Photos by Dante Carrer
Gerald Drumgoole Jr had 12 points and a pair of rebounds and assists, Cavan Reilly had 11 points and three rebounds, Christian Ray had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists and Niels Lane helped out with nine points. Results of the placement games played yesterday as well are as follows: Bobcats 77, Bears 77: Ohio, coached by Jeff Boals, clinched the consolation third place as Shereef Mitchell scored 24 points with three steals to lead their attack.
Jaylan hunter had 21 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals and Elmore James added 18 points with eight rebounds and four assists. AJ Brown helped out with eight points. In a losing effort for Brown, coached by Mike Martin, Kino Lilly Jr scored 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, Nana Owusu-Anane had 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, Kalu Anya had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, Aaron Cooley had 10 points and
five rebounds and Felix Floman had nine points. Blue Raiders 63, Roos 59: In winning their only game of the tournament, Middle Tennessee, coached by Nick McDewitt, finished in seventh place as Jalen Jordan had a game high 21 points. Justin Bufford had 13 points and five rebounds, Jared Coleman-Jones had nine points with six rebounds, four assists and three steals and Justin Porter added eight points. Kansas City, coached by Marvin Menzies, remained winless for eighth place.
Artese Stapleton led the way with 14 points, four assists and three rebounds and Jamar Brown helped out with 13 points and five rebounds. In games played over the first two days of competition, George Washington def. Ohio 99-4, UIC def. Middle Tennessee 70-40, Delaware def. Brown 67-59, UNC Greensboro def. Kansas City 76-64, Brown def. Kansas City 93-83, Ohio def. Middle Tennessee 80-68, UNC Greensboro def. Delaware 88-77, UIC def. George Washington 89-79.
UNIVERSITY of Illinois at Chicago Flames celebrate after winning the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championships yesterday in the Convention Center at Baha Mar.
PAGE 16, Monday, November 27, 2023
THE TRIBUNE
Jalen Hurts runs for OT winner among 5 total TDs as Eagles beat Bills 37-34 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts scored the winning touchdown on a quarterback draw with 2:37 left in overtime, and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills 37-34 on a cold, rainy Sunday. Hurts threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, and he outdueled Buffalo’s Josh Allen while rallying the Eagles from a 17-7 halftime deficit for the second straight game. Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott tied the game with a 59-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining. After the Bills went ahead with a field goal on the first possession of OT, Hurts ran virtually untouched for the 12-yard score that made the Eagles the only 10-1 team in the NFL. Allen threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores for the Bills (6-5), who are in danger of missing the playoffs after winning the AFC East the past three years. But he was intercepted in the fourth quarter by James Bradbury, setting up Hurts’ 29-yard TD pass to Olamide Zaccheaus for a 28-24 Philly lead. Hurts finished 18 of 31 for 200 yards with an interception in a matchup of two of the NFL’s most dynamic QBs. He had 14 carries for 65 yards. JAGUARS 24, TEXANS 21 HOUSTON (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw for 364 yards and a touchdown, and AFC South-leading Jacksonville beat division rival Houston when Matt Ammendola’s 58-yard field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar with 34 seconds left. The Jaguars (8-3) avenged their 37-17 home loss to Houston (6-5) in Week 3 and created some separation at the top of the division. C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, thew for 304 yards and two touchdowns as Houston’s three-game winning streak was snapped. He has 3,268 yards passing this season to move past Justin Herbert (3,224) for most in NFL history by a rookie in his first 11 games. With Jacksonville clinging to a 24-21 lead, the Texans got a stop but couldn’t move the ball. They settled for the long field goal attempt on fourth-and-12 instead of giving Stroud and their offence one more shot. Lawrence threw a 1-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley and connected with Ridley for the 2-point conversion to put the Texans ahead 21-14 midway through the third quarter. STEELERS 16, BENGALS 10 CINCINNATI (AP) — Kenny Pickett threw for a
PHILADELPHIA Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during overtime in an NFL football game last night in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) season-high 278 yards and Pittsburgh found new life on offence days after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, beating Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati. The Steelers (7-4) totaled 421 yards, snapping a streak of 58 games without gaining 400 yards. Pat Freiermuth had a career-high 120 yards receiving as the Steelers, led by interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner, outgained their opponent for the first time this season. Chris Boswell kicked two fourth-quarter field goals to keep the Bengals at bay. Cincinnati (5-6) got a field goal from Evan McPherson just before the two-minute warning, but the Steelers recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. Bengals backup Jake Browning threw a touchdown pass in his first start but had trouble keeping the chains moving. He finished 19 for 26 for 227 yards and threw an interception in the red zone. BRONCOS 29, BROWNS 12 DENVER (AP) — Russell Wilson accounted for two touchdowns and Denver’s defence produced three more takeaways and a safety to beat injury-riddled Cleveland. With their fifth consecutive victory, the Broncos (6-5) moved above .500 for the first time under coach Sean Payton. The Browns (7-4) missed out on a chance to match their best start since 1999 and they lost several starters to injury, including rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson
(head) in his first road start. Also hurt were Myles Garrett (hand/wrist), Amari Cooper (rib) and Jordan Elliott (ankle). Denver’s defence has now collected a whopping 15 takeaways in the Broncos’ last four games — their best four-game stretch since 1989. Wilson threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adam Trautman after defensive tackle D.J. Jones recovered a fumbled reverse at the Cleveland 20-yard line early in the fourth quarter, pushing the Broncos’ lead to 24-12. FALCONS 24, SAINTS 15 ATLANTA (AP) — Desmond Ridder overcame two interceptions by throwing a touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson in the fourth quarter, and Atlanta beat New Orleans to move into a tie for first place in the woeful NFC South. The Saints (5-6) were limited by injury problems at wide receiver after losing Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (thigh). New Orleans still outgained the Falcons 444397 as Derek Carr passed for 304 yards but had to settle for five field goals by Blake Grupe. The Falcons (5-6) snapped a three-game skid as Robinson ran for 91 yards with a touchdown. Jessie Bates had a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter, and he forced a fumble in the third quarter with a hit on Taysom Hill. Albert Higgins recovered the ball at the Atlanta 5.
Ridder completed 13 of 21 passes for 168 yards with one touchdown and the two picks. CHIEFS 31, RAIDERS 17 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Patrick Mahomes passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and Kansas City ended its three-game second-half scoring drought to rally past Las Vegas. The Chiefs (8-3) fell behind 14-0 in the second quarter but tied it by halftime and pulled away after the break. Isiah Pacheco rushed for two touchdowns, and Rashee Rice caught eight passes for 107 yards and a TD. Josh Jacobs rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (5-7), ending a 12-game streak in which the Chiefs did not allow a 100-yard rusher. The NFL’s reigning rushing champion also broke 1,000 yards from scrimmage to become the only player to reach that mark each year since 2019. Las Vegas rookie Aidan O’Connell passed for 248 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs have held 11 consecutive opponents to 24 or fewer points, three off the team record. Kansas City extended its winning streak to six games over the Raiders, and the Chiefs have beaten their AFC West rival in 16 of the past 18 meetings. COLTS 27, BUCCANEERS 20 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jonathan Taylor ran for two scores, quarterback Gardner Minshew also had a rushing TD and
Indianapolis beat Tampa Bay. The Colts (6-5) won their third straight and climbed above .500 for the first time since the end of September with their second home victory of the season. The two-time defending NFC South champion Bucs (4-7) have lost four straight road games and six of seven overall. Indy gashed the Tampa Bay run defence for 155 yards and 5.7 yards per carry. Taylor had 15 carries for 91 yards and his first multiple-score game of the season. Zack Moss ran eight times for 55 yards. The Colts took control early and never allowed the Bucs to completely recover after Baker Mayfield injured his right ankle on the game’s opening series. Mayfield was intercepted by Ronnie Harrison Jr. on the Bucs’ next possession, setting up Taylor’s first TD run. Mayfield was 20 of 30 for 199 yards with two TDs, one pick and a game-sealing lost fumble. GIANTS 10, PATRIOTS 7 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Xavier McKinney’s interception set up Randy Bullock’s go-ahead 42-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and New York beat New England to win consecutive games for the first time this season. The Giants (4-8) had three interceptions of New England’s woeful pair of quarterbacks. The Patriots (2-9) still had a chance to win in the final minute, but
coach Bill Belichick played for a tie and Chad Ryland was wide left on a 35-yard field goal attempt with 3 seconds left. Tommy DeVito threw a touchdown pass and didn’t have a turnover for New York (4-8). Rhamondre Stevenson, who rushed for 98 yards on 21 carries, scored on a 7-yard run for New England at the start of the second half after Bailey Zappe took over at QB for Mac Jones, as he has several times this season. Zappe finished 9 of 14 for 54 yards and an interception. Jones was 12 of 21 for 89 yards and two picks. RAMS 37, CARDINALS 14 GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw a season-high four touchdown passes, two each to Tyler Higbee and Kyren Williams, Los Angeles rolled past Arizona. Williams had a huge game in his return from an ankle injury, running for 143 yards and catching six passes for 61 yards, including touchdowns of 15 and 3 yards. Los Angeles scored 30 unanswered points after falling behind 8-7 in the first quarter. The Rams (5-6) won their second straight game overall and their ninth straight against NFC West rival Arizona. Kyler Murray completed 27 of 45 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown for Arizona (2-9) in his third game since returning from an ACL tear in his right knee. He also ran for a score. The Cardinals have lost eight of nine. TITANS 17, PANTHERS 10 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns and 76 yards as Tennessee beat Carolina to snap a threegame skid. The Titans (4-7) improved to 4-0 at home this season after playing at Nissan Stadium just once over the past seven weeks. Arden Key had a sack and forced fumble recovered by two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, who also had one of four sacks by Tennessee. Denico Autry had two, the second of which came two plays before the Titans forced the Panthers to turn the ball over on downs with 1:55 left. Tennessee never trailed. Rookie quarterback Will Levis threw for 185 yards and was sacked only once. Carolina (1-10) started a three-game road swing by losing its fourth straight. No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young threw for 194 yards as the Panthers controlled the ball for much of the second half, but only came away with one touchdown.
After a dominant Black Friday performance, Dolphins have their eyes on winning AFC East By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa keeps reiterating that the Miami Dolphins aren’t satisfied yet. Miami improved to 8-3 with a dominant 34-13 win over the struggling New York Jets on Black Friday. The Dolphins are looking to win the AFC East for the first time since 2008, and then make a deep playoff push. “The sky’s the limit for us,” Tagovailoa said. “Whatever we want to accomplish, everything’s right there in front of us and we basically turn it on fate here in this league. So, we just have to continue stacking those wins.” The Dolphins have the benefit of a favourable schedule to close out the season: Four of their final five games are at home, where they are undefeated.
Miami’s next three opponents have losing records, and the Dolphins have not lost to a team under .500 this season. Against the Jets, Miami put up 395 yards of total offence despite turning the ball over three times for the second straight game. Tagovailoa was 21 of 30 for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. “I feel good about my game. I’m not satisfied whatsoever about what I’m doing right now,” Tagovailoa said. “I know I have to continue to get better with that. Throughout these late stretches of having these games, we’re going to need better ball from me.” The Dolphins also got another standout performance from their defence, which limited the Jets to just 159 total yards. Miami has held its opponent under 300 yards in four straight games.
MIAMI Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) reacts during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Friday, November 24, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) Coach Mike McDaniel credited Miami’s recent defensive surge to players taking ownership of their responsibilities. “As a result, we’re starting to have a team that’s complementing each other in all three phases,” McDaniel said. “You can’t just show up and say ‘We’re going to stop this’ or ‘We’re
going to beat this’ to beat the Miami Dolphins. You have to deal with all sides of the ball.” WHAT’S WORKING Run defence. A week after limiting the Las Vegas Raiders to their lowest rushing total (36 yards) in six seasons, the Dolphins held the Jets to 29 yards rushing on 10 carries. That’s
the fewest yards rushing Miami has allowed in a game since 2017. The Dolphins haven’t allowed a team to surpass 110 yards rushing in 10 straight games, and since Week 2, Miami is third in the NFL in rushing defence. WHAT NEEDS HELP Ball security. The Dolphins have turned the ball over six times in their past two games and haven’t gone a game without a turnover since Week 3 against Denver. Tagovailoa was intercepted twice, and another giveaway came on a botched handoff to running back Darrynton Evans. STOCK UP S Jevon Holland. He intercepted Jets quarterback Tim Boyle on a failed Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the first half and returned it 99 yards for a score. It was the thirdlongest interception return in franchise history and
Holland’s first interception of the season. STOCK DOWN Tagovailoa. After throwing two interceptions against the Jets, one of which was returned for a touchdown, Tagovailoa is responsible for multiple turnovers in three of Miami’s past four games. His 10 interceptions also tie a career high. Although the turnovers ultimately didn’t cost the Dolphins against a woeful Jets team, those could prove costly against a tougher opponent later in the season. “I think it’s doing much more than what is asked,” Tagovailoa said. “Trying to be a little too aggressive on certain things. You just can’t do that.” NEXT STEPS The Dolphins will visit the Washington Commanders next Sunday in one of Miami’s final two road games of the season.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 17
BAD BOY MOWERS BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS MEN’S TITLE GAME
Villanova Wildcats win title FROM PAGE 14 15 per cent shooting from the field and shot 1-for-12 from three-point range. The second half began and saw the Wildcats’ threepoint shot stop falling after they missed their first five attempts in the opening minutes. However, despite the slight dip from the newly-crowned champions on offence, the Tigers were unable to capitalise within those minutes and fell behind 49-20. The momentum shifted slightly in Memphis’ favour when they stormed out to a 24-3 run to show some signs of life and make the score 67-53. Although the team seemed poised to make a comeback, the Wildcats held them off due to a balanced scoring effort. The 6-1 team had five starters score in double digits, including the tournament’s MVP Eric Dixon who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Dixon averaged 21.6 points and eight boards in the three games played at the 12th Battle 4 Atlantis men’s tournament. The head coach said the team has grown a lot over the last few games. “We always have a growth mindset. I thought we got a lot better defensively,
Photos by Dante Carrer
especially these last three games. That has always been our mindset.” “We learned a lot about our team here. We were tested and were resilient. We were in some battles, that is what you want. You want to be tested, that is a big thing for a team. We are glad it ended up the way it did,” he said. On Friday night, the Wildcats shot 43 per cent from the field compared
to 35 per cent from their opponents. Additionally, they splashed 37 per cent of their shots from behind the arc. The team collectively dished out 14 assists while the Tigers racked up seven dimes in the championship game. The third place game between the Razorbacks and Tar Heels saw RJ Davis and Tramon Mark put on an offensive show. The former dropped a career-high 30
points and picked up two assists in the third place win. For the opposing team, Mark poured in a gamehigh 34 points to pair with 5 boards in the loss. The Battle 4 Atlantis women’s and men’s tournaments are officially done with the University of Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels and Villanova Wildcats taking home the respective titles for 2023.
VILLANOVA Wildcats celebrate after adding a third Battle 4 Atlantis title to their collection after they triumphed 79-63 over the University of Memphis Tigers in the championship game at the Imperial Arena, Paradise Island, on Friday.
PAGE 18, Monday, November 27, 2023
THE TRIBUNE
CB Giants pound Rebels 90-61, YES Giants rout Island Development Construction Rebels 99-54 THE New Providence Basketball Association continued its regular season action over the weekend at the CI Gibson Gymnasium. On Saturday night in the men’s division one featured contest, the Commonwealth Bank Giants pounded the Island Development Rebels 90-61, while Your Essential Store Giants routed the Island Development Construction Rebels 99-54. On Friday in the men’s division one play, the Discount Liquors Rockets knocked off the Sunlight Cottage Stampers 88-63 and the Produce Express Rockets out-matched the Rhythm Rebels 90-42. UÊ iÀi½ÃÊ >Ê ÃÕ >ÀÞÊ vÊ the games played: Giants 90, Rebels 61: Jackson Jacob exploded
for 29 points with five rebounds, five steals and four assists to lead undefeated Commonwealth Bank on Saturday night. Dylan Musgrove had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists, Jordan Wilson and Christophe McKenzie both had eight points with 11 and seven rebounds respectively. For Island Development, Chadwin James scored 15 points with six rebounds, Arnold Stubbs had 12 points with six rebounds and two block shots, Toureque Cartwright also had 12 points with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Theo Ferguson had nine points and six rebounds and Kevin Pratt had eight points. Giants 99, Rebels 54: Malieck Johnson scored 24
points with five steals, four rebounds and two assists to lead Your Essential Store to victory on Saturday night. Brandon Strachan had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Matthew Saunders had 13 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals, Kirklyn Farrington had 12 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists and Edward Williams added 11 points, 18 rebounds and three assists. Island Development Bank got 17 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists and steals from Andrew Strachan and another 17 points with four rebounds and three assists from Darius Dean, but it wasn’t enough. Giano Fowler helped out with eight points and
Jude Vil had seven with five rebounds and two assists and Sidney Wilson had five points and 12 rebounds. Rockets 88, Stampers 63: Ryan Turnquest scored 18 points with two assists to pace the Discount Liquors to victory on Friday night. Roosevelt Whylly had 17 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and two steals, Kemsey Sylvestre had 15 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, Lerecus Armbrister had 11 points and four assists and Dominique Beadle added 10 points and 10 rebounds. For the Sun Light Cottage, Wilben Seraphin scored 16 points with five rebounds and four assists, Austin Major had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two assists, Johnley Noel also had 11 points with
seven rebounds and a pair of assists and steals. Rockets 90, Rebels 42: Christian Mance scored 14 points with three rebounds and two assists to lead the Produce Express to victory on Friday night. Haywood Seymour had 13 points and five rebounds and La’Shaun Bassett, Randy Blanfort and Rumalo Ellis all contributed 10 points. Blanfort and Ellis both had seven rebounds and Seymour chipped in with five. Jay-Onn Joseph scored 12 points with four rebounds for the Rythm. Ellery Lockhart and Nathan Pratt both had eight points with seven and four rebounds respectively. Tonight’s schedule 7:30pm - Discount Distributors Rockets vs Javon Medical Shockers (DII).
BOOKER HITS 3-POINTER WITH 1.7 SECONDS LEFT, SUNS BEAT KNICKS 116-113 FOR 7TH STRAIGHT WIN NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Booker made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining and finished with 28 points and 11 assists to lead Phoenix past New York for its seventh straight victory. With Kevin Durant out for a second straight game because of a sore right foot, Booker shot the winner from behind the arc, right in front of New York’s bench. Eric Gordon added 25 points for the Suns, who were also without guard Grayson Allen. He had started all 16 games before feeling ill Sunday. Jalen Brunson had 35 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Knicks. Julius Randle added 28 points, 17 in the third quarter. NETS 118, BULLS 106 NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points and Brooklyn made an NBA season-best 25 3-pointers to beat Chicago. Lonnie Walker IV and Royce O’Neale each made six 3-pointers and Mikal
Bridges had four. The previous high this season was 23 by Dallas at Memphis on October 30. The Nets set a franchise record for any quarter with 11 3-poiners in the second and made 16 in the first half. They finished 25 of 52, falling short of the franchise record of 27 and the NBA mark of 29. Walker and O’Neale each scored 20 points and Bridges had 15 to help Brooklyn improve to 8-8 and follow its 112-97 victory over Miami on Saturday night with its second straight win. DeMar Derozan led Chicago with 27 points. NUGGETS 132, SPURS 120 DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had a season-high 39 points to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists and Denver sent San Antonio to its 12th straight loss. Wembanyama, the top pick in the June draft, had 22 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for San Antonio. The losing streak is the third longest in franchise history. The Spurs lost 13 in
TRACK MEET
an event to make it known that we are opened to all law enforcement and we invite them to come in the spirit of camaraderie on the track.” Neely said they were pleased with the turnout in both segments and they hope to build on the event as they prepare to make it an annual one. While the high schools and clubs competed primarily in relay competition, there were number of exciting battles that were contested during the law enforcement branches, although they were limited
FROM PAGE 14 and are here to work hand-in-hand with them. “We started our Credit Union in 1985 as a Police Credit Union, but since then, we have opened our doors to all of the law enforcement agencies, including the Prison, Defence, Customs, Immigration, Road Traffic and the Judiciary,” Neely said. “So, as a result of that, we thought we would have
8:30pm - Brandon Deli Kings vs Leno Regulators (DII). Wednesday 7:30pm - Sand Dollar High Flyers vs BIBT Great Whites (DII). 8:30pm - Island Development Rebels vs Sand Dollar High Flyers (D1). Friday 7:30pm - Your Essential Store vs Discount Distributors Rockets (DII). 8:30pm - Commonwealth Bank Giants vs Leno Regulators (D1). Saturday 7:30pm - Produce Express Rockets vs Sand Dollar High Flyers (DII). 8:30pm - Caro Contractors Shockers vs Discount Liquors Rockets (D1).
BEST OF THE BEST REGATTA FROM PAGE 14
PHOENIX Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in New York yesterday. (AP Photo/Peter K Afriyie) a row in the 1988-89 season and 16 in a row last season. Michael Porter Jr. added 25 points to help Denver improve to 8-0 at home. CELTICS 113, HAWKS 103 BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, Jaylen Brown had 21 and injury-depleted, NBA-leading Boston beat Atlanta. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were sidelined with injuries for Boston (13-4). Holiday was out for the second straight game because of a sprained right ankle and Porzingis strained his left calf in a loss at Orlando on Friday. Trae Young had 33 points and seven assists for Atlanta. MAGIC 130, HORNETS 117 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony each 30 points
and Orlando beat Charlotte for its seventh straight victory. Anthony scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Magic stretch their lead as many as 16 points. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Paolo Banchero had 23 points and eight assists. Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 23 points and 10 rebounds. TIMBERWOLVES 119, GRIZZLIES 97 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, KarlAnthony Towns and Mike Conley each had 18 and Minnesota routed Memphis. Rudy Gobert added 13 points to help Minnesota win for the fourth time in the last five games. Conley added a season-high 10 assists and was 6 of 9 from 3-point range.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 18 points. Memphis lost its fourth straight dropped to 0-8 at home as it deals with injuries and the 25-game suspension of Ja Morant. CAVALIERS 105, RAPTORS 102 CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland had 24 points and eight assists and Max Strus all 20 of his points in the third quarter, helping Cleveland beat Toronto. Strus added 11 rebounds and five assists. Jarrett Allen scored 18 points and Evan Mobley had 12 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland, coming off a loss to Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Toronto centre Jakob Poeltl set season highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Pascal Siakam had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
to just one competitor in each event. Janton Gibson, the winner of the men’s 200m, was a former member of the Swift Athletics Track Club and as graduate of CI Gibson Secondary High, said he felt good competing out there again. “I haven’t raced in a minute,” said Gibson, now in his second year on the Defence Force. “But when I came off the back stretch, I had some catching up to do. I made it happen.” As he crossed the finish line ahead of his rivals, Gibson made a salute as
he “paid his respect to the senior men.” He said it was good to get an opportunity to compete against his peers in law enforcement. Philicia Sargent, a 12-year-veteran on the Defence Force, captured the women’s 200m title after a hiatus of almost 20 years from the sport. “Coming back, it’s a mind thing. We knew that we had one goal and that was to get to the finish line. That was my goal,” she said. “From start to finish, I pushed to get them. I had a pretty good start, but as the race progressed, I had to step it up some more to get the win.” Trevor Outten, a graduate of CC Sweeting Secondary High and a former member of Swift Athletics, said he was pleased with his performance in winning the men’s 1,500m for the Defence Force. “I just paced myself and wait until it was time for me to put myself in a position to bring it home,” he said. “It was a tough run, so I had to do my best.” Mileke Wood, a graduate of CV Bethel Secondary High, who competed for T-Bird Flyers and Bahamas Speed Dynamics, said he was delighted to be the men’s 800m champion. “I never practiced, so coming out here, I was a bit
nervous,” he said. “After they passed me on the first lap, I got a little speed boost, stayed composed and went out there and did what I had to do to win.” Augustine, a graduate of RM Bailey Secondary High where she was trained by David Ferguson, said she knew she still had something in the tank to win the women’s 800m. “It was great. It was quicker than I expected. The wind on the back stretch was crazy, but just had to fight through it,” she said. “ Perez Burrows, a graduate of St Augustine’s College, captured the title of the fastest man in law enforcement after he took the 100m crown for the Police Force. “It felt good, even though I had some problems with my hamstring. I was still able to pull through. It was a good race” he said. “The competition was good. They gave me a good run for my money, but I just was able to pull through.” Helen Johnson, a Grand Bahamian who competed for Fast Track and the Golden Eagles Track Clubs, emerged as the fastest female, winning the 100m. “It feels good to be back. I’m a little older, but I kept pushing,” said Johnson, who has been on the force for the past two years.
competition gets started on Thursday and wraps up on Sunday. However, Rolle said a lot of excitement will be brewing during the Skippers party 7pm Tuesday at Government House. “This is definitely the biggest and the best sailing event in the country,” Rolle said. “All of the top boats will be competing, except the Tida Wave and Lady Muriel, who might be competing because they were under repairs. “We have been looking forward to this event all year and now it’s here. The skippers and the sailors have been preparing themselves and so we anticipate that we will have some very keen competition on the waters in Montagu Bay.” For those who are interested, Rolle said there will be all sorts of entertainment onshore for both the adults and the children and vendors have been preparing a number of scrumptious Bahamian meals from all of the Family Islands to satisfy a hungry person’s taste buds. The event will be livestreamed once again and large televisions are expected to be displayed on the site for persons to follow the action on the water. After years of deliberation, the Bahamas Government finally announced in April that sailing is now the official sport of the country, replacing cricket, which was on the books for a number of years.
CARL HIELD
FROM PAGE 14 15-36 record (including one knockout win). He had a strong message for those following his professional journey. “I want to show people that whatever you believe in can turn into reality, just focus and keep going about your dream. It is never too late, you are never too young and never too old, the right time will come,” he said. He is committed to honouring the memory of his late mother Norma Hield through his hardwork and dedication. A special thanks was offered to sponsors Jet Wave, West End Contracting & Repair, Create Escapes (Landscape and Maintenance), Rigger Life 242, the Bahamas Boxing Federation and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.
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THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 27, 2023, PAGE 19
DEANDRE AYTON POSTS DOUBLE DOUBLE, BUCKS TOP TRAIL BLAZERS 108-102 By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo made a tiebreaking tip-in with 18.5 seconds left, Damian Lillard scored 31 points against his former team and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 26-point deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-102 yesterday. Lillard played the first 11 seasons of his career with the Trail Blazers before requesting a trade over the summer and eventually landing in Milwaukee just before the start of training camp. He faced Portland for the first time. The Bucks trailed 81-55 early in the
third quarter, the largest deficit overcome by a winning team in the NBA this season. Antetokounmpo had 33 points. Jerami Grant led Portland with 22 points, and Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points and 12 assists. A shot-clock violation enabled Milwaukee to get the ball in a tie game with 39.3 seconds left. Lillard missed a 3-pointer and Bobby Portis couldn’t connect on a putback attempt, but Antetokounmpo got the tip-in to put the Bucks ahead with 18.5 seconds left. The Blazers appeared to have a chance to tie it when Antetokounmpo appeared to foul out on Malcolm
Brogdon’s drive with 14.6 seconds left. Bucks coach Adrian Griffin challenged the call, and the foul was overturned upon a replay review. The overturn led to a jump ball between Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez and Portland’s Deandre Ayton. The ball ended up in the hands of Lillard, who made two free throws with 10.5 seconds remaining. After Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe missed a 3-point attempt, Lillard made two more free throws to complete the scoring. Sharpe added 17 points points for the Trail Blazers, and Ayton had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Rookie Scoot Henderson had a
career-high 13 points. Milwaukee played without Khris Middleton because of tendinitis in his left Achilles. “No timeline,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “Just day to day. We’ll see how responds to treatment. I think things are promising.” UP NEXT Trail Blazers: At Indiana tonight. Bucks: At Miami Tuesday night in an In-Season Tournament game.
TRAIL Blazers’ Deandre Ayton (2) shoots over Bucks’ Brook Lopez during the first half yesterday in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)