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Volume: 119 No.30, January 5, 2022
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WILL WE HAVE STAFF TO COPE?
130 health workers off the frontline as cases continue rising By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville said about 130 healthcare professionals are out of the system because of COVID-19, including 100 in New Providence and 30 in Grand Bahama. His comment comes as the country recorded 315 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday with a positivity
- SEE PAGE EIGHT
DOJA JUST LOVE HER?
rate of 45 percent. He said while there is sufficient hospital bed space, the challenge now is ensuring sufficient manpower to staff these wards. “As it stands, in New Providence there are little over 100 healthcare professionals out and there (are) about 30 to my last count in Grand Bahama at the Rand Memorial Hospital,” Dr Darville said. SEE PAGE THREE
DIRE PREDICTIONS OF HOW BAD IT COULD BE A NEW study has projected that due to the Omicron variant in The Bahamas, daily case numbers could reach a high of 2,610 by February 13. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent global health research centre at the University of Washington, used local data through December 13, 2021 and ran its model which produced
ALICIA WALLACE: FOUR SIMPLE STEPS TO REALLY HELP US MAKE THIS A BETTER YEAR
the new data on December 21, 2021. The study presents several possible scenarios by which infections, cases, hospitalisations and deaths could reach maximum levels. These scenarios include a reference scenario; high severity of Omicron scenario; 80 percent mask coverage scenario; third dose scenario; and reduced vaccine SEE PAGE THREE
SUPERSTAR Doja Cat helped celebrate the start of 2022 with an exclusive outdoor event at Atlantis’ Royal Deck on New Year’s Day. The performance by the “Say So” singer was part of the resort’s acclaimed entertainment series ‘Atlantis Live’. She is a three-time Grammy Award nominee and has taken home the Best New Artist Award at the MTV VMAs, the MTV EMAs, the AMAs – where she also won the Best Female Soul/R&B Artist Award – and the iHeart Radio Awards. (Photo: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Atlantis)
PASSENGERS’ FEAR AT FOUR ‘SERIOUS’ OFFERS MID AIR ‘NEAR MISS’ FOR LUCAYAN ON TABLE PASSENGERS were left terrified after being involved in a near mid-air collision on a Bahamasair flight out of Abaco. Flight UP236 had just taken off 10 minutes earlier than scheduled from
Marsh Harbour airport last Thursday when it suddenly had to bank steeply and make a rapid descent. Businessman Adam Darville was among those on board. SEE PAGE TWO
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Grand Lucayan’s ex-chairman yesterday
urged the Davis administration to pick up four “serious” purchase offers for the resort that he left behind as an alternative to “an act of humiliation”. SEE BUSINESS SECTION
BETTING SHOPS NEW LEVY SCRAPPED
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis said the government will do away with a patron tax on lottery winnings, although the levy was never implemented on gaming houses. The previous Minnis
MINISTER of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis.
administration had announced in 2018 that on July 1 of that year the
industry’s patrons would foot a five percent tax on deposits and winnings. However, it faced repeated delays because of a number of issues among them, especially web shop operators and patrons challenging the implementation in court. “That patron tax as far as
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE FOUR
TECHNOLOGY: CES GADGET SHOW- SEE2022 PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
Passengers’ fear at mid air ‘near miss’ FROM PAGE ONE
He told The Tribune yesterday: “I was returning to Nassau after spending the holiday with family in Green Turtle Cay. “At Marsh Harbour airport I’d noticed how busy the landing strip was with small planes coming in seemingly every other minute. I can’t recall seeing it that busy so it was a bit surprising when we got the call saying we were taking off a little bit early. “Everything was normal on take off and I was just resting back in my seat when there was a sudden lurch to the left and the plane seemed to nose down. “I was physically pulled out of my seat by the manoeuvre and had to grab the chair in front and push myself back down into my seat.” Other passengers, said Mr Darville, were completely traumatised by the event. “There were a few screaming and saying prayers,” he said. “One woman next to me was completely out of it – just staring ahead clearly fearing the worst. “We seemed to be just heading straight down but then the situation calmed down as the plane levelled
out and began its climb once again. “After about five minutes the captain came on over the intercom and calmly explained what had happened. “He said another plane had strayed too close to us and he’d had to take evasive action. “The rest of the flight was really uncomfortable as everyone was on edge. Every bit of turbulence had everyone on edge.” The incident once again highlights the dangers inherent in flying around The Bahamas without proper air traffic control in place. For many years local pilots have followed a General Aviation Rule which gives them sole responsibility for take off and landings and for movement below 10,000 feet. The pilot of the Bahamasair flight Mr Darville was on would have transmitted by radio his movements every two minutes to alert other planes in the vicinity that he was about to leave Marsh Harbour heading for Nassau. The problem arises if another pilot is not tuned into his frequency or is unaware of the local General Aviation Rule. One local pilot told The Tribune: “What may have
happened here is a plane was flying east or west across the Bahamasair’s flight path and just didn’t know the plane was heading his way. “The Bahamasair pilot actually was clearly on the ball to make sure his aircraft came through safely. “Before Dorian the air traffic control tower at Marsh Harbour would have been there to assist but that’s not back in operation yet so pilots are pretty much on their own, relying on others to follow the General Aviation Rules (GAR). Bahamasair managing director Tracy Cooper said the pilot of the flight involved in the Marsh
A FLIGHT path map showing the plane’s sudden turn to the left after it departed from Marsh Harbour airport.
Harbour incident would not have had to rely solely on his own initiative to avoid another aircraft. “All our aircraft have a Traffic Collision Avoidance System which is standard for all commercial airlines,” said Mr Cooper. “If you are flying on any course where another airplane is near it will tell the pilot what to do to ensure there is not a collision. That along with radar and radio and pilots talking to each other should keep the plane in a safe condition.” BACSWN - Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network has developed a first-of-its
kind system which would vastly improve weather and other aviation services for aircraft operating in The Bahamas. Its very advanced aviation system can work in conjunction with terminal air traffic control (i.e taxi, take off, climb, descent, approach and landing portions of flight). The company had been in extensive talks with the Minnis administration to install the system but an agreement, which was scheduled for signing, was postponed at the last minute until after the general election. Bahamasair managing director Tracy Cooper said that if BACSWN had
been in place the pilot of the flight involved in the Marsh Harbour incident would not have had to rely solely on his own initiative to avoid another aircraft. “All our aircraft have a Traffic Collision Avoidance System which is standard for all commercial airlines,” said Mr Cooper. “If you are flying on any course where another airplane is near it will tell the pilot what to do to ensure there is not a collision. That along with radar and radio and pilots talking to each other should keep the plane in a safe condition.”
COCONUT GROVE SHOOTING IS FIRST HOMICIDE OF 2022
THE VICTIM’S body is removed from the scene of the shooting in Coconut Grove. PHOTOS: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff
POLICE press liaison officer Superintendent Audley Peters speaks at the scene.
A MAN was found shot dead in the Coconut Grove area last night, becoming the first homicide victim for the year. Police press liaison officer Superintendent Audley Peters said officers were called to the scene after 9pm following reports of a shooting. He said responding officers met a man’s body inside a vehicle which was parked on a property on the northern side of the street. Emergency Medical Services was called, he said, and the victim, who had apparent gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead at the scene. Supt Peters said a preliminary investigation revealed the victim was exiting his car when two men approached with guns and shot at him. Police did not reveal the victim’s identity or age last night. Supt Peters said a motive for the shooting was unknown at the time. In the wake of recent killings, he urged people not to resort to violence or guns to solve conflicts, adding that police will have a robust presence in local communities going forward. He said after a recent promotions exercise in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, which saw Commissioner Paul Rolle transfer some officers, more police presence will be seen. “Whenever individuals find themselves in a new area that gives you an impetus to do something and be effective to make your presence felt. So I can assure the members of the public that you will have a robust presence in our communities in respect to dealing with these incidents and. . .patrolling and policing our various communities,” Supt Peters said. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the nearest police station or the Criminal Investigations Department at 502-9991. THE victim’s car is removed from the scene of the shooting.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 3
MINISTER of Health and Wellness Dr Michael Darville.
WILL WE HAVE STAFF TO COPE? 130 HEALTH WORKERS OFF THE FRONTLINE
PHOTO: Donavan McIntosh/ Tribune staff
FROM PAGE ONE “We are working across the board to bring healthcare professionals from public health to ensure that our core hospitals are functioning and functioning adequately so that if there is an additional surge we will be able to cope.” Hospitalisation numbers are steadily increasing and stood at 58 as of Monday, much higher than at the start of December, when only 18 people were in hospital with the virus. However, only three people are in the intensive care unit, suggesting manifestations of the disease continue to be less serious than in previous waves. Dr Darville said officials are still trying to determine how many people are in the hospital because of COVID19 versus how many people are there for other health reasons even though they have the virus. “Our meeting this morning has confirmed that there are about 55 persons at the Princess Margaret Hospital who are COVID positive,” he said before heading into a Cabinet meeting. He spoke to reporters before the Ministry of Health released the January 3 dashboard, which showed 58 hospital cases. “Of the 55 it is difficult to differentiate those who may be COVID positive with symptoms from COVID or whether or not they are COVID positive with other complications in hospital. It’s a cross-section and we are trying to get the exact number. “We are able to provide the essential services. At our legacy unit we had admissions and we are opening
more tents, but I must admit that due to the exposure of some of our staff members, some of the essential services had to be cut back and even though we have sufficient bed space, we are now restructuring to ensure we find the staff where individuals who have been admitted will be able to go into those
PRINCESS Margaret Hospital. particular wards.” Dr Darville also defended the government’s handling of the COVID-19 surge. “The government is doing all that we can with this situation,” he said. “When we look at what’s happening across the globe, every country is having difficulty with the control of this new Omicron variant. It’s very important that the Bahamian people realise that they have a part to play. We must exercise the proper protocols.” He reiterated that the government will bring in additional doctors and up to 50 nurses. He said free testing was expected to begin yesterday at vaccination sites. “During the holiday weekend there were some gatherings we were concerned about and they can potentially be super spreaders,” he said. “We’re watching the
amount of cases and we have been doing an excessive amount of testing. What is concerning us is that the percentage of testing is providing to be higher than we had anticipated which is an indication that the disease burden is relatively high in the country and we are now preparing ourselves to ensure that we have adequate healthcare protocols in place so that if there is a surge that could possibly take place with hospital admissions we are in a better position to deal with it.” Last week, the government denied an MSC cruise ship entry to its own private island due to the number of positive cases on board. “Our job,” Dr Darville said, “is to try to balance the economy along with dealing with the viral load in the country and so we are looking very closely and multiple discussions have been ongoing throughout the weekend on best ways how we can accommodate the cruise ships and to minimise the disease burden on board the shifts. Those discussions are still ongoing; it is not completely finalised yet.” Dr Darville said the decision to deny ships entry “is always related to the disease burden.” “If we feel that a ship has too many positive cases on board, it is the Ministry of Health’s responsibility to protect the wellbeing of the Bahamian population and try to find that balance where we are able to ensure and feel confident that the cases that are on board the ship have the capability to be isolated and auctioned and when we don’t feel that’s possible we have to make those kinds of tough decisions,” he said.
90 PERCENT OF VIRTUAL JUNKANOO PRODUCTION TEAM HAD COVID-19 By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
The show aired on January 1 on television and social media, but there were some complaints from viewers about the YOUTH, Sports and Culquality of the production. ture Minister Mario Bowleg Mr Bowleg said once revealed yesterday that 90 industry stakeholders and percent of the team contracted ministry officials review the to produce a virtual Junkanoo corrected programme, it will show had COVID-19, which be rebroadcast. has affected the production. Mr Bowleg also gave a A day after he told The breakdown of the cost of Tribune the production’s qualproduction. ity could have been better, The Ministry of Youth, Mr Bowleg reiterated to Sports and Culture previously reporters that the Bahamian said the budget for virtual Juncompany hired for the job kanoo for New Providence, faced challenges that caused the production not to be up to YOUTH, Sports and Culture Grand Bahama and the Family Islands amounted to standard. Minister Mario Bowleg. $300,000. Asked about these chalThe ministry said it prolenges, he said: “We (are) in a COVID environment and sad to say 90 vided $126,000 to Junkanoo groups as a percent of the production team got COVID stipend, providing grants of $11,000 to and they were unable to do their work that seven Category A groups and $7,000 to would allow them to meet the deadline or seven Category B groups. “On production and advertising, the do their work to the perfection I should say to allow them to meet the deadline that we Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture spent $24,000 on production and $200 on wanted to air the production. “Unfortunately, the work that they audio advertising. “The remaining balance of the $300,000 would’ve put in would’ve not been sufficient to satisfy us but again I’m not taking will be spent on the virtual parades for anything away from them. They’re gonna Grand Bahama and the Family Islands,” correct their errors and we’re gonna move the ministry said in a statement issued over forward.” the weekend.
DIRE PREDICTIONS OF HOW BAD IT COULD BE FROM PAGE ONE hesitancy scenario. Regarding infections, IHME said daily estimated infections in the reference scenario, which represents what they believe is most likely to happen, could rise to 2,610 by February 13. This same figure is projected in the high severity of Omicron scenario by February 13 while the data projects that daily estimated infections in the 80 percent mask coverage scenario could rise to 1,190 by February 16. Daily estimated infections in the third dose scenario could rise to 2,350 by February 13 while daily estimated infections in the reduced vaccine hesitancy scenario will rise to 2,590 by February 13. Regarding hospitalisations, the study noted that it was likely that there could be 20 people admitted per day by March 13. Other scenarios considered were daily hospital census in the high severity of Omicron scenario which could rise to 30 by March 14 and daily hospital census in the third dose scenario could rise to 10 by March 13. Meanwhile, daily hospital census in the reduced vaccine hesitancy scenario could rise to 20 by March 13. The report also noted deaths could reach 820 by April 1. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 717 deaths reported by local health officials. However, according to the IHME there could be a little over 100 deaths from December 13 to April 1. Under its reference scenario, IHME’s model projects 1,200 cumulative total deaths due to COVID-19 on April 1. This represents 150 additional deaths from December 13 to April 1. The report explained its projections and scenarios. “We produce five scenarios when projecting COVID-19. “The reference scenario is our forecast of what we think is most likely to happen: vaccines are distributed at the expected pace. “Brand and variant-specific vaccine
efficacy is updated using the latest available information from peer-reviewed publications and other reports. “Future mask use is the mean of mask use over the last seven days. Mobility increases as vaccine coverage increases. Omicron variant spreads according to our flight and local spread model. “Eighty percent of those who have had two doses of vaccine (or one dose for Johnson & Johnson) receive a third dose at six months after their second dose.” The report continued: “The high severity of Omicron scenario modifies the reference scenario assumption in two ways: The infection-hospitalisation ratio for Omicron is 2.3 times as high as compared to the reference scenario. The infection-fatality rate is 4.6 times as high as compared to the reference scenario. “The 80 percent mask use scenario makes all the same assumptions as the reference scenario but assumes all locations reach 80 percent mask use within seven days. “If a location currently has higher than 80 percent use, mask use remains at the current level. “The third dose scenario is the same as the reference scenario but assumes that 100 percent of those who have received two doses of vaccine will get a third dose at six months. “The reduced vaccine hesitancy scenario assumes that those in each location who respond on surveys that they probably will not receive a vaccine are persuaded or mandated to receive a vaccine.” The report is dated December 27, 2021. Yesterday, 315 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in The Bahamas. That is 279 in New Providence, 22 in Grand Bahama, two in Abaco, one each in both Eleuthera and Exuma, four in Long Island, two in San Salvador and four cases with locations pending. Officials said 45 of the new cases had a history of travel. There were also 58 people in hospital receiving treatment - 55 were moderately ill and three in the intensive care unit.
PAGE 4, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
BETTING SHOPS NEW LEVY SCRAPPED FROM PAGE ONE
I know had not come into effect and so we decided that we will do away with it,” Mr Halkitis told reporters before heading to a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “As you know it had been the source of legal action as well as a lot of debate, so we decided we’ll just do away with it. “The gaming industry, if you look at it in terms of their taxation not only versus casinos but versus other businesses, is very, very heavily taxed and so we believe that it’s just better to do away with it.” Yesterday, FML Group of Companies owner Craig Flowers praised the move as a “good thing” to ensure the industry could grow. Mr Flowers said a conversation needed to be had between the government and operators with a view to coming up with new ways to earn revenue from gaming houses. Mr Flowers for years maintained that a patron tax would be detrimental to his operations as it was more than 75 percent lottery based and about 25 percent focused on slots. Other gaming houses, in contrast, are about 75 percent focused on slots and 25 percent lottery focused. In addition, he believed there should have been continued discussions with operators with a mutual decision on the
way forward. However, he said while there were meetings, he opted not to attend because he did not like the direction those talks took. “I excluded myself from several of those meetings because I personally did not like the tone and the direction it was heading in,” Mr Flowers said in an interview yesterday. “So, to hear today that the present government
“The government is taking large volumes of our revenue now from what the patrons would have lost whatever the losses are from the patrons, we the operators receive that. We pay a tax on those revenue which is the NGR – the net generated revenue – we pay a tax to government on the patrons losing funds and then to turn around and say I am going back to the patrons again a second time to collect a second tax when they win will be a detriment the industry, but they couldn’t see it.
Lottery
CRAIG Flowers chooses to not entertain the patron’s tax was a good thing because I don’t think that it intended to promote or to elevate or to encourage the industry to develop or to grow. “It was designed to retard the industry and certainly to go to the player after they would have won to ask them to pay on their winnings and also tax when the players lose it was taxing the patrons twice.
“They made the argument that ‘well you pay winning taxes on the Florida lottery and the other large lottery industry’ but the patrons are not taxed twice in that case. The patrons buy a dollar ticket, the patrons leave with a dollar ticket. Now when they do win, yes there is a tax but that is an income tax that is being applied.” He continued: “It just didn’t add up that it made good sense. It was to me a dagger in the industry to either retard it to slow it down or to restrict it and I did not feel comfortable having a conversation even though I knew it was a losing argument for me, but they were the points which I raised at several meetings attended during the time of the introduction of this.
“The gaming industry, if you look at it in terms of their taxation not only versus casinos but versus other businesses, is very, very heavily taxed and so we believe that it’s just better to do away with it.” Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis “I felt strongly that it was pointed against my company particularly because we were the forerunners of the lottery base and not so much the slots. Our company was more than 75 percent lottery and 25 percent slots when other companies were more than 75 percent slots and 25 percent lottery and when you are going to apply a tax that tax is then being applied only to the lottery base so I thought it seemed to be pointed more toward me or FML than anyone else. “So, for those reasons I opposed and I made that
clear during the time. But today to hear that the present government sees fit not to tax the patrons twice is a good thing. It’s a good thing for the industry. “I think it will certainly benefit the industry in that context. “The industry will now continue with its ability to grow and to expand. I think that all companies will feel elated to hear that the minister has said this.” Moving forward, Mr Flowers wants the new government to have dialogue with the operators
to discuss unexplored ways to raise funds from web shops. “There are lots of ways that can be discussed with us that can work in harmony for the government to generate more revenue and I think that is what this whole thing is about. It’s not about the patrons or the operators. “It’s about how the government can generate more revenue from the industry itself by virtue of raising more funds for government from the industry and that I think should be the conversation to be had,” Mr Flowers said yesterday. The tax was supposed to place a five percent levy paid by patrons on winnings up to $1,000, and 7.5 percent on anything greater than $1,000. It was projected to generate between $10m-$15m annually in extra revenue for the Public Treasury.
New govt ‘found no manuals or regulations in place’ relating to Public Procurement Act By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
MICHAEL Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs, said the Davis administration found in place no manuals or regulations relating to the Public Procurement Act when it came to power, suggesting this has affected the government’s ability to comply with the key legislation. Last month, Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard criticised the new government for not following the reporting requirements of the law, which include publishing details of approved contracts and procurement activities within 60 days of the award of a contract. “The law was I think passed early in 2021,” Mr Halkitis told reporters yesterday before a Cabinet meeting. “It was implemented on the 2nd of September 2021, conveniently two weeks before the general election. “We report as necessary, we’re complying with the legislation and the reports will be made but that procurement legislation… came into effect the 2nd of September, two weeks before the election. “Here you had a former government that was procuring straight up to that, no training, no manuals, no regulations, all of that you have to implement now, so Mr Pintard should just appreciate that when you do transformative legislation, wide-ranging legislation like that, you have to train the public service to
be able to implement it and you have to have in place regulations and manuals.” Mr Halkitis reiterated that the Davis administration will make amendments to the Procurement Act. He said: “We’ve had a lot of legislation, I’ll tell you, that was pushed through. “We have to make sure legislation makes sense. “You need transparency, you need accountability, you need order in government operations, but it also needs to make sense so that government can operate. “So, we’re looking at the slew of legislation to make some changes to make sure that we maintain the transparency but government hands are not tied and you’re not crippled in terms of when government needs to procure and do things, especially on an urgent basis.” The passage of the Public Procurement Act was partly a response to long-term criticisms of the country’s procurement processes. In its 2020 investment climate statement on The Bahamas, the US State Department said this country lacks modern procurement legislation and that companies have complained its tender process for public contracts is inconsistent. “US firms have identified corruption as an obstacle to FDI (foreign direct investment) and have reported perceived corruption in government procurement and in the FDI approvals process,” the report said.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 5 LAWYER Sonia Timothy speaking yesterday. Photo: Racardo Thomas/ Tribune staff
Privy Council ruling ‘could open door for release applications’ By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net A PRIVY Council ruling that could lead to a man being freed from Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre after being there for decades could open the door for other people to make applications to the courts for release, according to lawyers. At the age of 21 on April 17, 1983 Eric Stubbs was arrested for the offences of housebreaking and rape. According to his lawyer, Sonia Timothy, Stubbs—who has mental illness—was at a family function where he began laughing and police were called. She said Stubbs was taken by the police from his home and was driven out west. She claimed he was told that by the time he walked into town that he should be normal. Instead, she said he wandered into Lyford Cay thinking he was in the “Garden of Eden,” followed a dog and ended up at a woman’s home. Following a jury trial on April 10, 1984, he was convicted. He was sentenced nine days later to seven years’ imprisonment. According to his attorney, his appeal was heard on February 27, 1985. He was not represented at his appeal. “The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal. It was ordered that for the verdict of guilty there be substituted a verdict of guilty but insane and that for the sentences of seven years’ imprisonment there be substituted an order that the appellant be conveyed to Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, there to be kept until discharged by order of the Governor General, as per Section 188 of the
Criminal Procedure Code Act, 1968, which is now our Section 192,” Ms Timothy explained. Back in March 2021, an application was made to the Court of Appeal for leave to appeal to the Judicial Committee to the Privy Council. The matter dealt with the role of the Governor General in legal matters. Based on another case, it was highlighted “sentencing is a quintessentially judicial function.” Ms Timothy argued that in this case, leaving the convict’s release up to the Governor General was a constitutional violation of the country’s separation of powers of the executive,
judiciary, legislature. In June 2021, the Court of Appeal denied leave noting the application was “woefully out of time”. However, on December 15, 2021, on an agreement by the parties, the appeal was allowed to the extent specified on the grounds raised in relation to separation of powers. Ms Timothy said the Supreme Court is expected to decide if her client should be released based on a psychiatric report and a social report. In its ruling, the Privy Council wrote: “The parties should seek directions from the Supreme Court as to the evidence it requires, such as psychiatric and social
VAT REDUCTION ‘HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED SMOOTHLY’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis says the reduction in value added tax to ten percent has been implemented smoothly across the country. The rate change took effect on January 1. “It’s gone very smoothly, we haven’t had many hiccups, or any hiccups that I have heard about, but if we have any I would deal with them, but it’s gone very smoothly,” he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “About a week ago we had a virtual seminar with some business people who had expressed some concerns and they had their questions answered, (it was) very well attended and since then I believe everything has gone
smoothly. I believe people have already begun to experience some savings, but as the days and weeks go on we will have more and more people experience the savings.”
Services The Davis administration announced last year that it would put VAT at ten percent on almost all items and services, including previously zero-rated breadbasket items. The previous VAT rate was 12 percent. “Anyone who is being charged 12 percent should contact us at the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs or Department of Inland Revenue…everybody should be charged 10 percent,” Mr Halkitis said. “For businesses who
have actual physical price tags on items, for example a clothing store where they have a tag on an item and some retailers where they have a physical price on an item, we’re giving them a transition period for them to physically change the prices on those items,” he added. “People are seeing the savings. I had the opportunity to speak to an entrepreneur yesterday who had received his rent for his business and it was reflective of the change to ten percent and he was very, very happy with the savings and I think as time goes on people will realise that to go from 12 percent to ten percent on the tens of thousands of items and services that people purchase it will be a saving when compared to the few items than the zero (rate) has been changed on.”
reports to consider the following factors applicable to the question of continuing detention: (a) whether the appellant is suffering from mental disorder of a nature or degree which makes it appropriate for him to be liable to be detained in hospital for medical treatment; or (b) whether it is necessary for the health or safety of the appellant or for the protection of the public that he should receive such treatment.” A direction hearing was heard before Senior Justice Bernard Turner on December 22, 2021. The matter has been adjourned to January 21 for presentation of the psychiatric reports. Stubbs has been in Sandilands since 1985. He is now 60 years old. At yesterday’s press conference, it was highlighted that the appeal and the Privy Council’s decision affects persons in similar circumstances. “There are other persons to whom this decision would affect them,” Ms Timothy said. “(It may) lead to their release and again dependent on the psychiatric report which says that they are not of a danger to themselves. They are not a danger to society. There is no need for their continued detention.” Stanley Rolle at the Office of the Public Defender said regarding other people affected by an order from the court giving such powers to the Governor General to have them released at his/her pleasure, the door is now open for them to make an application to have that reviewed. Asked how many will be affected, he stated: “I could not say off hand but I would say this much. In most cases where a juvenile has been convicted of murder, I know of at least
two juveniles when they were convicted who sit at the Queen’s pleasure. One at the Governor General’s pleasure. So those are persons who are impacted. “One of the problems I know that one has is that our Court of Appeal took the position it had no power to grant leave in criminal matters to appeal to the Privy Council and because of that decision persons now on the criminal side go directly to the UK Privy Council. “One of the difficulties
that most prisoners may have is always money and for my part it is something that I believe the criminal bar or any criminal lawyer should challenge at the Privy Council so that if it is that the Court of Appeal by virtue of its act does not have that power, just as in this order, amendments can be made to give the Court of Appeal power to grant leave. There are cases that there is merit but because of the position or because of the opinion of the Court of Appeal ……and most
PAGE 6, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
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Zoos and aquariums shift to a new standard of ‘animal welfare’ In 1980 I visited the zoo in a major U.S. city and found row after row of bare concrete boxes with jailhousestyle bars occupied by animals from around the world. The animals appeared to be in good physical condition, but many were staring into space or pacing restlessly around the edges of their tiny quarters. It was depressing. I’m not naming the zoo, because you could have seen the same thing at most U.S. zoos in that era. More recently, visitors to many zoos and aquariums see animals in surroundings that resemble their native habitat, behaving in ways that are typical for their species. What has changed? In the intervening years, the professional zoo and aquarium community has fundamentally altered the way it views the task of caring for the animals in its collections. Instead of focusing on animal care, the industry is now requiring that zoos meet a higher standard – animal welfare. This is a new metric, and it represents a huge change in how zoos and aquariums qualify for accreditation. I am a scientist who studies animal behavior, both in captivity and in the wild. This recent development in the zoo world is the result of an evolution in the scientific understanding of animals’ lives and welfare. It also reflects zoos’ and aquariums’ increasing focus on conservation. From trophy case to conservation message Since the first animal menageries in ancient Egypt, zoos and aquariums have taken a progression of forms. The British Royal Menagerie, which was housed in the Tower of London from the early 13th century until 1835, served as an animated trophy case. In Europe, exotic animal collections were often displayed in garden settings for the amusement of the gentry, and by the late 18th century, for the general public as well. These places often functioned as stationary circuses, sensationalizing the strangeness of animals from afar. In Victorian England, zoos were recast as edifying entertainments. This was also true in the U.S., where the first zoo opened to the public in Philadelphia in 1874. Early zoos weren’t very good at keeping animals alive. In the first half of the 20th century, though, zoos began to focus on animals’ physical health. This ushered in the “bathroom” era in zoo design, with an emphasis on surfaces that could be steam-sterilized, such as ceramic tile. Over the past 50 years, a landscape immersion model of zoo design has risen to prominence, as institutions have evolved into conservation and education organizations. By displaying animals in settings resembling their natural habitat – and setting the scene for visitors to imagine themselves in that habitat – the hope is to instill in visitors who might never see a lion in its element a passion for its preservation. Changing standards Accreditation is a mechanism for maintaining and pioneering best practices. Being accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is the highest level of professional recognition for North American zoos and aquariums. Fewer than 250 out of approximately 2,800 animal exhibitors licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are AZA accredited. To earn that accreditation, a zoo or aquarium must demonstrate alignment with its mission, a sound business operation and significant activity in the areas of education, conservation and research. But the centerpiece of accreditation is demonstrating quality of life for animals under human care.
For decades, the focus was on practices that correlate with animal health, like absence of illness, successful reproduction and longevity. The AZA has published objective standards for what it means to provide proper care for a tapir, a tiger or a Japanese spider crab – for example, requirements specifying certain amounts of physical space, environmental temperature ranges and cleaning routines. These extensive and detailed standards were devised by working groups of experts in various species from across the zoo and aquarium community and based on the best available scientific evidence. A recent revision to accreditation standards in 2018, however, supersedes this model in favor of a new goal – that a zoo or aquarium demonstrate it has achieved animal welfare. Not only must animals be healthy, but they should also display behavior typical of their species. Climbers must climb, diggers must dig and runners must run. Understanding the lives of animals is central Over the past 60 years, scientific understanding of animals’ cognitive abilities has exploded. A large body of scientific work has shown that a relatively rich or impoverished environment has effects on both brain and behavior. Such awareness has led the zoo and aquarium community to formally embrace a higher standard of care. Zoo or aquarium personnel can provide such behavioral opportunities only if they know what is normal for that species in the wild. So optimizing animal welfare requires a knowledge base that is both broad and deep. For example, a zoo must understand what is normal behavior for a pygmy marmoset before it can know what behavioral opportunities to provide. Many zoos and aquariums house hundreds of animal species. Each species exists because it occupies a unique niche in the ecosystem, so the conditions that produce ideal welfare for one species may not be the same as those for a different species. Developing welfare standards for the wide diversity of zoo species will take time and quite a bit of research. Although AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums contribute over $200 million per year to research in over 100 countries around the world, the need for conservation research always far outstrips the available funding. How old is an eastern black rhinoceros before it begins to go on adventures away from its mother? If a flamingo chick has a medical issue that is successfully resolved, how can keepers tell if its development has been affected? How can keepers evaluate whether items introduced into the enclosure of a troop of Japanese macaque monkeys, intended to enrich their environment, are actually serving that purpose? Knowing the answers to these questions, and a multitude of other similar ones, will help the zoo community truly optimize the welfare of animals under their care. Another major factor behind the AZA’s new standard is its role in species conservation. Captive animals typically outlive their wild counterparts. Zoos and aquariums are the figurative lifeboat for an increasing number of species that are extinct in the wild. Simply keeping an animal alive is now no longer enough. Zoo-based efforts to save endangered species will succeed only if understanding of the animals’ lives is fully integrated with husbandry standards. • This article is by Michael J. Renner of Drake University for theconversation.com.
Michael Pintard displays hypocrisy EDITOR, The Tribune. MICHAEL PINTARD, the comedian-turnedleader of the FNM, in my opinion displayed hypocrisy in his comments in The Nassau Guardian on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Pintard was a member of the Minnis Cabinet. In our system of government there is collective responsibility when it comes to Cabinet decisions. Then Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis led a government that had to deal with the worst of the global pandemic, which began in March 2020. At that time there was a lethal virus spreading around the world, and there were no vaccines and no treatments. People were getting sick around the globe in the millions. Many, many were dying. Minnis and most of the leaders of the world took aggressive actions to save lives. These measures at various times included lockdowns, curfews, closures and restrictions on gatherings. As time progressed and treatments and vaccines emerged, leaders such as Minnis lessened the restrictions to ensure a balance was struck between saving lives and allowing normal life and businesses to function. As part of the Cabinet, Pintard shares equal responsibility for the policies taken.
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net
Throughout the Minnis term in office Pintard kept his high-profile Cabinet job; he kept his Cabinet salary; and he kept his Government car and perks. If Pintard had a fundamental problem with the Cabinet’s policies it was his duty to resign and speak up from the backbench in the House of Assembly. Pintard did not do this. He kept his high-profile Cabinet job; he kept his Cabinet salary; and he kept his Government car and perks. In The Nassau Guardian story of January 4, Pintard criticised the very Cabinet he was part of, suggesting the Minnis administration might have gone too far in some instances with its anti-COVID measures. “So, when we were in government, the criticism was that we went too far in terms of so many layers of restrictions. And in some cases, I am inclined to agree,” he said. “Some of the summary lockdowns were ill-advised and did not achieve their purpose. It created unnecessary anxiety, stress, inconvenience, etc.” If he were so against major measures taken, why didn’t he resign and speak up? Why didn’t he give up the salary, car, perks and prestige?
In my opinion this is hypocrisy. This is disloyalty. In Pintard’s childish and petty attempt to attack Minnis, it is my opinion that he embarrassed himself and the FNM. The FNM now has a new leader who is publicly attacking policies that he, Michael Pintard, was responsible for. A large majority elected Pintard leader of the FNM. He is in the early days of his leadership. He will not make it long in this post if he keeps spending his time trying to tear down Minnis. FNMs respect Minnis for doing his best in a difficult situation. He tried to save lives. He fed Bahamians via the largest social welfare intervention in Bahamian history. He gave tens of millions of dollars each month in benefits to unemployed Bahamians. Minnis made mistakes, but he did his best. The PLP is allowing the virus to spread. Record numbers of Bahamians are getting sick. The governing party has no plan. Pintard should focus on attacking the current Prime Minister and his party for their incompetence in managing the pandemic rather than making immature attacks on Minnis. THE MACKEY STREET MAN Nassau, January 4, 2022.
Let new FNM leader unify the party EDITOR, The Tribune. I must commend our Leader, the Hon. Michael Pintard for setting the record straight in Tuesday’s Tribune, 4th of January. “Minnis doesn’t speak for Party’’. Minnis had his opportunity, but treated the media with utter contempt, he obviously didn’t learn anything from his predecessor, the Hon. Hubert Ingraham who after retiring never had anything to say during the Minnis era. Minnis all of a sudden has become the competent authority in speaking out on all matters. Doesn’t he realise that he’s the cause that kept indigenous FNMs from the
poles wanting to be rid of him? Mr Minnis do you know what it is to be a statesman? Your record was a woeful one in dividing the Party, please sit small, close your mouth, no one is listening to you. Again your era is over. The Hon. Michael Pintard is our Leader, show some respect and let him lead and unify our party! KELLY D BURROWS Freeport, Grand Bahama. January 4, 2022.
THE TRIBUNE
Grand Bahama set for local govt elections on January 27 By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SOME 70 council seats are up for grabs in this year’s local government election in Grand Bahama slated for January 27. Nomination of candidates will take place tomorrow at various nomination centres throughout the island, including East Grand Bahama, Sweeting’s Cay, Freeport, and West Grand Bahama. Eligible candidates must complete a nomination form, submit a $50 deposit and present their declaration notarised by a Justice of the Peace. In the City of Freeport District, there are nine seats – three for Marco City and two each for Central Grand Bahama, Pineridge, and East Grand Bahama. In the Sweeting’s Cay District, there are five seats. There are seven seats in High Rock Township; five in Freetown Township; and nine each in West End Township, Eight Mile Rock West Township, Eight Mile Rock East Township, and Pinder’s Point Township. The nomination starts at 9am and ends at noon. Candidates in Central and East Grand Bahama may nominate at St Georges’ High School Gymnasium. Those in Marco City and Pine Ridge may nominate at Jack Hayward Senior High School. In the East Grand Bahama District, candidates may nominate at St Nicholas Anglican Church Hall. In the West Grand Bahama District, candidates may nominate at the Administrator’s Office in Jones Town, Eight Mile Rock. And in the Sweeting’s Cay District at St Michael’s and All Angels Church Hall. Candidates have started campaigning in their respective areas, and billboards are beginning to be placed along the streetside. Some candidates have also started door-to-door visits and meet and greet events in their area. Local government elections are held outside of New Providence, which comes under the central government. There are some 32 local government districts throughout the country. Local elections are held every three years
but the 2020 election was suspended due to Emergency Powers Orders put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The districts do not have revenue-raising powers; they receive transfers from the central government. District councils are responsible for hospitals and clinics; the supply of public potable water by standpipes; the upkeep of state schools and other government buildings; and the town committees responsible for general health and sanitation. In Grand Bahama, the City of Freeport Council recently completed a major project that provides beach access to residents in the Carval Beach and Bahama Terrace areas which are in the Central Grand Bahama area. “It is one of the single largest projects done by any council in the community,” said councillor Frazette Gibson. She believes that it will also increase the value of land in this area because the road provides beach access. Mrs Gibson, who is seeking re-election, stated that there are plans to further improve the access road. “This project has been a long time in making and came about after talking with residents in Bahama Terrace area who wanted beach access because there was no beach in the immediate vicinity. I realised that there was a piece of land still owned by the Grand Bahama Port Authority that gives beach access to the only public beach in Freeport, which connects to the Williams Town community,” she said. Kendal Culmer, chief councillor for the City of Freeport, said the Council is pleased that residents now have access to the beach in the Central Grand Bahama constituency. “The City of Freeport is proud of this initiative, he said. “It is a lovely beach and residents can come out, be healthy and safe.” Central GB councillor Marco Carey said that the new beach is within walking distance. “This is perfect for families to enjoy,” he said, explaining that no longer will residents have to crowd Xanadu Beach. The Council is urging beachgoers to keep the area clean.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
PUERTO RICO BATTLES COVID-19 SURGE, IMPOSES NEW MEASURES SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico on Tuesday imposed new measures to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed medical staff in the U.S. territory and led to temporary shortages of testing kits. All private businesses that cater to the public must close from midnight to 5 a.m., no alcohol will be sold during those hours and gatherings of more than 250 people are banned. The measures will remain in place until Jan. 18 and come as the island of 3.3 million people reports a more than 30% positivity rate, the highest since the pandemic began. The government has reported more than 201,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,300 deaths. Officials note that a third of all cases reported since the pandemic began have occurred in the past month, with many linked to a two-day outdoor concert held in December. The number of daily cases per 100,000 reported in Puerto Rico rose from three to 225 in just three weeks, according to statistician Rafael Irizarry. More than 500 people are hospitalized. Almost 85% of people in Puerto Rico have received the first dose and more than 70% have received the second one. However, at least 40% have not received a booster shot. The increase in cases has caused temporary shortages of home testing kits, with people taking to social media to share places where they’ve run out or are still available, while some government-run testing sites have closed early after exhausting testing kits for the day. Meanwhile, the Association of Hospitals of Puerto Rico urged people to stop visiting emergency rooms to request tests because the demand was overwhelming and preventing staff from treating urgent cases. As a result of the spike, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi has ordered all businesses that sell food and drinks to reduce their capacity to 50% indoors and 75% outdoors until Jan. 16. Restaurant employees and those who work in health and education also were ordered to receive their booster shots by Jan. 15, while customers are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter any business that sells food or drinks. In addition, the government recently required that all cruise ship passengers who disembark must be fully vaccinated and provide a negative test taken 48 hours prior to arrival, a move that caused several cruise ship companies to cancel visits to Puerto Rico.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 7
PMH PRESENTS GIFTS TO THE MOTHERS OF THE YEAR’S FIRST BABIES PRINCESS Margaret Hospital continued its annual tradition of presenting gifts to the mothers of the first babies born at the facility in the New Year. In a post on its Facebook page, the hospital extended congratulations to Glendamae Rahming who delivered a baby boy at 12.47am and Rickia King who delivered a baby girl at 1.30am. “New (Year’s) Day allows us to continue our annual tradition of celebrating our newly appointed mothers in the Maternity Ward,” the hospital said. “Each mother of the first baby boy and girl received a gift certificate valued at $200 on behalf
of Princess Margaret Hospital. “Additionally, the mothers were also presented with a maternity gift basket courtesy of Mrs Johnson of The
Cookie Collection. “Each mother was given a pack of Huggies diapers along with a beautiful hand-crafted gift basket which held a wide array of baby lotion,
clothing, bibs, blankets, socks and more allowing the newly appointed mothers to make an easier transition into motherhood for the New Year.”
PAGE 8, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
Four simple steps to really help us make this a better year H
ERE we are, in a new calendar year. We always look forward to the fresh start a new year represents, but especially after going through a difficult one. The past two years have been particularly challenging, forcing us to change the way we do even the most ordinary things. These changes have, generally speaking, not been fun, nor have they brought instant gratification, but many of them have helped to keep us and those around us alive and relatively healthy. For some, 2020 and 2021 made the realities of other people much clearer, exposing both individual struggles and the issues within systems that were assumed to have been working all along. As we prepare for this year, with resolutions and commitments that can help to turn our hopes and dreams into achievable goals, let’s think about the ways we need to change as a people, including our thinking, speech and actions. I am sharing four principles that we, as individuals, can consider and put into practice this year. The same principles apply within groups and organizations, including governments, but it is useful to start at the individual level.
COMMUNITY MATTERS As the population has
grown and the cost of living has gone up, we have been more individualistic. Most of us are not as well-acquainted with our neighbours as we – or our parents and grandparents – used to be. Some of us do not even know their names. For various reasons, including busy schedules and the walls and gates we have put up around our properties, we do not have the same amount of time or even the inclination to connect. We create relationships with people in our orbits at work, church,
school, and other institutions, but many of them at a surface level. There is small talk almost all the time with people we see on a regular basis, but the depth of these relationships vary. This is fine, but it is important that we are able and willing to show up for each other in times of need. Alert neighbours of suspicious activity, take care of grocery shopping for an ill co-worker, interrupt an uncomfortable interaction to create a safer environment for a vulnerable person. There are many ways, as an individual, to step up. We do not need to wait for something to go terribly wrong before we intervene. The more we get to know each other and pay attention – which is not the same as being nosey – the better we will be at taking care of each other.
PEOPLE-FIRST It is particularly impor-
tant that people in positions of power remember that people are more important than money or any other metrics. Laws, policies, regulations, programmes, services and products need to serve people. They need to meet our needs. Those who craft them are responsible for ensuring their development, execution and promotion do not leave us worse off than we were before. Positions of power are not only held in government. They exist, for example, in places of work and in the home. When a staff lunch is being planned, a peoplefirst approach would involve a complete list of dietary restrictions and allergies. The organizer would not simply choose the least expensive vendor and expect those with dietary restrictions and allergies to eat around the things they do not have or fill up on other options. They would ensure that there is no mixing of particular food items and dishes and try to have appetizing, nutritious options for everyone.
In the home, a people-first approach could include the involvement of children in making the grocery list, meal planning and budgeting. This means they can participate in decision-making processes, able to make their own choices within the limits of budget and time which can be explained to them. People-first means people are prioritized, seen as whole human beings and the overall wellness is considered. It means people’s needs are assessed and outcomes meet their needs without exacerbating existing issues. We have to be intentional about valuing each other and we need to remind ourselves and each other that money is not more important than our wellbeing. We also need to be mindful that our wellness is not limited to physical health. It is important to have love, peace, and joy too.
NON-VIOLENT LANGUAGE We have a tendency to
use violent language, even when we do not intend to cause harm. “Jokes” are made about stabbing, “knocking out,” and all kinds of other acts of violence. It may seem fun, funny, innocent or meaningless, but this language and the proliferation of its use helps to normalize violence. Violence is not normal; it seems that way when it happens frequently and is
excused or goes without challenge or consequence. We need to remember words can be used in violent ways, and violent words can be used in seemingly innocuous ways that perpetuate violence. It should not be a usual occurrence to hear talk about someone “gettin’ punch up” or threats (however empty) to “buss” anyone up. Phrases like “beating up” should not be used as a replacement for “sex.” Children should not be threatened with violence. There are better ways to encourage good behaviour. There are much better ways to talk about enjoyable activities. There are funnier jokes to be made. This year, let’s try to stop ourselves and each other from using violent language. Even if the words escape before we realize it, it is helpful to acknowledge it for ourselves and those who hear it and state the commitment to do better. This can lead to others offering support, pointing out when there is slip-up, and maybe even giving tips for getting out of the habit of using violent language.
IMPACT OVER INTENT They say the road to
hell is paved with good intentions. We have all heard this saying many times and may have even said it to people who tried to do one thing, but their
actions led to a different outcome. One of the ways we get caught in back-and-forth arguments and have long stand-offs is the refusal to acknowledge that intent does not lead to absolution. There are consequences for our actions. Many times, those consequences are completely unexpected. It is easy to say, “I didn’t mean to do that.” It may be true when you say, “I meant to…” That, however, does not change the impact of what you did. It is helpful to consider impact at least as much as we consider intent, before taking action. You may want to make a friend laugh. In most cases, that is not the first thought. The first thought is to do or say something, like make a comment on their appearance. When that idea comes, it may be followed by the thought that they will laugh at the comment. Before telling someone they look like a big banana in their all-yellow outfit, it is a good idea to think about the other ways they may receive it. To them, it may not be funny. It may even be that today is not a good day for that comments because it has been a particularly difficult one. Perhaps the person has already been called a banana twice for the day. However funny it may be for you, it could be embarrassing for the person on the receiving end. Sometimes a comment can be taken lightly
in a particular circumstance, but not in others. For example, if made one-on-one, it could be fun, but made loudly in a room full of people, it could make the person – and other people present uncomfortable. By thinking through the different ways a comment or action may be read, we can avoid undesirable situations and moderate the impact we have on others. You may decide you would rather make a friend laugh than risk offending them by commenting on their yellow outfit, and this could prompt you to say something that is actually funny, and not a judgment of their fashion choices. Why do I want to say or do this? What do I want to achieve? Is this a good way of achieving that goal, or is there a better way? Even doing this doublecheck, you can still get it wrong sometimes. It is important to acknowledge it, trust and respect that the other person is being honest about their feelings, and recognize that they experienced a particular impact, regardless of your intent. Get comfortable with apologizing, do not shame people for their feelings, and remember that you are responsible for your own behaviour. Let’s make the most of 2022, and make a point to be good to one another. Know that people are more important than things, and remember to talk and act like it.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 9
CES 2022
GADGETS ON DISPLAY AT THREE-DAY EVENT THAT GETS UNDERWAY IN LAS VEGAS TODAY
A WRISTWATCH pulse oximeter is on display at the Quantum Operation Inc. booth. The device measures oxygen saturation in the bloodstream.
THE VESPERA telescope by Vaonis. The telescope is operated by an app in which users can pick a constellation on their screen, then the telescope will automatically locate it in the sky.
THE INVOXIA Smart Dog Collar is shown on display at the THE FASTEESH Y-Brush at the Fasteesh Y-Brush Invoxia booth. The collar monitors dog’s breathing, sleep- booth. The sonic toothbrush can brush an entire ing and exercise, among other features. mouth in ten seconds.
NASA NAILS TRICKIEST JOB ON NEWLY LAUNCHED SPACE TELESCOPE By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA aced the most complicated, critical job on its newly launched space telescope Tuesday: unrolling and stretching a sunshade the size of a tennis court. Ground controllers cheered and bumped fists once the fifth and final layer of the sunshield was tightly secured. It took just 1 1/2 days to tighten the ultra-thin layers using motor-driven cables, half the expected time. The 7-tonne James Webb Space Telescope is so big that the sunshield and the primary goldplated mirror had to be folded for launch. The sunshield is especially unwieldly — it spans 70 feet by 46 feet (21 metres by 14 metres) to keep all the infrared, heat-sensing science instruments in constant subzero shadow. The mirrors are next up for release this weekend. The $10 billion telescope is
AP PHOTOS
THE LOFTIE smart alarm clock is shown on display at the Loftie booth. The device aims to keep smartphones out of bedrooms and promote better sleeping habits.
CANON’S dual fish-eye lens is on display prior to the Canon TogetherNext news conference. The lens is designed for filming in VR.
TECHTALK FORD JACKS UP PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC F-150, CITES BIG DEMAND DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford says it will nearly double the annual production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck based on a high number of advance reservations. The company said Tuesday that it will be able to build at a rate of 150,000 pickups per year at its electric vehicle factory in Dearborn, Michigan, by the middle of next year. Previously Ford had expected to build 80,000 per year at the new factory, which likely will have to be expanded to handle the increased output. The company says nearly 200,000 people have put down $100 refundable deposits on the trucks. It’s now sending out emails asking customers to convert their reservations to actual orders by picking a dealer and agreeing on a price. Workers are now making pre-production versions of the trucks that will be used for testing. Versions that will be sent to consumers are expected in the spring. The truck has a starting price of just under $40,000 before any federal or state tax credits. Shares of Ford soared 11.6% to $24.28 in afternoon trading Tuesday, after the production increase was announced. The stock reached its highest price in more than two decades. In December, Ford announced that it would triple production of the electric Mustang Mach-E built in Mexico. It plans to have the ability to make more than 200,000 per year by 2023.
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THIS combination of images from a computer animation made available by NASA in December 2021 depicts the unfolding of the components of the James Webb Space Telescope. Webb is so big that it had to be folded origami-style to fit into the nose cone of the Ariane rocket. (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab via AP)
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more than halfway toward its destination 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) away, following its Christmas Day send-off. It is the biggest and most powerful observatory ever launched — 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope — enabling it to peer back to almost the beginning of time. Considered Hubble’s successor,
Webb will attempt to hunt down light from the universe’s first stars and galaxies, created 3.7 billion years ago. “This is a really big moment,” project manager Bill Ochs told the control team in Baltimore. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but getting the sunshield out and deployed is really, really big.”
Engineers spent years redoing and tweaking the shade. At one point, dozens of fasteners fell off during a vibration test. That made Tuesday’s success all the sweeter, since nothing like this had ever been attempted before in space. “First time and we nailed it,” engineer Alphonso Stewart told reporters.
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PAGE 10, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
HAITIAN president Jovenel Moïse was killed in July last year.
US ARRESTS AND CHARGES SUSPECT IN SLAYING OF HAITIAN PRESIDENT By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and ASTRID SUÁREZ Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. government announced Tuesday that it charged one of the main suspects in the killing of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse as it unsealed a complaint that revealed federal authorities had interviewed him several months ago while he was hiding in Jamaica. Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, a 43-year-old former Colombian soldier, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and with providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap. He appeared at a federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon but did not enter a plea. Palacios, who was wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt and had his hands and feet shackled, told the judge he wanted to be appointed an attorney. After responding to questions related to his income and property, including that he owned a house in Cali, Colombia, and received a nearly $370 army pension, he was granted counsel based on limited income. Court-appointed attorney Alfredo Izaguirre told U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes that he recommended Palacios stay in detention because he has no immigration status, relatives or ties to the United States. The judge ordered detention, saying he would be at risk of fleeing. Palacios is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 31. Izaguirre said his client would probably plead not guilty at the preliminary hearing.
PRESIDENT Joe Biden removes his mask as he arrives with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, for a meeting with the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus in Washington, Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Biden urges concern but not alarm in US as omicron rises By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged concern but not alarm Tuesday as the United States set records for daily reported COVID-19 cases and his administration struggled to ease concerns about testing shortages, school closures and other disruptions caused by the omicron variant. In remarks before a meeting with his COVID19 response team at the White House, Biden aimed to convey his administration’s urgency in addressing omicron and convince wary Americans that the current situation bears little resemblance to the onset of the pandemic or last year’s deadly winter. The president emphasised that vaccines, booster shots and therapeutic drugs have lessened the danger for the overwhelming majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated. “You can still get COVID, but it’s highly unlikely, very unlikely, that you’ll become seriously ill,” Biden said of vaccinated people. “There’s no excuse, there’s no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated,” he added. “This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” He also encouraged Americans, including newly eligible teenagers 12 to 15, to get a booster dose of the vaccines for maximum protection. Compared with last year, more Americans are
employed, most kids are in classrooms, and instances of death and serious illness are down — precipitously so among the vaccinated. “We’re in a very different place than we were a year ago,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki when asked if the country had lost control of the virus. Still, over the past several weeks Americans have seen dire warnings about hospitals reaching capacity amid staffing shortages, thousands of holiday flight cancellations in part because crews were ill or in quarantine, and intermittent reports of school closures because of the moretransmissible variant. On a conference call with governors, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s top COVID19 science adviser, said Americans “should not be complacent” even though initial data shows the omicron variant to produce less severe disease than earlier strains. But, he said, the number of people getting infected by omicron “might overwhelm the positive impact of reduced severity” and “severely stress our hospitals” While most schools across the country remain open, Biden took aim at those that have closed, saying he believes they have the money for testing and other safety measures. “I believe schools should remain open,” he said. The president also announced that the U.S. is doubling its order for
an anti-viral pill produced by Pfizer that was recently authorized by the FDA to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19. That means 20 million doses, with the first 10 million pills to be delivered by June.
WHITE House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) A senior administration official said that combined with other therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma, 4 million treatments that are effective against the omicron variant would be available by the end of January. The pills are “a game changer and have the potential to dramatically alter the impact of COVID-19, the impact it’s had on this country and our people,” Biden said. Biden is under pressure to
ease a nationwide shortages of tests that people are using to determine whether they or their family members are infected. Long lines and chaotic scenes over the holidays marred the administration’s image as having the pandemic in hand. “On testing, I know this remains frustrating. Believe me it’s frustrating to me, but we’re making improvements,” Biden said. In a reversal, the White House announced last month that it would make 500 million rapid antigen tests available free to requesting Americans, but it will be weeks, if not months, before those tests are widely available. The administration notes those tests are on top of existing supply of rapid tests and that even a small increase will help ease some of the shortages. Additionally, private insurers will be required to cover the cost of at-home tests starting later this month. Test manufacturers have until Tuesday night to respond to the government’s contract request, and the first awards are expected to be made this week, Psaki said. The administration is still developing a system for Americans to order the tests as well as a means to ship them to people’s homes. Pressed when the first tests would reach Americans, Psaki said, “I don’t have an update on that at this point in time.” In a letter Monday, GOP
Sens. Richard Burr and Roy Blunt, the top Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on health, respectively, pressed the Department of Health and Human Services for answers on how the administration was working to address nationwide testing shortages. “With over $82.6 billion specifically appropriated for testing, and flexibility within the department to allocate additional funds from COVID-19 supplemental bills or annual appropriations if necessary, it is unclear to us why we are facing such dire circumstances now,” they wrote. “It does not appear to be because of lack of funding, but a more fundamental lack of strategy and a failure to anticipate future testing needs by the administration.” White House officials have noted that the spike in testing demand is driven not just by omicron, but by people seeking to travel safely during the holidays and return to school after, and that the shortages are global in nature. “Turns out, Omicron is driving a spike in demand for testing...everywhere,” tweeted Ben Wakana, the deputy director of strategic communications & engagement for the White House’s COVID-19 response team, highlighting similar shortages in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
DRIVERS FRET ABOUT FOOD AND FUEL WHILE STRANDED ON HIGHWAY
By SARAH RANKIN and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — There was no food, water or sleep for Susan Phalen as she spent a frigid night inside her car stopped on Interstate 95 in Virginia. Meera Rao and her husband were only 100 feet past an exit but were unable to move for 16 hours. Sen. Tim Kaine was on his way to Washington when a simple commute stretched into a 21-hour ordeal that became “a kind of survival project.” They were among hundreds of people who got stranded on the East Coast’s main north-south highway in freezing temperatures after a winter storm snarled traffic and left some drivers stuck in place for as much as a full day. Problems began Monday morning when a truck jackknifed on I-95, triggering a chain reaction as other vehicles lost control, state police said. Eventually lanes in both directions became blocked across a 40-mile stretch of the highway between Richmond and the nation’s capital at a time when snow was falling around 2 inches an hour. Hundreds of motorists spent the night in their vehicles, worrying about a lack of food, fuel and water as temperatures fell into the teens. There were no reports of serious injuries or deaths, but there was plenty of anger among drivers.
DRIVERS wait for the traffic to be cleared as cars and trucks are stranded on sections of Interstate 95 Tuesday, in Carmel Church, Va. Close to 48 miles of the Interstate was closed due to ice and snow. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) “Not one police (officer) came in the 16 hours we were stuck,” said Rao, who was traveling home to Burtonsville, Maryland, after visiting her daughter in North Carolina. They got stuck Monday evening. By early Tuesday evening, only about 20 cars remained on the affected section of road, and no one was left stranded, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation said. Emily Wade said all of the remaining vehicles had been abandoned. It was not immediately clear when the whole highway would be reopened. As stranded motorists waited in their cars overnight, many posted desperate messages on social media. Between midnight and 3 a.m. Tuesday, traffic came to a complete
standstill, state officials said. “No one came. It was just shocking,” Rao said. “Being in the most advanced country in the world, no one knew how to even clear one lane for all of us to get out of that mess?” Gov. Ralph Northam said his team responded through the night by sending emergency messages to connect drivers with help and working with local officials to set up warming shelters as needed. Officials told reporters crews were helping distribute food, water and fuel. Rao said they stopped their car engine at least 30 times to conserve gas and ran the heat just enough to get warm. They had some potato chips, nuts and apples to eat, but Rao did not want to drink any
bottled water because she had a sprained ankle and did not think she could reach a makeshift restroom. Finally, around midmorning Tuesday, a tow truck driver appeared and cleared away snow, allowing the Raos and other cars back up and take the exit. “He was a messenger from God,” Rao said. “I literally was in tears.” People who were stranded and their families lashed out at Northam on Twitter, asking why the Virginia National Guard was not deployed. Northam said in an interview that he opted not to request National Guard help because the issue facing state crews was not a lack of manpower but the difficulty of getting workers and equipment through the snow and ice to where they needed to be. He said that effort was complicated by the disabled vehicles, freezing temperatures and ice. The affected section of the interstate was not pretreated because heavy rain preceded the snow, which fell at times as fast as 2 inches an hour, said Marcie Parker, a state Department of Transportation engineer. “That was entirely too much for us to keep up with,” she said. Up to 11 inches of snow fell in the area during Monday’s blizzard, according to the National Weather Service, and state police had warned people to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary, especially as colder nighttime temperatures set in. Compounding the challenges,
traffic cameras went offline as much of central Virginia lost power in the storm, the transportation department said. Kaine left his home in Richmond for his usual two-hour commute to the U.S. Capitol after Monday’s snowstorm, expecting to preside over the Senate on Tuesday morning. Instead, he spent the night alone in his car on I-95. The Democrat told radio station WTOP that he worried about all the families with children or elderly passengers who were running out of fuel and food. But Kaine also described a camaraderie as strangers connected along the highway, including a Connecticut family who walked up and down lines of stopped cars, sharing a bag of oranges they had planned to bring home from a Florida vacation. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kaine said. “I will never forget this.” Phelan’s planned one-hour drive from her parents’ house turned into a 16-hour nightmare. She said at some point during the gridlock, she thought she might have to start knocking on windows asking other drivers for water. But she, too, witnessed acts of kindness among the stranded drivers, saying “everybody was helping everybody.” Kelly Hannon, a spokeswoman for the transportation department, apologized to motorists and said the department would take an “exhaustive look” at the incident.
SPORTS PAGE 11
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022
Osaka, Page 16
Athletes envision a promising future By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bnstubbs@tribunemedia.net
C
oming out of 2021, some of the country’s top athletes were close to realising their dreams or either winning a medal or making the national team for the delayed 2020 Olympic Games, which took place last August in Tokyo, Japan. Today, we focus on some of those athletes who came so close to accomplishing their goals as they put their past year’s experience behind them and look towards a promising future, despite the fact that they have COVID-19 to deal with off the playing field. Devynne Charlton, women’s Olympic 100m hurdles finalist In making her return to the international scene after experiencing some major injuries that hampered her progress, Charlton was clicking on all cylinders as she regained the Bahamian national record and finished the year in sixth place in the Olympic final in 12.74 seconds. “My biggest goal this year is both the World indoor and outdoor championships, so my goal is go back at the outdoor
championships a little more focused and prepared than I was when I first competed four years ago,” said Charlton, who is currently training in Kentucky. “I was in college (at Purdue), but I didn’t have a college eligibility, so I decided to try for the World Championships. I thought it would be a good experience for me. UI ended up making the final, but due to the inexperience and nervousness, I messed up. But four years later, I’m looking forward to having a big meet.” Based on what she’s seen at the Olympics last year with Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn winning the gold in an Olympic record of 12.37 seconds, Charlton said the World Indoors in Belgrade, Serbia March 18-20, should be just as competitive. Charlton said she will definitely have to run at least 7.7 or faster in order for her to improve on her eighth place finish at the 2018 World Indoors in Birmingham, England where she placed eighth in the final. “The goal is to get there and just let everything fall into place,” said Charlton, who is also hoping to open her 2022 season next weekend in Lexington. “I think what I achieved last year just tells me that I belong at
DEVYNNE CHARLTON
DONALD THOMAS
CYNTHIA RAHMING
this level and I can compete with the best in the world.” The 2022 World Outdoor Championships will follow in Eugene, Oregon August 6-15 where Charlton said she’s looking forward to another impressive performance with the event being staged in the United States of America. Donald Thomas, men’s high jump champion The goal, according to Thomas, is to continue to progress so that he can go after another medal at the World Championships. His breakthrough on the international scene came in 2007 in Osaka, Japan where he soared on top of the world with the gold medal at the World Championships. Since then, he’s won a medal at every major international event, except
the Olympic Games. “I just want to be able to compete at my best and represent the country well,” said Thomas from his residence at Auburn. “My expectations is to just be able to perform and contend for a medal.” The good thing is this year’s World Championships is in Eugene, Oregon, which bodes well for him because he’s based in the USA and he doesn’t have to be concerned about travelling around the world and having to get over the jetlag before he competes. “So that’s a positive thing,” said Thomas, who is expected to attend a training camp in Europe before he competes in a few meets on the European circuit once he and his coach make a decision on when they will open up the season.”
Cynthia Rahming, country’s top female judoka She was one spot away from qualifying as one of the 12 judokas in the Americas region for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but Cynthia Rahming said the disappointment will only enable her to better prepare herself for her next shot at the games in 2024. “I think I should have gotten some more competition at the end in retrospect,” Rahming said. “But with all of the COVID-19 issues, I’ve had some issues trying to get organised with limited funding and being stuck in one place. “So my focus is on training, training and training, so when I go to those competitions I will be ready. But my main focus is to
win a couple matches like a Grand Slam or a Grand Prix which will help to secure some points to get into the top rankings.” Last year, Rahming had a world ranking of 127 in her division, which was higher than the top 100 she achieved in 2018. She could have qualified for the Olympics as the top 11 in the Americas or top 25 in the world. “I’ve been working out at home trying to gain some funds,” said Rahming, who was scheduled to travel to Austria to do some training with fellow Bahamian Andrew Munnings, but had to change those plans because of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. “I hope to get in some tournaments later this year with the hopes of getting ready to compete in Japan for a Grand Slam in November. This year, I will just be honing my skills on a lot of the qualifying rounds to ensure that I am better prepared to qualify for the next Olympic cycle.” The cycle begins two years out of the Olympic year, so starting next year, Rahming said she will have to start concentrating on her ranking by securing sufficient points in order to qualify for the games, scheduled for Paris, France, July 26 to August 11, 2024.
IBA TO LAUNCH INAUGURAL GRASSROOT YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER an exciting draft day over the weekend, coach Denykco Bowles said they are all excited about the launching of the International Basketball Academy’s inaugural Grassroot Youth Basketball League next weekend. About 50 players between the ages of five and 20 years showed up on Saturday at Prince Charles Park, Gleniston Gardens East, to participate in draft day. The IBA was able to select its first four teams in the under-18 division, four in the 15-and-under division, three teams in the 13-and-under and two in the under-11 division. The league, which is expected to run from Saturday, January 15 to Saturday, April 2, is designed to hone the skills of all participants as the coaches in the IBA’s programme provide some real-game situations for year-round opportunities
About 50 players show up for Draft Day for development and nurturing. “This is going to be our spring league with 10 weeks of regular play and then the postseason and the championships in each division,” Bowles said. “We were quite pleased with the amount of players who showed up. We expected more, it’s a good crew to get started with.” Bowles, coach of the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins’ senior boys basketball team, will be joined by a number of coaches in the IBA programme, including Ricardo Pierre, Jerome Lucas, George Williams, Jamal Bain, Dominique
IBA players take part in a drill on Draft Day. Fernander and Buster Panza. “We really want to get more parental involvement, especially from the
male perspective, to come out and be a part of the programme,” Bowles said. “It’s always good when the
players can see their parents coming out and being involved in the programme as well.”
Also during draft day, Bowles said Lucas was able to conduct a clinic for both the players and the coaches, bringing them up to speed on some of the rule changes that will be implemented for the league. “I think it’s going to be a very exciting league,” Bowles said. “The players are all excited about participating and the coaches are looking forward to working with them. It’s an alternative to us not having any basketball in the high school system right now.” Due to the increase in the cases of COVID-19, Bowles said there won’t be any basketball played in the high school right now because the schools have not returned to face-to-face learning as yet. But he said the league will allow the coaches to keep the players motivated as they hone their skills. For those players still interested in participating in the league, Bowles said they can contact him at 466-0049 or email info.ibabahamas@gmail.com
BOC to send one of its largest teams to ‘Friendly Games’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net OUTSIDE of the prestigious Olympic Games, the Bahamas Olympic Committee is gearing up to send one of its largest teams to the next biggest sporting event on the world calendar - the Commonwealth Games. Known as the “Friendly Games,” the Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event, similar to the Olympics. It’s designed only for athletes from the list of 71 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, has taken place every four years since then the Commonwealth Games were known as the British Empire Games from 1930
to 1950, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966, and British Commonwealth Games from 1970 to 1974. The XXII or 22nd edition of the games, which were cancelled twice in 1942 in Montreal, Canada and 1946 in Cardill, Wales because of the world war, will be held from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England. The last games was held in 2018 on the Gold Coast in Glasgow, Scotland - in its 15th appearance. The Bahamas, with a 31-member team, earned a gold medal from Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the women’s 400 metres, while Jamal Wilson and Jeffery Gibson got silver each in the men’s high jump and 400m hurdles. The men’s 4 x 400m relay team of O’Jay Ferguson, Stephen Newbold, Alonzo Russell, Teray Smith, Michael Newbold
ROMELL KNOWLES and Ramon Miller clinched the bronze. The BOC, which is responsible for the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games, will be looking to field another strong, solid team for the trip to England, according to president Romell Knowles. “The Bahamas Olympic Committee expects or anticipates 2022 to be a
very active year, given the Commonwealth Games in July and then the inaugural Caribbean Games,” Knowles said. With a number of athletes away in school or competing as professionals, Knowles said they will be among the list of local athletes who will be considered for representation of the country at the games possibly in aquatics (swimming), athletics (track and field), judo, wrestling, triathlon and boxing. “We don’t just yet know exactly how many teams and athletes will be competing, but we expect that it will be a very good games,” Knowles projected. Apart from their international participation, Knowles said the BOC will be working closely with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of Health and Wellness,
to ensure that sports return in a safe environment. “We will be working with the local federation with the view of building a pipeline,” Knowles said. “As you know, traditionally, we’re a country known for swimming and athletics, but over the years, we have been diversifying our sporting programmes on the international programme. “There are a number of federations we believe that are very close to competing at the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games level. “We will be assisting them as best as we could so that we can get more sporting disciplines to be able to represent the country,” he added. On the local front, Knowles said the BOC will be working with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to ensure that the
Family Islands benefit a little more in getting their programmes up to stream so that they will be prepared for the proposed return of the popular Bahamas Games. As for the gender equality in sports, which includes transgender athletes competing in sports, Knowles said the BOC will do its part to give everyone a fair chance to be able to compete and to represent the country at the Olympics or the Commonwealth or Pan American or CAC Games.” “Administratively, we intend to be very busy, lending our support to our national federations and associations so that at the end of the day, we will be better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead,” Knowles summed up. One of their challenges this year is the Commonwealth Games.
PAGE 12, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
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Big Ben leaving Steelers in good hands with Watt, Harris By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger clasped hands with his wife Ashley, surrounded himself with the couple’s three children and disappeared into the inner recesses of Heinz Field. There’s still at least one game left in the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s career. And with a little luck, maybe a 12th visit to the playoffs. Yet the outpouring of emotion in what became a three-plus-hour retirement party during a 26-14 victory over Cleveland on Monday night left very little doubt that this is the end for Roethlisberger. The tears were real. The hugs and the chants and the tributes from the players he’s shared a locker room with through the years — some of them still early in their NFL journey, some of them long-since retired — too. For nearly two decades Roethlisberger helped provide the Steelers (8-7-1) the kind of stability and success the vast majority of the league’s other 31 franchises have long craved but rarely — very rarely — enjoyed. Maybe that’s what made facing Cleveland such a fitting sendoff. The Browns famously passed on the Ohio native in the 2004 draft, opting to take tight end Kellen Winslow with the sixth overall pick, letting the Steelers grab Roethlisberger at 11. Nearly 20 years later, the Browns are still searching for a long-term solution at the most important position in the sport. Baker Mayfield’s prospects appear to be dimming by the week with his left shoulder in shreds and his future in Cleveland is murky at best. It’s a murkiness the Steelers will fling themselves into over the coming months for the first time in a generation. Maybe they’ll splurge in free agency on a high-priced veteran. Maybe they’ll swing a trade. Maybe they’ll use their first-round pick on someone such as Pitt’s
Kenny Pickett. Maybe they’ll turn to backup Mason Rudolph, currently the only quarterback on the roster under contract for 2022. Pittsburgh is hoping to avoid the long search for a successor it endured after Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw’s career ended in 1983. It took the Steelers 21 years to land Roethlisberger, though the franchise is in a different place now than it was when Bradshaw’s right elbow finally gave out. The group Bradshaw left behind lacked an identity. That won’t be the case this time around. In outside linebacker T.J. Watt and rookie running back Najee Harris, the Steelers have two worthy heirs to the “face of the franchise” moniker Roethlisberger shouldered for so long. Watt’s four sacks against the Browns pushed his total to 21 1/2 on the season, one short of the NFL record set by Michael Strahan in 2001. Harris broke Franco Harris’ club mark for yards rushing as a rookie after piling up a season-best 188 yards on Monday night, including the clinching touchdown in the last minute. The present belongs to Roethlisberger to be sure, no matter how Sunday’s visit to Baltimore goes. The future belongs to Watt and Harris, something that wasn’t lost on Watt, who is on a path to be a Steeler for life after signing a massive contract in September that will carry him into his 30s. There may come a time perhaps a decade from now when it’s Watt who will fade into the ether with his family in tow and his legacy secure. Knowing that possibility made Roethlisberger’s sendoff that much more poignant. “You put so much into this, so much as there’s so much going on behind the scenes, the sacrifices, and it’s not just yourself that you feel that when people truly take them home to acknowledge it and appreciate it like tonight,” Watt said. “I don’t think people truly understand how special it was, not only for him, for us to see how well he
PITTSBURGH Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) greets fans after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 26-14. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
PITTSBURGH Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) waves to fans before he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 26-14. (AP Photo/Don Wright) was received and treated and how this was a really, really special place.” One that will carry a different vibe — if not different expectations — with Roethlisberger’s familiar No. 7 lost to history.
WHAT’S WORKING Centre J.C. Hassenauer took over for injured and struggling rookie Kendrick Green and made a compelling case he deserves an extended look in 2022. With Hassenauer providing the
kind of push up the middle the Steelers have lacked for much of the season, Pittsburgh racked up 190 yards on the ground, its highest single-game total in more than four years. WHAT’S NOT Maybe it’s the miles on Roethlisberger’s surgically repaired right arm. Maybe it’s the season-long pass protection issues. Maybe it’s a wide receiver group that seems to be regressing a bit, but first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s passing scheme leaves a lot to be desired. Roethlisberger averaged just 2.7 yards per attempt while completing 24 of 43 for 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception, a startling amount of the throws coming at or behind the line of scrimmage by design. STOCK UP Punter Corliss Waitman put together a second straight solid week while filling in for inconsistent rookie Pressley Harvin III. Waitman averaged 48.8 yards on five kicks, including a 53-yard boomer out of the end zone despite being under heavy duress in the third quarter. STOCK DOWN Wide receiver Diontae Johnson is in the midst of the finest season of his three-year career and caught Roethlisberger’s 417th touchdown pass in
MICHIGAN’S DAVID OJABO ENTERING NFL DRAFT AFTER 12-SACK YEAR ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan outside linebacker David Ojabo is entering the NFL draft. Ojabo announced his decision yesterday to turn pro and skip his senior season with the Wolverines. The second-team AllAmerican and All-Big Ten player had 12 sacks as a redshirt sophomore. He helped Michigan win its first Big Ten title since 2004 and advance to the College Football Playoff for the first time. Ojabo had one tackle in 2020 in three games at linebacker and was a redshirt in 2019. He was born in Nigeria in 2000, moved to Scotland seven years later, and attended three years of high school at Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he started playing football as a junior. the first half, but also had trouble hanging onto a couple of easy throws that would have produced positive yardage if he had been able to hold on. INJURIES Offensive lineman Trai Turner’s status is iffy with a knee injury. Pittsburgh is hopeful several defensive starters — including linebackers Devin Bush and Joe Schobert — will come off the COVID-19 list in time to face the Ravens. KEY NUMBER 2 — the number of times in Roethlisberger’s career he’s gone into the final week of the season with the Steelers already eliminated (2006, 2012). For a quarterback who keeps insisting his career is not about the numbers, this one might be worth keeping in mind when his Hall of Fame discussion begins in five years. NEXT STEPS Try to sweep Baltimore for the second straight season while hoping twowin Jacksonville, the NFL’s worst team, can somehow summon the energy to beat the Colts, the only scenario in which the Steelers make the playoffs.
CAVS LAND RONDO FROM LAKERS TO OFFSET LOSS OF RICKY RUBIO By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Once Ricky Rubio was lost for the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers knew it would take someone special to take his spot.
They needed a playmaking guard with experience, intelligence and competitive toughness. Rajon Rondo checked every box. Cleveland completed its acquisition of the 35-yearold Rondo on Monday,
finalising its trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in what eventually became a threeteam deal involving the New York Knicks. In the swap, the Knicks receive guard Denzel Valentine from the Cavaliers along with the draft rights to international prospects Wang Zhelin and Brad Newley and cash from the Lakers. Los Angeles receives the draft rights to Louis Labeyrie from New York. A four-time All-Star and twice an NBA champion, Rondo, who was barely playing with the Lakers, is joining an improved Cleveland team that has risen from doormat to playoff contender. The Cavs are 21-15 and fifth in the Eastern Conference after going 22-50 last season. “He’s excited about it,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Rondo, who was averaging only 9.3 minutes per game in LA. “Our guys have provided excitement around the league and people see the growth in our guys and the style of play and he’s looking forward to it. “He’s one of the most competitive guys that I’ve seen since I’ve been around and he wants to help this team and he wants to go compete, so he’s not satisfied with not playing. He’s a good teammate, obviously. He wants come here. He wants to get on the floor and he wants to contribute
and help our team become a better team.” Rondo was recently sidelined after a positive COVID-19 test but has cleared NBA health and safety protocols. It’s not yet known when he’ll join the Cavaliers, who are still working through some logistics with him. Cleveland hosted Memphis on Tuesday before beginning a six-game, nineday trip in Portland on Thursday. Losing the invaluable Rubio to a torn anterior cruciate ligament is a blow for the Cavs. The 31-year-old’s impact in less than a half-season with Cleveland was profound whether as a mentor to young starting point guard Darius Garland or his solid leadership on and off the floor. Rondo has many of those same attributes — and a similar game — to Rubio’s, and Bickerstaff believes his addition will offset the loss from becoming overwhelming. “He can make everyone on the floor around him better,” Bickerstaff said. “And that’s what we’re excited about, his ability to play with all of our guys — from Darius to our big guys — he can make all of their jobs easier and that’s what we need.” Rondo, who won titles with the Celtics in 2008 and Lakers in 2020, also has a fierce attitude that fits in nicely.
RAJON Rondo stands during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Cleveland completed its acquisition of the 35-year-old Rondo on Monday, finalising their trade with the Los Angeles Lakers and what became a threeteam deal also involving the New York Knicks. (AP) A major part of the Cavaliers’ success this season has been their intensity. They’ve simply played harder, outworking teams to get an edge. “That’s kind of who we’ve been trying to be the whole year,” forward Lauri Markkanen said. “Whenever you add a guy who is as competitive as he is, it’s going to be a good thing for us. Obviously, he can do a lot of stuff other than compete, so it’s going to be good to add such a competitive, smart player.” Rondo has averaged 9.8 points, 8.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 16-plus seasons with eight teams. He has led the league in assists three times, been an AllDefensive Team selection four times and started 105 playoff games. “He’s one of those guys that you have a ton of respect for, and what you respect most is his mind,” Bickerstaff said.
“When you’re watching a guy orchestrate a game as a fan of basketball, that’s what you love to see. “You love to see a guy be able to dictate and control the game and manipulate a game at all facets. He does that on both ends of the floor. “You talk about his edge and his competition level, those are the guys you appreciate and respect the most.” F Isaac Okoro could miss three weeks with a sprained left elbow suffered in Sunday’s win over Indiana. Okoro, who was out earlier this season with a hamstring injury and recently in the league health and safety protocols, got hurt when he ran into a screen set by Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis in the first half. One of Cleveland’s best defenders, Okoro is averaging 9.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 27 games.
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 13
INDIA LEADS 2ND TEST IN SOUTH AFRICA, TIGHT FINISH LOOMS LAKERS JOHANNESBURG (AP) — India took a 58-run lead over South Africa by stumps on the second day of the second test yesterday and the match was heading for a tight finish on a tricky Wanderers pitch where any score over 200 appeared to be competitive. Cheteshwar Pujara (35 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (11 not out) guided India to 85-2 in its second innings at the close, and India hoped it could expand that slender 58-run advantage to a series-winning one on the third day. India leads the three-match series 1-0 and is seeking a slice of history from its first test series win in South Africa. But nothing was guaranteed on a Wanderers surface that has seen India bowled out for 202 in its first innings and South Africa reply with 229 all out. The seam bowlers ruled in Johannesburg, and especially India’s Shardul Thakur, who was magnificent for career-best figures of 7-61 and who almost singlehandedly stopped South Africa taking control. South Africa started the day 35-1 in its first innings and built itself into a position of strength at 88-1
when Thakur struck three times in quick succession before lunch to remove Proteas captain Dean Elgar for 28, Keegan Petersen for 62 and Rassie van der Dussen for 1. Suddenly, South Africa went to lunch 102-4. South Africa rebuilt in the afternoon and appeared set to forge well ahead at 162-4 only for Thakur to intervene again. This time, he broke a 60-run stand between Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne. He ended up removing both, seeing off Bavuma for 51 and adding two more lower-order wickets. The game swung yet again late in the afternoon when openers KL Rahul, standing in as India captain for the injured Virat Kohli, and Mayank Agarwal went cheaply and India was 44-2 in its second innings. The experienced Pujara and Rahane, who might be playing for their places after poor runs of form, steadied things and made sure there was no more damage before stumps. Pujara didn’t just defend, as he cracked seven fours in his 35 not out from just 42 balls to
RALLY PAST KINGS LATE, 122-114 By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer
INDIA’s bowler Shardul Thakur reacts after dismissing South Africa’s batsman Temba Bavuma on the second day of the 2nd Test Cricket match at Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) counterattack. Rahane dug in alongside him. Their partnership, which was 41 off 52 balls, might be crucial for the match and the series with no Kohli to help after the captain
and batting superstar was ruled out before the game with an upper back spasm. Top-ranked India is seeking to finally crack South Africa and win a test series in the country on its eighth attempt.
Morant’s strong finish sends Grizzlies to 6th straight win CLEVELAND (AP) — Ja Morant scored six of his 26 points in the final 30 seconds, including the go-ahead basket, allowing the Memphis Grizzlies to extend their winning streak to six with a 110-106 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night. Morant gave Memphis a 106-104 lead with a double-pump short jumper, then stripped the ball from Brandon Goodwin and scored on Cleveland’s subsequent possession with 22 seconds remaining. After Lauri Markkanen’s layup pulled the Cavaliers within 108-106, Morant made a pair of free throws to lock up Memphis’ 10th road victory in its last 11 games. The Grizzlies won 118-104 at Brooklyn one night earlier. Darius Garland had 27 points and 10 assists in his return to Cleveland’s lineup after missing four games in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, while Jarrett Allen had 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavaliers have dropped four of five. SUNS 123, PELICANS 110 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Devin Booker scored 33 points, Chris Paul added 11 points and 15 assists, and Phoenix beat New Orleans. Mikal Bridges added 23 points for Phoenix, which picked up its seventh win over the Pelicans in the last nine games. He and
Cameron Johnson (18 points) both made five 3-pointers, while veteran center Bismack Biyombo shot 6 for 6 and scored 16. The Suns led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter but were up just 101-99 after Devonte’ Graham made his third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter with 6:21 left. But Booker, with 11 fourthquarter points, sparked a 22-11 run by the Suns to put away the game. Graham scored 28 points for New Orleans, which has lost four of five. Jonas Valanciunas finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds. KNICKS 104, PACERS 94 NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, Julius Randle had 30 points and 16 rebounds in his first game after coming off the COVID-19 health and safety protocols list, and New York beat Indiana. Alec Burks added 14 points for New York (1820), which snapped a two-game losing streak. Immanuel Quickley chipped in with 11. Kiefer Skyes scored 22 points in the Pacers’ fifth straight loss. Duane Washington Jr added 17. Domantas Sabonis and Torrey Craig each contributed 15. RAPTORS 129, SPURS 104 TORONTO (AP) — Fred VanVleet scored 33
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, Malik Monk added 11 of his 24 in the final seven minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Sacramento Kings 122-114 last night for their fourth win in five games. Talen Horton-Tucker scored 19 points for the Lakers, who rallied from a late seven-point deficit with one big basket after another from Monk and James. Monk hit six 3-pointers in yet another impressive offensive game, and Russell Westbrook added 19 points and drew a key late charge as the Lakers climbed back above .500. Westbrook played 34 minutes in his first turnover-free game since March 14, 2016. De’Aaron Fox scored 30 points and Chavano “Buddy” Hield added 26 with seven 3-pointers for the Kings, who scored 11 consecutive points early in the fourth quarter before wilting down the stretch. Harrison Barnes had 14 points for Sacramento, which had won three straight over the Lakers in Los Angeles. Tyrese Haliburton’s jumper put the Kings up with three minutes to play, but Monk’s 3-pointer and James’ layup put the Lakers back ahead 114-110. Westbrook and James added layups in the waning minutes as LA held on. Dwight Howard had a season-high 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who beat a Pacific Division opponent at home for the first time in six tries this season.
BANGLADESH BEATS NEW ZEALAND BY 8 WICKETS
MEMPHIS Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (12) looks to pass against Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen (31) in the first half last night in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) points, Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Toronto extended its winning streak to three by beating San Antonio. Gary Trent Jr scored 21 points as the Raptors evened their record at 17-17, reaching the .500 mark for the first time since they were 7-7 after a
November 13 home loss to Detroit. The Raptors have won eight of their past 10 at home. Toronto’s OG Anunoby scored 14 points and rookie Scottie Barnes had 11 points and a career-best eight assists. Justin Champagnie scored a career-high 14 for the Raptors, who
matched their season-high point total. Former Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and rookie Josh Primo each had 15 as the slumping Spurs lost their fourth straight. Derrick White scored 12 for San Antonio.
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand (AP) — Fast bowler Ebadot Hossain took a career-best 6-46 as Bangladesh beat World Test Champion New Zealand by eight wickets in the first cricket test today, capturing its first-ever win in New Zealand. Ebadot had bowled Bangladesh to the brink of a famous victory by the end of the fourth day when he had figures of 4-39. He broke down the last of New Zealand’s resistance with two quick wickets as the home team was dismissed in its second innings for 169, its lowest score against Bangladesh.
YOUNG SCORES NBA SEASON-BEST 56 IN HAWKS’ LOSS TO BLAZERS PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — Anfernee Simons had a career-high 43 points and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame an NBA season-best 56 points by Atlanta’s Trae Young, snapping a four-game losing streak in a 136-131 win over the Hawks on Monday night. Young shot 17 for 26 from the field, 7 for 12 from 3-point distance and 15 for 15 from the line for his career-high scoring total, and added 14 assists. His 56-point game eclipsed Kevin Durant’s 51-point performance for the Nets at Detroit on December 12. Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Boston’s Jaylen Brown have had 50-point games this season. Young became the first player with 50-plus points and 14-plus assists in a game since James Harden with the Houston Rockets on December 31, 2016. Portland starting centre Jusuf Nukic had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Simons
had a career-high nine 3-pointers, the most for a Portland player this season. WARRIORS 115, HEAT 108 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 32 points, Andrew Wiggins added 22 points and a key driving dunk with 4:34 remaining on a quiet night for Stephen Curry, and Golden State held off undermanned Miami. Heat star Jimmy Butler was helped off the court with 3:14 left in the third quarter after hurting his right ankle going down awkwardly. Butler had 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. Curry had a season-low nine points. Kyle Lowry had 16 points and 11 assists for the Heat playing in foul trouble, whistled for his fifth personal with 43.2 seconds remaining in the third. Tyler Herro scored 18 points for a Miami team down 10 players in all, five because of the COVID protocols.
76ERS 133, ROCKETS 113 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had a triple-double with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, leading Philadelphia over Houston. Furkan Korkmaz scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe had 18 points for the Sixers. Garrison Mathews led the Rockets with 23 points. The Rockets played without guard Kevin Porter Jr and forward Christian Wood. They were suspended one game for bad behaviour. Both had meltdowns in a loss Saturday to Denver. TIMBERWOLVES 122, CLIPPERS 104 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 28 points to lead six players in double figures and Minnesota routed Los Angeles to end a three-game skid. The Wolves gained a split in LA after losing by five to the Lakers a night earlier. Serge Ibaka tied his season high with 17 points
ATLANTA Hawks guard Trae Young, left, drives past Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons during the first half on Monday night. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) for the Clippers, who have dropped four of six. Reserves Jaylen McDaniels
added 18 points and Taurean Prince had 17 points for the Wolves.
Patrick Beverley tied his career high with 12 assists against his former team.
PAGE 14, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
Liu eyes 3rd US figure skating title, 1st Olympic spot By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alysa Liu already has won a pair of US figure skating championships, breaking Tara Lipinski’s record for the youngest winner at age 13 and then defending her title with an incredible free skate the following year in North Carolina. No wonder the sprightly skater from Northern California isn’t feeling much pressure at nationals this week. “I think I’ve basically blocked out, like, everybody’s expectations of me,” said Liu, now 16. “I don’t know how I did it. But last year I really changed my point of view. And I don’t really feel that much pressure. I’m not really nervous, either. “Actually,” she said, “this feels better than all the other nationals I went to.” Which is a good thing. There’s more at stake than ever before. Liu wasn’t old enough to qualify for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, so this week represents her first chance to earn a spot on the US Olympic team. And while she has yet to perform to her own lofty standards or expectations this season, Liu still represents the best chance for an American woman to knock the heavily favoured Russian team from one
of the podium steps at the Beijing Games next month. Liu’s season-best score of 219.24 points at the Lombardia Trophy, a competition a level down from Grand Prix events, would be the fifth best of any potential competitors in China. And while the gap to Russian record-setter Kamila Valieva is about as wide as the Pacific Ocean, the gap to a spot on the medals stand certainly is within reach. All of which makes it counterintuitive that Liu feels so free at this year’s national championships, which begin Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena and continue through the weekend. “I feel the best going into this because I’ve started to care less about, like, the expectations,” Liu said. “So it feels good not to have that pressure, and now skating is more fun. I’m skating with friends, and that makes it better. Just not caring what other people say because I feel like some people — I just feel like I stopped hearing what other people are saying because I realise how silly they sound. Honestly, I don’t even know. I just matured.” There has been plenty of buzz around Liu since her 2019 national championship in Detroit. In a flash, Liu was anointed America’s next golden child, with a uniquely American backstory: the daughter of a Chinese immigrant-turned-attorney whose
ALYSA Liu performs her women’s free programme during the Skate Canada figure skating event on Saturday, October 30, 2021, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Alysa Liu just might be the best hope America has to knock one of the Russian women off the figure skating podium at the Beijing Olympics. (AP) fandom for Michelle Kwan helped to guide the oldest of his five children — all conceived through an anonymous egg donor and
surrogate mother — to the rink at the age of 5. The spotlight shone hot and harsh. Every move that Liu made was analysed and dissected, even as she soared to a pair of junior Grand Prix victories during the 2019-20 season that stamped her as an Olympian-in-waiting. Then came the pandemic. And a growth spurt. And the third American woman ever to complete a triple axel in competition, and the first to land a quad lutz, suddenly began to struggle with elements in her routine that she once took for granted. She struggled to fourth at last year’s nationals and failed to medal in her two Grand Prix assignments this season, finishing fifth at Skate Canada in October and fourth at the NHK Trophy in November. All of which led to the kind of difficult decision that many pro athletes must make, but almost never with the Olympics on the horizon: Liu changed coaches. She moved her training base in California with Jeremy Abbott and Massimo Scali to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to work with Christy Krall, Drew Meekins and Viktor Pfeifer. This week, she’ll find out whether the changes paid off. “It’s going pretty well now,” Liu said. “At first because it was such a sudden change for me, I wasn’t dealing with it very well, but after
a week or two I was excited again. I have the support of a lot of people on my team.” Her path at nationals became a little easier this week when reigning champion Bradie Tennell, who finished ninth in Pyeongchang, withdrew because of a lingering foot injury. That also keeps Tennell from making the Olympic team unless she is able to petition successfully for a spot on the squad. That leaves Liu’s biggest rivals in Nashville as Karen Chen, who was 11th in Pyeongchang and is trying to come back from her own foot injury; Mariah Bell, who finished fourth at the Rostelecom Cup; Amber Glenn, the silver medalist a year ago; and 14-year-old Isabeau Levito, the reigning US junior champ who is too young for the Olympics. Just like Liu was once upon a time. “All of us are working for the same goal and only three of us ladies get to be on the Olympic team,” Chen said. “I think back to 2018 and how I was able to get the spot, in a way it gives me confidence. But on the flip side, I think I’ve changed so much as a person and a skater and an athlete. The experiences I learned from 2018 in a way doesn’t apply to me because I’m a completely different person. But I know it’s within my grasp. I’m super capable of getting a spot on that team.”
ESPN+ to offer 4 streaming feeds in new PGA Tour deal By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Kapalua is busier than ever to start the new year, a development that goes beyond the largest winners-only field in Hawaii or even fans returning to the Plantation Course. ESPN+ starts its nine-year digital rights deal with the PGA Tour at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. “PGA Tour Live on ESPN+” features live coverage on four simultaneous feeds from all four rounds, which adds more than 3,200 new hours of live streaming and a total of more than 4,300 exclusive hours over 35 tournaments. “What fans are going to see is more than triple, almost quadruple the hours of coverage to choose from based on four new feeds,” said Chris Wandell, vice president of media business development at the PGA Tour. ESPN+ was launched in April 2018 — the first round of the RBC Heritage was the first event streamed on the service — and now has upward of 17 million subscribers. Viewers will be getting a better deal at $6.99 a month, down from $9.99 a month on NBC Sports
Gold and Amazon Prime, and a lot more options. The biggest change is the menu. The two featured groups will be on one of the ESPN+ channels. A second channel will be devoted to the “marquee group” that will be determined each tournament (hint: if Tiger Woods returns this year, he likely will be in that group). That channel will show every shot from every player. A third channel will be devoted to featured holes, primarily the par 3s or other pivotal holes, such as the 10th at Riviera, the 17th at the TPC Scottsdale or perhaps the reachable par-4 12th hole at the TPC Sawgrass. “Every player that comes through ... you’ll see him play at least four holes,” Wandell said. The other channel will be considered the main feed, a collection of video pulled together from all the other channels. That essentially would be a traditional presentation. “It is significantly more content on one feed leveraging shots that are cut from each of the other three feeds,” Wandell said. “So it will be a producer in a chair bouncing between group one, group two, group three and any of the four holes, to effectively create this really compelling channel for ESPN+ users.”
NELLY KORDA, of the United States, hoists the trophy after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament June 27, 2021, in Johns Creek, Ga. Korda won her first major and an Olympic gold medal this year. (AP) John Lasker, vice president of digital media programming for ESPN, believes this will be the most engaged feed of the four channels based on what ESPN has learned from doing the last two PGA Championships. He said it would be most comparable to what viewers will see
from network coverage in the afternoon. “It feels more traditional to the fan,” Lasker said. “It has a more broader scope, gets you more golf shots, telling the story of the entire tournament.” More content will require 16 cameras across the course and a 15-person talent crew calling the shots on four separate channels. The weekly production crew, on site and from afar, is increasing from about 85 people to more than 210. Along with more content, having ESPN involved will lead to a larger PGA Tour presence on highlight shows across linear channels, such as “SportsCenter.” And it might not stop there. Lasker was asked if there were plans to create a docuseries, similar to the one on Tom Brady. “We don’t have anything particular on the ESPN side planned right now,” Lasker said. “But again, this is a nine-year partnership. I’d be surprised if we’re not investing in some complementary or robust or original content that’s PGA Tour-focused over time.” MICKELSON MOMENT Phil Mickelson didn’t waste any time sharing the good news when he tweeted last week that he was the winner of the Player Impact Program and its $8 million prize. He also revealed that’s what prompted him to enter the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua for the first time in 21 years. Part of the deal is for the PIP winner to play a tournament he hasn’t been to in some time, or a tournament agreed upon with the tour. The tour has said the award is not official yet because it has to confirmed, though one tour official said early projections had shown Tiger Woods too far behind going into the PNC Championship to catch Mickelson. Given the metrics — internet searches, media mentions, social media reach, television ratings and Q-score — the outcome shouldn’t have been surprising. Woods was in the news during his February car crash, and then except for an interview with media partner Discovery, he wasn’t in the news again until the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas (news conference and range sessions) and playing with 12-year-old son Charlie in the PNC Championship. Perhaps the power of Woods’ appeal is that with so little time in the news, he still finished second. ALL ABILITIES CHAMPS Kapalua is hosting more than just PGA Tour winners this week. The Sentry Tournament of Champions says the top all-abilities golfers from four countries have been invited to play in the inaugural ISPS Handa All Abilities Champions Playoff, which will take place during the opening two rounds. On Thursday, the four players will tee off on the Bay Course at Kapalua as a foursome and play two 18-hole matches simultaneously among each other. On Friday, they will play nine holes
of stroke play on the Bay Course and then the front nine on the Plantation Course right after the last group from the PGA Tour event has teed off. The trophy presentation will take place on the ninth green. The players were chosen from top all-abilities golf tournaments around the world — Brendan Lawlor (World Invitational), Johan Kammerstad (Australian All Abilities Championship), Juan Postigo Arce (European Championship for Golfers with Disability) and Chad Peifer (U.S. Disabled Open). Lawlor called it an “unbelievable opportunity for us to put disability golf on the world stage.” CINK AND SON Stewart Cink is back at Kapalua with the rest of last year’s winners, and son Reagan returns as his caddie. That wasn’t the plan when it started. “Originally it was to do one tournament, but it was the Safeway Open, and that plan was quickly expanded into further into the year,” Cink said. He won that Safeway Open in September 2020, and they were having so much fun together, they kept going. With Reagan getting married in July, they figured it was best for the son to stop caddying after the Tour Championship. “It’s just not a good way to start a marriage, for him on the road and for her working at home,” Cink said. “Then she decided to take her job part time and be able to travel more with us. It was up to them. We weren’t going to stand in the way of him saying, ‘I want to keep going and Olivia is going to start travelling.’ I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re having a blast. DIVOTS Nelly Korda starts the new year at No. 1 in the women’s world ranking. It’s her 26th week atop the ranking, the most of any American player. She had been tied with Stacy Lewis. The record is 158 weeks at No. 1 by Lorena Ochoa. ... Sam Burns starts the new year by moving into the top 10 for the first time due to the rolling, twoyear formula. ... Tony Finau, Patrick Reed and Matthew Wolff are among the latest to commit to play in the Saudi International. To get releases from the PGA Tour, they must agree to play the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at least once over the next three years. The tournament also says the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia will be the event’s new title sponsor. STAT OF THE WEEK The total purse of the Tournament of Champions in 1997 when Tiger Woods won it for the first time was $1.2 million. The winner of this week’s Tournament of Champions gets $1.476 million. FINAL WORD “For the first time in years, I feel like I’ve got some momentum.” — Jordan Spieth on starting the new year.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 15
After 8 years as NBA assistant, Hammon to lead team in WNBA By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer BECKY Hammon was ready to lead her own team. So she went back to where her professional career began — the WNBA. Hammon, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, will take over as the Las Vegas Aces’ head coach after the NBA season concludes. “Being the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces is a step forward and a step in the right direction for myself and for women’s basketball,” Hammon said. “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this opportunity that I have. There’s something to being a head coach.” Hammon has spent eight seasons as a Spurs assistant and has interviewed for several NBA head coaching jobs. But for now, her dream of becoming the first
woman to lead an NBA team is on hold. “I sat in head coaching interviews (in the NBA) and people said two things: ‘You’ve only been in San Antonio and you’ve never been a head coach,’” she said. “NBA jobs are hard to get. In some ways, I feel like the NBA maybe is close. In other ways, I feel like they’re a long ways off from hiring (a woman head coach). I don’t know when it could happen.” There are still a half dozen women assistant coaches in the NBA. Hammon’s résumé earned her plenty of respect: She will be the WNBA’s highestpaid coach. Hammon will replace Bill Laimbeer, who has been with the team since it moved to Las Vegas in 2017 and led the Aces on deep playoff runs the past three seasons, including a WNBA Finals appearance
SPURS assistant coach Becky Hammon during the first half of an NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks on November 12, 2021, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) in 2020. Last season, the 64-year-old coach took a step back, letting assistant Tanisha Wright run more practices and ingame huddles. Wright left in the offseason to be the head coach of the Atlanta Dream.
“This is the organisation that made it very, very obvious they wanted me really, really bad,” the 44-year-old Hammon said. The Aces split up the team’s general manager duties with Laimbeer, Hammon and a few others handling it for now according to Las Vegas spokesman. The Aces finished with the second-best record in the WNBA last season at 24-8 before falling to the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals. The franchise, looking for its first WNBA title, has a solid core led by former MVP A’ja Wilson. “We have some really good pieces in place, so it’s about adding new pieces that will fit my style of play,” Hammon said. “We’ll probably shoot a few more 3s to be honest, run up and down a bit more. The type of player I really want is a competitive one.”
Hammon played in the WNBA from 1999-2014. The six-time All-Star began her career with the New York Liberty, who also interviewed her for their coaching vacancy earlier this month. She finished with the San Antonio Stars, who later became the Aces. Las Vegas retired her jersey this season and she spent a little bit of time with the team, including working with Kelsey Plum. “We’re very excited to have Becky return to the Aces’ franchise as our head coach,” team president Nikki Fargas said. “Her success in the sport of basketball as both a player and a coach is unparalleled, and fuelled by a tenacious desire to be the best she can possibly be. We have one of the most talented rosters in the WNBA, and Becky is the absolute best person to lead this team.”
USA SWIM CANCELS 1ST MAJOR MEET OF YEAR DUE TO COVID-19 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — USA Swimming has cancelled its first major meet of the year because of the surge in COVID19 cases. The TYR Pro Swim Series meet had been set to run from January 12-15 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Colorado-based national governing body said Monday it wanted to prioritise the health and safety of its athletes, staff and event volunteers. The next scheduled stop in the Pro Swim Series is Des Moines, Iowa, March 2-5. Last year, USA Swimming was forced to cancel three of the Pro Swim Series meets because of the coronavirus pandemic.
COLUMN: NEW YEAR STARTS WITH A FAMILIAR QUESTION ABOUT TIGER WOODS By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — The largest winners-only field ever assembled at Kapalua can make it seem as though getting to paradise isn’t as difficult as it used to be. Try telling that to Dustin Johnson, who will not be starting a new year on Maui for only the second time since he joined the PGA Tour in 2008. The locals have grown accustomed to Johnson sauntering into the Honolua Store at dawn to order his egg whites and brown rice. Winning is hard, even for the best. Equally difficult is predicting how a new year will unfold. Strange as it would have seemed a year ago that Johnson would not be part of the 39-man field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, consider who is here. Phil Mickelson, who 14 times over the last two decades turned down his invitation to the winnersonly event, at age 51 found 8 million reasons to play. By winning the Player Impact Program and its $8 million bonus, Lefty was required to add a new tournament to his schedule. So he decided to play golf on Maui. Where will it lead? Here are five topics to ponder for the new year, which starts with a question that seems to repeat itself each year: What next for Tiger Woods? TIGER SIGHTING The Daily Mail published photos of Woods this week at Los Angeles International Airport wearing a hoodie that most appropriately read, “Straight Outta Ice Bath.” The road to recovery from multiple injuries to his right leg in a February 23 car crash remains long. All it took was three days playing with his son in the PNC Championship, where they finished second, to get the golf world buzzing about his next comeback. The only certainty is that Woods won’t be playing a full schedule. The swing hasn’t left him. But he was allowed to ride in a cart at the PNC Championship, and the format was a scramble. That’s a long way from anything remotely resembling serious competition. Bank on him being at The Players Championship, at least for his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. It’s also a safe bet he’ll be at Augusta National for the Masters Club dinner for champions. As for playing? That depends on his ability to navigate the toughest walk on tour. The only big hill to climb at St Andrews is the Swilcan bridge, and given his love for links, an appearance at the 150th British Open is a popular pick. In the meantime, he only needs to post an occasional video to keep everyone guessing.
COLLIN Morikawa holds up the claret jug trophy as he poses for photographers on the 18th green after winning the British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George’s golf course in Sandwich, England, on July 18, 2021. Morikawa can become only the seventh player since 1960 to win a major in three straight years if he can win another in 2022. (AP)
DUSTIN Johnson looks at his ball on the third green during the second round of the Tournament of Champions golf event at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP) THE SAUDI LEAGUE Talk of a rival league backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is starting to sound like a game of chicken. Who will be the first to sign up? It has been more than two months since Greg Norman hand-picked media outlets to cover the creation of his LIV Golf Investments and the $200 million investment in the Asian Tour, which he said was “only the beginning” and promised “additive new opportunities.” Since then, the Shark has filled his C-Suite but has yet to name any players willing to join a new league. The PGA Tour is taking it seriously enough to push prize money closer to $500 million and draw up plans to compensate its biggest stars. One pivotal date could be the first week in February, when more than two dozen PGA Tour players have signed up to take big appearance money to play in the Saudi International. GRAND SLAM Mickelson proved age is just a number when it comes to winning a major. His victory in the PGA Championship at 50 made him the oldest major champion in history and created hope that a US Open — the missing piece of the career Grand Slam — is still in play. He isn’t alone in his pursuit, leading to another question: Is the next member of golf’s most elite club likely to be Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth? McIlroy has gone to Augusta National the last seven years with a shot at getting the career Grand Slam with only a serious chance at it in 2018, when
he played in the final group with Patrick Reed and shot 74. Spieth captured the third leg in 2017 and now needs only the PGA Championship. His game appears
TIGER Woods fist bumps his son Charlie Woods on the 16th green during the second round of the PNC Championship golf tournament on December 19, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. Speculation for 2022 starts with where Woods will show up next on the PGA Tour. (AP) to be back in order after winning the Texas Open. Unlike the Masters, the PGA Championship moves around and some venues are more suitable than others. Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, would seem to provide one of the better opportunities for Spieth. COLLIN’S CLIMB Collin Morikawa lost one opportunity to reach No. 1 in the world when he gave up a five-shot lead in the final round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He gets another shot at Kapalua, though Jon Rahm will have a say in defending his top spot.
But this is about more than the No. 1 ranking, which comes and goes. Morikawa has played two full seasons on the PGA Tour and already has two majors, and his profile gets stronger by the month. To win another major this year would put him in elite territory. Dating to 1960, only six players have won majors in three successive years — Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. PRESIDENTS CUP Who wins the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow is not nearly as interesting as who makes — or who doesn’t make — the US team.
More than just giving Europe its worst beating in the Ryder Cup, the Americans had a core of a team that was young and cocky and cohesive. How many of them will make it to Quail Hollow in September? Remember, the US team that won the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine by a 17-11 margin had only seven players who made it to the Presidents Cup the following year. Among those left off this year were Sam Burns, who now is No. 10 in the world. Matthew Wolff was finding his joy and his form by the end of the year. Big-hitting Jason Kokrak won twice last year. Something — or someone — will have to give.
PAGE 16, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
Osaka opens her season with a win over Cornet in Melbourne MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Naomi Osaka is back in a place where she’s won two of her four Grand Slam singles titles and she’s feeling good vibes after some time off trying to rediscover her love for the game. The Australian Open champion opened her 2022 season with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Alize Cornet yesterday in one of the Summer Set of tournaments in Melbourne. Osaka was returning to Rod Laver Arena for the first time since winning the Australian Open title in February. It was also her first tour-level match since a third-round loss to Leylah Fernandez at the US Open in September. After that loss, Osaka said: “I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match.” She also took time off earlier last year, a mental health break that began when she withdrew from the French Open before her second-round match. She also sat out Wimbledon, then returned for the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony. After her opening win in Melbourne, Osaka said
she’d set herself one major goal for this year: to enjoy the game. “I’m the type of person that cared a little bit too much about the results and the rankings and I need to find a way to enjoy the game again because that’s the reason I played the game in the first place,” she said. After taking time to hang out with friends and family, she said she slowly started to regain the feeling of love for the game. “It’s not like it ever completely went away but it got overshadowed by a lot of emotions that I was feeling just by constantly playing year after year,” Osaka said. Osaka was up a set and a break before Cornet went on a five-game roll to force the match into a third set. The former No. 1-ranked Osaka got just over 38% of her first serves into play, had eight double-faults and 57 unforced errors, but countered that with 51 winners. She faced only three break points. “I feel like I made a lot of unforced errors today,” the top-seeded Osaka said, “but I expected that because it is the first match and I was really nervous.”
NAOMI OSAKA, of Japan, serves during her singles match against Alize Cornet of France at the Summer Set tennis tournament ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair) Travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic mean there’s a crammed schedule of events Down Under before the Australian Open starts on January 17. There are three events being played this week
in Melbourne as part of Tennis Australia’s Summer Set of tournaments — two WTA tournaments and one ATP. In Adelaide, there is a joint ATP and WTA tournament this week.
The ATP Cup is being played in Sydney. Jessica Pegula, the top seed in the other women’s Summer Set tournament in Melbourne, lost to IrinaCamelia Begu 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the first round.
Russia takes group lead at ATP Cup SYDNEY (AP) — Daniil Medvedev and Roman Safiullin won their singles matches before combining to win the doubles Tuesday to give defending champion Russia a sweep of Australia and first place in Group B at the ATP Cup. Russia is 2-0 in the tournament but still has to beat Italy on Thursday in a rematch between last year’s finalists to ensure it advances to the semifinals. Safiullin opened the night session with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over James Duckworth. Medvedev beat Alex De Minaur 6-4, 6-2 to secure Russia’s victory before the doubles. “We fight when we play for our country, to the last point,” Medvedev said. Italy rebounded from its upset loss to Australia last Sunday to sweep France, with Jannik Sinner beating Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 7-6 (3) and Matteo Berrettini defeating Ugo Humbert 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the singles matches. For Berrettini, it was a confidence-boosting win following a loss to de Minaur over the weekend. Humbert was coming off an upset win over U.S. Open champion Medvedev. “I had to play my best tennis in the important moments to win the match and I’m really happy with my performance,” Berrettini said in an on-court TV interview. All four teams in Group C have 1-1 records after Germany beat the United States and Canada rallied to beat Britain.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV, of Russia reacts to winning his match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur during their match at the ATP Cup tennis tournament in Sydney yesterday. (AP Photo/Steve Christo) Jan-Lennard Struff withstood 34 aces in a 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-5 win over John Isner to give Germany the lead and Alexander Zverev sealed his team’s victory, on his fifth match point, with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Taylor Fritz. Isner and Fritz combined for a 6-0, 6-3 win over Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the doubles, earning the Americans a point that could prove important
in determine the group winners. Germany lost to Britain 2-1 in its tournament opener, and the Americans swept Canada 3-0. “Great effort by Jan to beat John in these conditions ... we needed that win, we needed to get on the board,” the third-ranked Zverev said. “It’s the second match of the season. I’m still getting into it. I’m still trying to
adjust, but I’m happy with how things are.” In the night session, Dan Evans gave Britain an early lead over Canada by beating Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4. But Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Cameron Norrie 7-6 (4), 6-3. Then, he combined with Shapovalov to beat Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury 6-4, 6-1 in the deciding doubles match.
“I am happy to keep the team alive, but the work is not done,” Auger-Aliassime said. The group winner will be decided Thursday when Germany plays Canada and the United States faces Britain. The four group winners in the 16-team tournament advance to the semifinals on Friday and Saturday, with the final scheduled for Sunday.
Pegula, who reached the quarterfinals at last year’s Australian Open, led 5-3 and had set points before Begu rallied for victory. In the men’s tournament in Melbourne, Facundo Bagnis beat former No. 1 Andy Murray 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, saving 11 of 13 break points. He will next play third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. Murray, a five-time finalist at the Australian Open, received a wild-card entry to play at the season’s opening major. In Adelaide, 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek opened her Adelaide International title defense with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Daria Saville, who was known as Daria Gavrilova before her recent marriage. In earlier matches, American teenager Coco Gauff beat Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway 6-2, 6-1 to set up a second-round match against top-ranked Ash Barty, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin beat Lucia Bronzetti 7-5, 7-5, and Anastasia Gasanova beat eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka ousted fourth-seeded Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2 in a night match.
SLOANE STEPHENS, JOZY ALTIDORE WED ON NEW YEAR’S DAY TENNIS star Sloane Stephens and soccer player Jozy Altidore have gotten married. Stephens and Altidore posted a wedding photo yesterday on their Instagram accounts. The wedding took place Saturday at the St Regis Bal Harbour in Miami Beach, Florida, according to People magazine. The couple announced their engagement on Twitter in April 2019 with a photo showing her wearing a diamond ring. Her tweet said: “Forever yes” and his said: “Forever starts now.” Stephens, 28, won the 2017 US Open and was a finalist in the 2018 French Open, a semifinalist at the 2013 Australian Open and a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2013. Altidore, 32, has been with Toronto FC of Major League Soccer since 2015 following stints with the New York Red Bulls (200608), Spain’s Villarreal (2008-11) and Xerez (2009), England’s Hull (2009-10) and Sunderland (2013-15), Turkey’s Bursaspor (2011) and the Netherlands’ AZ Alkmaar (2011-13). He has 42 goals in 115 appearances for the US but has not appeared for the national team since the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
DJOKOVIC GIVEN MEDICAL EXEMPTION TO PLAY IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament. The top-ranked Djokovic wrote on Instagram yesterday he has “an exemption permission.” Djokovic, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Victoria state government has mandated that all players,
staff and fans attending the Australian Open must be fully vaccinated unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted. Australian Open organisers issued a statement later yesterday to confirm Djokovic will be allowed to compete at the tournament, which starts on January 17, and is on his way to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia’s team for the ATP Cup, which started last weekend in Sydney. “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the statement said. “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review
NOVAK DJOKOVIC Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines.”
Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said “fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.” “Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration,” Tiley said. Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino last month said the medical
exemptions were “not a loophole for privileged tennis players.” “It is a medical exemption in exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition,” Merlino said at a news conference. The decision announced yesterday will be widely debated in a city which endured months of strict lockdowns and harsh travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic. Reaction on social media quickly turned to questions about the grounds for Djokovic’s exemption, and what quarantine conditions he will have to meet on arrival in Australia. Last year, all foreign players had to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine before the Australian
Open, pushing the year’s first major back from its usual mid-January start. There were also strict caps on crowd numbers, and days when fans weren’t allowed into Melbourne Park as coronavirus cases surged. The 34-year-old Djokovic has won nine of his 20 major titles at the Australian Open. He shares the men’s record for most majors with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic hasn’t played at tour level since the Davis Cup Finals in early December, and has recently been practicing in Spain. His posts on social media announcing his plans to travel to Australia were accompanied by a photo of Djokovic leaning on a tennis bag at an airport.
PAGE 18, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
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NEW AUTO SALES UP IN 2021, BUT LONG WAY BEFORE FULL RECOVERY By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. new vehicle sales rebounded slightly last year from 2020’s dismal numbers, but were still about 2 million below the years before the coronavirus pandemic. The reason? Although there are plenty of customers who want to buy new vehicles at hefty prices, there still aren’t enough computer chips for the industry to fully crank up its factories. So supplies are short, prices are high, and many customers can’t get what they want. Sales hit just over 15 million vehicles in 2021, up 3.4% from 2020, the year the pandemic took hold in the U.S.
“Demand is not off at all,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Cox Automotive. “What is off is sales, because the inventory doesn’t exist.” Cox expects 2021 sales to be 14.9 million vehicles, up 2.5% from 2020, the year the pandemic hit the U.S. and forced the industry to shut down for eight weeks. But over the five years before the pandemic, sales averaged 17.3 million. Among the hardest hit by the chip shortage was General Motors, which was unseated by Toyota last year as the nation’s topselling automaker for the first time. GM on Tuesday reported that last year’s U.S. sales fell 13% from 2020 levels to just over 2.2 million. Toyota, on the other hand,
saw its sales rise 10.4% to just over 2.3 million. Like other automakers, GM was forced to temporarily close factories during the year as it struggled to get semiconductors, especially early in the year. Krebs said she isn’t sure if GM will be able to dislodge Toyota this year because Toyota has managed the chip shortage better and has a faster distribution. GM diverted limited chip supplies to highermargin pickup trucks and full-size SUVs, boosting the company’s bottom line, spokesman Jim Cain said. Early last year, GM forecast pretax earnings of $10 billion to $11 billion, but expects to finish the year around $14 billion, he said. The company, Cain said, expects the chip shortage to ease this year, with more available in the second half. Among other automakers reporting full-year sales numbers were Ford with a 7% year-over-year decline, Stellantis with a 2.2% drop, and Subaru with sales falling 4.6% below 2020. Honda posted an 8.9% increase, while Hyundai saw a 23.3% jump. Nissan sales also rose, by 8.7%, while Volkswagen Group
A PAIR of 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E are displayed for sale at a Ford dealer on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Wexford, Pa. U.S. new vehicle sales rebounded slightly last year from 2020’s dismal numbers, but forecasters expect them to be more than 2 million below the years before the coronavirus pandemic. Photo:Keith Srakocic/AP posted an 11.7% increase, according to Motor Intelligence. Analysts and industry executives say although chip supplies are improving, its not certain when they’ll get back to pre-pandemic levels. The average gas-powered vehicle has about 1,000 chips, and electric vehicles can have more than double that number. IHS Markit analyst Phil Amsrud, who follows automotive chips, said supplies won’t improve immediately. “We’re seeing 2022 as being an improvement over 2021, but it’s not going to start January third or fourth,” he said, adding that the second half should be better than the first.
There are signs that the number of vehicles on dealer lots is growing, though. It rose to more than 1 million last month for the first time since August, Krebs said. But that’s still 1.5 million below 2020 and 2.5 million fewer than in 2019. Cox is predicting that U.S. new vehicle sales sales will increase by more than 1 million this year, to around 16 million. Amsrud attributed the vehicle inventory growth more to automakers managing the chip shortage better, rather than any dramatic growth in chip supplies. Like GM, many have allocated chips to
TECH FOUNDER OUT AFTER ANTISEMITIC, ANTI-VACCINE EMAIL SALT LAKE CITY Associated Press A UTAH tech company founder and onetime prominent figure in state Republican politics resigned
from the board of the company he started Tuesday after sending an email outlining an antisemitic vaccination conspiracy theory. David Bateman, founder and board chair of the company Entrata, claimed the COVID-19 vaccine is part of a plot by "the Jews" to exterminate people, Fox13 reported. The email attacks the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and urges people not to get it. It claims the pandemic and "systematic extermination of billions of people" will lead to an effort to "consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule." The recipients included the owner of NBA's Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, GOP Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Senate Minority Whip Luz Escamilla, a Democrat. Bateman confirmed he sent the email in a text message to the news station. He said he had "nothing but
love for the Jewish people" but he echoed the assertions in the email. The email contained his personal opinion and was intended for a few friends, he said. He has retired as CEO of Entrata, a property management software company, but had remained chair of the company's board. Bateman had also been a prominent figure in Utah Republican politics, financially bailing out the party a few years ago when its legal debt mounted during a court fight over paths for candidates to get on the ballot. The Entrata board of directors asked Bateman to step down Tuesday, and he agreed. "The opinions expressed by Dave were his alone and do not reflect the views or values of Entrata ... To be absolutely clear, we at Entrata firmly condemn antisemitism in any and all forms," CEO Adam Edmunds said in a statement.
build more expensive models. David Kelleher, owner of a Stellantis dealership in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, said he doesn’t see much change in auto sales and prices this year or next, but he’s happy with that. He’s making record profits, selling just about every vehicle he gets at sticker price, while customers are happy to find vehicles. They’re also getting high prices for trade-ins because used car prices have skyrocketed. Owners have an average of $10,199 worth of equity in their trades, 83% higher than a year ago, J.D. Power said. His email was also met with shock and dismay from people like Blake McClary, another prominent Utah tech executive who runs the Salt Lake City chapter of Silicon Slopes, a nonprofit representing the state's tech industry. He tweeted a call for Bateman to step down from Entrata and "not embarrass us." Rabbi Avremi Zippel of Chabad Utah called the email "blatant anti-Semitism" and a "flaming pile of garbage" that could lead to real-world violence. "We know how quickly things go from ridiculous conspiracy theories online and in emails, how that jumps to violence rather quickly," he said. The COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. were tested in tens of thousands of people and proven to be both safe and effective at dramatically reducing the risk of serious disease and death. The vaccines now have been given to millions of Americans, and that real-world use plus extra government safety tracking have made clear that serious side effects are extremely rare -- and that any risk is far lower than the risks posed by COVID-19.
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 19
THIRTEEN ALTERNATIVES TO ‘ACT OF HUMILIATION’ SMALL FROM PAGE 24
and not in the best interests of the country.” Tribune Business revealed back in October 2021 how the former Lucayan Renewal Holdings Board had “unanimously” recommended to the Davis administration that it exit the ITM/Royal Caribbean deal and “move on” with alternative options - something that Mr Scott effectively confirmed yesterday. While the resort’s redevelopment held the most potential economic benefits for The Bahamas and its people, this newspaper reported that it had become “an after-thought” for Royal Caribbean which was more focused on Freeport Harbour’s cruise berth expansions/additions and creation of a water-based adventure theme park. The original deal struck with the Government was watered down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to such an extent that the original two-year timeline for redeveloping the Grand Lucayan was pushed back to ten to 15 years - a factor that meant the agreement “makes no sense” for The Bahamas.
And ITM/Royal Caribbean were also seeking vendor financing from the Government, with just $10m of the $65m purchase price to be paid up front. Much of this was subsequently confirmed by Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation, who confirmed that both sides had mutually agreed to cancel the ITM/Royal Caribbean deal. Tribune Business had also reported one week prior to the cancellation that the ITM/Royal Caribbean deal was off the table and would not be proceeding, although Mr Cooper denied this when contacted. Mr Scott, though, argued that the Minnis administration’s September 2018 intervention to acquire the Grand Lucayan for $65m from Hutchison Whampoa’s property development arm was justified given the need to prevent the resort from becoming a second Royal Oasis and the neartotal collapse of Freeport’s tourism/hotel economy. Referring to Michael Pintard’s recent defence of the previous administration’s actions, the QC added: “I understand what the new leader of the Opposition said; that it was to save a
major landmark facility in Grand Bahama from being closed, being shut down, and deteriorating with degradation setting in as happened at the Royal Oasis, and an attempt to preserve as much employment as possible for what the hotel represents as a microcosm of the Grand Bahama tourism industry at its core. “But the diluted deal presented to the former government as a fait accompli was not only wrong, and not in the best interests of the Bahamian people, but an act of humiliation and I would have preferred to resign rather than agree on a deal on those terms. I back them [the Davis administration] for following the course we recommended.” The ITM/Royal Caribbean deal, in its prepandemic version, might have succeeded and gone through had it not been for COVID-19’s intervention, but this will now never known. However, the cruise giant, has said it is searching for a new landbased tourism partner to replace ITM and remains interested in acquiring the Grand Lucayan. It is also persisting with the harbour project.
Mr Scott, though, disclosed that the Government is not short of alternatives and said he was “very confident” it could quickly locate a Grand Lucayan purchaser. “We left at least 13 other potential offers, four of which we regarded as being serious offers or expressions of interest. We urge the Government to consider them carefully,” he told Tribune Business. “Four were vetted by us and considered to be serious. They only have to find one of the four. Hopefully they can manage that. Their decision to bring that agreement for sale to an end and decouple the hotel from the harbour is the right decision, and I’m glad they followed our recommendation. “Personally I never had much faith in ITM, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines should stick to what it does best, which is to operate cruise ports and cruise lines. The biggest mistake any developer can make is to get out of their comfort zone and get into areas they have very little acquaintance and association with.” Mr Scott added that if the Carnival and Royal Caribbean port deals for Grand Bahama “do in fact mature and take off, it
WORKER SHORTAGE FEARS ON OMICRON EXPLOSION
FROM PAGE 24
Peter Goudie, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) labour division chair, yesterday confirmed to Tribune Business he was already aware of companies - especially in the retail sector - who were asking healthy staff to work longer hours to cover for colleagues absent due to COVID-related issues. “I have to think any business is worried about shortages of people,” he said. “I know some
businesses had to have people work longer hours because others were out with COVID and had to quarantine. I think we’re all concerned, and we have to be concerned.” Pointing to the worldwide Omicron response, which has seen places such as Canada’s Ontario province reimpose restrictions on indoor dining and businesses such as health clubs, Mr Goudie added: “With the numbers we’re getting I’m worried about that happening here. It’s serious. It’s serious.”
The Bahamas recorded 1,966 cases from December 27 to January 2. That record weekly number of cases includes the two highest daily numbers since the start of the pandemic: 520 on December 30, 2021 and 477 on January 2. And Monday’s 315 new cases brought the figure to 2,311 for an eight-day period. Omicron, which current data suggests is more contagious but less deadly than previous COVID variants such as Delta, has produced an explosion of infections with 1,850 new cases
GAMBLER WINNINGS TAX ‘TOO COMPLEX’ FROM PAGE 24 we decided that we will do away with it,” he said. “It had been the source of a legal action, as well as a lot of debate. So we decided we’ll just do away with it. The gaming industry, if you look at it in terms of their taxation, not only versus our casinos but versus other businesses, is very, very heavily taxed and so, we believe that it’s just better to do away with it.” Some observers, though, will likely attribute the Government’s move to the power and influence of the web shop gaming industry. They may also argue that gambling, given that it is viewed as an anti-social activity worldwide, should be taxed heavily as a matter of good public policy. The former administration had sought to implement the patron winnings tax on January 1 last year, following several previous delays, but then ended up pushing it back several times and, ultimately, never followed through. The tax would have seen a five percent levy paid by patrons on winnings up to $1,000, and 7.5 percent on anything greater than $1,000. It was projected to generate between $10m$15m annually in extra revenue for the Public Treasury. While a relatively small sum in the overall fiscal scheme of things, it would have certainly shrink gamblers’ winnings at a time when they were hoping to land every cent possible due to COVID-19 related high unemployment and income cuts. Dionisio D’Aguilar, former minister of tourism and aviation, said previously that just 45 percent of web shop gaming activities would attract the patron “winnings” tax with online casino spins remaining untouched “for now”. This means that a gambler who wins $1,000 will pay $50 in tax, reducing their take-home winnings to $950. Someone who wins $2,000 will pay $150 in tax,
leaving them with $1,850 to take home. Mr D’Aguilar added that the government had decided to focus this levy solely on lottery/numbers operations because it was too “complicated” to calculate the winnings from online casino spinning, indicating that Bahamian gamblers had got off relatively lightly. The ex-minister said the comparable winnings tax rates in Jamaica and Barbados are 15 percent and 20 percent, respectively. In the US, he added that the federal tax rate was 25 percent,
with state and local taxes on top of that. Mr Halkitis, meanwhile, yesterday said the Government will make changes to the Public Procurement Act enacted by the previous administration. “We’re looking at those Acts. We’ve had a lot of legislation that was pushed through and we have to make sure that legislation makes sense,” he added. Acknowledging that “transparency, accountability and order” is needed “in government operations”, Mr Halkitis said it also
will be worth a vertically integrated operator like Memories and Sunwing taking another look” at the Grand Lucayan. These entities, and their integrated airlift/tour/hotel operator model, appeared to hold out the most promise for making the resort work due to their ability to better control costs and margins until they departed in late 2016/early 2017 following Hutchison Whampoa’s inaction over Hurricane Matthew repairs. Dionisio D’Aguilar, the former minister of tourism and aviation, had blamed the ITM/Royal Caribbean joint venture’s failure to reach agreement on a separate deal with the Hutchison Whampoaowned Freeport Harbour Company for delaying the Grand Lucayan’s sale. He revealed that concluding negotiations over Freeport Harbour’s redevelopment - including the addition of new cruise berths - was a “condition precedent” that must be satisfied before the joint venture will acquire the resort from the Government - a situation that prevailed through the general election.
recorded in The Bahamas between Thursday, December 30, and Monday, January 3 for a daily average of 370. Hospitalisations have also risen, albeit more slowly, to 58 with three in intensive care. Mr Goudie said that while Omicron does not appear as deadly as previous COVID variants, such as Delta, its rapid spread was “scaring people and people are getting COVID who you would not normally expect to”. “My answer to you is that the private sector has
to be concerned about the way it is spreading, and having staff shortages,” he added. “I know of some businesses where that’s happening already and people are having to work longer hours. Retail especially because they don’t have any choice. It’s difficult. It’s really difficult. It’s been difficult for two years. “Businesses are going to have to work out contingency plans. Period. No doubt. Businesses have to make contingency plans because of potential problems, and they should be making them. It’s no different from hurricane season.”
“needs to make sense so the government can operate”. He added: “So we’re looking at a slew of legislation to make some changes to make sure that we maintain transparency, but government hands are not tied, and you’re not crippled, in terms of when government needs to procure and do things, especially on an urgent basis. “So we’re looking at all of that, and whatever changes are made will come before Parliament and it’ll be all done in the full light. The law was passed early in 2021. It was implemented on September 2, 2021, conveniently two weeks before the elections. We will report
as necessary. We’re complying with the legislation, and the reports will be made. “That procurement legislation was implemented into effect on September 2, two weeks before the election. You have a former government that was procuring straight up to that. No training, no manuals, no regulations, all of that we have to implement now,” Mr Halkitis said. “So we should just appreciate that when you do transformative legislation and wide-ranging legislation like that, you have to train the public service to be able to implement it, and you have to have in place regulations and manuals.”
BUSINESS AGENCY REFUTES ‘DEMAND LETTER’ FROM PAGE 22 event that SBDC is called on to pay that amount (or any other amount), we shall require that you repay SBDC immediately. Please let us know how you intend to satisfy those arrears. We await hearing from you at your earliest, but no later than Tuesday, October 26, 2021.” The e-mail appears to meet the definition of a “demand letter”, which is a document - usually crafted by an attorney - requesting that the recipient take immediate action to fulfill their obligations, and resolve a dispute, that usually involves the repayment of money. However, Ms Rolle responded: “The Access Accelerator SBDC at no time sent Ms Darville a demand letter. She was contacted by the debt recovery agency in order to ascertain her ability to repay the outstanding debt owed. “We’ve been communicating and trying to work with Shiver for quite some time now, and even working with the financial institution in which she took out the loan based on our assistance. “Throughout everything we’ve been accommodating in terms of understanding her circumstance and trying to deal with what the owners of Shiver would have agreed to follow through with,” Ms Rolle added. “We are simply asking Shiver to give us some indication, as we have been doing over the past six months, to their status and where they are at, and even if there is something that can be done to state that.” Ms Darville, in response to Ms Rolle, said yesterday: “I never got a call to come and negotiate anything from the SBDC. I told the lawyer [Mr Davis] I don’t owe the SBDC anything because I’m dealing with RBC. That’s what I told the lawyer: Why is the SBDC saying that I owe them $5,000 when it’s RBC? “So I told the lawyer I am dealing with RBC directly, and I have already made arrangements with them, so why would I give SBDC $5,000. Why would I do that?”
PAGE 20, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
‘RESCUE’ PEAK TOURISM: GOV’TS LAST-DITCH ACTION FROM PAGE 24
However, while the testing type has been eased for vaccinated visitors, who account for between twothirds to three-quarters of all visitors to The Bahamas, the window in which to obtain a negative test remains narrowed at three days as opposed to the current five - something Mr Sands said the tourism industry would accept if PCR tests were not mandatory for all. And all visitors staying in The Bahamas longer than 48 hours must, with effect from yesterday, take a rapid antigen test regardless of vaccination status. However, Mr Sands yesterday revealed that “some market confusion” over the revised entry requirements that had been due to take effect from Friday may have contributed to some Bahamas resorts missing their projected Christmas/ New Year occupancy forecasts by up to 15 percent, although he was quick to point out that all still enjoyed a strong festive period. As a result, he disclosed that the BHTA and industry members had intensified their talks with the Government over the past ten days, in particular, with
“an appeal” to reconsider the insistence on PCR tests for all visitors regardless of vaccination status given that time was running out to take “corrective action” before the peak season. Last night’s announcement is thus a direct response to these concerns, while seeking to balance The Bahamas’ economic revival - which has to be driven primarily by tourism - with efforts to mitigate the explosive spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant. The episode again exposes the delicate balancing act the Government has been forced to try and achieve over the past two years between protecting lives and livelihoods, with The Bahamas having reported a record 1,850 new COVID cases over the past five days - an average of 360 per day. Hospitalisations are also rising, albeit at a slower rate, with 58 in such status as of Monday, three of whom are in intensive care, and the balance “Let me just say to you that the BHTA has been in constant communication with the Government of The Bahamas, particularly in the last ten days, given the emergence of the Omicron environment but also with regards to the new
entry requirements put in place,” Mr Sands told Tribune Business before the ministry’s announcement. “We’ve alerted the Government to see if they cannot strike a balance between the health and well-being of our visitors and people, and the economy, which has been on a fairly firm foundation for recovery for the future.” In remarks that proved to be accurate, Mr Sands added of the proposed January 7 testing protocols change: “The jury is not out on that yet; that final decision. We’ve made an appeal to the Government to reconsider certain aspects, certainly for them to give some consideration to removing the PCR test on the third day. “We’ve made some interventions on behalf of the entire tourism industry. They’ve [the Government] advised they will give a detailed review and revert to us in the shortest possible period of time, hopefully before the implementation date.” The Government’s revisions substantially reduce the number of visitors who will be required to produce a PCR test within three days of travel, thus easing somewhat the barriers to accessing The Bahamas.
Asked how the original January 7 protocols would have impacted tourism, Mr Sands replied: “I don’t want to be a dooms player without having the Government’s position based on the collaborative intervention of the industry at this point in time. “The Government has kept the channels of communication open with us, giving us an opportunity to provide critical and crucial tourism input on decisions that impact the industry’s ability to operate in a healthy, safe and robust tourism environment. “We’re hopeful, based on the latest presentation to the Government, that they will study it and get back to us in due course. And, if they so strike a balance that we consider to be extremely important, then I think some of the fears we may have been concerned about with the winter season testing period and negative impact on bookings will go away.” The Bahamian tourism industry’s hope will be that winter tourism season bookings will be relatively unaffected as a result of the Government taking action now. “Any corrective measures done early will have a dramatic impact on bookings for the winter season,
CRUISE PORT: ‘OMICRON NOT SLOWED US DOWN’ FROM PAGE 24 that Mr Maura criticised for targeting, or singling out, the industry when other sectors had at least equal, if not greater potential, to facilitate Omicron’s rapid spread. “Our bookings remain very strong,” the Nassau Cruise Port chief told this newspaper. “We’re not concerned with our 2022 numbers, we’re not concerned with our 2023 numbers. We handled 109 ships in December, and even with Omicron we had very strong arrivals. From a booking perspective, we
remain very strong for 2022 and 2023. “Omicron has been around for two months. The week leading up to Christmas, downtown was the busiest it’s been for a long time from a cruise passenger perspective. Our business and cruise passenger volumes in that week leading up to Christmas was crazy. We had several days when we had five ships in port at the same time. I would tell you Omicron has not slowed down business.” After a typical reduction in cruise ship calls between Christmas and the New Year, Mr Maura added that vessel calls at Prince
George Wharf were “picking right back up. We have 110 ships booked for January. We’ll see how it goes but everything is right there and looking positive. The Bahamas continues to be very strong with the cruise industry”. Omicron, which current data suggests is more contagious but less deadly than previous COVID variants such as Delta, has produced an explosion of infections with 1,850 new cases recorded in The Bahamas between Thursday, December 30, and Monday, January 3 for a daily average of 370. Hospitalisations have also risen, albeit more
slowly, to 58 with three in intensive care. While the CDC and Omicron have yet to produce an appreciable decline in Nassau’s cruise business, at least based on volume, Mr Maura pointed to how The Bahamas’ COVID cases had decreased to the teens prior to the latest variant’s emergence as passenger numbers increased. “Our ship numbers each month were increasing, and the number of passengers on the ships was increasing,” he added. “For someone to make the correlation that the cruise industry has a negative impact on a destination,
THE TRIBUNE
which were very positive up until late December,” Mr Sands added. However, the episode also underlines complaints from some in the tourism industry that The Bahamas needs COVID-19 travel protocols that it sticks to rather than constantly changing them due to the uncertainty it produces in the tourism market. While some observers will argue that uncertainty has become the norm with COVID-19, the planned January 7 tightening in its original form has already resulted in cancellations and impacted the tourism industry’s Christmas/New Year performance. “I think there’s no question that against the expected levels there was some fall off due to a number of issues,” Mr Sands told Tribune Business. “The issues were rising COVID cases in the US, number one, weather interruptions and some flight cancellations, number two, and there may have been some marketplace confusion over the requirements for entry, number three. “All of these together may have contributed to some shortfall, but overall most hotels are happy with what they achieved.... I will say to you that, compared
to the level of occupancy anticipated, it could have been anywhere from a 5 percent, 10 percent or 15 percent fall-off for various properties. It’s a range.’ Acknowledging that the tourism industry did suffer “some cancellations over the festive period”, the BHTA chief added: “I think we still have time on our side to avoid any large cancellations for the rest of the winter season other than those confirmed by bad weather, flight cancellations or mother nature-type issues.... “I believe a number of providers of accommodation have raised certain concerns about the procedures put in place, but corrective action will be able to rescue and save some of those concerns from actually becoming reality.” As to the importance of this year’s winter tourism season, Mr Sands said: “I think companies need it, number one; the country needs it, number two; the general population needs it, number three, and I think we have to do everything in our collective power to ensure this is a very good winter tourism season.”
where we are a great example is that between June and December we handled over 375 ships. “Between June and the end of November we handled 270 ships approximately. Each month we were increasing the vessel calls here, and each month the cruise lines were increasing occupancies on those ships. “While we were seeing an increase in cruise ships from June to November, at the same time we were seeing a decline in the number of COVID cases here in Nassau. That’s a very telling comparison; we were seeing an increase in the cruise business here in Nassau and seeing a decline in cases.” Mr Maura argued that the CDC had seemingly singled out the cruise industry, which pre-COVID accounted for three-quarters of visitor arrivals to The Bahamas but around just 11 percent of their total spending, while ignoring the fact that the same “consumer pool” was also travelling on planes and visiting the same entertainment/sporting venues. He added that 95 percent of cruise passengers sailing today are fully vaccinated, along with 100 percent of crew members. And the Nassau Cruise Port chief said Royal Caribbean has
ensured all its crews have had boosters, with Carnival not far behind. Asserting that the cruise industry has “gone beyond” other travel-related industries with its COVID vaccinations, testing and protocols, and investing heavily in isolation, quarantine and medical facilities aboard ship, Mr Maura said the CDC had “chosen to focus one light on the cruise industry and not look at any other sector”. “It is upsetting to me that the CDC have chosen to isolate the cruise industry the way they have, and come out and said whether you are vaccinated or not, don’t cruise. I just don’t think that’s a very fair analysis of the cruise industry,” he added. The cruise industry has also pushed back itself. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, in a statement acknowledging the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, asserted that cruise ships are “one of the few places one can vacation knowing that almost everyone you meet is fully vaccinated”. It added that despite the concerns over the more virulent COVID-19 strain it has, since June 2021, carried over 1.1m guests with only 1,745 people testing positive, just a .02 percent positivity rate.
NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that SHAVINSKI DEVILMA of P. O. Box N-815, Market Street, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 29th day of December, 2021 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE Regular Companies Act, 1992
THEJOE LIMITED Registration Number: 52,844C Pursuant to the provisions of Section 211 of the Companies [Winding Up Amendment] Act, 2011, notice is hereby given that Thejoe Limited has been dissolved and has been struck off the Register of Companies with effect from the 22nd day of December, A.D., 2021. MLC Corporate Services Ltd. Liquidator
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 21
REIGNITING THE DEBATE ON BAHAMIAN TAXATION
T
his will be a very interesting year economically. Continued COVID19 headwinds, the first true Budget from the new administration and, consequently, the change in “ownership” of prevailing policy positions will definitely cause a shift in perspective. How effectively we manage this will be critical to protecting revenues. With just under five months to the May budget, the conversations on taxation will become more pointed with calls for reforms. I am hoping that the fragile economic improvement being experienced will hold and improve. However, what I am confident in is that the fundamental issues will not go away. As I stated in the second part of this series: “No one can claim to have clear answers to the most optimal solutions that will fix the challenges and protect the country. I certainly do not. What I seek to do is to draw some awareness to the issues surrounding this, and why narrow conversations will not serve the cause of the country. Among other important matters, a national debt of $10bn, fiscal deficits averaging $500m, 18 percent of government spending paying interest on loans, and a narrow 18 percent revenueto-GDP ratio, the time is “perfect” to consider whether this low tax intake is beneficial for the country”. That, coupled with the continued fall-out in tourism, renders the discourse urgent. And, back in March, I noted: “The EU previously indicated that it had its foot on the neck of The Bahamas, a foot it will not move until it gets its way. This, together with the idea that small tweaks will not get a jurisdiction off the blacklisting, hold important implications for The Bahamas. Will we be forced to implement corporate income tax to accommodate the survival of the financial services industry?” This remains relevant, and important, but focuses on potential external issues. Our focus must shift internally. Consider a neighbour drawing the conclusion that you are hungry, and deciding to provide you with food. This neighbour with the best of intentions is likely to provide you with the type of food he has, the kind of food he likes and the food he thinks is best suited for you. This is akin to the proposals by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). What they are proposing might not be in our best interest. Consider that you become acutely aware of your own hunger and set out to satisfy it. You are likely to select what is available and best for you. The food may not be ideal, but you will avoid anything detrimental to your health such as foods that would aggravate allergies. This is why the response to this tax debate must be internally focused. What is in the best interest of The Bahamas? What will satisfy the hunger for additional revenue without killing the important value proposition that the current tax regime is designed to create. This was made clear in my March 2021 piece. “While there are great arguments to be made for reclassification of current taxes and charges such that the financial impact of any tax burden remains relatively unchanged, it is my view that the introduction of corporate income tax of any amount fundamentally shifts the value proposition of the financial services industry
(offshore segment). This is why, in my opinion, the current public discussions on taxation are inadequate. Forced into implementing this form of income tax, the country will have to face its challenges without having the chance for careful, deliberate analysis and full comprehensive assessments”. With this reality held firmly in our line of sight, let me be bold in saying we must forget, for the time being, about the IMF, EU, OECD, US. Forget every single entity that may be pushing any agenda that does not align with what our local needs are, and let us focus on our taxation from an internal perspective only. In The Bahamas, the tax regime is largely regressive, being based on consumption taxes. Consequently, the individual earning less pays proportionately more of their income in taxes. The question is whether the country needs to switch to a progressive tax system which is more equitable to taxpayers, how will that be achieved and its potential impact on the economy. One of the prevailing ideas, often proffered, is that the current regressive system needs to be more progressive with the underlying view that there are things that can be done to achieve it. The reality, from my perspective, is that this will never be achieved. The system will always be regressive. The current regime may be highly efficient, convenient and certain, all being fundamental principles for a tax regime. It is, however, not likely to be seen as equitable and, at current levels, sufficient. Equity and sufficiency are the first and most important internal considerations that reform would need to address, with the latter being most critical in my opinion. Tinkering with a regressive tax system will not make it progressive or more equitable. However, does this mean that a progressive tax system is the right one for The Bahamas? The answer is not clear. A system that implements personal and/or corporate income taxes comes with a number of issues that could drastically affect not just the value proposition of the country but, critically, further erode the sufficiency of government revenues especially when it comes to practical, legal tax avoidance by companies. Without delving into this too much at this stage, let us consider taxation needs from the perspective of the obligations with which we have to contend. The place to start would be to determine whether or not there is sufficient headroom in The Bahamas’ taxing capacity such that, if there is a need for reasonable tax increases, it could be done. My research shows, based on a 2013 IMF report undertaken when the country was transitioning to VAT, that The Bahamas was using only 40 percent of its tax capacity. The same report places the country at the lower performance end of the scale at 92 of 98 countries in its tax effort – the extent to which it has measures to maximise its tax capacity. There is no reason to believe there have been drastic changes since then, and this would therefore suggest The Bahamas has
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Hubert Edwards By
available taxation capacity. The challenge for policymakers is where to draw the line. What is unclear is that while consumption tax rates, such as VAT, are in the high teens across the Caribbean, to what extent could The Bahamas actually increase such levies? To what extent would policymakers be comfortable increasing them, and will there be any real economic fall-out from such moves. The latter point plays into arguments that suggest increases in taxation slow economic growth. These arguments, while definitely leaning to the conclusion that the current tax regime provides insufficient revenue for effective management of the economy, do not immediately argue for increases in taxation or system changes. This is the
foundation for an effective review, a focused study, and careful analysis with any determined reforms being informed by these actions and strategically implemented to protect The Bahamas’ interests. This approach is necessary to arrest the ongoing narrow conversations, often driven by abstract information and personal convictions, neither of which are useful if we desire to secure sound decisions. As an example, a call for income tax may be debunked by such studies. On the other hand, the studies may identify areas of weaknesses in the current regime, unearth workable options or highlight clear limitations, and therefore suggest what the optimal mix of both regressive and progressive taxes may be. The tax discussion, though, turns on the simple question: Does the Government need additional tax revenue, and where will it get that revenue? Is the revenue currently earned sufficient to meet the Government’s economic objectives? Consider the 2021-2022 Budget projections. Revenue was projected at $2.244bn, and expenditure at $3.198bn. Without any deep analysis, there is a $951m deficit that is unfunded by taxation and will therefore require debt financing. This provides a glimpse into the fact that The Bahamas’ tax revenue is not sufficient to meet its obligations, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19’s impact. One could argue that 20212022 is in the middle of the greatest revenue downturn
experiences by The Bahamas, and such assertions would be accurate. However, let us remind ourselves that pre-pandemic we also had significant deficits (2017: $660m; 2018: $415m; 2019: $215m) and, in fact, had them for many decades. The numbers show that over a sustained period revenue has never been sufficient. This is supported by the narrow percentage of revenue-to-GDP, which over the last five years has been as low as 15.3 percent (pandemic impacted) and projected to be only 18% percent in the current fiscal year. These low percentages must be assessed against the 25 percent revenue-to GDP target declared by the Prime Minister. We are currently seven percentage points below that benchmark, based on projections, not actuals. The very process of budgeting anticipates insufficient revenue. Therefore, in my opinion, the appropriate starting point for any discussion is to ask why it has been impossible for government to collect more of the revenue it needs to run the country. While the current discussion about minimum corporate income tax rates holds important strategic implications for The Bahamas, I believe it is insufficient tax headroom to move the country forward that is the most important issue. How do we broaden this conversation? How do we move from the point we are at now to where we can find common ground and consensus? How do we convey there is an urgent need? I believe we start
by refusing to embrace the emotional impulses that come with such a discussion. We must be willing and open to consider all the possibilities. We must recognise that the discussion is about broad-based reforms, not an abstract set of arguments, of which taxation is but one. We cannot be limited to one or two ideas, but must contemplate what reform looks like in totality. I believe that the time is right to start national discussions that confront the structural impediments and tax realities headon. The implications of any potential changes are significant, and must therefore be diligently assessed. While the pressures from the EU and other external agencies remain relevant, their demands are not the most compelling issue we face. Their actions could certainly worsen our situation, but internal structural weaknesses are much more substantial at this point, and these are what The Bahamas will need to grapple with urgently. Our success is dependent on it. NB: Hubert Edwards is the principal of Next Level Solutions (NLS), a management consultancy firm. He can be reached at info@ nlsolustionsbahamas.com. He specialises in governance, risk and compliance (GRC), accounting and finance. NLS provides services in the areas of enterprise risk management; internal audit and policy and procedures development; regulatory consulting; anti-money laundering; accounting; and strategic planning.
PAGE 22, Wednesday, January 5, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
SMALL BUSINESS AGENCY REFUTES ‘DEMAND LETTER’ By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE Government’s key small business support agency yesterday disputed assertions it sent a “demand letter” to one of its clients seeking repayment of a loan that had fallen into arrears. Samantha Rolle, the Small Business
Development Centre’s (SBDC) director of external affairs, refuted the description given by Melissa Darville, co-owner of Shiver, a Bahamian-made ice cream producer, of the e-mail she received from an attorney representing a debt collection agency it had hired to address her outstanding debts. Referring to Tribune Business’ interview with Ms Darville, which was
published on December 28, she said: “There were some things we did not see to be factual in that article. “The article said that Shiver received a demand letter by the SBDC and, after doing some due diligence on our side, there was no demand letter sent to Shiver from the SBDC unless you have something that contradicts that.” This newspaper yesterday obtained the
October 21, 2021, e-mail referenced by Ms Darville, which she received from Jamal Davis, principal of Oxford Law Chambers, acting for its debt recovery affiliate, Bahamas Credit Collections ( & Liquidation) Services. The latter was hired by the SBDC to collect on debts owed by entrepreneurs and small businesses it has assisted in securing financing. This debt funding
does not come directly from the SBDC but, rather, commercial lenders who advance the funds based on the security provided by the repayment ‘guarantee’ from the government agency. In Shiver’s case, the lender was RBC. “Further to our conversation (Darville/Davis) yesterday, please be advised that our agency, Bahamas Credit Collections (& Liquidation) Services
AIR CANADA’S PAUSE ‘CERTAINLY BAD NEWS’ By NEIL HARTNELL and YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporters A SENIOR tourism official yesterday said he would have been more “worried” if Air Canada had suspended its weekly Exuma flight for commercial reasons rather than COVID-19. Kerry Fountain, the Out Island Promotion Board’s executive director, told Tribune Business that “anecdotal” evidence suggested that Air Canada Vacations’ 136-seat flight had been enjoying load factors in the low 80 percent range since it started its Toronto to Georgetown service on December 19. Describing these volumes as “not bad whatsoever”, he added that while the service’s suspension at
end-January was “certainly bad news” for Exuma’s tourism industry and wider economy, there was no suggestion that it will not resume once the threat posed by the Omicron variant - and Canada’s tightened travel restrictions - pass. “That’s beyond our control,” Mr Fountain said of Air Canada Vacations’ move to pause a service that had been due to end on April 17, and was billed as kickstarting a travel “hub” in the central and southern Bahamas. “If you had told me that Air Canada ceased the service because it was not realising the load factors it had planned on realising, I would have been worried.” However, the move has been attributed to the Canadian government’s response to the explosion in worldwide Omicron cases,
and its advisory warning against all non-essential travel by its citizens. “All we can do is hope we get past this hurdle and, once we do, that they [Air Canada] see fit to continue with the service,” Mr Fountain added, “and hopefully extend it into Spring/ Summer. The last flight was scheduled for April 17. “Based on, again, anecdotal reports they were in the low 80 percents on load factors. That’s not bad whatsoever. There’s absolutely nothing we can do except pray.” Exuma-based businesses, meanwhile, yesterday said they are dreading the loss of potential business as a result of Air Canada’s decision. Julian Romer, owner/ operator of Cheater’s Bar, George Town, Great Exuma, told Tribune Business the move will “affect us bad.”
He said: “We have plenty Canadian tourists. This whole Christmas I had a lot of Canadian business. So Air Canada leaving is going to affect us bad, we wouldn’t do better.” Mr Romer also criticised Exuma residents for failing to comply with COVID-19 protocols, warning: “We have all kinds of cases in Exuma and they are hiding it. I know of ten people that have COVID-19 but the dashboard is saying four. We need to do better. “Right now, do you know how many cancellations I have for February for people who were coming down? I do catering as well, and a couple of my clients, they have homes here and they are out of Canada. We have lots of Canadian Airbnbs in Exuma.” Mr Romer said he lost three bookings for Christmas due to Omicron-related
KERRY FOUNTAIN concerns, and for the New Year has lost two already. “The one I got this past Sunday was a cancellation on something I would have made $2,000 on,” he added. “As a small businessman, I understood what it is. Those people are not coming around COVID19 and Canada is the real people who don’t play. Canada isn’t playing with us and that is what we have going on right now.” Pedro Rolle, Exuma Chamber of Commerce
AVOID ‘KNEE JERK’ OMICRON RESPONSE, BUSINESS URGES By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net
BUSINESSES yesterday urged the Government to avoid a “knee jerk” response to the rapid
expansion of COVID19 cases with 1,850 new infections reported over a five-day period. Murray Sweeting, operations manager for Tru Bahamian Food Tour, told Tribune Business that despite the Omicron variant
being more transmissible there is growing evidence that it is “less dangerous” than previous strains such as Delta. As a result, he argued that further restrictions on business and commercial activity should not be considered.
Public Notice
Please be advised that all persons or entities holding valid contracts with
Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority are asked to present themselves at the National Sports Authority on Wednesday and Thursday, January 12th & 13th, 2022 respectively between the hours of 9am and 5pm, to provide documents necessary to ensure payment of any arrears owed on the contracts.
The following documents are required: • Copy of contract • Government issued ID or if a corporate entity evidence that you can act on behalf of the corporate entity (Power of Attorney) along with the government issued ID. • Tax Compliance Certificate • NIB Company Registration Certificate • A copy of a Valid Business License • VAT Certificate, if the annual valule of the contracts with the authority was in excess of $80,000.00 • Bank accout information as no termination payment would be made to third party accounts on behalf of terminated contractors.
“It’s like the kiss of death,” he said if COVID19 restrictions similar to those employed in 2020 are reintroduced. “I know the Government has to protect us and provide health and safety, but I think the counterpoint is they have been encouraging people to get vaccinated and encouraging only vaccinated people be allowed to sit inside and dine.” “I think the control [of COVID] is only up to a point, and we need to modify according to the data that’s emerging and not according to the hype.....I think we need to fine tune the restrictions based on what the science” shows. Mr Sweeting also urged The Bahamas not to simply follow other countries in the measures it employs to counter Omicron, and added: “How can we invite people to come to our country and we have these things in place that are many times more restrictive than their home destinations?
“Visitors are already having to wear masks, they’re already unable to sit indoors. It’s already quite sufficient. Why do we have to up the ante?” Blasting the Government’s efforts to respond to COVID-19’s fast-paced evolution via legislation and accompanying regulations, rather than emergency orders, Mr Sweeting added: “Before we were protected by the constitution with the emergency orders, but now we have moved to another dynamic where the Government can basically put something through the House and push it through. We’re less protected now because we had the cushion of the constitution. What exactly is protecting us now?” Peter Maury, owner of the Green Parrot and Margaritaville restaurants, added: “The thought of new restrictions is terrible. I think the incidence of a high rate of hospitalisations and things like that is just not happening.”
is engaged by Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), and the account of Shiver Premium Ice Cream Ltd has been assigned to us for collection,” Mr Davis wrote. “Your present arrears are $5,866.93 under your loan partially guaranteed by SBDC, and we require that the same be paid to avoid SBDC being called on to pay the same. In the
SEE PAGE 19 president, said: “The implications of COVID-19 notwithstanding, for the economy of Exuma we feel that it is fundamental to have a balancing thing [between] Air Canada and then the US market, so it gives us a nice economic hedge that we are not reliant on predominantly just one market. “We think if we can get over the issues of the travel stuff it will continue to be a bonus for Exuma, and I think it will make a huge difference for our economy.” Another Exuma businessman, speaking under condition of anonymity, added: “I think Air Canada leaving will have a big impact. It will have a huge impact on the Exuma economy. We depend a lot on Canadian tourists. Canadian tourists are a big industry here on the island.” While The Bahamas has recorded 1,850 new COVID cases over a five-day period between Thursday, December 30, and Monday, January 3, hospital cases have been rising at a much more gradual rate. Some 58 persons were in hospital requiring COVID-related treatment as of yesterday, with just three in intensive care. Mr Maury added that 2020’s full lockdown “killed businesses”, and The Bahamas must avoid a recurrence of that again. “It was making it hard for people to live, and there are still a lot of people out of work,” he said. “I don’t even agree with the PCR testing on the seventh day. I think we’re just going to drive business out of the country. At some point we have to take into consideration our sovereignty. We don’t even have enough deposits to support our economy. It’s a big problem. On a bigger issue now, I don’t think the health is going to matter all that much.”
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 5, 2022, PAGE 23
BAHAMIAN DUO UNVEILS DIGITAL ASSET PLATFORM T
wo Bahamian financial services professionals yesterday said they will this month launch a venture designed to provide clients with a platform for accessing digital assets. Agio, which was described as an alternative investment platform that will also “bolster the underserved capital market in The Bahamas”, is headed by Brian Jones. A former Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) director, he is also a former director at UBS, and ex-president and managing director at Deltec Fund Services.
He has teamed with Andrew Rolle, co-founder and director of Agio, to launch the company. “Digital assets can represent private equity or real assets”, Mr Jones said in a statement. “We are bringing accessibility to new markets and new assets that were just inaccessible because they were just too hard to get to. We’ve centred our assets around investment funds, which are a vehicle for pooling assets. This gives us the ability - and in a very transparent way - to combine assets and attain scale.
“When you pool assets in a fund, you are also benefiting from what we call a diversification effect. There are different levels of assets and different levels of risks, but when you combine them it reduces the level of risks over the entire portfolio.” Mr Jones said that over the past decade, digital assets such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have become more appealing to individual retail investors, and he expects that trend to continue. “It is the beginning of a digital era, and it’s really the beginning of the fourth
industrial revolution. We are seeing the convergence of so many different types of technology and cryptocurrency is just one of them that is really adding to this movement,” he added. Mr Jones said this will be based on the potential client’s risk tolerance and suitability requirements. “Agio sees itself as a platform to enable serious players in this space, investors and innovators, to come together and create products that are designed for this new digital age,” he added. The financial services executive said Agio plans
to launch via a series of NFT (non-fungible token) collections curated by an internationally-acclaimed and renowned Bahamian artist to commemorate the launch of the firm. The artist was not identified. Mr Rolle said: “I think that digital assets are still in their embryonic form. There is a lot to develop, but it still has a lot to offer. It has lots of uncorrelated nature to traditional assets, as it does capture the way the global economy will work now and in the future. So if you want to participate in the way the economy works now and in
the future, digital assets are a good place to start.” Agio is also set to launch in January 2022. Its website shows that it was incorporated in The Bahamas in April 2021, with the necessary fund administration and financial and corporate services provider licences secured in November last year. Its digital platform was developed in Dubai, and is now being tested ahead of the firm’s launch.
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‘Rescue’ peak tourism: Gov’ts last-ditch action By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Government last suspended the mandatory COVID PCR tests for all visitors due to take effect from January 7 after being urged to “rescue” the peak winter tourism season. The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation announced the move after Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) president, yesterday told Tribune Business the “jury is not out yet” on plans that would have both narrowed the testing window and required a negative RT-PCR test with effect from this Friday. He explained that the industry had “alerted” the Government to growing fears that the peak winter tourism season, which typically lasts from February-April, would be severely curtailed and undermined if The Bahamas followed through with plans to reduce the timeframe in which visitors must obtain a negative
GRAND LUCAYAN
• Mandatory PCR tests from Friday halted • Response to growing cancellation fears • Festive occupancies 5-15% off forecast PCR test from five to just three days before travel. With COVID’s Omicron variant exploding virtually unchecked through The Bahamas’ key tourism source markets, and testing centres in many US states almost being overrun, hotel and tourism operators were becoming increasingly concerned that many potential visitors - as well as those already booked would be unable to access PCR tests and get the results in the timeframe required.
This, combined with the greater cost of PCR tests compared to the rapid antigen equivalent, was viewed as a major deterrent/impediment to travel that could help encourage a significant proportion of The Bahamas’ expected winter tourist bookings to stay at home, especially given mounting concerns about Omicron’s rapid spread. The Government last night indicated it has responded to the industry’s last-ditch pleas in a release from the Ministry of Tourism, Investments
ROBERT SANDS and Aviation, which said The Bahamas has “suspended the mandatory RT-PCR testing requirement for vaccinated travellers, which was expected to take effect on January 7, 2022”. The revised COVID-19 entry protocols allow vaccinated visitors, as well as children aged between two and 11 years-old, to present either a negative rapid antigen or PCR test to secure entry to The Bahamas.
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Cruise port: ‘Omicron not slowed us down’
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net NASSAU Cruise Port’s top executive yesterday said vessel bookings have not been impacted by what he slammed as an “unfair analysis” by US health regulators of the industry’s COVID risk. Michael Maura told Tribune Business the operator of The Bahamas’ major port gateway was “not concerned” about any potential negative fallout for either its 2022 or 2023 industry bookings despite the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning Americans against cruise ship travel regardless of vaccination status following the Omicron variant’s emergence. Pointing to the industry’s relatively healthy track record since sailing resumed, he argued that it was “a very telling comparison” that - prior to Omicron’s emergence - cruise visitors have been steadily increasing every month during the 2021 second half while local COVID cases were falling. While some in cruise-reliant sectors and businesses fear the CDC’s advisory will deter persons from travelling, resulting in reduced vessel calls and passenger numbers that their enterprises can exploit, Mr Maura said the week leading up to Christmas had been “crazy” with five vessels in port daily and Bay Street “the busiest it’s been for a long time from a cruise passenger perspective”. And he added that the 110 cruise ship berthings scheduled for January are “right there and looking positive”, with no impact or uncertainty to-date as a result of the CDC’s advisory - something
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BAHAMIAN employers yesterday voiced fears that the rapid explosion in Omicron cases could result “in our whole system being challenged” by the absence of key workers. Magnus Alnebeck, general manager of the Freeport-based Pelican Bay resort, told Tribune Business that it was not just the private sector but essential public services hospitals, police, Customs and Immigration - that could suffer acute staffing shortages from COVID-infected workers and
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
has symptoms, don’t come to work; get yourself tested.” Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, yesterday indicated that some 130 public sector medical personnel are off work due to COVID-19, while 31 police officers are in the same position, highlighting that Omicron is likely to present greater human resource management challenges than any COVID variant seen to-date.
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Worker shortage fears on Omicron explosion their contacts being forced into 14-day quarantine. “I think our problem as it looks right now is having a lot of people sick in January and February,” he explained. “Keeping everything going will be a problem. The airport, Immigration, Customs. I think it’s going to be a problem for our whole system, not necessarily the hotel. That’s going to be our challenge. “Once we start testing, we’re going to find so many people who have the virus and are sick. We have a vaccination rate at the hotel of close to 80 percent of staff, and the ones not vaccinated have to present a test once a week. We’re telling anyone who
• Ex-Lucayan chair: We left four ‘serious, vetted’ offers • Urges Davis administration to ‘consider them carefully’ • Backs new Gov’ts decision to exit deal ‘embarrassment’
THE Grand Lucayan’s ex-chairman yesterday urged the Davis administration to pick up four “serious” purchase offers for the resort that he left behind as an alternative to “an act of humiliation”. Michael Scott QC, hailing the Government’s decision to terminate negotiations with the ITM Group/Royal Caribbean joint venture, told Tribune Business that the former Board had “vetted” those bids from among 13 rival offers it had received to acquire Grand Bahama’s so-called ‘anchor’ resort property. Declining to identify the investors and corporate groups involved, he argued that the Government only has to “find one of the four” as the solution to long-standing woes that prompted the Minnis administration into a $150m taxpayer intervention to acquire the Grand Lucayan and then keep it afloat. Voicing “regret” that the Minnis administration “did not see the wisdom” in walking away from the ITM/Royal Caribbean offer sooner, Mr Scott branded that deal as “an act of humiliation” where he would “have preferred to resign” rather than agree to the terms the joint venture - called Bahamas Ports Investments - was offering. Suggesting that the Government was unlikely to give himself, or the former Board’s other members, credit for their advice, he said of the new administration: “I think that on balance they appear to be taking the considered and well thoughtout recommendations of myself and the Board, and all we can do is commend them for doing that. “I regret very much that the former government did not see the wisdom in our approach. I have considered, and always considered, the revised offer by Bahamas Ports Investments as an embarrassment
NASSAU CRUISE PORT
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Thirteen alternatives to ‘act of humiliation’
PETER GOUDIE
Gambler winnings tax ‘too complex’ By NEIL HARTNELL and YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporters THE Minnis administration chose not to implement the tax on web shop patron winnings because it was “too complex” and could have driven gamblers back into the underground economy. Well-placed sources, speaking to Tribune Business after Michael Halkitis, minister off economic affairs, confirmed that the Davis administration has also decided not to pursue the tax’s implementation, said defining what
comprised patron winnings was more complicated than initially thought especially if they gambled multiple times - losing as well as winning - at one location. “The patron tax was messy, it was cumbersome and it was difficult,” one contact, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “And unregulated gaming businesses were always popping up. If you could win 100 percent of your winnings underground, the fear was it would drive people out of the regulated economy and back into the unregulated economy.”
As a result, the Minnis administration elected not to implement the patron tax. It also ran into significant web shop industry opposition, including multiple legal challenges, and the former administration ultimately settled for increasing the tax on operators’ net gaming revenues via a two-tiered structure that expanded government revenues by around 50 percent - from $22m to close to $33m. Mr Halkitis, meanwhile, confirmed that the Government is “doing away with” the patron winnings tax on the basis that the
MICHAEL HALKITIS industry is already heavily taxed. “The patron tax, as you may know, had never come into effect. It had not come into effect and so
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