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Huge jump in migrants caught despite effort to slip through our waters By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net COMMODORE Raymond King says migrant apprehensions in The Bahamas increased by 456 percent in 2021 when compared with the previous year, while revealing that the Royal Bahamas Defence Force is faced with “people smugglers” who have resorted to more advanced tactics to evade authorities. The Commodore said RBDF intelligence has
uncovered new trends in the way migrants move, using American sailing vessels to conceal themselves. Other statistics provided by Commodore King included a marked increase by the RBDF in boarding vessels. There was an increase of 1,000 percent of boardings in a bid to uncover undeclared illegal weapons, ammunition and drugs. However, there was a 55 percent decline in catching illegal poachers. SEE PAGE FOUR
WHILE the investigation into the fatal police shooting of Royal Bahamas Defence Force Leading Seaman Rodney Adderley is “basically” concluded, Commodore Raymond King says there should be an established protocol regarding how police officers interact with members of the service. In the face of lingering questions regarding the incident that took place on Monday and how it led
to Adderley’s death, the Commodore said he was of the view that de-escalation methods needed to be a part of the training regime for new recruits of the Royal Bahama Police Force to ensure professional relationships are maintained. He also said he was of the view that the fallen marine’s mental health challenges should not have been made public and that his family was assured they would be allowed to see police body camera footage of the incident during a coroner’s inquest into the situation. SEE PAGE THREE
- SEE PAGE EIGHT
‘PRE-COVID ECONOMY WON’T BE ENOUGH’
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
CENTRAL Bank governor John Rolle yesterday warned that returning to pre-COVID economic output “is not enough” as he reaffirmed forecasts that GDP will expand by 8 percent in 2022. He said the continued expansion of the workforce made it imperative not to settle for returning to 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) levels. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
COMMODORE UNHAPPY OVER MARINE’S HEALTH DISCLOSURE By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
NAUGHTY: IS MARIJUANA REALLY A CURE FOR COVID?
PRICE? ALL WE WANT IS T0 SEE LUCAYAN SOLD
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net GRAND Bahama Chamber of Commerce president Greg Laroda believes that getting the Grand Lucayan resort sold is more important to Grand Bahamians than the proposed price tag of $150m. JANAE Ferguson likes to tell a story with her art. She is inspired by the experiences of the people she meets every day. Her latest work included providing illustrations for a book by a Canadian author celebrating Bahamian potcakes called “Dead End Dogs”. See WEEKEND for the full story.
SEE PAGE FIVE
OVER 100 MAKE UP DELEGATION TO DUBAI EXPO By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net MORE than 100 people, including Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, made up a delegation that went to Dubai to attend a world expo that showcased the country’s cultural and technological offerings. The delegation includes choirs, among them Shaback led by Clint Watson, who is also Press
THE EXPO 2020 Dubai installation team at last year’s event. Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister. Other elements of the delegation include a Junkanoo group and bands. It is unclear what portion of
the group was attributed to showcasing the country’s technological capabilities. The size of the delegation was reduced due to the surge in cases believed to be the result of the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, OPM communications director Latrae Rahming said. He did not have a cost to taxpayers readily available for the trip.
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE TWO
DIANE PHILLIPS: IS NATION VULNERABLE TO THE GREAT RESIGNATION?
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Friday, January 14, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
FTX donated $1.1m to the Agricultural Development Committee. From left, general manager Nekia Brice, Valdez Russell (Digital Markets), CEO Ryan Salame, FTX Digital Markets, executive chairman Philip Smith, advisor Shawn Smith Advisor, president of Sysco Bahamas Karen Casey, and Parliamentary Secretary Leonardo Lightbourne. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
$1.1m donation by FTX to benefit agriculture By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net FTX Digital Markets announced a $1.1m donation to the newly created non-government, not-for-profit, Agricultural Development Committee. Ryan Salame, CEO of FTX, said the company is excited to be in The Bahamas and to be “a good, responsible company” that gives back to the community. He said food scarcity was an issue the company wants to help address. “A few key items came up often and food scarcity was one of them,” he told reporters at a press conference.
“So we looked around and searched (for) who was a prominent person or organisation... and I think Philip Smith came up quite frequently. A lot of people had memories of him giving out food throughout their childhood or sort of throughout their lives here in The Bahamas so I think it was an easy decision from that perspective (to) meet with him and decide the best path forward,” he said. Philip Smith, the former executive director of the Bahamas Feeding Network, serves as the executive chairman of the Agriculture Development Committee. He said the group is excited and pleased to have partners
like FTX and Mr Salame, who is on the board and on the steering committee of the Agricultural Development Committee. “It’s surely going to do a lot for us,” Mr Smith told the media about the donation. “I can focus more on things that need to be done for farmers rather than having to raise money immediately and you know we’d like to extend an invitation to the business community to look at matching this donation. “You know agriculture in this country hasn’t really succeeded ever and it’s just unfortunate because people must eat. I have been feeding the poor for the last 16 years through (the) Bahamas Feeding Network. I
just resigned from my position as executive director to become executive chairman of this new organisation. “I know for a fact that there are many people in this country that every day it’s a challenge….the Department of Statistics six years ago said there was 12.8 percent of persons in the country suffered from hunger, but it is my belief after doing this for the last 20 years going through the pandemic it is my belief that there is probably 20 percent of our population that every day there is that challenge of ‘What do I eat today?’ “What we were doing through the Bahamas Feeding Network every day you were having to raise money in order to feed persons,
but this new initiative, I believe that it will be a lot more sustainable in that we’re going to support backyard farming, community farming, and, of course, commercial farming.” Mr Smith added that for the first three months of the committee’s work, the plan is to carry out research; $700,000 has been set aside for the farmers whether it’s for education, technology, or tools. Also present at yesterday’s press conference was Parliamentary Secretary Leonardo Lightbourne, who highlighted that a part of the donation will go towards making agriculture more innovative and attractive to the younger generation.
“As you know in The Bahamas, about 80 percent of our farmers are 60 years old. So it speaks to why we’re having that deficit in feeding ourselves. So we’re probably going to make this very attractive to the younger folks. It’s viable that when they come out of high schools, colleges, and universities that, hey, it’s a job and something that we can look forward to.” Earlier this week, FTX donated $1.5m in KN95 protective masks and testing kits to the Bahamian government to help in the fight against COVID-19. FTX Digital Markets, a digital asset exchange, opened its office in western New Providence late last year.
OVER 100 MAKE UP DELEGATION TO DUBAI EXPO from page one
However, he said, there was sponsorship from the government of Dubai and private sector partners. “There are three elements of the trip,” Mr Rahming said in response to a question about the matter. “So, the actual Dubai expo is an event sponsored by the government of Dubai. “The component of the travels of the Prime Minister was also sponsored by the government of Dubai. I think that the government did their sum cost on sending participants. “I don’t have the exact figure, but let me just explain. As you are aware the purpose is to display the capacity of our country on a cultural side and on a technological side. “We believe - and it continues to be our view - that we are going to give Bahamians the exposure required on the global stage. “This group comprises of Bahamian talent and choirs and bands and musicians also the cultural artisans of our country and we want to show that we have talent in our country. “I think that it is a justified investment when we give our people exposure on the world stage so people could see the talent and I think if this small country could produce per capita the largest amount of athletes and we could produce Sir Sidney Poitier, we could make a significant investment in letting the
world see our talent. “But, I will get the figure and cost on that trip.” Asked again to disclose the cost incurred from having such a large delegation travel, Mr Rahming repeated the size had been reduced in response to the current coronavirus picture. “The initial delegation which was multi-ministry had three components. I think given the increase in Omicron, the delegation size was reduced to a significant amount and the trade component of it was suspended or postponed to the later part of the year. “I don’t have the actual overall figure, but I do believe that there are more than 100 cultural components when you consider the band, Junkanoo, factors of our cultural expression. The cost, remember that this actual event is sponsored by the Dubai government and private sector partners. “I think there is some element that the government of The Bahamas would have helped with, but the significant portion of the trip was sponsored by the government of Dubai. “I will get the actual figure for you at the next press conference or by the time the Prime Minister returns from Dubai next week we’ll have an answer to that question,” Mr Rahming said. Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper will serve as acting Prime Minister while Mr Davis is out of the country. Mr Davis leaves for Dubai today.
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THE TRIBUNE
Friday, January 14, 2022, PAGE 3
Davis: We must partner with private sector to succeed
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis speaking at the Bahamas Business Outlook yesterday. PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told business leaders that his administration will play its part in enhancing the country’s macroeconomic environment, but needs partnership with the commercial sector for the country to succeed. His comments came during remarks at yesterday’s Bahamas Business Outlook. “With the debt-toGDP ratio driven up to an
unprecedented 100 percent by the previous administration, we have appointed a debt management committee, and already begun to take significant steps to manage the national debt, and enhance our reputation with lenders,” Mr Davis said. “But what can you do to show investors and lenders that our Bahamas is a place where business is also conducted responsibly? I leave
each of you to determine your answer. “As we seek to diversify the economy, to facilitate and promote growth in the new orange, green and blue sectors, what can you do to support the many Bahamians, especially those in the Family Islands, who continue to struggle with high levels of poverty and unemployment? “Our ‘Blueprint For Change’ heralds a number
of bold measures that our New Day administration will take, from the introduction of a liveable wage, to reducing energy costs, enhancing the ease of business and promoting a number of initiatives to increase growth and improve economic justice and dignity for all Bahamians. “Have you identified what role your business will play?
“Are you able to look beyond short-term, narrow profit to see the possibilities of broader long-term gain? “How can you help to drive down the cost of living to support the common wealth and the common good?” Mr Davis also said there are ways local businesses can ensure their workers have dignity, such as establishing youth-targeted internship programmes, increasing the base salary
for entry-level workers, ensuring pay parity in the workplace, or supporting social campaigns. Mr Davis also touted the achievements of his administration in its first 100 days in office, such as removing COVID-19 curfews, implementing free COVID-19 testing, distributing medicalgrade masks, cutting VAT to 10 percent, and increased pension payments for civil servants, among others.
CANNABIS LEGISLATION ‘EXPECTED IN FIRST QUARTER’ By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE Davis administration is expected to bring legislation for a cannabis industry in the first quarter of this year, Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister Latrae Rahming announced yesterday. His comment came during a press conference
at the Office of the Prime Minister when asked by a reporter for an update on the legislation. “I’m pleased to report that we could expect legislation on the cannabis industry in the first quarter of this year,” he said. “The government in its legislative commitment has committed to ensuring that we bring legislation in the first quarter of this year.” The government said it
would introduce a “regulatory framework” for the cannabis industry and to expunge the records of young people convicted of minor offences related to use of the drug as part of its five-year legislative agenda. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, while in opposition, expressed full support for both issues and said back in 2020 the Minnis administration should have
already addressed the issue of legalising marijuana and expunging the records of people convicted for possessing small amounts. “The time has long passed for us to address this issue of legalisation of marijuana and expunging the record of persons who would have had a record for small amounts,” Mr Davis said previously. “That would be something that the Progressive
Liberal Party embrace(s). “That is something that we urge the government to do as quickly as possible that they ought to by now have lived up to their promise to that segment of our demographic who have been saddled with records for convictions for small amounts of marijuana that is inhibiting and prohibiting their ability to be full participants in our
country, particularly in the workplace.” In 2020, then Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis promised to have the relevant bill brought to Parliament by January 2021. In May 2021, then Attorney General Carl Bethel said once approved by Cabinet, marijuana legislation would be introduced to Parliament before the end of the budget year. However, that did not happen.
COMMODORE UNHAPPY OVER MARINE’S HEALTH DISCLOSURE from page one
However, he said the RBDF dissuaded the family from pushing to have the footage released publicly saying it may be disturbing to relatives to have it in the public domain. In addition, Commodore King gave an assurance that the matter received the full attention of Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Paul Rolle. While a file of police compiled evidence is expected to be handed over to the coroner today, a timeline for adjudication is unclear as there remains a backlog of inquests due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The incident, according to Commodore King, had sparked raw emotions of not only grief and pain among colleagues, but also anger, frustration and bitterness. The latter, he said, had been fuelled by erroneous social media claims. He urged RBDF officers to adhere to the force’s social media policy. Yesterday, the Commodore described Adderley as a friend, colleague and brother, adding his feelings
were compounded as he dealt with personal grief attached to the death of his son - Marine Mechanic Renaldo King, who died three years ago. The anniversary of that death was a few days ago. According to police, the incident with Adderley took place on Dunmore Avenue in the Chippingham area while officers were on routine patrol. Police said shortly before 4am on Monday, officers were alerted to a complaint about a suspicious vehicle parked near a vacant lot on Dunmore Avenue. Officers were subsequently dispatched to the area and upon arrival, they noticed a man in the vehicle. After being ordered out of the vehicle, the man “charged” at one of the officers and attempted to disarm him, police said. Adderley was subsequently fatally shot. “With respect to the investigation and its update, the investigation is basically at its conclusion stage,” Commodore King said yesterday during the Office of the Prime Minister’s weekly press briefing. “The police would have
compiled the evidence. The coroner would have visited the scene and the file is being prepped to be presented to the coroner by tomorrow (Friday).” Asked by The Tribune if he thinks there needed to be greater emphasis on de-escalation methods, the Commodore said: “At present I can say with certainty that we enjoy and continue to enjoy very professional, cordial and mutually beneficial relationships with our law enforcement agencies generally and in particular the Royal Bahamas Police Force. “But I am satisfied that emphasis must be placed from the training area to persons that we’re recruiting, the more junior persons. We’ll now have to establish a protocol, a written protocol through the use of liaison officers and so once a police interacts with any member of the service there is a certain protocol to follow, but we need to get it during the new entry training phase in order to change the culture and to ensure that not only at the top - where we enjoy this mutually beneficial relationship - but that the younger persons
whose mindsets and where we have generational differences are inculcated with the mindset that we must always maintain at a minimum professional relationships between the agencies.” He was also asked to confirm whether Adderley suffered from a mental issue as was intimated by National Security Minister Wayne Munroe earlier this week. In response, Commodore King admitted that he had advised the minister of such information on the advice of the RBDF’s medical officer. However, he said, he viewed the information as “privileged”. “The honourable minister was advised by myself based on the advice from my force medical officer and he took the liberty of disclosing that to the public. I see it as privileged information between a physician, medical professional and a client so I would want to refrain from any comment in terms of his medical condition without consent of the family. “That was one of the things the family was concerned about when I met
with them, was the disclosure of information of that nature without the consent of the family.” He said relatives were concerned about a timeline for an inquest. “They were relatively satisfied (during the meeting). Understanding that process they were more concerned with the timeline of when it may occur and we explained to them that those are the protocols as well as they may have the option of seeking legal representation in
petitioning the Coroner’s Court whereby, they may have access to the video just as well as they may not. “But those options from my legal officer (were) provided to the family. “They were relatively satisfied, but we sort of guided them against the call to have this video made public because it could be disturbing to the family and it may not be something that the family wants disclosed to the public,” he said yesterday.
PAGE 4, Friday, January 14, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
10 PERCENT OF ANTIGEN TESTS SHOW POSITIVE RESULTS By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net ROUGHLY 10 percent of the COVID-19 antigen tests that were offered free of charge by the government in New Providence had a positive result, according to press officer Jillian Gray yesterday. “We’ve seen 2,546 tests completed with 256 of those tests presented positive,” she said yesterday during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister. The Davis administration’s free testing
programme was rolled out in the capital less than a week ago as cases surged in the country. Yesterday, OPM communications director Latrae Rahming said the government had maintained its plan to arrest the COVID19 pandemic while also making decisions in the best interest of the economy. Some people have criticised the government for opting not to enforce more strict measures in the country in response to higher numbers of positive cases caused by what is believed to be the Omicron variant
of COVID-19. This comes as 178 new cases of the coronavirus were recorded in the country on Wednesday - the lowest number of infections so far this month. However two new deaths were added to the nation’s toll — pushing the number to 717. The deceased are both Grand Bahama men — a 68-year-old who died on December 25, 2021 and a 73 year old who died on December 27, 2021. “One of the things that we are reminded of in our COVID action plan, we said that we would be
guided by the science at all times and respect our health officials,” Mr Rahming said yesterday. “So, in the previous administration there was a view that a response to COVID-19 was lockdowns and curfews. “We do know that the government has more tools in its kit to respond to the overall virus. We take advice from the medical field on a daily basis. The Prime Minister to the Minister of Health and the EOC is guided on what should be the policy response on restrictions. “On understanding the
virus, the ultimate goal of the government is to ensure that the hospital infrastructure is not compromised in so far as hospitalisations being at a point the government can manage and so there are things that would trigger a more robust police response from the government of The Bahamas. “We believe, and it continues to be our view at this time, that lockdowns and curfews are not required to respond to this outbreak. What we have done in our policy response is to ensure that persons know their status.”
He continued: “If you needed to get a COVID test you could. If you needed a medical grade mask you could. We also recruited nurses to help in this effort and we also improved our infrastructure at the Princess Margaret Hospital to ensure that there is a robust response from the healthcare sector and for the first time in this pandemic we are making the health experts available for questions through town hall so persons have the information to protect themselves in this fourth wave.”
ARRESTS SOAR AS SMUGGLERS ADAPT
MIGRANTS boarding a Bahamasair flight in Inagua to transport them back to their home country last year. from page one
COMMODORE Raymond King.
TEMPLE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
ENTRANCE EXAMINATION 2022-2023
Temple Christian High School will hold its Entrance Examination on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at the school on Shirley Street from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon for students wishing to enter grades 7, 8, 9 and 10. Application forms are available at the High School Office. The application fee is twenty-five dollars ($25). Application forms should be completed and returned to the school by Friday, January 14, 2022. For further information, please call telephone number: 394-4481/394-4484.
He said the high occurrence of apprehensions in 2021 is most likely tied to the influx of Haitian migrants who were seen in Inagua in late September and onward. “Our migrant apprehensions would have increased by some 456 percent year over (year) in comparison,” Commodore King said during the Office of the Prime Minister’s weekly press briefing. “Of course, the migrant movement during the month of September would have attributed to much of that. “With respect to poaching (there was) a decline of some 55 percent, but this is due in (part) to our strong deterrent effect on placing vessels by targeting our patrols in specific areas at certain times of the year with persistent and overlapping patrols. “This is evident in the
response from the fishing community who’ve said repeatedly the last two years would have been the best years they’ve experienced. Their traps weren’t tampered with, the yield was higher and sightings were little or none. “Our vessel boardings would have increased by some 1,000 percent in a deliberate exercise as we seek to uncover undeclared and illegal weapons and ammunition and drugs on board vessels that we were boarding.” He continued: “Our strategy is focused on being able to intercept those migrant vessels in particular in the southern Bahamas. “However, there’s a new trend with the migration movement. New tactics evasive and concealment tactics - being used to evade smuggling activities. They’re now using American sailing vessels to conceal their movement as opposed to the traditional
Haitian sailing sloops. “The traditional Haitian sailing vessels are now being equipped with outboard engines to quicken their transit northbound into The Bahamas. “Additionally what we’re experiencing now is we have multiple vessels leaving from multiple ports in Haiti with multiple destinations in mind and so it requires us to prioritise which target of interest based on the availability of our assets to intercept solely as an organisation or leveraging the assistance from the United States Coast Guard and finally our local law enforcement agents once we would have detected the vessels and handed over the information to them.” He said the target was now not only New Providence, but other islands in the archipelago. “They are now targeting not only New Providence, but Abaco, Eleuthera and
Andros and on many occasions, they would move along the Old Bahama Channel (and) give you the impression that they’re heading toward the United States of America and once they reach south of Andros, they would turn northbound. “So, we’re being forced to spread our resources from east to west and south in response to the new trends. “Thus far we’ve done extremely well, but it’s not without the collaboration and coordination with our regional partners in particular OPBAT, the United States Coast Guard, Cuban Border Patrol, in providing useful meaningful intelligence as well as the police Marine Unit (and) customs and immigration who respond when we provide intelligence locally so they can ensure they intercept in the event our vessels are not available to do so,” Commodore King said.
BAHAMIAN JAILED FOR TRYING TO SMUGGLE MIGRANT INTO US A FEDERAL district judge in Fort Lauderdale has sentenced Bahamian Jeremy Christoph Rolle to 60 months in prison for trying to smuggle a migrant previously removed from the country following aggravated felony convictions, including murder, into the United States. Rolle, 27, pleaded guilty on November 2, 2021 to aiding and abetting migrants to enter the US. According to court documents, Rolle operated a 26-foot motorboat to transport himself and 16 migrants from Bimini to the east coast of Florida on June 17, 2021. One migrant passenger was Marvin Morris Carridice, 43, of Jamaica, who according to court documents, was
removed from the US in 2018 after serving a 14-year prison sentence for convictions in Florida for murder and other felonies. Carridice, who was charged in the same indictment as Rolle, pleaded guilty to illegal entry of a removed alien and was sentenced on January 5 to 42 months in prison. In addition, migrant passengers Andrew Devaunx, 54, of The Bahamas, and Payam Hassanzadeh Zargar, 27, of the United Kingdom, were each charged and pleaded guilty to illegal entry of a removed alien. Devaunx was sentenced on October 26, 2021, to time served and Zargar is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, January 14, 2022, PAGE 5
More than 600 nominees for local government vote MORE than 600 people have nominated for local government positions before the January 27 elections. Nomination Day was on January 6. Some 617 persons nominated, however, this number could dwindle if people decide to withdraw from the register. “The number of candidates that (have) recently nominated for local government elections proves
that Bahamians across our Family Islands want to get involved in the governance of our country,” said Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting. “It is evident through their involvement that we will work together to develop our communities and positively impact the lives of Family Islanders. I am excited and congratulate all of them and wish
them great success in the upcoming elections.” Up until Wednesday, 92 districts were being contested. The minister said he is looking forward to working with the elected candidates for the betterment of their communities. He added that there are plans to increase the power of local government and other councils. “With the Department
of Local Government, we want to enhance and strengthen that, to look at the legislation and how we can provide revenue raising powers for these local government practitioners in the Family Islands. We want them to be able to really function properly and give them the powers that they were meant to have and to decentralize a lot of the government services,” Mr Sweeting said.
“Once we are able to amend the legislation to provide revenue raising power, to increase the budget like we committed to and provide more funding to these districts, then they will feel like they have the leeway to do more of the things that they want to do. We are also working along with a number of industries to decentralise a lot of these processes that have been
centralised. The idea of local government was to get the approvals and to eliminate a lot of the red tape.” The final day for verification of information on the register is tomorrow and on Monday the register will be publicised. After the elections, a recount will be held on January 28, the writs will be returned and the results publicised on January 31.
THE GRAND Lucayan Resort.
PRICE? ALL WE WANT IS T0 SEE LUCAYAN SOLD from page one
“So, I think probably where most of us from Grand Bahama stand, while we are not saying the government should give the hotel away to anyone, I think the price that it would eventually sell for is not as important to us as it being sold,” he said yesterday. “We just want to see it done.” He also stressed that finding an operator who is willing to develop the property in the best interest of Grand Bahamians is critical. Mr Laroda’s comments were in response
to questions by reporters about the $150m figure the government wants to sell the hotel property for in Lucaya. On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Minister of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, said the government believes that it is an attractive proposition. He said the resort is on 2,500 acres of prime beachfront property and has a golf course and a marina site. At least six investors to date have expressed interest in purchasing the property, according to Mr Cooper. Mr Laroda said Grand Bahamians just want the
property sold. “As it relates to the hotel property that is something… ever since it closed, we have been looking forward to a sale and new buyers through this process where the government bought the hotel in the interim or to try to speed up the process. Of course, some things happened along the way with (Hurricane) Dorian with the pandemic that probably caused us to be where we are today.” The Minnis administration purchased the Grand Lucayan resort for $60m. The former government signed a Heads of Agreement with Royal Caribbean
MAN WAVED CUTLASS By PAVEL BAILEY
A MAN was ordered to attend counselling after he was charged yesterday with unlawfully carrying arms and brandishing a weapon. Jermaine Smith, 24, appeared before Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, after he was arrested by officers in Carmen Close for brandishing a cutlass in the area on Monday afternoon. Upon arriving on the scene after receiving a call on the matter, officers found the suspect armed with the cutlass at his waistline. The suspect complied with officers when he was told to relinquish the weapon and come with them to the East Street South Police Station. In court, Smith pleaded guilty to the charges and accepted the facts stated by the prosecution. He has three prior antecedents on his record, including an assault from 2019. The accused’s mother, Portia Denise Newbold, was also in court to speak on what she witnessed as his diminishing mental capacity. In her tearful address to the court, she claimed she no longer recognised the boy she raised and that the man before them was, “Not my son”. She recounted how on December 30 she took her son to the Fleming Street Clinic seeking help with his mental health, but upon returning to pick him up after licensing her daughter’s car, he wasn’t there. She also mentioned other incidents of his erratic behaviour such as when he assaulted his brother, who didn’t press charges. She also mentioned a time when he packed up all of his and her belongings from their apartment in Skyview Close and said that they were leaving. Ms Newbold said she has no idea what to do now and told the court before breaking down in tears again that her “son needs help”. After hearing the mother’s statement, the prosecutor suggested to Magistrate Allen that Smith be enrolled in the Community
Counselling and Assessment Centre programme on Collins Avenue. There the accused would receive general evaluation and anger management counselling in the government subsidised programme. In a statement before the court, Smith said he just wanted to move on with his life and was hesitant to follow the prosecutor and his mother’s suggestion to seek professional help. He stated that he thought, “It may make me worse.” In his ruling, Magistrate Allen granted Smith a discharge on the condition that he attends counselling at CCAC for six months. If he fails to do so he will risk custodial sentencing of two months in prison. After what is deemed as successful participation in the course, he would be granted an absolute discharge. Magistrate Allen called on Smith to treat his mother with respect, saying she only wants what’s best for him. He is expected back in court on July 21. In a separate case, another man was charged with assault with a dangerous instrument. Rashad Nesbitt, 25, appeared before the magistrate after his arrest on January 6 for an alleged assault incident on Potter’s Cay Dock. The virtual plaintiff, Faith Ann Adderley, claimed Nesbitt had broken a glass bottle, picked up a glass shard and cut her on her left finger and abdomen. Nesbitt pleaded not guilty. He claimed he had never assaulted the plaintiff and that she had cut herself. Considering his prior antecedent of assault, the prosecution suggested the accused wear an electronic ankle bracelet as he awaited his next court date. He is expected to report to the Potter’s Cay Dock Police Station weekly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before 6pm. He also must report to either the police or court any time he goes out to sea to fish. Under these conditions, the defendant was granted bail with two suretors at $5,000, but claimed he had no one to pay bail as his mother was out of the country. Nesbitt’s next court date is set for February 10.
Cruise Lines and ITM Group to purchase and redevelop the resort and Freeport Harbour. However, that deal was cancelled recently. While in Grand Bahama last week, Mr Cooper said the sale of the hotel is a priority of the Davis administration, which is working to get it sold as quickly as possible. He noted that $150m had been invested in the property through government subsidy to maintain the hotel. Mr Laroda said: “I would not want to focus on or get into a discussion on whether I think the government is getting a
good deal or not getting a good deal. “I just want us to see an operator take over the hotel in terms of ownership who can redevelop the property and get it to the level where we need it to be and to grow the tourism (industry) on the island. “We are trying to grow tourism, but there is a challenge now for where they can stay. So, we just need to see it sold and redeveloped - that is more our focus. And I am looking forward to some positive announcements in the next four to six weeks,” he said. “I would like to see it where it is developed in our best interest. That is more
important to me than a few million dollars here or there in the overall selling price, once we get the best deal for the Bahamian people.” Senator Quinton Lightbourne, chairman of the Bahamas Development Bank, who paid a courtesy call to Mr Laroda at the Chamber of Commerce also commented: “What I would say is that discussions and actions so far are moving toward the best way to resolve the situation,” he said. “I think it is the most prudent way, and I would say, in the next month, further details would be given or outlined in terms of the way moving forward.”
PAGE 6, Friday, January 14, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
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Next stop Dubai for Davis PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is off globetrotting again. Already, his time as leader of the nation has seen him set off for trips to Glasgow, Barbados, Miami, Washington – and now he’s part of the entourage headed to Dubai for the world expo. Along with more than 100 people in the delegation, he’s off to tell the world about how wonderful The Bahamas is. There’s some familiar faces alongside him, such as press secretary Clint Watson, this time in a role of choir leader, with the Shaback choir. We’re sure the decision process was thorough and will soon be transparent. We hope Mr Davis will count the trip as a success, and his speech will resonate to the extent of his Glasgow one. He might even get a second Bloomberg quote of the day, perhaps. But as our Junkanooers dance and our choirs sing, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper will be the man left in charge at home to tackle the ongoing surge in COVID cases. We hope our travelling representatives make it there and back safely and don’t get caught up in any travel restrictions. Mr Cooper will also have to keep minding the pennies at home as we continue to wrestle with an economy that is short on funds. Speaking of funds, we do not know yet how much the Dubai trip will cost as the government representative speaking yesterday did not have “the exact figure”. Apparently by the time the Prime Minister returns we may have an answer to that question, though we would love to know how much was budgeted before we learn how much was spent. Still, we look forward to hearing the Prime Minister report when he returns on the value of the trip. Hopefully before he heads off on his next one.
Haitian migrants COMMODORE Raymond King has highlighted a huge increase in migrant apprehensions – up by 456 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year.
The commodore hails the effect of increased intelligence, although a 55 percent drop in catching illegal poachers raises the question of why there isn’t an increase there too. He pinpointed particularly a rise of Haitian migrants in Inagua from September onwards. There really shouldn’t be too much of a mystery to this – Haiti’s in a mess. Last year, the nation suffered an earthquake in August, and a presidential assassination in July. In the pages of The Tribune, we have carried numerous international articles about how gangs are in large part running vast portions of the country, limiting movement of people and making it hard for aid groups to do their work. A number of missionaries were recently kidnapped and managed to make their escape. With all of that going on, is it really any surprise that more people are risking their lives by climbing onto what can generously be described in some cases as boats and trying to find somewhere safer to live elsewhere? Credit to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for their work, but what they are dealing with are the symptoms of the bigger problem – and that’s Haiti itself. What are we doing, not just ourselves but as a region, to help Haiti in the dire situation it finds itself? Certainly, while we hear Commodore King talking about the RBDF’s success in dealing with migrants, we don’t hear anything from our political leadership about what we are doing to remedy the situation that pushes those migrants to leave home. How much money is coming out of our pockets to help the nation? What are we doing to help Haiti to gain access to vaccines? How are we encouraging our regional partners to help Haiti find some measure of stability? We don’t pretend there is any easy solution to Haiti’s problems – but there is a need for an attempt to find one. Until then, Commodore King and his officers are just going to keep seeing those boats coming. These are people who have run out of choices and have to take the biggest gamble of all.
Republic move EDITOR, The Tribune. IN RESPONSE to the letter “Bahamas Republic” praising Barbados for becoming a republic I would say that it was done in the most undemocratic manner. PM Mia Mottley rushed through the process with indecent haste. There was no proper discussion and no referendum took place to determine whether the people wanted her republic. Leading citizens spoke out against a republic, including the world famous cricketer Sir Garry Sobers. However, Mottley refused to budge and her MPs were bulldozed into submission to vote for it. After opinion polls indicated opposition to a republic she stubbornly refused to let the people decide. Even the ceremony
was held in private with guests from neighbouring countries. The public were not allowed probably because she feared demonstrations. This was hardly an exercise in democratic freedom. Like Barbados The United Kingdom gave The Bahamas self government and later independence without any problem. We became independent like our neighbours Canada and Jamaica and others. We kept our system of Constitutional Monarchy which has worked well in this and other Commonwealth countries. We have our own Bahamian Governor-General. As a result of the stability and impartial courts in this system we have attracted international investment. Why would we
want to change a system which works well? Canada became independent in 1867 and has always maintained that system helping to make it a great country where people want to come and invest. In fact in 1982 the Monarchy was entrenched in the Canadian Constitution after agreement between the Federal and Provincial Governments there and it is now extremely difficult to abolish. Canadians are proud of their country. Let us in The Bahamas be proud of our history and heritage and our democratic foundations. Let us not turn ourselves into yet another failed third world republic.
one or two videos you got the confirmation as like the previous years… no one attended. Can the Minister of Sports please guarantee the public that we will discontinue this waste of Treasury money? What was the cost? Whoever is pushing this event in
Tourism please admit this is seriously a failure. Curious, was there an exemption to the Health Emergency Regulations that no one needed to wear masks?
ALAN MALCOLM Nassau, January 13, 2022.
Bahamas Bowl EDITOR, The Tribune. HOW many years have we sponsored as a “big Tourism event” the Bahamas Bowl… well like all previous years very, very few spectators and fortunately the TV producers avoided further embarrassment by showing the bleachers, but on
TOM MURRAY Nassau, December 18, 2022.
Cannabis addiction EDITOR, The Tribune. CONTRARY to popular belief, people can become addicted to Cannabis, just like any other drug. Continued, frequent and heavy Cannabis use can cause serious physical dependency and addiction. Logically we can see the government’s two-faced approach to the issue of addiction, health and safety in Canada. Cannabis maybe sold at a corner store near you, so long as it has a licence to do so, but there are many problematic issues that arise using Cannabis... Heavy use and addiction can lead to a failure to fulfill major duties at home, work, school and any occupational or recreational activity. Addiction can and does take over your life. Ok, I hear you. You only use it once in a while right? Well addiction to anything is dependent upon how prone you are to becoming addicted. It can develop in any age, but youth are especially vulnerable because their brain is still developing. It is estimated that one in three who use cannabis will develop a problem. One in 11 (9%) of cannabis users will become addicted. It rises to about one in six (17%) for those who started smoking as teenagers. If you smoke daily the risk rises to 25-50% addiction will develop. Let’s look at it another way. Remember I mentioned the government is acting in a two-faced manner? Canada, and all the Provinces have spent over a billion dollars telling young and old to stop smoking. Now they allow use of Cannabis, something that is smoked 78% of the time by users. What the....? Provincial governments and some cities have become addicted to gambling and now drugs. OLG, Local Casino’s, Cannabis Stores, the LCBO. The list goes on. We are told that youth cannot get involved in these items and venues,
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net and that those who do are adults and can make the appropriate choices to do so. All these various agencies and governments are interested in is Revenue. To get into your pocket books, your debit and bank accounts, rifling through them while saying they are entertaining you, the consumer. Governmental Capitalism right? They offer assistance, should you be concerned about the possibility of being addicted or out of control, but these agencies still go after you like a predator. Advertising in all media forums, these agencies gather revenue and throw it into the government’s treasury, to be used as they see fit. Smoking cigarettes is politically incorrect, but smoking what was formally illegal is in big time, as is the growing of these drugs. Legal cannabis growers in Ontario increased in 2020 to 112 outfits, while in British Columbia they rose to 62. P.E.I. has one too. Ontario will have 600800 store locations selling this product in 2022. Talk about uncontrolled growth, both in retail and growing the product. Holland Marsh in Ontario has dozens of legal Cannabis locations and untold other operations too. Drive through the marsh in spring or summer and be surrounded by the smell of pot. The traditional lands and green houses that grew vegetables, flowers and the like are now filled with Cannabis. These drugs are competing with your supply of fresh food. The very productive land farmers are being used to grow non edible items. Items of questionable social use. We know alcohol misuse causes the deaths of hundreds in Ontario annually. We also know that mental anguish and addiction within the gambling portfolio is escalating annual also.
People are losing their rent money, their life savings. Do we have control over these terrible incidents? Can we stop them from happening? Those who make money from these venues and operations will say “no way’’. Stuff happens and like wearing a mask during this pandemic all citizens must have the ability to choose. I know Premier Ford would say such a thing, and this surprises me knowing his family history. Can we not agree on one thing, that we all make misguided and often stupid decisions. Placing a temptation before our fellow citizens does not make sense, or does it? Seemingly our law enforcement authorities have given up with regards to dealing with drugs development, logistics and sales. They claim to be out gunned, out numbered and apparently out maneuvered too. Our elected officials are frightened to increase property and sales taxes to reinforce their law enforcement agencies, so legalising addiction bombs seem to them to be the answer. Well do you know what addiction does to your neighbours? They often waist away craving the next hit, they break the law by stealing often in a violent manner to get the funds that feed their addiction, they ignore all other responsibilities except that need to get high, they sell their bodies to raise funds, they become hermits or active family members with a huge chip on their shoulders, much like the devil on one shoulder, and angel on the other. Addiction is everywhere, and yet you can be the strong, free healthy individual I am sure you’d like to be. Think before you act, and make the right choices for you and your loved ones. STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario, Canada. January 11, 2022.
THE TRIBUNE
‘My wife struck me with her vehicle’ By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A MAN told the court yesterday how his wife struck him with her vehicle, damaging his finger after she saw him with another woman at his mother’s house. Dion Davis gave testimony against his wife, Karen Davis, 43, during the latter’s trial before Magistrate Samuel McKinney. Mrs Davis is accused of unlawfully assaulting her husband with a vehicle and further causing him harm in May 2020. The 43-year-old has denied the allegations. While giving testimony before Magistrate McKinney, Mr Davis accused his wife of being “crazy”, insisting she “hit” him with her car nearly two years ago. He also confirmed the two were going through a divorce at the time of the alleged incident, which occurred after the accused saw him with another woman. The woman in question, Mr Davis told the court, was his friend and neighbour. He said he was picking mangoes for her at his mother’s home and was about to leave. However, after seeing the pair together, Mr Davis said his wife started “rowing” and went on to hit both him and his car, injuring his finger on his right hand. Asked if his car received any damage, the witness said no, but noted the injuries caused to his finger. Mr Davis said it took him five days
to go to see the doctor explaining his reason for not going sooner was due to a speech disability. “She mad, crazy,” he said. During cross-examination, Mrs Davis’ attorney, Ryszard Humes, suggested that Mr Davis was the actual aggressor in the situation and accused him of getting angry when his wife questioned him about the woman he was with. He also alleged that Mr Davis tried to damage his wife’s vehicle when he started pulling off her car’s bumper, suggesting his injuries were selfinflicted and not actually caused by his wife. However, Mr Davis did not agree with the attorney’s assertions yesterday. When asked if his wife ever called police for him, Mr Davis admitted there was an occasion when his wife requested police action. Yesterday, Mr Humes also questioned the length of time it took for Mr Davis to visit the doctor, saying if his injuries were really serious, he would have sought medical help sooner. During yesterday’s hearing, the court also heard testimony of two police officers who testified of their role in Davis’ arrest, the first of whom was Corporal Mindy Nelson. Cpl Nelson said she was working at the East Street South Police Station when she received certain information about a suspect named Karen Davis. She said she arrested Davis in June 2020 after she turned herself in at the station. Sergeant Phylicita Brown-Gibson
BAIL OVER BASEBALL BAT ATTACK By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A MAN and woman accused of hitting a man with a baseball bat last week were yesterday granted bail before their trial. David Wallace Jr, 21, and Joycelyn Chriswell, 18, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and causing harm. Police alleged that the
two, while being concerned together, unlawfully assaulted Garvin Butler with a baseball bat and further caused him harm while at Pepper Road, Eastwood on January 6. They both pleaded not guilty to the charges during their arraignment yesterday and the matter was adjourned to February 23 for trial. Magistrate McKinney also granted the accused bail at $5,000 with one surety.
PAIR DENY STEALING BOAT By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net TWO men accused of stealing another man’s boat and car part last month were charged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. James Bartlett, 28, and Julio Deveaux, 23, were arrested after police said they stole Sabastian Bastian’s boat and white Honda
compressor on December 29. According to court documents, the total cost of the stolen items was $18,500. During their appearance before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday, the two denied the allegations and the matter was adjourned to March 1 for trial. They were granted bail at $5,000 with one surety.
MAN ACCUSED OF INDECENT ASSAULT ON GIRL By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A 23-YEAR-OLD man who denied indecently assaulting a ten-year-old girl was yesterday granted bail before his trial. Cardnel Rolle stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday, charged with indecent
assault. Police alleged that Rolle committed the act on January 10, however, he denied the offence yesterday in court. After recording the accused’s not guilty plea, Magistrate McKinney adjourned the case to March 1 for trial. Rolle was also granted $5,000 bail with one surety.
was next to testify of her involvement as investigator in the case. She said she interviewed the accused, who gave her an account of what had happened. According to Sgt Brown-Gibson, Davis said she was on her way to work when she saw her husband’s vehicle in the area of his mother’s home. The accused told police that when she approached the car, she saw a woman inside which prompted her to ask her husband who she was. However, the court was told that Mr Davis refused to answer and then proceeded to follow his wife to her car, “banging” on the glass while demanding she return his phone and passport. Sgt Brown-Gibson said the accused also told officers her husband began pulling on the front bumper of her vehicle. The damage was later shown to police, the court heard. The witness said while conducting inquiries into the incident, she received a hospital form from Mr Davis and later charged the accused. When asked by the defence attorney if it ever occurred to her that Mr Davis’ injuries may have been self-inflicted given the damage he allegedly caused to his wife’s car, Sgt Brown said “it may”. In view of this fact, Mr Humes questioned why she deemed it necessary to charge his client. In response, Sgt Brown-Gibson said she did so based on the findings of her investigations. After the witnesses completed their testimonies, the prosecutor closed the case and the matter was adjourned to January 28.
Friday, January 14, 2022, PAGE 7
MAN ADMITS GUILT OVER MARIJUANA By PAVEL BAILEY
A MAN was put on six months probation yesterday after pleading guilty to possession of marijuana. Deranzo Rolle, 32, appeared before Magistrate Algernon Allen, Jr, on the charges. Rolle was caught in possession of the drug after officers in the Mobile Patrol Unit executed a search warrant at his residence at Hibiscus Road early Wednesday morning. After officers breached the front door and confirmed it was the suspect’s residence, they caught Rolle trying to flush what they suspected to be marijuana down the toilet. He was then transferred to East Street Police Station where he admitted the drugs were his. Officers confirmed 11 grams of marijuana were found with an estimated value of $58. When the suspect appeared before the court, he pleaded guilty, telling the magistrate that he only had the drugs to help relieve pain after recent surgery. Rolle made a plea before the court to be given a legal exemption for his drug use claiming it was medicinal, but was admonished by Magistrate Allen, who made it clear he should stop using marijuana and see a doctor for legal alternatives for pain relief.
The prosecution accepted the fact that there was a minimal quantity of drugs found in the defendant’s possession. Considering his decision to make an early plea of guilt to spare the court’s time, the magistrate put Rolle on six months’ probation. If he is charged with any other offence in that timeframe, he will be sent to prison for 12 months for his drug charges. However, if he manages to avoid committing any further offences over those six months, he will be granted an absolute discharge and all charges will be withheld from his criminal record. He is expected back in Magistrate’s Court again on July 21. In a separate matter Navardo Rolle, 29, also appeared before the court for possession of dangerous drugs, but was late for the court proceedings. He cited feeling ill with the flu as the reason for his tardy arrival. Magistrate Allen then cancelled a warrant for his arrest for having apparently failed to appear before court. The case was later deferred to next month as the regular prosecutor was not in attendance. The accused requested his case files in preparation for his defence for a no case submission. He is expected back in Magistrate’s Court again on February 10.
PAGE 8, Friday, January 14, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
Is marijuana really a cure for COVID? A Comic’s View
By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA
A NEW study released this week has marijuana enthusiasts beaming, comedians laughing as they pen the related material. (Yours truly included) And now, a global populous traumatised by the pandemic is seriously contemplating. Can marijuana (cannabis) actually prevent Covid? Ah the irony on so many levels. The study was published in the Journal of Natural Products found that cannabis compounds prevented the virus that causes Covid19 from penetrating healthy human cells. Yes, you did read that correctly. To quote the author of the study, Richard B van
FROM left, Lisa Armbrister - Salvation Army office assistant; Major Roodolph Meo, Divisional Commander; distinguished president Don Haynes - Kiwanis Club of the Berry Islands; Lieutenant Governor Irene Rolle of The Bahamas Sunshine Division 22 of The Kiwanis Clubs; and Captain Marc Eddy Momplaisir of The Salvation Army.
Breemen - head researcher at Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center: “Research reveals, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented infection of human epithelial cells by a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevented entry of live SARS-CoV-2 into cells,” while “cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid were equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351.” (I strongly suggest finding a family member or friend who’s a doctor to translate that into layman’s terms). Thank goodness for the Bloomberg report , you can
give the doctors in your life a break.
ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG
The two compounds that are most commonly found in hemp — are called cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA — were identified during a chemical screening effort as having potential to combat coronavirus, researchers from Oregon State University who were a part of the study said: “The compounds bind to spike proteins found on the virus and blocked a step the pathogen uses to infect people.”
These already existing hemp compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans and have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2. I’m going to continue to keep my eye on this as it all plays out, for two reasons: One because the study has gone viral and two because if we ever get around to legalising and decriminalising medicinal and recreational marijuana in The Bahamas, it will be most interesting to see how fast can we compete on a global level producing the compounds to satisfy whatever criteria for export is needed.
Once again we can position ourselves in the global medicinal and recreation marijuana markets with the proper legislation. I’m keen to see what type of legislation AG Ryan Pinder and Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Clay Sweeting come up with regarding the legalisation and decriminalisation of medicinal and recreational marijuana on multiple levels. Until next week be safe everyone, I’m off. I will be keeping my mask on and eyes on the following nuggets: If the Minster of Health, Dr Darville can finally come up with a plan? Especially
with Omicron and paediatric cases on the rise? The Magical Mystery New Day Tour of Dubai. (Now we all see why Clint Watson said there will be no mention or divulgence of the travel budget PERIOD). Whether or not, the Minster of National Security will continue to suffer from “foot in mouth disease”? If the FNM will finally have one voice? “How many more voice notes will pop up, on the local “chat group” scene from disgruntled PLPs? Next week’s column should be well stocked, unlike our local food stores, but that’s a whole different kettle of fish.
KIWANIS CLUB LENDS A HAND THE popular Christmas song, “Sleigh bells ring are you listening” took on a different meaning for the residents of the Berry Islands during the Christmas Season. For the first time in the history of the community the yearly ‘bell ringing’ of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Project was heard in the ears of the residents. The Kiwanis Club of the Berry Islands answered the call from the Salvation Army to assist in their efforts to raise the sum of $200. 000. 00 as the Army sought to continue uplifting the survivors of Hurricane Dorian, as well as to reaching out to other families who were in need. This was also the first
time KCBI had worked with the Salvation Army on such a meaningful and impacting project. The club not only joined forces with the Army but reached out to the community, businesses, and winter residents in the Berry Islands to participate in this worthwhile cause. The response and excitement were outstanding, and the results yielded some $5, 000. 00 raised on behalf of the Salvation Army. Major Roodolph Meo of the Salvation Army sees the project going a long way, and even suggested that other islands can adopt the idea of ringing the bell in 2022 to assist others in simply being able to survive in their seasons of life.
FROM left, distinguished president Don L Haynes of the Kiwanis Club of the Berry Islands; Major Roodolph Meo - Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army; and Lieutenant Governor Irene Rolle of The Bahamas Sunshine Division 22 of The Kiwanis Clubs.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, January 14, 2022, PAGE 9
The Great Resignation – is The Bahamas vulnerable? ALL the talk about everything COVID has made us weary. We are tired, just plain, dogged tired of the whole subject. Who has it, who doesn’t, who’s been vaccinated, boosted, who hasn’t, who threw a party or staged an event who shouldn’t have, but with all the small talk, we may be ignoring the five-ton elephant in the room, what the pandemic has done to the desire to work. Apparently, it has not just made people sick. It
By Diane Phillips
has made millions sick of work. In the US, it’s being called The Great Resignation or The Big Quit. Some 20 million people quit their jobs in the latter
half of 2021. People of all ages from baby boomers who took early retirement to those in their 20s, even GenZees who said they have had enough even though they have barely
had time to learn the job they are now quitting. Hardest hit industries are hospitality, health care, retail and education, in that order, a combination that could spell serious trouble if the Big Quit were to hit The Bahamas. Nearly one in every 10 jobs in hospitality in the US is going begging. Employers are desperate to hire. And that’s putting employees in the driver’s seat. Minimum wage, that $7.25 federal and $15/hr in California and New York, is not cutting it.
Even at fast food restaurants, the new demand is for liveable wages. Yesterday, I heard a restaurant in North Carolina was offering entry level workers with absolutely no experience a package that included training, liveable wages – and housing. Kids straight out of college are getting signing bonuses simply for agreeing to work at a company desperate for staff. I reached out to a veteran recruiter I know. Paula Welch is at the top of her game. She’s been finding the right person for the right job with Fortune 100 companies for more than 20 years, but she has never seen the landscape shift so dramatically. “People were burned out. They realised they were living to work and when the pandemic hit, it broke the cycle and professionals began saying no more live to work, it’s now work to live. It is not that they are not interested in working, they just want more favourable conditions, flexible hours and they want to matter.” For those who jump to the conclusion that stimulus cheques were part of the desire to sit back, early research shows otherwise.
Even when cheques stopped coming, those who quit stayed quit. Welch said the two biggest differences she’s seen in the last six months – employers are less interested
TWO KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOUR WHEN Sir Sidney Poitier passed away, a woman named Diane Gedymin felt a loss that even for an editor was as hard to describe as it was to accept. Gedymin was the acquiring editor and publisher of Sir Sidney’s Measure of a Man and the editor and publisher of Sir Orville Turnquest’s What Manner of Man is This? In both cases, she became more than an editor. She became a close friend, almost another member of each man’s family and her reverence for both is reflected in the honesty of her editing their life stories. I emailed her the minute I heard Sir Sidney had died. Here’s what she replied: “Fortunately, I got to speak with Sir Sidney recently and I told him what I said after virtually every conversation I’ve had with him for over 20 years: ‘If I did nothing else in my life, working with on your book and most importantly having the privilege of calling you
a dear friend, would be enough.’ When I told him I loved him, his manager said he smiled. A wonderful final memory. “Sir Sidney also gave me a treasured gift. Almost two decades ago he introduced me to Sir Orville with whom I not only edited and published his best seller but also had the honour of becoming close friends with him, his family and staff as well and became a Bahamian citizen along the way. “These two highly intelligent, passionate, generous, funny Bahamians are a joy to know and love. Other than Cinderella, who else can say that two knights changed their lives?” Gedymin, who lives in New York, listens to books as she drives and plans to relisten to Measure of a Man on tape. Sir Sidney narrates it, she says, “So I’ll be able to hear that lovely voice that will go straight to my heart.” Good for you, Diane. Good for you.
POINCIANA FESTIVAL THANKS to the reader who digested the landscape plan section of last week’s column and suggested a poinciana festival. It’s based on a proposal which the reader explained he presented to the Ministry of Tourism, presumably before the onslaught of COVID when the idea of festivals was still being entertained.
That reader suggests a festival of art, culture, music and food with various locations that have one thing in common – the presence of a Royal Poinciana for positioning and photo opps. If we ever return to a life of festivals, it sounds like a good idea to me given the posting potential on social media.
in education. “No one is asking for your degree, they want to know attitude and experience,” she says. The other difference, a shift toward remote working. Welch has been working remotely for a decade, mostly from a kitchen counter where her laptop, headphones, zoom and LinkedIn accounts and her years of experience are her tools for placing professionals in mid- to high six figure jobs. She became a remote contractor when she had to plead her case, now one in every seven jobs in the US is remote, according to a LinkedIn executive. American trends tend to take the slow boat to The Bahamas, arriving about a year later. We still haven’t caught up with e-commerce or Zelle. But what if there is a great push for signing bonuses or for housing for those with no experience, or for the right to work remotely in banking or hotel restaurants? Where does that leave a country dependent upon tourism? Again, not that we need it, but we are reminded of how vulnerable we are because we are largely a one wagon economic train. We are holding our breath, pleading for signs of growth, while the glaring reality of a work force fed up stares us in the face, posing a contagious post-pandemic economic meltdown. If there is a takeaway besides a concern, it is this: the shortness of breath caused by COVID will one day subside. The shortsightedness of productivity issues and work with dignity developments could be the economic pandemic that lingers. Next time an employer says you are lucky to have the job you have, you might just remind them they are lucky to have the employee they have. Courage is best served when others dish it out first. Since we spend more waking hours at work than we do anywhere else, the pandemic might have done us a favour, giving us pause and cause to take the reins and make our work life a life worth living.
PAGE 10, Friday, January 14, 2022
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Russia troops in Cuba talk ‘bluster’ MOSCOW Associated Press
RUSSIA raised the stakes yesterday in its dispute with the West over Ukraine and NATO’s expansion when a top diplomat refused to rule out a military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the United States escalate. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he could “neither confirm nor exclude” the possibility of Russia sending military assets to Latin America if the US and its allies don’t curtail their military activities on Russia’s doorstep. “It all depends on the action by our US counterparts,” the minister said in an interview with Russian television network RTVI, citing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow could take unspecified “military-technical measures” if the US and its allies fail to heed its demands. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan dismissed the statements about a possible Russian deployment to Cuba and Venezuela as “bluster in the public commentary”. Ryabkov led a Russian delegation in talks with the US on Monday. The negotiations in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels took place in response to a significant Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that the West fears might be a prelude to an invasion. Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014, has denied having plans to attack the neighboring country. The Kremlin reacted to the suggestion by accusing NATO of threatening its territory and demanding that the military alliance never
embrace Ukraine or any other ex-Soviet nations as new members. Washington and its allies firmly rejected the demand this week as a nonstarter, but the NATO and Russian delegations agreed to leave the door open to further talks on arms control and other issues intended to reduce the potential for hostilities. Speaking to reporters in Washington, Sullivan said that “allied unity and transatlantic solidarity were on full display and they remain on full display” during this week’s talks with Russia, which he described as “frank and direct”. “We stuck to our core premise of reciprocity,” the national security adviser said. “We were firm in our principles and clear about those areas where we can make progress and those areas that are non-starter.” Sullivan noted that no further talks have been scheduled, but “we’re prepared to continue with diplomacy to advance security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic”. “We’re equally prepared if Russia chooses a different path,” he added. “We continue to coordinate intensively with partners on severe economic measures in response to a further Russian invasion of Ukraine.” Asked about Ryabkov keeping the door open to basing troops and equipment in Latin America, Sullivan responded: “I’m not going to respond to bluster in the public commentary.” He noted that the issue wasn’t raised during this week’s talks and added that “if Russia were to move in that direction, we would deal with it decisively.” Ryabkov last month compared the current tensions
over Ukraine with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis — when the Soviet Union deployed missiles to Cuba and the U.S. imposed a naval blockade of the island. That crisis ended after US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed that Moscow would withdraw its missiles in exchange for Washington’s pledge not to invade Cuba and the removal of US missiles from Turkey. Putin, in seeking to curtail the West’s military activity in Eastern Europe, has argued that NATO could use Ukrainian territory to deploy missiles capable of reaching Moscow in just five minutes. He warned that Russia could gain a similar capability by deploying warships armed with the latest Zircon hypersonic cruise missile in neutral waters. Soon after his first election in 2000, Putin ordered the closure of a Sovietbuilt military surveillance facility in Cuba as he sought to improve ties with Washington. Moscow has intensified contacts with Cuba in recent years as tensions with the US and its allies mounted. In December 2018, Russia briefly dispatched a pair of its nuclear-capable Tu-160 bombers to Venezuela in a show of support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro amid Western pressure. Ryabkov said a refusal by the US and its allies to consider the key Russian demand for guarantees against the alliance’s expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations makes it hard to discuss the confidence-building steps that Washington says it’s ready to negotiate.
BRITAIN’s Prince Andrew watches as soldiers from Royal Highland Fusiliers 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS), take part in a homecoming Parade in Penicuik, Scotland, in 2011. Photo: David Cheskin/PA via AP
QUEEN REMOVES PRINCE ANDREW’S MILITARY ROLES AND PATRONAGES LONDON Associated Press QUEEN Elizabeth II has stripped Prince Andrew of all his honorary military titles and royal roles in charities and other civic groups, Buckingham Palace said yesterday, amid a growing furor over allegations he sexually abused a teenage girl supplied to him by financier Jeffrey Epstein. More than 150 British navy and army veterans had written to the queen asking her to strip her second son of all his military ranks and titles after a US judge said on Wednesday a sex assault lawsuit against the prince could go ahead. In a joint letter issued by the group Republic, they said they were “upset and angry” that Andrew “brought the services he is associated with into disrepute”. The palace said in a brief statement that “with the queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the queen”. Patronages refer to roles in charities, military and civic groups that the royals support. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” the statement added. The queen is head of the armed forces
and honorary military appointments are given by her. Andrew stepped back from public duties in 2019, after a BBC interview about his friendship with Epstein drew widespread criticism. But he had retained his honorary titles, including Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, until now. A US district judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss a civil case against Andrew by an American woman, Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre sued the 61-year-old Andrew in August, saying she was coerced into sexual encounters with him in 2001, when she was 17, by Epstein and his longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre said she was sexually abused by Andrew at Maxwell’s London home, at Epstein’s New York mansion and his estate in the US Virgin Islands. District Judge Lewis A Kaplan rejected an argument by Andrew’s lawyers that Giuffre’s lawsuit should be thrown out at an early stage because of an old legal settlement she had with Epstein, who she claims set up sexual encounters with the prince. He stressed that he wasn’t ruling on the truth of the allegations. Andrew’s lawyers have said that the royal never sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre and that he “unequivocally denies Giuffre’s false allegations against him.”
11 OATH KEEPERS CHARGED OVER JANUARY 6 CAPITOL RIOT WASHINGTON Associated Press STEWART Rhodes, the founder and leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group, and ten other members or associates have been charged with seditious conspiracy in the violent attack on the US Capitol, authorities said yesterday. Despite hundreds of charges already brought in the year since proTrump rioters stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, these were the first seditious conspiracy charges levied in connection with the attack on January 6, 2021. It marked a serious escalation in the largest investigation in the Justice Department’s history – more than 700 people have been arrested and charged with federal crimes – and highlighted the work that has gone into piecing together the most complicated cases. The charges rebut, in part, the growing chorus of Republican lawmakers who have publicly challenged the seriousness of the insurrection, arguing that since no one had been charged yet with sedition or treason, it could not have been so violent. The indictment alleges Oath Keepers for weeks discussed trying to overturn the election results
and preparing for a siege by purchasing weapons and setting up battle plans. They repeatedly wrote in chats about the prospect of violence and the need, as Rhodes allegedly wrote in one text, “to scare the s—-out of” Congress. And on January 6, the indictment alleges, they entered the Capitol building with the large crowds of rioters who stormed past police barriers and smashed windows, injuring dozens of officers and sending lawmakers running. Authorities have said the Oath Keepers and their associates worked as if they were going to war, discussing weapons and training. Days before the attack, one defendant suggested in a text message getting a boat to ferry weapons across the Potomac River to their “waiting arms,” prosecutors say. On January 6, several members, wearing camouflaged combat attire, were seen on camera shouldering their way through the crowd and into the Capitol in a military-style stack formation, authorities say. The indictment against Rhodes alleges Oath Keepers formed two teams, or “stacks”, that entered the Capitol. The first stack split up inside the building to separately go after the House and Senate. The second stack confronted officers inside the Capitol Rotunda, the indictment said.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022
Two-time Olympic champion returns to her alma mater By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
A
s she has done every year when she returns home to relax and recuperate, “Golden Girl” Shaunae Miller-Uibo made a stop at her alma mater at St Augustine’s College on Wednesday without any of the fanfare of the student population. With the school in a virtual setting, Miller-Uibo spent some time with the faculty and staff as she reminisced about her tenure as a student and a Big Red Machine track and field athlete that ended in 2012. Miller-Uibo, who went on to the University of Georgia for less than a season before she ventured into the professional ranks, is coming off her back-toback gold medal in the women’s 400 metres at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on August 6. Two days after she had to settle for eighth place in the final of the 200m in her quest for the double, MillerUibo roared back to soar to the top of the podium as she lowered her Bahamian national and North American, Central American and Caribbean area record to 48.36 seconds to add to her triumph in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On her return to SAC, Miller-Uibo brought along three of her team-mates British long jumper Jazmin Sawyers, American sprinter Lynna Irby and Trinidad & Tobago’s sprinter Khalifa St Fort. “Visiting SAC again, I had a great time speaking with the teachers,” MillerUibo said. “The students were not at school during the time, but I was able to show my teammates where I attended high school and they were amazed by the reception by everyone.” Miller-Uibo, 27, said she always receives a warm reception whenever she returns to SAC. Marici Thompson, the new principal at SAC, welcomed Miller-Uibo home to her old stomping ground. “It is an honour and great pleasure to have Shaunae back on campus,” said Thompson, in one of her first official duties since replacing long-time principal Sonja Knowles when the school reopened in January. “Since her last visit to SAC in 2019, she has won another Olympic gold medal in the 400m. “We are extremely proud of her and humbled that she
TWO-TIME Olympic 400-metre champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo made a stop at her alma mater at St Augustine’s College without any of the fanfare of the student population on Wednesday. With the school in a virtual setting, Miller-Uibo spent some time with the faculty and staff as she reminisced about her tenure as a student and a Big Red Machine track and field athlete. would make visiting SAC a priority when she’s in town. “She also brought her friends, who are also worldclass athletes, and that she would want them to see where it all began is a testament to the role SAC played in her development, not just as an athlete, but as a person. “As Shaunae said to them yesterday, ‘This is my home’, and she is welcome home any time.” Unfortunately, MillerUibo’s visit was low-keyed
as students are not back on campus, so there was no ceremony for her to participate as she normally does by interacting with the student body and the Big Red Machine track team. But over the next few days, Miller and her teammates will be enjoying the festivities that the Bahamas has to offer, including their training sessions at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium before they head back to Florida. “We are here training and
enjoying the weather,” Miller-Uibo said. “This is some of their first time here in the Bahamas, so I want to make it memorable for them by letting them enjoy the full Bahamian experience.” Voted as both the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and The Tribune’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2021, Miller-Uibo said as she prepares to return to her training site next week, her goal is to “remain healthy and enjoy the
journey” as she heads into the World Athletics’ World Championships. The World Championships is scheduled for Eugene, Oregon, August 6-15 when the 6-foot, 1-inch Miller-Uibo hopes to avenge her defeat at the expense of suspended Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser in Doha, Qatar, in 2019. Hopefully Miller-Uibo can add a gold medal to her collection of two silver and a bronze from her previous three appearances in the
sports’ biggest event outside of the Olympics. In addition to her silver in Doha, Miller-Uibo got a silver in 2015 in the 200m in Beijing, China, and bronze in 2017 in the 200m in London, England.
Robinson scores season high 16, Joseph shines for Wolves By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net SHERMAN Robinson scored a season high as his role increases with the Newberry College Wolves in NCAA Division II basketball. Robinson scored 16 points on 6-11 from the field in 22 minutes off the bench in an 82-64 loss to No.15 ranked Lincoln Memorial. Robinson, a Grand Bahama native, is one of two Bahamians on the Newberry roster alongside Malik Joseph out of
Eleuthera. Joseph got the start and finished with two points and four rebounds in 13 minutes. The Wolves fell to 6-7, 6-5 in the South Atlantic Conference. Following the loss to LMU, the home matchup against Mars Hill was postponed and will be made up at a later date to be determined, due to COVID-19 protocols. The Wolves will look ahead to a January 15 matchup against Catawba College. Robinson’s season high effort against LMU came after he finished with eight points and a team high
SHERMAN ROBINSON
MALIK JOSEPH
seven rebounds in a 66-65 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. His past two appearances have been his best of the season and the only games where he played in double figures minutes for the first time in the programme. He is averaging 3.9 points per game. Over the past three games he is averaging 10 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field. Joseph’s best performance of his freshman season was a 17 point performance in just 14 minutes off the bench of a November 23 win over Wingate. He is averaging
3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Robinson began his collegiate basketball career with the Navarro College Runnin’ Bulldogs at the JuCo level and transferred to Newberry this fall. The 6’8”, 215-pound swingman is a product of the St George’s Jaguars and followed at Legacy Early College Lions in Greenville, South Carolina. Joseph, a 6’3” guard, came to Newberry following his senior season with the Southside Christian Sabres in South Carolina in the state’s 3A - private school class.
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Southwest Tennis Club’s Doubles Challenge hits Flamingo Gardens By BRENT STUBBS S enio r Spo rt s Repo rter bstubbs@tribunermedia.net
CILIC REACHES ADELAIDE SEMIS, COCO GAUFF MAKES LAST FOUR
OVER the past few weeks, Michael Butler has been bringing some top notch tennis competition to the community of Flamingo Gardens with his Southwest Tennis Club. The latest tournament was the Doubles Challenge, which was completed on Majority Rule Day, Monday, December 10. Among those in attendance to view the event was Carmichael’s Member of Parliament Keith Bell, the Minister of Immigration. The tournament concluded with the team of Edward Turner and collegian Elana Mackey winning the open mixed title with a 4-2, 4-3 decision over the team of Southwest Tennis Club’s director Michael Butler and Indira Hamilton. Butler, however, claimed some gratification when he teamed up with Patrick Rocca to secure the men’s doubles junior veteran championship title with a 4-0, 4-1 victory over the partnership of Julian Robinson and Barry Usher. There was also an exhibition junior singles match with Shavano Hanna taking care of his brother Sherano Hanna 4-2. The tournament was sponsored by A+ Pest Control Company and Bahamas Waste Management. Butler said he was very encouraged by the many persons in the community who came out to view the competition. “It was a wonderful exchange between a diverse group of tennis players and their supporters,” he said. As for the competition, Butler said it was as exciting as it was for the Holiday Invitational Tournament over the Christmas holiday. “We saw an extraordinary display of talent and performances from players we had not seen in past tournaments, whereas
SYDNEY (AP) — Former US Open champion Marin Cilic beat American Tommy Paul 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 yesterday to reach the semifinals of the second Adelaide International. Fourth-seeded Cilic of Croatia has had four wins in five matches this year and also reached the semifinals of the first Adelaide International last week before losing to Russia’s Karen Khachanov. Cilic served 14 aces to Paul’s eight and won 84 percent of first serve points. Paul also had been in solid form coming into yesterday’s match, winning 12 of his last 14 matches. Paul beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the first round this week and reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over Benjamin Bonzi. Cilic reached the last eight with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over Jaume Munar. In the women’s draw, third-seeded Coco Gauff beat Ana Konjuh of Croatia 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last four. At the Sydney Tennis Classic, fourth seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia took the first set of her quarterfinal against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia before Jabeur was forced to retire with a lower back injury. The pair had been almost an hour on court before Kontaveit, who lost twice to Jabeur last year, took the first set 6-4. Jabeur had begun to serve in the second set when she retired. “I really hope that Ons is going to be fine for next week and that it’s nothing too serious,” Kontaveit said. “The first set was really competitive and we’ve had some tough matches before but she’s always come on top. I was really happy to get the set and that I was playing the way I was playing.”
ASPIRING tennis players enjoy Southwest Tennis Club’s Doubles Challenge in Flamingo Gardens. there were improved performances from players who regularly play in our
tournaments,” he said. Butler, who also conducts a vibrant youth baseball
league in the community, said his organisation is now planning the way forward
for 2022 and will be releasing their schedule of events in short order.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2022: Reigning champion Naomi Osaka back in action By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NAOMI Osaka is heading into the 2022 Australian Open as the defending champion and with what she says is a fresh outlook on tennis after taking mental health breaks in the middle of last season and again toward the end. “I feel like, for me, I only really have one major goal this year, and it’s completely unrelated to results and stuff like that,” Osaka said. “For me, I just want to feel like every time I step on the court ... I’m having fun. I can walk off the court knowing that even if I lost, I tried as hard as I could.” And then, with a selfaware nod to her open discussion of depression and the “huge waves of anxiety” she says she faces when dealing with the media, Osaka added: “Also, I have a goal in the press room that I’m never going to cry again. So hopefully that works out in my favour.” With all of the attention that’s been focused on Novak Djokovic’s willhe-or-won’t-he attempt to participate in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19, Osaka’s return to action has been overlooked as competition approaches on Monday (Sunday in the US). Armed with relentless power on her serve and groundstrokes, the ability to quickly seize control of a point and an increasing amount of variety in her game, Osaka is a former No. 1-ranked player who owns four major championships, all on hard courts, including two at Melbourne Park.
After pulling out of the 2021 French Open before the second round, then sitting out Wimbledon, Osaka played at the Tokyo Games, where she lit the cauldron, but cut short her year after a third-round loss followed by a teary news conference at the US Open in September. “I could see that she hadn’t played for a couple months, for a few months, because, like, the rhythm was not there sometimes,” said Alize Cornet, who lost to Osaka this month in her first tournament back on tour, “but I think after a couple of matches, she will be again on top probably. She can do a lot of things with the tennis racket, so I’m not worried for her.” Success on the court never really has been the issue for Osaka. Her happiness away from the court has come and gone. “During the offseason, I just hung out with my friends and talked to my family a lot. I felt like that was a way of decompressing the pressure I had on myself. Then I just slowly started to regain the feeling of love that I had towards the game,” said Osaka, who could face No. 1 Ash Barty in a fourth-round matchup with the feel of a final. “It’s not like it ever completely went away, but I felt like it got overshadowed by a lot of emotions that I was feeling just by constantly playing year after year.” Other things to know about the 2022 Australian Open: NO SERENA OR ROGER Serena Williams and Roger Federer are among the significant players missing from the brackets. Both
NAOMI OSAKA, of Japan, reacts during the singles match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany, at Summer Set tennis tournament ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair) cited injuries; both are 40; Williams has won 23 Slam titles, Federer 20. “There is nobody like Serena that is dominating tennis like she did. ... Everyone can see that,” said Simona Halep, a two-time major title winner who also was the 2018 runner-up at Melbourne Park. Other major champions who aren’t in Melbourne: Venus Williams, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Bianca Andreescu. NADAL AT 20 After playing only two matches over the last half of 2021 because of a painful left foot, then dealing COVID-19 in December, Rafael Nadal won a hardcourt title in Australia this month to get ready to pursue a 21st Grand Slam trophy. “As you can imagine, it’s not possible to be totally confident and comfortable after an injury of probably around six months,” said
SPAIN’s Rafael Nadal hits a backhand during a practice session on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Pack, Australia, on Wednesday. (AP Photos/Mark Baker)
DEFENDING men’s champion Serbia’s Novak Djokovic practices on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia. Nadal, a former No. 1 who is seeded No. 6. “It’s difficult to be 100 percent confident and feel ... ready.” FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu will be
contesting a Grand Slam tournament as a Grand Slam champion for the first time following their triumphs at last year’s US Open. Medvedev’s first major trophy was not much of a
surprise, considering he was the runner-up to Nadal in New York in 2019 and to Djokovic at the Australian Open in 2021. Raducanu? She pretty much came out of nowhere, a teenager ranked 150th who needed to go through qualifying just to get into what was only her second main draw appearance at a major. “One of my goals is not to get too down or too high,” Raducanu said after a 6-0, 6-1 loss to 13th-ranked Elena Rybakina in her first match of 2022. “It’s to just try and keep a steady progress and tracking upwards, hopefully.” MURRAY IS BACK Three years since his most recent match at the Australian Open — when he was toasted by everyone who assumed he was about to retire — and five years since he last won a match there, Andy Murray is back in the draw. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion, a five-time runner-up in Melbourne and a 34-year-old with an artificial hip. “I don’t know, obviously, how long I’ll be able to compete for,” Murray said. He cited a couple of goals: 700 career tour-level wins and 50 ATP titles (he entered this week with 691 and 46). COVID-19 A surge in omicron variant cases prompted a halt to Australian Open ticket sales, putting a cap of 50 percent capacity on any session that wasn’t already guaranteed that level of attendance. The ATP said this week that 97 of the members of its Top 100 in the rankings are vaccinated; the WTA said 96 of its Top 100 are.
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Josh Saunders chasing NFL dreams By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE latest prospect in the Grand Bahama to the University of Charleston pipeline has high expectations for his game at the next level of football. Josh Saunders was profiled by NFL Draft Diamonds and discussed his prospects as he prepares to boost his profile ahead of the NFL draft. A 6’2” defensive back that also doubled as a twosport athlete with track and field, Saunders outlined what he hopes to bring to any prospective organisation. “I believe that my ability to perform and play at a high level both physically and mentally allows me to be a strong candidate in the 2022 NFL draft. Some traits that place me at the top of the NFL prospect list
are my athleticism, speed, aggressive play style, and high IQ of the game,” he said. “If I had to sell myself, I would start by saying that I’m a very hardworking and determined player that will come in and perform at a high level each and everyday on and off the field. Saunders finished this past season with 18 tackles and three interceptions. The Golden Eagles (8-2, 8-2 MEC) capped off their season with a sound 38-13 victory in the annual Kanawha Classic against the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State. Saunders began his Eagles career with 11 tackles and one interception as a redshirt freshman, prior to the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. “I first became interested in the game at the age 17, during my senior year in high school [at Liberty
Christian Academy in Virginia],” Saunders said. “Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome? The hardest moment in my life that I’ve had to overcome was dealing with the loss of family members while being away from home and attending school.” Saunders achieved great success individually in track and field but noted that he was drawn to the teamwork and camaraderie of football. In 2019 he was the Mountain East Conference indoor long jump champion and was named First Team All-MEC Long Jump. In 2020, he repeated as MEC JOSH Saunders was profiled by NFL Draft Diamonds and discussed his prospects as he prepares to boost his profile ahead of the NFL draft.
Indoor long jump champion (7.01m), First Team All-MEC Long Jump, and placed fourth at the MEC Indoor championships in the triple jump (13.87m). Saunders looks to become the second Bahamian from Charleston to reach the National Football League, following Mike Strachan, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. “The best part of football is achieving team success and making memories with your teammates and coaches that helped each individual to accomplish goals,” he said. “One thing about the University of Charleston is that its faculty and staff are very supportive of student athletes and their future endeavours.” NFL Draft Diamonds highlights players from small schools as they look to find a path toward professional football.
Antetokounmpo, Bucks start fast, blow out Warriors 118-99
GOLDEN State Warriors’ Stephen Curry looks to pass around Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis in the first half of an NBA basketball game last night in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and had his third triple-double of the season to help Milwaukee rout the Golden State Warriors 118-99 last night in Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer’s return from the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. Antetokounmpo had 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his 28th career triple-double. Budenholzer missed four games while in the health and safety protocols, with assistant Darvin Ham taking over as acting head coach. The Bucks went 1-3. Khris Middleton added 23 points, Bobby Portis 20 and Grayson Allen 15. Milwaukee never trailed and raced to a 77-38 halftime advantage. Antetokounmpo had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the first half. The Bucks were just two points shy of their largest halftime lead in franchise history, a record they set this season. Milwaukee led 77-36 at the half in a 123-92 victory over Orlando on November 22.
Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 16 points. GRIZZLIES 116, TIMBERWOLVES 108 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 21 points, Jaren Jackson Jr added 20 and Memphis pulled away from Minnesota in the final minutes for its 11th straight victory. Ja Morant had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and John Konchar added 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points. D’Angelo Russell had 29 points and six assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points and nine rebounds. THUNDER 130, NETS 109 NEW YORK (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Lu Dort scored 27 points and Oklahoma City beat Brooklyn. Rookie guard Josh Giddey added 19 points for the Thunder, who jumped on a weary Nets team to snap a five-game losing streak with their first victory in 2022. They hadn’t won since beating New
York at home on New Year’s Eve. But with NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant resting, the Thunder led comfortably for most of the last three quarters and improved to 14-27 at the midpoint of their schedule. James Harden had 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Nets, who couldn’t muster enough energy after their 138-112 rout of the Eastleading Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday night. They had Kyrie Irving for that game but not last night, as he remains ineligible to play in New York City while unvaccinated against the coronavirus. PELICANS 113, CLIPPERS 89 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 24 points to help New Orleans beat Los Angeles. Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pelicans. They led throughout and by as many as 28 points en route to their third victory in four games. Terance Mann scored 15 points, and Marcus Morris had 12 for the Clippers.
Nets rout Bulls 138-112 in Eastern Conference showdown CHICAGO (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 27 points, James Harden had 25 points and a season-high 16 assists and the Brooklyn Nets routed the Chicago Bulls 138-112 on Wednesday night in a matchup between the Eastern Conference’s top two teams. Durant had 17 points in the third quarter. The second-place Nets outscored East-leading Chicago by 20 in the quarter to silence a raucous crowd and came away with the win with all three of
its superstars in the lineup for just the second time this season. Kyrie Irving scored nine points in his third game. The seven-time All-Star has refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine and is barred from suiting up in New York due to the city’s mandate. But Durant dominated over 30 minutes and finished with nine assists. Harden hit five 3-pointers. Patty Mills scored 21 points and was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, helping Brooklyn come out on top after losing five of seven.
Zach LaVine scored 22 points for Chicago, and DeMar DeRozan had 19. KINGS 125, LAKERS 116 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points, Chimezie Metu made a clutch 3-pointer with 46.7 seconds remaining and Sacramento beat Los Angeles to end a five-game skid. Harrison Barnes added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Kings. LeBron James had 34 points, seven rebounds and six
NETS’ Kyrie Irving looks to drives past Bulls’ Zach LaVine (8) and Nikola Vucevic during the first half on Wednesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) assists for the Lakers. He was 13 3-point range, and made 5 of 10 of 29 from the field, 3 of 12 from free throws.
SOUTH AFRICA 101-2, NEEDS 111 MORE TO WIN SERIES VS. INDIA CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Rishabh Pant hit a brilliant 100 not out for India on a difficult pitch yesterday but the decisive final test was still in the balance as South Africa went to stumps on 101-2, needing 111 more runs to win the match and take the series. South Africa made good progress toward that victory late on Day 3 as Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen put on a 78-run stand after the early loss of opener Aiden Markram. But Elgar was out to an edge down the legside on what turned out to be the last ball of the day to give India renewed hope in its quest to finally win a test series in South Africa.
South Africa captain Elgar’s dismissal was confirmed via a review and India captain Virat Kohli jumped for joy when it was clear that his opposite number was on his way for 30. Elgar was South Africa’s match-winner in the second test to level the threematch series 1-1 and set up the decider at Newlands in Cape Town. The series has been tight and low-scoring throughout. In this test, top-ranked India batted first and made 223, South Africa replied with 210 and India made 198 in its second innings to set the home team a target of 212 to take the series. Petersen was 48 not out at the close.
Earlier, Pant’s fourth test century was priceless for India. No other India batsman could master the Newlands surface, with Kohli’s 29 the next-best score and the only other score over 10. Pant hit six fours and four sixes in a flashing innings typical of his style, and also after coming in with India under pressure at 58-4 having lost two wickets in the first two overs of the day. The left-hander reached his century just in time, with India nine wickets down and last man Jasprit Bumrah hanging in alongside him. Bumrah was out soon after for 2 and South Africa took six wickets in the second session to set up an intriguing finish to the series.
The Proteas could win with a successful fourth-innings chase just like they did to level the series in Johannesburg. India’s lead didn’t come easily. South Africa struck twice in the first two overs of the day in a blistering start. Cheteshwar Pujara was out for 9 on the second ball of the day and to a flying catch at leg slip by Petersen. Ajinkya Rahane followed for 1 in the next over. Kohli played an exceptionally cautious innings as his 29 came from 143 deliveries at a strike rate of just 20, an unusually defensive effort from one of the world’s most talented batsmen. But it was what India needed after those early blows. With Kohli being careful, and Pant
playing his natural attacking game, they put on 94 for the fifth wicket to make sure India had a chance. Kohli fell soon after lunch and the rest of the India lineup followed quickly, with the exception of Pant. He blazed a lofted shot down the ground when on 94 and was dropped by Temba Bavuma, who dived forward to attempt a tough catch and the ball burst through his hands. Pant got to his 100 soon after with a dab down to square leg for a single. India set an unusual record when Bumrah was caught by Bavuma to end the innings. It became the first team in test cricket history to lose all 20 of its wickets in a match to catches.
PAGE 18, Friday, January 14, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
Host Cameroon 1st team into knockouts at African Cup YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Two more goals by Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar helped put the host into the knockout stages of the African Cup of Nations yesterday, while positive coronavirus tests continued to put players and coaches out of action elsewhere at the tournament. Cameroon was the first team through to the round of 16 after coming from behind for the second time in two games to overwhelm Ethiopia 4-1. The Indomitable Lions have indeed proved to be difficult to subdue, and Aboubakar scored a brace, as he did in the tournament opener, to take his tally to four goals at the tournament. Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi also got two for Cameroon, which hit the post three times and could have really embarrassed Ethiopia at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde. Burkina Faso beat Cape Verde 1-0 in yesterday’s other Group A game to bounce back from its opening-day defeat to Cameroon. Burkina Faso was without captain Bertrand Traoré, one of many players to test positive for the virus at the African soccer championship. In a quirk, it was Hassane Bandé, the man who replaced Traoré in the
team, who scored the goal that revived Burkina Faso’s chances of making it to the next round. He threw himself at a cross and cleverly chested the ball in, then patted himself on the chest in celebration. In the first game, Ethiopia’s Dawa Hotessa Dukele had stunned the Olembe Stadium into silence with the opening goal in the fourth minute. Cameroon shook off that blow, just as it did to come from behind to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the tournament opener on Sunday with two penalties from Aboubakar. Ekambi equalised four minutes after Ethiopia’s surprise goal and Cameroon took control from then. Aboubakar scored twice in the space of two minutes early in the second half, first with a powerful header and then when he forced the ball in with a sliding finish. Ekambi made it 4-1 by cutting back inside a group of Ethiopia defenders and firing into the bottom left corner, and after deciding against passing to Aboubakar for a chance for a hat trick for the captain. Ekambi and Aboubakar were both taken off by Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao, who knows there are tougher tests ahead.
CAMEROON’s captain Vincent Aboubakar celebrates his second goal of the match, during the African Cup of Nations 2022 group A soccer match between Cameroon and Ethiopia at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, yesterday. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Nine of the first 12 games isolation and available to at the African Cup had play against Ghana today ended 1-0, and there were having tested positive for also two 0-0 draws, so the virus at an airport on Cameroon’s free-scoring arrival in Cameroon last result brought the tourna- week. ment some much-needed In an interview released goals. by the Gabon soccer federGabon will also hope for ation, the Arsenal forward goals from Pierre-Emerick said he was “so excited Aubameyang, who is out of to get back to training”
having been confined to his hotel room with an exercise bike. It wasn’t all good news for Gabon, though. As Aubameyang and midfielder Mario Lemina returned after their positive tests, coach Patrice Neveu and defenders Sidney Obissa and Lloyd Palun tested positive and were ruled out of any involvement in the game against Ghana. There was also more fallout from the refereeing debacle that marred the Mali-Tunisia game on Wednesday. Reports quoted African soccer confederation official Essam Abdul Fattah as saying the referee in question had been suffering from sunstroke when he twice blew for full time too early in the game, and needed to go to the hospital after the match. Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe’s errors sparked chaos and incensed Tunisian players and coaching staff because Tunisia was losing 1-0. There was even an attempt to restart the game about 30 minutes after it finished to play out the time Sikazwe missed, but Tunisia refused to get back on the field. Tunisia has lodged an official protest over Sikazwe’s actions with the African confederation.
Nico Williams leads Athletic to another Super Cup final RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — After scoring the most important goal of his young career, Nico Williams received a long hug from veteran forward Iñaki Williams, his older brother. In the stands at the King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia, his relatives also embraced each other, unable to hold back tears. Nico Williams and his big brother quickly went toward the stands to meet them after the final whistle. It was a big moment for the Williams family, as Nico’s goal secured a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Atlético Madrid yesterday and sent Athletic Bilbao into its second consecutive Spanish Super Cup final. “I went to meet my mom, she was very moved, and I was as well,” the 19-year-old Nico Williams said. “She said I deserved it, told me to keep working hard. The hug with my brother was unforgettable for both of us. We had always dreamed about this moment.” Nico Williams scored Athletic’s winner in the 81st after defender Yeray Álvarez had evened the match in the 77th. Atlético had taken the lead with an own-goal in the 62nd. The Basque Country club will play Sunday’s decider against Real
Madrid, which defeated Barcelona 3-2 in extra time Wednesday. Athletic won the title last year in a final against Barcelona in Sevilla. It was yet another setback for Diego Simeone’s Atlético, which is enduring a poor run in the Spanish league and is unlikely to defend its title. Nico Williams had scored his first two goals for Athletic in a Copa del Rey match last week. He and his brother, who is 27, are the only Black players in the club that traditionally only signs athletes from the Basque Country region. They were born in Spain from Liberian parents who fled war in Africa in the 1990s. Athletic will try to win consecutive Super Cup titles for the first time. Its last triumph in the competition before last year was in 2015, when it also defeated Barcelona in the final. Atlético was seeking its first Super Cup final since 2020, when it lost to rival Madrid in the first edition of the competition to be played in Saudi Arabia. The Spanish Super Cup returned to the Middle East country after the coronavirus pandemic forced last year’s tournament to be played in Spain. The competition was moved to Saudi Arabia — and
ATHLETIC Bilbao’s Nico Williams celebrates after a goal during the Spanish Super Cup semi final soccer match against Atletico Madrid at King Fahd stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) expanded from two to four teams in a “Final Four” format — as part of a deal reportedly worth 30 million euros ($34 million) a year until 2029. The decision to play the Spanish tournament in Saudi Arabia drew criticism from human rights activists and fans who preferred the competition stayed in Spain. Among those complaining was Athletic midfielder Raúl García, who said during the week it made “no sense” to play the games away from Spain. Both teams struggled in attack and created few scoring opportunities, in a stark contrast to Wednesday’s thriller between Madrid and Barcelona. Atlético took the lead after Félix’s header from
a corner kick hit the post and bounced off the back of Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simón and just barely crossed the line. Athletic came close to equalising two minutes later when Álvarez’s closerange header was stopped at the goal line by Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak. The defender didn’t miss in his second attempt, sending the ball into the corner and away from the Atlético goalkeeper. Nico Williams scored the winner with a low shot from close range after the Atlético defence failed to clear a cross inside the area. “We were doing well until their first goal,” Simeone said. “It was a deserved victory for them.”
Atlético lost midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia because of an injury early in the second half, and defender José María Giménez was sent off in stoppage time after his high kick inside the area hit the head of an opponent. Atlético started the season well but has struggled recently. It lost four of its last six Spanish league games and dropped 16 points behind leader Madrid with a game in hand. Athletic’s struggles in the league were worse, having won only two of its last 12 matches in the competition. It sits mid-table just past the halfway point. Atlético qualified for the Super Cup as the Spanish champion, while Athletic made it as the Copa del Rey runner-up. It lost last year’s final to Barcelona. Simeone had been tinkering with a few formations in attack but opted to start with Félix and Ángel Correa in attack, leaving Luis Suárez and Matheus Cunha on the bench. Both came into the match in the second half but didn’t contribute much. There was a limited crowd at the 62,000-capacity King Fahd stadium because of restrictions prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
LEAGUE CUP: ARSENAL EARNS 0-0 AT LIVERPOOL DESPITE XHAKA RED By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer
IF Granit Xhaka getting sent off came as no real surprise, Arsenal holding out with 10 men at Anfield certainly was a shock. Liverpool failed to take advantage of Xhaka’s 24th-minute red card for a chest-high lunge on Diogo Jota. And the team was held to a 0-0 draw by Arsenal in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals yesterday. With star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at the African Cup of Nations, Liverpool lacked a cutting edge up front against an alreadydepleted Arsenal team that lost two more players — Cedric Soares and Bukayo Saka — to injury during the game.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was looking for a reaction after a humbling loss to second-tier Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday and he got it with some obdurate defending, with center backs Ben White and Gabriel particularly impressive. “There is so much fight in this team,” White said. “It’s hard enough to come here with 11 men and to get one sent off is not easy. Absolutely superb from everyone.” His job was made much tougher by Xhaka, the hot-headed Switzerland midfielder who has now collected five red cards since joining Arsenal in 2016. No other Premier League player has so many in that period.
Xhaka was chasing back after Jota, who was attempting to run onto a long ball by Andrew Robertson, when he stuck out his left leg and smashed it into the chest of the Portugal international. Jota would have been through on goal and the referee went straight to his back pocket to show the red card. It was Xhaka’s second red card of the season — the other was in a 5-0 loss at Manchester City in the Premier League when Arsenal’s defence proceeded to fold. Not this time. Liverpool, which beat Arsenal 4-0 in the league at Anfield this season and had previously scored 43 goals in 15 games against the London club under Jurgen Klopp, barely
called Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale into action until the final frantic minutes. Takumi Minamino wasted the biggest chance for Liverpool, slicing his shot over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy in the 89th minute after Ramsdale flapped at a cross from the right. Liverpool might have had 78 percent possession but managed only one shot on target, and that came in second-half stoppage time. “I think we showed great fight, determination, attitude, brotherhood,” Arteta said. “We played the game we had to play. It’s not our game but we had to play it.” The winner of this semifinal will meet Chelsea in the title match at Wembley
Stadium next month, and the second leg is at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium next week. Mane and Salah will again be missing, though Arsenal’s absentee list is even longer at the moment heading into Sunday’s North London derby against Tottenham in the league. Arteta’s midfield looks particularly threadbare, with Xhaka now suspended. Martin Odegaard is out with COVID-19, Emile Smith Rowe is injured and both Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are at the African Cup. Arteta ended up deploying Saka and Gabriel Martinelli as centre midfielders for much of the game after Xhaka’s sending-off.
SUPER BOWL ORGANISERS SAY GAME IS STAYING IN INGLEWOOD By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — With the Super Bowl just one month away, preparations are in full swing for the return of the NFL’s premier event to the place where it all started. And both NFL officials and local organisers say the championship game isn’t leaving the Los Angeles area. The NFL has no plans to move the Super Bowl to Arlington, Texas, or anywhere else despite the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the accompanying health precautions in California, several officials confirmed yesterday at SoFi Stadium during a media event held to mark one month before the 56th edition of the Super Bowl on February 13. “All of our plans for Super Bowl week remain fully in place for a month from today,” said Katie Keenan, the NFL’s senior director of event operations. “We’re working along with everyone here, with the LA County Health Department, to make sure all of our events are being held safely.” The first Super Bowl was held at the Coliseum in downtown Los Angeles in January 1967. The 56th edition will be held for the first time at Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s 2-year-old stadium, which opened in the summer of 2020 just south of Los Angeles with a unique indoor-outdoor design that includes both a translucent roof and significant air flow from the open ends above the low-slung bowl. A media fuss was raised earlier this month when the NFL explored the feasibility of using the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium as a backup site for the Super Bowl, ostensibly in case coronavirus rules in California were to prevent the league from staging a Super Bowl here. The NFL immediately confirmed that it finds backup sites for the Super Bowl every year, and it had no serious concerns about its ability to hold the game in Inglewood. Several California universities have sharply limited fan attendance at indoor sporting events in January after a series of coronavirus-related postponements. But those decisions were made by the universities rather than by state mandate, and Southern California’s professional sports teams haven’t followed suit, with the Rams and Chargers welcoming full houses in January. Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer, noted that SoFi has had extensive coronavirus safety protocols in place for all 17 regular-season games played at the stadium by the Rams and the Chargers. Those precautions are still in place Monday night for the first playoff game in the stadium’s history when the fourth-seeded Rams (12-5) host the Arizona Cardinals (11-6). “I don’t think anybody has ever wavered on being able to play this game here and play it safely,” Demoff said. “We’ve had an amazing, safe environment all year. We are fortunate this is an outdoor facility where the air gets in. We feel this building is very safe. People who come to our games have learned to be safe, and we are doing everything we can to be safe.”
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he could retire. Or he might just stay. THE Either TRIBUNE way, his quest for a second Super Bowl appearance that he’s envisioning begins against the lowest seeded team to emerge from wild card weekend. And unlike last year, when COVID-19 restrictions limited crowd size, 81,441 fans will pack Lambeau Field for postseason games. “I’m reallyBLUM looking forwardassociation to having a full that By RONALD thencrowd, told MLB old Green Bay weather,”itRodgers said. “It’s been APgood Baseball Writer will respond but didan not commit to it’s a specific date. advantage for us for a long time. I think an advantage NEW (AP) of— While the last sides were having YORK 78,000 instead 7,800 like we did year. ” back Baseball labourNFC talks to field in bargaining, met just The stacked playoff includes fourthey teams endthat the lockout resumed five weeks beforeCowboys the scheddidn’t make last year’s playoffs: the Dallas yesterday for the Cardinals first time (11-6), uledSan start of spring training (12-5), Arizona Francisco 49ers in one and-a-half months workouts on February 16. (10-7) and Philadelphia Eagles (9-8), who return to the with little evident progress Given the time needed postseason despite going 0-7 against winning teamstoinFlorduring a bargaining session for players to travel 2021. that lasted about an hour, ida and Arizona, and then Powered abytimely the midseason jeopardising start to go through COVID-19 additions of Von Miller and protocols before taking to spring training, Odell Beckham the Los the field, the prospects of a Major League Jr., Baseball imposed on timely start are diminishing. Angeles the Ramslockout are also makDecember 2 asappearsoon as the A deal would need to be ing a return five-year collective ance and trying tobargain- reached by late February ingdo contract expired, what Brady and a few or early March to allow the hours after talks broke off. minimum time for training the Bucs did a year The discussions yester- ahead of the current openago: play the Super day were the first on core ing day, set for March 31. Bowl inissues their own economic following a MLB’s proposal constadium. 42-day gap, and MLB made tained no movement on In the it AFC, proposals hoped would free-agent eligibility or Tennesat the least start to generate luxury tax thresholds, momentum. two people familiar with see Titans After slipped MLB past made its the negotiations told The proposal, the sides cau- Associated Press. The the Kansas
XXXIV, one of the most exciting title games ever. “We took care of business and put ourselves in a good position. That’s all it is, a good position,” QB Ryan Tannehill said after Tennessee edged Houston 28-25 on the final day of the regular season to secure the top seed. “We have to go out and play our best football here in the coming weeks,” Tannehill added. “That’s what great teams do. That’s what the team that will ultimately win the whole thing will do, is play their best football and win games in January into February.” Besides Kansas City and Tennessee, the Buffalo Bills (116) and Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1), behind soon-to-retire QB Ben Roethlisberger, are making return appearances in the AFC playoffs and they’re joined by newcomers Cincinnati (10-7), Las Vegas (10-7) and New England (10-7). The Patriots are mainstays but they missed the postseason last year, going 7-9 without Brady. They’re back for the 11th time in 12 years behind rookie QB Mac Jones, butBaseball this commissioner Rob Manfred. MAJOR League is their first (AP) Photo/LM Otero)
the postseason. Friday, January 14, 2022, PAGE 19 His reward: a matchup to kick things off at Cincinnati, where the Bengals’ dynamic duo of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are on a quest to win a Super Bowl two years after they won a national championship at LSU. The playoff field is particularly strong this year, and the Cowboys be the darkwas horse institute in the loaded NFC. Theydraft in awardcould voting. There an NBA-style were energized this by rookie linebacker Micahrebuildno movement onseason the sides’ lottery to address Parson’s 13 sacks andonthree forceding, fumbles, quarterback different stands luxury though the sides differ Dak spectacular return from an ankle taxPrescott’s levels, minimum salaries on how many injury teams that the lotor on the union’s desire to tery would included a team record 37 touchdown passes,include. Trevon Diggs’ decrease revenue sharing, Ezekiel A lengthy gap between league-leading 11 interceptions, Elliott’s 1,000-yard whichand would leave largetalks is notLamb’s unusual for the season 10 touchdown runs and CeeDee 1,100market teams with more parties when squabbling. yard season and six TD catches. money to spend. After may a strike began Uneasy be the head on The luxury tax threshold August 12, 1994, the sides that wears the crown, was $210 million in 2021, met on August 24-25, then but at age 44, Brady and MLB proposed raising from September 7-9. played better than ever the threshold to $214 milCommissioner Bud Selig in leading Bucs to lion. Players have asked to cancelled thethe World Series first division title the lift the threshold to $245 ontheir September 14, and sincedidn’t 2007.resume He threw for million and to eliminate sides bargainnon-tax penalties. ing until November5,316 10. a career-high In addition, MLB wants Afteryards, another round, completed to expand the postseason talks broke offrecord December an NFL from 10 teams to 14, and 22 until485 sessions passesfrom and Febthe union is offering 12. ruary 1-7 and February had 40 touchMLB has offered to 27 to March 4. The strike down throws in eliminate draft-pick com- ended after US District back-to-back pensation for players lost Judge Sonia Sotomayor forCourt the through free agency, which — now a seasons Supreme first time in has been in the labour con- justice — issued an injunchis unparaltract since 1976; to expand tion on March 31 that the designated hitter to the restored the of the leledrules 22-year National League; and to expired contract. career. Derek Tom
MLB talks resume after 42-day gap, little evident progress
cused.
The
players’
peopleRyan spoke on condition Tannehill
of anonymity because no public comment was authorised. Management did backtrack on its proposal to start a bonus pool that would replace salary arbitration for players with at least three but less than six years of major league service. MLB maintained its proposal to replace arbitration with a bonus pool for the
Ben Roethlisberger
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS AFC BYE
No. 1 TENNESSEE TITANS (12-5) Postseason record: 17-22 Titans lost their lone Super Bowl appearance in January 2000. Lost AFC championship in Kansas City in January 2020 and lost in divisional round each of two previous postseasons as the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Reached playoffs three straight seasons after missing in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season. Seeking first Super Bowl championship in franchise history for a charter member that won the first two AFL titles.
NFC BYE
No. 1 GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-4) Postseason record: 36-24 Packers are 4-1 in Super Bowls, winning the first game against Kansas City and the second versus Oakland, also winning the championships for the 1986 and 2010 seasons. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the MVP in their last Super Bowl win. Trying to reach Super Bowl in Matt LaFleur’s third season as coach and Rodgers’ 17th with the quarterback’s future in Green Bay in question. Rodgers has been to six NFC title games, starting five, with a 1-5 overall record.
so-called “super twos,” the top 22 percent by service of those with at least two seasons but less than three. Teams proposed to address Joe the union’s conBurrow cern over club service-time manipulation by allowing a team to gain an additional draft pick for an accomplishment by a player not yet eligible for arbitration, such as a high finish
Carr
Brady
THE ROAD TO SUPER BOWL LVI WILD-CARD ROUND SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, JAN. 15
Las Vegas (10-7) at Cincinnati (10-7) 4:30 p.m. (NBC) The Raiders won four straight nail-biters to reach the postseason for the second time in 19 seasons since losing the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. In fact, Las Vegas clinched six of its 10 wins this season on the final play. Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game since January 1991. This is the Bengals’ first postseason berth since the 2015 season coming in coach Zac Taylor’s third season. New England (10-7) at Buffalo (10-6) 8:15 p.m. EST (CBS) This will be the third showdown between these AFC East rivals with the visitor winning each of the first two games. Buffalo is making its third straight playoff appearance after losing in the AFC championship a year ago. New England is going on the road for the first time in the wild-card round. The Patriots’ 17 previous playoff berths with coach Bill Belichick all came as AFC East champs.
SUNDAY, JAN. 16
Philadelphia (9-8) at Tampa Bay (13-4) 1 p.m. (Fox) The second matchup this season for these teams with Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champs beating the Eagles 28-22 during the regular season. The Eagles are back in the postseason in coach Nick Sirianni’s debut season, Philadelphia’s fourth in five seasons that started with winning the 2018 Super Bowl. San Francisco (10-7) at Dallas (12-5) 4:30 p.m. (CBS) The Niners earned the NFC’s final wildcard spot for their first playoff berth since losing the 2020 Super Bowl. The Niners started the season 2-4. The Cowboys are back in the playoffs looking for their sixth Super Bowl for a franchise that last won the title after the 1995 season. That’s also the last time Dallas played in the NFC championship game.
Pittsburgh (9-7-1) at Kansas City (12-5) 8:15 p.m. EST (NBC) The Chiefs have hosted the AFC championship the past three seasons and won the 2020 Super Bowl with a loss to Brady and the Bucs a year ago. The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger are still playing thanks to lots of help. Pittsburgh last advanced past the wild-card round after the 2016 season.
MONDAY, JAN. 17
Arizona (11-6) at Los Angeles Rams (12-5) 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN) The Rams have won the NFC West three of the last five seasons with coach Sean McVay. Arizona went 8-1 on the road this season and is in the postseason for the first time since losing the NFC championship game after the 2015 season. These teams split the season series with each team winning on the road. Arizona won at SoFi Stadium 37-20 in October and the Rams won 30-23 at Arizona.
CONTENT BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | DESIGN BY APG MEDIA • BOZEMAN, MONTANA
COMMENTARY
BEST
ATTENTION AP SUBSCRIBERS
DAILY 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS PAGINATED PAGES
2022
WINTER GAMES
OLYMPICS ON TV
of the
BEST?
WEDNESDAY, FEB.2 All Times EST
NBC
Games should be reserve for world’s top athletes d By PAUL NEWBERRY
.
The Associated Press
G
ANGNEUNG, South Korea — Liz Swaney deserves kudos for dedication. way ished just ahead of them, And she had enough sense to the 17-year-old American not to attempt anything on course Charles Flaherty, competing halfpipe — and we mean the and anyfor Puerto Rico and more thing — that might’ve resulted than wound 38 seconds behind the winner. in a serious injury. up at the He took up skiing after She had no business competbunny watching the ing in the Olympics. slope, watch- Four years 2014 Sochi Games. later, he was able The same can be said for ing some represent Puerto Rico — to novice learn to ski. Flaherty and where all those skiers representing his family moved when he was Her performance sparked Madrazo might snow-challenged countries 9 — at the Winter Olympics. much-deserved outrage and spark interest in countries as the Philippines, Eritrea such and It should be harder derision to get here. that have little to no winter on social media. Pakistan. Of course, Flaherty is a griz“It’s not some adult Disney sports heritage. Plucky underdogs like Eddie zled veteran at his craft comworld where you go to take But rest assured: Puerto Rithe Eagle, a bespectacled pared to German Madrazo. dareselfies,” one responder wrote cans will never have any interest devil flinging himself off the ski The 43-year-old Mexican Swaney’s Instagram account. on jump, and Eric the Eel, flailing only in Alpine skiing; Mexico is not took up cross-country skiing a “The Olympics are a showcase about to become a cross-country desperately to stay above year ago, which was water of the BEST athletes in the skiing hotbed. at the Olympic pool, aren’t world enough time to land somehow that and Swaney made a mockery a spot charming anymore. These athletes — quite often Pyeongchang. Not surpris- in of that. She made a mockery the only member of their The games can do without couningly, he crossed the line people’s life work. She made of last try’s them. Olympic team — seem among the 116 competitors mockery of halfpipe skiing a serve mainly as a conduit to Swaney reignited the debate finished the 15-kilometer who for general. She did this so she in event well-connected suits to land over just what it should take an flaunt the title of Olympian.could — nearly 26 minutes behind the all-expenses-paid trip to be an Olympian with her to winner. the laughUnbelievable.” able, trick-free performance Olympics. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in While Swaney’s case is halfpipe skiing at the Pyeongc43 If you had actually looked years old and it doesn’t if extreme — and should imthere hang Olympics. past shirtless, oiled-up Pita is no snow in Mexico and Tamediately lead to reforms it ufatofua In a sport that’s supposed when that he marched into doesn’t matter if you to prevent it from happening feature all sorts of death-defying the stadium during the frigid again the money to pursue don’t have the sport,” flips and spins on a cylinder-like — she’s hardly alone in lacking opening ceremony, Tonga’s Madrazo said. “What matters the world-class credentials course, Swaney turned in lone athlete at the Pyeongchang that is that if you want to do it, a most Olympians are expected you surely run down the hill , leiGames, you would’ve seen can.” gently at to have. rocking back and forth, doing least three well-bundled officials That might be a Two North Korean skiers nothing more than easing from the South Pacific island who ing sentiment, but heart-warmup finished a combined 98 seconds imagine beto the edges before turning following behind him. ing one of those worthy athletes the behind the gold medalist other way. Taufatofua finished 114th in stuck watching, knocked men’s giant slalom were part out Swaney was thrilled to simply in the 15K, beating out only of a through legitimate last-minute delegation intended qualifying make it to the bottom. The Madrazo and Colombia’s methods. Sebasto bring a bit of reconciliation crowd looked on in stunned tian Uprimny. to The International Olympic this divided land. silence, no doubt wondering “Everyone was at the front Committee always makes No such justification could the they’d made a wrong turn if racing to come first,” Taufatofua be claim that opening up spots on the made for the skier who finsaid. “We were racing not under-qualified athletes suchto to as come last.”
Elizabeth Marian Swaney,
Shiffrin focused on combined
of Hungary, kicks off one
of her runs during Monday’s
halpipe qualifying at Phoenix
Snow Park in Pyeongchang,
AP PHOTOS
South Korea.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WINTER GAMES
Then came a forecast of strong winds for Friday, forcing organizers to condense the program with more back-to-back race days. The same winds already eliminated all off-days between Shiffrin’s Shiffrin will no longer start races in last week. She was only the downhill, choosing fourth to focus as an overwhelming favorite on the combined that was in moved slalom after taking gold in giant up in the wind-buffeted slalom. schedule. “Having the Alpine comThat decision cleared her bined move forward was mind enough to post a fast actually a relief to me,” the run in the third and final 22-year-old American said. practice. Still, she said she would Any regrets about skipping the have raced the downhill Olympic downhill? if there was still a day off “Not so much. To be honest, before the combined as a little bit of relief,” Shiffrin said. scheduled. “That run today was much more “But I didn’t want to what I was looking for as far as be taking spots being relaxed goes.” (in downhill) Shiffrin said her practices from our girls during the previous two days who are all were tense and conservative, potentially she was “struggling to find and my a threat timing a little bit, struggling to for top find an aerodynamic position. ” five It was a good day for Mikaela Shiffrin on the Olympic downhill course Tuesday.
(and) medal positions,” Shiffrin
said.
his decorated career. “Tonight it is a big win for the team and all of the crew, ” Fourcade said. The 29-year-old Fourcade’s Nobody in French history has fifth Olympic title moved won more Olympic gold him medals past fencers Christian D’Oriola than Martin Fourcade. Nobody and Lucien Gaudin for the has won more gold medals most so in French history in either at the Pyeongchang Winter far the Summer or Winter Games. Games than the “He’s just incredible,” French biathteammate Simon Desthieux lete. said. Yet Fourcade Fourcade was coming off refused to make a narrow photo-finish decision the night about over Germany’s Simon Schempp himself despite in the mass start on Sunday. anchoring France to While this race wasn’t as draa come-from-behind matic, it was no less impressive. victory Tuesday in Fourcade was at his best, erasthe biathlon mixed ing a nearly 38-second deficit relay. It was his on the last leg of the relay by third gold medal hitting all 10 shots with his .22 in Pyeongcaliber rifle to help the French chang, team of Marie Dorin Habert, and Anais Bescond and Desthieux the catch the Germans. fifth in
Fourcade first to win three golds
• 3-5 p.m. — Speedskating: Team Pursuit Gold Medal Finals; Cross Country: Men’s Team Sprint Gold Medal Final • 8-11 p.m. — Alpine Skiing: Men’s Slalom, First Run (LIVE); Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Halfpipe Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Bobsled: Women’s Gold Medal Final Runs; Cross Country: Women’s Team Sprint Gold Medal Final • 5-8:35 p.m. (PST) — Alpine Skiing: Men’s Slalom, First Run (LIVE); Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Halfpipe Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Bobsled: Women’s Gold Medal Final Runs; Cross Country: Women’s Team Sprint Gold Medal Final • 11:35 p.m.-12:30 a.m. — Alpine Skiing: Men’s Slalom Gold Medal Final Run (LIVE)
NBCSN
• 2:40-5 a.m. — Ice Hockey: Men’s Quarterfinal (LIVE)
• 5-7:10 a.m. — Men’s Curling: United States vs. Britain • 7:10-10:45 a.m. — Ice Hockey: Men’s Quarterfinal (LIVE); Bobsled: Women’s Gold Medal Final Runs • 10:45-1:30 p.m. — Speedskating: Men’s & Women’s Team Pursuit Gold Medal Finals; Cross Country: Men’s & Women’s Team Sprint Gold Medal Finals • 1:30-5 p.m. — Men’s Curling: United States vs. Britain • 7-10:45 p.m. — Women’s Curling: Canada vs. Olympic Athletes from Russia • 10:45 p.m.-2 a.m. — Ice Hockey: Women’s Gold Medal Game (LIVE)
USA
• 2:30-5 a.m. — Ice Hockey: Women’s Bronze Medal Game (LIVE) • 5-7:10 a.m. — Men’s Curling: Sweden vs. Norway • 7:10-9:30 a.m. — Ice Hockey: Men’s Quarterfinal (LIVE)
CNBC • 5-8 p.m. — Women’s Curling: United States vs. Sweden
OLYMPIC CHANNEL
• 5-7 a.m. — Medal Ceremonies (LIVE)
MEDAL COUNT Data as of Feb. 20 at 8:24
a.m.
PAGE 20, Friday, January 14, 2022
THE TRIBUNE