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DOUBLE MURDER ACCUSED SHOT DEAD BY POLICE Sister questions official version of chase which left her brother dead
PATRICK BOWE, who was shot dead by police on Friday.
By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
produced a firearm and discharged it at them, so they returned fire which in turn injured the man. POLICE shot and A black pistol was recovkilled a man on Good ered, police said, and Friday who they said the injured suspect was fired a gun in their taken to the hospital by Emergency direction. Medical SerThe suspect vices where had recently he later died. been released While on bail for the police have murders of not released two people, the identity one of whom of the victim, was his child’s family memmother. bers say he is Accord36-year-old ing to initial Patrick Bowe. reports Yesterday, from police, around 1pm PATRICK Bowe outside his sister said Bowe was on April 2, court previously. walking to his officers from aunt’s house the Operawith his cousin, when he tions Unit pursued two male suspects on foot in was pursued by officers. She has also questhe Nassau Village area. the Royal They said during the tioned SEE PAGE THREE chase, one of the suspects
CONCERN MOUNTS ON SIGNS OF REVIVAL AS POSSIBLE THIRD WAVE 60,000 VISIT IN MARCH By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
THE nation recorded 92 new COVID-19 infections over the holiday weekend — bringing the total number of cases to 9,263. Yesterday, the country’s top infectious disease expert said health officials are still “very much concerned” that The Bahamas could be on the brink of a third COVID-19 wave. Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National
HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, told The Tribune it would be very concerning if the country continues on this trend as it could lead to the health system “being above capacity”. “If we continue on this trend then certainly we would be very concerned,” she said. “We know globally that there are many countries that are undergoing third
SEE PAGE FOUR
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said 60,000 non-residents bought travel health visas to visit the country in March, double the number that did so in December 2020. “I’m encouraged,” he said of the numbers. It is believed that the number of travel visas purchased roughly corresponds to the number of arrivals in the country.
The figure for March represents a 92 percent decline compared to arrivals in March 2019. Mr D’Aguilar said: “According to the health visa, which is different from who actually comes, in November 2020 there were 14,000 arrivals. In December 2020 there were 32,000 arrivals. There were 21,000 arrivals in January 2021 and 28,000 in February 2021.” “Sixty thousand in March is probably a good SEE PAGE FOUR
GUNNED DOWN PLAYING DOMINOES By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
THE FAMILY of a man who was shot and killed while he was playing dominoes over the holiday weekend said although he had his challenges, nothing he had done could have justified the way he was killed. Dereck Rolle said his brother, Anthony Tyrone Rolle, 51, was at their usual family hangout spot
ANTHONY ROLLE on Sunday, when he was approached by a man he
knew who shot him in his stomach. “I heard the boy approach him but everyone thought he was a regular person with a mask and hat on,” he said. “When he reach so close, my brother said ‘Man do something for me man’ like they know one another, but the boy said ‘Yea I come to do something for you now’ before shooting him.” SEE PAGE THREE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
A SURPRISING ANSWER IN DEEP DIVE ON RACISM
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Tuesday, April 6, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
SOME of the Cuban nationals intercepted off Anguilla Cay.
CUBANS DETAINED BY US COAST GUARD ANOTHER group of Cubans was recently intercepted off Anguilla Cay in the Cay Sal Banks by the United States Coast Guard and subsequently handed over to Bahamian authorities. While conducting patrols last Wednesday, the United States Coast Guard discovered and picked up the group of Cubans from Anguilla Cay. They were subsequently handed over to HMBS Livingston Smith under the command of Senior Lieutenant Ricardo McQueen. The migrants were taken to New Providence on Thursday, April 1, and handed over to the relevant authorities. The Cuban Embassy has since been notified.
This is the fourth group of Cubans to be apprehended recently, according to the RBDF. USCGC Charles Sexton apprehended several Cubans onboard a small wooden sailing vessel more than a week ago in the Cay Sal banks. On Wednesday, March 3, six Cubans were taken aboard a US Coast Guard cutter after they were captured on Anguilla Cay, and on March 4, HMBS Durward Knowles spotted a capsized vessel in waters approximately three nautical miles south of Cay Sal and retrieved 13 Cubans, including a deceased male. The foreigners were all handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
ABACO MAN KILLED AFTER BEING THROWN FROM TRUCK AN Abaco man died on Saturday after he was thrown from the back of a moving truck. Police said the incident took place shortly before 3pm. Abaco officers were called to the scene at SC Bootle Highway in the Cooper’s Town community. Police were told that a man was travelling west on the highway in a white 2010 Ford F-150 truck with a load of debris on the back of the truck, which included mattresses. A 55-year-old male resident of Cooper’s Town was also on the back
of the truck. The driver told police that while driving, he came to a stop when he noticed that debris was flying off the vehicle. He discovered the 55-year-old man was thrown off the vehicle and on to the ground, sustaining serious head injuries. The victim was taken to the Marsh Harbour Community Clinic where he was pronounced dead. Officers of the Traffic Division will travel to Abaco to continue the investigation into this matter.
REVEREND ARRESTED AFTER COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
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A REVEREND who made “offensive” allegations against Police Commissioner Paul Rolle in a video that went viral on Facebook has been questioned by police. According to a statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force on Thursday, the reverend “surrendered himself” to the Criminal Investigation Department and was arrested in reference to the video for “defaming” the police chief.
Earlier last week, the RBPF said Commissioner Rolle reported a video that was circulating on social media that made “spurious allegations” against him to the CID for investigation. The statement said the police chief “takes these attacks on his reputation seriously”. In a later interview, Commissioner Rolle told reporters he found the allegations in the video to be offensive.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, April 6, 2021, PAGE 3
Double murder accused shot dead by police from page one Bahamas Police Force’s version of the events and believes her brother was being “targeted” by police. She said Bowe had just been released on bail after he was charged with the murders of James Johnson and Kevisha Kerika Richards in December 2018. The Tribune understands that Bowe was the father of Ms Richards’ child. His sister, who asked not to be named, said while he had run-ins with the law, he was not convicted of the killings and she does not think he deserved to die. “Honestly and truly, everybody has their ups and their downs and like I was telling people, my brother was accused but he was never convicted of the double homicide in 2018,” she told this newspaper. “He was never convicted,
and he had just gotten released (on bail). (He) loved his kids, if he didn’t love nothing else, he loved them. That’s one of the first men who still would communicate with his kids whether him and the kids’ mothers were together, because of the love that he had for them.” The grieving relative said in addition to being a dedicated father, Bowe was a “very good person”. She added that his family is currently “distraught” and struggling to come to terms with his death. She also disputed some of the police’s reports of the incident. “That morning him and my cousin was together, and the police indicated that they went after two suspects, but that’s not no true. They only went after my brother; they did not go after my cousin,” she claimed.
“My brother and my cousin was going to my aunt the same time when they saw the patrol car and he know whenever the police around they normally would bother him, so he would try to just go behind gates to be away from them. They never bothered my cousin. My cousin is home now and they never came back (for him), he was never arrested or anything. How is it if you were in pursuit of two suspects, you shoot one? You didn’t even call the ambulance. My family members were the ones that call the ambulance to come and deal with my brother,” she claimed. She said she was on the phone with the aunt that Bowe and his cousin were on their way to visit on the day of the incident. She said she overheard her aunt saying: “Oh he was coming to me; he was coming to me!” before hanging up.
She said when she tried to call back, she was unable to get through; however, her aunt returned her call a few minutes later and told her to “come to the Village”. “When I went to Nassau Village, I met my brother lying face down. He turned himself over (and) I was talking to him. My aunt had his head on her lap (and) my brother ask the (officers) ‘Oh they can’t hold me, eh, they can’t hold me, eh?’ “When it is a shooting incident, the police never allow any civilians to go next to the victim, but I was able to go next to my brother with my aunt. My brother asked me to put his leg on me and I (sat) on the ground. He told me ‘Lift it up, my leg’s hurting, it getting cold’ and that’s what I did. He was on us and he was talking to us. When he left in the ambulance he was talking.”
Bowe’s sister said the ambulance took about 20 minutes to arrive at the scene. She claimed when they took her brother, they never carried him “straight out of Nassau Village,” but instead drove “a couple corners down and turned off their sirens” before leaving the area. “We ain’t holding up at all,” she continued. “I haven’t slept, my sister hasn’t slept — it’s a serious blow.” She said the family is dealing with compounded tragedy due to the earlier loss of another brother and her mother’s death several years ago. “You know what it is for your mother to die, then your two brothers to get killed? It’s like you keep getting juck in that one spot repeatedly three times within the space of three years.” The woman said
although reports on social media were alleging that her brother got what he deserved, she noted that he was never convicted of any of the offences for which he was charged. “I tell people ‘Okay my brother use to trap (sell drugs),’ but when it comes down to murdering and killing people, no,” she stated. “Before that young lady get kill, numerous times my brother would call me and tell me ‘Hey, come carry this money to her’ and numerous times I did it myself. Sometimes I even had his phone (and) I saw numerous conversations in his phone with them two messaging each other. People keep saying ‘Oh he’s a murderer, he’s this and he’s that’ but to me, that isn’t my brother. I wasn’t there to say if he did it or didn’t do it, but when you know a person, you know a person.”
GUNNED DOWN PLAYING DOMINOES from page one
DERECK Rolle speaking to The Tribune.
Photo: Racardo Thomas
Police said shortly after noon they were called to the shooting on Nassau Street. When they arrived at the scene, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds to the abdomen. Officers said the victim said he was playing dominoes when he was approached by a man he knew who produced a firearm and shot him. He was taken to the hospital where he later died of his injuries. Yesterday, Mr Rolle told The Tribune his older brother was a landscaper who also washed cars for a living. He said while Anthony “had his issues”, he was still a “good person” and did not deserve to die the way he did. “I loved my brother with all my heart,” he said. “He’d go out of his way to do just about anything for anybody in spite of it all. He had his own differences just like everybody else, but he was never a violent person. “He was never in a gang (and) he never had no problem with no one.” Mr Rolle said he was attending a church service
with his fiancée at the time of the incident, but his brother and a few of their family members were playing dominoes at his stall where he sells fruit on Nassau Street. He said when he had heard Anthony had been shot on Easter Sunday, he was shocked. “The issues with him and this person who attacked him yesterday was probably going on for quite some time, but he ain’t never bring it to our attention (until) a couple days prior to the incident,” he said. “He said about two or three weeks back, the fella came out there and try snatch him. This same fella try yuck him in a car before. But I don’t know what type of problem him and this fella had to cause this fella to come and go out of his way to come on the main road and walk up by my business place to kill my brother like that for no reason.” Mr Rolle insisted although Anthony had his “own issues” he did not bother anyone. He also said his brother never dealt with his problems in a “violent or fighting” manner, because he was humble. “My brother wasn’t a stupid fella, he was very wise and everyone knew him, so it had to be something personal between him and the fella who came and kill him. I don’t know what it was, but it couldn’t have
add up quite to say ‘Come kill me.’ “When I saw him yesterday (Sunday), he was all right,” he added. “He was trying to talk, but I told him don’t talk much because I saw the spot where he got shot in his abdomen when they raised his shirt up.” When asked whether the family was apprehensive of resuming their domino games at their traditional hangout spot in view of his brother’s death, he stated: “We play dominoes every day. That’s not a target place, that’s a place where all my brothers and family is just chill out. That’s where my business is and this my area. We don’t get nowhere to run or go because we ain’t fighting with no one on this 21 by 7 (island). We’re letting the matter rest with the police.” The shooting marked the 31st homicide for the year, according to this newspaper’s records. Police are also investigating a shooting that occurred on Saturday, April 3, after 1pm on Milton Street. A man told police he was at a residence when he was approached by a masked gunman who shot him in the thigh. The suspect then fled on foot. The victim was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle. His condition was not known up to press time. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call police at 502-9991 or the nearest police station.
PAGE 4, Tuesday, April 6, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Concern mounts on possible third wave from page one or fourth waves and third waves are often larger than second waves, so it’s very important that we follow the public health instructions so that we can mitigate an increase in cases, the health system being over capacity and COVID-19 deaths increasing.” On Thursday, April 1, health officials reported 28 newly confirmed COVID cases with 12 coming out of New Providence, eight originating from Grand Bahama, six arising out of Eleuthera and one being reported from Abaco. On Good Friday, 35 more cases were recorded with 24 coming out of the capital, seven from Grand Bahama, three originating from Bimini and Cat Cay and one being reported from Andros. On Saturday, the country recorded another 16 confirmed COVID cases;
TOTAL CASES TOTAL DEATHS
9,263 189 SUNDAY
NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES 13 CASES FRIDAY
NEW PROVIDENCE 8 GRAND BAHAMA 3 ELEUTHERA 1 ANDROS 1
SATURDAY
35 CASES
NEW PROVIDENCE 24 GRAND BAHAMA 7 BIMINI & CAT CAY 3 ANDROS 1
16 CASES THURSDAY
28 CASES
NEW PROVIDENCE 7 GRAND BAHAMA 7 ELEUTHERA 1 ANDROS 1
NEW PROVIDENCE 12 GRAND BAHAMA 8 ELEUTHERA 6 ABACO 1 PENDING 1
TOTAL TESTS
CASES IN ICU
78,053
HOSPITALISED
36
seven of those were from New Providence, another
3
RECOVERED
8,729
seven were from Grand Bahama, while there was
one each from Eleuthera and Andros. Thirteen more COVID cases were reported on Sunday, eight of which came out of New Providence. Grand Bahama also reported three new cases while Eleuthera and Andros each recorded another case. Two of the cases that arose in New Providence were said to be people who travelled within the last 14 days. According to the Health Ministry’s latest report, 36 of the newly confirmed cases are currently hospitalised and three patients in New Providence have been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The death toll currently stands at 189, after the death of 74-year-old Bimini resident Louis Edward Rolle was officially added to the tally. The Tribune previously reported that Rolle died on the island last Tuesday after he could not be airlifted to New
Providence for treatment due to his size. Dr Forbes said health officials are concerned about a possible third wave because cases and hospitalisations are “trending upward”. She insisted it was crucial for the public to follow the precautions to prevent a surge in new cases. “It’s important to remember that we follow the prevention measures because they are very effective, especially in view of (COVID-19) variants that have been demonstrated to be more infectious,” she said yesterday. Last week, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said the country could not afford to enter a third COVID-19 wave as it could usher in dramatic setbacks for the nation. “What we see around the world and what we are seeing in our country is a slight uptick in cases,” he said at the time. “This
CONFUSION OVER ELEUTHERA EMERGENCY ORDERS By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
MANY residents left Eleuthera yesterday without having to show proof that they had a negative COVID-19 PCR test result despite last week’s change to the COVID-19 Emergency Order making this a requirement for travel. The policy took effect on Thursday and required anyone travelling from Harbour Island and Eleuthera to another part of The Bahamas to take a RT-PCR test to obtain a travel visa. The sudden policy changes prompted outrage and caused some to cancel trips. New Providence residents are required to have a negative PCR test to travel domestically, and many were worried about having to get tested again to return to the island from Eleuthera. Dianna Malone told The Tribune last week she was concerned she would not be able to return home as planned. She was worried about where she would get tested in Eleuthera. Yesterday, however, she
said she obtained a travel visa without uploading a new PCR test result. “After all the stress of trying to get our tests done on Thursday to be able to get our visas back on time to return on Monday, when applying for the health visa on Sunday afternoon the visa was automatically approved and the website never asked me to upload our results,” she said. “I don’t understand why it would be a requirement effective April 1, but the website not be updated to request it.” Ms Malone said the boat on which she travelled did not request the test result and only looked for visas. Another resident, Kayla Dorsett, said she obtained a second test result but did not need it to get on Bahamasair’s flight from Eleuthera yesterday. The flight had about 66 passengers. “We ended up spending $250 overall because the Prime Minister implemented the new rule at the last hour,” she said. “But there was a plot twist. They weren’t asking passengers for the test this week because they said the change was no fault
to the passengers. So money was wasted on my part. They only wanted to see the travel visa.” Bahamasair chairman Tommy Turnquest said yesterday after receiving complaints from customers, he reached out to the management of the airline and assured them people could depart Eleuthera with just a valid travel visa. “The PCR is good for five days,” he said. “So, if you left on Friday, you would’ve needed a PCR test to get a travel visa and when you uploaded your travel visa you would’ve uploaded your test result as well. Invariably the travel visa was paid for and as long as you had a valid travel visa you could get back. The travel visa is your ticket to get on the plane.” Although Mr Turnquest noted that the “vast majority of people went on Friday or Thursday and came back yesterday,” many who returned yesterday likely had original tests that were more than five days old. “You couldn’t return from the US with a local test, but local is local,” he said.
For his part, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said there was no reduction in travel requirements for people who travelled for the Easter holiday. “The Emergency Order says what the Emergency Order says,” he said yesterday. “The technology takes a little while to catch up with the law sometimes, but I presume the airlines and companies are checking to see if there is compliance. “When Emergency Orders get dropped, it takes a while to catch up with the law. I’ve asked the programmers to design it in such a way where it’s pretty easy to turn on and off the requirements for the islands because if you have to hard code whenever there’s a change, that leads to a delay. We need it to respond more nimbly to changes.” • COMMODORE Raymond King, commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, is in quarantine at home after he was exposed to COVID-19. “Commodore King is experiencing mild symptoms and has been placed on quarantine at home,” a statement
from the Cabinet Office said. “In his absence, deputy commander (of the) RBDF, Captain Shonedel Pinder, will manage the affairs of the Defence Force during Commodore King’s absence. Commodore King’s immediate members of staff have been placed on quarantine. “The office spaces will be sanitised appropriately.” This comes about two weeks after Commodore King was the first in the law enforcement agency to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine when inoculations were carried out at the RBDF’s base. As the first in the organisation to get vaccinated, Commodore King encouraged officers and marines to make the right decision. “As a fighting force where personal readiness is of the utmost importance, it is critical, although voluntary, to consider the implications linked to not being vaccinated, and exposed to the threats in the performance of our duties which require us to interact with other nationals at sea, where the risk is higher,” said Commodore King last month.
still a lot less than what it was in the good old days, but we’re getting there.” Mr D’Aguilar attributed the increase to the accelerated vaccination programme in the United States. “First of all, Americans now are getting vaccinated at a rate of three million
arms per day,” he said. “We are incredibly lucky to be next to the country that has implemented and rolled out their vaccination programme better than any other country on the planet. Obviously what we have to do is to do as best as possible given the supply that we can secure,
vaccinate our people. As more and more people get vaccinated, they are more emboldened to travel and break out of their selfimposed quarantine over the last year.” Mr D’Aguilar noted last week that there is no plan for the country to move away from its RT-PCR
testing requirement for domestic travel and to use rapid antigen testing instead. “It is absolutely critical that we prevent as best as we can any growth in COVID cases in the Family Islands because the health facilities just do not
COVID-19 virus is certainly not behind us and until we get 80 percent of the population vaccinated, we are going to have to abide by the health protocols in order to keep the number of cases at a minimum.” In their latest release, health officials also urged the public to comply with the recommended regulations and guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the virus in the country. “If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not wait, first contact your health provider,” the statement read. “While home remedies may work for a period it is important to get tested and receive proper care before symptoms become too difficult to manage. If you have been asked by the Surveillance Unit to get tested for COVID-19, please follow the advice and take the gold standard RT-PCR test. Employees are encouraged to work from home.”
VACCINATIONS TO RESUME
COVID-19 vaccinations will resume tomorrow on New Providence and Grand Bahama. The inoculations will take place at the following locations: Loyola Hall, Gladstone Road; Church of God of Prophecy, East Street and the Susan J Wallace Community Centre in Grand Bahama. Vaccinations are currently open to healthcare workers; persons 60 years of age and older; and the uniformed branches (RBDF, RBPF, customs, immigration, BDOCS officers and COVID ambassadors). To make an appointment to receive the vaccine, visit https://vax.gov.bs/ Those who do not fall within the above priority groups should not attempt to make an appointment at this time, officials said. A valid work ID indicating proof of occupation and/or proof of age is required at the vaccination centre. The National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee will provide a further update by mid-week.
SIGNS OF REVIVAL AS 60,000 VISIT IN MARCH from page one
indication that things are going to get better. I’m encouraged. “One can conclude that there was a definite uptick in March, double what came in the Christmas period. “But it’s probably
exist to provide adequate care and so the government is taking the advice of their providers in order to prevent it. I know it’s costly. I know it’s annoying. I know everybody is fatigued, but we just cannot allow for an uptick to happen,” he said.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, April 6, 2021, PAGE 5
Davis backs boundary change By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said he supports changing the boundaries of the Golden Isles and Killarney constituencies to ensure voter parity before the next general election. His comment came after House Speaker Halson Moultrie told The Nassau Guardian last week that the Constituencies Commission is considering recommending as many as five additional constituencies. Asked about this yesterday, Mr Davis said: “The constitution requires that the commission makes recommendations to ensure that there is parity of numbers in each constituency. Looking at the present numbers, there is a necessity to revise those two constituencies in the west, particularly Golden Isles and Killarney, each of which has over 7,000 registrants.” Mr Davis noted that new constituencies are not needed. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be more constituencies, just has to ensure that the lines are redrawn to ensure parity and if that is possible by the present numbers then you have no issues,” he said. He added that the PLP is “certainly prepared” to find as many as five additional candidates if necessary. “Don’t forget we have an abundance of candidates,” he said. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said during
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis joined other party officials and candidates at the group’s curbside breakfast event on Easter Monday. According to the PLP, more than 2,000 plates of food were given away to members of the community during the event at the Sir Lynden Pindling Centre on Farrington Road. Photos: Racardo Thomas a community meeting in New Providence last year that the boundaries are not changing. “You’ve got what you got,” he said at the time. The prime minister can reject the recommendations of the Constituencies
Commission. Mr Davis’ comments to the press came after an event opening the PLP’s constituency branch office for Elizabeth alongside its candidate, Senator Jobeth Colbey-Davis. He said the PLP plans
LIGHTHOUSE POINTS WEEKEND EVENTS By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SINCE the reopening of Lighthouse Pointe, several events are being launched to attract locals to the Grand Bahama property. The first Junkanoo Jazz Fusion and Culinary, Golf and Beach Weekend will be held this weekend. Veronica Clarke, the property’s general manager, reported there are now some 70 staff employed at the property. “Since the reopening of the Lighthouse Pointe on March 25, we have been doing a lot to ensure the word gets out to what we are doing, especially during this time,” Ms Clarke said. “As you know we were closed for one year since last March and reopening is really exciting to us, and we are trying to get information out to both local and international markets.”
The events begin on Thursday, with a happy hour from 5-7pm at Lighthouse Pointe. On Friday, a Junkanoo concert at the Manor House, coupled with a seafood event in the Churchill Restaurant are planned. On Saturday, there will be a golf and beach day. On Sunday, there will be a champagne brunch at Portobello’s Restaurant. Dave Mackey, the producer of the Junkanoo Jazz Fusion event, said he is very excited about the event organised by Grand Bahamian musician Jens Sweeting. “He is an amazing musician… and I was blown away when I heard him play guitar and on the keyboard. He is quite a talented Grand Bahamian,” he said. Mr Mackey, creative director of Mackey Media, thanked the hotel for embracing the idea. “Their team got together
and came up with an incredible package far beyond our wildest dreams,” he said. Mr Mackey said Junkanoo music has been infused with many different genres of music, but not with jazz. Mr Sweetings, director of the Junkanoo Jazz Fusion project, is excited to be back home and to fuse Jazz with Junkanoo. “I am very excited about this fusion because what it represents to me is a culmination of different cultures and musical conditions that have evolved and manifested in different ways over the years,” he said. Mr Sweeting has assembled a crew of Jazz musicians from Boston who are flying in to perform. He has partnered with the Spartans, a local Junkanoo group. Mr Sweeting studied music at the Berkley College of Music in Boston, and also at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.
to invest $250m to support small businesses if successful in the next general election. “Let me tell you why it’s so important to have a government that’s in touch – just before the holiday weekend, from one
moment to the next, and with no warning, the government imposed a PCR test requirement for travel from Harbour Island and Eleuthera,” he said. “This left many Bahamians frantic and burdened with hundreds of dollars in
additional costs they didn’t plan for. This way of acting has characterised the government’s COVID response from the very beginning – they simply don’t care whether their orders keep families apart or hurt the local economy.”
PAGE 6, Tuesday, April 6, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
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We must do all we can to stop third wave THE concerns over mounting cases of COVID-19 continue – with 92 new cases over the holiday weekend. However a third wave is defined, it’s clear to see our problems are increasing right now. The worrying thing is not just the number of new cases, but the increasing number of hospitalisations. Right now, 36 people are hospitalised – with three of those patients in intensive care. One of the biggest concerns for medical staff is ensuring there are enough facilities to care for those most in need. Infectious disease expert Dr Nikkiah Forbes has warned that both cases and hospitalisations are “trending upward”. Her advice – which given her expertise is well worth heeding – is to “follow the prevention measures because they are very effective, especially in view of variants that have been demonstrated to be more infectious”. In short, keep doing what we’ve been doing – and don’t slacken off. To repeat, that’s keeping a safe distance, wearing masks, only going out if you need to, avoiding gatherings. How about washing hands? Are we all still doing that as thoroughly as at the start of the pandemic? We’d best do so – it’s one of the steps to keeping ourselves and others safe. Thankfully, we have another weapon in our arsenal these days. Vaccinations have been shown in studies in the UK to help reduce the number of hospitalisations. Over-60s can get their vaccinations this week, along with healthcare staff and uniformed personnel – so if you can get a jab, go get one. It protects you, and it reduces the risk all round. In the face of these rising numbers, anything we can do to reduce the chances of spreading the virus will help stop a more devastating wave. To put it simply, you can save lives – and all it takes is doing what we have been doing already.
The last thing we want is to go backwards and have another shutdown – but if these numbers keep going up, we shouldn’t be surprised.
Justice delayed
On Good Friday, police say a man fired a gun at them. They fired on him and killed him. There are questions, of course, as there always are in cases of police shootings, especially given the frequency with which they take place here in The Bahamas compared to other jurisdictions. However, one of the key questions this time is why was the man who was shot, Patrick Bowe, there in the first place? Mr Bowe was accused of a double murder and was out on bail. Our court system has long been plagued by delays, and the pandemic has only made that worse. Delays in court cases sometimes result in people who should be behind bars – given the severity of the crimes they are accused of – being released on bail because of the length of time they have been locked up. Too often, The Tribune reports on court cases that take place many years after the original incident. Sadly, equally plagued by delay is the coroner’s system – and so the case of Patrick Bowe will disappear into that particular dead end, itself slowed down even more by the pandemic too. It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied. In this instance, the families of those Mr Bowe was accused of killing may never get justice, never get answers. And right or wrong, we will be left waiting far too long for answers over his shooting by police. The Bahamas deserves better than this justice in slow motion. We call this paradise... really?
Embarrassing state report on The Bahamas EDITOR, The Tribune. LAST week’s report from the US State Department once again outlining the absolutely appalling conditions at the prison did nothing but vindicate and support the chain of letters this month by former inmates. How much more international embarrassment must The Bahamas sustain before our leaders get it right?
How is it that in 2021 both political and prison leaders are still trying to justify, rationalise, distract from and downplay the horrible conditions that some of our citizens are made to endure? Millions are being spent on drones, CCTV, X-ray machines and plush offices at the prison. At the same time, leadership has maintained overcrowded conditions
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with inmates living like sardines in a can, given bags to shit in, still being beaten, etc. How is this correctional? Did Minister Dames and Commissioner Murphy ever stop and consider that criminals or not, these people are still our family, friends and most have not committed crimes that in anyway justify what they are made to endure. We feel for our loved ones that are in and have gone through that institution because we can see the mental and emotional scars that have resulted from their stay. Most countries in the world have realised that they need their men and it is far better to help them than to place them in conditions which will weaken and further destroy them. There is either a complete disconnect or disregard and I urge my fellow Bahamian’s to stand up, speak up, let your voices be heard until our people receive better. WILLIAM Nassau, April 5, 2021.
Why the vaccine controversy? EDITOR, The Tribune. FROM our birth to the age of 18 years we receive 16 vaccinations some via multiple doses. They are, amongst others, polio, rubella, chickenpox, measles, diphtheria and whooping cough. Because of vaccinations our life expectancy has gone up exponentially. Some diseases have been eradicated by vaccination, namely smallpox, and soon polio. Vaccinations have made our lives immeasurably better. Over the last 12 months the world has been in the grips of COVID. Our lives and our economies have been in effect put on hold. It has been the worst year of all our lives. Enter the scientists, the brightest people on the planet have developed in record time safe
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net and effective vaccines to combat and hopefully defeat COVID. The principles used to develop the COVID vaccine are identical to the existing vaccines we all receive as children. There is no controversy about our childhood vaccines, it’s totally accepted by all sections of society. Why then the extraordinary outcry about this vaccine? What is the difference between this COVID vaccine and the plethora of all the other vaccines already circulating within our bodies? Stupidity and ignorance is unfortunately and predictably the answer. In years to come our children will receive one extra vaccine ie for COVID and
the controversy will simply disappear. Looking to the near future people who refuse the vaccine will become pariahs. They will be unemployable. Society will deal with them harshly. Try getting on a plane 12 months from now without the vaccine. Try getting your job back at Atlantis or Baha Mar without the vaccine. Whether we like it or not the world community will insist on a COVID vaccine passport in some form or another. Hopefully COVID will disappear into history and we will all look back with relief, however I strongly suspect in the fullness of time other dreadful diseases will evolve. It’s the nature of life. THE REALIST Nassau, March 31, 2021.
Can we make adjustments? EDITOR, The Tribune. THE subject matter was the headline in The Tribune on Thursday, April 1st, 2021 (Too heavy to fly cost him his life). The article was about Mr Louis Edward Rolle, a 74-year-old man who died in Bimini. I have known Mr Rolle all of my life and extend condolences to his family and loved ones. The story covered the circumstances of Mr Rolle’s death and highlighted his size and weight. It also covered an interview with former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands.
During this interview, Dr Sands adequately explained the problems encountered, including the size of the plane, the width of the door and the operating limits of the aircraft. He also commented on the offer made to transport Mr Rolle by boat and the reason why it was also not feasible for a ventilator machine to be sent to Bimini in the circumstances. Without questioning his obvious and most accepted expertise in such matters, my concern is whether or not some modification can be made to these
machines, or the local clinical or medical facilities, or local personnel, or accompanying personnel, that would enable temporary remote use. This was obviously a life or death matter. The pandemic is still not over and because of our geographical structure we may very well encounter additional cases when it would be more feasible to transport the machine rather than the patient. Just my thoughts. ARNOLD F BAIN Jr Nassau, April 1, 2021.
THE TRIBUNE
Seven fined for faking COVID tests By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net THE chief magistrate on Thursday fined seven people who tried to use fraudulent COVID-19 test results to travel to four different Family Islands between March 25 and 31. On Monday, March 29, Samuel Colebrooke, 24, Janae Jolly, 25, and a 17-year-old girl, were charged for being in possession of a fake Doctors Hospital health system negative COVID-19 RT PCR test on March 26. At the time, Jolly denied the allegation; however, when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on Thursday, she admitted the offence. The other two accused also maintained their guilty pleas. The court heard that morning, the three accused presented the forged negative COVID tests to a Western Air agent at the airport using their cell phones. After the agent checked them in for travel, they stopped at the COVID check point where they showed the fake tests to an ambassador. When the official inspected the electronic documents, she suspected the test results were forged. As a result, she reported the matter to the airport police station. The accused were subsequently taken into custody, while their tests were submitted to Doctors Hospital’s lab to validate their authenticity. The court was told medical personnel from the health facility later confirmed the tests were fraudulent and were not utilised or issued from
their system. According to the prosecution, Colebrooke and the teen girl both lived in Andros and were trying to return home after visiting New Providence. They, along with Jolly, were fined $1,200 or eight weeks in prison for possessing the fake tests. They were sentenced minutes before Theran Evans, 36, Alicia Stuart, 32, and Marilyn Crosdale, 33, who also admitted possessing and uttering the fake COVID tests when they attempted to travel on March 31. The prosecution said Evans, who was planning to travel to Eleuthera, was taken into custody after his test results were suspected to have been falsified. The court was also told that on that day, a COVID ambassador at LPIA, accompanied by Stuart and Crosdale, presented to police what appeared to be two other forged tests which prompted the women’s arrest. When questioned by officers, Crosdale said she was travelling to Abaco. During the hearing, her attorney also told the magistrate his client had made plans to travel to the island to attend the funeral service of a family member who had died suddenly. Stuart also said she was trying to travel to Abaco for the funeral. She added that her sons were in Marsh Harbour and that she was also anxious to see the island as she had not visited it since Hurricane Dorian. After accepting their guilty pleas, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt fined the accused $1,200 for having the fake tests and another $1,200 for uttering
PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION FOR MAN ACCUSED OF EXPOSING HIMSELF By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 29-YEAR-OLD man who admitted exposing himself to a young girl while she was on her way to school was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation before he is sentenced. Joel Griffin admitted indecently exposing himself to a Palmdale Primary student on March 24. Griffin was initially arraigned more than a week ago but appeared in court on Thursday, April 1, for the presentation of the prosecution’s facts and sentencing. On Thursday, prosecutor Samantha Miah said the accused was arrested near Madeira Street after he was observed exposing his genitals to the sixthgrade student as she was
walking to school. After he was arrested, Griffin admitted flashing the young girl and told officers he was attracted to her because of the size of her buttocks, so he walked alongside her with his pants below his hips “while simultaneously exposing” his genitals. During the hearing, Griffin maintained his guilty plea and agreed with the facts of the prosecutor. When asked, he told the magistrate that he had been admitted to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre in the past but had stopped taking his medication. As a result, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt ordered the accused to submit to a psychological evaluation before she passed her sentence. Griffin returns to court on May 4 to learn his fate.
them. She said if they didn’t pay the fines that day they would spend eight weeks in prison. Edroy Rolle was also fined $2,400 for the offences after he attempted to use the fake test to travel to Exuma on March 25. The prosecution said when Rolle was arrested, he told officers he was a DJ and his cousin had sent him the fake test because he wanted him to play at a function on the island that weekend. After sentencing the accused, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt noted that the “whole Bahamas’’ could have been compromised if they had been successful
in passing off the fake tests. She stated the country was in a “real pandemic” that had a significant impact on the nation and insisted everyone had to cooperate with the rules and regulations enforced. Magistrate FergusonPratt added that the actions of the accused were “unacceptable,” and that their conduct also implicated Doctors Hospital, “one of the premier health institutions” in the country in “apparent skullduggery”. She insisted the people who issued the fake tests also needed to be charged as they were the real masterminds.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021, PAGE 7
MORE CHARGES FOR PAIR By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
PROSECUTORS brought additional charges on Thursday against a man and woman accused of conspiring to sexually exploit two teenage girls through human trafficking. On March 22, Jamalaya Roberts, 40, and Shamika Rolle, 28, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, faced with two counts each of conspiracy to engage in human trafficking and transporting a person for the purpose of exploiting their prostitution. Rolle was further charged with two additional counts of the latter offence. When they returned on Thursday for their bail hearing, the Department of Public Prosecutions brought additional charges. This time, the Crown also accused Rolle of creating nude video recordings of the two 16-year-old girls while at the Smith’s Motel and distributing nude video images of the minors onto the internet between February 28 and March 4. Both defendants were further accused of intentionally and unlawfully possessing the nude video images of the teenagers within that same timeframe. During Roberts’ and Rolle’s first court
appearance, the prosecution said the pair conspired to engage in the trafficking of the 16-year-olds. The defendants are also accused of conspiring to engage in the transportation of the teens in the country “for the purpose of prostitution”. Rolle was also accused of transporting the young girls for the “purpose of their exploitation”. On Thursday, Rolle denied two counts each of production of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography, while both defendants denied two counts of possession of child pornography. The pair also maintained their not guilty pleas for the previous set of charges. During the bail hearing, a representative from the DPP objected to the defendants’ release prior to their trial due to the serious nature of the offences. He also asked the magistrate to consider the fact that the “alleged victims were minors” and also urged her to “take into account” the safety of society in general. After listening to arguments from the Crown, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt adjourned the matter until today for a response from the accused’s defence lawyers. Both Roberts and Rolle were remanded into custody until that time.
PAGE 8, Tuesday, April 6, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Holding hands with old friends from Harlem Face to Face
IN CELEBRATION of Women’s History Month, I had the privilege of being invited to speak at a special forum hosted by the Bahamian American Association. This 108-year-old organisation stands as a lighthouse for Bahamians By FELICITY DARVILLE in America, keeping them grounded in their Baha- activities and programmes. mian roots and providing a The prominent women home for them to stay con- during those years were B Roberts, nected to each other. The Georgie event was held under the Augusta Hall, Victoria theme: Caribbean Women Hall, Susan Jolly and Ida Making Strides in Bank- Brennan. Later, descendants and ing, Medicine Ministry, spouses were invited to join Journalism & International Affairs. It was one of many and subsequently, honorary events the BAAI uses as membership was extended an opportunity to educate to non-Bahamians. On July 6, 1939, the Bahamians and Americans organisation was incorpoand to continue to foster rated in New York State strong bonds under the name of between the “Nassau Bahatheir two mas Association, countries. Inc”. In 1946, On Septhe associatember tion purchased 17, 1912, a building to a constiserve as its tution was headquarters, drafted located at 211 and byelaws West 137th were framed. Street, The ten BahaNew mians who founded York The Nassau BahaCity. mas Association This in New York City was were Austin A in one Wilson, Rubin Clinof the ton, Charles Sawyer, most Bruce Roberts, prestigious Frank Russell, and historic MILDRED Robert Carey, Johnson and blocks of real estate Arthur Minnis, Dr Renee in Harlem and the Edward Brown, Rolston. association still calls Henson Styles this building home and Willie White. today. In 1922, the memBefore long, a flourbership was expanded ishing juvenile branch to include women whose emerged. Many of these admission led to an imme- young people established diate broadening of themselves in well-placed
positions in the Harlem community and beyond. During the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the association flourished as many Bahamians pursued a university education in New York. The association has served as a food distribution point for local citizens in need of assistance, sponsored Thanksgiving dinners for senior citizens and hosted annual Christmas parties for neighbourhood children. It also made financial contributions to various Bahamian institutions, including The Princess Margaret Hospital, The Ranfurly Home for Children, The Persis Rogers Home for the Aged, and The Mother’s Club. In 1967, the association hosted Prime Minister Lynden O Pindling and Mrs Pindling in recognition of the Prime Minister’s victory in attaining his office. The 1980s and 90s came with its share of challenges for the association, but the strong members held on. On September 23, 2002, The Bahamian American Association, Inc (BAAI), an outgrowth of the Nassau Bahamas Association was incorporated to acquire not-for-profit status under 501C3 and to address the present realities of the Bahamian American Community. It progressed to hosting events such as the Independence Gala Ball and
CLOCKWISE from top left, Justice Machelle Sweeting, Mary Sweeting and Dorea Rolle.
the Scholarship Award Ceremonies. Under the leadership of Eldred “Ed” Bethel, former Consul General of The Bahamas to New York and William R Dames, President of BAAI, a delegation of 26 association members and three supportive friends visited the Nassau from May 25 to New May 28, 2006. The focus York of this visit was to make County aware to the Bahamian Family Court, Government and commu- where she presided nity the contributions made over the most intimate and by Bahamians and friends complex cases involving disin New York City, and to putes about child custody, appeal to the public and visitation, guardianship government for financial and domestic violence. donations or partnership Prior to the COVID-19 opportunities to renovate pandemic and the global the historic building located use of technology, Judge in Harlem. Today, the jour- Sweeting presided over ney continues but tempered the nation’s first ever stateby the pandemic, events are wide “Remote Access being hosted online. Part” that permitted During the litigants to appear BAAI’s most before the court recent by video. She is event for the BAAI’s curWomen’s rent “Member History of the Year”. Month, Dorea Consul Rolle, daughGenter of former eral to Royal Bahamas New York Defence Force Lawrence CommoCartwright dore Davy lauded BahaRolle, is mian women for an outtheir contribustanding tions in nation accountbuilding at home ant and the great currently strides they have serving as made abroad. He an experipointed to the enced manager women in his AMBASSADOR own family, Missouri Sherman- at Grant Thornton, who nurtured Peter and Dr Juliet LLP in Manhattan, New York. Dorea him during McBride has been actively his days growinvolved with the ing up on Long Bahamian American Island, helping Association, Inc. Since him to become the joining with other faithman he is today. BAAI president Andrew ful BAAI members to Albury and member keep the vision of the fore Anthony Pratt shared in fathers alive - “PerseverCartwright’s sentiments, ance, Tenacity & Courage”, seeing the month as a grand she has been instrumental opportunity to highlight in circulating event inforwomen in The Bahamas mation throughout the and the Caribbean who Bahamian-American comcontinue to stand out and munity via various methods of media. She has served make a difference. The event hosts were as Past Vice President & BAAI Char, Mary President (2013 – 2015) and Sweeting, and members operates from her personal Justice Machelle Sweet- mantra - “faith, family, ing and Dorea Rolle. Mary friends”. Minister Devra Forde, Sweeting is a renowned community leader, political Voice of Deliverance Disciconsultant, public speaker ple Center Temple, Nassau, and social justice activ- Bahamas opened the forum ist. She is the first woman with prayer. Mildred Johnelected Chair of the Board son, a Bahamian-born of Directors in the BAAI’s veteran in international 109-year history. She is banking, was the first prethe widow of the late Wil- senter. She shared stories of liam Sweeting, a native of her own climb in the finanDeep Creek Congo Town cial field, holding her own in South Andros, Bahamas. and demanding respect in a She has been recognised as world of hard hitting male “Woman of the Year” by executives. Through it all, Caribe News and “Grand- she became a respected mother of the Year” by executive in banking as a Grandparents Around the former manager of Compliance, Human Resources World. New York Acting and Corporate Services for Supreme Court Justice the Hong Kong and ShangMachelle Sweeting is the hai Banking Corporation only legal practitioner Ltd, Nassau Branch. She admitted to practice law in worked at HSBC from 1985 both the federal and state to 2014. Dr Renee Rolston, a courts in New York; Washington, DC; the United woman of Caribbean and States Court of Appeals for African heritage, expressed the 2nd and 4th Circuits; her pleasure to be recogthe United States Supreme nised by the BAAI. She Court; and the Common- drew on the similarities of wealth of The Bahamas. Bahamian, Caribbean and For five years, she served as African cultures and the the only African American resilience of their women, woman Judge assigned to having brought forth many
a successful generation of world changers. Dr Rolston herself is making a major impact in Harlem, where she has focused on women’s health and has been a revolutionary physician who has helped women rectify major reproductive issues and has saved lives. Dr Juliet McBride reminded everyone of the forum of highlighting “hidden gems” in our communities and uncovering them for them to shine. Indeed, she has made this her life calling. She is the founder of Sister Talk, a networking and outreach ministry that connects women of all ethnicities and backgrounds. She encourages women to “find their God-given purpose and talents” to change the world around them. She and her husband Dr Glenn Allen McBride Sr have been pastoring and ministering in New York for more than 40 years. Her paternal grandparents Alice Marley-Pinder and Austin Pinder were both born in Eleuthera, Bahamas. Austin built a boat and immigrated to Keys, Florida then moved to New York City. Ambassador Missouri Sherman-Peter spoke on international affairs. She is a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador and Permanent Observer to the United Nations. An accomplished trailblazer of The Bahamas Foreign and Public Service and in international, her career spans more than 44 years. She has served The Bahamas in diplomatic and public service positions, including Consul General, New York; Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN); High Commissioner to Canada and non-resident High Commissioner to Zimbabwe; and Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Security and Office of the AttorneyGeneral. Her presentation was followed by a surprise visit from Ambassador Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, which meant that for some time, the forum was graced by the presence of three Consul Generals who served New York City. Chipman-Johnson, former Executive VicePresident of Academic Affairs, The College of The Bahamas and veteran educator well-versed in several languages. The event was supported by BAAI officers and Board members including Wendal Bain, Derek Todd, Kenneth Thompson, Andrew Anderson, Keith Stubbs and Crewell Munnings. To learn more about the BAAI, visit www.baainyc.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, April 6, 2021, PAGE 9
A DEEP DIVE ON RACISM COMES UP WITH A SURPRISING ANSWER SINCE the issue of race is invariably controversial and induces strong emotions, conversations about it are often heated and difficult. Britain is no exception in dealing with problems of racial disharmony. In some of its local communities historic racism continues to create resentment and mistrust. So perhaps it is unsurprising there has been a strong reaction, mainly from the Left, to last week’s landmark report by Britain’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. This is because the report challenges established orthodoxy on race with its main finding that, although racism and prejudice still exists, there is no evidence that the fabric of the UK is gripped by institutional or structural racism. The comprehensive 258page report, which has been nearly a year in the making, has stirred up a hornet’s nest of criticism and conflicting views. In today’s open society, these opinions need to be heard. But many people are now asking whether such vocal opposition to this major review - and disagreement with its conclusions - can be justified. The 11-member commission was set up last summer by Prime Minister Boris
Johnson following the protests by the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis in May. It was composed of experienced individuals of high standing in various walks of life. They included a space scientist, a surgeon, a police officer, an economist and a teacher, and all but one were from an African, Asian or Caribbean background. The head of the commission, Dr Tony Sewell CBE, is described as a person of originality, insight and principle. He is known for founding a
charity promoting academic excellence for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and is himself of Caribbean descent. Thus, there was an expectation the commission would produce a fair and balanced report that would provide a basis for a new, informed and reasoned debate about race. But, even though its work is seen by many as an important insight in to today’s multi-racial Britain, already hopes of such a debate have been prematurely dashed by the Left’s immediate condemnation of the report’s findings.
PEOPLE often wonder what attracts people to politics and what motivates them to serve as Members of Parliament - and, after seeing photographs in The Tribune of the PLP candidates at the party’s ratification meeting two weeks ago, I started thinking about this again. In Britain, the evidence suggests that, while some may seek to enrich themselves personally, others are driven by a desire to control public resources and, by contributing to legislation, to be in charge of events and the lives of others. Some might also be interested in good governance and protecting the interests of their own constituents. As such, they may be genuinely concerned about equality and social justice and be open-minded and caring individuals who are sincerely committed to helping others over and above their own interests. It is often said that at local government level, in particular, individuals with a deep-rooted connection to their community want to make a difference by bringing about positive changes for the benefit of all. While they might do this to fulfil a need to serve others, they may also want to satisfy an urge for personal power and a craving for the acclaim and recognition of those around them. In the top tier of politics covering the whole country, ambition to seek high political office may also drive MPs forward, together with
a genuine wish to protect their notion of the national interest. At that level, the work of politicians can be a thankless task. They are constantly at the beck and call of their constituents and are under constant scrutiny by the national press and by people more widely. Moreover, the public all too often regard MPs as self-interested and unprincipled and as being primarily concerned about their re-election prospects. Whether or not that is the case, at least people know that one virtue of democracy is that MPs are accountable to the electorate at regular intervals. Compare that with many other countries around the world where political unrest and disorder, often driven by the tyranny of dictatorship, seem to be gathering strength. For example, Russia’s treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny is reminiscent of Stalin’s worst excesses while its build-up of military forces on the Ukrainian border constitutes a new threat to the West. A national vote in 2020 gave Vladimir Putin the right to remain president until 2036, so he is likely to be around for a long time. Think also of Xi Jinping of China who consolidated his power when the twoterm limit on the presidency was removed in 2018 thus allowing him to remain in office as president for life. Consider, too, the so-called phoney democracies in the world like – to
name just a couple – Zimbabwe, where Mugabe’s grip on the country lasted for nearly 40 years, and Uganda, with President Museveni in power since 1986 and still going strong. Then there are trouble spots like Yemen and Ethiopia, the recent attacks by ISIS militants in northern Mozambique and the conflict in Myanmar which is now on the brink of civil war, together with - nearer home - what amounts to a socialist dictatorship in neighbouring Venezuela. In light of all this, there is even more reason to be grateful for the peaceful and stable way of life enjoyed here at home. Despite poverty and the harsh effects of the COVID-19 virus – on the economy and in so many other ways – the country remains on the whole a relatively tranquil and ordered society to which newlyelected MPs will in due course surely make their own contribution. To quote yet another example of prescient wisdom from George Orwell: “No one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not an end, it is a means”. But at least in our system of a Westminster parliamentary democracy there is an opportunity every five years to endorse or change those in power – and the people of any democratic country need to protect that because it is their insurance against tyranny and dictatorship.
The Peter Young column
DEMONSTRATORS gather outside Downing Street during a Black Lives Matter march in London on June 6, 2020. A government inquiry, by a panel of experts, concluded last week that there is racism in Britain, but it’s not a systematically racist country that is “rigged” against non-white people, though many greeted that claim with skepticism. Photo: Frank Augstein/AP
THANK HEAVEN FOR SMALL MERCIES
FINNS CAN ONLY GET BETTER RECENTLY, I happened to find on the internet the 2021 World Happiness Report, published under the auspices of the UN, which seems to have had little coverage in the media. According to its website, the report focused this year on the effects of COVID19; and, for the fourth time in a row, Finland was found to be the happiest country in the world. As far as I can see, surveys ask people to list their satisfaction with a range of so-called life factors that bring them a sense of wellbeing -- varying from the availability of food, shelter and transport to work conditions, education and the environment. I do not pretend to have studied this report in any depth, but I cannot help thinking that “happiness” in this context is a bit of a
misnomer. Throughout history, people have tried to explain the meaning and the art of happiness which is seen as the ultimate goal that gives meaning and purpose to life. They have found, generally, that it means different things to different people. But it is clear that philosophers agree that true happiness stems from a quality within people -- and from a way of looking at life -- rather than from external stimulus in the shape of material success, pleasures or possessions. So, they argue, a person can have a feeling of well-being without necessarily feeling happy in a deeper sense. Of course, no one should underestimate the often severe effects of physical and mental illness together with the pain of grief and loss in the shape
of bereavement, personal rejection and disappointment. It has been said so often that the price of love is grief and the challenge is how to react to personal loss - as the philosophers say, all too often people cannot control what is thrown at them in life but they can choose how to react to tragedy, loss and damage inflicted on them. This is not the place to explore such a profound issue. But personal responsibility and accountability are surely important. So is it not the case that the remedy for restoring happiness and contentment beyond a simple sense of well-being is often in our own hands? As Abraham Lincoln, perhaps America’s greatest president, is quoted as saying: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be”.
The overall conclusion of what has been regarded as a well-reasoned study is that in Britain the system is no longer deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities; but there are 24 detailed and practical recommendations, including strengthening the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enable it to challenge more effectively policies or practices that cause significant and unjust racial disadvantage or discrimination. The report states that, although there is some time to go before a proper “postracial society” is built, the UK stands “like a beacon to the rest of Europe and to the world” in the way it has worked with racial issues in a white-majority country. At the same time, the report admits racism remains a “real force” in the country and more must be done to tackle it. But too often this is used as a “catch-all explanation” for poor life chances - and, to quote from the foreword to the report:
“the evidence shows that geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have a more significant impact on life chances than the existence of racism”. The report goes on to say there is a need to recognise the progress made over the past 50 years or so in breaking down barriers and ending racial inequalities so that race is not an obstacle to advancement. This is shown by growing diversity in the professions and the “emphatic success story” in education with children from ethnic minorities outperforming their white peers; and people should not lose sight of the significance of two senior members of Mr Johnson’s current Cabinet, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Home Secretary, being the offspring of migrants. Critics say that, even if racism is indeed less prevalent, it should still be viewed as a pressing problem. Some activists regard
the report as patronising, historically illiterate and that it “sweeps the history of slavery under the table”. They add proper attention has not been paid to the reality of everyday life in Britain, when minorities are still discriminated against, black people are far more likely to be stopped and searched by the police and large numbers are suffering inequality in education, health, housing and the work place. But what should constitute robust debate has already deteriorated into abuse and vilification of the authors of the report – including death threats – so that some critics are being accused of being professional agitators who want to foment division and promote the racial grievance industry for political ends. As to the future, the report will undoubtedly lead to further discussion of this important issue, and that is presumably what the government wanted. There is clearly a need to stop the sense of victimhood together with what has been called a “fatalistic narrative that says the deck is permanently stacked” against minorities - but at the same time to build on the progress already achieved in stamping out existing racism and discrimination. That said, among the general public there seems to be a reluctance to acknowledge the UK has become a more open and fairer society – and I, for one, often wonder why, if Britain is supposed to be a place of such racist turmoil, so many people want to settle there. A provocative thought, perhaps, but one that others also ponder upon!
PAGE 10, Tuesday, April 6, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Police chief: Kneeling on Floyd’s neck violated policy MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press THE Minneapolis police chief testified yesterday that now-fired officer Derek Chauvin violated departmental policy in pinning his knee on George Floyd’s neck and keeping him down after Floyd had stopped resisting and was in distress. Continuing to kneel on Floyd’s neck once he was handcuffed behind his back and lying on his stomach was “in no way, shape or form” part of department policy or training, “and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values”, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said. Arradondo, the city’s first Black chief, fired Chauvin and three other officers the day after Floyd’s death last May, and in June called it “murder”. His testimony came after the emergency room doctor who pronounced Floyd dead testified that he theorised at the time that Floyd’s heart most likely stopped because of a lack of oxygen.
MINNEAPOLIS Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testifies in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin yesterday. Dr Bradford Langenfeld, who was a senior resident on duty that night at Hennepin County Medical Center and tried to resuscitate Floyd, said Floyd’s heart had stopped by the time he arrived at the hospital. The doctor said he was not told of any efforts at the scene by bystanders or police to resuscitate Floyd but paramedics told him
they had tried for about 30 minutes. Under questioning by prosecutor Jerry Blackwell, Langenfeld said that based on the information he had, it was “more likely than the other possibilities” that Floyd’s cardiac arrest — the stopping of his heart — was caused by asphyxia, or insufficient oxygen. Chauvin, 45, is charged
with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death May 25. The white officer is accused of digging his knee into the 46-year-old man’s neck for 9 minutes, 29 seconds, outside a corner market, where Floyd had been accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill for a pack of cigarettes. The defence argues that Chauvin did what he was trained to do and that Floyd’s use of illegal drugs and his underlying health conditions caused his death. Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson questioned Langenfeld about whether some drugs can cause hypoxia, or insufficient oxygen. The doctor acknowledged fentanyl and methamphetamine, both of which were found in Floyd’s body, can do so. The county medical examiner’s office ultimately classified Floyd’s death a homicide. Arradondo testified about police policy that dictates that whenever it is reasonable to do so, officers must use tactics to de-escalate a situation. “It’s recognising that
when we get the call from our communities, it may not often be their best day, and they may be experiencing something that’s very traumatic,” the chief said. Before he was pinned to the ground, a handcuffed and frantic Floyd struggled with police who were trying to put him in a squad car, saying he was claustrophobic. Arradondo said officers are trained in basic first aid, including chest compressions, and department policy requires them to request medical assistance and provide necessary aid as soon as possible before paramedics arrive. Officers’ first aid training is “very vital because those seconds are vital,” Arradondo said, adding: “And so we absolutely have a duty to render that.” Officers kept restraining Floyd — with Chauvin kneeling on his neck, another kneeling on Floyd’s back and a third holding his feet — until the ambulance arrived, even after he became unresponsive, according to testimony
and video footage. One officer asked twice if they should roll Floyd on his side to aid his breathing, and later said calmly that he thought Floyd was passing out. Another checked Floyd’s wrist for a pulse and said he couldn’t find one. The officers also rebuffed offers of help from an offduty Minneapolis firefighter. The city moved soon after Floyd’s death to ban police chokeholds and neck restraints. Arradondo and Mayor Jacob Frey also made policy changes, including expanding requirements for reporting use-of-force incidents and documenting attempts to de-escalate situations. Prosecutors have already called supervisory officers to build the case that Chauvin improperly restrained Floyd. A duty sergeant and a lieutenant who leads the homicide division both questioned Chauvin’s actions in pinning Floyd to the ground. “Totally unnecessary,” Lt Richard Zimmerman, the longest-tenured officer on the force, testified on Friday.
UK TO TEST VACCINE PASSPORTS LONDON Associated Press
BRITAIN’S slow but steady march out of a threemonth lockdown remains on track even as coronavirus cases surge elsewhere in Europe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday, as he confirmed that businesses from barbers to bookstores will be allowed to reopen next week. Johnson said it’s too soon to decide, however, whether UK residents will be able to have summer trips abroad. He confirmed the government will test out a “vaccine passport” system — a way for people to offer proof they have protection from
COVID-19 — as a tool to help travel and large events return safely. Four weeks after England took its first step out of lockdown by reopening schools, Johnson said Britain’s vaccination programme was proceeding well and infections were falling. He said the next step would come on April 12, with the reopening of hairdressers, beauty salons, gyms, nonessential shops and bar and restaurant patios. A ban on overnight stays away from home in England will also be lifted on April 12, and outdoor venues such as zoos and drive-in cinemas can operate again.
GOVERNOR VETOES TRANSGENDER BAN LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas Associated Press
ARKANSAS Gov Asa Hutchinson on Monday vetoed legislation that would have made his state the first to ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. The Republican governor rejected legislation that would have prohibited doctors from providing gender confirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18 years old, or from referring
them to other providers for the treatment. “If (the bill) becomes law, then we are creating new standards of legislative interference with physicians and parents as they deal with some of the most complex and sensitive matters involving young people,” Hutchinson said at a news conference. The Republican legislature could still enact the measure, since it only takes a simple majority of the House and Senate to override a governor’s veto.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
‘Jazz’ Chisholm electric
STEVEN ADDERLEY JOINS MIAMI MARLINS’ FARM SYSTEM
By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
J
asrado “Jazz” Chisholm has produced several electric moments in the Miami Marlins’ series opening weekend of the 2021 Major League Baseball season. The 23-year-old middle infielder went 2-10 with two walks, one run, two stolen bases, and a .733 OBP through the three games as the Marlins went 1-2 against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. After a 0-3 night in the Marlins’ 1-0 loss in game one Thursday night, Chisholm went 2-3 with a walk, a triple, and a run scored in Friday’s 6-4 loss. Chisholm’s triple sparked a two-out rally in the 7th inning and he went on to score the Marlins’ first run of the season when Corey Dickerson doubled.
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By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net STEVEN Adderley became the latest Bahamian prospect to join the Miami Marlins’ farm system. An 18-year-old outfielder out of the International Elite Sports Academy, Adderley was joined by family and Marlins executives at his official signing. The Grand Bahama native joins big league starter, Jazz Chisholm, Ian Lewis and Andre Arthur with the Marlins. “This is a dream come true. When I moved to Nassau and joined I-Elite it was always about go time and what I have to do to get to that next step,” Adderley said. “It feels good to be a part of an organisation with someone who has made history already like Jazz, I
MIAMI Marlins’ Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm scores on a sacrifice fly by Chad Wallach during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday in Miami. (AP Photo/Gaston De Cardenas)
Thompson sets national decathlon record By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net IT came down to one event and two points as University of the Bahamas Mingoes’ junior Kendrick Thompson erased Power Athletics Ken Mullings’ national decathlon record. The two friends and arch-rivals went head-to-head in the 10 multiple event competition over the weekend at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ Easter Track Classic that also featured Swift Athletics’ Jalen Cadet in the octathlon (eight events) at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium. At the end of the two-day event on Sunday, Thompson accumulated a total of 7,644 compared to Mullings (7,642), shattering the previous decathlon record of 7,427 points. Mullings achieved the mark as a former UB team member over the weekend of April 12-13, 2019 at the University of Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida. “I feel pretty good about it, but I was expecting more. based on my training,” Thompson said. “I’m really happy with it.” As for his epic showdown with Mullings, Thompson said anytime they get on the track to compete, you could expect it to be a competitive one. “Some events he’s really strong in and I’m weak in and some events I’m really strong in, he’s weak in,” said the 23-year-old Thompson, who is studying physical education. “I try to stay with him because when I have my strong events, I try
NEW Bahamas decathlon national record holder Kendrick Thompson, left, leads former national record holder Ken Mullings in the deciding 1,500m on Sunday. Photo: Christopher Saunders/UB Athletics to increase my points so I can stay with him.” At the end of Saturday’s first day of the first five events - 100m,
long jump, shout, high jump and 400m - Mullings surged out by 63 points with a 4,015-3,952 advantage. When competition resumed
on Sunday, Thompson was able to close the gap as they competed in the first four events - 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault and javelin. Mullings went into the final event in the 1,500m with 7,017, compared to Thompson’s 6,994. Down by 23 points, Thompson pulled off the 3 3/4-lap race in four minutes and 44.82 seconds to secure 650 points for the win. Thompson’s time of 4:48.89 scored him just 625 points as he fell short by two points. “I already had it in my head that I had to put at least 20-30 metres between us in order to win it,” Thompson said. “I just went for it.” In securing the national record, Thompson said he was able to post a personal best in the javelin with 63.74m and the long jump with 7.39m along with the 1,500m. “I’m really happy with my second day performance,” Thompson said. “Plus, it was a lot warmer today (Sunday) than it was yesterday (Saturday).” Going into the competition, the 23-year-old Mullings said he anticipated that he would have emerged as the champion, but it just wasn’t his day. “If you think you’re going to lose it, then you have already lost,” he said. “So I went into it believing that I would win. I still believed that I could have and should have won. The better man won on that day.” Having lost points based on some technical aspects he has to work on like his approach in the long jump and getting the height of the discus to flow much better. “I’m physically in shape to score a lot of points, but I still have to
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SPRINTERS QUALIFY FOR UNDER-20 WORLDS, CARIFTA By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net SPRINTERS Carlos Brown Jr, Larcathea Cooper and Wanya McCoy all qualified for the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships and a few others qualified for the CARIFTA Games at the Easter Track and Field Classic. The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations intended to stage a three-day meet over the weekend at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium to mimic the CARIFTA Games that were rescheduled for August in Hamilton, Bermuda. But because of a limited number of entries, the BAAA staged just a oneday meet for all events on Saturday, except for the multi-event decathlon and octathlon that concluded on Sunday.
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Brianne dominates with record-breaking performance By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net UNIVERSITY of Houston Cougars’ red-shirt junior Brianne Bethel led a Bahamian track and field contingent in action over the Easter holiday weekend with a dominating, record-breaking performance in Houston, Texas. Charisma Taylor, Sasha Wells, Gabrielle Gibson, Damazvia Dames and Tamar Greene were also in the spotlight with victories in their respective events at different meets in the United States of America. Bethel shines in Houston With her parents, Claudette and Brian Bethel, twin sister Brittni and niece Abby in the stands cheering her on, the Grand Bahamian posted her feats in the 200 and 400 metres as well as on the University of Houston Cougars’ 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m relays at the Houston Alumni Invitational. Back at full strength after sitting out the past two seasons because of an injury, Bethel also
led a Bahamian-American cousin combo in Texas. “That was my season opener from a year ago, so I’m just happy that I still have it and I can put it together,” she said. “I did the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m last year, so mentally I didn’t know if I could do it by myself. “I am happy. I feel like I have all of my confidence back and I’m just ready to run at the end of this season in the NCAA and hopefully at the Olympics.” The 22-year-old Bethel clocked the 11th fastest time in NCAA this season in 52.98 seconds to erase the first meet record of 54.18 in the women’s 400 metres. She beat out the field that included Jazmyn Tilford-Rutherford, a senior at Houston, who was ninth overall in 59.86. Bethel came back and posted the 14th fastest NCAA time of 23.18 to shatter her second record in the women’s 200m. The previous mark was 23.89. Tilford-Rutherford, the daughter of Melissa and Bahamian Olympic bronze medallist Frank Rutherford, was 12th overall
BRIANNE Bethel with “Golden Girl” Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie. in 26.18. Before she was done, Bethel ran the second leg on the Cougars women’s 4 x 400m relay that included Camille Rutherford on pop off with Cecilia TamayoGarza and Tristan Evelyn on
third and fourth legs as they won in a meet record time of 3:49.01 to replace the previous mark of 3:49.79. Earlier in the meet the same quartet in that same order won the women’s 4 x 100m relay in 43.68 for the third-fastest time in the NCAA, matched the third-fastest time in Houston’s programme and erased the meet record of 44.39. Camille Rutherford, a freshman out of Richmond, Texas, is the daughter of Demetria and Chad Rutherford, the brother of Frank Rutherford. Taylor double dose of victory Washington State’s junior Charisma Taylor came out of an impressive indoor season by doubling up with victories in the women’s 100m hurdles and triple jump at the Hayward Premiere in Eugene, Oregon. “My events were okay even though I wasn’t happy with my performances, but that’s all in the sport,” Taylor said. “I just have to learn from it and move on. The competition was alright. It wasn’t a high level of
competition, but it was good to get a feel of the new track.” As she helped to christen the new track in the 100m hurdles, Taylor stopped the clock in 13.52 for her first victory. Her closest rival was Oregon’s Alexa Webster, who did 13.83. Taylor, a 19-year-old former standout for Queen’s College, came back and exploded to victory in the triple jump with a leap of 42-feet, 05 1/2-inches (12.94 metres) on her second and fifth of her six attempts. Anneke Moersdorf of Oregon State was second with 12.17m on her fourth attempt. Wells, Gibson and Dames win in Arlington Oral Roberts’ senior and team captain Sasha Wells won the women’s 100m at the 2021 UTA Invitational in Arlington, Texas in 11.66. Damazvia Dames, a freshman at Fort Scott Community College, was 11th overall in 12.31. Wells went for a double in her speciality in the 100m hurdles, but didn’t finish the race. Her
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THE TRIBUNE
Cameron Riley wins the first individual title of his NCAA career By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net CAMERON Riley and his Florida A and M Rattlers continue to solidify their standing as the top HBCU programme in NCAA Division I. Riley won the individual title, the first of his NCAA career, and his Rattlers team took first place at the Black College Golf Coaches Association (BCGCA) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Invitational for the second consecutive year. The Grand Bahama native shot a season low 4-under par 138 (69-69) to claim the individual title and his Rattlers won the tournament by 25 strokes at the Eagle Ridge Golf Club. “It’s very significant to black golf in America, it’s one of the few tournaments where all the best HBCUs in the country come together and we battle it out to see who’s on top of their game. It’s so significant because it brings a sense of camaraderie that you don’t feel at any other tournament, playing with people that look like you and that are actually pretty good.” FAMU was the only team to shoot under par, shooting
a 1-under par 567 (282-285) in the two-day tournament. In individual competition, the Rattlers occupied the top four spots with all five golfers finishing in the top 10. This season, the Rattlers finished sixth out of 13 teams in the Donald Ross Collegiate Classic and a third place finish in the Invitational at Savannah Harbor, hosted by William and Mary. It was the highest FAMU has ever placed in the 16-team tournament. “I’ve been at FAMU for five years and I can tell you that the growth we’ve had and the respect we’ve developed in that time has been a 180 degree change. It’s been crazy. Being a
part of this legacy is great,” Riley said. “Last year we won five tournaments in a row and we were one of the only HBCUs to do that and that is unheard of in college golf. Knowing that we are minorities and we are always competing with these PWIs (predominantly white institutions) and we are beating them, it’s special. I appreciate the coaches for helping me get to where I am. I feel honoured to be a part of it. We went from five guys on the team and struggling to compete to a team of 11 guys and winning just about every tournament.” Riley is currently ranked at No.5 on the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour Collegiate Rankings. The APGA Collegiate Ranking will ease the financial costs associated with playing developmental tours as well as application fees for the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament. With his ranking, Riley has an opportunity to earn APGA Tour membership, entry into all remaining APGA Tour events, travel costs associated with each APGA Tour event, exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament and
CAMERON Riley and his Florida A and M Rattlers continue to solidify their standing as the top HBCU programme in NCAA Division I. Pre-Qualifying Stage unless otherwise exempt into another Stage. Riley, who got his start in the game at 10-years-old, joined the BGF junior programme and represented the country at various events. “Following a CAJGC event, I got lucky enough to earn an opportunity to go to the Gary Gilchrist Academy in Florida and it really opened my eyes to the competition level around the world. “In America, it’s so much easier to get better at golf. In the Bahamas, it’s difficult because you are so limited. You have Albany, Ocean Club, and Royal Blue, but all of those are really expensive. “In America, I can go play a round of golf for $30. It showed me that if I could go to America full time I could get pretty good
at the game. And around that time when I moved to America at age 14, I took the game seriously. “Once I went to Lake Mary High school and made the team, it took off from there. Without the exposure of moving to America, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Riley said he will continue to be an advocate for junior golf in The Bahamas with issues of accessibility and training key factors in the development of a future generation of golfers. “I feel very strongly about junior golf in The Bahamas because I was there and I experienced so much first hand and saw what happened. I was happy to hear about the inter-school golf tournament, it shows young people there are more sports out there they can pursue and a great step in the right direction.
Georgette Rolle’s Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy is also a step in the right direction but there’s still so much work left to be done,” he said. “Being in America and seeing what the juniors have here compared to what we have at home is such a huge gap. Accessibility is a major issue we need to work on in The Bahamas. I know some of the courses have tried to fix that, but there’s still a long way to go. You have to give junior golfers a place to play every day so they can play nine holes every day. I believe the BGF should really invest in the youth and send them to travel so that they can open their eyes to the competitive gap. When I was a junior I was winning every tournament at home by a couple of shots, but when I came here I was getting lapped by the field and it opens your eyes.”
AT THE MASTERS, BUBBA WATSON ENJOYS STANDARD AUGUSTA FARE By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Bubba Watson has a fancy dinner to attend tonight. It’s the Masters Club Dinner, otherwise known as the Champions dinner. Dustin Johnson has chosen an elegant menu, including filet mignon. But for Watson, breakfast and lunch at the Masters tend to be a bit more simple. Food is part of the charm of Augusta National, and Watson likes to partake of some of the same fare the patrons enjoy — particularly what’s known as the “Taste of the Masters,” a trio of sandwiches that includes pimiento cheese, egg salad and some barbecue. “I always eat the Taste of the Masters, but I actually take out the egg salad and I put in another barbecue slider, so I have two barbecue sliders,” Watson said. “I have pimiento cheese and then I have French fries.” The two-time Masters champion has been here for years, so when Watson’s hungry, the staff at Augusta knows what he wants without any further explanation.
The sandwiches, slightly modified, are his lunch. His breakfast: two scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon, two biscuits and hash browns. “I always say hash browns without all the fancy stuff in it,” Watson said. “I just want the potatoes; I don’t want all the onions and all that pretty stuff in there.” KOEPKA’S STATUS Brooks Koepka spent a good amount of time on the driving range Monday, as he continues to ramp up for the Masters less than a month after needing knee surgery. The good news, from his coach Pete Cowen, is that Koepka’s swing is fine. The to-be-determined part of the equation is how the four-time major winner will be able to navigate the 4-mile hike that is Augusta National -- a course that is daunting for many reasons, steep hills and slopes relatively high on that list. “He’s in great shape,” Cowen said. “The only problem is going to be the walking. It’s a tough course to walk.” THE CHAMPION Reigning Masters champion Dustin Johnson played
BRIANNE FROM PAGE 11 team-mate Gabrielle Gibson, a junior, pulled off the win in 13.69 with freshman Indea Cartwright fourth in 13.90. “I didn’t get a chance to practice my hurdle starts much this week, so I think that played a part,” said Wells of her performance in the hurdles. “I didn’t push out like I should’ve to make the hurdle. I’m okay physically though. Next weekend, we’re in Texas so I hope to go for my PR there.” Gibson also contested the 400m hurdles where she was sixth in 1:05.35. Melissa Gonzalez of Team Dabbs cleared the ten flights of hurdles in 57.04 for the victory. Lakelle Kinteh (pop off), Gibson (second), Victoria Neville (third) and Wells (anchor) got second in the women’s 4 x 400m relay in 46.64. Fort Scott Community College won in 46.51. Cartwright ran the second leg on Oral Roberts’ 4 x 400m team of Tay’Maro Powell, Madolyn Palodichuk and Alexa Granderson was fifth in 4:05.91.
BUBBA Watson waits before hitting his tee shot on the 10th hole during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament on February 27 in Bradenton, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M Ebenhack) nine holes on Monday, different challenge from then headed to the range the one he conquered last and practice green to focus November. primarily on chipping and “It’s in really good putting. shape,” Johnson said. “The His early assessment: golf course, I think, is right Augusta National is ready, where they want it to be on and it should present a a Monday.”
Team Dabbs won in 3:39.00. Dames, who was also ninth in the 200m in 25.22 as Samantha Gonzalez of Team Dabbs won in 23.67, had her biggest accomplishments on the field. In the triple jump, Dames soared to victory with her leap of 40-11 3/4 (12.49m) on her sixth and final leap. Juleen Lewis, a junior at Ut-Arlington, was second with 37-10 1/2 (11.54m). Dames also had a showdown with Kinteh in the women’s long jump. Dames came out on top with third place with her best of 18-7 (5.66m), while Kinteh was seventh with her best of 18-2 1/4 (5.54m).w Allison Halverson, competing unattached, won with 19-5 1/4 (5.92m) and Lewis got second with 19-4 3/4 (5.91m). On the men’s side, Cordero Gray, competing unattached, was third in the 100m in 10.39 with Ethnie Stubbs, a freshman at Fort Scott Community College, coming in 21st in 12.36. The winning time was 10.31 by Aldrick Bailey of Team Dabbs. Gray also got second in the 200m in 21.23 as Davontay Kennedy, a freshman at Ut-Arlington, won in 21.08.
Ethan Hanna, a freshman at Oral Roberts, was 11th in the men’s 400m in 49.40. Tarees Rhoden, a sophomore at Oklahoma Baptist, won in 47.99. Stubbs ran the second leg on Fort Scott men’s 4 x 100m relay that picked up third place in 41.51. The team members were Jarvis Miles, Daemarquez Willis and Jordan Collins. North Texas won in 39.94. And Hanna led Oral Roberts men’s 4 x 400m team of Cameron Neely, Aaron Charlton and Devin Simon to second place in 3:14.93. Oklahoma Baptist won in 3:14.47. Greene Triumph in Jacksonville Tamar Greene, a senior at Purdue University, won the men’s triple jump at the Big 10 North Florida Hawkeye Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida, with a leap of 52-6 (16m) on his fifth attempt. James Carter of Iowa was right behind in second with 52-3 2/3 (15.94m). Two Bahamians went headto-head in the men’s 100m with Purdue’s Samson Colebrook running 10.27 for third place to hold off Ohio State’s sophomore
The course was soft for much of last year’s first-ever fall Masters after a good amount of rain. There is some precipitation in this year’s forecast, but players who were on the course Sunday and Monday are finding it in the customary fast and firm state. “The conditions are quite a bit different,” Johnson said. “The weather, it had just rained a bunch in November. It was soft and played really long. ... This time, instead of it landing and stopping, it just might bounce a little bit.” WISE MOVE Carlos Ortiz, one of six first-time Masters participants in this year’s field, has a strategy when it comes to practice round partners this week. His plan: Find guys who have won at Augusta National and learn. He was playing nine holes with Sergio Garcia on Monday and planned to connect for a round with Jordan Spieth either Tuesday or Wednesday. “I’m going to try to get all the information I can,” Ortiz said. He could also ask his younger brother.
Adrian Curry, who trailed in fourth in 10.38. Moss finished ahead of Anderson in Florida At the 2021 Pepsi Florida Relays at the Percy Beard Track at the University of Florida over the weekend, University of Kentucky’s sophomore Megan Moss transgressed from indoors to outdoors in the 200/400m combo. Competing in heat four, she won her heat of the women’s 200m in 23.88 for 13th place overall. Florida’s sophomore Doneisha Anderson placed fourth in heat three in 24.29 for 19th overall. Tamara Clark, a junior at Alabama, came through in 22.50 in heat one for the fastest time overall. In the 400m, Moss had the tenth best time of 52.96. Kaelin Roberts, a senior at the University of South Carolina, won the event in 51.23. Kentucky, coached by the Bahamian duo of head coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene and assistant “Golden Girl” Debbie FergusonMcKenzie, saw Moss lead their 4 x 400m team of Abby Steiner, Celera Barnes and Dajour Miles to victory in 3:29.91.
Alvaro Ortiz tied for 36th at the 2019 Masters, getting into the field after winning the Latin America Amateur Championship. He closed with a final-round 69, one shot better than the score posted that day by Tiger Woods — who won the tournament. Alvaro Ortiz left Augusta that year with a silver medal for being the runner-up amateur behind Viktor Hovland, plus a pair of crystal highball glasses for making an eagle in his second round. THE GRASS For those curious about the precise measurements of the grass at Augusta National, the club said Monday that the fairways were mowed to threeeighths of an inch and the second cut was exactly 1 inch taller. Tee boxes were mowed at five-sixteenths of an inch. The greens, a mere one-eighth of an inch, and the collars were at a quarter-inch. HE SAID IT Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, on the best part of Masters week: “Sunday afternoon can be very enjoyable.”
Anderson, running the third leg for Florida with the threesome of Taylor Manson, Talitha Diggs and Lauryn Ghee, was fourth in 3:32.66. Gaither Fifth in Texas At the USATF Sprint Summit at Prairie View A&M in Prairie View, Texas, sprinter Tynia Gaither had to settle for fifth place in the women’s 100m. Representing Adidas, Gaither ran 11.71 for fifth place in the last of two heats. American Morolake Akinosun, competing for Nike/ TBBTC, won the heat and the event overall in 11.26. Gaither was also listed for the 200m, but she opted not to compete as American Gabby Thomas, representing New Balance and TBBTC, won in 23.04. Akinosun was second in 23.45.Thomas was second in the 100m in 11.38. In the 4 x 100m, Gaither anchored the All-Star Red team of Cindy Sember, Gabriele Cunningham and Caitland Smith to second place in 45.94. The Star Athletics’ team of Kortnei Johnson, Javianne Oliver, Dezerea Bryant and Sha’Carri Richardson took the victory in 42.70.
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Tuesday, April 6, 2021, PAGE 13
Ayton matches season high 27, Suns beat Rockets for 6th straight victory HOUSTON (AP) — Devin Booker scored 18 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 133-130 last night for their sixth straight win. Deandre Ayton matched a season high with 27 points as Phoenix won for the ninth time in 10 games overall. Mikal Bridges had 20 points, and Chris Paul finished with 19 points and 11 assists. “I was just taking what the defence gave me,” Booker said. “I got a couple of quick easy 3s and was just trying to win the game. That’s a hard-fighting team over there. A couple of times, we had the opportunity to put them away, but they didn’t go anywhere. We wanted to get this one bad.” Phoenix led 101-92 after three quarters, but Houston opened the fourth with a 9-0 run. Houston trailed by nine again with a minute left, but Jae’Sean Tate and Kelly Olynyk made back-to-back 3-pointers for the Rockets. Christian Wood made two free throws to cut the Suns’ lead to one with 3.5 seconds remaining. Booker hit two free throws, and Houston’s inbounds pass was deflected to end the game. “It wasn’t as pretty as you would like it to be, but at the end of the day, we beat a team that’s playing a lot better on the road, and it’s a big win for us,” Suns coach Monty Williams said.
PHOENIX Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) dunks against Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. (3) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Monday, April 5, 2021. (Troy Taormina/Pool Photo via AP) Phoenix has now won three straight against Houston following a 13-game skid in the series. Ayton added 11 rebounds for his 25th double-double of the season. “He just dominated in the paint,” Williams said. “That’s the way that he can play. We were trying to go to him tonight. I thought he had a pretty dominant night, scoring the ball. I thought his poise was at a high level when he got the ball in the post.” Wood scored 23 points and Olynyk finished with 21. Kevin
Porter Jr had 20 points in the Rockets’ fifth consecutive loss. “They made a bunch of tough shots, but we felt like we were getting great shots on the offensive end,” Olynyk said. “Guys really stepped up and made plays on both ends of the floor to give us new life. We just couldn’t quite close it out in the end.” Rockets point guard John Wall missed a fourth straight game with a left knee injury. Phoenix led 70-60 at halftime, hitting 12 of 23 3-pointers in the first half. The Suns finished 18 of 37 from 3 in the game.
500 CLUB Paul became just the fifth player in NBA history to record 10 or more assists in 500 games. He joined John Stockton (863), Magic Johnson (586), Jason Kidd (569) and Steve Nash (509). “He’s one of the best set-up guys I’ve ever seen,” Williams said. “He understands how to get guys the ball, a lot like those other guys who are mentioned. It says a lot about him, the way he studies the game and his durability.” EARNED IT The Rockets debuted their “Earned Edition” jerseys, the option of a fifth uniform designated for NBA teams which made the playoffs the previous season. TIP-INS Suns: Frank Kaminsky III was out because of the league’s health and safety protocols. ... Abdel Nader was out with right knee soreness. ... Cameron Johnson scored 12 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Rockets: SG DaQuan Jeffries was claimed off waivers from Sacramento. Jeffries appeared in 18 games for Sacramento this season, averaging 3.5 points in 12.9 minutes. ... Armoni Brooks was sidelined for health and safety protocols. ... Danuel House Jr. is expected to miss at least a week with a right ankle sprain.
IRVING NETS 40, HARDEN EXITS WITH INJURY AS NETS TOP KNICKS NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 40 points, Jeff Green made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left and the Brooklyn Nets overcome the early loss of James Harden to beat the New York Knicks 114112 last night. Harden returned after missing two games with right hamstring tightness but lasted just four minutes before having to leave again with the same injury. Green scored 23 points and Joe Harris added 16 for the Nets, who won their eighth straight at home. Julius Randle had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in his fourth triple-double of the season. RJ Barrett scored 22 points and Reggie Bullock added 21. CAVALIERS 125, SPURS 101 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Darius Garland scored a career-high 37 points, and Cleveland beat San Antonio to snap a five-game skid. Collin Sexton added 22 points for Cleveland. Isaiah Hartenstein scored a season-high 16, and Taurean Prince finished with 14. San Antonio finished the longest homestand in franchise history at 2-7, dropping from seventh to ninth in the Western Conference. DeMar DeRozan had 25 points for San Antonio. Rudy Gay, Derrick White and Keldon Johnson each had 13 points. PISTONS 132, THUNDER 108 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jerami Grant scored 21 points
SPRINT FROM PAGE 11 In the end, University of the Bahamas’ junior Kendrick Thompson emerged as the new decathlon national record holder with 7,644 points to edge out Ken Mullings, who had 7,642. Mullings, formerly with UB and now competing for Power Athletics, had the previous national record with 7,427 points accumulated over the weekend of April 12-13, 2019 at the University of Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida. Brown’s double feat Running with a heavy heart as he dedicated the rest of the season to his father, Carlos Brown Sr, who was shot to death two weeks ago, Carlos Brown Jr was smoking hot for Swift Athletics. The 15-year-old phenom clocked 10.39 seconds to surpass the standard of 10.58 for the World
BUCKS forward Khris Middleton and Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) chase the ball during the second half in Sacramento on Saturday. The Bucks won 129-128. Hield scored 19 points. (AP Photo/Randall Benton) against his former team, and Detroit beat Oklahoma City. Grant played three seasons for the Thunder, and then was traded after the 2018-19 season. He looked at home during his return, making 7 of 15 shots and adding five rebounds and five assists in just 23 minutes. Frank Jackson and Sekou Doumbouya scored 14 points apiece for Detroit, which was coming off a 125-81 home loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday — the franchise’s worst defeat since a 44-point loss in 1994. Aleksej Pokusevski scored 19 points for the Thunder, and Svi Mykhailiuk had 17. Mykhailiuk was acquired in a trade with Detroit last month.
Athletics U-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in August. He was also joined by three others - Jeremian Adderley (10.65) of DTSP Wolf Pack, Jonathon Fowler (10.89) of RedLine Athletics and Michael Cartwright (10.96)of Fast Forward - as they all did the Carifta standard of 11.02. Brown, a 10th grader at St John’s College, came back in the 200m and ran 21.49, followed by DTSP Wolf Pack’s Jeremian Adderley in 21.84 as they both dipped under the Carifta standard of 21.84. “It was good. Even though I had a tail wind in the finals, it was good,” Brown Jr said. “I had a lot of competition in the 100m. They really pushed me. “But I feel good for the age that I am and as an under-17 competitor. I feel great with the time I am running right now. I am doing all this for my father. I want to make him proud of me.”
TIMBERWOLVES 116, KINGS 106 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — D’Angelo Russell scored 25 points in his return from knee surgery and Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota in a win against Sacramento. Anthony Edwards scored 19 points for Minnesota and Russell scored 13 of his points in the fourth. Russell came off the bench in his first game since Feb. 8. He missed 26 games. Juancho Hernangomez added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Wolves off the bench as Minnesota’s reserves outscored Sacramento’s bench 60-16. De’Aaron Fox had 31 points for
Clinton Laquerre of the Red-Line Athletics won the under-17 boys’ 400m in 49.90 to go under the Carifta B standard of 50.03. The A standard is 49.05. McCoy qualifies for Worlds Coming off his Carifta qualifying time of 21.06 in the under-20 boys’ 200m at the Blue Marlins Track Series a week ago, Wanya McCoy came back and doubled up in the 100 and 200m on Saturday. In the 100m, his time of 10.59, along with his Fast Forward team-mate Zachary Evans’ time of 10.64, both surpassed the Carifta B standard of 10.71. The A standard is 10.50. But in the 200m, McCoy booked his ticket for another major international event when he posted a time of 21.36 that went under the World Junior Championship qualifying time of 21.38. Swift Athletics’ Wendell Miller also did a B Carifta qualifying time with
the Kings, who lost their fourth in a row. Harrison Barnes added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Buddy Hield scored 18. MAVERICKS 111, JAZZ 103 DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 31 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added a season-high 23 as Dallas beat Utah for its season-best fifth straight win. The NBA-leading Jazz had their nine-game winning streak halted. Jalen Brunson scored 20 points, Josh Richardson 17 and Tim Hardaway Jr. 16 as Dallas won for the first time in three games versus Utah this season. Mike Conley scored 28 points to lead the Jazz, who trailed by as many as 18 points. Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson scored 16 each, and Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 15 rebounds. RAPTORS 103, WIZARDS 101 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Gary Trent Jr. beat the buzzer with a long 3-pointer and Toronto rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit to beat Washington. Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 22 points, and DeAndre Bembry and rookie Malachi Flynn led a fourth-quarter charge for the Raptors, who won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 19-21. Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for the Wizards, who have lost four straight. Washington played a fifth straight game without NBA scoring leader Bradley Beal.
his victory in the under-20 boys’ 400m in 47.54. The B standard is 48.28 and the A standard is 47.34. Cooper qualifies for Worlds Leading the way for the female competitors on the track, Larcathea Cooper also produced a double victory with her time in the 200m of 24.23 surpassing the World Junior’s standard of 24.35. She, however, missed the Carifta cut of 23.95. The 17-year-old 11th grader at St Augustine’s College, representing RedLine Athletics, clocked 55.00 to win the under-20 girls’ 400m, followed by Fast Forward’s Javonya Valcourt in 55.21. They both did the Carifta B standard of 55.85. The A standard is 54.76. In the under-17 girls’ division, Fast Forward’s Paige Archer ran 11.98 to dip under the Carifta B standard of 12.20 in the 100m. The A standard is 11.96. And Star Trackers’ Nia
DECATHLON FROM PAGE 11
knock off some web to score more points,” said Mullings, who is trained by both UB’s head coach Ednol Rolle and Power Athletics’ coach Sherman Dames. And although he lost, Mullings warned Thompson that he will be back to contend for the crown as the Bahamian champion of the multiple events. “If I gained 100 points in one of my strong events, he would gain 100 points in his strongest event. So at the end of the day, whoever wanted it more will win,” Mullings said. “It will probably be like that for the next couple of years with the national record just changing hands between us. We are just that competitive.” Following in the footsteps of Mullings, who set the record as a member of UB, Thompon said he’s pleased to have accomplished the feat for the Mingoes. “It’s a great programme,” he said. “We just have to have the confidence in ourselves that we can do it here at home. I wasn’t as confident as coach Rolle was telling me at first, but I truly believe in it.” And watching Thompson excel to the top, Mullings said it just shows that whether he’s there or not, UB is still producing dominant athletes. Rolle, who coached Mullings when he set the record, said it’s good to see Thompson, who he now coaches at UB, following in his shoes. “They complemented each other,” Rolle said. “At one point in the decathlon, they had a tie score. That’s how close this was. From the beginning to the end, this was close. “I told both of them that I know I trained them, but the best man will win, so go for it. You have ten events and if you mess up in one, just pick yourself up and get ready for the next event.” Rolle said it only proves that Bahamian athletes can succeed here at home. “A lot of the Bahamian studentathletes want to go abroad to train and compete,” Rolle said. “But we have the talent here. Training here at home, we can do it just like the Jamaicans and the Americans do. “I know a lot of people look at the USA as an opportunity, but we have a gold mine here with some great coaches, who can get the best out of athletes. We just have to believe in the programme.” Rolle said UB is an institute that is proving that local athletes can break national records and qualify for the CARIFTA Games and the other major international events right here at home. “We’ve come from far, but I think the president (Dr Rodney Smith) and the athletic director (Kimberley Rolle) are both doing a great job in getting us prepared to compete in the NAIA Conference,” Rolle said. Thompson’s performance in the decathlon: 100m (10.99 - 863 pts), long jump (7.39m - 908 pts), shot put (12.52m - 638 pts), high jump (1.95m - 758 pts), 400m (49.28 - 848 pts), 110m hurdles (14.67 - 890 pts), discus (39.28m - 650 pts), pole vault (4.10m - 645 pts), javelin (63.74m 794 pts) and 1,500m (4:44.82 - 650 pts) for 7,644 total points. Mullings’ performance in the decathlon: 100m (11.04 - 852 pts), long jump (6.96m - 804 pts), shot put (12.60m - 643 pts), high jump (2.06m - 859 pts), 400m (50.45 - 794 pts), 110m hurdles (14.17 - 953 pts), discus (39.55m - 655 pts), pole vault (4.60m - 790 pts), javelin (55.25m 667 pts) and 1,500m (4:48.89 - 625 pts) for 7,642 total points. Cadet’s performances in the octathlon - 100m (11.04 - 852 pts), long jump (6-09m - 606 pts), shot put (10.20m - 498 pts), 400m (55.11 - 594 pts), 110m hurdles (16.52 675 pts), high jump (1.60m - 464 pts), javelin (46.04m - 530 pts) and 1,500m (5:40.33 - 350 pts) for 4569 total points.
Richards ran 24.42 in the under-17 girls’ 200m to dip under the standard of 24.58. The 14-year-old 10th grader at Queen’s College improved on her time of 24.85 the week before at the Blue Chips Track Series. Cartwright led on the field Kaden Cartwright led the field competitors in the under-17 boys’ javelin with a winning toss of a personal best of 55.39m to surpass the Carifta standard of 50.65m. “I felt like I did better and I didn’t have as much stress on me,” said Cartwright, whose best mark came on his fourth attempt after he scratched his first two throws. Once he gets back in practice with coach Corrington Maycock and he can work on his approach on the runway, Cartwright said he can toss the spear even further than his new PR. His previous best going into the meet was 52m. Camitra Mackey did the Carifta under-20 girls’
javelin standard of 38.39m with her heave of 39.08m and Tarajh Hudson’s winning throw of 53.64m in the under-20 boys’ discus surpassed the Carifta standard of 52.13m. The most gruelling performance came from Denzel Sawyer of the T-Bird Flyers as he ran away from the field to take the under-20 boys’ 5,000m in 17:00.20. He needed to run 16:05.60 to qualify for Carifta. “I felt great about it. With two laps left, I tried to pick it up a bit, but I couldn’t get the time,” said Sawyer, a 16-year-old 12th grader at CI Gibson. “I was hoping to get some competition from my teammate Nathan Duncan, but I had to go for it all by myself. It was hard out there.” Cyclist Felix Neely, representing Swift Athletics, was second in 17:25.38 in the 15 1/2-lap race, while Duncan slipped all the way to fifth in 20:31.82.
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LAVARDO JERMAINE STRACHAN LAID TO REST THEY came from the basketball fraternity to join family members and friends in bidding farewell to the late Lavardo Jermaine “Bump” Strachan on Saturday. Strachan, a former basketball player and assistant coach for the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins senior boys’ basketball team, was laid to rest in Woodlawn Gardens. A service of celebration was held prior to his burial at the New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church where host Pastor Alfred Stewart delivered the eulogy. Reflections, tributes and condolences were made by long-time friend and neighbour Carl Wilson, fellow church member and friend Pastor Cranston Evans and family member Rev Dr Sabrina Pinder. Strachan, 40, was killed in a boating accident on Sunday, March 14.
TOTTENHAM CAVES IN LATE AGAIN TO FRUSTRATE MOURINHO By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer DEFENDING leads used to be a forte of Jose Mourinho, soccer’s arch-pragmatist. Not anymore, it seems. Tottenham caved in again Sunday, conceding an 85thminute goal to draw 2-2 at Newcastle and stay outside the top four of the Premier League. If Mourinho’s team could see out victories, it could likely already start planning for life in next season’s Champions League. After all, Spurs have dropped 11 points because of goals conceded in the final 10 minutes of games this season, the most of any Premier League side. As it is, Tottenham is in fifth place — two points behind fourth-place Chelsea — and engaged in a
furious tussle with perhaps six rivals for the final qualification positions for Europe’s elite competition. “Same coach, different players,” Mourinho said of his former teams’ reputation for grinding out wins. Newcastle must particularly irritate Mourinho. It was the northeast club that converted a contentiously awarded, stoppage-time penalty to somehow secure a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September. And in his managerial career in the Premier League, Mourinho’s teams — Chelsea (two spells), Manchester United and now Tottenham — have only won once in nine trips to Newcastle’s St James’ Park. On this occasion, it was Joe Willock — a player on loan from Tottenham’s
fierce rival, Arsenal — who grabbed the late equaliser, after Harry Kane’s double cancelled out the opening goal from Joelinton. Tottenham has failed to win six games this season in which it led at half time. That is also the most of any team. MANCHESTER UNITED RECOVERS While Tottenham often finishes games poorly, Man United has a habit of starting them badly this season. It didn’t matter in the end against Brighton, with Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood scoring in the second half to complete a 2-1 win at Old Trafford that consolidated second place for United. Danny Welbeck, a former United player, gave Brighton the lead. United
has now claimed 25 points from a losing position this season, at least nine more than any other side. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team restored the 14-point gap to league leader Manchester City and has a game in hand. More importantly, it is 11 points clear of Tottenham in fifth so appears almost certain to be in the Champions League next season. Solskjaer said before the game that striker Anthony Martial could miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury sustained on international duty with France. Rashford hobbled off soon after his goal with an apparent leg injury. FULHAM COLLAPSES With 77 minutes gone in its match at Aston Villa, Fulham was leading 1-0 and
heading out of the relegation zone at the expense of Newcastle. Within four minutes, Scott Parker’s team was behind and staring at another week in the bottom at least. Trezeguet, a secondhalf substitute, scored in the 78th and 81st minutes before Ollie Watkins added a third in a 3-1 win for Villa, which was again without captain and star player Jack Grealish. Third-to-last Fulham dropped three points behind Newcastle. “We’ve got a fighting chance,” Parker said. “We need to improve and understand where we went wrong, and be brutally honest that that wasn’t good enough. “We need to understand and smell what we’re in, where we are. The last 15
minutes we didn’t deserve anything out of the game.” SOUTHAMPTON ALMOST SAFE Southampton’s top-flight status looks to be safe for another season after coming from behind to beat Burnley 3-2. Ten points now separate Southampton from Fulham, which only has seven games left. Nathan Redmond completed the comeback in a thriller at St Mary’s Stadium with a 66th-minute volley, following strikes before halftime by Stuart Armstrong and Danny Ings. Burnley had gone 2-0 ahead thanks to a penalty by Chris Wood, who then set up Matej Vydra for the second. Southampton climbed up to 13th place. Burnley is seven points clear of Fulham.
Everton denied by late goal in 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Everton’s ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League were damaged by conceding an 86th-minute goal to draw 1-1 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League yesterday. Michy Batshuayi, who had only just come on as a second-half substitute, drove a left-footed shot into the bottom corner to deny Everton a win that would have lifted Carlo Ancelotti’s team within two points of the top four with a game in hand. Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez had
marked his first appearance for Everton in six weeks by breaking the deadlock in the 56th minute with a low shot into the corner off his weaker right foot. Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita kept the visitors in touch before Batshuayi’s equaliser with superb saves to deny Dominic CalvertLewin and Richarlison. Everton stayed in eighth place, still well in the hunt for the European positions. Palace looks to be safe from relegation in 12th place, 12 points above the bottom three.
CRYSTAL Palace’s Michy Batshuayi scores his side’s opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match against Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, yesterday. (Clive Brunskill/Pool via AP)
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Tuesday, April 6, 2021, PAGE 15
JAZZ FROM PAGE 11
MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm steals second as Tampa Bay Mike Brosseau looks for the call during the fourth inning on Saturday in Miami.
Marlins rookie Chisholm steals two bases as Marlins rally for 12-7 win over Rays By RICK MENNING Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Marlins rookie Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm stole two bases, Starling Marte had four hits and the Miami Marlins beat the Tampa Bay Rays at home for the first time since 2018 with a 12-7 victory on Saturday night. Garrett Cooper homered and drove in three runs for the Marlins, and pinch-hitter Adam Duvall also went deep. Marte and leadoff man Miguel Rojas each scored three times. Tampa Bay, the reigning American League champion, won 11 of the previous 12 matchups between the Sunshine State rivals over the past three years. Miami was 0-7 against the Rays at home since a 3-0 victory on July 4, 2018 — including losses in the first two games this season. But the Marlins broke loose with 14 hits Saturday in their first win of 2021. “It speaks to the volume of the lineup we have,” Cooper said. “Everyone is out there battling. Tonight you saw different guys coming through.” The Marlins, who trailed 6-4 after 4 1/2 innings, tied it in the fifth and pushed ahead with three runs each in the seventh and eighth. “Not that we’re going to go out and score a ton of runs every night, but I do think we’re pretty balanced up and down the lineup,” manager Don Mattingly
MLB FOREIGNBORN PLAYERS DROP SLIGHTLY FOR THE 4TH STRAIGHT YEAR
MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm slides into third on a triple in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, April 2. (AP Photos/Gaston De Cardenas) said. “We kind of broke the ice last night, and we continued that trend tonight.” Cooper singled home Rojas in the seventh, and Jon Berti ripped a tworun single with two outs to make it 9-6. Berti also doubled in the second. Duvall, signed as a free agent in February, launched his first home run with Miami to left-center in the eighth.
Marte hit an RBI triple and Cooper, who finished with three hits, added a run-scoring double. “It was a fabulous game for us,” Marte said. “We’re competing all the time. We’re doing our job and making good decisions at the plate.” Manuel Margot, Joey Wendle and Yandy Diaz all had two hits for the Rays, and Mike Zunino homered.
Rich Hill gave up four earned runs over four innings in his first start with Tampa Bay. The 41-yearold lefty struck out four and walked two. Chris Archer (0-1) took the loss, giving up four runs in two innings of relief. “They swung the bats very well, squared up a lot of balls,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. An ailing Elieser Hernandez made it through
just 2 1/3 innings for the Marlins, who needed six relievers to finish the game. Richard Bleier (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless seventh. TRAINER’S ROOM Marlins: Hernandez exited with inflammation in his right biceps tendon. He struck out three and did not walk a batter while throwing 23 of 34 pitches for strikes.
STEVEN ADDERLEY JOINS MIAMI MARLINS’ FARM SYSTEM FROM PAGE 11 look up to him. I talk to Ian, worked out with Andre so it’s good to come into the organisation and have a relationship with those guys already.” Adderley spent his early years at Sunland Baptist before he relocated to I-Elite. “I started playing baseball at about three, when I moved to Nassau to join I-Elite it was a little hard on my parents but for me, it was always go time, my mindset was always on the next big thing, and now it finally happened, coach Geron [Sands] and coach Albert [Cartwright] are a big part of that. I-Elite was founded by directors Sands and Cartwright. It provides an avenue for players between the ages of 11 and 17 years an opportunity to hone their skills with the view of playing at the professional level.
In game three, Chisholm flashed his speed on the base path in the Marlins 12-7 win in the series finale Sunday night. He opened the fourth inning with a walk and went on to steal both second and third base. After Chad Wallach hit a shallow ball to right field, Chisholm scored on a sac fly. “Hearing the crowd is astonishing, I want to be a big leaguer every day of my life now...It was extremely special with my family being there, my grandmas, my mom, my sister, everyone that came here to see me the first night that fans were able to see me,” Chisholm told Bally Sports prior to the series finale. “I just feel like it’s just so me, that’s why everything about baseball. That you could be yourself on the field and you can play as yourself and do whatever you want as yourself. I just feel like that’s how the Miami Marlins are built like. I don’t think there’s another team in baseball with swag like the Miami Marlins. I can tell you that.” Chisholm sat for the first time this season last night as the Marlins opened a three game set on the road against St Louis Cardinals. “I think we are seeing the gear now and adrenaline that you hope will kind of will settle into his normal level,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters. “I think he’s even above that right now. You know the juice that he’s feeling during games. He does play hard, and I’ve played with some guys that are base stealers and guys that are out there. They do take a pounding on their legs and their bodies, so it’ll be something we’ll watch and it’s part of our plans, honestly. ... We have other options that we can move guys around to give guys days off and make sure they’re rested and try to give them the best chance to stay healthy.”
Adderley said he managed to stay grounded inspired by a verse often shared by his mother Philippians,l 4:13. “Keep working, don’t give up,” Adderley offered to other players chasing the major league dream. “There is always going to be a chance somewhere for you if you continue to keep working.” Fernando Seguignol, director of international scouting for the Miami Marlins, said Adderley’s skillset was something the organisation had on its radar for several years now. “We saw his body of work on the field. He’s the kind of outfielder that we think can bring instant impact to the organisation. We’re talking about plus speed, bat speed…those are impressive, but then when you talk to him you can see his family foundation is strong, credit to his parents. These are the
STEVEN Adderley became the latest Bahamian prospect to join the Miami Marlins’ farm system. He is an 18-year-old outfielder out of the International Elite Sports Academy. Photo: 10th Year Seniors
types of players we look at bringing,” he said. “He’s a player that was on the radar for many many organisations. We were just fortunate to stay and stick with the process and finally get it done.” Adderley became the third Bahamian and I-Elite prospect to sign during the current International Signing period following Adari Grant (St Louis Cardinals) and Evan Sweeting (San Diego Padres). “We’re close by, it’s natural that we have this relationship. We are working on having an impact in the community and having Bahamians build that relationship on and off the field. Imagine having a full roster of Bahamians in our organisation, that would be beautiful,” Seguignol said. “There are great players here, with their background they fit culture-wise and we hope it continues to work well for us.”
NEW YORK (AP) — More than 28 percent of Major League Baseball players were born outside the 50 states. That represents a drop for the fourth straight season, although this decrease was particularly small. MLB said Friday there were 256 such players of the 906 on opening day rosters, injured lists, the restricted list and the paternity list. The Dominican Republic led with 98 players, down from 110 last year, with the expanded roster. Venezuela was next with 64 players, followed by Cuba with 19. Houston led with 15 players born outside the 50 states, followed by Minnesota and San Diego (14 each) and Miami (13). The percentage was 28.3, down from 28.4 percent last year, when the active limit expanded from 25 to 30 during the pandemic before resetting at the new normal of 26 this year. The percentage was a record 29.8 in 2017, then dropped to 29 percent in 2018 and 29.5 percent in 2019. Puerto Rico had the fourth-highest total at 18, followed by Mexico (11), Canada (10), Japan (eight), Colombia (six), Curaçao (five), South Korea (four), Panama (two), and Aruba, Australia, Bahamas; Brazil, Germany, Honduras, Netherlands, Nicaragua and Taiwan (one each). “Jazz” Chisholm became the first Bahamian-born player on an opening day roster since MLB started keeping records.
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Baylor beatdown: Bears win NCAA title, hang 86-70 loss on Gonzaga By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Heck, everyone’s entitled to an off night. But that beatdown Baylor put on undefeated Gonzaga with the national title on the line — nobody saw that coming. The fresh-as-can-be Bears obliterated wobblylegged Gonzaga’s march to perfection last night in an 86-70 runaway that brought this once-downtrodden program’s first national title back home to Waco, Texas. Jared Butler scored 22 points and MaCio Teague had 19 for the Bears (28-2), who were ranked second or third in the AP poll all year long — but never first, all because of one team. Pounding the offensive glass and scrapping for — and winning — the lion’s share of the 50-50 balls, Baylor never let this one come down to a Jalen Suggs miracle. The Gonzaga freshman’s buzzer-beater from near the half-court logo got the Zags to the final in a game that stood as their first true test of the season. They passed against UCLA. Against Baylor? Not even close. After running to a 19-point lead early, the Bears never let Gonzaga get any closer than nine. Butler made four 3-pointers and added seven assists, and was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. “They came out, they fed off each other, we got off to a great start and defensively, we’re pretty good,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. Sure are. Guard Davion Mitchell — nicknamed “Off Night” because so many opponents encounter one when they go against him — finished
BAYLOR players celebrate with the trophy at the end of the championship game against Gonzaga in the men’s Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament last night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) with 15 points and did his best on Suggs. The freshman finished with 22 points — most of them after the Zags were well into desperation mode — and likely will be heading to the NBA lottery next. Gonzaga’s first loss in 32 games this season — 36 dating to 2019-20 — leaves Indiana’s 1975-76 team as the last to go undefeated. If Bob May, Quinn Buckner and the rest of coach Bob Knight’s team were keeping champagne cold to celebrate — a la the perfect ‘72 Miami Dolphins — they could’ve uncorked it by halftime. Or sooner. Baylor was up 9-0 after 2 1/2 minutes and the Bulldogs faced only
their fourth double-digit deficit of the season at 11-1. They faced their biggest deficit of the season — 15 points — with 7:10 gone. By then, Suggs had two fouls and was watching from the bench. He tried hard to breathe some fire into his teammates, or the Zags fans — who made about as much noise as the cardboard cutouts that were scattered through Lucas Oil Stadium to make it seem full. “Let’s .... go!” Suggs screamed after he got fouled on a layup early in the second half. He missed the free throw. But more than anything in the title game, it was Suggs’ memorable basket
two nights earlier that laid the groundwork for this one. His bank shot at the buzzer capped one of the most riveting college basketball games ever. Back on the floor about 46 hours after that emotional roller coaster, it was clear the Zags were gassed. The sequence that best illustrated the energy gap came about six minutes into the contest when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua slapped the ball out of Drew Timme’s hands and the Bears worked the ball ahead to Mitchell. He missed a layup, but Tchamwa Tchatchoua got the offensive rebound and fed Adam Flagler for a 3.
Gonzaga was practically just standing there for it all. This was one of the mostanticipated finals in recent history, a meeting of the two best teams from the last two seasons — this one and 2020, when COVID-19 scrapped the action before tournament time. They were scheduled to meet this season in Indy, on December 5, but a COVID-19 outbreak on the Gonzaga team ended those plans. But the game didn’t live up to the hype, and it was out of hand early. Baylor had nine offensive rebounds in the first half that led to nine secondchance points, and wore down the Zags on defence.
Gonzaga shot 54 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes but Baylor had 16 more attempts — the kind of math that doesn’t add up for a team playing in the title game. One glimmer of hope for the Zags came when Tchamwa Tchatchoua joined another Baylor big man, Flo Thamba, on the bench with four fouls with 14:43 left. Andrew Nembhard’s basket on the next possession cut Gonzaga’s deficit below double digits for the first time since early. Baylor answered with a 9-2 run punctuated by Mark Vital’s rejection of Corey Kispert, then a fast break that led to an easy 3 from Flagler. It was over from there. Yes, Gonzaga might have been the year’s most watchable team with its dramatic run at perfection, to say nothing of the shot of the tournament. But it was Baylor, not Suggs, jumping on top of the scorer’s table and cheering for the fans. And those were the Bears cutting down the nets. This marked the culmination of an 18-year rebuild, the likes of which no programme has ever seen. Drew took over a roster with only seven scholarship players and a team staring at years of NCAA probation in the wake of the murder of player Patrick Dennehy by a teammate in 2003. The Bears won only 21 games over Drew’s first three years. It took a lot of imagination and more than a little faith to believe a day like this might happen. It took the same thing to hang a loss on the Bulldogs. But that kind of loss? Only Baylor could’ve seen that one coming.
Stanford holds off Arizona 54-53 to win women’s title By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tara VanDerveer hugged each of her Stanford players as they climbed the ladder to cut down the nets, capping a taxing whirlwind journey and ending an exhausting championship drought for the Cardinal. It took 29 years, that included 10 weeks on the road this season because of the coronavirus, for VanDerveer and the Cardinal to be crowned NCAA women’s basketball champions again. “We had some special karma going for us,” VanDerveer said. “Had the comeback against Louisville, dodge a bullet against South Carolina, dodge bullet against Arizona. Sometimes you have to be lucky. I’ll admit it, we were very fortunate to win.” Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford beat Arizona 54-53, giving the Cardinal and their Hall of Fame coach their first national championship since 1992 on Sunday night. “Getting through all the things we got through, we’re excited to win the COVID championship,” VanDerveer said. “The other one was not quite as close, the last one. But we’re really excited. No one knows the score, no one knows who scored, it’s a national championship.” It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch with both teams struggling to score and missing easy layups and shots, but Stanford did just enough to pull off the win — it’s second straight by a point. Stanford (31-2) built a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter before Arizona (21-6) cut it to 51-50 on star guard Aari McDonald’s 3-pointer. After a timeout, Jones answered with a threepoint play with 2:24 left. That would be Stanford’s last basket of the game. McDonald got the Wildcats
appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2005 — although the Wildcats would have made the NCAAs last season had it not been cancelled by the coronavirus. McDonald, who followed her coach from Washington as a transfer, has been a huge reason for the team’s success. The 5-foot-6 guard struggled against the Cardinal, finishing with 22 points while going 5-for-20 from the field. The Wildcats were trying to be only the fourth team to trail by double digits and win a championship. These teams met twice during the regular season and Stanford rolled past Arizona both times, winning by double digits in each game. This one came down to a final chance for the Wildcats, but they fell just one-point short.
STANFORD players celebrate on the River Walk after defeating Arizona 54-53 in the championship game of the women’s Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) with 54-53 with 36.6 seconds left converting three of four free throws. “I just owe it all to my teammates, they have confidence in me when I don’t have confidence in myself,” said Jones, who was honored as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “I saw they needed me to come up big and I did.” The Cardinal, after another timeout couldn’t even get a shot off, giving Arizona one last chance with 6.1 seconds left, but McDonald’s contested shot from the top of the key at the buzzer bounced off the rim. “I got denied hard. I tried to turn the corner, they sent three at me. I took a tough, contested shot and it didn’t fall,” said McDonald, who fell near midcourt, slumped in disbelief while the Cardinal celebrated. It’s been quite a journey for VanDerveer and the
Cardinal this season. The team was forced on the road for nearly 10 weeks because of the coronavirus, spending 86 days in hotels during this nomadic season. “It was a long, very difficult journey being on the road, sleeping in hotels, living out of your bag. It’s just a lot. You’re on the bus, you’re on planes all the time and there’s just never really an end in sight so it’s difficult,” Jones said. “But I think from that experience and losing on the road and dropping one at home I think it just really kind of grew this extra like chip on our shoulder almost.” The team didn’t complain and went about their business and now have another NCAA championship. Along the way the Hall of Fame coach earned her 1,099th career victory to pass Pat Summitt for the
most all time in women’s basketball history. Now the 67-year-old coach has a third national title to go along with the ones she won in 1990 and 1992. That moved her into a tie with Baylor’s Kim Mulkey for third most all time behind Geno Auriemma and Summitt. VanDerveer had many great teams between titles, including the ones led by Candice Wiggins and the Ogwumike sisters — Nneka and Chiney, but the Cardinal just couldn’t end their season with that elusive win in the title game until Sunday night. It was the first women’s basketball championship for the Pac-12 since VanDerveer and Stanford won the title in 1992. The last time a team from the conference was in the title game was 2010 when the Cardinal lost to UConn.
That game was also played in the Alamodome — the site of every game in this tournament from the Sweet 16 through Sunday’s championship game. The entire NCAA Tournament was played in the San Antonio area because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Stanford had history on its side, Arizona has been building under coach Adia Barnes, who was the fourth Black woman to lead her team to the championship game, joining Carolyn Peck, Dawn Staley and C. Vivian Stringer. Peck and Staley won titles. Barnes starred for the Wildcats as a player in the late 90s and came back to her alma mater five years ago. She guided the team to the WNIT title in 2019 and led them to their first NCAA title game ever. This was the team’s first
TIP-INS: Sunday night’s game was the first with two teams from west of the Mississippi playing for a title since 1986. ... No other Division I coach has gone more than 20 years between titles. In basketball, the longest gap is 17 years for both the women (Muffet McGraw, 2001 and 2018 at Notre Dame) and men (Rick Pitino, 1996 at Kentucky and 2013 at Louisville, although that title was later vacated) STRUGGLING AGAINST STANFORD Barnes has beaten VanDerveer just twice in her career as both a player and coach at Arizona. She lost seven of eight playing for the Wildcats in the late 90s. The lone victory came in her senior year on a lastsecond shot off a pass from Barnes to teammate Reshea Bristol, who hit a 20-footer for the win in 1998. As a coach she had lost 10 of the 11 previous matchups before Sunday with the only victory coming in overtime on February 28, 2020.