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The Tribune
Volume:117 No.152, JULY 3RD, 2020
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TIME WE MARCH AND BE OUTRAGED
EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net PATRICIA Minnis said the community should be “outraged” and march in the wake of recent shootings that have wounded young children. Mrs Minnis, wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, was asked about children getting caught in the crossfire - following last week’s shooting of a two-year-old girl and the death of a tenyear-old girl from gunfire. “We need to be outraged about that,” said Mrs Minnis, who heads the Office of the Spouse. “There’s a lot of things that we seem to be outraged of but that is so important for all of the community to gather. We need to march for this. We need to really
THE Public Hospitals Authority suggested that junior doctors whose internship programmes have ended have not been hired because of the entity’s reduced budget. PHA said the one-year contract of interns ended on June 30 and accused the
grief
pgs 14+15
MINNIS V MINNIS IN TALKS OVER CORONAVIRUS
SEE PAGE EIGHT
‘WE’RE ON THE CASE AT BORDER’
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
tell our young men who are killing themselves and who are killing innocent people to stop. They have to stop because they don’t want it happen to their mother, their sister.” She added: “This child was being held by her grandmother in her lap when she was shot and... (that could) be your mother, your daughter and so we have to get to them and stop them. And by every which means we have to get to them.” Da’Nyla Roberts was shot in Eleuthera on June 27 and is now suffering kidney failure due to her injuries. Her mother Dwainelle Guillaume, 23, said the child needs to go abroad as soon as possible for proper treatment.
BAHAMIAN medical experts yesterday insisted measures are in place to limit the risk of someone with COVID-19 entering The Bahamas. Visitors are required to present a negative test, while high risk travellers are being denied a health visa to visit the country. Questions were also raised about a group of Mexican construction workers who arrived in the country, but it was confirmed they had negative tests. SEE PAGE TWO
‘WHY AREN’T WE BEING PUT FIRST?’
SEE PAGE THREE
PHA SAYS FUNDING PLAYED PART IN INTERNS LEAVING By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
Page 28
Marching onwards
Designer finds strength in face of
PM’s wife calls for public response to help cut shootings
BAHAMIAN LEGACY
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Bahamas Doctors Union of misleading Bahamians. “As a teaching institution, the PHA provides opportunities for medical graduates to advance their training through the completion of a one-year internship as a requirement for licensure with the Bahamas Medical Council. Generally, internships SEE PAGE FIVE PATRICIA Minnis speaking to the press yesterday.
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
THE Government’s decision to permit a major Abaco resort to bring in more than 100 Mexican construction workers was yesterday branded as “beyond egregious”. Leonard Sands, the Bahamian Contractors Association’s (BCA) immediate past president, said “it vexes my soul” to see so many foreign workers imported at a time when thousands are unemployed. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
LEGAL FIGHT TO DEFEND PARTY MARINE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net ATTORNEY Wayne Munroe is fighting an effort by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to host a disciplinary hearing involving a marine accused of vulgar gyrating at a party in contravention of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ COVID-19 orders and RBDF rules.
A video allegedly showing RBDF marines dancing at a pool party went viral last month. Force officials said they would investigate to ascertain if the people were RBDF personnel and then deal with the matter accordingly. Disciplinary hearings are now set to begin involving marine Zovinar Hoyte. In a summons filed on June 26, Mr Munroe wrote that he is seeking a
declaration that the charges brought against his client under Section 75(A) of the Defence Act breach Article 15 (b) of the Constitution. Section 75(A) of the Defence Act says every person subjected to the Act who is “guilty of any act, conduct or neglect prejudicial to the discipline of the defence force, the safety, interests or operations of the defence force…shall be SEE PAGE SIX
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
GOOD RIDDANCE TO THE PLASTIC PLANET KILLER
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Friday, July 3, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
‘We’re on the case at border’ from page one The policy to enter the country is that people produce a COVID-19 negative test result from an accredited lab taken within 10 days of travel. That timeframe will be reduced to seven days starting July 7. Health officials were also asked during the press conference why people from the United States, the current epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, are being allowed into the country. They said they used a risk stratification process to determine who can enter the country. Dr Dahl-Regis said kinks are being worked out in the system after international commercial travel resumed on Wednesday. Certain travellers will be rated higher than others and high risk travellers will not receive a health visa, they said. Tourism Director General Joy Jibrilu said: “The application is made online by the traveller intending to fly to The Bahamas, whether Bahamian, resident or visitor. That is required by everyone. The uploading of the COVID19 test, your results, is a part of that process. “A specific unit has been established within the Ministry of Tourism that we have called the travel compliance unit so in addition to the platform
‘Indeed, we had a landing of nationals from South America that came in. We are investigating this as we speak but I want to give you the assurance that (Ministry of) Health will require that each individual who landed present with a negative PCR test and if it doesn’t meet the qualifications we will do it.’ recognising a COVID-19 negative test we have a unit of persons who are doing an extra layer of checking, of security and they are going through every single uploading of COVID19 test to ensure that a rating a traveller may have received, whether green, weather amber, purple is really for Bahamians and those exempted in any particular category, they can go through that in real time and if there’s something that needs to be flagged, that then is sent up to the Ministry of Health.” Dr Dahl-Regis revealed that the government of Turks and Caicos islands has donated 10,000 PCR
test kits to this country. She said there is an equal number of swabs in the country. “We have certainly more swabs that we had initially and during the midway,” she said. “What we also did was anticipate that there may be global shortages. We attempted to front-load the supplies given that the shelf life of these agents and reagents do not expire.” Asked about the country’s testing rate, Dr Dahl-Regis said there is no current need for widespread testing. “We do not at this time anticipate widespread testing. We have no community spread of COVID-19,” she said. Bahamasair chairman Tommy Turnquest said that all Mexicans who arrived in the country yesterday to do construction work at the Baker’s Bay resort in Abaco had negative COVID-19 tests from an accredited lab. Their tests, he said, were taken within the required ten-day period. He spoke to The Tribune after top health officials expressed uncertainty about the test status of the workers during a Ministry of Health press conference. Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan was unsure whether people from Mexico had even entered the country while Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis,
A PHOTO posted to social media Bahamas. the coordinator of the government’s COVID-19 response, said officials are now investigating if all the Mexicans met qualifications for entry. “Indeed, we had a landing of nationals from South America that came in,” Dr Dahl-Regis said. “We are investigating this as we speak but I want to give you the assurance that (Ministry of) Health will require that each individual who landed present with a negative PCR test and if it doesn’t meet the qualifications we will do it, we will do the test
reportedly showing a group of Mexicans who have come to The to be sure that we have no transmission and if there is a positive test we will deal with it. We are told that they have had (a test) and we await receipt of those tests and once we receive them we will determine that they were good, valid, positive or negative.” When contacted after the press conference, Mr Turnquest said 135 Mexican nationals were scheduled arrive in the country on a chartered Bahamasair plane. “They had the required documentation,” he said.
“The plane arrived at 5am this morning on our 737700 plane which is the only plane we have that can do a four and a half flight and we had two ATR planes transport them to Abaco after they arrived in the country. We were pleased with the commercial transaction.” Images of the workers at Lynden Pindling International Airport angered some who believe Bahamians should get the jobs given the high unemployment rate.
MACKEY SEEKS TO EASE FEARS OVER TOURISTS NOT WEARING MASKS By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net SOME residents of Harbour Island are complaining that tourists are not following COVID-19 protocols, but MP for the area Ricky Mackey told The Tribune that the matter is under control and protocols will be enforced. A resident of Harbour Island took to social media yesterday complaining that visitors from the United States were seen on the island not wearing masks and not adhering to social distancing. “Just yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon at about 6pm we had a conference call with all of the hotel owners and stakeholders in
RICKY MACKEY, MP FOR NORTH ELEUTHERA Harbour Island along with the minister of tourism,” Mr Mackey explained. “At this time, the discussion relative to social distancing, the wearing of face masks and it was indicated to them, along with some of the other concerns that they may have, that we will be ensuring that all of these protocols would be
strictly enforced. “The hotels have agreed to convey that information on to their guests and I can say to you that while there are sporadic instances where there are persons who have been seen without their masks, the police are vigilantly on the streets and ensuring that does not happen.” He said that under the guidance of ASP Nigel Rolle and Inspector Farquharson the protocols are being enforced and officers are very vigilant. “Yes you will see a couple of persons without a mask,” Mr Mackey continued. “In fact I had to tell a couple of persons yesterday to wear their face masks, but they are pretty much abiding by the rules. Everyone is taking it seriously.
“I can say categorically that most persons are adhering to the face mask protocol. Wherever you go you would see that there are some people who are not adhering to it but they quickly adjust when they are told to wear their face mask. I am quite sure that you know there is a debate going on throughout the world in terms of the wearing of face masks but I can say categorically that there is great abidance by that here in Harbour Island.” Harbour Island is known for its three-mile-long beach that bears pink sand and thousands of tourists flock there throughout the year for the natural beauty. Mr Mackey addressed what could be fears of the Harbour Islanders since the borders opened to
commercial international travel on Wednesday. “Obviously there is a fear that is going on because we are first opening up now and persons are coming out and because of the spike in COVID cases that is taking place in neighbouring Florida, there are people who are concerned and rightly so I would say pretty much so that there is great adherence to the face mask rule,” he pointed out. “I will tell you, everybody is very cautious about it and I am sure you have been noticing that some of the very persons that have been very much against the lockdown are now angry that we are letting tourists in, but we are adhering to the COVID-19 preventative protocols.” Asked about the
situation with the tourists, resident Aubrey Percentie said she feels the country should not be opened up so soon. “I don’t feel comfortable with these people coming into our country so soon,” Ms Percentie said. “We can catch anything from them. They walking around with no mask on talking and laughing. We don’t know what’s going on with them. This is not fair to the citizens of this country. We were locked down for months and finally let out, now we have to be scared the tourist give us coronavirus.” The Tribune also reached out to the manager of the tourist office in Harbour Island, but she was not available for comment at the time.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 3
Time we march and be outraged LORENCIA SIMMONS WALKES, who died on June 7 after being shot in the Carmichael area. from page one The family was previously seeking blood donations as the child suffered internal organ damage to her lungs, spleen, kidneys, liver and bowels. The family is trying to raise the necessary funds to transfer her to a US hospital. “For right now, we don’t know what exactly she needs but her kidneys are failing so I can’t say that’s it’s going to be a transplant or a surgery or whatever,” Ms Guillaume said. “But we don’t know yet until she gets in the States so they can do the proper treatment to find out what’s really going (on). “...We have to come up with the funds in full in order for her to be accepted into the hospital.”
While presenting care packages to the Nurses Association of the Bahamas yesterday, Mrs Minnis made a public appeal for donations yesterday for the little girl. She said: “I’d like to appeal to the public to please if you have an extra $20 or whatever donate it (to the family) so that she could get the kidney transplant that she may need. Please in any way. I know we are dealing with hard times for many of you who are not working but just maybe you could forgo maybe the nails money.” The child was shot by a stray bullet while sitting in her grandmother’s arms on their porch shortly before 10pm on Saturday on Baby Johnson Lane in Hatchet Bay. She was airlifted to New Providence
PATRICIA Minnis speaking to the press yesterday and, inset right, Da’Nyla Roberts, who was shot while sitting in her grandmother’s arms in Hatchet Bay. for treatment. The incident comes after the death of ten-year-old Lorencia Simmons Walkes - a fifth grader of Sybil Strachan Primary School. She died on Sunday, June 7, more than a week after she was shot in the Carmichael area. The ten-year-old was
CARE packages being presented to the Nurses Association of The Bahamas yesterday above, during which Patricia Minnis spoke out about victims of violence. Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
among the three people shot on May 29 when occupants of a gold coloured vehicle approached a group in front of a home at Belville Circle off Iguana Way shortly after 1pm, police said. Officers said three men exited the vehicle armed with firearms and fired gunshots at the group.
Campaign launched to help male victims of violence By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE Spouses of Caribbean Leaders Action Network (SCLAN) will initiate a programme at the end of this month to address domestic violence with men and boys, according to Patricia Minnis. Outside of Cabinet on Tuesday, Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell told reporters his ministry has received increased reports of domestic and child abuse since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Mrs Minnis, head of the Office of the Spouse, told reporters yesterday the programme is looking to deal with young men as women seem to “get the picture”. She explained: “Women get the picture so we now have to look at who may be perpetrators of domestic violence and so SCLAN has an initiative that starts at the end of the month that will address domestic violence with men and boys.” Mrs Minnis listed many initiatives that her office took on during the pandemic, such as reaching out to young girls to ensure they had the necessary items during the lockdown.
“We touch them as best as we can, especially where they’re young girls now at home,” she said. It is expected at end of the month that a food processing class with the Ministry of Agriculture will take place for young students who are at home to learn how to make local sauces and jams, she said. She revealed a visit to North Abaco is also expected at the end of July to deliver care packages. “So now we’ll go down there with packages for them to have just snacks along with toys and books. Very important that we put these children while they’re home for the summer to read. So we are having a reading programme as well as we’re asking them to come and pick up books – adult and children books,” Mrs Minnis stated. However, she admitted that funding for the Office of the Spouse has been affected due to the economic hard times and her “tiny budget” has been impacted. This has led her to ask friends and family for funds to support her cause. She estimated her budget was about $18,000. Mrs Minnis spoke to reporters after she made a donation of care packages to nurses.
PAGE 4, Friday, July 3, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
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Outrage is just the start IT is not often that we hear the voice of the Prime Minister’s wife in the wake of the violence that too routinely breaks out on our streets. Nor do we hear the voice of the Prime Minister himself addressing individual shootings or murders very often. So we welcome the addition of Patricia Minnis’ voice to the condemnation of the gunmen who left a two-year-old girl fighting for her life and killed a tenyear-old in separate incidents. Too often, the absence of such voices in the face of the bloodshed that affects our streets leaves a fear that we have become numbed to such violence. The absence of protest makes it seem as if we have come to accept the murders, the shootings, the stabbings, the robberies, the house raids and more as part of our Bahamian existence. “We need to be outraged,” says Mrs Minnis, and she is right. “We need to march for this. We need to really tell our young men who are killing themselves and who are killing innocent people to stop. They have to stop because they don’t want it to happen to their mother, their sister,” she added. Her anger is justifiable. The question is, what next? The trouble is these young men aren’t killing themselves and those around them in a vacuum. Simply telling them to stop as if it had never occurred to them will not be enough. Many are not on the path to a life of crime, but have been walking that hard road for years now. There are many causes, but once on that path, there are few ways out. Rehabilitation is an easy word to use, but a harder one to convince employers who want to hire someone without a criminal record, or a landlord who wants a tenant without a history. Gangs can become support networks for people left with no other place to turn – and interrupting that and bringing people back into society is no easy thing. Make no mistake, there should be no tolerance for these criminals who drag our nation down with every pull of the trigger, who horrify us with crimes against innocents such as these children. A march on its own will not be enough – and while we encourage Mrs Minnis to stand at the forefront of such a march and seek to unite Bahamians in
opposition to crime, there also needs to be a more determined agenda to give these young men an option other than crime. For that, it’s over to Dr Minnis. Further progress on his rehabilitation of offenders project would be welcome, and more teeth on his inner city proposals to give more young men opportunities. The outrage is needed – now we have to channel it.
Shanty town residents
The issue of shanty towns is nothing new in The Bahamas, and now Abaco residents are sounding the alarm over shanty towns being rebuilt there after Hurricane Dorian. Word reaches The Tribune of 200 structures built in the Farm Road shanty town and questions are being asked about where is immigration or where are the police? The question could equally be asked where has the support for everyone in Abaco been since Hurricane Dorian? Let’s ignore just now the legal wrangles that have gone on over shanty towns and whether people have the right to be there or not – for now there would appear to be 200 or more households in Abaco with nowhere else to go and who have turned to doing this in order to have a roof over their head. The issue shouldn’t be Abaco residents pointing and saying it’s unfair that these people are building when other residents are being left without help – it should be that all sides are short of the help they need. Should people be doing things the right way? Absolutely. But 200 buildings don’t spring up overnight, and if there is a lack of feet on the ground to prevent their construction, that probably means there’s a lack of support to everyone on the island. If the buildings are knocked down again, where will the people go with so much other reconstruction still left to do? Are there enough roofs for everyone on the island? This seems like a symptom of a bigger problem – and one that continues to affect all of the storm-hit areas of Abaco.
Dollar collapse EDITOR, The Tribune. THE United States (US) national debt has reached 26 trillion and is expected to reach 30 trillion in 2021. The US total Tax revenue is 3.2 trillion. Interest rate on its debts are close to zero percent. If interest rates were to go up to 10% , US will not be able to service its debt. In 1970s US interest rates went to about 20%. This year, the US plans to create trillions more in US debt since February 2020, the Federal Reserve balance sheet grew 70%, the European Central Bank by 18% and the Bank of Japan 8% while China’s balance sheet decreased. The US debt to GDP ratio is 130.1%, the highest in US history. After world war 2 its maximum debt to GDP was 106%. The US has a choice – default on its debt or print an extraordinary amount of money and inflate the debt away. The US has had a trade deficit from 1982 and its trade deficit has been on an upward trajectory. The US industrial capacity has been gutted and it cannot rebuild it in less than 10 years and 10s of trillions in investments. The collapse
of the United States dollar is coming within five years. The US household debt is 14.3 trillion at the end of March 2020. More than 8% of US mortgage are in forbearance but when that forbearance end will they be able to pay their mortgage? According to the Moody’s chief economist 30% will stop paying their mortgage . In the last 10 weeks 42.6,millions workers filed for unemployment in the US. The recent unemployment rate in the US was 13.3% but in the report it stated the actual unemployment is about 3% higher. It is manipulated data. According to the US department of labour and training the US workforce in February 2020 was 164,546 million, but in May 2020 the workforce was 158,227 million. The social unrest caused by the unjustified killing by police of George Floyd is a prelude to future class war in the US. US corporate debt is 15.5 trillion which is 77.9 % of US GDP which has declined to 19.9 trillion from 21.7 trillion. The Federal Reserve buying of bonds, ETF and cheap loans are keeping the US companies on life support. 773
business filed for bankruptcies in May 2020 which is a 48% increase. If oil increases by one cents it costs US consumers 1.42 billion annually. US invests in shale oil although it has not made a profit to keep oil prices below US $80 a barrel because it would cripple their economy of which 70% is consumption. The Congressional Budget Office said that Corona Pandemic will cost the US economy 15.7 trillion during the next 10 years. In the first quarter of 2020 14% of China’s export was to the US while 16% was to ASEAN countries which is unprecedented. In 2018, 20% of China’s export was to the US. Going into a cold war with China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela is unwise when the US is very vulnerable and it cannot defeat them militarily because China and Russia have Nuclear. Russia missile technology has surpassed US. Is the US like the Soviet Union (USSR) which engaged vigorously in a cold war until USSR collapsed ? BRIAN E PLUMMER Nassau, June 9, 2020.
Bethel must offer his resignation EDITOR,The Tribune. WE profess to follow the so-called Westminster form of constitutional democracy here at home in our wonderful nation. Under that system there are certain constitutional conventions, while not having the force of an actual law or legislation, are followed and observed in the political arena. One of these constitutional conventions is that a minister is responsible for the management of his/ her particular ministry. As such, any blunders made, of a highly charged policy issue requires that minister to offer his/her resignation or be fired by the Prime Minister. The Attorney General is the premier legal advisor to the government of the day. If he/she and his/her legal officers make a bad judgment call and it causes
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the administration gross embarrassment, the Attorney General must resign or be fired. I have long held that the current holder of this office is known to be a ‘good’ Bahamian who I am sure loves the nation just as much as anyone else. I have also, however, long held, that in my opinion he is the second dumbest Attorney General in the history of The Bahamas. The dumbest one of them all is dead so I will not trouble his soul. In fact, may he continue to rest in peace. The current AG must go. He led the public prosecutions, or were they persecutions, of former Minister Shane Gibson and Frank Smith with great fanfare and apparent glee.
Lo and behold both cases were tossed and the accused were acquitted. Again in my opinion a major blunder. He has not given an accounting of just how much public funds were wasted on those cases. Now we have the spectacle of his having to admit that he and his office were grossly negligent in failing to draft the appropriate resolution to extend the Emergency Powers Act! He says that he is sorry! The PM if he had the political will would have required /demanded the same. It is what it is, however, and we will never see that happening. Come the next general elections, however, they will all be gone. To God then, in all things, be the glory. ORTLAND H. BODIE, Jr. Nassau, July 2, 2020
Strengthen Parliaments EDITOR, The Tribune. THE International Day of Parliaments was recognised on June 30. It is adequately clear that Parliaments have an important role to play in delivering governance which is effective both in terms of reducing poverty and in terms of building democracy. Strong parliaments are a cornerstone of democracy. They represent the voice of the people, pass laws, allocate funds to implement laws and policies, and hold governments to account. They work to make
sure that policies benefit all people, especially the most vulnerable. They also debate the big issues of the day. Parliaments also link international and national agendas, ensuring that governments implement international treaties and agreements that they sign up to. In developing countries, parliaments fail to discharge their duties effectively because of a number of insurmountable obstacles such as lack of adequate funding. Women in developing countries should also
be encouraged to become members of parliament and stimulate health and constructive debates in the parliaments. Only 25% of the world’s members of parliament are women. The stumbling blocks that stand in the way for women to stand as members of parliament should be eradicated so that more women will be attracted to stand as members of the parliaments. HANDSEN CHIKOWORE London, June 28, 2020.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 5
Abaco alarm over new shanty construction By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net ABACO residents are again sounding the alarm over unsanctioned construction in shanty town communities on the island, saying it is unfair some people are being allowed certain liberties, while others are being treated like “fourth class citizens” in their own country. This comes after Works Minister Desmond Bannister pledged the government will take all necessary action “within the law” to halt further unregulated development on Abaco. He was responding to aerial surveillance which circulated online this week, showing new construction taking place in a shanty town in the community, known as the Farm Road. Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, chairman of Treasure Cay local government Stephanie Hield said she estimated that some 200 illegal structures have been constructed in the Farm Road shanty town since Hurricane Dorian in early September. “According to the pictures that I posted, from the drone footage, in one area it could be over 200. This is the Farm Road in Treasure Cay. It’s not being constructed; it’s already constructed,” she said. Residents are concerned if the matter is not dealt with soon it could mirror the pre-Dorian situation which saw several large unregulated shanty towns on the island. “This has been going on and it’s still continuously going on from since the storm,” said Mrs Hield. “These homes were being built and I’ve been inquiring for nine months (into the issue). “... It’s about right or wrong here because if you come into our country, we want you to abide by the (rules) because if you go into other people country, we have to abide by their rules and regulations.” Roscoe Thompson, head
THE EXTENSIVE damage and destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in The Mudd, in Abaco, after Hurricane Dorian. of Marsh Harbour/Spring communities, the Minnis second homeowners on the everyone has to (be) hush awarded island. hush.” City Council, added: “Where administration “It’s between the NGOs, Ms Hield also said she is police, where is immigra- contracts to several comtion on this matter? Those panies last year. Several the second homeowners have reached out to variare questions I would like shanty towns, including in Treasure Cay. Some are ous officials, but nothing to know. Why are we now The Mudd, Pigeon Peas, buying but you have build- has been done to rectify the allowing this to pop up?... Sandbanks, has since been ings that was destroyed in issue. Treasure Cay and they are She told The Tribune: You don’t allow them cleared. However, Minister of taking all the scrap wood “We have had officials because the Mudd and the Peas is destroyed to go down State for Disaster Pre- from those and they’re accompany us twice to the paredness, Management building,” she said. farm so we could show to the Farm Road.” Noting the situation as them because they have a Before Hurricane Dorian and Reconstruction Iram decimated them last year, Lewis previously said unfair, she added: “Our section where all the homes shanty towns across Abaco officials have faced obsta- homes were destroyed and are being built named had more than 1,000 homes cles in clearing the Farm we are now in the process hidden valley. And unless and an estimated popula- Road shanty town com- of rebuilding and we had you know where you’re tion size of 3,500, according munity due to it being to go through all the plans going into the farm, you occupied by a number of going to Environmental would pass hidden valley to government reports. Health, the Ministry of and think its just bushes.” However, two weeks inhabitants. Asked yesterday where Works, going through all “You have to go in with after the storm hit the island, the government people may have gotten of the procedures and all somebody to show you issued an immediate ban on the materials to build the the other Bahamians are how to manoeuvre through the construction of any new illegal homes, Ms Hield going through the same there. But, like I said, this and these has been going on and it’s buildings in the four major said she believed shan- procedures tytown dwellers were people could come into still continuously going on.” shanty towns on Abaco. Speaking to Tribune To assist with the receiving building supplies our country and they could debris removal in the from different NGO’s and do what they feel like and Business on Wednesday,
Mr Bannister said the government was somewhat restricted in the action it could take given that persons are still living in the area. He also said officials were also restricted by previous Supreme Court orders obtained by human rights activists, which blocks the the government from demolishing shanty towns in the country. Still, he promised the government will mobilise all relevant agencies to deal with the issue. He said: “Cabinet is very concerned by what we saw happening in essentially one location in Abaco. Cabinet is very concerned about it, and I believe you will see some action in relation to that shortly with any number of government agencies.”
PHA SAYS FUNDING PLAYED PART IN INTERNS LEAVING from page one begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of each year with no change in this practice during the 2020 fiscal year,” PHA said. “The PHA finds it regrettable that the Bahamas Doctors Union (BDU) would seek to mislead the public regarding the employment status of
junior doctors. We realise and appreciate the disappointment that may be caused by the fact that our current fiscal status does not allow unlimited hiring. The PHA recognises the innumerable contributions and sacrifices of the house officers to our institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the financial impact of this pandemic
has significantly altered our course and reduced our operations budget for 2020 and beyond.” In a statement posted to its Facebook page, the BDU said the current debacle exists because the authority failed to complete the process of hiring new interns. “Whereas all other teaching intuitions throughout the Caribbean
— Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados — informed their new graduates of their posting two weeks ago, PHA has failed to do so. To cover their error, they asked the current interns to remain on staff for two possibly three weeks while they get their act together. When they were exposed, they withdrew the offer. Worse, they have indicated that
it is not their intent to promote all the current interns,” the BDU said. The union said the situation is unprecedented because the hospital is without interns and departments must now scramble to find additional help to care for patients. The union wrote: “Could you imagine the fallout if we have a surge of COVI19 cases? Did someone
drop the ball? Who will be held accountable for this? No matter what statements PHA produces, intelligent people know that if there are no interns in hospital, and PHA does not know who it will hire, these physicians are out of a job.” PHA said interns from 2019-2020 are eligible to apply for vacant senior house officer positions as of July 10.
$60M PAID OUT TO 34,000 UNEMPLOYED THE National Insurance Board has now paid over 34,000 unemployment benefit claimants more than $60m in benefits. This number continues to grow daily, NIB said in a statement. “Most recipients have received eight to ten weeks of benefit, as NIB prepares to process payments up to the 13 weeks maximum over the next week for many recipients,” the agency said. “However, NIB has found a number of cases where the benefit has been suspended automatically in the system, pending manual verifications of continued unemployment or because contributions continued to
be paid by the employer following the lay off dates. In many cases, the contributions had been paid in error and the benefit payments will be allowed to proceed.” To address these matters, NIB said it has been working closely with its IT vendor to make the necessary changes which are expected to be resolved by the end of this week. NIB said the unemployment benefit is paid at the rate of 50 percent of the average insured wages for a period of up to 13 weeks. The maximum unemployment weekly benefit is therefore $335 per week, that is 50 percent of wage ceiling of $670. The wage ceiling is
NIB Satellite Office at The National Stadium. adjusted biennially to keep pace with inflation, NIB said, adding it has fielded a number of complaints from customers in this regard. People are only eligible
for the unemployment benefit (UEB) if they have at least 52 contributions filed with NIB, and meet the contribution criteria. Customers are ineligible for
Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff the unemployment benefit if they are age 65 years or older. “NIB has noted the increase in complaints with respect to unemployment
payments and advises that a team has been established to review each complaint received and to advise the customer accordingly,” the agency said.
PAGE 6, Friday, July 3, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
CONCERN AT CLEAN-UP HALT AT EQUINOR OIL SPILL SITE
THE EQUINOR site with oil spillage in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ACTIVISTS say no clean up is being done at the Equinor oil spill site where an estimated 55,000 barrels of oil were released at its South Riding Point facility in East Grand Bahama during Hurricane Dorian. Environmental representatives of Save the Bays
and Waterkeepers Bahamas visited the site yesterday to assess the area and to see if cleanup operations had resumed. “Nothing is being done out there – it is so reprehensible,” said Joseph Darville, of Save the Bays, on returning from a four-hour assessment of the affected forest near the oil terminal. Mr Darville said that vegetation, particularly
LEGAL FIGHT TO DEFEND PARTY MARINE from page one liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or any less punishment authorised by this Act.” Article 15 of the Constitution addresses fundamental rights and freedoms of people. Mr Munroe, QC, is also seeking damages for the alleged breach of his clients rights under the constitution, an injunction restraining the RBDF and the Office of the Attorney General from further breaching his client’s constitutional rights and an order requiring RBDF Commodore Raymond King to reveal what evidence and advice he used “to satisfy himself that he should lay the aforesaid charges against” his client. Earlier this week, Mr Munroe told The Tribune he expects to file an affidavit in the case soon. “If a marine is doing something off duty, out of uniform, in a private residence, assuming this is her, which is something she does not admit, then will this action not breach her
constitutional rights to freedom of association?” he said. “It’s clear she hasn’t made any tape and hasn’t distributed it, so how can the actions be contrary to discipline? “How a marine or officer dances in private, how can that ever impact the discipline of the force? They can’t regulate completely private behaviour that has no connection to the discharge of their duties. They can restrict their freedom of association to an extent but they can’t do it willy nilly. “They claim that this is her in this video, they claim the video was made during the emergency period. They claim that if it was made during the state of emergency that it breaches the lockdown laws and that it is prejudicial to discipline. But if you get a video and you do not have the original copy, how do you know when the video was made? How do you know where it is made and if you only see buttocks in your face, how do your put a face to that buttocks and how do you know it isn’t photoshopped?”
the native fern, “is growing back thick covering a lot of the oil sitting on the ground.” Rashema Ingraham, of Waterkeepers Bahamas, said they conducted an eco-risk assessment in the area to identify threats and suggest a remediation plan. They collected samples and have hired an expert assessor who will later
provide a review of those samples. She said: “Because it’s ongoing and we have no results yet it would be premature to comment further, especially without expert review. We’ve hired an expert assessor to provide his opinion based on our samples. When all is completed, we can speak further about what we’ve done. However, there
was no visible presence of cleanup or remediation/ replanting exercises being done by Equinor while we were there.” Equinor officials this week said that they remain committed to the cleanup operation. In January, Mr Darville accused the government of putting the Equinor oil spill on the “back burner,” claiming at
the time that he witnessed a “very minor amount” of clean up done in the forest near the South Riding Point site. It has been suggested that the clean up was halted in recent weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spill occurred when roofs were blown off Equinor’s storage tanks as Hurricane Dorian pounded Grand Bahama in early September 2019.
NESBITT ANNOUNCED AS NEW BAIC CHAIRMAN THE government announced yesterday that a new chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation has been appointed effective July 1. Rocky Nesbitt has replaced former general manager Benjamin Rahming who retired in last August. Bahamas Information Services said in a statement yesterday: “In welcoming Mr Nesbitt as the new general manager of BAIC, (BAIC Chairman) Bishop Gregory Colliesaid the board is confident in Mr Nesbitt’s ability to navigate the corporation through today’s changing landscape and to lead BAIC into the future successfully. Bishop Collie described
Mr Nesbitt as an ‘energetic young man with a wealth of experience in strategic planning who has been mandated to make changes at BAIC where necessary in the best interest of the corporation.” “Mr Nesbitt previously served as project coordinator in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for several projects associated with the Over-the-Hill Community Development Initiative program, geared towards restoring and transforming the environs and improving the socio-economic conditions of the residents of Bain Town, Grant’s Town and Centerville. “Mr Nesbitt also served as a project team member with the Bahamas
ROCKY NESBITT Investment Authority currently lectures in busiand the National Eco- ness, criminal justice and nomic Council, a unit communications disciplines that takes decisions on at Southern College.” “Mr Nesbitt holds an foreign direct investment MBA from Nova Southapplications. “In this position, Mr Nes- eastern University, BA in bitt had responsibility for criminal justice from Florthe management of foreign ida Memorial University, direct investment project a Caribbean Development inspection site visits and Bank certificate in policy town hall meetings on New cycle management and he Providence and the Family is currently pursuing a project management institute Islands.” “He began his career in project management progovernment as an educator fessional certification.” “Mr Nesbitt is the presiin the Ministry of Education and was able to progress dent of the ‘Marathon to the position of lecturer Cares,’ a non-profit organiin the Training Institute sation that assists and of the Bahamas Depart- supports the residents in ment of Corrections. He the Marathon area.”
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THE TRIBUNE
Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 7
40,000 MEALS LATER MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
MUSIC legend Julien Believe, far left, with Graycliff founder Enrico Garzaroli, centre seated, Kay-Kay, Van Kei, Lok-Tong, owner and president of Central Supercentre, and real estate guru Mario Carey, background, sharing the love as Pasta Fridays wrapped up on June 26 after serving almost 40,000 free meals.
A COLLABORATION to help feed the hungry in the era of COVID-19 has served almost 40,000 meals over the past nine weeks. The scheme started as a conversation between restauranteur Paolo Garzaroli of Graycliff, and real estate businessman Mario Carey - about how to help feed the hungry. It morphed into Pasta Fridays and ended last week with cheers, tears and music. “We served almost 40,000 meals,” said Mr Carey. It was Mr Carey who
approached his friend, Mr Garzaroli, with what seemed like an almost impossible request – to turn the Garzaroli family’s luxury hotel and restaurant into a feeding kitchen for whoever wanted to come and collect food every Friday. Within days, the restaurant complete with chefs and staff who had been furloughed, sponsors such as Central Supercentre and Carey’s real estate team were in the kitchen prepping food for collection.
‘Killing time’ smoking drug lands teen in court By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A TEENAGER charged with marijuana possession yesterday told a judge he was smoking the drug “to kill time”. Tarron Hepburn, 19, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney after officers seized two grams of Indian hemp from him on June 20. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to exhibit good behaviour for six months. If Hepburn is convicted
within that timeframe, he will be fined $500 or risk spending one month at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. During the hearing, Hepburn was asked why he had the drug in his possession when it was illegal. In response, he told the magistrate that he had the marijuana “to smoke to kill time” because he “didn’t have anything to do.” Still, he said the next time he was bored, he would “think back on the moment” he was charged. Ventoi Bethune, 26, also
appeared before Magistrate McKinney after officers found five grams of Indian hemp on his person on June 18. He also pleaded guilty and was ordered to keep the peace for six months. If he fails to do so, he will be fined $750 or spend two months at BDCS. Prosecutor Kendrick Bauld said around 2.30pm on the day in question, officers on mobile patrol in the Carmichael Road area observed a car driving with dark tinted windows. They beckoned for the vehicle
to stop and informed the driver, Bethune, that they would be conducting a search in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms. Sgt Bauld said a search of Bethune’s vehicle came back negative; however, when the officers searched his person, they found three Ziploc bags containing suspected marijuana taped to his body. He was subsequently arrested. In an interview with police at a nearby station, he claimed that smoking marijuana was a part of his religion. Meanwhile, Nils Kelly,
45, was charged after he was found with two grams of Indian hemp on June 20. He pleaded guilty to simple possession and was bound to keep the peace for six months. Still, Magistrate McKinney warned him that if he was convicted of a criminal offence during that time, he would be fined $500 or spend six months in prison. When given an opportunity to speak yesterday, Kelly claimed that he had the drug for personal use because he had arthritis in his leg. In response, Magistrate
McKinney advised Kelly that he needed to go to a doctor to prescribe a legal pain medication, until the law legalised the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Officers seized one gram of Indian hemp from Bradley Frazier, 33, on June 18. He pleaded guilty and claimed that he had the drug to smoke when he got home from work. During his hearing, Frazier was bound to keep the peace for six months. If he doesn’t, he will be fined $500 or spend one month at BDCS.
MAN JAILED AFTER GUN AND AMMUNITION FOUND IN CAR By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN was sentenced to more than two years in prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to illegal firearm and ammunition possession. Latario Rolle, 25, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and ammunition after officers found a black .45mm glock pistol and 13 live rounds of .45 ammunition in his vehicle on June 29. Prosecutor Kendrick Bauld said that officers were on foot patrol around 5pm on the day
in question, when they observed a vehicle driving on Bay Street. He said when the driver looked in the officers’ direction, he began to act in a suspicious manner. As a result, the officers beckoned for the vehicle to stop and asked the driver, Rolle, to exit the vehicle. He was then informed that he and his car would be searched for dangerous drugs and firearms. During their search, officers found a pistol under the driver’s seat of the car. Rolle was subsequently arrested and taken to a nearby station. In an interview with police there, he claimed that he had found the pistol
earlier and had placed it in his vehicle. During the hearing, Rolle told the magistrate that his actions were not intentional and it was “one of the stupidest mistakes” he had ever made in his life. In response, Magistrate McKinney told him while the court considered his immediate plea of guilt and expression of remorse, it also had to weigh those things against the aggravating factors. With that in mind, he told Rolle that there seemed to be a “prevalence” of firearms in society and added that it appeared to be the “weapon of choice” for many homicides.
TEENAGER ACCUSED OF RAPING WOMAN By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A TEENAGER was remanded to prison yesterday over allegations he raped a woman last week. Indico Bethel, 18, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged with one count of rape after he was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 24-year-old woman without her consent on June 24. Bethel was not required to enter a plea and the
matter was adjourned to September 4 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until trial. He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail. In a separate case, a 34-year-old man was charged with attempted rape. Jamaal Bain appeared before Magistrate McKinney after he was accused
of attempting to having sex with an 18-year-old without her consent on May 5. During the hearing, he was not required to enter a plea and the matter was adjourned to September 4 for service of a VBI. Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim. Bain, who is represented by attorney Keith Seymour, also has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.
ABACO RESTAURANT SHUT DOWN OVER 8PM CLOSURE By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net AN Abaco restaurant was shut down and the owner could face prosecution after allegedly failing to close at 8pm as mandated by the COVID-19 emergency orders. According to police, shortly after 11pm on Wednesday police and defence force officers
went to a restaurant on S C Bootle Highway which was open and a number of patrons were at the premises not adhering to COVID-19 orders. Superintendent Terecita Pinder said the business was immediately shut down and the owner of the establishment was warned of prosecution. Supt Pinder stressed all business owners must adhere to the COVID-
19 emergency orders that require them to shut down their businesses at 8pm, and that customers must adhere to social distancing and wear a mask or face covering. She warned that failure to comply would result in persons being summoned to appear in Magistrate’s Court, where they may be subject to a fine or imprisonment at the Department of Correctional Services, or both.
MAN ARRESTED OVER DRUGS AND CASH DISCOVERY By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net GRAND Bahama police arrested a man in connection with the seizure of a quantity of dangerous drugs and the discovery of thousands of
dollars in cash at a residence in Eight Mile Rock on Wednesday. According to reports, shortly after 7pm a team of officers from the Drug Enforcement Unit and the Customs Department acting on information went to a house in Seagrape,
EMR where a quantity of suspected marijuana and over $7,000 in cash were discovered. Police arrested a male occupant of the residence who is expected to be formally charged in the EMR Magistrate’s Court this week.
For that reason he sentenced Rolle to 30 months in prison for count one and one year in prison
for count two. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently. After he was sentenced,
Rolle asked the magistrate if he could kiss his mother before he was taken into custody.
PAGE 8, Friday, July 3, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
IT’S MINNIS V MINNIS IN THE LOCKDOWN BATTLE A dialogue in lockdown between the PM, the Minister of Health (the MOH) and the Competent Authority First Part The PM: My two fellow Bahamians, it’s fallen on we three to sort this COVID-19 mess out. What suggestions do we have for us today? The MOH: Well, honourable PM, so far we have done a good job fighting this vexing virus. May I now suggest we be wise and open our borders to international travel slowly? The Competent Authority: Slowly? I think we can start to speed things up now. In case we haven’t noticed, it’s time to make money. And fast! Phase 5 time! The MOH: I know, I know we need to make money. But like we said, we have done a great job so far, and I’m just a little concerned about these terrible Covid numbers coming out of the US, in particular
A Comic’s View
By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA
Florida, where many of these flights are coming from... The Competent Authority: Flights? You still talking about flights? The MOH: Well, our predecessor did have to be force-resigned over a flight situation, remember? The one that brought in untested foreigners? The Competent Authority: True. But our predecessor wasn’t us. You want permission? Done. You got it. We are the law now, in case you haven’t noticed. The MOH: Right. That’s true. But if there’s a spike, will the people blame us? The Competent Authority: Blame who? Was it us not social distancing at Fish Fry, shaking up in the club out East with no mask, or pack up like sardines in the restaurant out West? The MOH: No, but... The Competent Authority: Exactly! Didn’t we already say these young people, the superspreaders,
would be the ones to blame if there’s a spike? The MOH: That’s true, but how can we sell that? People will say it’s because we opened our borders too soon. The Competent Authority: No they won’t. All we have to do is pick up some of these curfew breakers, non-mask wearers, and those young, party animals. We will blame them. And they will get fined, of course. The PM: Speaking of the fines, do you think they’re too high? Florida only fines $50 for not wearing face masks. Will the people think we are being too harsh in these hard times? The Competent Authority: Too harsh? Listen, we didn’t hire up all these extra police, flood Bay Street with them, and create an Enforcement unit for nuttin’! We ga need that lil ting, and we will get it from these lawbreakers! The PM: That was your call. Or, I guess, our call.
‘By the way, we ga need to backtrack on that part about everyone getting a test before they are allowed in. Our boy, the Minister of Tourism, needs some leeway to let kids in untested, and maybe a rich friend or two if the situation arises. It’s for the good of the economy.’ Anyway, I can’t believe the resort pushed back their opening date. Doesn’t that make us look foolish? Like we’re rushing too fast? The Competent Authority: Not at all. We are the law, you know, so if we say it’s time to open, it’s time to open! The MOH: Now that you mention the law, some people were asking about our justification for the curfew. It’s not like the virus goes away at night and comes back in the morning. The Competent Authority: Your point? We can tolerate no slackness! If people want to go out at night to go ‘sweethearting’...
or whatever, they better do it in the day. And if COVID start spreading again, we will lock this place back down faster than Ash running to court. The MOH: So it’s settled then. We open up to everyone and let the chips fall where they may? The PM: Talking about chips, I still can’t believe that other casino lay off all those people. Where’s their compassion? We really have to wonder if they have a heart, or a soul. The Competent Authority: I know, but we can’t be distracted now. Or backtrack. Cause we are competent, and
backtracking looks incompetent. So we move forward. By the way, we ga need to backtrack on that part about everyone getting a test before they are allowed in. Our boy, the Minister of Tourism, needs some leeway to let kids in untested, and maybe a rich friend or two if the situation arises. It’s for the good of the economy. The MOH: Yes, but young people are the top asymptomatic carriers. This may be a problem. The Competent Authority: Problem? There’s only a problem if we say there’s a problem. We are the law now, ya know? The MOH: Then I guess we are in agreement. The Ministry of Health supports the full reopening of the country to any and every visitor, from anywhere and everywhere. The Competent Authority: Yes, we are in agreement. So long as they have money to spend in our islands, or, at the very least, to pay these fines, we welcome them! And even though, technically, I’m the final word, I will let you have it my PM. The PM: I wonder why these businesses laying off so many people and making my job so hard? Do they not have a heart...or a soul?
READERS HAVE THEIR SAY ON THE WEEK’S STORIES Readers have been posting their responses to this week’s stories on tribune242.com. After Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business it was “anyone’s guess” when visitor bookings and volumes will return to pre-pandemic levels, Proudloudandfnm had this to say: “This isn’t making sense. If there’s no business why are our borders open? You’re risking a major surge allowing even a few Americans to come in and they can’t actually help our economy. Why? You look like idiots, you declare we’ll open July 1, then the hotels decide you’re an idiot so they’re just gonna stay closed. And you stick with this dumb plan? Why? Because Minnis is more afraid of looking bad than saving lives? Anyone that dies because of this dumb re-opening, their death is on your hands . . . Close the borders. Or at least close us to countries THAT
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ARE SURGING OUT OF CONTROL . . .” ThisIsOurs said: “I hope they realise how difficult it will be to book a flight and test with a 7 day window. The test results take a week to be returned. The people here now are operating on the 10 day window. Who plans this stuff???? There are Bahamians abandoned by the govt from March still trying to get home.” The news that Atlantis has pushed its reopening back a further three weeks to July 30 prompted this comment from Honestman: “Atlantis plays safe and delays opening. The government of The Bahamas puts all its remaining chips on red! Bold or reckless?” That prompted this response from Tribanon: “Reckless beyond comprehension!” And after PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis slammed the Minnis administration’s COVID-19 plans, saying the government is not doing enough to protect residents as the borders reopen, Moncurcool said: “Someone needs to tell Davis that when you talk
too much and want to say something on everything each day, that people begin to ignore and tune you out. When you get in front of a mic let it be few and something of substance you say. Davis needs to stop blowing hot air and learn to think before he talks, and stop just being political and opposing for opposing sake.” Tetelestai replied to that comment with this: “Ok, I will bite. What exactly did he say here that was hot air? In fact, he seems to be saying much of what you said in another post. I will go further, forget petty politics, every concerned Bahamian should be thinking what he is saying in this article.” And TigerB said: “Right now the country is broke, I see NIB still trying to give out more free money vouchers, I admire that. I believe it’s a risk to open but it’s also a risk to stay closed. The news reported tonight wonderful increases in flights to Nassau in the coming days and weeks, If we do due diligence with those visitors we should be fine. Brave cried fowl on the testing too, but 18 days without a case is extremely good, compared to Florida next door.” • Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 9
THE REMAINS of a green sea turtle wrapped in plastic.
Good riddance to that planetkilling piece of throwaway plastic WITH eyes on COVID19, the economic fall-out and an attempt to re-open the borders, it would have been easy to overlook a major milestone this week – crunch time. July 1, 2020, time to kiss those single-use plastics goodbye. Seriously GOODBYE. As in forever, as in I never want to lay eyes on, or hear the sound of a knife scraping a piece of chicken in a screechy Styrofoam carry-out container again. As far as I am concerned, that was a product which should never have come about in the first place and can’t be done away with fast enough. It wasn’t just the screech of that god-awful worst of all plastics that came to an end this week. Single-use plastic bags, forks, knives, spoons and straws joined single-use Styrofoam containers as the official single use plastic ban came into force after more than two years of threats and promises. If you were taken by surprise that it was for real, finally, that single-use plastics were as welcome as a guest without a mask, maybe you napped for about a thousand days right through the efforts of a Cabinet minister named Romauld ‘Romi’ Ferreira. Ferreira gave us plenty of warning. It was in his manifesto - or whatever he called it - when he ran for office in Marathon in 2017 and which was reaffirmed when he was elected and appointed to Cabinet later that year. He reaffirmed it again in 2018 and in 2019 and gave shopkeepers, wholesalers and other bulk users six months to use up or get rid of their stock. Still, some said they were caught by surprise. Surprise? But, what the heck, that’s how we go. We
By Diane Phillips never get enough warning. We need more time. How come we don’t need more time when they say they are going to open the beaches or increase NIB pension payments? We only need more time when we know we have to do something we don’t want to do. So let’s take a quick step back. We know why plastic is bad. It does not degrade (and even biodegradable plastic only breaks down into smaller pieces). It chokes landfills, harms marine, bird and wildlife. It takes vast amounts of harmful energy to produce, adding to climate change. It clogs entire systems, smothers coral reefs as garbage, is made from non-renewable resources and exacerbates extreme algae growth leading to eutrophication. That’s only a partial list. But it was a good enough list of what’s bad to motivate others to initiate a partial or complete ban long before The Bahamas. Bangladesh was first, as far back as 2002 because of health reasons stemming from plastics clogging drains. In our region, Antigua and Barbuda were among the leaders in 2016 with Antigua stiffening fines for violations two years later. On March 1, the state of New York banned single use plastic bags after New Yorkers had been tearing through 23 billion of the thin throwaways a year. Who hasn’t seen the horror photos of Great
BOB MARLEY LIVES ON IF YOU recall the famous line ‘A hungry man is an angry man’ you’ll appreciate even more how important efforts like the Bahamas Feeding Network and Lend a Hand are. You’ll understand why the government created the Food Security Task Force. You’ll applaud the individual initiatives like Mario Carey and the Better Homes and Gardens real estate team, Paolo Garzaroli, the chefs and family members of Graycliff and a woman named Kay-Kay of Bahamas Supercenter who together prepped and
served nearly 40,000 meals over a nine-week period. Not because anyone asked them to. Just because they knew the need was there. Bob Marley said it in a voice that cried out, reminding us that hunger and anger are only a few letters apart. As for the sign, I spotted it at NRG on West Bay Street where it still sits on a counter reminding us that as we feed ourselves, we might just want to pick up a little extra for the man, the woman, the child who treads that fine line between an empty belly and a hard heart.
Pacific Garbage Patch, an island larger than France that is nothing but plastic trash? When China - which used to import nearly half of all the world’s garbage to recycle and manufacture everything from chairs to shoes - stopped accepting trash as it tried to clean up
its own water and air, the world was faced with a new dilemma – how to maintain a level of quick consumerism with no quick way to package and carry the goods? It was an interesting dilemma. How to maintain the pace of consumerism reliant of packaging when the number one recipient of the packaging remains no longer wanted them? With no place to send its trash, the world really had no choice but to make less of it and thus – the ban. So washable, re-useable hat’s off to Ferreira, his team and his determination to do the right thing for the right reasons at the right time. We
‘Some said they were caught by surprise. Surprise? But, what the heck, that’s how we go. We never get enough warning. We need more time. How come we don’t need more time when they say they are going to open the beaches or increase NIB pension payments? We only need more time when we know we have to do something we don’t want to do.’ will get used to carrying our own bags to pick up lunch or toothpaste just as we already have going into the food store. And may we be forever spared from the screech of plastic knife against Styrofoam which should take its
place in a museum of ideas alongside the first Hoover vacuum that we were told made life so much easier, helping housewives because they could push a button and make their vacuum recline, getting into all those hard-to-clean places.
PAGE 10, Friday, July 3, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Russia’s wild decade which left Yeltsin in charge By ADRIAN CAMPBELL Senior lecturer in international development, University of Birmingham BY SECURING victory in a national vote on constitutional changes, Vladimir Putin could now remain president of Russia until 2036 if he chooses to stand again. After 20 years in power, the narrative of Russia’s chaotic 1990s remains core to Putin’s legitimacy as the leader who restored stability. Although the decade still divides public opinion, what’s not in doubt is that it was a dangerous and exciting period. The ambiguity of the 90s is summed up by the then-popular Russian word, bespredel, the title of a 1989 prison drama meaning anarchic freedom and unaccountable authority. At the time, Russia’s turbulent post-Soviet transition was seen as a lurid sideshow to a stable postcold war west. A generation later, the uncertainties of that period have a wider resonance than they did at the time.
DEMISE OF THE DEMOCRATS The 1990s began with the Soviet Union’s first multiparty elections in March 1990 when Boris Yeltsin emerged as leader of Russia. It ended, punctually, on December 31, 1999, when Yeltsin resigned in favour of Putin, his designated successor. The decade included two failed coups in 1991 and 1993, and the abolition of both the ruling Communist Party and the USSR. Massive economic dislocation occurred as Soviet economic ties were severed, a market economy was created and shock therapy accompanied by mass privatisation. The social impact was immense. Life expectancy fell, with up to five million excess adult deaths in Russia in 1991-2001, birth
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin pictured yesterday. rates collapsed and both of these trends were compounded by widespread crime and trafficking. These negative effects were concentrated in periods of economic crisis in 1991-94 and 1998-99. Sharply rising inequality and the emergence of a new wealthy class, including some leading reformers, meant that the term “democrat” had become a term of abuse as early as 1992. Listen to Recovery, a series from The Anthill Podcast, to hear more about how the world recovered from past crises, including an episode on the post-Soviet transition in the 1990s.
ST PETERSBURG’S REFORMERS My own research from that period shows how the concentration of power was a trend right from the
beginning of the reforms. It was from part of the reform movement itself that the style of government associated with Putin emerged. I arrived in St Petersburg in 1991, expecting to study the conflict between democratic and communist ideologies. Instead, I found that the conflict was between two groups of reformers – those who supported strong executive rule and those in favour of representative or parliamentary rule. It was a re-match of the 19th century Russian debate between protagonists of state and society. In both cases it was the statists who won. For advocates of strong executive rule, such as the leading reformer and mayor of St Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak – under whom Putin served as deputy – elected councillors were an obstacle to efficient governance. All reformers united in
Photo: Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP opposing the attempted coup by hardline Soviets in August 1991, but from then on the split in the reform camp between the advocates of executive and representative powers grew wider. It culminated in October 1993, in a brief armed conflict between president and parliament. The parliamentary forces were mostly anti-liberal nationalists, but they were also supported by councils. Among them was the reformer-led St Petersburg council, then deep in a legal conflict with Sobchak, its former chair, over what councillors saw as his excessive concentration of power. Yeltsin ordered his forces to fire on the parliament to quell the attempted coup. With parliament defeated, most regional and city councils across the country were dissolved and replaced by assemblies with reduced powers. The conflict between
Sobchak and his former allies continued until his death in 1999. By then his former deputy, Putin had reached the apex of executive power at national level taking many of Sobchak’s St Petersburg team to form the core of his Kremlin administration.
POWER, CONCENTRATED Concentration of power at all levels of the hierarchy meant a more intensive zero-sum struggle to win it, rather than the compromises inherent to parliamentary systems. Higher stakes meant aggressive mobilisation of media for an information war became a feature of 1990s electoral politics at regional level, following the pattern of the 1996 presidential election. By then, the corruption associated with privatisation
had made Yeltsin and the reformers unpopular – and many feared the communists would return to power. The democrats had to resort to desperate measures. Every possible resource was mobilised to ensure that Yeltsin was re-elected – including deals with powerful oligarchs with large media empires. The communists were defeated but the price was endemic cynicism about the democratic process. The Yeltsin presidency remained beholden to Russia’s regional governors and the oligarchs. It fell to Putin to curtail the powers of these groups, campaigning in 2000 under the slogan of “the dictatorship of law”. That such a slogan could have popular support shows the degree to which the public had become disillusioned in the late 1990s. However, the direction towards concentration of power had been set almost a decade before Putin was elected president. Russia’s reformers of the 90s largely achieved the irreversible economic change they wanted. They were less successful in creating a positive narrative for the new Russia. Reform had seemed to be based on the idea that Russia needed to learn as much as possible from the west. Over time, disillusion with this idealised view of the west grew and public opinion became more nationalistic. By the late 1990s, nationalism was both a threat and an opportunity. As in the era of Putin’s reputed role model, Tsar Alexander III in the late 19th century, the policy appeared to be for nationalism to provide the state with an ideology while centralisation would contain it from getting out of hand. The new constitutional changes Putin has now introduced continue this dual path of greater concentration of power and emphasis on national identity and sovereignty – and both have their origins in the early 1990s. • Originally published on theconversation.com
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Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 11
EPSTEIN ASSOCIATE ARRESTED AND ACCUSED OF LURING GIRLS FOR SEX ABUSE BRITISH socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested yesterday on charges she helped lure at least three girls — one as young as 14 — to be sexually abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of victimising dozens of girls and women over many years. According to the indictment, Maxwell, who lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent companion on trips around the world, facilitated his crimes and on some occasions joined him in sexually abusing the girls. Epstein, 66, killed himself in a federal detention center in New York last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell has, for years, been accused by many women of acting as a madam for Epstein, helping him scout young girls for abuse, then hiring them to give him massages, during which the girls were pressured into sex acts. In one lawsuit, a woman alleged Maxwell was the “highest-ranking employee” of Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking enterprise. Those
accusations, until now, never resulted in criminal charges. The 58-year-old was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, where she was living on a wooded estate she purchased for $1m last December. The FBI had been keeping tabs on her after she disappeared from public view following Epstein’s arrest a year ago. “More recently we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago,” William Sweeney, head of the FBI’s New York office, told a news conference yesterday. Jennifer Araoz, who says Epstein raped her when she was 15, said she feared the financier’s ring of conspirators for years. “Now that the ring has been taken down, I know that I can’t be hurt anymore,” Araoz, now 33, said in a statement. “Day after day, I have waited for the news that Maxwell would be arrested and held accountable for her actions. Her arrest is a step in that direction, and
JEFFREY EPSTEIN
GHISLAINE MAXWELL
HPAKANT, Myanmar Associated Press
it truly means that the justice system didn’t forget about us.” The indictment, which was unsealed yesterday, included counts of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She was also accused of perjuring herself during a deposition in a civil lawsuit over alleged abuse. “Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable,” Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney in Manhattan, said. Messages were sent yesterday to several of Maxwell’s attorneys seeking comment. She has previously repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called some claims against her “absolute rubbish”. At a brief hearing yesterday, a magistrate judge ordered Maxwell to remain in custody while she is transferred to New York for a detention hearing there. Among the most sensational accusations was a claim by Virginia Roberts Giuffre that Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Britain’s Prince Andrew at her London townhouse. Giuffre bolstered her allegations with a picture of her, Andrew and Maxwell that she said was taken at the time. Andrew denied her story and Maxwell said in a deposition that Giuffre was “totally lying”. The prince was not mentioned in the indictment, and the charges covered Maxwell’s dealings with Epstein only from 1994 through 1997, a period
well before his alleged encounters with Giuffre in 2001. Strauss said she would “welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us”, but did not answer further questions pertaining to these charges and Andrew. The indictment focused on Epstein’s alleged abuse of three specific girls at his Manhattan mansion and other residences in Palm Beach, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico, and London. Their names were not revealed in court filings. Prosecutors’ allegations mirrored many claims from civil lawsuits against Maxwell, saying she would “entice and groom” minor girls by asking them about their lives, their schools and their families. “Through this process, Maxwell and Epstein enticed victims to engage in sexual activity with Epstein. In some instances, Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims,” according to the indictment. Maxwell is the daughter of a British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991 after falling off his yacht near the Canary Islands. At the time, he was facing allegations that he had illegally looted pension funds from his businesses. Maxwell was in an intimate relationship with Epstein for years and also was paid by him to manage his various properties, according to the indictment, which included a photograph of Epstein with his arm around Maxwell and his head nuzzling
hers. Strauss, at the news conference, stood silent, pointing at the picture as news crews captured the moment. Strauss promised the investigation was continuing and urged other victims to come forward. In a memo seeking Maxwell’s detention, prosecutors wrote that she “poses an extreme risk of flight”. Maxwell has three passports, is wealthy with lots of international connections, and has “absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence,” they wrote. Epstein was initially investigated in Florida and pleaded guilty to state charges in 2008 that allowed him to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. He was free a little after a year in prison. At the time, a federal prosecutor in Florida signed off on an agreement, initially filed in secret, that barred the federal government from charging “any potential co-conspirators of Epstein”. But Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney in Manhattan until he was fired last month, argued that federal prosecutors in New York were not bound by that agreement and brought a sweeping indictment against Epstein. Maxwell’s indictment was celebrated by lawyers for some Epstein accusers. “Today is a very good day,” said Brad Edwards, an attorney representing Giuffre and several other accusers.
COVID-19 CASES RISING IN 40 OF 50 STATES FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida Associated Press THE number of confirmed coronavirus cases per day in the US climbed to an all-time high of more than 50,000 on Thursday, with the infection curve rising in 40 out of 50 states in a reversal that has largely spared only the north-east. In another alarming indicator, 36 states are seeing an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. “I think we are going to be in a very difficult situation for at least a month,” said Dr Mary Jo Trepka, an epidemiologist at Florida International University, in one of the hardest-hit states. The surge has been blamed in part on Americans not wearing masks or following other social distancing rules as states lifted their lockdowns over the past few weeks. The US recorded 50,700 new cases, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That represents a doubling of the daily total over the past month and is higher even than what the country witnessed during the most lethal phase of the crisis in April and May, when the New York metropolitan area was easily the worst hot spot in the US. All but ten states are showing an upswing in newly reported cases
over the past 14 days, according to data compiled by the volunteer COVID Tracking Project. The outbreaks are most severe in Arizona, Texas and Florida, which together with California have re-closed or otherwise clamped back down on bars, restaurants and movie theaters over the past week or so. Nebraska and South Dakota were the only states outside the Northeast with a downward trend in cases. While some of the increases may be explained by expanded testing, other indicators are grim, too, including hospitalisations and positive test rates. Over the past two weeks, the percentage of positive tests has doubled in Georgia, Kansas, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina and Ohio. In Nevada, it has tripled. In Idaho, it is five times higher. In Texas, where cases in the past two weeks have swelled from around 2,400 a day to almost 8,100 on Wednesday, the positive rate ballooned from 8 percent to 14.5 percent. In Arizona, it has gone from 5.7 percent to 10.3 percent. The surge comes as Americans head into a Fourth of July holiday that health officials warn could add fuel to the outbreak by drawing big crowds. Many municipalities have canceled fireworks displays.
LANDSLIDE KILLS 162 IN MYANMAR
AT least 162 people were killed yesterday in a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, the worst in a series of deadly accidents at such sites in recent years that critics blame on the government’s failure to take action against unsafe conditions. The Myanmar Fire Service Department, which coordinates rescues and other emergency services, announced about 12 hours after the morning disaster that 162 bodies had been recovered from the landslide in Hpakant, the centre of the world’s biggest jade mining industry. The most detailed estimate of Myanmar’s jade industry said it generated about $31bn in 2014. Hpakant is a rough and remote area in Kachin state, 950 kilometers (600 miles) north of Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon. “The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud,” the Fire Service said. It said 54 injured people were taken to hospitals. The tolls announced by other state agencies and media lagged behind the fire agency, which was most closely involved. An unknown number of people are feared missing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep sadness at the deaths, sent condolences to families of the victims and Myanmar’s government and people.
OPPOSITION ALARM AT PUTIN VOTE A VOTE that cleared the way for President Vladimir Putin to rule Russia until 2036 was denounced yesterday by his political opponents as a “Pyrrhic victory” that will only further erode his support and legitimacy. Putin himself thanked voters for their “support and trust”, and repeated a message often a hallmark of his presidential campaigns. “We need internal stability and time for the reinforcing of the country, of all of its institutions,” the 67-year-old Putin said. According to election officials, nearly 78 percent of voters approved the constitutional amendments. Turnout was put at almost 68 percent. The amendment that allows Putin to run for two more six-year terms after his current one expires in 2024 were part of a package of constitutional changes that also outlaw same-sex marriage, mention “a belief in God as a core value” and emphasise the primacy of Russian law over international norms.
WATCHDOG WARNS ON VIRUS FEARS PUT TEXAS CONCERT ON ICE REPORT BLOCK VANILLA Ice cooled off plans for a concert in Texas after taking considerable heat for an event that sought to gather hundreds of fans in one of the nation’s coronavirus hot spots. The 1990s rapper with the hit single “Ice Ice Baby” had been scheduled to play a lakeside show just outside Austin today, but yesterday he announced it was being postponed. “Due to the increase in COVID-19 numbers in Austin we’re gonna move the concert to a better date,” Vanilla Ice tweeted.
“We were hoping for better Coronavirus numbers by July but Unfortunately the numbers have increased quite a bit so for the safety and health of everyone we’re going to stay home.” Barrett Brannam, who owns the venue where Vanilla Ice had been scheduled to play, said the performer — real name Robert Van Winkle — had expressed concern about the health of his fans and himself. Brannam said Saturday’s planned appearance by 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd also was postponed.
Beaches up and down California and Florida have been closed. Florida reported more than 10,000 new cases for the first time yesterday. That is six times higher than the daily count of less than a month ago. The state also reported 67 deaths for the second time in a week and 325 new hospitalisations, one of the biggest 24-hour jumps in Florida yet. “I’m discouraged because we didn’t act fast enough to shut things down, and we could have done a much better job getting a handle on the virus,” said Megan Archer, a 39-year-old woman from West Palm who lost her job with a county parks
department during the outbreak. Florida International’s Trepka said she is especially concerned about Fourth of July parties. “The behaviour of people this week will be very critical,” she said. “People really have to avoid congregating in groups and be sure to wear masks.” Meanwhile, the government reported that US unemployment fell to 11.1 percent in June as the economy added a solid 4.8 million jobs. But that figure may be outdated: The data was collected during the second week of June, before many states began to backtrack on restarting their economies.
A GOVERNMENT watchdog says the Commerce Department is trying to block the findings of an investigation into the agency’s role in rebuking forecasters who contradicted President Donald Trump’s inaccurate claims about the path of Hurricane Dorian last year. The accusation comes from Peggy Gustafson, the inspector general for the Commerce Department, who wrote a memo expressing “deep concern” that release of the report was being blocked. It’s the latest turn in a saga that led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to chastise government forecasters who contradicted the president after he posted inaccurate information about the hurricane’s path across the southern United States. Trump later displayed a Sharpie-altered forecast map in the Oval Office to defend his inaccurate tweet.
PAGE 12, Friday, July 3, 2020
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WORLD ATHLETICS FREEZES RUSSIA PANELS BECAUSE OF UNPAID FINE MONACO (AP) — The programme allowing Russian track athletes to compete internationally will be frozen because the country’s federation failed to pay a fine on time, World Athletics said yesterday. The Russian track federation, known as RusAF, owes a $5 million fine and another $1.31 million in costs for various doping-related work and legal wrangles. World Athletics said RusAF missed Wednesday’s deadline to pay. World Athletics said it would freeze the work of the Doping Review Board, which vets Russian athletes who want the “authorised neutral athlete” status that allows
them to compete internationally, and its taskforce monitoring RusAF’s anti-doping reforms. World Athletics said both bodies will be “put on hold” until its council meets to discuss the situation at the end of July. If the situation isn’t resolved soon, it could mean Russian athletes like world champions Mariya Lasitskene and Anzhelika Sidorova are shut out when the Diamond League restarts next month. “RusAF is letting its athletes down badly,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a statement. “We have done as much as we can to expedite our
ANA process and support RusAF with its reinstatement plan, but seemingly to no avail.” RusAF president Yevgeny Yurchenko earlier told the Tass state news agency that his federation’s finances were damaged by the coronavirus pandemic and that it had asked for more time to pay. World Athletics’ statement didn’t directly address that issue, but said Russia hadn’t indicated when it would pay. Russia was fined $10 million by World Athletics in March, with $5 million suspended for two years, after the federation admitted to breaking anti-doping rules and obstructing an investigation.
The Athletics Integrity Unit said fake documents were used under the previous management to give high jumper Danil Lysenko an alibi for missing a doping test. Russians with neutral status won six medals at last year’s world championships, including gold for Lasitskene in the high jump and for Sidorova in the pole vault. They need to have that status re-issued each year, but World Athletics hasn’t approved any applications in 2020. That’s because of the lack of competitions during the coronavirus pandemic and World Athletics’ desire to review the system after
the case involving Lysenko, who held neutral status. Top-level international track and field resumes next month with the first regular, non-exhibition Diamond League meet of the year in Monaco. Russia has been suspended from World Athletics, formerly named the IAAF, since 2015. That followed evidence of widespread doping. Russia appeared on track to be reinstated last year before the then-RusAF president Dmitry Shlyakhtin and six others, including Lysenko, were charged over the alleged use of fake documents. Those cases are still awaiting hearings.
Hamilton calls out rival teams for being silent on racism By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton called out rival teams yesterday for not doing enough to combat racism, and said the sport still needs to push for more diversity. Hamilton has spoken widely about racism in recent weeks following the killing of George Floyd -- a handcuffed and unarmed Black man -- by a police officer in Minneapolis in May. And Hamilton’s Mercedes team will be competing in an all-black car — instead of the usual silver — as a statement against racism when the season starts on Sunday in Austria. But Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1, said he’d like to hear more from other teams — and criticised some sports figures for only jumping on social media bandwagons instead of pushing for real change. “There are a lot of people that just take a moment to post Blackout Tuesday (on social networks) but they’re not really doing much. I’ve definitely not heard anything from any of the other teams, as far as I’m aware,” Hamilton said. “I won’t stop pushing until we really see change. Seeing one person of
colour added to the paddock is not diversity, so we’ve really got to dig deep.” Hamilton attended a Black Lives Matter march in London recently and is setting up a commission to increase diversity in motorsport. F1 launched an initiative aimed at tackling racism and encouraging more diversity within the series, with F1 chairman Chase Carey pledged $1 million of his money toward a fund. “It’s positive to see that people are reacting and I do want to see people being more proactive,” Hamilton said. “I think Formula One have been great. I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone with them, doing Zoom calls talking about their plans and how we can move forwards, united.” F1 drivers are discussing whether to take the knee together on the grid before Sunday’s race in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, as soccer players have been doing. “We haven’t all spoken, I’m sure we will. It’s not something that’s been at the top of my mind, in that I’ve been asked the question multiple times. It’s not really been a priority for me (to have a plan) to come and kneel at the start line,” Hamilton said. “We’ll
MERCEDES driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, speaks during a press conference at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 12. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) see Sunday. I think whatever from my personal experiences,” we do we’ll try to do it united. I he said. “I experienced a lot of think it’s really important that we racism growing up, both at school remain united. Or that we become and in my local area. Then on the united, I would say, in this sport.” race (driving) scene particularly After Floyd’s death, Hamilton being that my dad and I were the spoke of his “anger, sadness and only people of color there.” disbelief.” Things were not better elseWounds from the racism he has where in Europe. endured resurfaced. “When I got to Italy, when I got “When this all kicked off it to Belgium — which was one of really struck a nerve and a chord, my first European races — I expebrought a lot of emotion up rienced the same thing. When I
was in France (as well),” Hamilton said. “That was definitely a very, very difficult thing. ... You don’t understand when you’re young why things are thrown at you, why things have been shouted at you.” Hamilton previously criticised F1 for staying silent on racism, prompting a flurry of support on Twitter from fellow drivers such as Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo. “People perceived that I was targeting drivers, I really wasn’t. It was targeted at the whole industry,” Hamilton said. “People being silent is something I’ve experienced for such a long time, and now is not the time to be silent. This is a time to help spread the message. We need as many voices as we can to push for change.” Hamilton hopes his commission finds the root cause of why he’s still the only Black F1 driver. “It is an expensive sport and I think that’s definitely an underlying factor. The truth is that the opportunity is not the same, not only from the drivers point of view but also the engineers,” he said. “I’ve been working with Mercedes since I was 13. I’ve also been in Formula One for 14 years and I’ve hardly seen any change. That upsets me.”
After renovation, Hoops Hall ready to show off its new look By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Workers wearing black masks and white gloves move through the corridors of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, pushing a cart loaded with high-top sneakers from some of the sport’s biggest stars. The gloves are to protect the collection; the masks are to protect each other. The staff is putting the building back together after a $22 million, topto-bottom renovation that ended during a pandemic that is forcing the hall to rethink what a museum can be. Visitors will notice the changes -- not just the new items and the way they are displayed, but also the ways the hall is being retrofitted for the coronavirus era. “We will be opening up with a 100 per cent new, complete experience,” hall President and CEO John Doleva said. “We’ll see what level of travel people have (in mind), in terms of jumping in the car and where they’re going to want to go first. We really want to be one of the first things on their list.” Originally scheduled to come back online May 1,
the hall pushed the date back to July because of the coronavirus outbreak. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker yesterday cleared the state to move on to Phase 3 of the reopening plan, which includes museums, and the new hall will welcome its first visitors on July 8. The hall has used the extra time to get ready. Staff returned to the building last week for the first time in months for training on the new exhibits and procedures. Among the changes designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 are timed tickets that will limit crowds in the 80,000 square feet of exhibits. A theatre that used to have a capacity of 196 people will be limited to 29, with seats marked to facilitate social distancing. Hands-on displays are now hands-off: Visitors will be given stylus pens so they don’t actually have to touch the touch screens; some displays are covered in plexiglass. Cleaning crews will disinfect other high-touch areas, including the basketballs that fans can use to shoot at peach baskets like the ones James Naismith nailed up in 1891 at a Springfield YMCA. Spread throughout the floors are signs with
A WORKER carries a shovel in front of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) basketball stars spreading their arms wide, encouraging visitors to stay six feet apart. (Anthony Davis’ wingspan is 7 feet, 6 inches -- a little extra safe.) “When this museum was designed, it was very digitally heavy and very touch screen based, which is incredibly exciting for the visitor,” said Jason Fiddler, a hall vice president who gave a reporter a tour last week. “But in terms of safety precautions with COVID-19, obviously that poses some significant challenges.” It’s not just the infection control measures that are new. In place of the plaques covering the building’s dome — the centrepiece of the old museum tour — inductees now have their names etched on glass panels in a Hall of Honour. Forty monitors show video
and photos, while four touchscreens allow fans to pick Hall of Famers and go deep on their career. “Our new Hall of Honour is really a reverent space, where you have the ability to take in the Hall of Famers for who they were and really pay homage to their careers,” Fiddler said. “If you’re a fan of a certain player, a certain generation, a certain Hall of Famer, you’ll have the ability to walk through that on your own timeline. However deep you want to go with that, you’ll have the ability to.” On the centre court, where visitors can shoot baskets on hoops from different eras, the hall has added a second replica of Naismith’s peach basket. A 14-by-24-foot LED screen plays buzzer beaters and other memorable moments on a 15-minute loop.
Elsewhere, items like an original pair of Air Jordans share space with Dennis Rodman’s boa and Lou Carnesecca’s sweater. An exhibit on moves features the crossover dribble, the skyhook and now the Eurostep. Among the artefacts in the “Cinderella Story” exhibit is the jersey that senior guard Jairus Lyles wore in 2018 when Maryland-Baltimore County beat Virginia to become the only 16th seed to win in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. A section of the Utah Jazz floor where Michael Jordan made his last shot with the Chicago Bulls, a game-winner to clinch the 1998 NBA title, is now out front. “It’s never really had its own exhibit before,” Fiddler said. “I think people who had been here before
might not have even noticed it.” Jordan had his own room in the previous layout; the new design gives that honour to Kobe Bryant, a Class of 2020 inductee who died in a helicopter crash in January. (The enshrinement ceremony for Bryant and his class has been postponed because of the pandemic.) The goal for such standalone displays is to turn them over every few years or so. That could keep the Bryant exhibit in place until right about the time LeBron James is up for a enshrinement, Fiddler noted. “Without knowing who will be inducted in future years, there may just be others that have the same opportunity,” he said cautiously. “His career and impact on the game has certainly proven itself worthy.”
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Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 13
As Florida virus numbers rise, NBA arrivals draw closer
GRIZZLIES’ MORANT ADDS 12 POUNDS
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
JA Morant has taken advantage of the NBA’s hiatus, adding 12 pounds of muscle to help absorb contact when the NBA’s likely rookie of the year fearlessly attacks the basketball. And the Memphis Grizzlies point guard knows exactly what he wants when he leads his team to Orlando. “Going out there to win, prove people wrong,” Morant said yesterday in a Zoom video call. Morant, the No. 2 pick overall in the 2019 draft, already has taken advantage of Zion Williamson missing much of the season to make his case as the league’s top rookie. Morant is the Grizzlies’ leading scorer averaging 17.6 points in 59 games played compared to just 19 for Williamson with the Pelicans. With Morant leading the way, the Grizzlies won four of their final six before the NBA stopped play March 12. Memphis goes into Orlando’s seeding games sitting in the eighth spot in the Western Conference with a 3 1/2-game lead trying to clinch the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2017. Morant, who turns 21 on August 10, didn’t just spend his downtime during the coronavirus shutdown spending time with his family and baby daughter waiting to hear when the NBA would resume play. Nope, Morant said he worked in the weight room and gym adding the 12 pounds of muscle since a loss to Orlando on March 10. That helped fend off worries that the season — and all the work he had put in — was over. “I just took it as an opportunity to get even better, even though I didn’t know how it would play out,” Morant said.
THE coronavirus numbers kept climbing yesterday, with a single-day record for new cases being set in Florida and the NBA revealing that the count of players and staff from the 22 remaining teams that have confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 continues to grow. The NBA numbers: nine more positive players from tests conducted between June 24-29 to bring the total to 25 who have been positive since mandated testing began June 23, as well 10 positive-testing staff members from the teams that will start arriving at the Disney complex near Orlando, Florida next week for the resumption of the season. And statewide, health departments around Florida got more than 10,000 new positive cases back on Wednesday, a singleday record for a state that remains very much under siege from the virus and likely a troubling sign for the NBA — which remains hopeful that highly restrictive rules at Disney will keep players and staff safe. “It’s so much uncertainty,” San Antonio guard DeMar DeRozan said yesterday. “Name me a player who can give you an answer on anything. I wish I could give you an answer. It’s tough, man. It’s tough. I sit up here and tell guys on my team we’ve just got to take things day by day, because it becomes overwhelming and frustrating at times when you try to look at the whole spectacle of things and try to figure it out.” Percentagewise, the NBA numbers are much lower than the rate of positive tests in many hotspot areas, including the
average in Florida. With 351 players tested through June 29, the league had 25 positives for a 7.1 per cent rate. Among 884 team staff tested between June 23 and June 29, the rate was minuscule — the 10 positives equate to a mere 1.1 per cent positive rate. Under NBA policy, “any player, coach or team staff member who tested positive will remain in selfisolation until they satisfy public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and have been cleared by a physician.” Still, it is an issue that, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said many times, the league cannot outrun. Yesterday marked the 113th day since the league suspended its season after Utah’s All-Star duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive; they may have largely recovered physically, but there is still clearly a strain in the relationship, something Mitchell discussed in a teleconference yesterday. “I wasn’t happy in the beginning,” Mitchell said. “I’ve said that publicly. It’s no secret. ... And on top of that, it really took away from like what guys were working on. We’ve talked about what we’ve been working on for the past two months, and I feel like that’s really been hijacked because of this whole thing.” As the numbers rise, the games get closer. At Disney, preparations continued for the arrivals that start on Tuesday. Practice courts have been put into place in what typically are hotel ballrooms. The arenas that will play host to games are being set up for NBA needs, and some staff were getting set to arrive to begin their quarantines. “I trust the NBA, and the
ZION Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are preparing to make a “playoff push,” something that appeared highly unlikely when he was sitting on the sidelines with a surgically repaired knee, watching New Orleans labour through a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak that left the club with a record of 6-22. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) So is Los Angeles Lakers bubble,” New Orleans Williamson averaged 23.6 rookie Zion Williamson points and 6.8 rebounds in forward Anthony Davis, the 19 games he played. whose team is going to said. New Orleans won 10 of Disney with serious title Williamson and the Pelicans are preparing to make those games and looked hopes. That said, Davis is also a “playoff push,” some- to be gaining momenthing that appeared highly tum when the season very aware of what’s hapunlikely when he was sit- was suspended March 11 pening with the COVID-19 ting on the sidelines with because of the coronavirus numbers. “For the safety of the a surgically repaired knee, pandemic. Still, that stint kept the league, for the safety of all watching New Orleans labour through a fran- Pelicans close enough to the players and the people chise-worst 13-game losing the playoff picture – 3 1/2 there, I think everyone streak that left the club games behind Memphis for would be mindful of folthe eighth and final playoff lowing the rules,” Davis with a record of 6-22. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound seed in the Western Con- said. “Obviously, the numbers Williamson was expected ference -- to be included to be out six to eight weeks among 22 NBA teams that are spiking in Orlando and when he had surgery to will finish their regular sea- I don’t think anyone wants repair his torn right lateral sons at a central location in to get COVID — so I don’t meniscus the day before Orlando, starting July 30, think that guys will put when New Orleans plays themselves or other players the regular season. and staff that’s going to be He wound up miss- the Utah Jazz. “We’re going to be in a in the bubble in jeopardy. ing about three months “I know the NBA and and 44 games. When he safe environment. We’re finally returned on Janu- taking advice from certain Adam Silver talked about doing as much as they ary 22, fans packed the situations. “It’s crazy — we’re actu- can to keep the bubble as stands and Williamson routinely delighted them with ally about to go. It’s a lot to safe as possible. I trust in them.” around-the-rim highlights. process, but I am excited.”
By TERESA M WALKER AP Sports Writer
76ers: Embiid, Simmons healthy for restart By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown says All-Star guard Ben Simmons is “good to go” for the NBA restart after sitting out the final games before the shutdown with a back injury. Brown, whose contract runs through 2021-22, also expected fellow All-Star Joel Embiid to start the season in the best shape of his professional career. The Sixers need their franchise stars at full strength if one of the early favourites to win the East Conference can shake off both an ordinary regular season (39-26; 6th in the East) and a nearly fivemonth layoff to return contenders for their first NBA championship since 1983.
The 23-year-old Simmons had missed his eighth straight game and was receiving daily treatment for his nerve issues in his lower back when the season stopped. Embiid was recovering from surgery on his left hand and had just returned after missing five games with a sprained left shoulder at the time of the shutdown. “I’m looking for Joel to come in as good a shape as he has been in since I have coached him,” Brown said on Wednesday. Simmons, who averaged 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 54 games, was hurt in a February 22 game at Milwaukee. He vomited because of the pain and there was no guarantee he would have been ready for the playoffs had the season not been suspended
PHILADELPHIA 76ers’ Joel Embiid celebrates after a three-point basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks. (AP) because of the coronavirus pandemic. Simmons, the league leader in steals, worked out and played pickup games with LeBron James -- and videos of the two showed both stars playing without
mask. Simmons’ trainer, Chris Johnson, posted video two weeks ago of a shirtless Simmons shooting and dunking. “He’s good to go. He’s put in a tremendous amount of work for me to be able
to confidently say that,” Brown said. “I think when you search for silver linings with this pandemic and the way things have shaped up, it would be hard-pressed for me to find something more obvious than this. It’s enabled Ben to reclaim his health. But I think ‘inching along’ from maybe a month ago, that is not true.” Embiid has been riddled with injuries since he was drafted with the No. 3 pick of the 2014 draft. Embiid, averaging 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds, has never played more than 64 games in a season. He was hindered by illness and knee injuries during last season’s playoff run, and the Sixers worked this season to balance his minutes with the proper amount of rest. The Sixers signed the 25-year-old Embiid, a native of Cameroon, to
a $148 million, five-year extension that kicked in at the start of the 2018-19 season. It’s about time for the big man to deliver when the NBA resumes July 30 at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Florida. “There is nobody on our team that has put in more time than Joel Embiid,” Brown said. “Forget what he has actually done in the gym for a minute, just go to the man hours and consecutive days and the amount of days that he has put in over the past few months. I’m proud of him, I respect him. He needed to do it. We understand the impact he can have on our team.” Brown also said no player on the Sixers has tested positive for COVID-19 and no player has decided to opt out of the restart.
LAKERS ADD VETERAN J.R. SMITH FOR ORLANDO CHAMPIONSHIP PUSH By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.R. Smith has joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for their championship push. The Lakers announced their long-anticipated signing of Smith as a substitute player Wednesday, the first day allowed under the rules of the NBA’s summer restart. Smith is the Lakers’ roster replacement for Avery Bradley, who cited family reasons last week for his decision not to finish the season with his team in Orlando amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re not going to ask him to come in and be Avery Bradley,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s going to come in and be J.R. Smith. He’s going to just fill that position more than fill that role. Avery’s
loss is obviously a huge loss for us, but we’re a nextman-up team. J.R. is going to come in and help fill that need, but we have a lot of guys in that position that can do the same.” The 34-year-old Smith hasn’t played in the NBA since November 2018, but the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year is a longtime trusted teammate of James. During their four years together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they won a title in 2016 and reached four consecutive NBA Finals. “That was a factor, his familiarity with LeBron,” Vogel said. “The way we’ve built our team around LeBron, there’s a lot of similarities to the way they built their team in Cleveland. That definitely is a factor in what we feel like J.R. can bring to the table in what is going to be a very short time to get acclimated.”
Vogel also said the Lakers remain “hopeful and optimistic” that centre Dwight Howard will be with the team in Orlando. Howard hasn’t made a final decision while contemplating the welfare of his six-yearold son, whose mother died earlier this year. “We don’t know what the level of participation is going to be yet,” Vogel said. “He wants to play. ... We don’t have any intention of replacing Dwight’s roster spot. When we leave (for Orlando next week), he’ll hopefully be able to join us.” Bradley was a starter and a key role player in his first season with the Lakers, averaging 8.6 points per game with a dependable 3-point shot while playing solid wing defence. But the Western Conference-leading Lakers also excelled while Bradley missed 13 games due to injury, with
J.R. Smith dribbles to the basket during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers. (AP) Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso capably absorbing the extra minutes. “We’ve got to fill his role, and it might not be with one person,” Caruso said.
“This team has done a great job all year when guys have been out with stepping up and filling in. I’m not sure if I’m going to be the sole provider of everything that Avery did, but I’m definitely going to be ready to fill part of that gap.” Smith is a 15-year NBA veteran, but he has been out of the league since the Cavaliers dropped him early in their first season after James’ move to Los Angeles. Smith worked out for the Lakers in February before the club instead signed Dion Waiters, who didn’t get to suit up for his new team before the pandemic suspended the season. “In terms of what (Smith) brings to the table, just the experience factor,” Vogel said. “This guy is a big-time player. He’s proven it over the course of his career. We know he can help us. We almost added him earlier
in the year when we added Dion Waiters, and now we have the luxury of having both.” Smith’s perimeter defence and 3-point shooting fit well into the Lakers’ scheme, even if he is likely to play only a supporting role in Orlando while the Lakers pursue their franchise’s 17th championship. Smith is ninth in NBA history with 288 career playoff 3-pointers made while hitting 37 per cent of his 3-point shots. He is fourth in league history in NBA Finals 3-pointers made. “How quickly can we get (Smith) acclimated? I think there’s going to be plenty of time,” Vogel said. “We have a simple system that we hope can be picked up pretty quickly. Our guys picked it up pretty quickly to start this season, and we hope that it’s going to be the same for both Dion and for J.R.”
PAGE 14, Friday, July 3, 2020
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GRAND BAHAMA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION RECEIVE SUPPLIES TO RESTART LEAGUE IN AFTERMATH OF DORIAN THE Bahamas Football Association presented the Grand Bahama Football Association with boxes of supplies to restart their league after they were devastated by Hurricane Dorian last year. BFA president Anton Sealey led a delegation to Grand Bahama to make the presentation yesterday. The supplies were donated from the local soccer community made up of sponsors, clubs and patrons of the game. The BFA is also working with its regional partner CONCACAF to help bring relief to the families affected by the hurricane.
These would include the numerous children displaced and evacuated from Abaco to New Providence. As they settle into their new school surroundings, some degree of normalcy will be felt once they get back to playing the beautiful game. • Sealey is shown here during a press conference at the Freeport Rugby Football Club in Grand Bahama. At left is Andre Moss, BFA’s vice president and director of women’s football and at right is Carl Lynch Jr, the deputy general secretary of the BFA.
Liverpool thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in first game as EPL champions By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — As they stepped onto the pitch, Liverpool’s players were given a guard of honour from Manchester City. It was the only time they looked like Premier League champions yesterday. “I think they drank a lot of beers in the last week,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. The dethroned champions made sure there was an abrupt comedown from the partying. A merciless attacking display sparked by City scorers Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden consigned Liverpool to a 4-0 loss exactly a week after its 30-year title drought ended. “They were quicker than us in mind -- we lacked fluidity,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said. “Isn’t it nice another team can be champions when Man City play so well?” The slack defending and lack of sharpness from Liverpool was perhaps forgivable from players who had spent the previous 31 rounds establishing an unprecedented 23-point lead to become England’s earliest champions.
Such an emphatic loss is not how Liverpool wanted to close out such a memorable season. Especially when there are still enough games to overhaul City’s record 100-point haul from 2017-18. Klopp wasn’t as downbeat as the result suggested. “I saw a brilliant attitude, I saw boys who were fighting with all their effort,” he said. “We didn’t behave like somebody who became champions a week ago.” It was a night to forget for so many Liverpool players -- particularly Joe Gomez, who dragged Raheem Sterling down to concede a penalty converted by Kevin De Bruyne in the 25th minute. “We tried to play football, taking risks,” Guardiola said, “because they are the best team I ever faced in my life with high pressing, it is incredible how fast they are, how quick they play.” De Bruyne and Phil Foden helped City stylishly waltz through Liverpool and show how the title can be reclaimed next season. Receiving a pass from Foden, Sterling took the ball past Gomez with left boot before using his right to knock in City’s second in the 35th minute.
MANCHESTER City’s Phil Foden, left, is congratulated by teammates after scoring his team’s third goal during the English Premier League soccer match against Liverpool at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, yesterday. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson) Sterling and Gomez reunited in a Premier League match for the first time since Liverpool’s victory over City at Anfield in November that was followed the next day by a training camp altercation while they were on England duty.
After being run ragged in central defence, Gomez was substituted at halftime. Before the break, City still had time to produce a third. The technique in the buildup would have had fans on their feet — if they were not prohibited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, fewer than 300 people inside the Etihad Stadium could savour the counterattack that was capped by Foden playing a one-two with De Bruyne before raising the ball into the net past Alisson. “This is a team that is evolving and changing
— you can see the maturity Phil is playing with,” Sterling said. “I think in the future we have some great players.” It summed up Liverpool’s night that the fourth goal came from an own goal after another blistering City attacking move. De Bruyne picked out Sterling who turned Andrew Robertson and sent in a shot that was diverted into his own net by Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain. Consider it a message from City. “Next season started today,” said Sterling, who has won the Premier League twice since leaving Liverpool five years ago, “and we did well.” There is still unfinished business for City before pandemic-delayed conclusion to the season in August. City plays Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals and has a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid after the first leg of the Champions League’s interrupted round of 16. “We were disappointed at times this season having lost some games we shouldn’t have,” Sterling said. “So we had a test against the new champions and (a chance) to make a point,” he added.
Ramos helps Real Madrid edge Getafe 1-0, increase lead over Barcelona By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Sergio Ramos scored a late penalty to give Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Getafe yesterday, increasing its lead over Barcelona to four points with the Spanish league nearing its end. Ramos converted the 79th-minute spot kick after Getafe made its first mistake in an otherwise flawless defensive performance to stifle the more talented rivals. Madrid right back Dani Carvajal raced into the area and cut back around defender Mathías Olivera, who tripped him and gave Ramos the chance to score the winner that boosts his team’s chances of dethroning Barcelona. It was the ninth league goal of the season for the Madrid centre
back. Madrid has won all six matches since the restart of the league following a three-month stoppage for the coronavirus pandemic. Barcelona, meanwhile, settled for a third draw in four games on Tuesday when it was held 2-2 by Atlético Madrid. Madrid and Barcelona both have five matches left. Madrid holds the tiebreaker in case of they finish level on points. “They pushed us to the limit and thanks to a good combination we were able to get the three points,” Carvajal said. “We had to take advantage of Barca’s slip against Atlético and we saw tonight’s like a final.” Getafe was left in sixth place, five points from Sevilla in fourth place and the last Champions League berth.
PHYSICAL FIGHT Getafe midfielder David Timor set the tone just seconds into the match when he earned a yellow card for a hard foul that left Francisco “Isco” Alaracón writhing on the turf. That was the first of 10 bookings in the game at Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, where the team is playing its home matches while its Santiago Bernabeu is being renovated. Getafe, which comes from a working-class Madrid neighbourhood, has become a challenger for a top-four finish thanks to its tough defence. Thibaut Courtois had to react fast to parry a ball deflected off Getafe’s Xabier Etxeita in the game’s first scoring chance in the ninth minute. His counterpart
David Soria did even better to get low and wide to deny Vinicius’s shot for Madrid in the 25th. The rough-and-tumble contest lost Madrid defender Raphael Varane before halftime when he was apparently left groggy by a strike that hit him in the face. Getafe started the second half with the same pressure it applied from the start. Luka Modric’s deflected shot almost slipped inside the post, but otherwise Getafe succeeded in nullifying Madrid’s more talented stars with its swarming pressure. Striker Jaime Mata came close for Getafe when he floated the ball over Courtois and onto the top of net in the 58th after his teammates had stolen the ball from Ferland Mendy. But Madrid got its breakthrough when Karim Benzema
played Carvajal free down the right flank. “Getafe is a small team that has been playing well for several years now, but we are still a small team. I think it is noteworthy how we played here today,” said Getafe coach José Bordalás. “We asphyxiated Madrid for stretches. It is too bad it got away from us.” SOCIEDAD WINS Real Sociedad beat last-place Espanyol 2-1 for its first win in six matches. Willian José and Alexander Isak scored second-half goals to overturn David López’s opener for Espanyol, which was left 10 points from safety. Also, Rubén García scored twice to lead Osasuna to a 2-0 win over Eibar.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, July 3, 2020, PAGE 15
‘Shaking off the rust from corona’ FINALLY, things are getting back to some form of normalcy, but that’s no excuse to go buck wild, throwing caution to the wind. Continue to practice and adhere to all social distancing protocols, remember our borders are open once again. Hopefully, if things continue to remain positive and we don’t have a spike in COVID-19 cases, we can get back to youth sports, and I can get back to coaching. I’m eager to get to work with offseason workouts, I’m blessed to have six returning starters from last season’s squad. They are touted to be one of the top two teams to beat in Freedom Farm’s highly competitive 10 and Under division. The entire coaching staff returns, so this should be a very exciting season. Once we put in the work and stay focused, I’m confident we will be playing for it all at the end of the season.
Until then though, thank God, all the major sports leagues are slowly getting back into action, and I’ve gotten to keep my eye on them, and the endless highlights, old and new, replayed over and over! (What can I say, I confess I watch them all, I’m a sports ‘junkie’) • Here’s what I saw LAKERS SIGN J.r. SMITH According to the Lakers, they have signed guard JR Smith as a substitute player for the NBA season restart. The signing was announced on Wednesday by Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager. I think it was the right move to replace Avery Bradley with Smith. I’ve been lobbying for it from the minute I heard Avery Bradley say that he would not attend the NBA’s restart, as not to compromise his young son’s respiratory condition.
RODGERS from PAGE 16 sit down with the Ministry of Sports and to see if anything can be done for them in these unprecedented times. “We know that funding is not at our leisure, but we hope that once the stadium is completed, we can have a facility for them to participate in as we amalgamate this whole system so that everybody can benefit from it.” Although there is currently no league for the senior players or the minor and professional players to participate in, Rodgers said there is a group that is working on redeveloping the league that was dismantled when the old Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium was demolished to create some space for the construction of the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium. “I think if we were not hit with coronavirus, we would have been in a much better position to get the league underway,” Rodgers said. “But I know that there is a group working on doing something concrete for the senior players, but I’m not at liberty to say exactly what will be done.” Rodgers, however, said that the BBA commissioned a committee, headed by Freedom Farm’s Commissioner Clarence ‘CJ’ McKenzie, who was able to devise some plans for the safety of the return of baseball when the Ministry of Health gives the all-clear to resume activities under the new social-distancing norm. “We got the report and it has been submitted to the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Health and the Bahamas Olympic Committee for their consideration,” Rodgers said. “Once it has been approved, we will release the full details.” In the meantime, Rodgers said they will continue to meet with all of the relevant parties involved in the sport so that everybody can be on the same page and into the election of officers for the next four years.
THE
PRESS BOX ZELAYA
BY INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICA
Smith, in 971 career games (395 starts) for New Orleans, Denver, New York and Cleveland, the 2013 NBA Sixth Man of the Year has averaged 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal in 27.0 minutes while shooting 37.3 per cent from three-point range. He most recently appeared in 11 games (four starts) for the Cavaliers during the 2018-19 season, notching 6.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steal in 20.2 minutes per game. The 2016 NBA Champion has appeared in 130 career NBA Playoff games (64 starts) for the Nuggets, Knicks and Cavaliers, totalling 11.3 points, 3.2
we can stage a debate over who the greatest sports athletes of all time are and establish the ranking of the top athletes in each discipline. We could also settle some arguments about whether or not players in different eras can match up against each other and what could be the best possible national teams assembled. I know it would take a lot of initiatives to pull off such a feat, but I’m thinking that because we probably won’t have the knee taken off our necks anytime soon for the return of competitive sports, this would be a good way to get some momentum going. It might be too late to pull it off for the 47th celebrations of our Independence on July 10, but there’s nothing wrong with doing it before the end of the year, considering the fact that there might not be
rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 29.5 minutes per game. Smith ranks ninth all-time in postseason three-pointers made and fourth all-time in threepointers made in the NBA Finals. 60 GAME MLB SEASON? I’m no fan of the 60-game MLB season. Let’s get that out of the way, at this stage, cancel the season. Too much has been lost already, and a 60-game season does not provide a fair enough sample size to determine a deserving champion. How many times in past MLB seasons have we seen
NFL SEASON IN JEOPARDY? After trying its best to juggle the coronavirus and its accompanying social distancing requirements, and off season business as usual in the NFL, it seems the NFL season may implode. Now after recently cancelling the Hall of Fame Game between my Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the league has now cancelled two more preseason games. The NFL will cut the preseason down to two games, with Week 1 and Week 4 slated to be eliminated from the schedule, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. There were two motivating factors in trimming the
FROM PAGE 16 flashes of skill development from a face-up standpoint that hints at some future versatility. But he’s yet to take the next step, and until he does, he’ll remain more of an idea in the eyes of the NBA.” For the season, Jones averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Smith will make the move to the Big 10 when he transfers to the Buckeyes. In his lone season with the Wildcats, Smith ran an indoor season’s best of 7.81 seconds in the 60m hurdles in the prelims at the Razorback Invitational in February. The time ranked No.4 all time on the school’s top 10 list. According to his feature on the Wildcats’ athletic website, he made his Kansas State debut
ROBINSON from PAGE 16
rosters, Jazz Chisholm of the Miami Marlins and Lucius Fox of the Tampa Bay Rays were named to each team’s player pool of up to 60 players that can be used throughout the season. The 60 players will be invited to training camp and active rosters will include 30 players. After two weeks the roster will be reduced to 28 and after a period of two weeks, a final cut of 26 players. Robinson, the No.1 prospect of the Diamondbacks, was also listed at No. 43 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. He rose 29 spots in the rankings from his position at No.72 at the end of the 2019 season. This came after a 16-spot
any major gathering like it used to be for quite a while. Maybe some of the bright young minds in the country could conjure up a more feasible plan of action utilising social media to get the message across to the masses. After all, we’ve seen a major decline in attendance at our sporting activities with many opting to stay home and chime into the viewing of international sporting events. “All sports matter” could be the theme because the Bahamas has developed a rich history in just about every discipline and most of it has not been properly documented for posterity. So let’s show the world that we not only can contain a coronavirus with the measures implemented to limit the amount of casualties, but we also have the ability to showcase our athletes, who have excelled on just about every stage you could imagine around the world. A joint move
schedule to two games, per Florio. Travel will now be limited for teams, with some potentially staying in their home city throughout the preseason. Teams will also now have extra practice time with their players following an abbreviated offseason programme. NFL training camps are set to begin on July 28. The new first week of the preseason will begin on August 20. I’ve got my fingers, toes and a couple of other body parts crossed. At this point I could care less if there are no NFL preseason games. Just as long as there is a full NFL regular and post season. Let there be football! • Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1.
GRAY from PAGE 16
JONES, SMITH ON ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 ROOKIE TEAM
THE BIG 12 this week announced their 2019-20 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team which featured Kai Jones of Texas Longhorns Basketball. with a time of 8.02. The following day he ran a time of 7.87 and in his first race of 2020, posted a time of 7.98. Smith joins a Buckeyes men’s programme
that finished fifth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The Buckeyes claimed 10 topeight finishes and collected four medals.
advancement last year when he began the 2019 preseason ranked at No.88. Robinson began last season at the Class A - Short Season level with the Hillsboro Hops. In 44 games with the Hops, he hit .319 with 52 hits, 10 doubles, scored 29 runs, 35 RBI, nine home runs, an OBP of .407, OPS of .966, and slugging .558 with 14 stolen bases. In August, he was called up to the Kane County Cougars, where he concluded the remainder of the season in the Class A Midwest League. In 25 games with the Cougars, he hit .217 with 20 hits, three doubles, scored 14 runs, 16 RBI, five home runs, an OBP of .294, OPS of .729, and slugging .435 with three stolen bases.
“Robinson is both a physical specimen -- listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds -- and an impressive athlete who shows the makings of having average or better tools across the board. He has the type of prodigious right-handed power that could one day make him one of the game’s more revered sluggers, and he already applies it during games from line-to-line. “Robinson also shows feel to hit, with plate discipline and contact skills that stand out for his age and experience. That hitting ability is the reason why scouts are so bullish about Robinson’s power potential, and he stands to make a major jump in that department as he learns to consistently hit the ball in the air,” his profile analysis said.
TIME FOR ‘ALL SPORTS MATTER’ MOVEMENT FROM PAGE 16
teams come out of the gate like world beaters, only to wither and wilt away down the stretch. Nonetheless if you are interested in the upcoming MLB season, here’s all the details. I won’t be watching (okay I will only watch Yankee games)
like this could also help to pave the way for the proper recognition of our sporting icons and legends who, after they are deceased, are highlighted for their accomplishments, rather than “getting their flowers while they are alive.” Already this year, we’ve lost some prominent Bahamian sporting personalities and from the sentiments expressed by those who benefitted from their generosity, there’s a lot of disappointment that they were not lauded in the manner in which they should have been. Maybe it’s time for a cohesive unit of sports leaders coming together with a hands-on approach to ensure that what is needed is done, rather than waiting for the government to do it. Just like the move in the United States for social justice in the Black Lives Matter movement, maybe it’s time for an All Sports Matter movement for sports in the Bahamas.
2 1/4-inches in the long jump. Gray represented the Tigers at the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Indoor and Outdoor Championships as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships. But now that she’s done, she doesn’t intend to compete in any meets this year except for maybe a timed trial because of the coronavirus. And with all of the social unrest and racism in the aftermath of the death of American George Floyd on May 25 and in the midst of the increase in the spread of the coronavirus, Gray said it’s not easy moving around in Houston. “With so much focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, it kind of makes you fearful when you move around,” said Gray, who has avoided getting involved in any of the protests that took place in Houston. “You don’t want to put your life in danger. You can’t just say that because I’m a girl, I can walk down the street. It doesn’t matter. You can be abused just like anybody else because of your colour. So it is nerve wracking to be in the states right now so you have to tread lightly.” While she’s still conscious of what’s going on, Gray said she tries not to be too fearful and still goes on with her life as usual and not let her circumstances get the better of her. With the Bahamas government opening the borders for residents and visitors to come here, Gray said she may make a trip home to see her parents Charles and Tanya Gray, as well as the rest of her family and friends. But she’s committed to her goal of completing her studies and training for the Olympics at the same time as she attempts to qualify for both the 100 and 200m and possibly running on the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m relays, if the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations gets to field those teams.
SPORTS SECTION E
FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2020
Rodgers to run for president of BBA By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
O
ne year after being elected as the new president of the Bahamas Baseball Association, Sam Rodgers and his executive team got all of the fragmented organisations to come back under one umbrella in 2017. Now, after serving his first four-year term in office, Rodgers is preparing to continue the work he started as he seeks another term in office when the association holds its election of officers in late September. No date has been confirmed as yet, but Rodgers said he’s still committed
to getting the sport to the level that it needs to be before he exits the scene. “I think I have a lot more to lend to this association. I think we have a lot of work to do in continuing this marriage with all of the leagues and organisations in this country,” Rodgers said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but I am sure that we will be able to get it done and to do it properly. The merger has been good for us in baseball and for the country. I think we are moving in the right direction.” With the elections pending, Rodgers said he’s currently working on assembling a team of candidates to contest the elections. But while he
SAM RODGERS hasn’t heard anything yet, he expects that he will be challenged. “In any election, you would expect to have challenges,” said Rodgers. “So that is a part of our democratic system. But I’m prepared for the
challenge that will be presented.” On Wednesday, Rodgers was a part of the delegation that got to tour the new national baseball stadium that is being constructed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. Rodgers said he was impressed with what he saw and he’s looking forward to the usage of the facilities when it is projected to be completed by the end of the year. “I guess we’ll just have to work closely with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the National Sports Authority because they will be in charge of the facilities,” Rodgers pointed out. “We know that the stadium will be a multipurpose one, so we just
have to sit down with the Minister of Sports (Lanisha Rolle) and her team and the NSA team and see how best we can put a schedule in so that everybody can be accommodated.” While there are plans to stage a shortened Major League season in the aftermath of the lifting of the ban of some of the safety measures from the coronavirus pandemic, the minor league season has been postponed. At least 20 local players have been affected with the majority of them at home grasping for some competitive games to participate in. “These are Bahamians. These are our boys,” Rodgers said. “We just have to
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Robinson left off 60-man player pool By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net KRISTIAN Robinson was noticeably left off the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 60-man player pool for the upcoming Major League Baseball season, but the club’s No.1 overall prospect will still have an opportunity to train under team supervision. When the MLB shut down all baseball activity in March due to the COVID19 pandemic, Robinson remained in Arizona and thus will be allowed to continue to train at the Diamondbacks’ spring training facility when the season resumes, despite not being on the “taxi squad” eligible for the season. Nick Piecoro, of the Arizona Republic, said a Diamondbacks spokesman elaborated on the 19-yearold outfielder’s status: “Kristian isn’t on the list because he can work out at Salt River Fields without being on the list based on the fact that he couldn’t go home (to the Bahamas)” in the first place. Robinson, along with Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll, were listed by MLB Pipeline as No.7 among the top groups of minor league prospects. With the official cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season, many franchises are using the 60-man player pools for the upcoming shortened MLB season as an opportunity to monitor and develop their elite prospects. As members of their teams’ respective 40-man
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NOW that she has graduated from Texas Southern University, sprinter Alexis Gray is making her adjustment to her professional career in athletics (track and field). After coming out in the fall 2019 with a degree in biology with a concentration in chemistry, Gray is still in Houston, Texas where she is preparing to enrol in grad school. At the same time, she is in a track and field training camp with Olympian Tynia Gaither and coached by Eric Francis of the Elite Performance Track Club and the national coach of St Kitts & Nevis Olympic team.
MAYBE IT’S TIME FOR AN ‘ALL SPORTS MATTER’ MOVEMENT BAHAMAS By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHY can’t we have an “All Sports Matter” movement here in the Bahamas? Come to think about it, with everybody frustrated with all of the social ills, coupled with the lockdowns and curfews as a result of the coronavirus, one of the easiest ways to help us overcome the pandemic is to get the adrenaline rush going in sports. Sure, we lost out to Orlando, Florida as the National Basketball Association will now take their 2019/2020 postseason bubble to Disney World. Hey, why can’t we stage our own bubble here in the Bahamas? With the border now open, we could bring in our own star athletes from around the world through a virtual presence since they’re not playing in any major international competition and we could have a Bahamas Games type of competition. With social distancing now the norm of the day, or the events, the focus of concentration could be limited to representatives from each discipline to ensure that we don’t leave any sports out of the limelight. Using the backdrop of the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium with its seating capacity and the two large monitor screens,
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JONES, SMITH ON ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 ROOKIE TEAM By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
there’s no comparison. “The personalities of the pro athletes are quite different from the college athletes,” Gray said. “They come in and get to work and they leave as opposed to college athletes, who are so friendly and focus on fun and games. “When you come out to practice as a pro athlete, it’s all business. They know it’s their livelihood, so we take it much more seriously than we did when I was competing for college.” During her collegiate career at Texas Southern, Gray posted personal bests of 7.41 seconds in the 60 metres indoors, 11.68 in the 100m, 23.52 in the 200m, 56.46 in the 400m and 4.93 metres or 16-feet,
POWER five NCAA Division I conferences continue to honour studentathletes for their work in the classroom and several Bahamians were among those recognised this week. The Big 12 announced their 2019-20 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team which featured both Kai Jones of Texas Longhorns basketball and Oscar Smith, formerly of Kansas State Wildcats (now Ohio State Buckeyes) track and field. The team recognises firsttime/incoming freshmen that achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and met participation criteria. A total of 870 student-athletes were named to the squad. On the court, Jones has recently been listed as a highly coveted prospect for the 2021 NBA Draft by Sports Illustrated. The publication listed Jones, the 19-year-old, 6’11” 215 pound Longhorns forward, at No.30 among the top prospects for next year’s draft. “Admittedly, Jones is still pretty much a wild card, but NBA teams are well aware of what he brings to the table athletically, and he showed signs of figuring things out toward the end of this season. He should figure more prominently into the rotation as a sophomore, but will still have to compete for minutes with a host of other bigs,” SI’s Jeremy Woo said. “Jones has to add strength, but he’s wiry and explosive and has shown
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ARIZONA Diamondbacks’ No.1 overall prospect Kristian Robinson has been left off the 60-man player pool for the upcoming Major League Baseball season, but he will still have an opportunity to train under team supervision.
Sprinter Alexis Gray adjusting to pro career By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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“It’s kind of difficult because right now everything isn’t functioning at normal capacity,” said Gray, who enjoys working out and dancing, utilising her skills to teach a class called CaribFit at the school’s recreational centre. “Training wise, we had to shut it down because the facilities were closed due to the coronavirus and they made us stay home. But everything is starting to open up, so after a few months, it’s still hard because the facilities are not all ready for us to use.” Gray said they are focused on training on a lot of open spaces and she is even training at home as she tries to cope with this pandemic as best as she can. But she noted that she
ALEXIS GRAY can’t wait to start training again. The 2015 graduate of St John’s College was hoping to make the Bahamas national team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
But Gray said it was a blessing in disguise that it was postponed from July 24 to August 9 to July 23 to August 8, 2021. “That’s one of my main goals right now,” Gray said. “A lot of things in my personal life this year was making my job complicated. So it was a weight lifted off my shoulders when I heard that it was being postponed. “Now that I have the time to get into grad school, I can start my training in August so that I can put all of my time into my training so that I can be ready to make the team next year.” In making the transition from competing for college and now training to become a pro athlete, the 22-year-old Gray said