WOMAN & HEALTH TUESDAY
$5 Meal
HIGH 88ºF LOW 76ºF
i’m lovin’ it!
Monday,
February
CARS! CARS!
8, 2021
The Tribune Established
Being Bound To
Swear To The Dogmas
1903
Of No Master
The Tribune L A T E S T
Volume: 118 No.201, September 14, 2021
N E W S
tise Call
To Adver
-2351
601-0007 or 502
Starting at
$33.60
CLASSIFIEDS TRADER
ed
VAT includ
Established 1903
O N
T R I B U N E 2 4 2 . C O M
Biggest And Best!
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1
WILDCAT ACTION SHUTS AIRPORTS By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
AIRPORT operations on several Family Islands were severely affected yesterday after more than a dozen airport employees refused to show up to work in protest of unresolved workplace grievances. In an interview with The Tribune, Director of Aviation Algernon Cargill said airports on Abaco, Bimini, Cat Island, South Andros and San Salvador were closed as a result of Monday’s industrial action, which he called “illegal” and “disappointing”. He said teams from New Providence had to be deployed to Abaco so services there could be
resumed as the island’s airport had suffered the most from the workers’ action. Industrial unrest also affected public hospitals in New Providence and Grand Bahama after several BPSU workers called in sick, affecting healthcare services there. “The Airport Authority is fully aware that the Bahamas Public (Service) Union has coordinated an illegal withdrawal of labour and I say illegal because as far as I’m aware, there’s been no trade dispute filed and secondly, the Airport Authority has always acted in good faith with the Bahamas Public Service Union,” Mr Cargill told The Tribune. SEE PAGE THREE
BAHAMAS Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson has expressed “disgust” and “disappointment” that a new industrial agreement has not been signed with the government despite 14 months of negotiations and 95 percent of the contract being complete. She said only three sessions were needed to finish
the document. Despite this, she said numerous attempts to cross the finish line fell on deaf ears. “I would be remiss if I did not publicly express the disgust, disappointment and repugnance felt by the Bahamas Union of Teachers after spending 14 months at the table negotiating a new industrial agreement,” Mrs Wilson said recently. SEE PAGE THREE
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A PROMINENT developer yesterday warned first-time Bahamian homeowners must be able to access “the front door” if the Prime Minister’s ambition of sparking a construction boom is to be realised. Arawak Homes president Franon Wilson said the package of construction and tax breaks unveiled by Dr Hubert Minnis will not yield maximum effect unless the two greatest obstacles to home ownership are addressed - down payments and closing costs. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
INITIATIVE TO TACKLE COURTS’ BACKLOG
TEACHERS UNION’S ANGER AT FAILURE TO FINISH DEAL By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
NEW HOMES PLAN GETS LUKEWARM REACTION
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
SO MANY LOST... COVID-19 continues to affect the country and has claimed the lives of so many, including Dr Ianthe Cartwright Bastian. Felicity Darville writes on PAGE EIGHT about the virus that has touched the lives of us all, and cost us so many we hold dear.
CHIEF Justice Sir Brian Moree announced yesterday there will be a major contract signing to address the court backlog some time before November. Sir Brian spoke about the issue at the official launch of the Office of the Judiciary’s Bahamas Bail Management System. The judiciary has been experiencing a backlog in cases and is trying to work its way through them. The Chief Justice said this is a “perennial problem” for court systems around the world. SEE PAGE SEVEN
NO PARADES BUT A ‘JUNKANOO EVENT’ By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net JUNKANOO Corporation of New Providence chairman Dion Miller said while the organisation does not foresee any “traditional” parades this year, stakeholders are in the process of planning a Junkanoo “experience” to commemorate the festival in spite of the COVID-19 surge. Mr Miller said the “new
THE SAXONS on parade on January 1, 2020. experience” will not replace Junkanoo as the country knows and loves it but will be something people can enjoy “in place” of the traditional parade amid the pandemic.
“In regard to this year, the JCNP and our partners do not foresee any traditional Junkanoo parades this year as we have seen in past years and that’s due to the COVID pandemic,” he said. “I can share that we have just begun some sort of communication with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and our corporate sponsors on developing plans for a Junkanoo experience.” SEE PAGE FOUR
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
PETER YOUNG: WHAT HAS THE US LEARNED 20 YEARS ON FROM 9/11?
- SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
NEW PROVIDENCE HIT BY BLACKOUTS By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net
AFTER a day of long power outages in parts of New Providence, public relations officials at Bahamas Power and Light have refused to comment or offer an explanation on the matter. After receiving numerous complaints on the outages from the general public, The Tribune contacted BPL for an explanation as to why so many consumers were left without power. There was an acknowledgement of the request, but hours later, Public Relations Director K Quincy Parker refused to comment on the matter. The Tribune contacted a source who is stationed at one of the plants. The source gave an explanation as to why so many areas were without electricity yesterday. “It was a transmission and distribution issue,” the source said. “These guys have been basically focused on just generation. You can produce a billion megawatts and if you can’t get the power to stay on it makes no sense. “The system is ancient. It’s like putting on a new coat suit with the same old dirty shoes and socks. An overhead line tripped. It affected western New Providence to my knowledge. “That’s the problem, they are too focused on generation and deals and not addressing transmission and distribution then it creates a major problem. I’m sure the public has noticed that every time we have a rainstorm half of Nassau is out of power. Every time. Check the record. There is always a major outage.” BPL customer Inez
POWER OUTAGE SHUTS COURT
By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A LACK of electricity forced the Magistrate’s Court to adjourn Monday’s court cases to a later date. Thunderstorms and heavy showers left the court complex in complete darkness after 9am yesterday. The building’s generator failed to supply back-up power during the outage and civilians and attorneys were forced to wait outside on the staircase for updates. Little social distancing protocols were adhered to at this time. Shortly before 11am, court orderlies informed the waiting public that matters scheduled to be heard yesterday were being adjourned. The Tribune understands some court cases have been rescheduled for as early as today, while others have been put off until the end of this month. Newbold said she was frustrated as she experienced a nearly all-day outage. She resides in western New Providence and said nobody at the power company could give her any information on when her electricity would be restored. “I haven’t had electricity from this morning,” Ms Newbold said. “This is ridiculous. I keep calling and no one is saying when my light will be back on. I have been in the heat all day. “When will BEC get it right? It’s like we are paying
our monthly bills and every minute we have no electricity. This has inconvenienced me greatly, but who is listening to me? No one. “We are a country of some 48 years. You tell me at this point we cannot have a continuous flow of electricity? What is the cause of this? I asked them and they cannot tell me. They are only saying, ‘We are working on it.’ It’s like everything is going wrong. The light can’t stay on. “Cable can’t stay on. Water either low streamed or off. I’m tired of this service.”
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 3
Rolle: Dozens of Abaco residents will be given permanent jobs By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PUBLIC Services and National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle said yesterday that dozens of North Abaco residents will be made permanent employees of the ministry and the National Insurance Board. He was speaking during a rally yesterday in North Abaco where Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis also urged residents to re-elect area MP Darren Henfield. Mr Rolle said: “Every single day for the last few weeks Darren has been coming to me and saying to me, minister, where are my letters? Where are my people? And I can announce to you with pride that every single one of you who worked well, who did your work, is now fully employed in the Ministry of
Public Services and national insurance. “I know some people may say from the other side that this is a political move but we say to you it’s about your future. We are committed to you. We said this from last year that if you did well and you did your work, we will make sure that you fill the vacancies in the Ministry of Public Services and National Insurance and all 85 of you who are on my register, you will get your letters, we have printed them, they should be with your staff.” Dr Minnis, meanwhile, highlighted Mr Henfield’s performance during Hurricane Dorian in 2019. “Darren is a good man,” he said. “He has a good heart. You saw his courage and his leadership during Hurricane Dorian. Darren has been faithful to you,” he said. He was here with the people of Abaco during
the crisis, leading the way on the ground in difficult times. He has been a valuable member of my Cabinet. He has constantly brought good advice and care for the Bahamian people, and especially North Abaco.” “We have done much work, but so much more is needed. If you reelect Darren and the FNM you know we will keep fighting to get you back to where you were on this island before Dorian, and even better.” Dr Minnis said, if elected, the government will create an Extended Disaster Recovery Programme for Abaco that will apply to the hardest hit areas. He said: “The Extended Disaster Recovery Program will include a further extension of the Special Economic Recovery Zone concessions. Further, we will earmark a specific portion of the Ministry of
FNM supporters at yesterday’s Rolling Red event in Abaco. Social Services’ budget to Development Centre on the needs of Abaco.We Abaco. In particular, we are going to expand the will allocate resources and existing Small Business add more business advisors
to work in tandem with the Chamber of Commerce to see that entrepreneurs on Abaco succeed.”
WILDCAT ACTION ‘HOW DOES MINNIS KNOW POLL COUNT?’ SHUTS AIRPORTS from page one
“The primary airport initially that was affected was the airport in Marsh Harbor. We have a team that should be landing now to re-open that airport and we’re also looking at some other contingency methods to ensure that the planned disruption in all the other Family Island airports by the Bahamas Public Service Union is not successful.” He said BPSU employees on the other islands withdrew their services after morning flights had already departed. “The airports in Cat Island, Bimini and South Andros, I understand those airports are also closed and we’re currently working out contingency methods to resolve those issues to ensure that we do not have any disruption in travel. I believe the Great Harbour Cay airport is also closed and San Salvador airport, that’s the last airport,” Mr Cargill noted. “Again, those morning flights would’ve already happened so the employees would’ve withheld their labour after the morning flight left so the disruption would’ve been more severe at the Leonard Thompson International airport (on Abaco).” Asked how many staff members participated in yesterday’s industrial action, Mr Cargill estimated less than 20 employees withdrew their labour yesterday. The aviation director said he understands action could also persist today but assured that contingency plans are in place should workers again refuse to work. In terms of the impact of industrial unrest at public hospitals, officials said it was minimal. “I can tell you that we have minimal areas impacted,” Public Hospital Authority Managing Director Catherine Weech said when contacted for comment yesterday. She told The Tribune support staff at several departments had called in sick yesterday, including workers at the morgue and radiology department at Princess Margaret Hospital and housekeeping at the Rand Memorial Hospital. It is not clear how many healthcare workers did not show up for work, however, with Ms Weech only saying the numbers were “minimal”. In a statement the PHA said services at PMH’s morgue were suspended until further notice. “This would include the identification of remains and the collection of remains by funeral homes. The Public Hospital Authority and Princess Margaret Hospital apologises for any inconvenience
caused during the interruption in services,” the statement continued. Last week, BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson, who represents some employees at the hospital as well as airport staff, warned there could be major disruption in hospital and airport services if workers’ longstanding concerns are not immediately resolved. The union is calling for hazard pay; salary increases and uniform allowances among other things as part of its industrial agreement terms, which they are still waiting to be finalised. PHA officials have already said a proposed industrial agreement between the agency and BPSU had already been submitted to Cabinet for approval. Yesterday, Mr Cargill said the Airport Authority has done everything it can to assure union members that their concerns are being addressed. He also said officials were blindsided by Monday’s industrial action. “We’ve done everything that we can to assure the union of our commitment to resolving outstanding issues. We are quite surprised and equally disappointed that the BPSU has decided given this critical time with tourism on the rebound and persons are seeking to travel between islands to withdraw their labour or order their members to withdraw their labour,” Mr Cargill said. “I say that unequivocally because I’m aware of a voice note of a shop steward of BPSU that is being circulated, requesting employees not to report to work today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) and we are very disappointed because our priority has been to always operate in good faith with the BPSU and to ensure that we have a very positive working relationship with the union. “…Advances of the approval, I’ve kept the BPSU informed of every step of the way so that’s why I’m very surprised and equally disappointed that the BPSU would withdraw their labour particularly during this critical time,” he added. Mr Cargill also explained that he had tried to reach out to Mr Ferguson multiple times yesterday but said his calls went unanswered. The BPSU president also did not respond to calls by this newspaper up to press time.
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
THE Progressive Liberal Party has called on the Parliamentary Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police to examine Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ claim that he has been informed his party won last week’s advanced poll. “Advance poll ballots are counted on the date of the general elections,” PLP chairman Fred Mitchell said in a statement. “Dr Minnis is suggesting that the Parliamentary Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police
have failed in carrying out their duties and are in breach of the election laws to have had the advance poll ballots tampered with or illegally tallied. “We call on the Parliamentary Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police to protect and safeguard the integrity of their offices by informing the nation that Dr Minnis has misled the Bahamian people and the world with regards to any advance poll results.” He added: “A desperate Dr Minnis wants voters
throughout the country to think he has the majority of electoral support. “The Bahamian people want Dr Minnis and the FNM gone.” While in Cat Island on the weekend, Dr Minnis told supporters he had been “reliably informed” his party won the advanced poll. “And I know on Thursday we will take the rest – and Cat Island is ours,” he said. In a separate statement, Mr Mitchell also said Dr
Minnis’ recent promise of tax breaks for first-time homeowners if his party is re-elected will not sway voters. “Tax cuts for new homeowners are among the other loads of promises Dr Minnis is making just days before the general election. The empty promises will not work this time. “Dr Minnis and the FNM have yet to deliver on the many promises they made during the 2017 election campaign. Bahamians are not fools,” Mr Mitchell said.
TEACHERS UNION’S ANGER AT FAILURE TO FINISH DEAL from page one
“The negotiations are 95 percent complete, and we only need approximately three sessions to complete the entire document, which sets out the terms and conditions of service, salaries and benefits for 3,000 plus teachers, teachers’ aides, guidance counsellors and librarians in all public schools from Grand Bahama to Inagua. “Despite the BUT’s persistence to have this agreement completed and not withstanding writing letters to the prime minister, to the lead negotiator, to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education and to other government officials as recently as September 7, 2021, urging them to complete the negotiations this proved fruitless.” She continued: “So, today the Bahamas Union of Teachers is putting all political parties on notice just a few days before the September 16, 2021 general election. Whichever
party becomes the government, the Bahamas Union of Teachers is the sole bargaining agent, and we expect and we demand that priority is given to the resumption and the completion of negotiations for a new industrial agreement for our 3,000 plus members and educators in the public school system that falls in our bargaining unit. “Governance is continuous. Teachers have been very patient, but rest assured there will be no honeymoon. A word to the wise is sufficient.” Lead negotiator Dr Ranford Patterson told The Tribune yesterday a number of factors contributed to the talks stalling, ultimately meaning the agreement could not be finished. These include last week’s advanced poll and the upcoming general election on Thursday. However, he said officials were still committed to reaching the finish line as soon as possible. Dr Patterson said: “The only thing that I can say is that negotiations
stalled because at times both sides weren’t available, but we were going along quite good until we got to a point where we just couldn’t go any further because (the) election was called and some of the persons on both sides are returning officers. “We met on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then we had the advanced poll Thursday when we were supposed to meet. So, it was not that we didn’t want to meet, it’s just that circumstances didn’t allow us to meet. “I think we had a fairly good relationship with the union working through the industrial agreement and hopefully the agreement will be completed very shortly. We only had a few more meetings. It was just that the elections stopped us from doing what we had to do. “We were meeting every other Thursday and the Thursday we were supposed to meet, it was the advanced poll and then this Thursday is the election. So, there is nothing we could have done. It’s just that the timing was just off.”
PAGE 4, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Bishop Ellis: Be responsible when you cast your vote By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
AS COVID-19 cases in the country continue to climb, Bishop Neil Ellis has cautioned Bahamians to be socially responsible when they turn out to cast ballots in Thursday’s general election. The Mount Tabor Church senior pastor also urged citizens to remain on alert as it relates to their safety and the wellbeing of others. In an address to Bahamians, Bishop Ellis further urged people to resist participating in gutter politics or anything divisive in the lead up to the vote. “We are responsible for safeguarding those national attributes that have distinguished us as a nation,” Bishop Ellis said on Sunday. “We are responsible for safeguarding the Christian virtues that we ascribe to like peace, love and unity, honesty, non-violence, moral maturity and a recognition that belonging to each other as brothers and
SAFETY PROTOCOLS ANNOUNCED FOR ELECTION DAY THE Parliamentary Registration Department announced yesterday the health and safety protocols it plans to utilise on Election Day in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The department said election workers were encouraged to be vaccinated or at least have begun the vaccination process. Additionally, all voters, poll workers and election agents are required to always wear a face mask while in the polling station. These masks should cover the nose and mouth properly. Face shields will be distributed to election staff/poll workers for additional protection. sisters should always take priority over belonging to any political party or group. Therefore, in this political season we must resist the urge to participate in gutter politics or divisive political tactics. This is not who we are as a people. “We must do whatever we can to ensure that this is not who we ever become. Believe it or not the world is marking the manner of our
Officials also said campaigners must not be allowed on the premises — inside or outside the gate — within 100 yards of the polling place. Each polling site must contain a register of all poll workers. This register will consist of their full name, shift times and contact numbers. The statement noted hand sanitising stations will be available throughout the polling site, especially upon entry to polling divisions and individual workstations should be at a distance of three to six feet. The minimal classroom size to be utilised is 30 feet x 25 feet. Where possible larger rooms will be used
bearing. We know better. We must always therefore strive to do better and be better. As a guardian of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a follower of his teachings I remind you that even the scripture encourages us to be responsible citizens. “We are biblically admonished to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to respect the authority and pray for
and surface areas within large ballot booths and pencils will be sanitised throughout the day. Additional sanitisation will be carried out in classrooms before and after Election Day. The protocols state that each location used as a polling site and the allocated rooms utilised as a polling division should have the advantage of natural ventilation with opened doors and windows to allow for airflow. Lastly, all rooms and walkways outside of the rooms should have clear markings on the floor three to six feet apart.
the leaders who have been established by Almighty God to advocate for those leaders whose vision resonates best with us.” He also said: “We’re admonished to ask questions, rally support for the candidate of your choosing if you wish and by all means vote but understand that come September 17, we would have elected a government to serve the
Bahamian people for the next five years. A decision that will undoubtedly impact the next generation of Bahamians. “So, even as we go to the polls September 16, I want to remind you that we are still in a pandemic. I therefore caution you to be spiritually sensitive and socially responsible. “Do not let your guards down as it relates to your
safety and the safety of others.” Earlier in his address, Bishop Ellis said he was encouraged by the number of people who have registered to vote. “As we approach this 2021 general election, I am advised that almost 300 candidates have been nominated for national leadership. What is even more noteworthy is that more than 190,000 eligible voters will decide who they think is best suited to represent them in the sacred halls of Parliament for the next five years. “These numbers are indeed encouraging and are a reminder that democracy continues to be alive and well in The Bahamas. “We are building upon the foundations of our forefathers who fought hard to ensure that the power to choose the kind of Bahamas we want rests in the hands of the people. “We must recognise however that with great power comes great responsibility,” he said.
DAVIS: MINNIS MISMANAGED HANDLING OF PANDEMIC PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis accused Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis of mismanaging the COVID-19 crisis. “It didn’t have to be this bad,” Mr Davis said during a virtual rally last night. “A lot of the failure and misery we see around us is the result of bad policy choices, and the failure to plan ahead. “That’s not my opinion, that’s just a fact – our country is at the bottom of regional and global rankings on COVID. The countries in our region who face the same challenges and obstacles that we face have done better – they have fewer cases and fewer deaths per capita.” He said if elected, the PLP would give clinics and hospitals the resources they need. “We’re going to have free and widespread testing – because we’ll never stop outbreaks without more testing,” he also said. “Free testing is going to be expensive but not nearly as expensive as failing in the fight against the virus, the way we are now.” He said the PLP, if elected, will hold virtual town halls with medical professionals and will continue public health measures like masking and limiting the
size of gatherings until the virus is under control. He said this will be done with ordinary legislation, not Emergency Orders. He repeated that the PLP will end the travel visa fees which he said are hurting Bahamian families and businesses. He also said a government led by him will stabilise the country’s finances. However he said this will be done not by asking the poor and middle class to pay more. “Dozens of countries around the world have cut VAT over the last year, and we can, too. Reducing VAT to 10 percent will make things just a little easier, and make your money go a little further,” he said. “Economists say it’s the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do, too, because it puts money into the local economy. “Everyone knows our country needs to bring in more revenue – and we can do that by asking the wealthiest Bahamians to pay their fair share, and pay what they already owe.” He said a government led by him would fast-track projects and investments needed to kickstart the economy and chart the nation out of the financial crisis.
MEMBERS of the Valley Boys on parade on New Year’s Day in 2020.
NO PARADES BUT A ‘JUNKANOO EVENT’ from page one
“What that experience is, I can’t speak to exactly right now, but in regard to traditional parades on Bay Street, we do not foresee that happening this year again.” Mr Miller said the pandemic has “thrown a wrench” in Junkanoo festivities since it has prohibited many enthusiasts from celebrating their cultural heritage. “We can’t go in the shacks and produce costumes and conduct Junkanoo practices and have parades, so it
has impacted us severely,” he said. “This will be the second year in a row where you will basically have no sounds of goatskin drums, ringing of the cowbells, blowing of horns or dancing and celebrating in the streets. So, it has been a sad state of affairs not to be able to do what we love to do.” Mr Miller said the JCNP’s “ultimate goal” is to get back to doing what they know and are already accustomed to, which is celebrating on Bay Street with their fans. “Any plans or execution of anything will only
be a temporary thing until we can get back as best as possible to our normal way of doing things and that is having traditional Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades on Bay Street. We frequently keep updated with the different Junkanoo groups on the island and everyone shares the same sentiment; everyone would love to get back to doing what we do but we have to be realistic and understand what we’re going through.” Mr Miller said the pandemic has caused Junkanoo, like many other industries, to suffer. However, despite the challenges, he said the
JCNP is doing its best to keep members engaged and enthused about the cultural parade. “If you look at the pandemic’s impact on us, we’ve lost so many Junkanooers over the past year and a half due to COVID-19 and we can’t even memorialise them, so it’s been rough on us all,” he said. “I’d just like to encourage all Junkanooers and Bahamians alike to continue to adhere to the government mandate and respect the COVID protocols: wear your masks, wash your hands, consult with your doctors and, if possible, take the vaccine to protect yourselves and others from this deadly virus.”
NINE MORE CONFIRMED VIRUS DEATHS NINE additional deaths have been added to the nation’s COVID-19 death toll, pushing the overall figure to 463.In its September 11 dashboard, the Ministry of Health said 75 more cases had been recorded as well as the nine additional deaths. The deceased are between the ages of 47 to 72. They died between August 18 to September 8. On September 12, 86 additional COVID-19 cases were recorded bringing the overall coronavirus case count since the start of the pandemic to 19,601. Of this figure, 1,668 are active. There are 187 people in the hospital.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 5
Social workers stage sick-out By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net SOCIAL workers at the Department of Social Services in Grand Bahama called in sick yesterday, joining their other colleagues in a sick-out that affected many parts of the country. Garth Russell, shop steward at Bahamas Public Service Union in Freeport, told The Tribune that over 70 social workers called in sick and did not report to work in Grand Bahama. “I am still trying to get the numbers, and it may be over 70 persons in Freeport and all the way into Eight Mile Rock,” he said. Mr Russell, a family
service officer, said social workers are tired and frustrated of being overlooked by the government. “We are underpaid and overworked,” he said. “Our administrators and government are not taking us seriously. We feel disrespected, marginalised, powerless, useless, and sick, and that is why we are (out sick) today collectively.” Mr Russell said that social workers are particularly concerned about the implementation of the 2016 career path that negatively affects social workers. “We came out of a meeting last week with administrators who are trying to implement a career path. It is an old scale. We are living in 2021,
not 2016 and it is not relevant to meeting our family and educational needs— that to us is a slap in the face,” he said. He claimed that social workers have yet to see this career path document and their requests for a copy of it have been ignored for almost two years. Mr Russell said the position of trainee welfare officer is supposed to be held for one year, but there are persons who are still holding the same title after eight years. “This trainee position is being worn by persons who should be in senior welfare officer positions,” he explained. He stated that the career path has sought to change
the title of trainee welfare officer to assistant social worker. He said that it unfairly affects trainee welfare officers with bachelor’s degrees. “So, this is still a slap in the face because it does not give them a promotion, it is just a renaming of the positions, and they cannot advance themselves to the next level, unless they have a certificate in social work,” he said. The shop steward estimates that about 50 percent of social workers are affected by this in Freeport and in the country. Mr Russell believes this is unfair and self-serving that only those at the top – some without master’s degrees - can only advance to the next level under the
career path. The union official also touched another sensitive issue that is impacting workers’ morale. The situation, he said, has caused division among social workers. “There is a war and fractions among the different groups of persons employed at Social Services regarding the 52-week workers and the work programme people. The 52-week workers are appointed temporary month to month. The work programme people are waiting to be appointed by the public service. Additionally, several persons were appointed and are awaiting confirmation to (be) permanent and pensionable.”
Mr Russell said social workers have still not gotten their retroactive pay since 2016 and are not even considered essential workers. He said their pay scales are lower than many of other colleagues in the civil service. “Whenever it is time for us to get something from the government regarding increasing our salaries…we are not being prioritised as our other colleagues in the various ministries. “Social workers are degree professionals. They are not someone you take off the street. They go through training at the university level and need a four-year degree as qualification to enter as a professional,” he said.
EDUCATORS PROTEST OVER ISSUES AT BTVI By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net
MEMBERS of the Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas protested outside the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute yesterday over a litany of outstanding staff issues with the school. BTVI workers, who have recently been represented by the union, have frequently complained about poor treatment from executives at the school. This treatment, they say, includes lack of pay raises, overdue bonuses and no real path to advancement on the job. UTEB President Daniel Thompson said the staff has had enough of the alleged poor treatment and will speak out now that they have a voice through the union. “Today we went to BTVI and held a demonstration on the outside of the administrative block,” he said. “And then we met with Dr Robert Robertson, president of BTVI and he committed to provide bonus payment on Wednesday of this week.” This promise comes ahead of Thursday’s general election. Many unions have held demonstrations or withdrawn services recently in an attempt to force the government to settle their outstanding matters before September 16. The Bahamas Electrical Workers Union signed its industrial agreement with Bahamas Power and Light last week, amid a cloud of tension between the two parties. The BEWU and executive management at BPL had a tumultuous
relationship leading up to the signing of the agreement. Both parties have expressed relief in finally reaching an agreement. Mr Thompson went on to explain the frustration of BTVI’s faculty and what led to yesterday’s demonstration. “They have not had increments for two years and even before that, increments were being withheld according to the institute’s desire,” he said. “There is no clear career path and there are a litany of problems with its human resource arrangement. So the faculty sought representation by UTEB. “We will wait for his action before we determine our next course of action. This is really indicative of the continuous disrespect and disregard that BTVI has shown to its workers and its faculty in particular. UTEB will continue to fight to ensure that they are no longer marginalised and that they are fairly treated.” The union has constantly spoken on behalf of faculty there but had no power until this year to take some action against what is described as neglect of BTVI’s human resources. “We received recognition on June 28 of this year and so we have only begun to engage in the process of our industrial agreement,” Mr Thompson continued. “We haven’t had our first meeting as yet. We have only just identified our negotiating teams. We do not have an industrial agreement and hence that’s a part of the problem. “So in the past the institute has been doing whatever they wish without recourse from the union. Now that has to stop.”
CANDIDATE Frederick McAlpine with members of his campaign team in this image from video posted on Facebook.
MCALPINE CONFIDENT IN PINERIDGE BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net INDEPENDENT candidate Frederick McAlpine claims that history will be made in Pineridge this week, confident that he will be re-elected. “It is going very good, he said. I intend to win,” he told The Tribune. I think we will make history in Grand Bahama this very week,” He believes that he is the only one who can stand up for GB if the government changes. “If the PLP come in, we better have a voice in there who could speak out and up,” McAlpine said. The former FNM MP said he was very pleased about the advance poll last Thursday.
“The advance poll was very good and well attended, and I can tell you from my poll workers who work on Thursday, I had already had 100 votes in the box already. I feel am very confident. You have never heard no independent get this kind of traction in GB like you hearing right now. I intend to win,” he said. Former prime minister Hubert Ingraham has reportedly endorsed veteran senior police officer Welbourne Bootle, who is the FNM candidate for Pineridge. “I am feeling great, Mr Bootle said. The advance poll gave me confidence that come September 16 we have an excellent chance of being victorious. And that’s what my team and I are looking forward to.” He said he also grateful for the endorsement of Mr Ingraham.
“I am grateful and I am humbled that the former PM came out and gave me his endorsement - that speaks volumes what he had to say.” Mr Bootle said that once elected he intends to implement a 16-member Consultative Committee, comprising the 16 polling divisions in PR so each will have their own representative to find out what the needs are in each division. The former police officer said the FNM has always been good police officers since 1992. “When the FNM came to power, police officer received several raises, and I remember when the PLP was elected they took back every dime of the $1,400 because they felt the police did not support them, and under that administration we never got a raise,” he said.
PAGE 6, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,
jamaaltheartist@gmail.com
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991
EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,
C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-
Published daily Monday to Friday
Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES
News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax
(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348
WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com
@tribune242
tribune news network
Rolle speech raises suspicions over jobs Are jobs being given for votes in Abaco? That’s the terrible impression being given by Public Services and National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle from his speech yesterday. More than two years on from Hurricane Dorian, after the government has been perceived to have dragged its feet over rebuilding, with so many still left struggling to get back on their feet after the storm – and with many still left without answers over their missing relatives – suddenly on the eve of election we have a move to permanently employ dozens of North Abaco residents. Mr Rolle himself acknowledged that this will likely be seen in a political light, saying: “I know some people may say from the other side that this is a political move but we say to you it’s about your future. We are committed to you.” In the same week as an election, when you commit to adding 85 more permanent staff to the public purse, you think the opposition will see this as a political move, Mr Rolle? We wonder why that might be. If positions were reversed, would you be crying foul days before an election at the permanent hiring of staff? Mr Rolle suggested this has been in the pipeline for a while, saying: “We said this from last year that if you did well and you did your work, we will make sure that you fill the vacancies in the Ministry of Public Services and National Insurance and all 85 of you who are on my register, you will get your letters, we have printed them, they should be with your staff.” Not alone in this task, Mr Rolle says a major part has been played by the area’s
MP, Darren Henfield. He said: “Every single day for the last few weeks Darren has been coming to me and saying to me, minister, where are my letters? Where are my people?” The last few weeks, you say, Mr Rolle? Tell us, is there something that changed in the past few weeks that suddenly brought an added urgency to Mr Henfield’s requests? Is it perhaps that an election was called? Even if all this were above board, to announce it on the eve of election like this looks and smells like a political move. To add that a senior Cabinet minister in Foreign Minister Henfield has been asking every day about it only makes it seem more so. It’s appalling for the people involved too – who might be seen as being given a political favour when in truth it might indeed be a reward for hard work. If everything is genuine, they do not need their hard work discredited. The situation is even worse if you look at just two words: “My people.” My people? As opposed to whose people? At the very least, this is inappropriate. There is so much talk about reducing corruption in government – and this does nothing to help that perception. And if it really is a case of giving jobs for votes? Well, that’s more than a perception. This should have been resolved long ago if it were genuine, or it should have waited until after the vote. To push it through so close to an election only brings suspicion, and our country’s politics have long suffered from too much of that.
Readers have their say as vote nears AS the election draws closer, readers have been speaking up on www.tribune242.com. After Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced a plan to help new homeowners, Mandela raised the topic of earlier promises, saying: “So what about eradicating the outside toilets and the free internet in the inner city, that was promised? they amount to thousands of persons who are in need and would greatly benefit especially during this time of being home for school virtual learning, or is this offer only to the few, your FNM’s to whom you apologized? In such an economy only the special few will be able to benefit from such a prejudiced scheme.” Chucky added: “Minnis thinks he can buy votes! “Minnis can’t think of one thing ‘his party’ can do for the Bahamas that’s truly worthwhile, so bribery with the public purse it is. “So free lots, no tax on building costs, I guess that will buy some votes. “Can’t wait to see how we’re gonna pay for this?” KapunkleUp said: “It’s like every government only ever governs or tries to do good for everybody in the 30 days leading up to an election. Why couldn’t Minnis announce this in his first year? Why couldn’t the PLP offer free appliances right AFTER they got elected?” AlternateView added: “While I applaud Bahamians being offered a chance to own their own home for the first time, I don’t understand this “all eggs in one basket” approach. Is the government not paying attention to the fact that construction cost and labor has gone up double, triple and quadruple fold? Why rely so heavily on construction to prop up the
economy? Biden is doing the same thing with his $1.3 Trillion proposal. Better and fresher ideas need to be proposed overall. “Investing in our own sustainable fisheries and agriculture industries is the way to go. We need to stop relying on imported food and more on our own home grown products. Why import if you can get fresh from your own back yard in some instances? Backyard farming should definitely be encourage more. The mindset of the next generation needs to be changed who thinks farming is “not hip” enough as a career choice!” Jackbnimble said: “Oh what I tangled web we weave... And now the promises start. Minnis is grasping as straws and I sense a deed deep desperation because he knows his party and the Bahamian people want him gone. “He’s already shown us his belly. No amount of political posturing will fix it. His ego and attitude over the last 4 plus years have sealed his fate.” SP added: “First he calls a snap election, now he’s promising everything including the house and kitchen sink to anyone stupid enough to listen! The Coalition Of Independents
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net
have Minnis on the run!!!” Responding to concerns from doctors that the country cannot sustain the continuing rise in cases, Crawdaddy said: “We seem to be on death train and adding up dead bodies like a train picks up passengers on a journey to annihilation. A lifesaving vaccine that can save us, we refuse it out of misinformation and disinformation. How many have to die before we collectively come to our senses and get vaccinated? I wish I knew it will be sooner, but I’m afraid, it will be later. I predict only mandatory orders will save us from ourselves. We are steeped in social media malaise.” Honestman said: “If you want to play Russian Roulette with your life then stay unvaccinated. It is a HUGE gamble though and you had better be prepared to live like a hermit for a long time as every social interaction will pose a risk to you. I’m taking my chances with the vaccine as I don’t want to appear on the obituaries any time soon.” • The Tribune website will have regular updates throughout election day. Jin the conversation at www. tribune242.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 7
GOLDING LEADS ELECTION OBSERVER TEAM A GROUP of Commonwealth election observers, headed by former Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding, has arrived in the country to observe Thursday’s general election. Mr Golding arrived in Nassau along with an advance party of observers to observe the final stages and close of advance polling on September 9. This is the second time the Commonwealth will observe the Bahamian election — the first was in May 2017. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland convened the observer group after receiving an invitation from the Governor General Sir Cornelius A Smith. In a statement, Mr Golding said: “It is my honour and privilege to have been asked to lead the group, and to be here in the country for these elections. “Our eight-member observer group has been drawn from across the Commonwealth and brings together a wealth of experience spanning the social and political spectrum, including civil society and the media. “Our mandate is to observe and evaluate the pre-election environment, polling day activities and the post-election period against the backdrop of Bahamian national legislation and regulations, as well as regional and international commitments. We
from page one
FORMER Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding. will then report on whether groups, and the media. Starting today, observthe elections have been conducted in accordance ers will be deployed in with the standards to which small teams across variThe Commonwealth of ous islands to observe the The Bahamas has commit- voting, counting and results ted itself, including its own process, as well as meet with other stakeholders in laws. “We will consider, among respective locations. On Election Day they other things, whether conditions exist for cred- will observe the opening, ible elections, including a voting, closing, counting fair election environment; and the results managewhether public media ment processes. The group will then issue has been impartial; the transparency of the entire an interim statement on process; whether voters are its preliminary findings free to express their will; on September 18. A final and whether the count- report will be prepared and ing and results process is submitted to the Commonwealth secretary-general, transparent.” Over the coming days, and subsequently shared the group will be meeting with relevant stakeholdstakeholders including: the ers and made publicly government, political par- available. The group will depart the ties, civil society groups, international observer country by September 23.
STABBING SENTENCE QUASHED By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
THE Court of Appeal has quashed the 18-month prison sentence of a man convicted of seriously injuring another man by stabbing him with a knife. Peter Albee was charged with causing grievous harm after he was accused of giving a man a 12-inch scar with a four-inch blade in 2017. According to court documents, a woman was at her Palm Cay home having dinner with a friend when Albee walked into her house shouting angrily over being terminated. In court, the woman testified that her general manager had fired Albee that morning. She said she told him to leave that evening and to take his things but after she went to bed, she heard her son scream, “I have been stabbed!” During her son’s testimony, he claimed when he tried to enter the cottage where he lived, Albee stabbed him from the side causing him to receive a laceration that required four layers of stitches. When Albee testified, he said he had been living in the cottage since April 2017. He also said he had been fired earlier that day but
was told he could remain on the property until the following morning. However, he said sometime during the night, the woman’s son and husband started threatening him while attempting to break down the door. Despite his evidence, Albee was convicted and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. On the day he was sentenced, he appealed the magistrate’s decision on the grounds it was unreasonable and could not be supported having regard to the evidence. He further asserted the verdict was unsafe and/ or unsatisfactory given the circumstances of his case. Last month, Sir Michael Barnett, Jon Isaacs and Carolita Bethell quashed Albee’s conviction and sentence after ruling the magistrate did not take his perspective into consideration when she delivered her ruling. “The magistrate failed to appreciate the effect the threats of death, made by (the son), may have had on the appellant,” Justice Isaacs noted. “The appellant’s apprehension of an immediate attack could not be said to have been held unreasonably. He may have honestly believed that (the son) had entered the cottage intent on executing his threat to kill. The magistrate
was required to consider the honesty of the appellant’s belief based on the fact that (the son) admitted to making the threats. The appellant was entitled to have his case determined by the magistrate on that basis. The magistrate fell into error when she failed to adequately, or at all, consider the appellant’s point of view.” In their judgement, the panel also said they agreed with the second ground of Albee’s appeal. “If the appellant honestly believed that it was necessary to defend himself, the next step would be the magistrate’s consideration of the force used by the appellant having regard to the threat as he reasonably thought it to be. However, the magistrate could not proceed to consider the next step because by her finding that the appellant did not honestly believe that he was in danger, she precluded any further consideration of whether the force employed was excessive and unjustified. In the light of the foregoing, the appellant’s conviction is clearly unsafe and unsatisfactory. His appeal is allowed, his conviction and sentence quashed and the matter is remitted for retrial in the magistrates’ court before a different magistrate.”
BAIL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM LAUNCHED By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE Office of the Judiciary officially launched the Bahamas Bail Management System yesterday that aids in electronic bail applications. Chief Justice Sir Brian Moree said the system is a part of an ongoing move to implement technological solutions in the criminal justice system. “This is a software module which automates the process of applying for and dealing with bail applications in Supreme Court through a customised e-application with a. . .web portal for lawyers and other users together with physical kiosk located in the Criminal Registry, the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, the Elizabeth Estates Police Station, the East Street Police Station, the Carmichael Road Police Station, the Grove Police Station, the Central Police Station and the main police station in Freeport,” he said. The system was engineered by Multimedia Technologies and their
Initiative to tackle courts’ backlog
partner Justice Enhancement Technologies. Senior Justice Bernard Turner added the system gives greater access to unrepresented litigants, criminal defendants as well as great ease of access to attorneys. “What The Bahamas Bail Management System seeks to do is to streamline the automated process for applications for bail so that whether the person charged who’s applying for bail has an attorney, his attorney may apply for bail from his office using the online portal, but even more importantly for persons who (are) remanded into custody without counsel that it provides a mechanism which that persons unrepresented. . . (are) able to approach the courts in a timely and effective fashion to apply for bail,” he explained. “Through the use of the kiosk as the chief justice would have indicated, the kiosk located at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services to file his application he can continue to do what persons charged with criminal offences have always done, which is to write a letter to
the courts. But now when that letter is written it no longer has to go through a process of being physically delivered to the court and a date being fixed. That letter is uploaded electronically to the kiosk located at the Department of Correctional Services and transmitted automatically to Criminal Registry responsible for the setting down of bail applications and that person’s application is able to be fixed before a court.” The system aids in checking if there is compliance with the Bail Act provisions. It reduces the burden on police stations of having to keep a book of persons signing in for bail. The kiosk would allow for a person to sign using biometric information. In April 2017, the Christie administration announced that biometric technology for bail which would replace the archaic paperbased registration would be implemented. When asked about the delay in the system’s roll out, Justice Turner said this was to ensure that the system was up to par and secure.
“It involves systemic issues,” Sir Brian said. “It also involves scheduling issues in terms (of) coordinating the calendars of the court with the calendar of the lawyers. Let me give you one of the problems. “In the course of a year even if we had judges working 24 hours a day, which of course is not possible, but assuming optimal productivity by judges there is no way that we can clear out of the system in a course of a year more cases than come into the system. “In court terms, that’s known as your clearance rate for cases. I don’t know of many courts that actually clear out more cases in the context of a year than come in. So that is a problem... So we are looking at software that can help us in managing our backlog.” He also highlighted
initiatives such as defining the backlog, being able to track cases and applying special resources. He said civil procedure rules are being changed to try and simplify some of the procedures, reduce some of the timelines and stricter adherence to hearing and trial dates. “That is a project that in terms of a contract we intend to sign with an expert on this,” he said. “He or she will be an external consultant experienced in working with courts to reduce backlogs. We’re going to look at it systemically and we’re going to look at it in terms of the rules. We’re going to look at it in terms of our practices. We’re going to look at it in terms of greater discipline, fewer adjournments, and what’s known as court hearing date certainty.” One of the objectives of the backlog reduction programme that is being
worked on is to develop a dashboard which will provide the metrics for measuring the backlog in each division and each level of the courts. The chief justice said he intends to make available to the public the report received with regard to the level of the backlog, how it is measured, and what the metrics are in each level of the courts in all of the various divisions. While the backlog is being tackled, it was emphasised managing the current level of work also needs to be in check to make sure it does contribute to the existing problem. “It’s taking too long quite frankly to conclude cases within our system and we’re working hard to see how we can mitigate that so that it doesn’t contribute to the existing backlog. So, you have to do both of these things at the same time,” he said.
PAGE 8, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
We all know someone the virus has taken - how many more? Face to Face
By FELICITY DARVILLE
THE amount of COVID- sense of humour, and loved 19 deaths have risen to look at the other side of steadily in recent weeks, so the coin. He had no issues much so that almost every going against the grain, but Bahamian knows some- he always remained true one who has succumbed to to his virtues. I looked forthe virus. It is rampant and ward to his almost daily merciless. In a small popu- contributions to our chat lation like The Bahamas, group. the effects of the disease We all knew he had have hit home for many. started his own practice in The past Exuma along several weeks ‘Families all over with his wife, were shockDanzara. They The Bahamas ing for me as set up Di-Ara well. First, my have been rocked Comprehenschoolmate, sive Medical by Covid-19. We the bubbly and have seen families Centre, effervescent which quickly Stephanie Pla- losing multiple became a karis passed members in the vital source of away. She was medical care a well known same time frame. for the islandpassport office Families are being ers. He and his worker, always ripped apart in wife relished willing to help in the beauty others. We this pandemic, of island life attended St leaving pain and with their chilAugustine’s severe heartbreak. dren, Diyari College (SAC) and Azarand. together, and The effects of Eddie gradshe maintained this will last a uated from that upbeat lifetime for many.’ the University attitude all the of the West years I knew Indies, Mona her. She is survived by her Campus’ Bio-Chem prochildren, Mayor Gibson gramme with his MBBS Jr and Samaiya; fiancée, degree. He did his internMayor Gibson; parents, ship at Princess Margaret Stephan Plakaris and Chris- Hospital and ended up servtina Williams and many ing more than a decade others. with the Obstetrician and The next schoolmate Gynecology Department. to pass away was even He was there just after the more shocking. Dr Charles delivery of two of my sons, Edward Wildgoose, affec- and was able to check up tionately known to us as on us while we were on “Eddie”, was in my gradu- the ward. He also worked ating class, SAC Class of part time at several private 1995. He had a satirical clinics including Eastern
Medical and the Walk-in Medical Clinic. There was a collective shock in our SAC Class
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RE: YACHT CHARTER SERVICES
Atlantis, Paradise Island Bahamas is soliciting proposals from qualified and experienced local companies, who have demonstrated the ability in providing exceptional Yacht Charter Services.
The contents of the RFP # IHCL-YS-001 and the Vendor Selection Process can be obtained by going to our website and accessing the following link:
AtlantisBahamas .com/about/rfp
PICTURED clockwise from top left are Dr Ianthe Cartwright Bastian, Sgt Krystalk Blatch, Stephanie Plakaris and Dr Charles Edward Wildgoose, who have all died from COVID-19.
of 1995 group when we found out that the reason Eddie hadn’t messaged in a few days is because we wouldn’t be able to receive a voice note or text from him again. During the week he was laid to rest, I got the news of the passing of another two schoolmates. Both were at SAC during the years that I attended, and so I knew them by face and also by profession as adults. They were both beautiful women inside and out and so there was another collective school shock at their passing. Dr Ianthe Cartwright Bastian, Class of 2000 and Sergeant Krystal Blatch. Ianthe was a well loved, caring paediatrician. Most recently, she worked with the paediatric associates at the Caves Shopping Plaza. Her passing was tragic for all who heard of her. She was seven months pregnant and mother to two young children. She was airlifted to Florida for treatment, but she succumbed on her birthday. Her devoted husband, Demetres Bastian and her sons Kai and Kellen will now have to cover their loving arms around a baby girl, while dealing with the loss of a wife and mother. Doctors were able to save her baby, and she is said to be surviving well in neonatal intensive care. Sergeant 2125 Krystal Blatch was a devoted member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. During her career, she was attached to the Western Division, Grand Bahama; Airport Division; Mobile Division; Exuma Division;
Police Canteen and Fire Services Division. She was enlisted into the force in 1991. She was promoted to Corporal in 2005 and to Sergeant in 2007. Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle referred to her as a dedicated officer as he offered condolences to her family. Families all over The Bahamas have been rocked by Covid-19. We have seen families losing multiple members in the same time frame. Families are being ripped apart in this pandemic, leaving pain and severe heartbreak. The effects of this will last a lifetime for many. Dr Tyrone “Butch” Bartlett, who spoke out recently after he contracted COVID-19, recently contacted me. Initially, as a friend, he advised me against getting vaccinated. He came out publicly after falling ill to the virus to encourage people to get vaccinated in order to save lives. His entire family contracted it, and he believes they were able to survive due to excellent care at home and a strict regimen he implemented for their recovery. He contacted me to share a poem he wrote as death knocked on his door. He was able to slam that door and survive, but it took everything in him. Life devolves To endless battle Space and time Contracts within To a stage Where dreams unravel Falling where Nightmares begin Fear reduces To survival
Breath the prize Fought for to gain Black the sky That presses downward Strength sought Where there’s only pain Relentless is This raging monster Ravenous It’s lust for life Having none My spark it covets Like a fruit Hanging and ripe I defend What’s mine and sovereign Burning bright My spark aflame My life not yet Claimed not fallen Surrendering not This ground I gain I repel Death’s grim advances Striking as It fades then falls I take back My life it gathered No longer Beneath its thrall Clouds break And the sky is opened As the sun Greets me below With victory Assures and granted I breathe deep Life’s precious flow Now restored To form and function Death’s retreat A welcome sight I send cries Towards the heavens Thanking God Who spared my life Grateful for Faith validated Saved by light I am restored Thankful for prayers Asked and granted I claim life As my reward
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
THE TRIBUNE
What has the US learned 20 years on from 9/11? NEVER forget the loss, grief and pain that is deep, consuming and ever-present. This was surely the enduring message when America, with sadness and solemnity, paid tribute on Saturday to the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11. It was the 20th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks in New York and Washington in 2001. The huge loss of life of those inside the 110-storey Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, both of which were destroyed, and at the Pentagon and on flight 93 in Pennsylvania - as well as of the first responders who reacted to these terrible incidents with such bravery and dedication - makes it one of the worst disasters in the nation’s history. These were acts of extreme violence, the consequences and repercussions of which changed the world. Despite the importance of continuing to honour those who perished, it is clear the annual remembrance ceremonies at the various memorials - Ground Zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville in Pennsylvania where flight 93 crashed - bring back extreme pain to all those involved. Emotions remain raw - even after so many years - for the thousands who had their lives disrupted or destroyed. The traditional practice of reading out the individual names of all the victims by family members and others is unbearably poignant; especially the separate deeply personal messages spoken at the same time,
with people saying their grief had not diminished over the years and that they felt the spirit of their loved ones remained with them. That such an horrific surprise attack could succeed on American soil was profoundly shocking. It created chaos and destruction and brought home to people the brutal randomness of sudden death. The enormity of what happened was almost beyond comprehension, and many thought the world could never be the same again. This was followed by anger - across a nation which at that time was still united in a manner which can only be dreamed of today - together with a fierce reaction and steely resolve to respond with the utmost force. The commemorative events at the weekend have been so widely covered in the media that they do not bear further repetition. But I should like to offer comment on the broader aspects of the US stance and actions that since then have, in the opinion of
WHILE the emphasis this past week has inevitably been on 9/11, the most significant event here at home is, of course, the general election on Thursday. As a retired diplomat, I am instinctively reluctant to comment publicly on Bahamian domestic politics. But, from what I have heard and read, it might be worth making a few points. Many people seem to be asking whether, in calling an election so many months ahead of its due date, the Prime Minister has something up his sleeve, when it seems unwise to hold one at a time of a surge in COVID infections and at the height of the hurricane season. So perhaps he has a compelling reason of which others are unaware. Electioneering has been strangely different this time with an absence of the usual large rallies and virtual ones instead while campaigners have still been out and about. But one aspect that has been controversial is the FNM’s commercials carried on foreign TV news channels criticising the PLP and its leaders on a personal basis. Some think that instead of such negativity it would have been more effective for the FNM to spend time
explaining and promoting its own policies on a range of issues of importance to the electorate – for example, the election-winning proposal to provide free food for all children in government schools. The indications seem to be the FNM will prevail again but with a reduced majority – and it has been reported to have won last week’s advance poll. Assuming Dr Minnis secures a second fiveyear term as Prime Minister, his position will be strengthened to such an extent that he will be well placed to push through much-needed major reforms. So, I have heard that people are wondering whether he and his colleagues will listen to the call - published in The Tribune - by the Organisation for Responsible Governance (ORG) for new policies that would ensure “transparent and accountable governance”. ORG has produced an “open letter” identifying a series of issues and policies which the group suggests should be priorities for the next administration. These are wide ranging and look to me to be wholly pertinent. Many believe it is good that pressure should
THE PETER YOUNG COLUMN
many, sadly left the world a more dangerous place. Any US President would have been forced by public opinion to chase down alQaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 atrocities. So, an invasion of Afghanistan, where it was based, was inevitable. Moreover, it appears many other countries saw this as a defining moment and supported the US action as the world came together to condemn terrorism. But a long-term presence of US armed forces was another matter. Many consider it was a mistake to try to defeat terrorism through military occupation, but others argue it was effective in the case of Afghanistan because there has been no such terrorist attack on the US for some 20 years. Meanwhile, however, among other actions the US damaged the rest of the world’s view of the West by its invasion - with its close ally Britain - of Iraq in 2003; and there followed accusations of the torture of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay who have been held without trial and the scandal of torture and mistreatment of those held in Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Iraq was invaded on the false prospectus of Saddam Hussein’s development of weapons of mass destruction which were never found. It was part of the misguided strategy of the so-called “neo-cons” in Washington to try to impose democracy in the Middle East but only resulted in huge loss of life and served
to destabilise the region and lead to the rise of ISIS. Many believe seeking to export Western-style democracy is doomed to failure. It is absurdly simplistic to think the principles and practices of democracy can be applied in countries that have different histories, backgrounds, traditions, institutions, customs, local conditions and way of life as well as varying loyalties and tribal conflicts. Furthermore, to do this through the application of force creates opposition, resentment and a lack of co-operation and is therefore unachievable. It is generally accepted it is never possible to prevent terrorism in the long-term by military force. Evil exists and terrorists, who have a
IF MINNIS WINS ON THURSDAY HE’LL HAVE A MANDATE FOR ACTION be brought on the government in this way in an effort to improve not only its transparency and accountability but also its efficiency and effectiveness. This comes, of course, at a particularly difficult time for the country. The Tribune commented editorially in June that there was no secret about the situation in which The Bahamas finds itself. It was in debt even before being hit by the twin blows of Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19, and now the national debt exceeds $10 billion. One does not have to be a trained economist to realize that, without a huge cut in public spending, the only way forward is to stimulate economic growth. Since it is the business sector that creates wealth so it must be a priority to make it easier to do business and to reduce the cost of it – in particular, to reduce bureaucracy and regulation. But, even if legislators establish a framework for this, what is surely needed is a system of “checks and balances” to ensure that officials carry out their tasks honestly and expeditiously – in connection, for example, with business licences – and are
FAIRY TALES CAN COME TRUE A NEW star of women’s tennis has burst upon the scene. What a pleasure it is to write about the superb achievement of 18-yearold Emma Raducanu from Britain in securing her wonderful victory in the final of the US Open on Saturday. In a thrilling clash, she defeated Canadian Leylah Fernandez - at 19 also still a teenager - to win the women’s title in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. She thus became the first British woman to win a major in 44 years, and, given the strength in depth of today’s women’s game, it is being called one of the greatest underdog stories ever. Having entered the tournament as a wild card, Emma had to go through the qualifying rounds and was the first qualifier ever to reach the final of a Grand
Slam and then to emerge as champion. Her performance during the two-hour long final, which has been described as one of the most dramatic matches in recent women’s tennis, was outstanding. After her earlier meltdown at Wimbledon, there had been doubts about her ability to handle the pressure at the top level of the game of which she had had little experience. But throughout the tournament she displayed impressive calm, quiet resolve and self-confidence together with an iron will and ruthlessness in overcoming a number of top players. As some commentators observed, her technique and overall ability were so good that she was capable of handling extreme pressure on the court while
coming out on top. What has also been impressive is her demeanour off the court, with her ready smile, modesty and self-deprecating humour as well as her composure at such a young age in handling TV interviews and speaking so eloquently. Emma Raducanu’s superlative success in becoming a Grand Slam champion has blown everyone away. She has earned enormous praise in Britain from every quarter – including a personal message of congratulations from The Queen. She has become a role model and her accomplishment will doubtless inspire other young people to take up the sport. Everybody will surely now wish her well as she pursues what promises to be a spectacular tennis career.
accountable for their actions. Since the FNM has pledged to improve governance, rebuild the economy, help small businesses and create new jobs, perhaps a new government will find it helpful to take heed of ORG’s suggestions. As for the election itself, I found it interesting while in the car the other day to listen to my good friend Wendall Jones on his daily show on Love97. I hope I am quoting him correctly as saying there was a need to build on the amazing country that we all enjoy by fighting corruption, showing discipline and adopting good business practice for the betterment of all. I hope I also heard him properly as adding that in a modern Bahamas pragmatism should be the order of the day rather than what he called emotionalism and that people should vote on that basis rather than on old loyalties as has often been the case in the past. It seemed to me that there could be no better advice than that.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 9 SMOKE pours from the World Trade Center on September 9, 2001.
warped ideology and dangerous disregard for human life, need to be confronted by force. But the experts say the only way to tackle this scourge on a permanent basis is a “hearts and minds” approach of addressing root causes like poverty and internal pressures arising from sectarian or religious strife. So, while other countries accepted the need for a fierce US response to the horrors of 9/11, despite the use of a sledgehammer through its so-called war on terror - the world has become, 20 years later, an even more threatening and perilous place than it was before. The US appears to be going through a crisis of confidence, but perhaps it will seek in future to
work more effectively in concert with other countries against the terrorism threat rather than using its military might. In his speech at Shanksville on Saturday, former President George W Bush spoke of the lack of unity in today’s America and what he called a “malign influence” that turns every disagreement into an argument resulting in the anger and resentment of current US politics. He called for a return of the unity that existed in the very different era of 2001. But most agree that this depends on strong political leadership to encourage those concerned to work together and try to bring back a spirit of tolerance and co-operation to public life – something that is lacking in America today.
PAGE 10, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
PEOPLE shield their face from wind and sand ahead of Tropical Storm Nicholas yesterday in Corpus Christi, Texas. Photo: Annie Rice/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP
STORM GETS STRONGER AS IT NEARS TEXAS HOUSTON Associated Press TROPICAL Storm Nicholas gathered strength yesterday and threatened to blow ashore in Texas as a hurricane that could bring up to 20 inches of rain to parts of the Gulf Coast, including the same area hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and storm-battered Louisiana. Although the system was expected to generate only a fraction as much rain as Harvey, nearly all of the state’s coastline was under a tropical storm warning that included potential flash floods and urban flooding. Texas Gov Greg Abbott said authorities placed rescue teams and resources in the Houston area and along the coast. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the system’s top sustained winds were 70mph, nearly hurricane strength and an increase of 10mph from earlier in the day. If the winds hit 74mph, the storm would become a Category 1 hurricane. It was moving north-northeast at 12mph and was predicted to make landfall late last night along the central Texas coast. An automated station in Matagorda Bay registered a sustained wind of 55mph with a gust of 71mph. In flood-prone Houston, officials worried that heavy rain expected to arrive late
Monday and early Tuesday could inundate streets and flood homes. Authorities deployed high-water rescue vehicles throughout the city and erected barricades at more than 40 locations that tend to flood, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “This city is very resilient. We know what we need to do. We know about preparing,” said Turner, referencing four major flood events that have hit the Houston area in recent years, including devastating damage from Harvey, which flooded more than 150,000 homes in the Houston area. Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo asked residents to stay off the roads yesterday evening to avoid risking their lives or the lives of first responders who might be called to rescue them from flooded roadways. “What I need each resident to do is get where you need to be by 6pm and stay there,” said Hidalgo, the top elected official in Harris County, which includes Houston. The Houston school district, the state’s largest, announced that classes would be canceled Tuesday because of the incoming storm. The weather threat also closed multiple COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites in the Houston and Corpus Christi areas, and forced the cancellation of a Harry Styles concert.
DOCTORS HARASSED IN NICARAGUA BY GOVT MEXICO CITY Associated Press
OTHER countries have lured doctors out of retirement, pushed medical students to the front lines and buoyed medical personnel exhausted by COVID-19 cases, but in Nicaragua doctors have been harassed, threatened and sometimes forced into exile for questioning official handling of the pandemic. Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also the first lady, has accused doctors of “health terrorism” and of spreading “false outlooks and news” by reporting that COVID-19 has been far more widespread than officials acknowledge. As international health organisations warn of increasing infections in Nicaragua and independent Nicaraguan doctors call for a voluntary quarantine to slow the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, the government has made clear that comments out of step with its line are unacceptable as President Daniel Ortega seeks a fourth consecutive term. Groups of doctors report much higher numbers than the government of virus infections and deaths from COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the coronavirus. And they have criticized the Sandinista government for promoting mass gatherings. Dr Leonel Argüello, a physician who also is one of the country’s most prominent epidemiologists, recently fled Nicaragua after months of harassment and threats. Argüello maintains his own tally of medical workers who died of COVID-19 and accuses the government of creating a false sense of security that has cost lives. “We are not working to remove a government,” the doctor said from an undisclosed country. “We are not
working to be an opposition party. We are working like we would work with any patient to look for a way to save his life.” Argüello, who worked for the Health Ministry during the first Sandinista government, said he had ignored death threats, but said he sensed a change when Murillo spoke publicly about doctors inventing things and made clear the government would not continue tolerating it. “My role as a health educator was going to be lost if they imprisoned me or silenced me,” he said. In comments that appeared directed toward Argüello and other doctors in exile, Murillo said this month that “to carry out terrorism with health topics is a sacrilege, it is a crime.” Questions sent to the vice president about the alleged intimidation of doctors elicited a thank you note from Murillo, but no additional comment. It is not clear how many doctors have left the country during the pandemic, but The Associated Press identified at least five who left because they felt government intimidation. “I think it’s a decision you take when you feel your physical safety is compromised,” Argüello said. In early July, Murillo spoke of “fake doctors” giving “false predictions and false surveys” about the pandemic. “In life everything has a cost and if we cause harm, harm will come to us, we shouldn’t expose ourselves to receive the consequences,” she said on national television. Around that time, urologist José Luis Borgen was called into the Health Ministry and told to stop providing pandemic statistics different from the official numbers. He said he knows of about a dozen doctors who were summoned and told the same.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 11
MINISTRY OF NATIONAL SECURITY
GN-2612
PARLIAMENTARY REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT
2021 General Election Polling Stations
PAGE 12, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
GN-2612
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 13
GN-2612
PAGE 14, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
ELECTION TALLY SHEETS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15 PICK UP YOUR COPY TO KEEP TRACK OF ELECTION RESULTS
SPORTS PAGE 15
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
RAIDERS RALLY PAST RAVENS 33-27 IN OT By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Derek Carr threw a 31-yard TD pass to Zay Jones after the Raiders squandered their first possession of overtime, beating the Baltimore Ravens 33-27 on Monday night in the team’s first game with fans in Las Vegas. Carr’s second TD pass of the game came after Carl Nassib’s strip sack of Lamar Jackson at the Ravens 27. Nassib made big news this offseason when he became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. The Raiders had thrown an interception after driving to the 1 on the opening possession of overtime and made another blunder with a delay of game before a field goal try. Coach Jon Gruden then sent the offence back on the field and Carr hit Jones on the next play for the game-winner. The Raiders trailed 14-0 early, ending a 98-game, regular-season win streak for the Ravens when leading by at least 14 points dating to 2004. The loss capped a rough stretch for the Ravens, who have had a run of injuries that sidelined top three
KNOWLES TOP SCORER FOR SECOND GAME IN A ROW By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net DANRAD Knowles continues to have an immediate impact on his Agrupación Deportiva Cantbasket 04 Santander club in Spain. Knowles was the top scorer for the second consecutive game and his 19 points led his club to an 81-75 win over Raisan Pas Piélagos in the Liga Española de Baloncesto Aficionado (Liga EBA) preseason finale. AD Cantbasket led 15-13 after the first, but trailed 36-33 at the half. Raisan opened a 10 point lead in the third quarter (59-49) but Cantbasket rallied to come to within three headed into the final frame, 60-57. AD Cantbasket opened the fourth on a 6-0 run to take the lead for good and maintained that advantage the rest of the way. Santander will open their 2021-22 season next Saturday, September 18 against LBC Cocinas.com at the Espartero Sports Center in n Logroño, Spain. In his first appearance with the club last week, Knowles scored a game high 17 to lead Cantbasket to a 62-60 win over Getxo ST at the Fadura Sports Center in Gexto, Spain. He averaged 18 points per game in the preseason. AD Cantbasket 04, is based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, and competes in Liga EBA. It is the fourth tier level in the Spanish basketball system, after the Liga ACB, LEB Oro, and LEB Plata. Knowles last played locally in the New Providence Basketball Association with the Discount Distributors Rockets, where he averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. As a prep prospect, Knowles was ranked 51st in the ESPN top 100 and he eventually committed to the Houston Cougars over Baylor and Arkansas. SEE PAGE 16
running backs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, as well as cornerback Marcus Peters, for the season. They had won the past five openers by a margin of 177-26, but came up short in this nailbiter thanks to a strong game from Carr, who threw for 435 yards. The overtime came after a wild back-and-forth fourth quarter that featured the Raiders rallying to tie the game on three separate occasions, with Carr driving Las Vegas to a tying 55-yard field goal in the final 37 seconds. The Ravens had taken the lead when Jackson scrambled 28 yards to help set up Justin Tucker’s 47-yard field goal. The Raiders earlier got a forced fumble by Quinton Jefferson against Jackson to set up Josh Jacobs’ 15-yard TD run, tying the game at 17. The Ravens answered when former Raider Latavius Murray ran it in from 8 yards one play after Jackson found Sammy Watkins on a mismatch for a 49-yard pass. Carr then connected on a 37-yard pass to Henry Ruggs III that set up a tying 10-yard TD to Darren Waller with 3:44 to play.
LAS Vegas Raiders wide receiver Zay Jones (7) celebrates after scoring a game winning touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during overtime in an NFL football game, Monday, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Knowles-Tener, Cartwright make NCAA Division II debuts By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net LINEMEN playing on opposite sides of the ball made their respective debuts on the gridiron in NCAA Division II football. Rondre Knowles-Tener finished with three tackles in his Virginia-Wise Cavaliers’ 14-45 loss to No.15 ETSU while Michael Cartwright saw his first action with the Virginia State University Trojans. Knowles-Tener, now playing the nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme, opened the season with a fumble recovery in the Cavaliers’ 54-0 win over Virginia-Lynchburg last week. Next week, the Cavs
RONDRE Knowles-Tener
MICHAEL Cartwright
begin South Atlantic Conference play when the team visits Mars Hill University at 1pm.
In two seasons at UVA, he has totaled 59 tackles, 10 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick.
Cartwright, a redshirt sophomore offensive tackle, made his debut with the Trojans in a 48-7 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne. He opted out of the North Carolina Central Eagles programme last April and entered the transfer portal following his two-year tenure there. The Virginia State University football team finished the 2020 season 8-2 and secured a spot in the NCAA Super Region 2 Playoff. They are off to an 0-2 start this season after losses to Lenoir-Rhyne and Ohio Dominican. Following an open week, the Trojans will look to get their first win of the season when travel down
south to Fayetteville, North Carolina to take on the Broncos of Fayetteville State University in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association play. The 6’5 330 pound offensive lineman was a redshirt as a true freshman in 2019 and did not see time during the 2020 season with the Eagles. Carwright entered NCCU as a 3-star rated offensive tackle by 247Sports. He was selected the top performer at the Nike “The Opening” Combine in Miami, Florida. As a senior he was named to the Miami Herald’s All-Dade Class 5A Independent Football First Team with 65 pancake blocks.
FORMER ROAD MASTERS PRESIDENT SET FOR BERLIN MARATHON
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Bahamas Road Masters president Charles Johnson, with more than 30 international marathons under his belt, will be heading to Germany in two weeks as the lone Bahamian competing in the in-person Berlin Marathon. The 26.2 mile run, one of the first major races to be staged on site since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, is scheduled for September 26. It’s one of the six major marathons around the world, in a list that includes New York, Chicago, London, Boston, Berlin and Tokyo. Having ran the New York and Chicago Marathons twice and London, Boston and Tokyo once, the 65-year-old Johnson said this will be the first time he would get to participate in Berlin as he adds the last of the top marathons in the world to his resumé. “Running is really a pastime for me, but when you are running a marathon it is a real commitment,” said Johnson, a 48-year veteran in the insurance industry. “It’s a lot of training. You can’t just go out there and
“This is why a lot of people running marathons find it to be a lifelong lesson because it’s taught us never to give up. You may not be going as fast as you want and you may even have to walk and even crawl, but eventually you will cross the finish line.” Charles Johnson
CHARLES Johnson with his medal after completing the Chicago Marathon. run a 26.2 mile race unless you are fully prepared for it. “Most marathon training programmes are stretched over a 12-week period where you have a very
structured programme in place where you are running four to five times a week at varied distances to get your body in readiness for the 26 miles.” Known as a late-bloomer
from Andros, who got started at the age of 55 at his first marathon, but has never competed in one at home, Johnson said there are times when a runner can “hit that wall” and their legs “just won’t want to go any further,” but it’s only a person’s mind that will take them through to the finish line. “Training for a marathon in The Bahamas is usually a plus, running in a cooler climate,” said Johnson, who began running after he made the transition from playing squash, golf, softball, but even at his height of 6-feet, 4-inches, he never
ventured into basketball. A weightlifting fanatic, he noted that after running the beach with some friends, he decided to test his skills at long distance running and hence the interest grew in marathons. He said he just got an appreciation for running marathons because of the benefits that he’s derived from it and the lasting friendships that he’s been able to develop over the years. It was at the age of 54 that he got his introduction to running his first marathon. But he admitted that one of the early mistakes he made when he started running marathons was to switch from the shoes he trained in when he brought a new pair to compete in his London marathon. “It felt good for the first 15 miles, but after that, it just brought me down and my toes were literally on fire, blistered and everything, but I had to finish. So you really have to be mentally strong,” he remembered. “This is why a lot of people running marathons find it to be a lifelong lesson because it’s taught us never to give up. You may not be going as fast as you want and you may even have to SEE PAGE 16
PAGE 16, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
KNOWLES TOP SCORER FOR SECOND GAME IN A ROW FROM PAGE 15 Following his senior season, Knowles finished his Cougars tenure as a school record holder with 72 conference games played and was tied for fourth in Houston career history with 126 games played. He was selected by the Grand Rapids Drive with the 65th overall selection of the 2018 G-League Draft. The Grand Rapids Drive are the G-League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons. With the senior men’s national team programme, Knowles was most recently a member of team Bahamas’ team at the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers and World Cup China 2019 Qualifiers.
PACKERS READY TO REGROUP AFTER GETTING ‘HUMBLED’ IN OPENER By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer AFTER producing perhaps the most disappointing performance of the NFL’s opening week, the Green Bay Packers must prove it was an aberration rather than an indication they aren’t nearly as good as advertised. The Packers fell 38-3 to the New Orleans Saints in Jacksonville, Florida, snapping a franchise-record streak of six straight season-opening victories. It was a stunning result for a team that talked openly about how much was at stake this year after losing in the NFC championship game each of the past two seasons. “Unfortunately, sometimes in this league, you get humbled,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “Certainly we got humbled.” An offence that produced a league-high 31.8 points per game last season couldn’t find the end zone. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the reigning MVP, was 15 of 28 for 133 yards with two interceptions. “I felt like our energy was a little bit low,” said Rodgers, who compared it to a 26-11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers from 2019. That offence barely got on the field in the first half because the Saints controlled possession so effectively. New Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry had a miserable debut, with Green Bay allowing five touchdowns and one field goal in the Saints’ first seven possessions. “I still have the utmost confidence in our defence,” safety Adrian Amos said. “We’re going to regroup and get better this week. We’re going to get back to our assignments, see what we messed up.” This lopsided loss followed an eventful offseason in which Rodgers skipped the Packers’ organised team activities and mandatory minicamp before reporting to training camp on time. Players acknowledged before the season they understood what was at stake this year because of the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Rodgers and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, who could become a free agent next year. Yet they still delivered a dreadful opening performance. Running back Aaron Jones wondered afterward if “a little bit of complacency” might have been an issue. Rodgers said “we probably felt like we were going to go up and down the field on whoever they had out there” before adding “that obviously wasn’t the case.” “It kind of caught me by surprise,” Jones said. “I’m not used to losing like this. I know all the guys and myself included, around the locker room, we had a great feeling coming into this one. We felt like we worked hard in practice and did everything we needed to do leading up to it.”
THE TRIBUNE
Former Road Masters president set for the Berlin Marathon FROM PAGE 15 walk and even crawl, but eventually you will cross the finish line.” Johnson’s first marathon was at Niagara Falls in Buffalo where he produced his lifetime best time of four hours and 30 minutes. He travelled with a number of his training partners from the Bahamas Roadmasters, the club for local roadrunners that he headed as president from 2012-2016 when he helped to establish the Bahamas Half Marathon Since that initiation, Johnson said he’s been able to post times that were ten minutes within each other, even though it starts to slip as he gets older, but he’s accepted it and still keeps on ticking as he looks forward to the next challenge. In 2014 when he went to Tokyo, Johnson said he encountered a language barrier, but he got a better appreciation of what it meant to be competing overseas as the organisers carried their instructions to the letter. He found it out the hard way when he tried to go into the calling area with a water bottle that he always used for marathons. At the time, he tried to go through with the bottle, but was denied by an official, who spoke in Japanese. “I didn’t speak the language, but the way the guy spoke, I really thought I had committed a major crime,” he recalled. “He just pulled the water bottle out of my hand and threw it into the garbage and I realised that I had broken the rule.” But on the route of the marathon, Johnson said the fans on the sidelines were
CHARLES Johnson has been competing in marathons from the age of 55.
very accommodating and they provided spray for the knees of every participant or they shared fruit or water to keep the competitors hydrated. On just about every marathon he competed in, Johnson said he found that competitors, who hardly know each other, would assist by giving each other prep talks or they encourage each other to continue to press on, even when they seemed to be giving up. He considers it a fraternity, but one that leaves cherished memories even if they don’t remember who the person or persons were who helped them along the course because in most cases, because the number of competitors are so large,
they don’t have the time to get to know each other formally. As he prepares to leave on September 21, Johnson will be traveling with his wife, Eunice Johnson, another marathon runner, who will not be competing, but will be there to provide moral support for him on the sidelines. While he normally goes to the Cleveland Clinic for his annual physical and has been given a clean bill of health over the years, Johnson said he normally prefers to go and run the marathons, in most cases self-sponsored, because it’s about the same or less than what most persons his age would pay for their medical care if they are not
physically fit. “I get to enjoy myself, see the world, meet new friends and establish some new relationships,” said Johnson, who is nearing retirement age. On his return home, Johnson is expected to join about 40 members of the Bahamas Roadmasters, who are expected to participate in the virtual Boston Marathon on October 9 and possibly the virtual London Marathon on October 3. “My challenge would be to fly Berlin on September 21, become acclimatised, get through the protocols and compete on September 26,” he said. “I will leave Berlin on October 1 and if I come out feeling okay, I will run the virtual London Marathon. If not, I will run the Boston Marathon, which is also a virtual. “I would like to do the
three. It’s possible. But I will have to see how things go when I leave Berlin.” Johnson, married for the past 43 years with three children and a grandchild on the way, has been a Senior Manager at JS Johnson for the past 27 in an insurance career that has afforded him the opportunity to travel around the world, just as he did with his marathon running. Apart from running, Johnson has served as the fifth District Grand Master for the Bahamas, a position that is now held by Anthony Bostwick Jr, who is now the seventh Grand Master. In his capacity, Johnson said he also got to travel around the world where he was able to take Bahamian masonry as far as Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok, Scotland, Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. “I try to fill as many roles as I can that can be beneficial to the Bahamas,” he said. “That’s is where I get my gratifications from. Running is something that I enjoy doing, but there is a lot of other stuff that has been going on with me along with the running.” The Berlin Marathon next month is just the latest achievement that will be a feather in his cap.
DOLPHINS IN A RARE POSITION AFTER WEEK 1 — ALONE IN FIRST By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — It’s a start. The Miami Dolphins are in sole possession of first place in the AFC East for the first time in nearly three years, and in that spot after Week 1 for the first time since 1998. A road win against New England got them there; staying there will require a win over the reigning division champion Buffalo Bills this Sunday. “You celebrate, you’re happy about it but then we’ve got to turn the page and move on to next opponent, which is obviously another big game against a very good team,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Monday. “That’s the approach. There’s most definitely excitement — but know there’s tough games on the horizon.” There was much to like about Miami’s 17-16 win over the Patriots, even with New England rookie quarterback Mac Jones standing tall and looking poised against pressure. Jones completed 29 of 39 passes against Miami for 281 yards and a touchdown, and 14 of his passes went for first downs. But when Miami’s defence had to make a play, it delivered. Damien Harris was inside the Miami 10 on what looked certain to be a go-ahead scoring drive late in the fourth quarter when Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard knocked the ball from him, then pounced on the fumble. Jones never saw the ball again. The Dolphins took over with 3:31 left, got two first downs — the second when backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett came in against his former team and got 2 yards on a third-and-1 call — and the game was over. “Every game I feel like I have to make something happen for the team and give the ball to the offence,” Howard said. “My mindset was, ‘Get the ball out.’ We needed it and it was crucial, so I made it happen.” Just like that, the Dolphins were in first place.
NEW England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) unloads a pass while pressured by Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Jerome Baker (55) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
• WHAT’S WORKING Organised drives. Miami’s opening drives of each half against New England went for a combined 19 plays and 155 yards — 8.2 yards apiece on average — and resulted in 14 points. The Dolphins’ other seven drives Sunday totaled 33 plays, 104 yards — 3.2 yards on average — and three points. Miami players and coaches said it wasn’t just because of scripting, but those drives clearly seemed like the most organised of the day. “We need to do a better job executing in between,” Flores said. • WHAT NEEDS HELP Third downs. On both sides of the ball, that is. The Dolphins were 4 for 11 on their third-down chances, and the Patriots were 11 for 16. That is not a formula for winning. Consider: there have been 91 games in the past 30 seasons with one team converting less than 37% of its chances while its opponent converts 68% or better. Miami’s win made the teams on
the lower end of that stat just 4-87 in those contests. That means, before Sunday, teams since 1991 were winning 3.3% of the time when the third-down numbers were that lopsided. • STOCK UP RB Myles Gaskin. A total of 76 yards — 49 rushing, 27 receiving — won’t jump off the stat sheet as anything impressive, but he got eight touches on the two Miami touchdown drives and turned them into 57 yards. • STOCK DOWN TE Mike Gesicki. Perhaps it was just something related to certain schemes or personnel groupings that caught Miami’s eye, but Gesicki’s final numbers — zero catches, only was the intended receiver twice and wasn’t on the field for more than half of Miami’s snaps — were quite surprising. • INJURIES DT Raekwon Davis left in the first quarter Sunday with a knee
injury. Before long, he was giving indications on the sideline that he wanted to return to the game. Flores said the Dolphins made the choice to hold him out and were further evaluating the injury on Monday. • KEY NUMBER 1,072. That’s how many days had passed since the previous time the Dolphins woke up in sole possession of first place in the AFC East. It was after Week 4 in 2018. New England has had 27 solo first-place weeks since, Buffalo 17 such weeks, and the Patriots spent six weeks tied atop the division — two with Miami, four with the Bills. The division’s fourth team, the New York Jets, haven’t been alone in first since after Week 6 in 2010. • NEXT STEPS The Dolphins will spend the week prepping for a Sunday home opener against Buffalo, which has won each of its past five games against Miami.
THE TRIBUNE
NEW PCB CHIEF NAMES HAYDEN, PHILANDER COACHES FOR T20 WCUP RIZWAN ALI AP Sports Writer ISLAMABAD (AP) — Former Pakistan captain and renowned commentator Ramiz Raja was elected unopposed Monday as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board for three years. One of Raja’s first decisions was to appoint former Australia test opener Mathew Hayden and South African fast bowler Vernon Philander to Pakistan’s coaching panel for the Twenty20 World Cup next month. “Mathew Hayden can bring in aggression to this team,” Raja told reporters in Lahore. “Hayden has World Cup experience and is a world class player.” Hayden has been signed up as batting consultant for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, while Philander will be the bowling consultant. “I know Vernon personally,” the 59-year-old Raja said. “He has a know-how of the bowling and he has a very good input.” Hayden and Philander hired by the PCB after head coach Misbah-ulHaq and bowling coach Waqar Younis stepped down soon after the tour of the West Indies, citing fatigue due to life in a bio-secure bubble during international matches. Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his role as patron of the PCB, nominated Raja to the governing board. He was unanimously elected during a meeting in Lahore. Khan and Raja were teammates on the 1992 World Cup squad that beat England in the final. “One of my key focuses will be to help introduce in the Pakistan men’s cricket team the same culture, mindset, attitude and approach that once made Pakistan one of the most feared cricket playing nations,” Raja told the governing board members. The 59-year-old Raja, whose elder brother Wasim also represented their country in test matches, is the only fourth former Pakistan international cricketer to head the cricket board. Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Javed Burki and Ijaz Butt are the others. Khan had shortlisted Raja’s name after Ehsan Mani declined to accept a short-term extension when his three-year term expired last month. Raja scored 2,833 runs in 57 test matches and 5,841 runs in 198 ODIs before quitting in 1997. He also served as chief executive of the PCB but established his name more when he took up commentary and became the “voice of Pakistan.” Raja’s first goal is to see Pakistan beat archrival India in its opening T20 World Cup game on Oct. 24. Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup game, either in the 50-over or T20 format, losing all six matches. “It’s a show-stopper, there’s no doubt about that,” Raja said about the India game. “When I talked to the cricket team I told them that this time we have to turn the tables.” Raja backed the Pakistan team announced for the T20 World Cup in which experienced opening batsman Fakhar Zaman and leg-spinner Usman Qadir were not named in a 15-member squad but will travel with the team as reserves. “The national side has the potential to win the World Cup and we need to back the side selected for the global event,” he said. “Pakistan cricket’s DNA consists of fearlessness, and we need to define a proper model and provide clarity to achieve desired results.”
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 17
ANALYSIS
DJOKOVIC ‘STILL HANGING ON,’ SEEKING MAJOR TITLES NOVAK DJOKOVIC, of Serbia, wipes sweat from his face between serves from Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the men’s singles final of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic was, understandably, deflated. The quest to do something no man has done in more than a half-century took a lot out of him, physically and emotionally. The No. 1-ranked Djokovic acknowledged as much after crying during the last changeover of his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final. What the 34-year-old from Serbia was not ready to do after coming agonisingly short — one victory short — in his attempt to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single season was to concede anything in the long term. There is a new batch of talent making a push toward the top of the sport, but he will press forward. Yes, Djokovic had spoken beforehand of giving everything he had against No. 2 Medvedev on Sunday, of treating it “like it is the last match of my career.” And, yes, Djokovic did come out flat and was outplayed. Not the best combination for Djokovic: He had an
DANIIL MEDVEDEV, of Russia, reacts after scoring a point against Novak Djokovic, of Serbia. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) off day; Medvedev had a great one. So, yes, Djokovic found the whole thing disappointing. Of course he did. That’s only natural. To play so well and give so much, for so long, under an intense spotlight and burdened by pressure, from the outside and from within, is draining. No man had even won a year’s first three major titles, let alone the full quartet, since Rod Laver in 1969. “It was a lot to handle,” Djokovic said. He got 27 of the 28 victories necessary for a true Grand Slam.
He just couldn’t get the 28th. “Part of me is very sad,” Djokovic said. “It’s a tough one to swallow, this loss, I mean, considering everything that was on the line.” But he will play again, and he will resume his work to overtake rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and break their threeway tie for the most major championships earned by a man, 20. No one should, or would, be surprised if No. 21 for Djokovic arrives just a few months from now at next year’s Australian Open, a tournament he has won nine times.
Even if the three men he faced in Grand Slam finals in 2021 are in their 20s — Medvedev, 25, at the Australian Open and U.S. Open; No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, 23, at the French Open; No. 7 Matteo Berrettini, 25, at Wimbledon — and there are other, younger, players moving up the ladder, too, Djokovic is not ready to step aside. “The transition was inevitable,” Djokovic said Sunday, before stating: “The older guys are still hanging on.” Well, he is, certainly. Federer, who turned 40 on Aug. 8, and Nadal, 35, both missed the U.S. Open because of season-ending injuries. It will be fascinating to see how Federer’s latest knee operation and Nadal’s chronic left foot pain affect them moving forward. And it will be fun to watch whether the group a decade or more their junior, which also includes 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem, 28, and the man he beat in that final and Djokovic edged in a fiveset semifinal Friday, Tokyo Olympics champion Alexander Zverev, 24, plus even
younger guys like Americans Sebastian Korda, 21, and Jenson Brooksby, 20, can make serious strides and win a major — or majors. Medvedev talked Sunday night about the boost he expects to receive from winning a Grand Slam after having been 0-2 in previous finals — and from doing it against Djokovic, of all people, during this season, of all seasons. “For my future career, knowing that I beat somebody who was 27-0 in a year in Grand Slams ... he was going for huge history, and knowing that I managed to stop him,” Medvedev said, “it definitely makes it sweeter and brings me confidence for what is to come.” As well it should. Djokovic already has reserves of such self-belief. He goes into every Grand Slam tournament visualising himself with the trophy. That is unlikely to change because of one setback. “I still want to keep going, try to win more Slams, play for my country,” he said. “Those are the things that motivate me the most, I think, at this point.”
EMMA RADUCANU, of Britain, hugs the US Open championship trophy after defeating Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, during the women’s singles final of the US Open tennis championships, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
RADUCANU’S US OPEN TITLE MOVES HER UP 127 SPOTS TO NO. 23
By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Emma Raducanu’s qualifier-to-champion run at the U.S. Open vaulted her 127 spots in the WTA rankings to a career-high No. 23 on Monday. The 18-year-old from Britain began the year ranked 345th, rose to 179th in July by reaching Wimbledon’s fourth round in her Grand Slam debut and arrived at Flushing Meadows at 150th. Then Raducanu won all 20 sets she played across 10 victories — three in qualifying and seven in the main draw — to become the youngest woman to win a major championship since Maria
Sharapova was 17 at Wimbledon in 2004. Raducanu is the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. The player she beat 6-4, 6-3 in the final Saturday, 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada, also made a big jump in the rankings, going from 73rd to a career-best 28th. Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka stayed at Nos. 1 and 2, while 2018 and 2020 U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka slid from No. 3 to No. 5 after losing in the third round to Fernandez. Karolina Pliskova is now No. 3, and Elina Svitolina is No. 4 after each moved up a spot by getting to the quarterfinals in New York.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic is still comfortably ahead of No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the ATP rankings after Medvedev beat Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open men’s final Sunday. That prevented Djokovic from becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam — and from breaking the men’s career record of 20 major titles he currently shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Asked whether he might adjust his schedule to try to overtake Djokovic by the end of the season, Medvedev replied, “I think, honestly, it’s almost impossible.”
“That’s not my first goal in my mind — to try to achieve it this year,” said Medvedev, a 25-year-old from Russia who was the runner-up to Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open. “If I manage to do it one day, it’s great.” Two players who made their major quarterfinal debuts at the U.S. Open made substantial jumps: South Africa’s Lloyd Harris rose 15 spots to No. 31, and Spain’s 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz went up 17 spots to No. 38. Two Americans moved into the Top 20 for the first time Monday: Coco Gauff, 17, is No. 19 in the WTA rankings; Reilly Opelka, 24, is No. 19 in the ATP rankings.
PAGE 18, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Judge, Sánchez rally Yanks from five-run deficit over Twins 6-5 By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW York Yankees’ Gary Sanchez reacts after hitting a walkoff single against the Minnesota Twins during the 10th inning of a baseball game on Monday, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
NEW YORK (AP) — Down five runs in the third inning with a rookie on the mound, the New York Yankees saw their season spiraling out of control. Aaron Judge and Gary Sánchez revived them with the type of win they had not put together in more than a year. Judge hit a tying three-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning and Sánchez singled in the 10th to drive in Gleyber Torres on the day the infielder lost the shortstop job, lifting the Yankees over the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Monday. “It’s a roller coaster, but you got to enjoy the ride,” Judge said. “It’s not over yet.” DJ LeMahieu began the comeback with a sacrifice fly in the sixth that Max Kepler caught with a leap against the right-field wall. Joey Gallo added his 33rd homer, his eighth with the Yankees, in the seventh off Tyler Duffey. Duffey walked pinch-hitter Anthony Rizzo leading off the eighth and Brett Gardner with two outs. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected for taking issue with the calls of plate umpire Jeff Nelson, and Colomé relieved. “It’s frustrating when you go out and do your job and execute a pitch,” Duffey said, “and the umpire just flat-out misses it. It seems to happen a lot in this stadium for some reason. I don’t know if they’re afraid to punch people out in Yankee Stadium.” Judge, back in the lineup a day after leaving in the third inning against the Mets because of dizziness, sent a cutter to the opposite field in right for his 33rd homer. It was his 12th tying or goahead homer in the eighth or later since the start of 2017. New York won for just the fourth time in 16 games following a 13-game winning streak and closed within a half-game of AL wild-card leaders Toronto and Boston
with 18 games left. The Yankees had lost six straight home games for the first time in a decade. Twice this season they had lost after leading by five runs, but they had not overcome a five-run deficit to win since Aug. 30 last year against the Mets. And they had been 0-35 when trailing by at least four runs, joining Miami and St. Louis as the only winless teams in that situation. “It was really good to see the fight that we had today,” Gallo said. “We could have easily let that game go.” Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sanó hit two-run homers in the first, with Polanco reaching 30 for the first time. Byron Buxton homered for a 5-0 lead in the third off Luis Gil, who didn’t allow another run through six innings. Andrew Heaney, Albert Abreu, Aroldis Chapman and Clay Holmes (5-1) followed with two-hit, shutout relief. Chapman retired Polanco on a flyout in front of the centre-field warning track to strand two runners in the ninth. Manager Aaron Boone said before the game that Torres will spend the rest of the season at second. Torres was the automatic runner on second under pandemic rules when Sánchez singled sharply with one out in the 10th off Ralph Garza Jr. (1-3). Torres scored standing up as the Yankees streamed out of the dugout with their 10th walkoff win, their most since 2009. Twins starter John Gant, his fastball velocity down about 4 mph from its season average of 92 mph-plus. lasted just 12 pitches and two outs and left with a strained lower abdomen. He will go on the injured list. Minnesota arrived for the makeup of an Aug. 22 rainout at 1:30 a.m. because of mechanical trouble on its charter. The Twins (63-81) lost for the fourth time in five games and for the first time since 2018 will not have a winning record. The two-time defending AL Central champions were
mathematically eliminated from division contention. “I’m sure there’s some emotional guys in the clubhouse right now,” Baldelli said. STREAKS New York clinched its 30th consecutive winning record at home at 41-31, second to its major league-record 47 years from 1918-64. TWIN KILLING The Yankees went 6-1 against Minnesota and are 109-32 against the Twins since 2002. Minnesota has lost 21 of its last 23 in the Bronx. OH, BABY Twins OF Brent Rooker was placed on the paternity list as his wife delivered a girl. Blair Evelyn Rooker was born at 4:10 a.m. CDT Monday, 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 20 inches long. ... RHP Kyle Barraclough was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul. MOVES Yankees RHP Sal Romano refused an outright assignment and elected free agency. ... RHP Clarke Schmidt was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. TRAINER’S ROOM Yankees: RHP Jameson Tallion (ankle) threw on flat ground and could soon pitch off a mound. UP NEXT Twins: RHP Joe Ryan (1-1, 2.25 ERA) starts a day-night doubleheader opener at home against Cleveland after retiring his first 19 batters and pitching seven shutout innings at the Indians last week. LHP Charlie Barnes will be recalled to start the second game. Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (14-7, 2.78 ERA), pushed back because of left hamstring tightness, starts on six days’ rest at Baltimore and LHP Alexander Wells (1-2, 7.15 ERA).
LIFE IN A RUGBY BUBBLE GETTING TOUGHER FOR ARGENTINA’S PUMAS
By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — The penalty count keeps mounting. Now the losses are, too. The grind of two seasons on the road and the relentless rounds of isolation and quarantine is taking a toll mentally and physically on Argentina’s Pumas. Frustration is building. After three rounds of the Rugby Championship, the Pumas are the only team yet to win a test. A 39-0 loss to three-time World Cup winner New Zealand on Sunday followed two losses in South Africa to the World Cup champion Springboks. “Since last year, we’ve been living in adversity,” Pumas coach Mario Ledesma said. “All the player welfare, giving them rest and stuff like that, has gone out the window and nobody seems to care.” As well as long periods away from home being cooped up in quarantine, Ledesma said poor discipline has been hurting his team in the last two tests. Argentina conceded 23 penalties in their previous match against the Springboks and 18 penalties, plus two yellow cards, against the All Blacks at the Gold Coast on Sunday. “Difficult to get into the game when you’re giving them so much,” Ledesma said. “At the same time, I was really proud of the effort.” He said the 200-plus tackles his Pumas made were proof there’s no lack of commitment “but we need to be more clinical.” They’ll have six days to work on turning it around before Saturday’s return test against New Zealand in Brisbane. The last eight tests of the championship — four doubleheaders — are being played on consecutive weekends in Australia’s Queensland state. The All Blacks lead the tournament following three lopsided wins — two against Australia before taking on the Pumas — and South
ARGENTINA’S MARCOS KREMER, left, tackles New Zealand’s Asafo Aumua during their Rugby Championship match on Sunday, on the Gold Coast, Australia. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard) Africa is now 2-1 after a last-minute 28-26 loss to the Wallabies in Sunday’s nightcap on the Gold Coast. The Australians, with the recall of Quade Cooper at flyhalf for his first test in four years, finally got some traction against the Springboks after a run of losses to the All Blacks. But they should, considering they’re playing on home soil. The All Blacks have also hosted tests and South Africa beat the British and Irish Lions at home before their wins over Argentina — albeit without crowds. Having no home tests in two years is hurting an Argentina squad that, because of its relative geographic isolation in rugby terms, was already familiar with long road trips. The Pumas spent months in Australia last year for a southern hemisphere series which was scaled back because of travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. South Africa missed that tournament. The intensive camp worked wonders for the Pumas last November and December when they beat New Zealand 25-15 — their first ever test win over the All Blacks — and had two draws against Australia. But the 2021 vibe in different. With the four-continent format of Super Rugby abandoned, most of Argentina’s professional players had to move to Europe to keep making a living out of the game.
Now assembling the national squad is more difficult. Wins in Europe in July against Romania and Wales were a solid start, but the players disbanded for a break before a brief preparation for the tests against South Africa — and yet more time in quarantine. Ledesma, who is a former assistant coach with Australia and who played professionally in France while representing the Pumas, said the issue of player welfare seemed to be a two-tier concern. “When it’s one of the top teams going into quarantine it seems to be a big issue — player welfare, mental health,” he said. “When it’s Argentina, nobody seems to care. We’ve been in quarantine bubbles in the July tests, we’ve been in quarantine bubbles in South Africa, we came over here and we’ve been in bubbles and quarantine. “I’m not using it as an excuse, but it’s a reality. That’s the normality of our players (but) it has nothing to do with normality.” With the remainder of the tournament confined to Queensland state, the Pumas should get a chance for more fresh air this month. Ledesma is hoping it helps. “Obviously, it’s much better this year, but it gets to you. It gets to players, it gets to staff. It gets to everybody,” he said of the regular stints in quarantine. “But if we don’t accept that, we’re out of the picture. So we have to accept it.”
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, PAGE 19
EVERTON GOAL RUSH STUNS BURNLEY 3-1 LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Everton produced a remarkable comeback with three goals inside seven minutes to beat Burnley 3-1 in the English Premier League on Monday. Everton looked battered and beaten after Ben Mee marked his 200th Premier League appearance with the opening goal in the 53rd minute. However, within the space of 379 seconds — which included a tactical substitution and formation change — the hosts turned the match on its head via a Michael Keane header against his former club, a stunner from Andros Townsend, and a clinical one-on-one from fellow new arrival Demarai Gray.
Injury And all this was achieved without last season’s leading scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is likely to be out for at least two to three weeks with a broken toe and thigh injury. Achieving one come-frombehind win, at home against Southampton on the opening day of the season, after all their previous problems might be considered fortunate. To do it twice in successive matches points to something else; an engendering of resolve and resilience to dig deeper and fight for the shirt - something the Goodison Park faithful have felt has been missing for some time. After Mee ran through a crowd of blue shirts to head home from close range, Everton’s fighting spirit emerged in a crazy period kicked off by Keane powerfully flicking home a near-post header from Townsend’s cross. Manager Rafael Benitez immediately made a change to 4-3-3, withdrawing centre back Ben Godfrey for midfielder
BURNLEY’S Ben Mee scores their side’s first goal of the game during their English Premier League soccer match against Everton at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Monday. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
Andre Gomes, and the match changed in an instant. Doucoure featured heavily as first he picked out Townsend from the halfway line and the winger cut inside onto his left foot to lash home a brilliant, looping, dipping shot. He then sliced Burnley apart with a through-ball to send Gray racing through to make it 3-1 and the Frenchman was denied a deserved goal himself only by an offside flag as Everton ran riot. It is four matches unbeaten now for Benitez and victory lifted Everton into fourth but level on 10 points with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
TEMPERS flare between Everton and Burnley players during their English Premier League soccer match. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
CHELSEA’S ROMELU LUKAKU, right, celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal during the English Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at the Stamford Bridge Stadium in London, Saturday. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
CHELSEA OPEN TITLE DEFENCE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE A LOOK at what’s happening in the Champions League on Tuesday:
• GROUP E Barcelona’s ability to compete in Europe without Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann will be put to the test when they host the team that dealt the Spanish side its most humiliating defeat in recent memory. The 8-2 shellacking Bayern Munich handed Barcelona in the 2020 Champions League quarterfinals marked the beginning of the end of the Messi era. The financial troubles that kept Barcelona from resigning Messi also forced it to loan Griezmann back to Atlético Madrid. Ronald Koeman has to find a way to account for the 58 goals the two forwards scored last season. That task falls to Memphis Depay, who has made a promising start at Camp Nou with two goals in three Spanish league matches. Koeman should also have Spain standout Pedri González back in his lineup after the young midfielder rested for two weeks after playing both the European Championship and the Tokyo Olympics. Robert Lewandowski travels after recovering from a groin problem sustained in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Leipzig. Serge Gnabry has travelled with the squad but is an injury doubt after hurting his back in the same game. Benfica is back in the group stage after a year away and visits Dynamo Kyiv.
• GROUP F Cristiano Ronaldo’s first Champions League game for Manchester United since losing the 2009 final to Barcelona will be on the only plastic pitch in the competition. Swiss champion Young Boys uses an artificial surface at Wankdorf Stadium that then-United boss Jose Mourinho complained about to UEFA ahead of the teams’ opening group game three years ago. United won that evening 3-0, with Paul Pogba scoring twice, ahead of finishing runner-up in a group won by Ronaldo and Juventus. Ronaldo was on the losing side the last time he played at Wankdorf Stadium in December 2018, though Juventus had already advanced. Unai Emery’s Villarreal hosts Atalanta in its return to the Champions League after 10 years. The Spanish club made it back by defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final last season. Atalanta are making their third consecutive appearance.
• GROUP G It’s been six years since Wolfsburg last played in the Champions League group stage. The key to its success has been a solid defence. In the Bundesliga last season, Wolfsburg’s 37 goals conceded was fewer than every other team except Leipzig, and they has started this season with four wins and only one goal conceded. They plays defending
French champions Lille, which has won only once in five games so far in their new domestic campaign and conceded 11 goals. Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec will be without former Bayern Munich player Renato Sanches, who is out injured alongside Jonathan Bamba and Timothy Weah. Sevilla hosts Salzburg to begin what will be their fifth Champions League campaign in the last seven seasons. • GROUP H Chelsea opens their European title defence against Zenit St. Petersburg, still unbeaten at the start of the English Premier League and with returning striker Romelu Lukaku already scoring three goals. Juventus are struggling without Ronaldo as they prepare for a visit to Malmö. The Bianconeri have lost two straight in Serie A since Ronaldo went back to Manchester United and overall have earned only one point. Moise Kean, who was brought back to Turin to replace Ronaldo, made a major gaffe in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Napoli. Fresh off a two-goal performance for Italy, Kean redirected a Napoli corner back toward his own goal with a header, leading to Kalidou Koulibaly’s tap-in for the winner. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has had two braces for Portugal and United, respectively, since he departed Turin.
PAGE 20, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
THE TRIBUNE