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The Tribune
Volume:115 No.242, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
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TRIBUTE
‘Zero tolerance for corruption’ Immigration chief warns lawbreakers amid FBI manhunt By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net IN THE wake of a twoyear FBI operation that uncovered alleged bribery of officials at the Department of Immigration as part of a wider US visa fraud scheme, Director of Immigration Clarence Russell said he does not tolerate corruption. He said anyone found breaking the law will face the consequences, no matter who they are. His comments to ZNS News yesterday came after The Tribune exclusively reported on the FBI operation, which found immigration officials were allegedly being bribed to approve work permits that were later used to obtain US visas.
Yesterday, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said it is still seeking two Haitian nationals living in The Bahamas to answer charges of conspiracy and visa fraud. For his part, Mr Russell was adamant that significant reforms have taken place at the department since he assumed the helm that have deterred corruption. “If we find that persons were taking it upon themselves to indulge in nefarious activity, they will face the full brunt of the law, plain and simple,” Mr Russell told ZNS. “Regardless and irrespective of who they are. It is totally unacceptable.” He said he did not SEE PAGE THREE
TO WORLD WAR 1
THE BAHAMAS AND THE GREAT WAR
The Gallant Thirty, poppies, the symbol to remember World War 1 and it's terrible toll.
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ELECTRIC BILL ‘LIKE A SECOND MORTGAGE’ By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE increased value added tax exemption ceiling on power bills will have “limited” impact on consumer expenses, Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants President Gowon Bowe has insisted, while likening spiked electricity costs to having a second mortgage. SEE PAGE SIX
FAREWELL, MY OLD FRIEND
PLANE PLUNGES INTO SEA OFF LOVE BEACH A SMALL plane crashed in waters off Love Beach in western New Providence last night. Details were scant up to press time and it was not clear how many persons were in the airplane however it is believed two
people were on board. Up to press time, a search and rescue team from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force was at the scene searching for the passengers. It is believed the plane involved in the incident was a twin-engine aircraft.
GOVERNOR General Dame Marguerite Pindling pays her respects yesterday at the viewing of the body of former PLP chairman Bradley Roberts at the House of Assembly. The long-time PLP firebrand died on October 25. His funeral will be held today at St Francis Xavier Cathedral. See page two for more. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
PAIR’S CONVICTION THROWN OUT OVER MAN’S DEATH IN BAR BRAWL By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
THE Court of Appeal has quashed the conviction for a woman and her child’s father previously sentenced to over a decade in prison each for killing a man in the course of a brawl at a bar on Carmichael Road six years ago. The appellate court overturned both Alexia Barr’s and DeAngelo Sands’ 12 year sentences
for manslaughter concerning the December 19, 2012, death of Akeem Labron Ramsey at the Man Made Bar. Barr was previously accused of using a piece of wood to fatally strike Ramsey in the head during a brawl, allegedly after the deceased and another person had attacked Sands with that same piece of wood. Sands, Barr’s boyfriend at the time, was accused of acting in concert with her to
cause Ramsey’s death. However, Court of Appeal Justices Stella Crane-Scott, and acting appellate Justices Sir Michael Barnett and Milton Evans acquitted the pair because the evidence did not clearly specify that it was Barr’s blow that killed Ramsey, and because the evidence did not prove that Sands hit Ramsey at all, or agreed with Barr to injure him. SEE PAGE FIVE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
A COMIC’S VIEW: TAKING THINGS TO EXTREMES
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Friday, November 9, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
FAREWELL, BRADLEY ROBERTS 1943-2018
THE FUNERAL of Bradley Roberts, Progressive Liberal Party chairman emeritus, will be held today at 11am at St Francis Xavier Cathedral on West Street. Yesterday, people from all parties paid their respects to the former PLP leader. TOP left, Speaker of the House of Assembly Halston Moultrie. TOP right, Vera Watkins, Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Frankie Campbell, Minister of Social Services and Urban Development. LEFT, Governor-General Dame Marguerite Pindling consoles widow Hartlyn Roberts. BELOW, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis talks to the Roberts family.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 9, 2018, PAGE 3
‘Zero tolerance for corruption’ from page one tolerate corruption during his 40-year career on the police force, nor during his tenure heading the Passport Office. “Under no circumstances does my upbringing, my training or anything speak to the tolerance of anything that is wrong.” He also said: “I am satisfied that with the technological advances that we have made in the Department of Immigration (recently), having gone paperless, it will deter persons who seek to corrupt persons into doing things that are untoward. And so, I hear persons who speak to the issue, but if they were to visit the Immigration Department, they can see that many of the things of the past are no longer (in) existence at the Immigration Department. “...Suffice it to say that many initiatives have been taken in the short period of time that I have been here that will seek to eradicate many of the issues of which they were previously confronted and bring total
reform to the Immigration Department.” Yesterday, US Attorney’s Office Public Information Officer Bill Miller told The Tribune that Bahamian Pauline Pratt and Haitian Johnlee Paul were arrested and later released pending trial; however, Haitians Kevin Desir and Edna St Fleur are still at large. The four, along with an unnamed co-conspirator, were indicted on September 25. According to the US indictment, the group and others both known and unknown to the US, allegedly knowingly and wilfully conspired to commit visa fraud. Operations were said to have started as early as January 1, 2015, and continued up to the time of the indictment. Pratt, alias “Polena Sharmaine Pratt” and Pauline Johnson, and the co-conspirator are accused of seeking to unlawfully enrich themselves by allegedly fraudulently obtaining visitor visas for individuals to enter the US, namely Desir, Paul, and St Fleur. The alleged scheme saw
individuals pay the coconspirator, who utilised Pratt to submit the applications to the embassy. Pratt is accused of having knowingly submitted false information, and also providing fraudulent documentation to those individuals to facilitate visa approval. Paul travelled to Fort Lauderdale on a visitor visa on or about May 27, according to the indictment, which noted he remained in the US beyond the permitted six months. The group was also served a forfeiture notice on any conveyance used in the commission of the offence. The FBI’s undercover operation kicked off in 2016 after they were tipped off to claims St Fleur’s visa had been obtained fraudulently. Edward Israel Saintil, the Haitian-Bahamian justice of the peace who made the claims of visa fraud in a series of recorded conversations with an FBI informant, is currently on bail in a high intensity supervision programme pending trial in Washington. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of encouraging
CHEMICAL SPILL AT RAND MEMORIAL
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A HAZMAT team and the Department of Environment Health were called to the Rand Memorial Hospital yesterday morning following a “minor chemical spill” in the laboratory at the public health facility in Freeport. No one was injured, however, affected employees were seen by doctors as a cautionary measure, according to a press statement issued by the Grand Bahama Health Services shortly before noon. The spill is believed to have happened sometime around 8am as laboratory staff arrived to work. The incident forced a temporary suspension of radiology services at the Michaela Virgill Storr Pavilion in the hospital. And all general practice cases were referred across the street to the clinic in the IAT Building on East Atlantic Drive. “At no time did the incident impact patients admitted on the hospital’s wards, as teams worked quickly to contain the spill,” the statement said. “Emergency cases were seen in the Accident/ Emergency & Urgent Care Centre, however, the general practice cases were referred to the Freeport
Community Clinic in the IAT Building until the all clear.” According to the statement, environmental chemistry experts, an independent hazmat company, a private chemist and the Department of Environmental Health Services were called in to mitigate the effects and clean the affected area. “The Rand Memorial Hospital will continue to monitor the incident to
ensure the sustained safety and health of our patients and staff. All services are anticipated to be fully restored at the earliest,” the statement said. The Tribune contacted the hospital to speak with the acting hospital administrator, but was told she was not available for comment. As of yesterday afternoon, the all clear was still not given and cleaning was still in progress at the laboratory.
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and inducing illegal entry into the US. According to US court documents, Saintil obtained a two-year work permit for one informant, identified in the affidavit as CHS-3, as a handyman for his company, Saintil’s Painting and Cleaning Services on August 1. The Tribune has withheld the name of the official, who it was claimed in the affidavit had signed the permit. Saintil alleged he paid the immigration official $3,000 for the permit. He also boasted of close relationships with both current and former top immigration officials and claimed a capacity to obtain fraudulent bank statements to support US visa applications. A government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Tribune all information concerning the issuance of the work permit for Saintil, and other permits he may have applied for, would be on his file. “He would have had to write a letter,” the official said, “and then if they don’t do a formal interview, they would interview
by telephone and based on the interview they would do a summary about why they consider it a genuine application. The file would reflect all that.” The official continued: “The application would go for approval to the director after everything is on file and if a senior officer is dealing with it, she can send a minute requesting consideration. That’s if it’s something they wanted to do quickly, or they put it on the agenda for the board meeting. “There’s a prepared file on that,” the official added, “if everything is already on file, if the senior officer is sending a minute form it would state why they felt it’s a genuine application.” Yesterday, Attorney General Carl Bethel was tightlipped on the bribery claims that were raised at the FBI’s probe. Mr Bethel and Immigration Minister Brent Symonette are both out of the country on government business. And Mr Russell did not speak to the allegations when this newspaper contacted him yesterday, but
referred The Tribune to two press releases issued from the department last month on the establishment of its Complaints, Corruption and New Intelligence Unit. Mr Russell said he could not provide any details, but noted there have been several matters brought before the police corruption unit since he took office on January 1. The October 29 release from immigration officials stated the corruption unit was headed by a credible superintendent of immigration, “with quality support staff and the full support of the Royal Bahamas Police and other law enforcement intelligence agencies”. The October release penned by Mr Russell continued: “While I cannot and do not respond to speculative remarks from any quarters, so long as this director serves at the helm of the Immigration Department, any and all complaints of corruption or irregularity will be investigated thoroughly and anyone found wanting through due process shall be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
PAGE 4, Friday, November 9, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
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Importance of remembering the fallen REMEMBRANCE Day, also known informally as Poppy Day, has special significance this year because it marks the centenary of the end of the First World War. After four long years of what became known as The Great War, the Armistice took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. In November each year events are held to remember and honour those in the armed forces of Commonwealth countries who died in the line of duty. They also serve as a reminder of the horrors of warfare and the degradation and waste of human life. In Britain, elaborate ceremonies are underway this month. In addition to the national wreath laying at the Cenotaph in central London, the march past by veterans, the two-minute silence and the playing of the Last Post, there is a separate tribute, among others, to the fallen and wounded at a special Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey. Here in The Bahamas this year, as well as the traditional Remembrance Day service in Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday followed by a wreath laying ceremony in the Garden of Remembrance, other special events have been organised by the Royal British Legion – Bahamas Branch in partnership with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to mark the centenary. As this newspaper’s own tribute in commemoration of such an important milestone, we publish today a supplement about the contribution in World War I of volunteers from British colonies in the West Indies who joined the British West Indies Regiment, specially formed in 1915, and served in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. These included Sir Etienne Dupuch amongssome 700 volunteers from The Bahamas. Newly colourised images of the original black and white photographs show, in particular, the stark reality of the terrible conditions of life in the trenches in France during the largely static war of attrition on the Western Front. There is a continuing debate in Europe about how long succeeding generations should continue to mourn the casualties of a war that took place so long ago. Some people argue that what has been termed an act of communal melancholy during the dark and doleful days of autumnal falling leaves and oncoming winter is no longer appropriate as survivors of the so-called war to end all wars are long since dead themselves and memories have faded in the modern world. Conversely, we believe that such commemorations have become increasingly important – not only because they apply to subsequent warfare so that we
now remember as well those who lost their lives or were wounded during the Second World War and numerous other conflicts, but also that unless new generations are reminded of the mistakes and misjudgments of the past they and their leaders are doomed to repeat them. To the young, in an era when the teaching of history tends to be neglected so that they are all too often ignorant of the past, it must be almost beyond comprehension that during the first half of the last century two world wars precipitated wholesale destruction on a practically global scale and resulted in unimaginable cruelty and suffering and the deaths and maiming of untold millions. It is admirable in our small nation that the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies are organised so well with suitable solemnity and dignity as a national commemoration of those who became casualties. The government plays its role, and we commend the work of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force under the effective leadership of Commodore Tellis Bethel. Bahamians should also be especially grateful to the Royal British Legion – Bahamas Branch and its long-serving administrator, Adina Munroe, for her dedication, commitment and efficiency during so many years. The British Legion was founded in 1921 as a charity to provide financial, social and emotional support to the surviving veterans of the Armed Forces and their dependants in Britain and the countries of the Commonwealth; and the Bahamas Branch has played an important role and been notably effective over a long period in helping and supporting our own veterans in various different ways. It should also be noted that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, established by Royal Charter in 1917 to commemorate in perpetuity the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during both world wars, is active in The Bahamas. It owns and administers the Nassau War Cemetery, previously known as the Royal Air Force Cemetery, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1944 by the then colonial Governor, the Duke of Windsor. In addition to today’s supplement and our tribute to the fallen and to the volunteers who chose to go to war, we take this opportunity to salute all those who play a role in continuing here at home the annual remembrance of the brave souls – most importantly our fellow Bahamians - who were wounded or gave their lives for their countries as the ultimate sacrifice.
Perverse and ignorant comments EDITOR, The Tribune
WAS the PLP’s Mall Renovation Estimate Inflated? I crave your indulgence of a little space to comment on the government’s decision to rent space at the Town Centre Mall, said to be owned by Immigration Minister Brent Symonette and his brother, for temporary relocation of the General Post Office. I take no issue with a backbencher dissenting with an action proposed by the government of the day; the Westminster system allows for such dissent. The Immigration Minister has fully met the disclosure requirements of the Westminster system for addressing issues of potential conflict by a government minister. The government has gone well beyond Westminster requirements by tabling details of the arrangements in the House and allowing for debate. Reverend McAlpine admits that the Immigration Minister has satisfied Westminster requirements. His concern must therefore rest elsewhere. Prior to addressing commentary said to be attributable to Vaughn Miller, I consider it noteworthy to point out that, according to the leader of the opposition, the
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net PLP government walked away from consideration of the location because the estimated $4.5 million expenditure by that government to make the location tenantable by the Post Office was too high. The Mall owners will receive $4.5 million in rent revenue over the life of the lease. The owners estimate expenditure of $3.5 million to refurbish the premises. They, not government, will bear the cost of the work and should therefore earn $1 million over the term of the lease, approximately $200,000 per year. (Much more can seemingly be earned renting out a few apartments or selling a few computers to government). Should renovations cost $4.5 million, as proffered by the opposition leader, the Mall owners will earn zilch. Or was the PLP’s Mall estimate inflated? Given the fact that the Immigration Minister has fully satisfied Westminster requirements, Vaughn Miller’s intemperate pronouncement of the government’s action as being corrupt can at best be considered perverse or otherwise portray him as an ignoramus not fully
understanding the implication of his accusation. I previously noted the right of a backbencher to dissent with an action proposed by the government of the day. I therefore offer no comment regarding the other two good gentlemen as I have not seen commentary said to be attributable to either. In closing, I record my lack of support for the earlier proposal of the government to move the General Post Office to Gladstone Road. I believe it would have posed a terrible inconvenience to staff and customers. In my view, the General Post Office needs to remain in the general environs of the City of Nassau. Once the General Post Office structure with its enigmatic history has been demolished, a suitable structure might, perhaps, be constructed on the existing site. Should operations at the Town Centre Mall meet or exceed expectations, government ought to judiciously evaluate the value of continuing at the location vs. some other site, notwithstanding the noise in the market. Just a thought though some might say an idiosyncratic thought given prevailing discourse.
We need to take control of our own airspace Stick to the subject EDITOR, The Tribune Several months ago, the government said it was working diligently to get control of our airspace from the United States. This is a vital initiative in terms both of the country’s ability to earn revenue by charging fees to airlines that use our airspace, but also in terms of our sovereignty and dignity as a people. Why should the United States be making money every time a plane flies over the Bahamas? Common sense will
tell you the status quo is an absurd arrangement. The former PLP government made much ado about this issue, but in the end they only managed to get permission for Bahamian airplanes to fly through their own airspace for free. Calling this a victory was insulting to the people. There were high hopes that this government would do better, but sadly, the FNM appears to have gone quiet on this important matter. Just like proposals for a sovereign wealth fund
and the proceeds from aragonite mining, big ideas that will benefit the public always seem to be placed on the back burner. All successive governments seem to know how to do is give approval to foreigners to build hotels. Can the government please give us an update on its efforts to get control of our airspace for the benefit of the Bahamian people? RICARDO JOHNSON Nassau October 25, 2018
EDITOR, The Tribune PRACTICE in the House of Assembly - have you noticed MPs are permitted subject latitude in what they speak about, which is sometimes totally off the subject that is supposed to be debated. I wish Mr Speaker would insist, except when a member is making an official communication, that they may not read off a script. Subject matter – why are MP’s allowed to use their time to send condolences to their constituents – are they not travelling to their constituencies anymore? Fund raisers, etc, etc, nothing seems to be missed. This week one MP used time to bring to the floor his family land dispute – says
MICHAEL R. MOSS Freeport Bahamas November 5, 2018
he hopes that before his father or grandpa dies, he is now 90, he will be given a knighthood…obviously the good MP is not up to speed on the Governor General - the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice may anymore receive a knighthood from Her Majesty. I watch the Parliament of all parliaments - I can honestly say there is little resemblance in their practice in comparison - theirs is far more democratic - the Speaker clearly allows genuine latitude… none of this arguing to speak on a question of objection. W THOMPSON Nassau October 26, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 9, 2018, PAGE 5
Parents keeping children home as teachers withdraw services By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net EDUCATION Director Marcellus Taylor said yesterday that some parents have responded to the teacher turmoil at CH Reeves Junior High School by refusing to send their children to school. In the wake of the unauthorised industrial action when dozens of teachers at the school withdrew service more than a week ago, Mr Taylor told The Tribune that the Department of Education held a meeting with the school’s Parent Teachers Association last night to alleviate parents’ concerns and inform them of the action that is being taken to assure their children’s safety and educational needs are being met. “It will be a meeting with the PTA,” he said before yesterday’s meeting. “The idea of conducting the meeting is to inform the parents of where we are and what is it that the Department is doing to ensure that their children are safe and also…what is it that we are doing with their children (while) teachers are refusing to work.”
EDUCATION Director Marcellus Taylor. In Parliament on Wednesday morning, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd expressed disappointment in the teachers’ actions, noting that only administrators and 10 of the school’s 74 teachers have remained. Mr Taylor reiterated this yesterday, saying: “Only 10 of the teachers regularly posted there are actually working. But we have some
other persons, from what we call supply teachers, who…we are adding to the complement.” Mr Taylor described the logistics of how the remaining educators will manage the school’s complement of 1,020 students in view of the teachers’ actions. “The school administration mobilises and they know how to strategically
locate themselves around the school,” Mr Taylor said. “We use teachers in strategic locations, whichever teachers we have. Then we use the prefects to help as well. And as we get more and more teachers, supply teachers, or any other persons like that, then we put them strategically.” Mr Taylor noted class sizes are also
expanded. “And then we change the size of the class groupings. So while you might normally have 25 or 30 children in a class, you might put 40 in a class. So that more of them are under the supervision of an adult.” The education director admitted he is concerned about the impact this will have on the quality of education the students are receiving, adding that “every day, every minute, every hour – whatever unit of time you want to use – that children are not getting the full-fledged instruction” is regrettable. “And this isn’t only to do with this industrial activity,” he continued. “This is our concern even in regular time. Every time somebody wants to come in and do a special assembly on something that goes on for two hours, we’re losing valuable instructional time. “As a matter of fact, our focus this year is how we could improve the ‘time on task’ - the time we have and how much of that time we spend on the main task, which is the…learning process. So this clearly interrupts that. “Parents have expressed their concern in different
ways,” Mr Taylor added. “One way that some parents express their concern is not to send their children to school.” When asked if parents have expressed concern regarding the teachers’ initial claims, which include a suspicion of mould in 12 classrooms and termite infestation, Mr Taylor said he was not made aware of any such issues by the parents. During Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Lloyd said a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday at 3pm between Mr Taylor, his executive team, and Anthony Ryan of the Environmental Monitoring Risk Assessment Division in the Department of Environmental Health at the request of the Bahamas Union of Teachers. “However at 3.10pm, ten minutes after the agreed time the union called to say that they were otherwise engaged and could not meet. The union has not been heard from since,” Mr Lloyd said. Despite numerous attempts, The Tribune was unable to get in contact with the Bahamas Union of Teachers up to press time yesterday.
PAIR’S CONVICTION THROWN OUT OVER MAN’S DEATH IN BAR BRAWL from page one
Additionally, the judges noted that while forensic pathologist Dr Caryn Sands’ report listed Ramsey’s death as being the result of blunt force trauma to the head, it did not specify what exactly was used to cause that fatal injury. “It could have, according to her evidence, been a fist, a piece of wood, a bottle, the deceased falling to the ground or being pushed against a wall,” the appellate judges said. According to the evidence, Kizzy Brown, the Crown’s main witness, said Ramsey was her godchild, and that she knew both Barr and Sands. She said she was at the bar when Ramsey approached her “in fright” and that he was bleeding from his head. She said she left Ramsey to go and look for his uncle, Travis Gibson, but when she got back, Ramsey was nowhere to be found. She said she then went looking for him and found him towards the front of the bar. She said as she was holding Ramsey on her shoulder, she saw Barr, whom she referred to as “Lexy” walk up to him and hit him in the head with a “2x4” piece of wood. Brown said when she asked Barr why she hit Ramsey, Barr said, “He just do something to my baby daddy.” When asked by the Crown how hard she thought Barr hit Ramsey, Brown replied: “I don’t know.” Nonetheless, Ms Brown said the police consequently placed Barr in a squad car for her actions. Meanwhile, she said she went to look for Ramsey’s mother. When Ms Brown returned however, she saw a crowd fighting Ramsey who was on the ground on his back. She said she then made her way to where Ramsey was and shielded him from the onslaught of blows, resulting in her receiving blows as well. That continued until the police arrived, broke up the fight and sent Ramsey to the hospital. However, Ms Brown never said she saw Sands hit Ramsey, and that Barr was inside the police car at the time the mob fight was taking place. Additionally, the appellate judges noted that Barr striking Ramsey was the only altercation she had with the deceased, which they said was significant given the evidence of another witness, Mr Gibson, which the Crown
used to assert evidence of a joint enterprise. When Mr Gibson testified, he said around 6.30pm on the date in question he was at the Man Made Bar with Ramsey, his nephew. He said Ramsey went missing for a few minutes but when he returned he looked angry. He and Ramsey then went to a conch stand where a number of men were standing. Then, a man nicknamed “Hip Kiss” grabbed Ramsey, while another man named “Dario” struck him in the head with a beer bottle, the witness said. Mr Gibson said a fight followed, with a “couple” of individuals from a group of men standing nearby going at it with his nephew. And amongst that group was Sands, according to the witness. After that fight, Mr Gibson said he and his nephew went to the latter’s house, where Dario and some other persons pulled up in a vehicle; however, that car sped off after Ramsey went after Dario with a knife. Gibson, Ramsey, and another person named Troy Rolle followed the vehicle in their own car for a while, before abandoning that pursuit and returning to the Man Made Bar. Mr Gibson said Ramsey and Mr Rolle had gone ahead of him, and when he joined them he saw a number of persons, Sands included, fighting his nephew. Mr Gibson said he saw Ms Brown, his neighbour, standing over Ramsey, who was on the ground taking blows from a number of persons including Barr and Sands. Gibson said he saw Sands hit Ramsey in his face with a beer bottle, while Barr, who was brandishing a piece of wood, was arguing with Ms Brown, who was trying to prevent the former from hitting Ramsey. Mr Gibson said he didn’t see Barr hit Ramsey with the piece of wood because Ms Brown was “fighting her off”. He said he then rushed to stop Sands from hitting Ramsey by using a stone; however, Mr Gibson was stabbed with a knife shortly afterwards and was taken to hospital. Meanwhile, the judges said a “careful review” of Mr Rolle’s evidence showed that he never said he saw Sands or Barr hit Ramsey; in fact, he never mentioned Barr and never mentioned Brown in his testimony. Ultimately, the appellate judges said the evidence led in the case was not
THE COURT of Appeal. sufficient to convict either person of the charge of manslaughter. Concerning Barr, the appellate judges said while there was “cogent” evidence that she hit Ramsey in the head with the piece of wood, and that the jury
was entitled to accept as much, it could not accept that her blow killed him “as opposed to the blows being thrown by the other persons.” Additionally, the appellate judges said there was nothing in the trial judge’s
summation that assisted the jury in evaluating whether Ramsey’s death was the result of the blow Barr delivered or the blows from the mob that attacked him. Concerning Sands, the appellate judges said the Crown’s evidence is “inconsistent” with a joint enterprise between him and Barr to injure Ramsey, and further “ambiguous” of any agreement between Sands and anyone else to injure the deceased. The appellate judges further noted that while there was evidence from Mr Gibson that Sands hit Ramsey with a beer bottle, it didn’t match up with Ms Brown’s evidence, which suggested that Sands was not around when Barr hit Ramsey, as well as the statements of both Barr and Sands that the latter only knew of Barr’s involvement in any altercation
with Ramsey after it had occurred. Furthermore, the appellate judges said a review of the trial judge’s ruling on the no-case submission did not show that the trial judge ever considered those issues. “In our view the evidence led in this case was insufficient to safely convict either Sands or Barr of manslaughter,” the ruling said, further charging that the “insufficiency” of the evidence may have been due to the trial commencing more than three years after the incident in question. “...The convictions and sentence against both appellants are quashed. For obvious reasons, we do not order a retrial.” Christina Galanos represented Barr, while Roberto Reckley represented Sands. Cassie Bethel represented the Crown in the matter.
PAGE 6, Friday, November 9, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
BAHAMAS, Power and Light.
Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff
Electric bill ‘like a second mortgage’ from page one Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Bowe said that what is troubling for most is that the government has given no clear indication of when electricity bills will be at an acceptable level. Given what appears to be a bleak prospect, he said Bahamians must demand that the government demonstrate there is a plan of action and a timeline to bring normalcy and affordability in the shortest timeframe. On Wednesday at Parliament, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the VAT ceiling on Bahamas Power and Light bills would increase to $300 pending approval from the House of Assembly. The increase is only temporary and will last until the end of next June.
GOWON BOWE The ceiling for VAT exemption on electricity bills was set at $200 during the 2018-2019 budget debate earlier this year. “I’m not personally a fan of exemptions (on VAT),” Mr Bowe told The Tribune yesterday. “I think that we need to try and keep the base as broad as possible so that the cost of other items doesn’t go up. “While the bills may
be exempt, the input that BPL will have into their operation are not VAT exempt and so that means the cost structure is going up and if that happens it means the underlying bill is going up. “So notwithstanding there will be some relief from the bill amount not having VAT added on it, if your bill was previously $300 and VAT was $36 so $336, so if your bill is now $328 and there is no VAT that still is a significant increase over the $300. “It provides some relief but really limited in the impact it will have because ultimately if government waives VAT on a particular item, it has to collect it from some other means in terms of increased cost elsewhere and persons are not looking to have a shift in where they spend the money they want to see an overall reduction in the cost of living.”
Mr Bowe said he believes higher electricity costs were the result of the lack of progressive thinking when it comes to energy supply. “When we look now certainly in terms of the oil prices and the age of the equipment we know that we are going to have instability and lack of affordability. The most important aspect is really to have some kind of timeframe when this is going to be solved. When I say that I mean between what is the long-term solution, which they have indicated the MOU with Shell North America and the hopes this is something that will have an energy efficient plan by 2022, but more importantly what is going to be done in the intermediate period? “When we talk about there now being all options on the table being called for the real question is
why wasn’t that a part of the original plan because any long-term solution was always going to require a set period of time before it would be available.” He continued: “The concern that most citizens have is there seems to be an open timeline for when the bills will be at a level that is acceptable. Certainly, from the business community standpoint, these utility costs are like having a second mortgage. They have become a significant component in the operating expenditure and even more important is that there has been a lack of stability where you can rely on the supply to be up all the time. “So certainly, there is an additional cost coming about in terms of purchasing back up supplies and so that is an increased cost that will go on to the consumers whether it be in the price
of goods or services and so what we really need is to really see the comprehensive future projections related to BPL,” Mr Bowe said. On Wednesday Dr Minis noted the undue burden electricity costs have put on citizens and further assured Bahamians that he remained resolute regarding the need for this country to substantially reduce its energy costs. Pledging his government would continue to explore the cost of energy, the prime minister said a substantial transition to solar and other renewable energy supplies will be made. Dr Minnis also said changing trends in the cost of the delivery of electricity will inform any decision to extend the increased exemption ceiling into the new fiscal year, beginning July 2019.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
direct quotes on Eyewitness News that his own bill saw an increase of 60 per cent due to fuel charges. It reported him further as saying that there were bills as high as 70 per cent higher. “This morning’s backpedalling by Dr Moxey is evidence of a change to a convenient narrative due to mounting public disapproval regarding the drastic increase in the cost of energy to consumers.” The release continued: “We also point out that the general issue is that whatever BPL says, the public does not believe them. BPL’s leadership has no credibility. The corporation still has the stench of corruption around it. This will continue until the government is able to explain why it’s former chair was dismissed with the claims made by her of suspect conduct by other board members, including Dr Moxey. “Until the prime minister and the FNM are able to start the promised investigation and come clean on the alleged corruption, no one will believe a word BPL or its chairman says. Attacking the leader of the opposition cannot help Dr Moxey keep the lights on. It is clear they have no plan for BPL and thus they have to attack and blame the PLP. “The Bahamian people demand of the chairman of BPL and the Minnis government that they deliver immediately both a costeffective and sustainable solution to our energy challenge. Any increase in the
cost of energy on an already economically burden society is a departure from any form of good conscience.” On Thursday, Tribune Business reported Dr Moxey had criticised claims that electricity rates will increase by 70 percent as “irresponsible” and “false ramblings”. Dr Moxey told this newspaper on Wednesday: “I thought it was irresponsible. There is no 70 percent rate increase. That number came from nowhere. “The only thing that changed from a rate perspective is a two cents movement in the fuel surcharge going from 17.5 cents to 19.5 cents. It would take months, if not a year to get a rate increase approved by URCA (the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority).” The Nassau Guardian also reported Thursday that Dr Moxey lashed out at Mr Davis, and called the PLP’s leader’s comments “completely irresponsible.” “I’m referring to the petition to anybody who talks about 70 percent increase,” the newspaper quotes Dr Moxey as saying. “I’m referring to some news press release I saw given by the opposition party. All of those people who do that are irresponsible and they know better or at least they should know better.” His comments came the same day Mr Davis released a statement criticising the government for what he called “the sharp 70 percent hike in electricity cost”.
BPL CHAIRMAN TOLD TO STAY OUT OF POLITICS PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell yesterday rebuked Donovan Moxey, telling the Bahamas Power and Light chairman to leave the inflammatory invective to politicians who have equal standing in the arena with Official Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis. Mr Mitchell accused Dr Moxey of “backpedalling” over his estimation earlier this week of how much BPL bills have increased; using his own usage as an example, Dr Moxey told reporters he saw a spike of between 60 percent and 70 percent. However, Mr Moxey blasted Mr Davis on Wednesday for using the same figures, calling him “irresponsible”, and saying he should know better. “Donovan Moxey’s comments attacking the leader of the opposition as reported in this morning’s press are out of order and inappropriate language for the chairman of a public corporation,” Mr Mitchell said in a statement released yesterday. “Dr Moxey should leave the inflammatory invective to politicians who have equal standing in the arena with the leader of the opposition. He ought to stick to the facts and keeping the lights on. “It appears that poor Dr Moxey does not even remember what he said on the rate issue. He himself indicated as reported in
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 9, 2018, PAGE 7
Six months of delays Businesses on West Bay Street fear impact of long road works By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net BUSINESSES near Blake Road are concerned about the impact the upcoming six-month long water and road improvement work will have on their establishments. The work is set to begin this Monday. In interviews with The Tribune yesterday, some proprietors and employees expressed dismay at the length of time the work is expected to take. They also took issue with the fact that it is expected to occur during “peak” hours and questioned how this would impact traffic flow in the area. According to a Ministry of Public Works and Water and Sewerage Corporation notice, the work will be conducted on West Bay Street between Blake Road and the Old Fort Bay roundabout. Starting November 12 and expected to last for six months, it will occur between the hours of 9.30am – 4.30pm and 7pm - 6am. “The motoring public is advised to minimise use of this area during this period if possible as there will be detours and road closures,” the notice said. “Provisions will be made to accommodate all necessary traffic during the duration of the work.” Loretta Thomas is creative director at Cafe Channing Noelle, a coffee and tea boutique located in Caves Village on West Bay Street and Blake Road. Yesterday, Mrs Thomas told The Tribune the cafe is “certainly concerned” about the project’s impact, particularly on the water supply. “We are certainly concerned,” she said. “It would absolutely and dramatically impact our business. And hopefully all efforts are being made to minimise disrupting businesses and residents in the area. “A lot of what we do really depends on our water supply, because we are a sheik coffee boutique,” Mrs Thomas continued. “And it will certainly negatively impact our business should we not have access to water.”
Mrs Thomas also expressed concern about road blockage. “It’s not only the water but the road access for our clients. We can always bring in bottled water however our clients would have to have access to our business. So that, of course, is a concern.” Regarding the hours during which the work is expected to occur, Mrs Thomas said “of course” she is concerned. “They’re peak hours. They’re hours for businesses, 9.30 in the morning until 4.30 in the afternoon. And then after 7pm, it would definitely affect residents, because most people return to their homes after 5.30. So, let’s hope they are thoughtful and deliberate in their planning so it does not adversely affect the operations of businesses in the area,” she added. Alyssa McCombe, operations manager at Windermere West, a day spa and salon in Caves Village, highlighted the impact the work will have on businesses that are dependent on appointments. Mrs McCombe told The Tribune she is “absolutely” concurred about the project, as “this business particularly works on a time frame, works by appointment.” “And obviously there are very few alternative routes for Blake Road. So that is bound to cause us some trouble, especially going into the busy season (Christmas time).” Regarding the current state of the area, Mrs McCombe said: “The road could use improvement, yeah. It’s a short road, I don’t think it causes a lot of problems, but it definitely does need to be improved.” However, she also noted the daytime work will occur during “peak hours” for the salon, adding the six-month time frame is “a very long time”. “Probably after the first month or two people would learn to detour around it, but through the Christmas season it’s (going to) be a big problem for our scheduled appointment time.” While Nina Ray, vicepresident of customer service at Pure H2O, also expressed concern about how the project will affect
BUSINESSES in Caves Village on West Bay Street, including Cafe Channing Noelle, above, are worried about the effect six months of road works will have on them. businesses and residents, she described herself as being “almost elated” that the area will be improved. Ms Ray said she was informed about the roadwork via email. “I was (happier) about the fact that they were going to be doing it on the West Bay Street because it’s terrible,” she told the Tribune. “It’s absolutely terrible.
POLICE INVESTIGATING TWO ARMED ROBBERIES POLICE on Andros and New Providence are investigating two armed robberies that occurred in less than a sixhour period. The first incident happened shortly after 8pm Wednesday when two men armed with handguns entered a gaming house in Lowe Sound, Andros and robbed an employee of cash before escaping. Hours later, shortly after 1am yesterday in New Providence, a man and a woman were sitting in their vehicle near a beach on West
Bay Street, when they were approached by two armed men who robbed them of their gold coloured Nissan Tiida, licence plate number AQ4125, and sped away. The thieves were followed by a man in a black Nissan Note, licence plate number AT4208. A short time later, police recovered both vehicles on Chippingham Road. The suspects were not captured. Anyone with information is asked to call police at the Central Detective Unit at 5029991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.
I’ve called numerous times about having the roads patched up there because people were banging up their…vehicles, including myself. They said it was going to be an inconvenience, I know it will be, but I’m almost elated.” However, Ms Ray did express concern about the hours of the work. Regarding the evening hours in
particular, Ms Ray said, “I can’t imagine what would be a good time because it’s a very active street.” Cameron Roach, proprietor of Wildfire, a restaurant located in the Old Fort Bay Centre, also worried about the evening work in his interview with The Tribune. “Seven pm is pretty much our prime dinner hour, so that’s (going to) slow down
dinner flow,” Mr Roach said. “Our other big prime time is right around lunchtime…But our evenings, we’re worried about a lot. That’s when we have the most amount of traffic in the whole plaza in general. So, it’s (going to) affect us, I’m sure.” Regarding the length of time of the project, Mr Roach said: “That’s half a year. Six months is a long time. It’s not a couple of days or even couple of weeks. That’s half a year that we could be affected. People just won’t even bother to come in this direction, they’re going to get sick and tired of it after trying to come west… (after) a couple weeks or months they give up.” In their notice, the ministry and WSC extended apologies for the “temporary inconvenience to the public during this period” as they endeavour to “improve the roadway system island wide.” For more information during the project, the public is advised to contact the ministry at 322-4830/1 or publicworks@bahamas.gov.bs.
PAGE 8, Friday, November 9, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
So what in the world is
EXTREME? THESE days it seems, every nook and cranny is crawling with an infestation of terror and destruction that would rival any of those plagues found in The Good Book. You guessed it, “millennials”. Ah, yes, I remember the freefor-all, happy-go-lucky days of youthful existence. We all had our go-to fun filled outlets in our day, and the older we got the more daring we became. Mothers’ cars were rolled out of driveways right after midnight with the stealth and precision of a Navy Seal Unit. The cars were rolled down the street until out of earshot, started up and driven off to the hottest night spots (where entry was a separate mission entirely). Back then, the only Grand Theft Auto we knew of was an inside job that - if executed correctly from start to finish - could elevate the perpetrator to legendary status among his peers. Massive parties were organised in the blink of an eye (once Mom and Dad had confirmed their arrival at their vacation destination). As to not expose certain persons who have since attained lofty status in this community, I will not comment any further on said events. (No need to rehash their escapades with beer funnels, livestock and other sordid oddities!) By all standards of the day these brazen parties and joyrides were considered “extreme” actions or events. (I’m quite sure as you read this an event or two from your past has crept to the front of your brain). Either you’re smiling or cringing, or both. (Enjoy the memory regardless). Sadly, I was informed recently by my best friend’s son (a 15-year-old hybrid between a skateboarder, MMA fighter, BMX/ motor cross rider and pitbull breeder) that what his father and I did in our generation was not “extreme”, but rather boring, mischievous behaviour. He may have even used the word lame. “Snotty Scotty” (as I affectionately call him) proceeded to expound on the difference between “Generation X” and “Generation Next”. As he explained the many ways the “millennials” dwindle away their summer days whilst endangering all around them in the name of cool points, I realised this
new, young, “extreme” generation has taken one too many hits to the head while practising their “extreme” moves. Being a fan of most things old school, I have had about enough of this as I can take, and since there is no time like the present I must now deal with the matter. The matter being the utter disregard for the accomplishments and legacies left behind for the next generation by the previous generation. Truly, If we didn’t do what we did the bar wouldn’t be set, and you would have nothing to shoot for “millennials” since in order to be “extreme” you must first break rules that have never been broken, ride that which has never been ridden, and do things which have not been done.
As you look to surpass greatness (or lameness, depending on your point of view), let me first tell you what is not “extreme,” youngsters. Pulling off a 360 degree skateboard trick as you avoid a tour bus as you blaze down the entrance to the Atlantis going against the flow of traffic is not “extreme”. Determining how far you can pop a wheelie riding down the middle of Bay Street with no helmet on is not “extreme”. Sporting a radical hair style with a fashion fiasco wardrobe to match, as in t-shirts expressing teenage angst to the world and “shants” (I still haven’t figured out if they’re shorts or pants) is not “extreme.” The multiple piercings that make you youngsters look like you’re about to spring a leak (maybe that’s where some common sense has evaporated from) is not “extreme.” Nor is collecting the latest ‘Fort Night’ skins. (Ah the inventor of Fort Night, now that’s someone I want to torture slowly).
Do you want to know what is really “extreme” little ones? “Extreme” is waking up very early every day and going to work to provide for a family. Paying all your bills on time (especially in this economy) for many is considered “extreme”. Cooking dinner, transporting “extreme” kids to and from their required activities and cleaning up after these “extremely” messy kids is what’s extreme these days, because with the average child staying with Mom and Dad into their thirties there’s really no end in sight! Extreme! Balancing your relationship with your spouse and finishing all the domestic things your wife dreams up around the house is “extreme”. Tune up the car, landscape the yard, play with a five month old who is teething, trying to win a game of ‘Madden’ against ‘millennials’ who know how to cheat… now that’s “extreme!” In the adult world, a world
you hopefully will have not an inkling of for many, many, many years to come, what is considered “extreme” would figuratively blow away your literally bruised minds. Watching you all make your way through this world is “extreme”. (And most times, comical). There are high hopes that you will be the generation to find cures for diseases, end hunger and bring forth world peace because so far we “X-ers” have not accomplished all that. Now that this week’s column is out of the way. I’m going to kick back, and daydream of my eventual days as a senior citizen. Where I will sit on the sidewalk, waiting to bump an oncoming kid, riding on a bicycle or a hover board, completely off their ‘cool points’ mode of transportation. In order to remind them that it is life, which is extreme! Until next week I will leave you with the words of actress Katherine Hepburn “Life is hard. After all, it kills you.”
FIX BPL AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT STUFF WHICH DOESN’T HELP MOST PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ announcement that the government will temporarily increase the VAT exemption ceiling on Bahamas Power and Light bills sparked a lively reaction from readers on tribune242.com. Dawes had this to say: “Fix BPL, don’t do this band aid stuff which doesn’t help most people. Fix it, which should have been done by all your predecessors. If we could reduce our BPL bills by 50% imagine the economic activity this would lead to on productive items. But I expect nothing will happen in the short term as everyone working out how to get their piece of the pie. If you were really serious you would make it legal for all to go off grid and for BPL to buy off these people any excess they have.” That prompted this response from DonAnthony: “I agree with you 100%. I live in Long Island and I would like to put up sufficient solar panels to cover my entire energy needs. I would even be willing to go beyond 100% so that I could sell clean energy back to BPL, but I am limited to a mere
4kw because they do want Bahamians off the grid or generating clean energy, they want us to be shackled to an inefficient monopoly BPL forever. Worse yet is the paperwork. I understand not even the very first application to put in solar has been forwarded from BPL offices in Long Island to URCA to be approved. All to enslave Bahamians to govt owned BPL. This is over a YEAR. These govt words are worthless when talking about renewable energy. A total SHAM, not even worth the breath used to utter them. We are mired in the inefficient past. I am very angry and intend to raise this issue with my parliamentary representative.” DDK asked: “Why do these people insist on calling the excessive electrical rate ‘fuel surcharge’? Are they so useless they cannot even call the charge what it is, an unreasonably high utility rate? Calling it fuel surcharge does nothing
to ease the burden on the consumer and the cost of living in this country. Any real word on the three BEC fires or have they been swept under the table??” Ohdrap4 said: “The exemption on the bill is foolish. What they should do is zero-rate BPL’s fuel to reduce the bill and thus benefit everyone. But they are greedy.” This week, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold said he doubts the government could get the public sector’s 20,000 or so employees to contribute to their pensions. DDK posted this comment: “Suppose there is no money for the public sector’s 20,000 or so employees to receive pensions unless they contribute to their pensions. Are we saying the public sector is too ignorant to understand this little fact? Surely not? Just because this unreasonable practice has been the norm for decades, does not mean that it is sustainable. They have had a free ride for a long time. Perhaps they should all go and work for the gambling houses. ” Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 9, 2018, PAGE 9
Another GB business has to close its doors By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
A DECLINE in business has forced the closure of another establishment at the Port Lucaya Marketplace, where merchants are struggling to hang on as government seeks a buyer for the closed Grand Lucayan resort. The Tribune has learned that Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Eatery closed last week after six years in business. The Irish-inspired restaurant, with touches of green décor, opened its doors in 2012, serving an exclusively locally brewed amber ale on tap, and Irish cuisine. Proprietor Yvonne Morris, a native of Belfast in Northern Ireland and a resident of The Bahamas, went into the restaurant business along with her Bahamian husband James Morris, after many years in the hospitality industry as manager of the former Shenanigans restaurant. The Tribune attempted to contact the owners, but was unsuccessful. It is not known how many employees were employed the restaurant. When contacted for
comment, Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce President Mick Holding said the closure of the Grand Lucayan is still having a dire impact on the island’s economy. He said that he is aware that another business at Port Lucaya has closed, and that many others are trying to hold on until the government sells the hotel. Although Mr Holding is hopeful that the government will find a buyer, he said that it could take at least six months before it is sold. “I think in the long-term, I am hopeful now that government owns the hotel that they will find a buyer, and in the long-term the economy will recover,” he said. “But being realistic, it is at least six months away before the hotel is sold, and it is reopened. And I know in that six months a lot of businesses are going to continue to suffer, and a lot of them are just hanging on,” he said. In the meantime, visitor arrivals are down in Grand Bahama. Last month, the island’s struggling tourism industry lost some 30,000 annual visitors after Sunwing airline pulled the plug on its summer airlift initiative.
NO LAYOFFS OVER LAUNDRY CHANGES, SAYS ATLANTIS By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
ABOVE and top right: Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Eatery which has closed after six years in business.
Government High School Government High School Reunion. - Students attending Government High School between 1962 and 1974, who were taught by former teacher Mrs Barbara Godwin, who will be visiting Nassau from November 16 to 22, are asked to contact Carl Brennen at email carlbrennen@ hotmail.com or telephone 565-5883, by Thursday, November 15, in connection with a get together for that visit.
St George’s ACM St George’s Anglican Church Men. - St George’s ACM will be holding a Men and Boys Conference this month. The event will be held on November 17th, from 9am to 1pm, at Montrose Ave. The theme is “Calling
JOIN THE CLUB OUR Clubs and Societies page is a chance for you to share your group’s activities with our readers. To feature on our Clubs and Societies page, submit your report to clubs@tribunemedia.net, with “Clubs Page” written in the subject line. For more information about the page, contact Stephen Hunt on 5022373 or 826-2242.
Men and Boys to be Intentional Disciples”, and admission is free. Speakers include Rob Robertson, president of BTVI, Ricardo Deveaux, president of Bahamas Primary School Association and 1st Asst Secretary, Ministry of Labour. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Register by calling 424-3599. The event is open to boys aged from 12-18.
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
SENIOR Atlantis Vice-President Ed Fields insisted there would be “absolutely no layoffs” at the hotel after laundry workers were told some positions had been made redundant yesterday morning. Mr Fields explained that around 20 to 30 workers in the laundry department would be transferred to other areas at the hotel.
“There were no redundancies,” he said when contacted by this newspaper. “We’re simply restructuring the laundry department so any positions no longer required, those people will be absorbed into other areas of the hotel. “People get transferred in our hotel all the time, certain jobs are no longer required because of new technology and people are simply absorbed into new areas of the hotel. “No one is being made redundant,” he said, “absolutely no layoffs.”
Laundry staff were called to a morning meeting with Melanie Delancey, VP of laundry and valet operations, and senior VP and general manager Stuart Bowe, The Tribune was told. One worker said: “They were told to go and apply for a new job at the hotel. But they said that even though they were being made redundant, not to ask for redundancy pay because their years and benefits would be carried over to the new position. “It’s supposed to be effective November 26,” the worker added.
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THE TRIBUNE
GUN CONTROL ADVOCATE WHOSE SON WAS SHOT WINS US HOUSE RACE ATLANTA Associated Press
IN A campaign ad pierced by the sound of gunfire, Lucy McBath earlier this year laid out the story of her 17-year-old son’s shooting death and how his loss propelled her to activism. The story resonated with voters, who elected her on Tuesday to fill a long-red House seat that Georgia Republicans held onto just last year. “We’ve sent a strong message to the entire country,”
McBath tweeted yesterday after Rep. Karen Handel conceded. “Absolutely nothing — no politician & no special interest — is more powerful than a mother on a mission.” McBath’s son, Jordan Davis, was slain at a Jacksonville, Florida gas station in 2012 by a white man who was angry over the loud music the black teenager and his friends had been playing in their car. Michael Dunn used the “standyour-ground” law in his defence,
but was convicted and is serving a life sentence. After her son’s slaying, McBath became active in gun control advocacy. John Feinblatt, who heads the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, said McBath first came to them as a volunteer and eventually joined the staff and headed faith outreach efforts. “We saw in Lucy a natural leader that people immediately started to look up to for her real devotion to honoring her son and ability to rally others,” he said.
MOTHER on a mission: Lucy McBath
McBath decided to run for office after the February massacre at a south Florida high school, she said during a campaign rally. In running against Handel, McBath made gun control a key issue, sharing with voters her personal journey. “I lost my son Jordan but I’m still his mother. And I still continue to mother him through making sure that I preserve the lives of other children like him,” she said during a television ad.
Marine combat veteran kills 12 in rampage at bar in California CALIFORNIA Associated Press TERRIFIED patrons hurled barstools through windows to escape or threw their bodies protectively on top of friends as a Marine combat veteran killed 12 people at a country music bar in an attack that added Thousand Oaks to the tragic roster of American cities traumatiSed by mass shootings. Dressed all in black with his hood pulled up, the gunman apparently took his own life as police massed at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Southern California. The motive for the attack late on Wednesday night was under investigation. The killer, Ian David Long, 28, was a former machine gunner and Afghanistan war veteran who was interviewed by police at his home last spring after an episode of agitated behavior that authorities were told might be post-traumatic stress disorder. Opening fire with a handgun with an illegal, extra-large magazine, Long shot a security guard outside and then went in and took aim at employees and patrons, authorities said. He also used a smoke bomb, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Survivors of the rampage — mostly young people who had gone out for college night at the Borderline, a hangout popular with students from nearby California Lutheran University — seemed to know what to do, having come of age in an era of active-shooter drills and deadly rampages happening with terrifying frequency. Several of the survivors said they were also at the outdoor country music festival in Las Vegas last year when a gunman in a
PEOPLE comfort each other as they stand near the scene yesterday where Ian David Long, top right, opened fire on Wednesday inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people. Bottom right is Sheriff’s Sgt Ron Helus who died in the attack. high-rise hotel killed 58 people. Many of the hundreds of patrons dived under tables, ran for the exits, broke through windows or hid in the attic and bathrooms, authorities and witnesses said. “Unfortunately our young people, people at nightclubs, have learned that this may happen, and they think about that,” Ventura County Sheriff
Geoff Dean said. “Fortunately it helped save a lot of lives that they fled the scene so rapidly.” Matt Wennerstrom said he pulled people behind a pool table, and he and friends shielded women with their bodies after hearing the shots. When the gunman paused to reload, Wennerstrom said, he used a barstool to shatter a window and then helped about 30 people escape.
He heard another volley of shots after they got out. “All I wanted to do was get as many people out of there as possible,” he told KABC-TV. “I know where I’m going if I die, so I was not worried.” The dead included a veteran sheriff’s deputy who rushed in to confront the gunman, as well as 22-yearold man who planned to join the Army, a freshman at nearby Pepperdine
University and a recent Cal Lutheran graduate. “It’s a horrific scene in there,” Dean said in the parking lot. “There’s blood everywhere.” The tragedy left a community that is annually listed as one of the safest cities in America reeling. Scores of people showed up to donate blood for the wounded. All morning, people looking for missing friends and relatives arrived at a community center
where authorities and counselors were informing the next-of-kin of those who died. Many walked past TV cameras with blank stares or tears in their eyes. In the parking lot, people comforted each other with hugs or a pat on the back. Jason Coffman received the news that his son Cody, 22, who was about to join the Army, was dead. Coffman broke down as he told reporters how his last words to his son as he went out that night were not to drink and drive and that he loved him. “Oh, Cody, I love you, son,” Coffman sobbed. It was the nation’s deadliest such attack since 17 students and teachers were killed at a Parkland, Florida, high school nine months ago and comes less than two weeks after a gunman massacred 11 at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
PRINCE CHARLES SAYS HE’LL KEEP HIS UNITED NATIONS SAYS THERE ARE 3M VIEWS TO HIMSELF WHEN HE’S KING VENEZUELAN REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS LONDON Associated Press BRITAIN’S Prince Charles has pledged not to interfere in the affairs of state when he becomes king, seeking to dispel concerns about his past activism on issues ranging from global warming to architectural preservation. In an interview for a documentary marking his 70th birthday, the heir to the throne told the BBC that he understands he will have to act differently when he becomes king. Britain’s monarch is barred from interfering in politics. “I’m not that stupid,” Charles said when asked if his public campaigning would continue after he succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. “I do realise
that it is a separate exercise being sovereign, so of course I understand entirely how that should operate.” The prince has caused disquiet in the past by expressing his commitment to organic farming, traditional architecture and environmental causes. In 2015, he lost a long court battle to prevent the disclosure of 27 letters sent to government officials on matters such as badger culling, fish protection, military readiness and the preservation of historic buildings. The “black spider” memos, so called because of Charles’ cramped handwritten greetings and closings, were controversial because some saw them as inappropriate lobbying by the heir to the throne. But Charles defended
his past actions, including establishing the Prince’s Trust in 1976 to help disadvantaged young people, saying he had always steered clear of party politics. He wondered aloud whether his interventions were really “meddling”. “If it’s meddling to worry about the inner cities as I did 40 years ago ... if that’s meddling, I’m very proud of it,” he said. The documentary captures the prince in both public and private, including images of him feeding vegetable scraps to his chickens and collecting their eggs at his Highgrove home. It includes an interview with the prince’s wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who said Charles is driven by a need to help others.
Associated Press THE number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela has risen to 3 million worldwide, the United Nations said yesterday. The UN refugee agency and the U.N. migration agency said 2.4 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants are in Latin America and the Caribbean and the rest are in other regions. Citing data from national immigration authorities and other sources, the agencies said Colombia has the highest number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela, with over 1 million. Peru is next with over 500,000. Ecuador has over 220,000, Argentina 130,000, Chile over 100,000, Panama 94,000, and Brazil 85,000, the UN High Commissioner
VENEZUELAN REFUGEES for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration said. Eduardo Stein, joint special representative for the two agencies on the Venezuelan issue, said, “Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have largely maintained a commendable open door policy to refugees and migrants from Venezuela.”
But he warned that “their reception capacity is severely strained, requiring a more robust and immediate response from the international community if this generosity and solidarity are to continue.” Governments from the region met in Ecuador in September and are scheduled to hold a second meeting Nov 22-23. Most migrants say they are fleeing Venezuela’s imploding economy. Venezuela was once among Latin America’s most prosperous nations, and it has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but a fall in oil prices accompanied by corruption and mismanagement under two decades of socialist rule have left the economy in economic and political crisis.
THE TRIBUNE
Friday, November 9, 2018, PAGE 11
‘The Bahamas’ own street philosopher’
DNA deputy leader Arinthia Komolafe with public affairs officer Penny Rechkemmer at the US Embassy. Mrs Komolafe was selected to participate in the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Programme focused on the American electoral process.
DNA deputy joins US election observers THE deputy leader of the Democratic National Alliance was selected to participate in the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Programme focused on the American electoral process. Arinthia Komolafe joined other political leaders from across the globe in the opportunity to observe the US mid-term elections. During the programme, participants are exposed to US laws and institutions involved in the electoral process, political party campaign organisations, election monitoring and understand the development of democracy and civic education.
During the exchange, Mrs Komolafe will visit Washington, DC; Phoenix, Arizona; and Seattle, Washington. Her peers represent more than 40 countries including Indonesia, France, Japan, Namibia, the Netherlands and Lithuania. Mrs Komolafe is a financial services professional, attorney, columnist, civic leader and activist. In April 2014, she was nominated for the US State’s Department Global Leadership Mentorship Programme for being a strong example of leadership that has made a difference in building The Bahamas. Prior to leaving for the
programme, Mrs Komolafe visited the embassy to meet with public affairs officer Penny Rechkemmer and noted her expectations for the experience. “It is an honour and privilege to be selected for participation in this prestigious programme,” said Mrs Komolafe. “I am thankful to the US Embassy for this opportunity. I look forward to the learning experience and exposure that the programme will provide. The expectation is that the knowledge gained, and connections made will be used to further deepen our democracy in The Bahamas upon my return.”
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IAN Strachan with the Outstanding Alumni award.
ATTENDEES at the University of The Bahamas Hall of Fame and Outstanding Alumni Awards Ceremony last night at Baha Mar Convention Centre.
CELEBRATING UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
PHOTOS: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff
MISS UB, Andrea Darville, and Dr Rodney Smith, UB president presenting Marcus Laing with the Trailblazer Alumni award.
JEFFERY Walcott with the Outstanding Alumni award.
ANASTARCIA Palacious with the Emerging Leader Alumni Award JAM Session Band performing at the ceremony.
DARVIN Toussaint receives his Trailblazer Alumni Award.
HALL of Fame inductees Delton Charles Bain, above, and Vernelle Carey, right.