Category Archives: Bahamas

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Minister of Labour and Immigration Keith Bell said yesterday that an investigation has been launched into the most recent interdiction of dozens of undocumented migrants from Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Ecuador, Romania and Turkey on one boat.

Bells comments follow weeks of apprehensions and the detention of more than 1,000 undocumented Haitian migrants in Bahamian waters as Haiti continues to face challenges ranging from the ongoing pandemic, consecutive natural disasters including a recent earthquake and political unrest.

Speaking to Eyewitness News on the matter outside Cabinet, Bell advised that there were two recent interdictions: one vessel with 28 Cuban migrants on board and one yacht with 44 people on board, not including minors.

Bell noted that the latter apprehension was particularly of note given that there were multiple nationalities on board, along with one Bahamian man who is believed to be the suspected smuggler.

Among those migrants detained were 10 Colombian men, two Colombian women, three Ecuadorian men and a minor, five Ecuadorian women, five Jamaican men, six Romanian men, one Romanian woman, one Turkish man, five Haitian men, and six Haitian women two with minor children and one currently pregnant.

We are pursuing an investigation to determine where these migrants came from, where they were housed, Bell said.

Its obviously a major concern, so all of our law enforcement agencies are working together to investigate the matter thoroughly and to also ensure there is an effective and quick prosecution.

The immigration minister noted that the apprehension has raised concerns of illegal harboring in the country that warrants a deeper investigation.

He advised that the Bahamian man found aboard the yacht is in police custody and the group is expected to be charged this week.

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MIGRANTS CAUGHT ON YACHT: Police investigate smuggling of mixed bag of nationals into The Bahamas - EyeWitness News

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration has appointed 19 Bahamians to various public board positions and is expected to meet today to finalise the remaining government appointments.

Press Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Clint Watson announced the first list of board appointments during a press briefing yesterday.

Notable appointments include North Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty, who was named chairman of Water and Sewerage Corporation; Mount Moriah MP McKell Bonaby as executive chairman of Public Beaches and Parks Authority; Senator James Turner-Rolle, chairman of the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas and Senator Quinton Lightbourne as chairman of the Bahamas Development Bank.

Other appointees include Barbara Cartwright, chairman of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation; Pedro Rolle, chairman of Bahamas Power and Light; Anthony Kikivarakis, chairman of Bahamasair, Wendy Craig, chairperson of Bahamasair Navigation Services; Devard Francis, chairman of Civil Aviation Authority and Daniel Johnson, chairman of the Gaming Board.

Roderick Colebrooke has been appointed chairman of the Hotel Licensing Board; Senator Ronald Duncombe as chairman of Nassau Flight Services; Phillip McKenzie as chairman of the National Insurance Board; Tavares Laroda, chairman of the Port Authority; Andrew Edwards, chairman of Public Hospitals Authority; and Southern Shores MP Leroy Major, executive chairman of Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation.

The Airport Authority is being chaired by Paul Bevans, while Lucayan Holdings Ltd is being chaired by Julian Russel.

Terrel Young is the chairman for BAMSI.

As for the remaining appointments, Mr Watson said the government hopes to wrap up the matter today, adding that those chosen for board positions will be well-rounded and skilled from various backgrounds.

Cabinet is still working on that, he said. Cabinet is expected to meet again tomorrow (Friday) afternoon to deal with board appointments and theyre expected to wrap up the board so you could imagine its a very, very detailed process 140 boards and so theyre hoping to wrap up.

If you noticed, Cabinet has been meeting a lot and thats because theyre trying to wrap up boards. What theyre trying to do is get the critical boards that need to have the chairman or chairpersons in office. Theyve been trying to do that quickly and we can make some of those announcements for you. Again, it reflects the deepening of what the Davis administration is about, a well-rounded list of people of all ages, sectors, capabilities and skills.

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First round of board appointments revealed - Bahamas Tribune

There's nothing frightening in our Treasure Coast Halloween forecast

Weather is projected to be great for trick or treaters of all ages Oct. 31, 2018. CHERYL MCCLOUD/TCPALM

Wochit

I love a good ghost story.

So much so that, as a young reporter, I spent a night in the Bell Witch Cave in search of a talethat would be fitting for the holiday we're celebrating this weekend.

The Bell Witch is kind of like Tennessee's version of the Loch Ness Monster. If you Google her, you'll find plenty of interesting reading.

Now that I'm back in Florida, I wanted to find a local equivalent.

Our intrepid entertainment reporter Laurie Blandford produced a pieceearlierthis month about the most haunted places on the Treasure Coast. I want to check some of those places out.

However, it's going to be hard for a few unexplained creaks and groans in some old buildings to top the story involving the demise of the notorious Ashley Gang.

The gang's exploits are well documented. Its members were accused of a variety of crimes in South Florida and the Bahamas during the late 1910s and early 1920s, ranging from bank robbery to moonshine running to generalized murder and mayhem.

Treasure Coast terrors: Ashley Gang struck fear into the hearts of Stuart residents

A gruesome trophy: Guess who took outlaw John Ashley's glass eye as a key fob memento? | Historical Vignettes

Silver screen adaptation: Ashley Gang movie filmed in Stuart

Some of the historical accounts of those crimes are quite colorful, such as the time gang member Handford Mobley allegedly robbed a Stuart bank while disguised as a woman. Or the time the gang left a suitcase on the side of Dixie Highway near Miami as bait to attract robbery victims.

Some accounts describe the gang as havingRobin Hood-like qualities that endeared them to the local populace, although I've also heard those parts of the story may have been based more on romantic revisionism than fact.

All of which is interesting, but there are paranormal elements to the gang's legend as well.

For example, "Ghosts of the Treasure Coast," an excellent book by Patrick S. Mesmer and Patricia A. Mesmer, describes how gang leader John Ashley once had a dream while he was in jail about two of his brothers being lost at sea during a liquor smuggling run to the Bahamas.

In his dream, Ashley reportedly saw three rival smugglers approaching his brothers' boat during a storm.

When he awoke, Ashley learned his brothers had, in fact, gone missing at sea and were never seen or heard from again.

A few months later, a similarfate befell the three rival smugglers from Ashley's dream, which could have been coincidence ... or payback if Ashley believed his dream was prophetic.

Ashley's life, along with the lives of three of his lieutenants, ended the night of Nov. 1, 1924, in theatrical fashion.

According to an account published in The (Fort Pierce) Tribune in 1997, Ashley and the other three gang members were headed north toward Jacksonville, possibly with plans to relocate out of state, when law enforcement agents got wind of where they were going.

Police and sheriffs'deputies from several jurisdictions set up a roadblock at the Sebastian Inlet Bridge,located on the border of Indian River and Brevard counties, and took the outlaws into custody.

Eyewitnesses said the gang members were captured and handcuffed at the scene, but later their bullet-riddled corpses were taken to a funeral home in Fort Pierce.

Were the gang members, who had been feuding with law enforcement officers for years, executed in cold blood? Or were they shot while attempting to escape?

The Tribune took excerpts from Ada Coats Williams' book, "Florida's Ashley Gang," which included an interview with Ed Merritt, a descendant of one of the law officerspresent that night.

Merritt said the gunplay might have been triggered by a sudden moment by one of the captured men.

"My grandfather said John Ashley had dropped his arms," Merritt recounted. "He'd been known to carry a sleeve gun. That's when the shooting started."

Merritt said the gang members were well-knownescape artists, which may have also played a factor in the violence that night.

"There was no way they were going to put those guys in jail," Merritt said. "It just wasn't going to happen."

The Nov. 6, 1924 edition of The Stuart Messenger described the shooting's aftermath in a relatively short front-page story with a Fort Pierce dateline:

"Sunday, from early morning until the bodies had been removed, there was a crowd congregated in front of the undertaking parlors. People from every section of the county and many from Palm Beach county (sic) came here hoping to get a glimpse of the dead men."

The Messenger story went on to say about 300 people attended the dead men's funeral later in the week in Fruita, a small hamlet in what is now Martin County.

The "Ghosts of the Treasure Coast" version of the story had a chilling footnote, from the years following the men's death:

"In the early morning hours of the first day of November, people would find four puddles of blood in the very spots where the outlaws were shot. No one saw anything during the night, but the puddles would always be there. According to locals, this continued for many years after the shootings. Was this a paranormal occurrence or a ritual perpetrated by someone to remember the bloody truth of what happened that night?"

The younger version of me would be on that bridge Halloween night, keeping vigil to see if the grisly ritual would be repeated this year.

The oldbridge where the shootings happened is long gone, though.So I guess I'll get to stay home and eat all our leftover Halloween candy instead.

Like I said, I love a good ghost story.I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups even more.

This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay.Contact him via email at blake.fontenay@tcpalm.comor at 772-232-5424.

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Who needs the Headless Horseman Bridge? We've got the Ashley Gang's final stop | Opinion - TCPalm

Barbados: The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) has appointed Jens Thraenhart as the next chief executive of the tourist board. He will assume charge from November 1.

Thraenhart has worked in the tourism industry for more than 26 years.

Chairman Roseanne Myers cited that, We undertook the challenge to find the best candidate for the chief executive position to assist in shaping the way forward, & we are exceptionally glad to have done so, after a thorough & a transparent process.

He worked for the Canadian Tourism Commission, which is now known as Destination Canada, and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which is part of Accor. Currently, he serves on industry boards, including the Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata) and the International Federation of IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT).

While on appointing the new chief executive, BTMI cited that, This appointment will usher in a new era for the organisation as it becomes a more commercial marketing enterprise and reshapes operations to better compete in the new covid-19 pandemic era of global tourism.

On the other hand, Chairman Myers noted that the team of BTMI has done a great job of reopening markets by utilising their knowledge, experience and establishing trade relationships.

The Chairman further asserted, We have a firm belief that coupled with Jens international tourism experience, proven track record in strategy execution and entrepreneurial perspectives, the BTMI will emerge from this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, a much stronger, high-performing destination marketing company that brings increased benefit to our industry and the wider economy.

The functions of BTMI

BTMI functions include to promote, assist and facilitating the efficient development of tourism; to designing as well as implementing suitable marketing strategies for the productive promotion of the tourism industry.

BTMI make provision for adequate and suitable air and sea passenger transport services to and from Barbados, encourages the establishment of amenities & the facilities essential for the proper enjoyment of Barbados as a tourist destination, to carry out market intelligence in order to inform the requirements of the tourism industry.

Related

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Jens Thraenhart will assume charge as new chief executive of the Bahamas tourist board - writeups24

Railway Children Return star, LMS 45596 Bahamas, is hauling trains at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway this weekend.

The trains on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st October will be the last time this year that the locomotive will be in action.

On Saturday, a green timetable will be in operation, and on Sunday a blue timetable will be in operation.

A buffet car will feature on both days.

Once the trains are completed on Sunday, the locomotive will head into the sheds at Haworth to undergo winter maintenance.

The locomotive has spent the summer hauling railtours across Southern England as well as visiting other heritage railways.

Today (Wednesday 27th), Thursday 28th and Friday 29th October will see LMS Black 5 45212 in charge of services, this locomotive has only recently returned to Keighley after spending the Summer in Scotland hauling The Jacobite trains.

You can pre-book tickets for a ride behind Bahamas or 45212 by visiting the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway website.

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Last chance to ride behind steam locomotive 45596 Bahamas this year - RailAdvent - Railway News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a new Order for all air passengers traveling to the United Statesplease read the full details on the new requirements attravel.state.govandCDC.gov.

Starting on November 8, foreign national air travelers (i.e. who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents) to the United States will be requiredwith only very limited exceptionsto be fully vaccinated, and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States.

What Else Travelers Need to Know:

What Else U.S. Citizens and LPRs Need to Know:

For full details about the updated requirements for air travelers, frequently asked questions, and other details from the Department of State and the CDC, please refer to the following websites:

By U.S. Embassy Nassau | 27 October, 2021 | Topics: Press Releases

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Updated Requirements for Air Travelers to the United States - US Embassy in The Bahamas

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Works Minister Alfred Sears said yesterday that Bahamas Power and Lights (BPL) $600 million rate reduction bond (RRB) is under active consideration and review, while also noting that he plans to meet soon with Shell regarding its deal with the company.

Apart from paying off BPLs $321 million legacy debt, the RRB also aims to provide new financing to enable BPL to invest in its generation and transmission and distribution network.

Sears said: This is a matter that is under active consideration and review but as a new administration coming in, before you can authorize the borrowing of over $600 million, you have to review it to make sure that it aligns with the Speech from the Throne and the energy policy of the government.

Sears also noted that he has a meeting planned with Shell North America shortly, having spoken to their representatives.

In November 2018, the government signed an MoU with Shell North America (Shell NA) for the development of a gas-to-power project. The project would include the development of a gas-fire 220-plus megawatt power plant; marine infrastructure to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG); a gas pipeline to bring gas to shore; and an onshore LNG re-gasification terminal.

BPL had undertaken to cover the costs to construct the entire 220-plus megawatt power plant at the Clifton Pier site and transfer the assets to Shell NA for its gas-to-power facility.

Sears noted that he has received a number of communications from various people in the renewables sector.

I have started to meet with some of those persons and will continue to inform myself so that we can move as expeditiously as possible in the area of renewable power generation, said Sears.

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STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION: No decision yet on BPL's rate reduction bond, says works minister - EyeWitness News

IT is 4,581 miles from Lynden Pindling International Airport to Glasgow International Airport in Scotland, a country known for its castles, golf, bagpipes and its own mischievous Chickcharney, the Loch Ness Monster. But when leaders from countries around the world, including Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, gather there starting two days from now, none of those traditional Scottish rites and rituals will be on their mind. Theyve got a different kind of right on the agenda, righting the wrongs of the industrialized countries who abused the planet and tried to fool Mother Nature for hundreds of years and are now facing their Waterloo climate change.

For nearly two weeks from October 31 to November 12, at the climate change conference called COP26, country heads will consider, negotiate, plead for help and eventually settle on some compromise that will involve dilution of fossil fuels as a driver of any economy and increase benefits encouraging renewables.

On the table for the first time with a serious scientific presentation will be the concept of carbon credits, in simplest terms, a means of tracking, accounting for and exchanging good air for bad. When it comes to blue carbon and creating carbon credits, The Bahamas has the potential to lead the world. There is, perhaps, nothing we have ever achieved before that has such wide potential to benefit the Bahamian people while improving the planet. Unlike other less prideful epochs in Bahamian history - piracy, smuggling, rum-running and drug-running that led to wild temporary wealth, the harvesting of carbon for the sake of quality of life makes the biogeography of The Bahamas a star on the stage of the worlds most significant challenge.

You cannot turn back the clock on climate change.

Storms are getting more intense. Words like never before heard bomb cyclone are becoming part of our weekly lingo. The Weather Channel, a gamble when it started, is one of the most watched channels on TV, and few of us plan anything without checking at least one site for the days or the weekends weather. It is little wonder that so many eyes are on Scotland and so much rests on COP26 in Glasgow as the UK hosts what may be the most life-fixing conference in this century to date.

Much of what comes out of COP26 will depend on the give and take of the US and China. No one is fool enough to think it will be easy but there have been several indications recently that China is bending, likely a result of the degradation of their own making, dense region populations suffering from unhealthy levels of air and water pollution following decades of rapid intensification of manufacturing without concern for environmental impact.

COP26 President Alok Sharma has said one of his goals for the meeting is to consign coal to history, though remember that not long ago then President Donald Trump wanted to reinvigorate an industry that caused death and disease among coal workers. As leader of the world, put up a wall that he never had to pay for. Everyone else did a wall against progress on climate change. He refused to acknowledge the critical Paris Agreement that, among other edicts, concluded the planet had to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius just to stave off the most dreadful impacts of a changing climate.

Our future rests in part on decisions and commitments made in Glasgow. We cannot overstate the importance of the event and can only wish our own prime minister and the president of COP26 every success. May Sharmas wish to consign coal to history go the way of the former president who wanted to bring it back.

Every major street corner in Nassau has one a vendor selling a story with an outstretched hand. On Shirley Street at Village Road, there are two on opposite sides of the road and a third around the corner. On Mackey at Shirley Street, its the rail thin woman holding a sign. On Mackey Street, its the man who exposed himself at the Shirley Street post office and has been in and out of facilities so many times he lost his prime real estate and had to move farther afield.

Most of the characters who claim corners for their livelihood are men and women who have fallen through the cracks or become victim to their own habits.

But there was one who was very different. For years, before COVID-19 forced him off the street, Mario was the smiling face at the light at Montagu. He held a tin resembling a church painted with the words Ambassador Chorale. Mario was not a panhandler, the coins he raised day after day, week after week and year after year went to feed others.

Ambassador Chorale has had its fans and its critics, but there is no doubt that the organization kept many from starvation long before the Bahamas Feeding Network came along and eased the burden for thousands. There is no doubt that Ambassador Chorale came to the rescue of some who did not even have the energy to stand on a street corner. And a chorale they were. The voices of the leaders, directors and those who were rescued and became directors created a choir that performed at weddings and events.

Marios voice was the lead in Ambassador Chorale. To hear him sing and see him raise his eyes to the sky gave you goosebumps. Maybe he wasnt pitch perfect, but he had a way of compelling you to be grateful for everything you had.

Mario was the unofficial goodwill ambassador for Ambassador Chorale. His full name was Mario McPhee. By day, he worked construction or painted houses. By mid- to late afternoon, he would be at Montagu with a smile and a wave for passerby. It sounds crazy but you could almost feel his spirit from your car. Everyone knew Mario. If you saw him in a store or in another public place, he would be surrounded by people asking about his wife and children.

In August, Marios wife passed away. He was devastated, a heartbroken man with eight children to raise on his own.

In late September, less than two months after he lost his wife, Mario suffered a massive heart attack and died. Now there are eight children without a mother or father and the corner at Montagu will always be without the gentle warmth and the kind smile of Mario.

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DIANE PHILLIPS: From here to Glasgow - Bahamas Tribune

MYLES LARODA, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, inspecting the domes.

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MYLES Laroda, State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, who has responsibility for disaster management, said the government has not decided if it will continue with the temporary dome housing project in Abaco.

He said there have been a lot of complaints expressed about the initiative by residents.

I visited Abaco last week Thursday and Friday and inspected firsthand and there seems to be a lot of challenges there with the domes, Mr Laroda said.

Ive spoken to residents who were there and there were some challenges with electricity and theres definitely challenges with sewer backing up.

There are complaints that the domes are not attached to the foundation. As for where the government goes, thats going to be a Cabinet decision. I dont have anything definite on that, but I know the challenges of those people who were residing in those domes.

Following Hurricane Dorians destruction in 2019, many residents in Abaco and Grand Bahama found themselves without homes.

As a temporary housing solution, the National Emergency Management Agency budgeted $6.4m for temporary domes, with an estimated $4m committed to cost.

Since the initiative was launched, more than 100 domes have been erected in Abaco and Grand Bahama. In June, Katherine Forbes-Smith, then-DRA managing director, said another 100 structures were still waiting to be erected.

Asked yesterday if he planned to recommend to Cabinet that the project continue, Mr Laroda replied: Based on my conversations with my employees at the DRA, those domes were really supposed to be a stop gap measure, maybe for a year and a half until affordable housing could be replaced. What I saw on the ground physically, I dont see how those domes could be a permanent solution to the housing needs.

This comes as several of the DRAs initiatives are currently being reviewed by the new administration.

Asked about his findings thus far, Mr Laroda said officials have found that some projects are progressing better than others.

Yeah, there are some things that are working better than others, he said before a Cabinet meeting yesterday. I viewed the dump sites in Green Turtle Cay and also in the mainland in Marsh Harbour. With regards to some of the other out islands, Moores Island in particular, the hurricane really ravaged that island.

The dock that was there, the public dock was actually rebuilt by the residents of Moores Island using reclaimed wood and reclaimed nails. The airport is not functioning. As a matter of fact, the windows are broken and I use this term, this is what it is clinic in a can that has the foundation, but Moores Island is in a dire state and the people there were just happy to see us.

As for his thoughts on the former administrations response to Hurricane Dorian, the state minister said: Im scheduled to go to Grand Bahama on Thursday this week and Ill review whats on the ground in (Grand Bahama) myself. With regards to Abaco, going to Moores Island, Marsh Harbour, Green Turtle Cay and also to Hope Town, what was conveyed to me was that all of the help received by those residents in those areas were from NGOs.

Dorian hit Abaco on September 1, 2019 as a Category 5 hurricane before barreling toward Grand Bahama. The estimated cost of the storms impact on The Bahamas is said to be some $3.4 billion.

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Govt unsure if it will carry on with Abaco domes plan - Bahamas Tribune

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas University of Iowa sophomore Klara Wildhaber shot a one-under par 71 to move up six places on Saturday at the White Sands Invitational at The Ocean Club Golf Course. She is tied for ninth heading into Sundays final round.

After starting on the sixth hole, Wildhaber started her round with three pars and a birdie on the par four ninth. After going three over par over her next five holes, Wildhaber had four birdies over her final nine holes. Overall, Wildhabers round consisted of five birdies and nine pars.

The Hawkeyes sit in seventh in the team standings with a 612 total. Nebraska fired a second round 280 (-8) to surge past Campbell for first place in the team standings, sitting with a 36-hole total of 565.

QUOTING MEGAN MENZELI think we have a great opportunity to show what we are made as a team tomorrow. We have a great challenge to accept and to finish our fall season on a strong note. Klara is making a nice climb on the leaderboard and continues to get stronger as the season goes on.

HAWKEYE NOTEABLES Wildhabers round ties for the fifth best round of the day 71 (-1). This round ties for Wildhabers best of the season. Senior Dana Lerner and freshman Paula Miranda moved up three and four places on the day. The Hawkeyes are fifth in pars with 104 with Manuela Lizarazu (21), Lilly Gentzkow (21) and Dana Lerner (20).

UP NEXTRound three will begin Sunday morning at 7 a.m. (CT).

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Wildhaber Shoots into Top 10 in Bahamas University of Iowa Athletics - University of Iowa Athletics