vol. 31 - no. 58 tuesday - april 2nd, 2019 75 cents...

8
Shop at Standard ServiCeS where you can get 20% off Houseware, linen, lamps and draperies. and much, much more Shirley & Church Street Phone: 322-4635 STANDARD SERVICES SUPPLIES LTD. DEAN & ASSOCIATES PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS “Meeting Your Needs Efficiently and Professionally” BUILDINGS (COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL) LIFE - GROUP - MEDICAL - ANNUITIES - LIABILITY - MARINE - HOMEOWNERS - AUTO Tel: (242)-356-0986 Fax: (242)-356-0987 Deal’s Plaza, Mackey Street P.O. Box CB-13952 Nassau, Bahamas 8:30am - 4:30pm A L L T H E N E W S Y O U N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G VOL. 31 - NO. 58 75 CENTS TUESDAY - APRIL 2ND, 2019 FREAK ACCIDENT IN GB SHIPYARD he work day at The Grand Bahama Shipyard was cut short yes- terday following what is being described as a freak accident on the property. Superintendent Walter Henderson explained that during police investiga- tions, they discovered that one of the cranes being used to conduct repairs on the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship col- lapsed. He said, “eight persons received injuries, but none were life threaten- ing. Most of them would have received local med- ical assistance and were released.” According to Superintendent Henderson, all the wounded were taken to BY LEAH COOPER Journal Staff Writer g See page 4... 4 Police are currently investigating the cause of the shipyard accident that left several people injured and thousands of dollars in damages to the cranes, Oasis of the Seas cruise liner and the Grand Bahama Shipyard dock. The image shows the ship slanted in the water after being damaged after the incident. Investigations are ongoing in the ‘freak accident.’ PROPOSED CRUISE PORT REDEVELOPMENT CELEBRATED FORMER GB CHAMBER PRESIDENT QUESTIONS LUCAYAN LOI Former President Of The Grand Bahama Chamber Of Commerce Kevin Seymour yesterday expressed his concerns surrounding “not yet dis- closed details” of the let- ter of intent with Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited and the ITM Group’s joint venture to transform and redevelop the Grand Lucayan Resort and the Freeport Harbour. Mr. Seymour noted in a release that the Freeport Harbour is owned by Hong Kong based company Hutchison Whampoa and the Grand Lucayan was once owned by the for- tune 500 firm. The government pur- chased to hotel from Hutchison Whampoa for $65 million in August of last year in an effort to BY LEAH COOPER Journal Staff Writer g See page 8... 4 Former President of the Grand Bahama Chamber Of Commerce Kevin Seymour Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Michael Maura, sees the impending expansion of the Nassau Cruise Port as an opportunity to expand the Bahamas’ economy, particularly Nassau. As he puts it- one of the underlining components of the port development project in itself must be what eco- nomic value will it have to The Bahamas. “What we do know is that we have hundreds of new vessels, new cruise ships that are coming out of these new yards over the next five to ten years. Its reported that there’s I think, 20 new cruise companies, that are being created right now. “Virgin got into the BY LICEC BASTIAN Journal Staff Writer g See page 3... FORMER BPL CHAIRMAN DECRIES LOST OF TALENT The former Chairman of Bahamas Power and Light, (BPL) Darnell Osborne says the res- ignation of Christina Alston as Chief Operating Officer of the company “ is an opportunity lost by the country to attract and retain one of the coun- try’s best minds and talent.” According to sources Mrs. Alston left BPL last Friday out of frustration. In a press statement Mrs Osborne said, “the news of Christina’s g See page 3... T

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Page 1: VOL. 31 - NO. 58 TUESDAY - APRIL 2ND, 2019 75 CENTS ...jonesbahamas.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1-8.pdf2019/04/01  · LIFE - GROUP - MEDICAL - ANNUITIES - LIABILITY - MARINE -

Shop at Standard ServiCeS where you

can get 20% off Houseware, linen,

lamps and draperies.and much, much more

Shirley & Church Street Phone: 322-4635

STANDARDSERVICES

SUPPLIES LTD.

DEAN & ASSOCIATES PROFESSIONALINSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS

“Meeting Your Needs Efficiently and Professionally”

BUILDINGS (COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL)LIFE - GROUP - MEDICAL -

ANNUITIES - LIABILITY - MARINE - HOMEOWNERS - AUTO

Tel: (242)-356-0986 Fax: (242)-356-0987Deal’s Plaza, Mackey Street

P.O. Box CB-13952 Nassau, Bahamas8:30am - 4:30pm

A L L T H E N E W S Y O U N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G

VOL. 31 - NO. 58 75 CENTSTUESDAY - APRIL 2ND, 2019

FREAK ACCIDENTIN GB SHIPYARD

he work day atThe GrandBahama Shipyardwas cut short yes-

terday following what isbeing described as afreak accident on theproperty. Superintendent Walter

Henderson explained thatduring police investiga-tions, they discoveredthat one of the cranesbeing used to conductrepairs on the Oasis of theSeas cruise ship col-lapsed. He said, “eight persons

received injuries, butnone were life threaten-ing. Most of them wouldhave received local med-ical assistance and werereleased.”According to

S u p e r i n t e n d e n tHenderson, all thewounded were taken to

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

4 Police are currently investigating the cause of the shipyard accident that left several people injured and thousands of dollarsin damages to the cranes, Oasis of the Seas cruise liner and the Grand Bahama Shipyard dock. The image shows the ship

slanted in the water after being damaged after the incident. Investigations are ongoing in the ‘freak accident.’

PROPOSEDCRUISE PORTREDEVELOPMENTCELEBRATED

FORMER GB CHAMBER PRESIDENT QUESTIONS

LUCAYAN LOIFormer President Of TheGrand Bahama ChamberOf Commerce KevinSeymour yesterdayexpressed his concernssurrounding “not yet dis-closed details” of the let-ter of intent with RoyalCaribbean CruisesLimited and the ITMGroup’s joint venture totransform and redevelopthe Grand LucayanResort and the Freeport

Harbour. Mr. Seymour noted in

a release that theFreeport Harbour isowned by Hong Kongbased companyHutchison Whampoa andthe Grand Lucayan wasonce owned by the for-tune 500 firm. The government pur-

chased to hotel fromHutchison Whampoa for$65 million in August oflast year in an effort to

BY LEAH COOPERJournal Staff Writer

g See page 8...4 Former President of the Grand Bahama Chamber

Of Commerce Kevin Seymour

Bahamas Chamber ofCommerce Chairman,Michael Maura, sees theimpending expansion ofthe Nassau Cruise Portas an opportunity toexpand the Bahamas’economy, particularlyNassau. As he puts it-one of the underliningcomponents of the portdevelopment project initself must be what eco-

nomic value will it haveto The Bahamas.“What we do know is

that we have hundreds ofnew vessels, new cruiseships that are coming outof these new yards overthe next five to tenyears. Its reported thatthere’s I think, 20 newcruise companies, thatare being created rightnow. “Virgin got into the

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer

g See page 3...

FORMER BPLCHAIRMAND E C R I E SLOST OFTALENT

The former Chairmanof Bahamas Power andLight, (BPL) DarnellOsborne says the res-ignation of ChristinaAlston as ChiefOperating Officer ofthe company “ is anopportunity lost by thecountry to attract andretain one of the coun-try’s best minds andtalent.”According to

sources Mrs. Alstonleft BPL last Fridayout of frustration. In a press statement

Mrs Osborne said, “thenews of Christina’s

g See page 3...

T

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A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019

g Continues on / page 3...

TWO ARRAIGNED ON MURDER CHARGES

Two young Bahamianmen were arraigned fortwo separate murdersyesterday in theMagistrates Court. 18-year-old Deshawn

Hart of Sampson Road isaccused of killing KaroBullard on Friday,October 2018.According to the pros-

ecution, it is alleged thattwen ty- four-year-o ldBullard was standing onhis grandmother’s porch

in Nassau Village whenhe was shot and killed.Also shot during the

incident was ElrickaCollie. Bullard ischarged with attemptedmurder in connectionwith that crime.The accused was not

required to enter a plea tothe charges and wasremanded in custody. .Sixteen witnesses appearon the docket; all exceptone are police officers.A juvenile believed to

be responsible the stab-bing death of 15-year-old

Pierre Louis was also for-mally charged with thecrime. According to police,

Louis, a 9th grade studentat TA Thompson, was inan argument with twoboys when he wasstabbed.

He died in hospitalsoon after. His 16-year-old alleged killer, whowas represented by attor-ney RamonaFarquharson-Seymourwas remanded in custody.He is due back in court onMay 7th.

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

STIFF FINES FORTRAFFIC DEATHSThree persons werearraigned yesterday ontwo separation trafficrelated accidents. In the first incident, 22-

year-old Shawna Smithstood before MagistrateCara Turnquest- Deveauxon a laundry list ofcharges, namely onecount of killing in thecourse of dangerous driv-ing, failing to remain sta-tionary on the scene of atraffic accident, drivingwithout a driver’s licenseand driving without being

covered under third partyinsurance.It is alleged that on

February 26th around6:30am, Smith caused thedeath of Diane Morley onSealink Drive.Also charged along

Smith was DaroniqueJohnson. She is accusedof one count of permittinga person to drive while notbeing covered by thirdparty insurance andanother count of permit-ting a person to drivewhile not holding a validdriver’s license.The two pleaded guilty

to all charges. Attorney

Leon Bethel told the courtthat Smith did not flee thescene, but rather wentthrough the next corner aseyewitnesses beganthreatening her. Mr. Bethel further

argued that Smith onlytook the vehicle to go toa gas station to get food,as both of them wereexpected at work for8:00am and Johnson, wasstill at home asleep.He also revealed that

Smith never knew herfather; her mother isdeceased and her aunt

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See page 6...

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A3The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019NationalNEWS

gg Continued from / PAGE 2

g Continues on / page 4...

PROPOSED CRUISE PORT REDEVELOPMENT CELEBRATEDcruise line business withinthe last year. What has tohappen is that basicallyyou have more ships com-ing and these ships arebigger, there has to besome changes made toPrince George Wharf toaccommodate these largervessels and more of them. “You can leave it as it

is, but what that justmeans is that the marketshare for New Providenceis actually going todecline as oppose to growand expand in relation-ship with the expansionwithin industry itself,”Mr. Maura said. As anticipation of the

re-development of theNassau Cruise Portincreases, Mr. Maura saysthe expansion should be a

celebration forBahamians particularlytour operators.“I would say that from

a taxi driver, tour opera-tor, retail operator per-spective one, personally Ithink it’s a celebrationbecause you’re looking atthis expansion, it’s goingto take our tourismarrivals from about 3.6million to an estimated 5million.

“So, that means moreopportunity to put peoplein my taxi, to give moretours, to sell more goodsto. “And I would also say

that from a taxi, [and]from a tour operationsperspective what youwant to do is make surethat everything is fair interms of the processingand handling of cus-tomers, so that everybody

has an opportunity to par-ticipate and that as theysay a rising tide shouldfloat all boats. And so, that’s really

what I think the focus isand I can tell you that’swhat my concern and myeffort would go into is justmaking sure that this issomething that benefitsthe majority ofBahamians,” Mr. Maurasaid.

Recently taxi driverssaid they would not beleft out of the port’s rede-velopment and pledged tobe an integral part ofnegotiations. Just last month, Global

Holdings Limited signeda contract for the re-development of the PrinceGeorge Wharf. Theexpansion includes a$250 million transforma-tion.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

departure really caught meby surprise like so manyother people. During mytime as Chairman of BPL,we sought Mrs. Alston formultiple reasons: 1. to ful-fil the Prime Minister’smandate to bring talentedBahamians back home, 2.Focus on family islanddevelopment, 3. To simplyreduce electricity cost bystreamlining our procure-ment department.“Like every organiza-

tion we had our challengesand growing pains, but Ican say without hesitationthat she added value to theexecutive team. Mrs.

Alston whose ability tocommunicate so effective-ly to the general public,was lauded for giving oneof the best presentations atboth the Platts and GrandBahama Outlook withrespect to content andshowed the Bahamas andBPL as moving forwardwith a comprehensiverenewable energy plan.“Mrs. Alston had a

hands-on approach andwas known to work in thefield with her teams at amoment’s notice toobserve, advise and reviseprocedures if warranted,”said Mrs.Osborne.He said, “Mrs Alston is

a fine example of our

country’s educational sys-tem who graduated fromHawksbill High School inGrand Bahama. She pro-ceeded after graduation toexcel academically andprofessionally in theUnited States.“Having met Ms Alston

during my teen years, I fol-lowed her educational pathat Florida State Universityand subsequent career inthe utilities business first atFlorida Power & Light andthen at GeorgiaT r a n s m i s s i o n ( G T )through her family mem-ber. Mrs Alston is anaward winning engineerhaving spent over 30 yearsin her specialty in a field

dominated by men. One ofher biggest aspirations wasfulfilled to return home tobe of service to her coun-try. That opportunity camein October 2017 when shewas hired at BPL as ChiefOperating Officer.She resigned from GT,sold her house and relocat-ed her husband (aMicrosoft computer engi-neer) and two of her fourchildren back to theBahamas, the home of herbirth and took up her postat BPL.“Sadly, the opportunity

that she had looked for-ward to for many years,came to an abrupt end lastweek,” Mrs Osborne said.

FORMER BPL CHAIRMANDECRIES LOST OF TALENT gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

4 Christina Alston

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A4 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019 NationalNEWS

gg Continued from / PAGE 3

g Continues on / page 6...

GOT NEWS?call The Journal

TIP LINE at 356-7254

FREAK ACCIDENTIN GB SHIPYARDthe Rand MemorialHospital; however, at lastreport, most had beenreleased. A statement issued by

Royal Caribbean Cruisessaid, “As always, thesafety and security of ourpeople remain our toppriority at RoyalCaribbean, and we areactively monitoring thesituation.”It added, “We are

aware of damage to thedock structure and to con-struction cranes. We areassessing damage to theship. Dry-dock is a main-tenance procedure, andthere are no guests aboardthe ship.”Investigations are

ongoing into what led tothe accident.

The Chairman of theProgressive Liberal Party,Senator Fred Mitchell in astatement said, “ourthoughts and prayers arewith those hurt in today'sunfortunate marine inci-dent.“The government must

move quickly to ensurethe safety, security andwell being of all who wereinjured. We must makesure that all on the proper-ty are duly accounted for. “It is then important

that we know what hap-pened and why. The wel-fare of the workers of thecompany is also importantas is the company itself.The PLP stands ready

to assist where ever wecan,” said Mr. Mitchell.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

4 Screen capture just after the GB Shipyard incident yesterday showing the damaged cruiseship and crane. Employees on the property can also be seen in the photo.

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A5The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019EditorialNEWS

E D I T O R I A L

The Bahama Journal Is An Independent Newspaper - Published Week Days By The Communicators & Associates In Affiliation With Jones Communications Ltd.

University Drive - P.O. Box N-8610Telephone: 242-325-3082 - Fax: 242-356-7256

Kimaley P. JonesVice President/Operations

Wendall K. Jones Publisher/Chief Executive Officer

DEGRADING OURSOCIAL CULTUREWe have a problem in the Bahamas. Injust over a month seven children wereabducted on the island of New Providenceby a woman in a silver car who we believeis demented. While the Police are doingeverything that can be done to bring theperson to justice, we hold parents largelyresponsible for the safety of children.

There are far too many little childrenbetween the ages of 5 and 10 years of agewho live on the streets of our country.They sleep in homes, but they play in theroads, often falling victims to deviantbehavioural problems. This is a result ofwhat Pastor Trajean Jadorette of the NewCovenant Baptist Church calls, “casualparenting as opposed to intentional par-enting.”

He claimed that he had nine boys inhis office and all nine of them had a prob-lem with their fathers. Most of them hadnot seen their fathers for a while. Anotherstory is told that in a class of 32 children,every child had a relative or a friend whowas a homicide victim; killed by a knifeor gun shots. The point is that most of ourchildren in the heartland communities inNew Providence are victims of poor par-enting.Child abuse is a serious national prob-

lem in our country. It is expressed notonly in the level of physical violence onchildren, but by the inattention to themand the unhealthy lifestyles that they areexposed too.In order to break the cycle of abuse, we

suggest that some therapy groups must beestablished by the State and the Church toteach parenting techniques to mothers andfathers who were abused by childrenthemselves. There are parents who reallyshould not be parenting. There is a need for workers in the com-

munity to supply these parents with alter-native outlets for their frustrations andanger and encourage them to call for helpwhenever they feel tempted to strike theirchildren or to neglect them

Parents should also be encouraged toseek meaningful relationships with otheradults and to bring up children with thevalue system that worked throughout theages in the Bahamian society. Sayingslike: “ Manners and respect will take youaround the world;” “If you were not withthe crows found, you’d be home safe andsound.”Some years ago, our former Governor

General Sir Arthur Foulkes wrote: “ Wemust keep faith with the next generationby facing up to the challenges whichthreaten to degrade our social culture.We are witnessing these days a dumb-

ing down, a coarsening and a vulgariza-tion in sectors of western society, ele-ments of which are instantaneously trans-mitted around the world. Incivility and thedebasing of social culture and habits,together with some structural weaknessesin our own society, threatens us with whatI believe is a perfect storm of social disor-der in our country. We ignore or underes-timate this toxic concoction to our periland the peril of future generations.Just as we are celebrating a new birth

and reinvigoration of our Bahamian artis-tic culture, so too we must reinstate thefiner elements of our social culture, ele-ments that some of us have traded in forthe low end of other cultures

We must restore and renew our para-dise. We must save our identity as a peo-ple through our artistic and social cultureand renewed spirit of service. We must allpractice and celebrate again the tradition-al good manners, kindness, self-respectand respect for others that, for generationspast, made us a people quite as attractiveas our natural heritage.I believe that we too can recreate a

Bahamas in which the aspirations of thenext generations can be fulfilled, aBahamas in which their talents and poten-tial can flourish as they continue to buildthe greatest little country on the planet,”said Sir Arthur.

It seems as if we Eneas’always knew aboutTuskegee, a small city inAlabama, for several rea-sons. It was madefamous by Booker T.Washington, who foundthe institution in 1881 totrain Black people. Itwas a global institutionbefore globalizationbecame a trend. It wasglobal because Blackpeople either of Africandescent or pure Africanssaw it as a beacon toobtain training in thetrades or the profes-sions. Africans in theCaribbean and Africansin Africa flocked toTuskegee for training.

In the 1930s, duringthe height of theEconomic Depressionthat gripped the UnitedStates and the World, mygrandfather, Bishop W.V.Eneas of the Church ofGod, took his elder sonto Tuskegee to be trainedas a printer.

At the time, GeorgeWashington-Carver hadgained recognition as aninternational AgriculturalScientist of great repute,not only for his scientificwork or the peanut andsweet potato, but also forthe manner in which hewas able to improve theproduction techniques ofsmall Black farmers,mostly share-croppers, inthe Southern States. Forthese small farmers, cot-ton was their crop of eco-nomic survival. Hebroadened the range ofcrop production andenabled them to expandtheir earning capacity bydiversifying crops likepeanuts and sweet pota-toes, to which valuecould be added throughprocessing at the farmlevel.

He was assisted byanother Agriculturist, Mr.Thomas Campbell,whose son became aclose friend of my uncle,as they were medicalstudents at MeharryMedical College inNashville, Tennesee –one a physician and theother a dentist. Theywere so close that theymarried roommates. Mr.Campbell becamefamous in agricultural cir-cles because of his workin Agricultural Extension,which was the mecha-nism that was used toinfluence the smallfarmer in adopting thepractices and technolo-gies which Dr. Carverhad invented through hisresearch on variouscrops.

In 1925 Dr. Carverpublished a researchpaper, “How To Grow ThePeanut and 105 Ways ofPreparing It For HumanConsumption.” It waspublished seven times,with the latest edition in1940. It was ground-breaking research and itwas one of his works thatmarked him as one of themost premier Agriculturalresearchers ever.

Dr. Washington had aknack for identifying thebest and brightest Blackminds in American. In

conjunction with Dr.Carver and Mr.Campbell, he was able toattract to Tuskegee thefirst Black man, RobertRobinson Taylor, to earna degree in Architecturefor the world-renownedMassachusetts Instituteof Technology (MIT). Mr.Taylor even designed thechapel and the variousacademic and residentialbuildings that adorn theTuskegee campus. Hiswork was commemorat-ed with a stamp by theUnited States PostalService. There were oth-ers in Education, theSocial Sciences andVeterinary Medicine whohave made Tuskegee(formerly Institute), nowUniversity, famous.

Apart from its aca-demic relationship,Tuskegee developed astrong connection withThe Bahamas athletical-ly, specifically in Tennis.Tuskegee used to be theTennis Centre for theNegro NationalChampionship, and therewas a Black Tennis Tour,of which Nassau was oneof the venues. This wasdone in connection withthe Gym Tennis Club, soevery year a contingentof tennis players fromThe Bahamas would goto Tennis to engage inthe Negro Nationals.

Dame Bertha Isaacsand her son Robert (Bob)and another outstandingplayer named Minnisbrought glory to TheBahamas. Minnisbecame a NationalChampion and wasrenowned in the States,where he trained manyupcoming Black tennisplayers.

In the 1960s, the pop-ulation of Tuskegeeaveraged about 20,000.Today it is slightly morethan 30% of that. Why?Sometimes cities arevictims of their past.When I attendedTuskegee Institute in1961, there was a coun-ty-wide boycott of thebusinesses in Tuskegee.Most of the businesseswere owned by whitepeople who closed shopand moved to nearbytownships. Today, thereare less than ten whitepeople in Tuskegee.The whole township iscontrolled by Blacks –the Mayor, the Chief ofPolice, the CityManager, the SchoolBoard, everything. Yet,the township is dying.

This is in sharp con-trast to other neighbour-ing townships likeAuburn and Opelika.One of my yardsticks formeasuring the growth ofa township in small townUSA is WalMart. Thereare two WalMarts inOpelika, one in Auburn,but none in Tuskegee.WalMarts appeal to bluecollar workers; the peo-ple living from paycheckto paycheck; the peoplelooking for value for theirdollars. In essence, theworking poor.

In Alabama andOpelika you see Indians,

Chinese and Mexicans;you see a diverse popu-lation. In Tuskegee, yousee only Afro-Americansand the affluent Afro-Americans are thosewho work in Tuskegeebut live in Auburn orOpelika.

Auburn and Opelikahave a population ofabout 70,000 and grow-ing. There is a lessonhere; diversity is abarometer for growth. Inthis era of globalization,that monoculture is arecipe for stagnancy.

In 1961, my father and Iarrived in this area ofAlabama. It was a JimCrow environment,meaning that segrega-tion was the order of theday. Every aspect of lifewas segregated, andBlacks were relegated tosecond-class citizens –to the point where theycould not even vote.Voting rights for themdid not come until 1964.The Civil RightsMovement was at itspeak and Tuskegee wasone of the pivotal localesfor the Civil Rights mes-sage. Alabama, particu-larly Montgomery,Birmingham and Selmawere hotbeds of civilrights activities.

In 1955, six yearsbefore my arrival inAlabama, the CivilRights Movement inAmerica had its begin-ning in Alabama’s capitalcity of Montgomery. Itwas a dramatic momentin the history of Afro-Americans; it marked aturning point as RosaParks became an histor-ical figure as sherefused to give up a seaton the bus to a whiteman. Her actionlaunched a 381 day boy-cott in Montgomery, ledby a young Pastor, Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.In nearby Tuskegee, aboycott also took place;perhaps not as signifi-cant as the one inMontgomery. Kit wasthe boycott of whitebusinesses in downtownTuskegee that eventual-ly led to the white fleeingTuskegee.

Today, some fifty-oddyears later, Alabama is atotally different place.Times have definitelychanged. When there ischange, some placesadvance – others do not.Tuskegee is a victim ofits past, hence holdingto the past has caused itthe ability to progress.This is sad.

Eneas FilesBy Godfrey Eneas

Tuskegee Town:A Victim of Its

Past

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A6 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019 NationalNEWS

gg Continued from / PAGE 4

g END

Royal Bahamas Defence Force Annual Church Service

4 Governor General, Her Excellency the Most Hon. Dame Marguerite Pindling and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Marvin Dames attended the Royal Bahamas Defence ForceAnnual Church Service, 'Celebrating the Past, Securing the Future' at The Christian Tabernacle Church, Robinson Road, on Sunday, March 31, 2019. Minister Dames delivered

remarks. Photos also show Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Commodore Tellis Bethel, and Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson. (BIS Photos/Derek Smith)

who raised her works inthe Straw Market and isalso ill.Further, that she is

undergoing counsellinghaving been traumatizedby the event.He pleaded to the

court for mercy for both

girls. In the end,Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux fined Smith$10,000 or one year inprison on count one,$500 or three months inprison on count two,$250 or three months inprison on count threeand $250 or threemonths in prison oncount 4.

Half of the sum mustbeen paid upfront andthe remaining, by June21st.Meantime, 24-year-

old Marine KranstoneSimms was charged withkilling in the course ofdangerous driving, driv-ing while not being cov-ered by third party insur-ance and driving without

a valid license. It is alleged that on

February 28th, 2019while driving on FrankWatson Highway around3:00am, Simms causedthe death of BernardSaunders.His Attorney Bjorn

Ferguson argued that theroad in question is unlitand at the time was wet.

He said the personwho lost his life was aclose friend, riding inthe back seat and hisclient was traumatizedby the situation.The court also heard

how he is an activemember of Full LifeOutreach where he con-tributes to the communi-ty.

The Magistrate finedSimms $10,000 or oneyear in prison on countone , $250 or threemonths in prison oncount two and $250 orthree months in prisonon count three.Simms was also

required to pay half ofthe funds today and theremainder by June 21st.

STIFF FINES FOR TRAFFIC DEATHSgg Continued from / PAGE 2...

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A7The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019NationalNEWS

Choirs, Drama, Dance Build Excitement at the National Arts Festival in Grand Bahama

4 The audience enjoys High School Choirs, Drama, Liturgical Dance March 27 and 28 as excitement builds at the E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival adjudica-tions at Grand Lucayan Convention Centre, Freeport, Grand Bahama. More than 500 entries are expected to take part in the Grand Bahama Festival in dance, drama,

the visual arts, and music, until April 5. (BiS Photos / eric rose)

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A8 The Bahama Journal

Tuesday - April 2nd, 2019 NationalNEWS

'tiGers' oF P. a. Gibson, north eleUthera, Pay CoUrtesy Callon the Governor General

4 Her Excellency the Most Hon. Dame Marguerite Pindling, Governor General (centre), welcomed teachers, family and the student 'Tigers' of P.A. Gibson Primary School, North Eleuthera,March 29, 2019 during a courtesy call at Government House. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

save Grand Bahama’seconomy. Mr. Seymour said, “I

find it curious thatHutchison Whampoa, asthe ultimate parent of theFreeport HarborCompany, name was con-spicuously omitted, whenthe execution of the LOIwas first announced by theMinister for GrandBahama on March 27,2019, during a press con-ference.”He added, “for the

avoidance of doubt,before any work can bedone at Freeport Harbor,Hutchison and or its sub-sidiary would have toauthorize it, moreoversince the project involvescapital works to theHarbour’s infrastructure,Hutchison or its sub-sidiary would need to be aparty to the deal.”The joint venture

between RCL and theITM Group is expected toinvest a total of $195 mil-lion during the first phaseof the project, which isexpected to create some2,000 jobs over the nexttwo years.

Of the $195 million,$65 million will be paid to

the government for thepurchase of the GrandLucayan Resort. Mr. Seymour said,

“whilst I appreciate that aLOI is only an agreementfor the Government toenter into exclusive nego-tiations with the JointVenture, there are a fewmatters that I feel need tobe carefully considered bythe National EconomicCouncil, as well as theGrand Bahama PortAuthority, prior to givingthe aforementionedinvestment the greenlight.”First, he questioned

how the deal will be struc-tured and if it could beconsidered “arms-length”or “incestuous” consider-ing Hutchison is theowner of the harbor andformer owner of the hotel. He said, “on May 2,

2017, the former adminis-tration entered into a Headof Agreement withCarnival Cruise Lines,whereby Carnival agreedto construct a cruise portin Eastern Grand Bahamafor $100 million? A lynch-pin of the deal withCarnival involved thewaiver of Hutchison’sexclusive rights to allPorts on Grand Bahama?”

He added, “how is theaforementioned invest-ment agreed to by theBahamian Governmentwith Carnival, likely to beaffected by the proposeddeal? Does this new dealcontravenes any provi-sions of the HOA withCarnival?”The government

expects that under theterms of the deal, it will beable to recover its $65million purchase price forthe Grand Lucayan. However, Mr. Seymour

said, “I submit howeverthat before this determina-tion can be made with anydegree of certainty, oneneeds to fully understandhow the operating expens-es incurred by theGovernment since itacquired the GrandLucayan will ultimatelybe absorbed and theamount of concessions(i.e. stamp duty and otherconcessions etc.), if anythe Government is pre-pared to provide to theJoint Venture.”With this in mind, he

asked if the government’sannouncement is “a merelegal illusion” or can itpotentially be economi-cally beneficial for GrandBahama.

FORMER PRESIDENT QUESTIONS LOI

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Florida MeMorial University CoUrtesy Call on theGovernor General

4 Dr. Jaffus Hardrick, Interim President of Florida Memorial University (centre right), along with executive members, paid a courtesy call on Her Excellency the Most Hon. Dame MargueritePindling (centre) at Government House on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)