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Read storyIn the last six months, 762 students have moved from private schools to government schools.
Education Minister Carl Bethel said the transfers happened between September of last year and February 18.
Bethel said public schools will not refuse any students because of overcrowding: "We all must make room. This is critical and a matter of firm policy".
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyA number of agricultural projects could change the way Bahamians eat and support the economy.
Executive chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation Edison Key told the House of Assembly about a number of ways the government is working to improve agriculture:
- The North Andros Agricultural Expansion Project – 561 acres in Andros for growing export-quality vegetables, citrus, tropical fruits and livestock
- Two refrigerated trailers offered at a "nominal" fee to help farmers get their goods to market in the best condition possible.
- Meetings between farmers and buyers will continue with an aim to get produce to markets throughout the country
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyCompanies in Nassau and Grand Bahama owe more than $2million in to the immigration department.
In his contribution to the budget debate, Immigration Minister Branville McCartney said $834,718 is owed from 70 companies in Nassau and $1.5 million from 330 companies in Grand Bahama.
The Minister said "As for those companies who owe the department
money, the department will not be minded to issue further renewals without either a settlement of outstanding fees or a payment plan arrangement".
McCartney also stated spending figures:
- $11.76 million on salaries including $3 million for overtime
- $2 million for repatriation exercises
- $1.3 million for Family Island operations
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read story
Eldricka Ingraham has been missing since February 17th.
The 14-year-old D W Davis student went to school in her uniform - a green plaid skirt and yellow blouse - and has not been seen since.
She is about 4 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the police at
919
324-2030
502-9991
328-TIPS
The Nassau Guardian
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyAbout half the people unemployed in Grand Bahama lost their job in the last six months. In Nassau that number is about a third for the same time period.
As speculation about job loss grows, the Department of Statistics prepared a report ahead of its usual schedule. It showed that unemployment rose from 8.7% in May to 12.1% last month.
In Nassau that means 16,315 people of the 134,400-person workforce are without a job and 4,195 out of 28,820 in Grand Bahama.
The unemployment levels are the highest they have been since 1994.
The Nassau Guardian
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A1)
Read storyFinance Minister Zhivargo Laing has accused former Public Works Minister Bradley Roberts of giving instructions to hire PLP supporters at the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation.
Speaking at the House of Assembly, Laing submitted a list of about 100 names suggested for employment. Roberts name is listed near many of the applicants approved for employment.
The names of other MPs are written next to other employees hired and so are notes such as “strong party supporter”.
Roberts said the Laing has used the document to mislead. When asked where the document came from, the former minister told reporters to “ask Zhivargo Laing that".
After Laing tabled the document, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham stood to shake his hand and tell him he was "very proud".
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in the Tribune here (Page A1)
Read storyShane Mackey, 28, pled guilty to stealing $14,700 from seven people on Friday.
Mackey collected deposits from people interested in buying cars. Customers found him through ads he placed in the classified section of local newspapers.
He is expected to return to court for sentencing today (Monday).
The Nassau Guardian
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyA court has suspended its case against a man accused of sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl because of the length of time it has taken for his trial to proceed.
The man was arraigned on March 30, 2005. He did not receive bail as he has no legal status in the country.
Supreme Court Justice Jon Isaacs said: “I am satisfied that the applicant’s right to have a fair trial within a reasonable time has been infringed when regard is had to the penalty that may be imposed."
If convicted, the man would have face seven years in jail, the maximum sentence; four if he did not break prison rules.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyGRAND BAHAMA: A woman suffered multiple face fractures when she tried to stop a group of students from fighting.
Students from the Eight Mile Rock High School (EMRHS) were fighting at a nearby KFC restaurant when a female KFC worker tried to stop them and was hit in the face with a rock.
Police say they are trying to determine who was involved in the fight and who was just watching.
Some of the students may face criminal charges.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyGRAND BAHAMA: The Isle of Capri casino announced Tuesday that it will not renew its lease in May leaving 234 employees jobless if a new operator does not take over.
Casino officials said the company is shutting down operations in the United Kingdom as well and plans to concentrate on its 18 American properties.
Greg Moss, president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, said:
"It's a fair comment to make that any termination of employment in Grand Bahama has a like effect as if it was a multiple of five times when compared to Nassau," Moss said. "So if you look at 100 people being terminated in Grand Bahama, it's like 500 people being terminated in New Providence when you look at the respective population sizes. So clearly, it will have a massive impact."
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyA woman who said she and her daughter were unnecessarily terrified by officers from the Immigration Department said she may be planning to sue.
Violet Hanna, 41, and her daughter Amber, 7, were sleeping when she claims the officers broke apart the gate securing the backyard of her Nassau Village home and broke a hinge on her back door during a 4am inspection on February 24.
Hanna said the officers left the maul they used to break her gate and door but have still not arranged to repair the damage.
Immigration Minister Branville McCartney said he would personally investigate the matter and Ms Hanna spoke with him last Friday but has not heard from him since.
Her daughter was in hospital for pneumonia which she said they both got after the incident.
Hanna said she has hired a lawyer and is looking into security bars in an effort to feel safe in her home again.
See other CBN stories about this subject here
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyA judge refused the bail request of a man charged with murder, saying 17 months was not an unreasonable amount of time to wait for his trial to begin.
Senior Supreme Court Justice Anita Allen denied bail for Mario Flowers, who is charged with the December 2007 murder of police officer Ramos Williams.
Reports are that Williams and two other officers had followed a car onto Deveaux Street from Collins Avenue. The occupants of the vehicle allegedly fired on the policemen, hitting Williams in the chest and arm.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyA change in work hours led some nurses to protest in Rawson Square Wednesday, saying the new schedules are unfair.
Nurses who formerly worked four 10-hour shifts followed by four days off are now working regular 8-hour shifts with two days off.
In addition some nurses are complaining that they have been scheduled to work at 7am after leaving work at 11pm the night before. They said this violates a union agreement guaranteeing a 12-hour break between shifts.
Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the new shift system will save the government hundreds of thousands of dollars and will mean more nurses can be hired.
The change affects auxiliary nurses at Princess Margaret Hospital, Sandilands and the Rand Lab.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyThe Cancer Centre has appointed one of the world's leading authorities in the education and treatment practice of cancer as director of medical oncology.
Dr Karol Sikora is Dean of the Buckingham School of Medicine advisor on cancer to the World Health Organisation and author of The Treatment of Cancer, the standard British post-graduate
textbook on cancer.
The $12 million Cancer Centre is the only facility in the western hemisphere and the second in the world outside the US to be accredited by the American College of Radiation Oncology.
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyUS Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner renewed President Barack Obama's commitment to crackdown on offshore banks that allow Americans to evade taxes.
Geithner said the President supported the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, which lists The Bahamas as one of 34 'secrecy jurisdictions'.
Brian Moree and Ryan Pinder, both prominent figures in The Bahamas financial services industry, said the country must be proactive in proving our banks do not encourage or permit illegal activities if we expect to avoid pressure from US authorities.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyThe sister of murder-victim Eric McGreggor told the court the details of her brother's shooting, Tuesday.
Shecoya McGreggor said on May 18, 2006, Edward Taylor pulled up to a laundromat on Carmichael Road, walked up to her brother and said "You have a message for me? You have a message for me?" before he pulled out a gun and fired.
She said Taylor fired again as Eric ran inside. Shecoya testified that she then put the killer's license plate number in her cell phone.
Shecoya said about a month before that Taylor had circled her family's home on Bacardi road threatening to kill people if they did not stop "sending the police around my [expletive] place".
Taylor's lawyer argued that she got the license number when the vehicle was impounded and that she was mistaken about the shooter being Taylor.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyA senior officer from the Carmichael Road Detention Centre said social service worker and local clergy toured the facility Monday.
Senior Deputy Director at the centre, Roderick Bowe said the purpose of the tour was to inspect conditions at the facility.
Bowe was not a part of the tour, which included Immigration Director Jack Thompson and Defence Force Commodore Clifford Scavella. He did not give the names of the social workers or clergy or give details of their findings.
Reports received by The Tribune are that three detainees at the centre are still on a hunger strike that started last week Wednesday.
See other CBN stories about this subject here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A1)
Read storyFormer Housing Minister Shane Gibson accused the government and the auditor general of politicizing a recent report to make him look bad.
He said the report - which said hundreds of thousands of dollars were unaccounted for – included figures that had been recorded in a previous report.
Gibson also said that whenever these kinds of reports are prepared there are documents that are missing.
“My point is, if they are losing documents, why should I be held responsible? No permanent secretary would release any cheques unless there is proper documentation. The PS is the official accounts officer. It’s all political.”
He said that it would be easy for someone to hide a document if they wanted to "make a minister look bad".
On Tuesday, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell, held a press conference to protest a Tribune headline based on the same report.
The headline read "$1 million missing from embassy funds".
Mitchell said the headline suggested that the funds were missing because of misconduct but the story (and the report) refer to procedure irregularities and missing documents.
See other CBN stories about this subject here
Mitchell story
Gibson story
Read storyAbaco residents are concerned that crime is rising and police have allegedly stopped crime reports to the local newspaper.
David and Kathy Ralph, publishers of the island's newspaper, The Abaconian, say residents are angry after they reported that they would no longer be getting crime reports. See story here.
But residents say crime in Abaco is getting worse and needs to be addressed. Several recent incidents have raised concern:
Lily Sands, a woman in her seventies, was forced into her home and gunpoint and locked in her closet while men robbed her home.
A man who was was locked in his trunk by a would-be kidnapper was told by a policeman that he could not help because he was there to patrol the Junkanoo parade. Meanwhile the kidnapper ran into the crowd.
Several boats have gone missing, in more than one case on the day after they dock in Abaco.
Full Story in The Tribune here
Read storyThe Bahamas must act now to protect its climate or it could be face permanent damage according to Neil Pierre, a director for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Pierre was speaking during a meeting with Philip Weech, director of the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology (BEST) commission and Arthur Rolle, director of the department of meteorology.
The meeting was to discuss the Review of the Economics of Climate Change in the Caribbean which will be presented at a United Nations Climate Conference in December.
Weech said The Bahamas needs to take long term steps, including introduce energy efficient technology, develop sustainable tourism, encourage cruise ships to use desalination plants and enforce land use and building codes.
If not, The Bahamas could change forever: “Climate change is a death sentence for small island states," he said.
Full Story in The Tribune here
