Whistle your Way into Reality Mr. Davis! As a Bahamian woman, I am appalled and yet frighteningly unsurprised that the man who wants to be my Prime Minister feels that a ‘whistle' is going to save me from being raped, beaten, sexually assaulted, or harassed! As the mother of a young woman, the idea that those in leadership do not take her safety and security seriously is absolutely offensive. The former DPM’s comments reduce the issue of violence against women to a bad joke and women continue to be the butt of it. At a time when Bahamian women of all ages continue to be terrorized, by some of our male counterparts, the opposition’s comments are particularly dangerous because they reveal, yet again that our so-called leaders only pay lip service to the protection of women and our rights instead of ACTUALLY PROTECTING WOMEN. |
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Prime Minister Minnis tells 60 Minutes Bahamas can ‘set an example for the world’
In a segment of CBS’ 60 Minutes Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis said he is optimistic about the country’s green options and the ability of The Bahamas to show the world how to move forward after a devastating hurricane. Prime Minister Minnis was featured on the Sunday 1 March edition of 60 Minutes, an investigative news magazine show that reaches an average of 11 million viewers each week.
The segment examined the implementation of renewable energy sources on islands like Ragged Island as an alternative to fossil fuels in the face of ever stronger hurricanes resulting from the global climate crisis.
“Let us show the world what can be done,” the Prime Minister told 60 Minutes host Bill Whitaker. “We may be small, but we can set an example to the world.” Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, one of the ways Prime Minister Minnis resolved to rebuild a more resilient Ragged Island was through the use of microgrids or solar panels. |
| Government remains proactive and vigilant PM gives Coronavirus Update
The government is set to establish a National Coordinating Committee that will include relevant members of civil society and government representatives as part of its overall response to the outbreak of COVID-19 virus, the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis, Prime Minister, announced. He was addressing a Press Conference to update the public on the country’s mitigation and response plans as the contagious virus spreads globally. The press conference was held Sunday, March 1, 2020 at the Office of the Prime Minister. Also in attendance were Dr. Duane Sands, Minister of Health and Dr. Pearl McMillan, Chief Medical Officer, and other government officials.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. One of the standard measures to prevent the spread of the virus is proper washing of hands. |
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Grand Lucayan, Sold
The Government of The Bahamas sold the Grand Lucayan on Monday, March 2, 2020 to a partnership between Royal Caribbean International and ITM (Bahamas Port Investments Ltd.), which is expected to make a $250 million investment between the hotel and the redevelopment of the cruise port.
The Heads of Agreement Signing Ceremony was held on the Great Lawn of the property, some 11 months following the signing of the Letter of Intent on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.
Prime Minister of The Bahamas, the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis described the day as a wonderful one as the government’s intention was never to hold on to the property, but initially purchased it so save jobs of Grand Bahamians and businesses. “As we stated at the time, it was our intention to privatize the property as quickly as possible. We wanted to ensure that we found the right buyer who shared our vision for the renewal of Grand Bahama. Our vision was the renewal and rebirth of Grand Bahama’s tourism sector and product as an essential element in the restoration of this island’s potential. |
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Campbell Applauds Organizers of Girls in Science Video Competition
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, applauded the organizers of the ministry’s second annual Girls in Science Video Competition for the role they are playing in potentially helping to guide more Bahamians girls into the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). The 2020 Video Competition was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, its Department of Gender and Family Affairs, Urban Renewal Commission and FEM STEM, a female Non-governmental Organization (NGO) that promotes young women in the sciences. FEM STEM was founded and is headed by Mrs. Thyronda Glinton. The initial competition was launched in 2019.
“It would be remiss of me not to single out Mrs. Glinton, a dynamic leader, whom I understand is also the product of a similar initiative. Mrs. Glinton, I thank you for paying it forward,” Minister Campbell added.
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| Ministry of Works offers Career Mentoring to High School Students
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Public and private high school students are being exposed to careers in welding, architecture, engineering and more thanks to a new mentorship programme by the Ministry of Public Works.
Gregory Butler, Deputy Permanent Secretary, said the objective of the programme is to expose high school students to the various professions that are available at the Ministry.
“We are trying to get high school students involved in the various professions that we have. The students work with people in different disciplines so that they can see the kind of work that’s being done to decide if they like it,” said Mr. Butler.
“They work with them [our staff] in the field for two weeks. They go to sites, for example, to see what a building contractor is doing, to see what a building inspector has to do to make sure a house is in order so it can go to the second phase.”
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Ministry of Tourism & Aviation Explores New Route Development Opportunities at Routes Americas 2020
NASSAU, Bahamas- The Ministry of Tourism & Aviation, along with industry partners, attended the Routes Americas 2020 conference recently in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attending from the Ministry of Tourism were Tyrone Sawyer, Senior Director – Airlift Development and Faye Cash, General Manager – Airlift Development.
The Bahamas team engaged in several twenty-five (25) minute meetings per day with airline partners, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. over a three-day period, to review the performance of existing Bahamas routes, to re-align tactics as necessary, and to explore new strategies to build the performance of their flights to The Islands Of The Bahamas. |
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National Honours Advisory Committee Invites the General Public to Nominate Persons to be Awarded
The advisory committee for National Honours announced, Thursday, February 20 during a press conference at Cabinet Office that it is inviting the general public to nominate persons fit to be conferred with an award under the National Honors Act 2016 and Regulations thereunder. Committee chairman Mark Humes (seated second from left) said among the established Societies of Honour under Section 5 of the Act are the Order of National Hero; the Order of The Bahamas; the Order of Merit; the Order of Excellence and the Order of the Lignum Vitae. These awards will recognize persons who have achieved excellence in designated categories while contributing to national development said Mr. Humes. Nomination forms may be obtained from the Cabinet Office in New Providence, the office of the administrator in all districts of the Family Islands and or via the government of the Bahamas website www.bahamas.gov.bs. Completed nomination forms containing all of the pertinent information of the nominee must be submitted to the secretary of the National Honours Secretariat, Cabinet Office, not later than March 27 in order to enable the advisory committee to consider nominations and make recommendations for awards. |
| Grand Bahama Utility Company Limited is on target to provide potable water to Grand Bahama Island
February 28 – Freeport, Bahamas – The Grand Bahama Utility Company Limited (GBUC) is forging ahead with its strategy to return potable water to the Grand Bahama community.
In late January, Philcher Grant, Director of Group Corporate Affairs & Government Relations at Port Group, Limited, announced the GBUC’s strategic two-part plan. Following this statement, the GBUC began releasing video weekly updates on its social media platforms and on various media outlets to inform the public of the work being carried out by the GBUC team in conjunction with licensed contractors. The first update confirmed that the island was 25% towards its goal.
“The GBUC is dedicated to executing its plan to meet World Health Organization standards,” said Remington Wilchcombe, Engineering Manager at the GBUC. “On a daily basis, the team continues to labor in the wellfields to install new potable wells, while simultaneously conducting intentional flushing and restoring existing wells into the system. As a result of this effort, residents across the city of Freeport are being provided with fresher water.”
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We Are Blessed
Matthew 5:1-3
I remember several years ago as I was walking in to the main building at Navarro, the college where I was teaching at the time, a woman in front of me opened the door for me and let me go through. That doesn’t happen to me very often. Usually it’s the other way around, I open the door for a woman, but on that day I had my arms loaded with books, and she held the door for me. As I said, that is a bit unusual for me, so after muttering, “Thanks,” I thought I should say something else. So I said, “How are you?” expecting the pat, non-committal answer, “Fine.” But this exceptional person surprised me again when she said, “I’m blessed!” Has anyone ever said that to you? How ya doin’? I’m blessed! It takes us a little by surprise, doesn’t it? How do you respond to that? What do you say? Good for you. Glad to hear it. I don’t know. I do hear it a little more often here in the Bahamas, and I usually respond, “Amen!” |
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March 7th - BNT Pig Roast Dinner and Bon Fire 7pm
March 12th - A Conversation with the Minister: Ethics, Environment, & The Economy /Harry C. Moore Library / 10am
March 28th - Years of Scout Service 7pm
April 25th - PHA 9th Annual Push Walkathon / Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre / 5:30am
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March 7th - A sustainable Grand Bahama Exhibition
March 7th - Ocean View Retirement Village First Annual Alzheimer's Symposium The Great Room, Ocean View Retirement Village/9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
- Humane Society Pub Quiz/ Garden of the Groves 6pm dining and 7.30 pm quiz start
March 12th - Kidney Day: Annual Candlelight Memorial Service /7:00 p.m. |Kidney Centre Grounds
March 13th - GB Chamber of Commerce Business Luncheon Meeting / Grand Lucayan Resort / 12:30pm
March 21st - Humane Society’s President’s Cocktail Party/Garden of the Groves/ 6:00 pm
April 18th - Berkshire Bahamas Farms Pig Roast / Taino Beach / 12pm - 6pm
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