The Big Story

Butler says his group of companies might not return to full in-office work environment as productivity has gone “through the roof” with hybrid method NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A top private sector executive said yesterday that there remains a tremendous opportunity for Bahamian businesses to embrace digitization, adding that the private sector must “come to grips” with its own fears and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson yesterday acknowledged that as the government forges ahead with its digital transformation, it cannot leave its employees behind, noting that they likewise need to be upskilled and retooled. Thompson, who was addressing a Cable Bahamas Business Solutions forum, acknowledged queries over how the government’s push to digitize its services would...

“The balcony collapsed and that was the last time I saw her” “I wanted to bring her back to a safer place” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The son of a 48-year-old woman believed to have drowned during the deadly Hurricane Dorian said yesterday the last time he saw his mother alive was when the balcony of the two-story apartment they lived...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Director of Labour John Pinder said yesterday that his department received numerous complaints and inquiries from associates of Sushi Rokkan after the restaurant in Old Fort Bay Town Center reportedly advised associates of a new mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy effective immediately. “Nobody is mandated to take that,” Pinder told Eyewitness News. “You voluntarily decide whether you are...

Wife testifies during coroner's inquest that she saw her husband's body but has not been informed of DNA match  NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A coroner's inquest into victims lost during Hurricane Dorian continued for a third day yesterday with Her Majesty’s Coroner hearing statements from spouses of two of the victims, as well as a met office official. One of the...

“God put us in the swamp where the landing was smooth and no one was injured” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bishop Cedric Bullard, who crashed landed a small plane into the swamp at Treasure Cay, Abaco, with four passengers on board in August 2020, operated the aircraft without valid certificates of registration and airworthiness, according to an Air Accident Investigation Department...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Noting that COVID-19 vaccines to the Americas have slowed, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne yesterday urged countries to employ a “comprehensive strategy” of more than vaccination, but also public health measures aimed at curbing the surging pandemic. The Bahamas is experiencing a third wave of the virus, according to health experts. Etienne said...

Met office: Alerts were sent out “long before the storm was threatening The Bahamas” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Deputy Director of the Department of Meteorology Michael Stubbs testified during an inquest into Hurricane Dorian's missing yesterday that given the intensity of the storm, it would have been difficult for anyone to survive outdoors or indoors. Stubbs, who was working as a...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A local small business consultant said yesterday that the government must quickly enact small business legislation to put on “solid ground” efforts to aid the sector over the past four years. Mark A Turnquest, principal of Mark A Turnquest Consulting and president of the 242 Small Business Association and Resource Centre, told Eyewitness News: “The government indicated...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Court of Appeal yesterday affirmed the conviction and nine-year sentence of a man who robbed a woman of a $700 cell phone, her driver’s license and a Royal Bank debit card. Richard Bevans was convicted of the armed robbery of Christine Stubbs in July 2017. He denied any involvement in the armed robbery. He was sentenced...

Flag carrier predicting 50-60 percent recovery “March was one of the better months since the onset of the pandemic” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamasair Managing Director Tracy Cooper yesterday said the airline has been “reasonably pleased” with the uptick in passenger traffic both domestically and internationally, but noted “we’re not out of the woods”. “There is no doubt that we have...

Speaker asserts PM has made up party paraphernalia with 39-seats slogans NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Constituencies Commission Chairman and Speaker of the House of Assembly Halson Moultrie yesterday accused Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis of undermining the commission’s potential recommendations of boundary changes, noting that the prime minister has already printed campaign paraphernalia with the Free National Movement (FNM) winning the...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As counsel for the government defended its shantytown removal policy in the Supreme Court yesterday, lead attorney Kayla Green-Smith asked the court to disregard all references by the applicants that the government was seeking to ethnically cleanse Haitian communities. The substantive trial on the issue of the demolition of unregulated homes in these communities continued before Supreme...

Six cases of blood clots out of more than 6.8 million doses administered CDC, FDA recommend US suspends use “out of an abundance of caution” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Johnson & Johnson (J&J) advised in a statement yesterday it will be delaying rollout of its Janssen coronavirus vaccine in Europe after six reported cases of people developing blood clots in the...

“The negativity must stop and the voices of Eleutherans need to be heard” Sands decries “more concern about stopping Disney than focusing on the growth and development” of South Eleuthera NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A prominent Eleuthera businessman yesterday pushed back against opponents of Disney’s Lighthouse Point project, urging the “non-Eleutheran lobby” to redirect their efforts to other opportunities on the...

Wells attributes increase in cases to social events; expresses confidence in existing mitigation measures and vaccine rollout NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Health Renward Wells said yesterday that he does not foresee any additional restrictions in coronavirus measures, despite a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and a health official saying The Bahamas is in the early stages of a third wave....

Prominent finance expert says Bahamas should avoid “having knee-jerk reaction to opportunities”; notes need for holistic national development plan NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As optimism rises over the tourism industry’s revival, a top banker said this nation must be appropriately prepared to take advantage of the opportunity and not simply wait for the benefits to befall us. Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank...

Duncombe decries EIA as inadequate “We are not trying to get rid of Disney; we would just like them to consider a plan at that doesn’t include ripping up the beach” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Local environmental groups have organized their own extended public consultation on Disney’s Lighthouse Point environmental impact assessment (EIA), with one well-known environmentalist telling Eyewitness News there...