The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Students attending 15 public schools in the capital will now have the convenience of catching the bus on campus rather than having to go to a bus stop. Officials rolled out the pilot program of the School Public Busing System on Tuesday. It was spearheaded by school resource officers under the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and...

FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA — Twenty employees at the Freeport Container Port were laid-off yesterday as the facility recorded a 37 percent drop-off in business, Labour Director Robert Farquharson confirmed last night. Farquharson said: “The Freeport Container Port would have communicated with myself in my capacity as the Director of Labour and Minister Keith Bell in his capacity as the Minister...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Activist Khandi Gibson is calling for the police to expand on ways to make citizens feel more comfortable and willing to share sensitive information related to serious crimes. Gibson, head of a non-profit organization, Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), said many people in the community are still reluctant to share crime tips with law enforcement because...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Businesses along the Gladstone Road corridor are bracing for the impact of road paving works which are scheduled for the next four weeks. Tecoyo Bridgewater, chief legal officer at Fusion Superplex, said the severity of the impact to business will depend on the extent of the road construction. "Our information is that this initial four-week repaving process...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The latest child abuse statistics from the Ministry of Social Services revealed an upward trend in child neglect, with a total number of 125 new and reopened cases recorded last year. New child neglect cases reported from January 2022 to October 2022 stood at 103. There were 77 sexual abuse cases were recorded and 55 physical abuse...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government has undertaken to amend the Central Bank Act to cover the use of up to $232.8 million worth of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) that are held as part of the external reserves of the Central Bank, its Governor John Rolle said yesterday. Rolle confirmed to Eyewitness News the Central bank is...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal court yesterday to charges that he defrauded investors and illegally diverted a massive amount of customer deposits to his Alameda Research crypto hedge fund for his own personal benefit and to help grow his crypto empire. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan set a tentative trial date of...

FNM leader suggests class-action lawsuit possible  NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition leader Michael Pintard has urged the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) to "come clean" on its BPL fuel rate increase decision, asserting that there is a "disconnect" between what is allowed by law and what BPL has been allowed to do by the regulator. In a press statement last...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Chamber of Commerce’s top labour specialist yesterday suggested getting this getting the cost of living in this nation ‘in line’ and eliminating the tax burden on Bahamians are key areas that must be addressed in alleviating wage concerns in the country. Peter Goudie, who heads The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) labour division,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Two days into the new year, a man and woman were shot to death as they slept in a residence on Mantol Street in the Montel Heights area. According to reports, their killer - believed to be a man - entered the home shortly before 3am on Monday. Police arrested two men shortly after the incident and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Securities Commission of The Bahamas again moved to condemn the public statements and court filings made by FTX CEO John J. Ray III, the representative of the U.S. FTX debtors in Chapter 11 proceedings. In a statement, the commission pointed to public assertions made by Ray challenging its calculations of digital assets it recovered from FTX...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — New Year's Junkanoo came with good news for One Family fans as they secured their second consecutive win by taking "Happy Hour" to Bay and Shirley Streets. It follows their Boxing Day triumph with the theme Rise of the Warriors. Six A-division groups competed in the New Year's Day Junkanoo Parade, with 15 B groups, 10 scrap...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Philip Davis said that he is seeking to expand collaboration with member countries across the region as incoming chairman of CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) this year. In a New Year's message, Davis said more pressure would be put on external entities for smaller developing countries to be treated fairly. "There are some other...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Ministry of Health & Wellness yesterday advised that the Princess Margaret Hospital's COVID-19 visitation protocols have been reinstated as a precautionary measure to curb an uptick in exposure-related cases. In a statement, the ministry dismissed reports seeking to link an increasing number of local cases to the Omicron COVID-19 XBB 1.5 variant reported in the US....

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition Leader Michael Pintard accused the current administration of "kicking the can down the road" as it languishes over whether it will increase the National Insurance Board Fund. Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for National Insurance, Myles Laroda, gave an update Wednesday, telling reporters the fund is still running low...

FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA — Minister of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation Chester Cooper said the government was in the final phase of negotiations with the selected bidder for Grand Bahama’s new international airport, with a groundbreaking schedule for the first quarter of 2023. Cooper said officials “have set in place covenants” to have the first phase completed by early 2025. “We...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition Leader Michael Pintard yesterday sounded the alarm over the potential use by the government of up to $232.8 million worth of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) that are held as part of the external reserves of the Central Bank. Pintard noted that borrowing from the Central Bank is the equivalent of printing money, adding there were...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition Leader Michael Pintard said his part is planning to ramp up their focus on a number of pending matters as the new year sets in to ensure the government is held accountable on national issues. Pintard said the Free National Movement remains dissatisfied with this administration's spending habits and will renew calls to be more fiscally...