The Big Story

Senior officials of the IL Cares Foundation said this week that supporting events like the High School Basketball Nationals and the upcoming soccer high school nationals is what the foundation is all about, as they pledged the foundations continued support for local sports. The IL Cares foundation recently made a $20,000 donation to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology...

Despite being blacklisted by the European Union (EU), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest emphasized that business in the country “is being conducted in a fair, transparent and competitive manner”. “As a country we reject the label that we are a tax haven. And I commend the financial industry for its own initiatives to adapt, realising a...

Bahamas to become model for region   The Bahamas Customs Department is getting an upgrade thanks to a portion of a $16.5 million grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to The Bahamas. Some $2.1 million of the Trade Sector Support Programme, which is part of an agreement established between the government and the IDB, will go toward modernizing the...

Homeowners encouraged to get insurance   Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister announced Thursday that there will be a reinforcement of “strict” guidelines to the rebuilding of homes post hurricane season. “If you’re coming to make a claim on your home, you have to prove that you own the property,” Bannister told Eyewitness News Online less than three months before...

A father and his two sons were arraigned in Magistrates court yesterday, in connection with the discovery of more than $1.3 million dollars in United States (U.S.) currency and $60,000 worth of marijuana in Grand Bahama on Monday. Hank Ferlin Weech, 50, Brandon Michael Weech, 26, and 21-year-old Brad Charles Weech, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain. Each was...

Baha Mar exceeds booking expectations   Baha Mar executives said Thursday that Rosewood at Baha Mar is on schedule to open its doors by Spring 2018. Baha Mar President Graeme Davis told Eyewitness News Online that Rosewood has had an estimated $40 million upgrade since Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE) assumed ownership of the resort destination. “Our crowning jewel, the...

The Noble Preparatory Academy Spring Basketball Classic kicked off Thursday night at the Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium. With over 20 teams competing in this year’s event, the classic will feature both senior girls and junior boys divisions for the first time. As usual, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) will receive a full athletic scholarship to Niagara College in Ontario,...

Dwight Coleby has the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Hilltoppers men’s basketball team in a position where most didn’t predict they would end up at the beginning of the season. Behind Coleby’s 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, the No.4 seed Hilltoppers beat No. 2 seed Oklahoma State 92-84 on Wednesday night at the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The National Invitation...

Bahamas National Trust (BNT) Executive Chairman Eric Carey said Tuesday that Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis’ address on the $5.5 billion Oban Energies project – earmarked for East Grand Bahama – did nothing to allay their mounting environmental concerns and the BNT remains opposed to the project. In an interview with Eyewitness News, Carey said, despite Dr. Minnis’ remarks, BNT...

Opposition leader sets record straight on PLP’s involvement in Oban debacle   Opposition and Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Phillip Davis made it clear Wednesday that the Christie administration did not sign an agreement with Oban Energies. In a public statement, Davis appealed to “right-thinking Bahamians” not to be misled or confused by the “mishmash of words” as well as...

Former Attorney General and Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) candidate for Fort Charlotte Alfred Sears, QC, said Wednesday that the process of distribution and management of crown land needs to be more transparent and that the prime minister should be stripped of his ability to grant such land in an executive order. In an interview with Eyewitness News Online, Sears said,...

Attorney and human rights activist Fred Smith, QC, Wednesday called the government’s proposed amendments to the Immigration Act “unconstitutional and unreasonable”. In an interview with the Eyewitness News, Smith said, he intends to bring legal action against members of the government if they “continue to unlawfully target” persons born in The Bahamas of Haitian descent. During his contribution to the...

The woman accused of killing former well-known body builder Paul Melbourne was charged with murder Wednesday, as her family and friends stood outside the court house in a show of support. Tracey Pratt, 43, stood before Magistrate Subusola Swain accused of killing Melbourne, 70, at his home in Miller’s Heights. Prosecutors maintained that Pratt got into an argument with the...

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) is now partnered with Baha Mar resort to assist in environmental conservation after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Wednesday. The signing took place at Baha Mar’s convention center with stakeholders who committed to partnering to increase environmental awareness through education. As Baha Mar boasts of a number of sprawling resorts and the largest casino...

The Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) has followed through with its promise to file five trade disputes, according to Chairman of the National Tripartite Unions Council (NTUC) Robert Farquharson. “The Department of Industrial Union, headed by Althea Albury, has those matters in hand and she’s expected to address those matters sometime next week,” Farquharson said during the NTUC’s first general...

A crackdown in the public healthcare system is looming as the nation’s top health official went on record Monday stating that government is seeking to rid the industry of “freeloaders who show up occasionally but take home the same pay as doctors who go above and beyond the call of duty.” Sands told Eyewitness News Online, “there is a small...