The Big Story

The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) has accumulated over $100 million in operational expenses, according to Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands, who made the shocking revelation during his mid-year budget presentation in the House of Assembly Monday. Dr. Sands said the public healthcare system continues to put a brutal beating on the public purse, which is already struggling with limited financial...

Two-hundred of the more than 600 contracted workers within the Ministry of Education have been disengaged. Education Minister Jeff Lloyd made the announcement in Parliament Monday afternoon. The issue surrounding the contracted workers became a highly controversial topic during last year’s budget debate, when Lloyd revealed that the workers were engaged with no paperwork and that the proper procedure was...

Minister with responsibility of the National Insurance Board (NIB) Brensil Rolle, described the quasi-government social security operation as essentially a mess, pointing to a myriad of challenges he met in place since assuming the office in May. Rolle said as the national fund continues to decrease annually, the Board has regressed with “all types of issues.” In his contribution to...

Lloyd applauds former minister on loan collections   Students applying for government scholarships for programmes offered at the University of The Bahamas, will not be granted scholarship to study that same program abroad, declared Education Minister Jeff Lloyd. Lloyd said during the mid-year budget debate, that 4,000 students apply for grants and scholarships every year and the government simply cannot...

ZNS to be privatized   The government is once again attempting to move the Broadcasting Corporation (BCB) into a public broadcasting station (PBS) according to Pakeisha Parker-Edgecombe, parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister. The announcement by the Parker-Edgecombe, who has responsibility for information and communication, comes days after Finance Minister Peter Turnquest reiterated in Parliament that state-ran...

The Bahamas men’s national soccer team learned its opponents for the first edition of the 2018-19 CONCACAF Nations League over the weekend. The Bahamas plays its first game in September against Belize in September, Antigua and Barbuda in October, Anguilla in November and then Dominica in March 2019. The League comes to a close with a National League Championship, which...

Wilkenson Isnord and the Pompano Beach Blanche Ely High School Tigers got off to a slow start but ramped up its pace on its way to the Class 8A state championship in the FHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals on Saturday at the RP Funding Center. Isnord made his presence felt early on the inside and finished the game with 10 rebounds, five...

Jonquel Jones and Shanxi XR face a must-win situation on Wednesday after falling 82-55 to Beijing yesterday in the second game of the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association’s (WCBA) best-of-five championship series. Jones finished the game with 20 points and 15 rebounds, however, it was no match for Beijing’s defense, which held Shanxi to just 16-for-35 shooting from the field and 5-for-32 from...

As the controversy surrounding the ‘ceremonial’ signing for the Heads of Agreement (HOA) for the $5.5 billion Oban Energies deal exacerbates, president of the company, Satpal Dhunna, is seeking to clarify what took place. In a detailed letter to the Office of the Prime Minister, Dhunna explained that he was reportedly unable to make the signing and sent Non-Executive Chairman,...

Opposition offers govt. support to 'navigate country out of latest crisis At the 11th hour, the government is making one final attempt to avoid being blacklisted by the European Union (EU). Eyewitness News received reports that the Deputy Prime Minister, Peter Turnquest and Minister of Financial Services, Brent Symonette, left for Europe yesterday hoping to meet with EU officials to...

Family: ‘God brought Jonathan in with a storm and took him back in a storm’ The family of Jonathan Brussow – the 19-year-old Rockford, Michigan resident who was reported missing last Monday – has confirmed that his body had been found, according to international media reports. Family members say his lifeless body was discovered “atop a cliff” close to where...

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman, Senator Fred Mitchell on Sunday revealed that Ernst and Young (EU), the accounting firm who conducted the scathing Water and Sewerage audit “should be warned that the legal consequences of this sloppy report will be substantial.” Senator Mitchell said the PLP’s lawyers are looking at this matter with a view to having the report be...

Police shot and injured a man Saturday night during a ‘high speed’ chase moments after the suspect crashed into a utility pole on Prince Charles Drive. The drama unfolded shortly after 9:00 p.m. after police say they were alerted to a suspicious vehicle from a concerned resident in Eastern New Providence. Officers, on patrol in the area, responded and spotted...

Four men are safe today after they were rescued yesterday by emergency services after their boat capsized. According to reports, police received information from Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association of a vessel in distress shortly after 4:00 a.m. on Sunday. The Royal Bahamas Police Force Marine Section, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, along with Basra, conducted a search in the...

Health Minister, Dr. Duane Sands, once again sounded the alarm on the “horrible state” of the Princess Margaret Hospital but said “the future is bright” for health care in the country. Speaking at the Medical Association of the Bahamas 46th Annual Scientific Conference on Friday, Dr. Sands said there is a growing concern of violence and injury running up the cost...