作者： admin

Hundreds of grieving family members, friends, and public figures gathered inside a Bahamasair hangar at Lynden Pindling International Airport on Friday to welcome home the remains of celebrated Bahamian artist and entrepreneur Stefan “Legend” Davis, who died suddenly earlier this month in a violent multi-vehicle crash in Miami. Davis, 55, was killed just three days before his 56th birthday while on a recreational birthday trip to South Florida, cutting short a decades-long career that reshaped local airbrush art and left an indelible mark on Bahamian cultural life.

Teran Davis, the artist’s brother, told reporters that the overwhelming wave of condolences from complete strangers has underscored just how far his brother’s influence stretched across all age groups and communities in the Bahamas. “Saying Stefan touched thousands of lives would be an understatement,” Teran Davis said. “Everywhere I go, people I have never met before come up to me to share their sympathies. That proves how much love he spread through his art and just through being himself. I want everyone to take this as a reminder: tell the people you love how you feel about them today, because none of us are promised tomorrow. I never imagined I would lose my brother this soon.”

When Davis’ remains exited the aircraft, they were draped in the official Bahamian flag, a tribute to his lifelong dedication to his home country’s culture. Among those in attendance was Leslia Miller-Brice, the nation’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, who counted Davis as a close personal friend from childhood. Miller-Brice explained that Davis shaped her own understanding of Bahamian artistic tradition and Junkanoo culture, having grown up alongside Davis and his family near the iconic Taylor Street Junkanoo community. “Every lesson I have about Bahamian art and Junkanoo I learned from Stef, his brother, and the whole crew around Taylor Street,” she said. “Wherever he went, his warm, energetic personality drew people straight to him. He was a lover of life, and a friend to every single person he met. This is an enormous loss for our whole country, and I ask everyone to keep his family in your prayers during this impossible time.”

Miller-Brice added that Davis’ far-reaching impact during his lifetime deserves a formal national honor, saying the outpouring of public grief following his death is unmatched in recent memory. “He earned far more than just posthumous flowers. I can’t remember the last time the entire nation rallied like this around the loss of one of our creative leaders, especially since he was taken from us in such a tragic, sudden way,” she said. “We will work closely with his family to move forward with a formal tribute that honors the life and legacy of Legend Stefan Davis.”

A father of two, Davis rose to national fame as the founder of Airbrush Junkies, based at the Mall at Marathon. For decades, he turned everyday clothing into one-of-a-kind customized art pieces, and is widely credited with popularizing airbrush art among generations of young Bahamians. His creative portfolio extended far beyond apparel: he created live paintings for major entertainment events, produced commissioned portraits for celebrities, and saw his work featured in iconic national outlets including New York’s *The Source Magazine*. His local credits also include public art for the first phase of the legendary Atlantis resort and the annual Christmas display at the Mall at Marathon.

Davis was also a lifelong, deeply rooted member of the Bahamas’ Junkanoo community, growing up next door to the One Family Junkanoo Shack on Taylor Street, where he was a constant, familiar presence for decades. Since news of his death broke, tributes have poured in from every corner of Bahamian public life – from political circles to artistic collectives, Junkanoo groups to local business associations, with countless former collaborators and young artists remembering him as a dedicated mentor who lifted up the next generation of creative entrepreneurs.

The crash that killed Davis unfolded on September 3 in Miami-Dade County, according to local law enforcement reports. Police have alleged that 21-year-old Lewis Manuel Perez fled a routine traffic stop after officers attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding military desertion warrant. Perez reportedly drove onto a dead-end street and ran a stop sign while attempting to evade pursuing officers, before colliding head-on with the vehicle Davis was traveling in. After striking Davis’ car, Perez’s vehicle then hit an unmarked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office vehicle. Perez was taken into custody at the scene, and faces multiple pending criminal charges in connection with the incident.

Davis is survived by his two children and an extended network of family and friends. The Davis family has confirmed that formal funeral arrangements will be released to the public in the coming days.

A sudden oil leak from a small private aircraft triggered an hours-long shutdown of Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA)’s only active runway on Sunday, throwing flight schedules into disarray for travelers passing through the Bahamas’ busiest international gateway.

According to Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), the spill was first detected on Runway 10/28 at approximately 12:19 p.m. local time. The closure was immediate, as emergency response crews and airside safety personnel rushed to the site to contain the leak, assess environmental and operational risks, and complete full cleanup operations. After 78 minutes of intensive work, the runway was cleared and reopened to air traffic at 1:37 p.m.

In total, the disruption impacted eight commercial flights: five departing outbound services and three incoming inbound flights. What made the incident particularly disruptive was LPIA’s current limited operational capacity. The airport’s second runway, Runway 14/32, has been fully closed since August 24 for a scheduled pavement rehabilitation project, which is on track to wrap up at the end of October. With only one runway available for regular operations, Sunday’s temporary shutdown left the country’s primary international airport completely without a usable runway for more than an hour.

NAD confirmed that its Airside Safety team and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel mobilized immediately after the spill was reported to mitigate hazards and speed up cleanup. An official investigation is now ongoing to pinpoint the root cause of the oil leak from the private aircraft. For passengers impacted by the Sunday schedule disruption, NAD has advised that travelers reach out directly to their respective airlines to get the most up-to-date flight information and rebooking options.

In an update on the ongoing runway rehabilitation project, the airport operator reaffirmed that construction remains on schedule, with Runway 14/32 set to resume full operations by the end of October as originally planned.

On a quiet Wednesday morning on Ida Street, a routine stop on the way to school and work turned into every parent’s worst nightmare for 36-year-old Bentika Lightbourne. What was supposed to be a quick trip to a nearby corner store to grab a drink for her 3-year-old daughter Skyla ended in a brutal dog attack that has left the young child physically injured and deeply psychologically scarred, and thrown a single working mother’s life into chaos.

Lightbourne, a self-employed housekeeper and parent of three, recalled that only she and two elderly neighbors were outside when the attack unfolded. A woman from a nearby home called out to Skyla, and in an instant, a large German Shepherd escaped through an unlocked gate from the property and lunged directly at the toddler. Before anyone could react, the dog had sunk its teeth into Skyla’s head, inflicting damage severe enough to require emergency surgery.

Without hesitation and armed with nothing but her bare hands, Lightbourne jumped into action to protect her child. “I was fighting like really fighting,” she recounted of the terrifying struggle. Even after managing to pull Skyla away from the dog, she continued fending off the animal while holding her injured daughter in one arm. “I picked her up off the ground. I had her in one hand. I was still fighting with the dog,” she said.

This attack is not an isolated incident. It comes as public anxiety over unlicensed, uncontrolled dangerous dogs reaches a fever pitch across the region, following a string of high-profile severe attacks in 2024. In response to growing public outcry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources launched Mission Pawsible on August 31, a month-long amnesty period running through September that encourages dog owners to bring their pets into compliance with existing licensing and animal control regulations before stepped-up enforcement begins. The initiative was prompted by several deadly and life-altering attacks earlier this year: in June, 66-year-old Kemp Road resident Don Smith was mauled by uncontrolled dogs; a month later, 70-year-old Jackie Livingston Thompson was attacked, and nine-year-old American tourist Beau Brattain suffered life-threatening injuries across his face, head, arms and legs in a multi-dog attack in Bimini. Just weeks before Lightbourne’s daughter was attacked, an 11-year-old boy was hospitalized following another assault at Susan J Wallace Park in Grand Bahama.

Pearline Jones, head of the local Animal Control Unit, confirmed that unprovoked dog attacks are the most frequent complaint the unit receives, with an average of three to four cases reported every single day, and sometimes more.

Lightbourne told reporters that the German Shepherd that attacked Skyla had been a known threat in the neighborhood for roughly two years, repeatedly displaying aggressive behavior toward people walking past the home where it was kept. She also alleged that the same dog bit her cousin just two weeks before the assault on her daughter. Following Wednesday’s attack, the dog was euthanized the same day, but Lightbourne says she has received no apology, no outreach, and no support from the dog’s owners, whom she does not know personally.

Skyla was discharged from the hospital on Friday evening after undergoing emergency surgery, but the aftermath of the attack has left deep wounds that will take far longer to heal. “She ain’t the same person,” Lightbourne said of her daughter. “She traumatized bad.”

The ordeal has upended Lightbourne’s life and livelihood. As a single mother reliant on day-to-day domestic work to support her three children, she has been unable to return to her normal schedule since she must stay home to care for Skyla, leaving her struggling to cover basic household costs while also meeting her injured daughter’s recovery needs. Lightbourne has barely slept since the attack, staying awake to watch over Skyla even after the toddler returned home from the hospital. “I still lost words every time I look at my baby. I break down. I ain’t sleep from Wednesday,” she said. “I ain’t sleep from then to now.”

Lightbourne has filed a formal report with local police and is pushing for criminal charges against the dog’s owners, as well as seeking any financial or material support to help her cover Skyla’s ongoing care. “I need some justice for my baby,” she said. “I need justice for my baby, financial help, every help I could get for my baby right now. But it’s only me.” As Skyla recovers, Lightbourne is currently seeking donations of basic necessities, including nutrient-dense soups and snacks, to help her daughter heal. Members of the public wishing to offer support can reach her at 456-5921. When contacted last week, police liaison Chief Superintendent Sheria King declined to provide an update on the ongoing investigation.