标签： Bahamas

On the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Dorian’s catastrophic landfall in The Bahamas, one family’s intimate story lays bare the long-lasting psychological scars the Category 5 storm left on communities across Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Thirteen-year-old Brenden Dion Altidor was just six years old when Dorian’s 185mph sustained winds and catastrophic 18 to 23-foot storm surge tore through Abaco in late August 2019. Trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters alongside his stepfather Kailan “Kay” McIntosh, Brenden was placed in the safety of a tree by McIntosh, who left to rescue other stranded residents. He never returned, and is presumed to have died in the storm. Rescued hours later as floodwaters climbed around his perch, Brenden survived, but the trauma of that day has shaped his daily life in the years since.

Today, when rain falls over Abaco, Brenden reacts unlike most children his age. Where young people often gather at windows to watch storms, Brenden immediately closes every shutter and pulls all blinds tight, his father Mack Altidor shared in an interview with Tribune Media. This small but striking routine is just one visible reminder of the harm Dorian inflicted on survivors that continues seven years after the storm made landfall on September 1, 2019.

Dorian made history as the strongest hurricane to hit The Bahamas in modern recorded history. After slamming into Abaco as a Category 5 storm, the system slowed dramatically over the nation’s northwestern islands, leaving communities battered by destructive winds and devastating flooding for more than 48 straight hours. Official records confirm at least 70 people killed across Abaco and Grand Bahama, but the true toll remains incomplete: dozens of people were never found after the storm. Coroner’s inquests later declared 22 of the 35 reported missing people legally dead, but many families still wait for closure, unable to obtain death certificates for loved ones whose bodies were never recovered from the wreckage.

For the Altidor family, the storm’s legacy is layered with grief, gratitude, and healing. Mack Altidor, who lived in New Providence when Dorian struck, has never forgotten that McIntosh’s split-second decision to place Brenden in a tree saved his son’s life. “Even though he was my son’s stepdad, we had a relationship,” Altidor said. He has since grown close to McIntosh’s mother, and says he understands how deeply the lack of closure over her son’s disappearance has gutted her: “I really felt based on my conversation with her, that was killing her… so I think it affected them tremendously.”

Brenden, who continues to live in Abaco with his mother, also lost a cousin in the storm. While the family rarely talks openly about the disaster’s events, the psychological impact was severe enough that Altidor chose to hold his son back a year in school, allowing Brenden to attend a full year of trauma counseling. Today, Brenden is in eighth grade – a year behind where he would have been without the storm – but he is slowly putting the pieces of his childhood back together.

Altidor says he still grapples with what-ifs, recalling he urged Brenden’s mother to evacuate to higher ground the night before Dorian made landfall, after tracking forecasts that left him deeply uneasy. The family chose to shelter in place, a decision Altidor refuses to blame anyone for: “no one knows what’s going to happen,” he said, adding he will never let that lingering unease overshadow the sacrifice McIntosh made to save Brenden’s life.

Despite the lasting trauma, Altidor says Brenden is making progress. He has started a new school year, built new friendships, and increasingly lives like any other 13-year-old. “Some of his friends from his former school died, and it’s not something that they’re going to forget right now,” Altidor said. “But he’s coping. He’s doing new things, making new friends, and going like you know, like a normal kid.”

A well-known Grand Bahama resident is set to stand trial over accusations that his unleashed dogs attacked and mauled a woman walking along a luxury Freeport residential beach earlier this year, a case that comes as Bahamian authorities ramp up enforcement of long-overlooked animal control laws following a string of deadly and life-threatening attacks across the archipelago.

Sixty-two-year-old David Jennette Jr. faces three charges: negligently causing bodily harm, failing to properly secure domestic animals, and allowing unrestrained animals to roam public areas, in connection with the April 22 incident on Coral Beach that targeted Angelika Christie. Prosecutors contend the two dogs that carried out the attack are owned by Jennette.

When the case opened Wednesday before Grand Bahama Magistrate Uel Johnson, the scheduled start of the trial did not move forward as planned. Jennette’s legal representation, attorney Jerome Roberts, told the court his team had not received full disclosure of key evidence: Christie’s complete medical records from attending physician Dr. Camille Bowen, including detailed documentation of patient interactions and the full extent of her injuries.

Roberts told the court he requires the full unredacted report from Dr. Bowen to properly prepare his client’s defense, not just a summary of the injuries Christie sustained. Prosecutor Kenton Smith confirmed Dr. Bowen is listed as a prosecution witness and stated the state is prepared to facilitate the release of the requested documentation. Magistrate Johnson granted the adjournment request, rescheduling the continuation of the trial for December 7 and 8.

Both Angelika Christie and her husband Brenford Christie, a prominent Freeport-based attorney, were present in the courtroom for Wednesday’s preliminary hearing. Jennette was first arraigned on the charges on May 22, and was released from custody ahead of trial after posting $2,000 bail with a required surety.

This high-profile case unfolds against a backdrop of growing public and governmental urgency around dangerous dog regulation in The Bahamas. After multiple high-severity attacks across the country this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources launched Mission Pawsible, a nationwide compliance initiative that includes a 30-day amnesty running through September. During this grace period, dog owners are encouraged to bring their animals into full compliance with existing laws – including mandatory licensing, proper vaccination, secure containment, and official identification – without facing fines or citations.

Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Jomo Campbell has emphasized that the amnesty is not a permanent reprieve for non-compliant owners, and formal citations and penalties will go into effect immediately after the amnesty period ends. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Royal Bahamas Police Force to ensure consistent enforcement across all islands.

The government’s decision to adopt a stricter, prevention-focused approach to animal control came after a string of high-profile attacks that shocked the nation and drew international attention. In June, 66-year-old Kemp Road resident Don Smith was mauled by unrestrained dogs, followed by a July attack on 70-year-old Jackie Livingston Thompson. Most notably, nine-year-old American tourist Beau Brattain suffered life-threatening injuries during an attack by multiple dogs on Bimini on July 28, an incident that made headlines around the world.

In that Bimini case, 34-year-old Harrington Rolle pleaded guilty to charges including negligently causing grievous bodily harm and allowing a dangerous dog to roam at large, and was subsequently sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Pearline Jones, head of the Bahamian Animal Control Unit, recently revealed that dog attack complaints are the most frequent calls the unit receives, with an average of three to four reports filed every day – and sometimes even more during peak periods. Minister Campbell has framed the new policy as a fundamental shift: instead of only responding to attacks after people are injured, the government will prioritize proactive prevention through broader compliance and stricter enforcement of existing animal control laws.

A residential fire in the Golden Gates II neighborhood early yesterday morning left a local family homeless, with two young children among the tenants forced to flee their destroyed home, emergency and political representatives confirmed this week.

Emergency responders were dispatched to the single-family property on Leeward Isles Road shortly after 1:30 a.m., after reports that flames had fully engulfed the structure. Members of the Bahamas Fire Services arrived on scene quickly and launched a coordinated operation to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjacent homes.

Local representative Pia Glover-Rolle, the Member of Parliament for Golden Gates, confirmed that she and her political team have maintained ongoing contact with the displaced tenants throughout the response and recovery process. Her team was present at the scene alongside firefighters while they worked to extinguish the fire, and have continued follow-up outreach to support the affected family as they process their displacement.

As of press time, key details about the fire and the family’s current situation remain unconfirmed. No public updates have been released on the specific circumstances of the family, the exact financial and structural damage caused by the blaze, or the root cause that ignited the fire. The incident marks the latest residential fire to leave Bahamian families displaced suddenly, with local leaders continuing to coordinate support for the affected household in the coming days.

A fatal early-morning shooting in the heart of Nassau has left a 24-year-old man dead and law enforcement searching for an at-large suspect, with graphic footage of the aftermath spreading widely across social media platforms.

The victim has been identified as Alistair Major, according to local sources close to the investigation. Police confirmed Friday that Major was wearing an electronic monitoring device linked to a prior serious criminal charge, though investigators have not released additional details about the nature of that open case. Court records show Major was already facing an attempted murder charge connected to a 2024 incident involving Rayshaun Rolle, filed last July by Nassau prosecutors.

The shooting unfolded shortly after 2:30 a.m. yesterday at the intersection of Bay Street and Parliament Street, a busy downtown corridor. When first responders arrived at the scene, they found Major unresponsive on the sidewalk with a critical gunshot wound to the head. A 40-second video circulated on social media captures the chaotic immediate aftermath, showing panicked bystanders scrambling to provide aid: multiple people check Major’s pulse, reposition his motionless body, and shout frantically as they attempt to keep him alive. In the footage, a small crowd remains clustered around Major after he is turned onto his side then back to his back, with one man sitting dejectedly beside him.

A second social media video, purportedly captured in the hours before the shooting, shows Major alive and in apparent good spirits at a local nightclub. In the footage, Major is holding an alcoholic beverage and displaying cash, wearing the same outfit he had on at the time of the shooting. The clip has been circulated online as a record of Major’s final hours before the attack.

Early investigative findings indicate the shooting followed a verbal dispute between Major and an unknown male suspect. According to police accounts, the suspect pulled a firearm during the altercation and fired at Major before fleeing the area. Investigators say the suspect left the scene driving a white Japanese-made vehicle, heading south along Parliament Street. No arrests have been announced as of press time.

V12 Restaurant & Lounge, a local hospitality business located near the shooting site, released an official statement Thursday extending condolences to Major’s family while clarifying the incident had no connection to their establishment. “Based on the information available to us, the incident did not originate inside V12 Restaurant & Lounge, and the individuals involved did not enter our establishment,” the statement read.

The business added that it would not engage in unconfirmed speculation about the shooting while law enforcement works through the investigation, urging the public to allow authorities to complete their work. “We encourage the public to allow the appropriate authorities to conduct their investigation and, most importantly, to keep the affected family and loved ones in their thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time,” the statement concluded.

On a Sunday in downtown Nassau, a diverse crowd made up of leaders from the Bahamas Christian Council and ordinary citizens from across the archipelago filled Rawson Square for the country’s National Prayer Rally, an event centered on the core values of collective prayer and national solidarity.

Organized to bring together people of faith from across the nation, the gathering moved through a structured series of focused prayer sessions, each targeting key pillars of Bahamian life. Participants first offered prayers of national repentance, calling for reflection on shared challenges and collective growth as a community. They then turned their attention to interceding for the country’s sitting government, asking for wisdom and sound judgment in policy making that serves all Bahamian people.

Additional prayer sessions were dedicated to the nation’s network of churches and their spiritual leaders, asking for strength and clarity as they guide congregations across the islands. Attendees also lifted up prayers for sustainable, inclusive economic growth and long-term financial stability for the Bahamas, a pressing priority for communities still recovering from recent economic headwinds. The rally closed with prayers for the national protection of the country and its people, reaffirming many attendees’ dedication to centering faith in national public life.

The 2025 new school term in The Bahamas got off to a chaotic start this week, as more than 90 percent of members of the Bahamas Educators Managerial Union (BEMU) launched rare industrial action that forced early dismissal for 40,000 public school students across the archipelago. Only hours after the strike began, the Supreme Court granted an emergency interim injunction ordering all union members back to work and blocking further protest action.

The legal order, issued by Justice Darron Ellis at the request of the country’s Minister of Education and Attorney General, applies to BEMU, its leadership, and all participating members. Beyond mandating an immediate return to scheduled workplaces, the injunction prohibits BEMU members from taking uncertified sick leave and bars union officials from encouraging, pressuring, or inciting other Ministry of Education employees to skip work. Both sides are scheduled to reappear before Justice Ellis at 10 a.m. today, and the union retains the right to petition for the interim order to be modified or overturned.

The industrial action followed months of unresolved grievances that BEMU has raised against the government. Union president Stephen McPhee confirmed that BEMU officially activated its legally authorized strike certificate on the day of the action, after a membership vote held during an emergency Monday meeting. Of more than 200 online voting participants, just 14 opposed the strike, while more than 200 backed it. BEMU counts over 500 members across the country’s public education system, including school principals, vice principals, district superintendents, examination coordinators, and technical education administrators.

McPhee emphasized that the union had attempted to negotiate with the government for roughly five months to resolve its core demands. The union’s grievances include unresolved promotion cases dating back as far as 2016 and 2018, widespread unfilled administrative vacancies across the nation’s 161 public schools, and an expired collective industrial agreement that lapsed in June 2025. BEMU submitted a draft proposal for a new agreement months ago, but has yet to receive a counterproposal from the government.

Many of the promotion disputes center on administrators who have been performing the duties of higher-level roles for years without receiving formal appointments or the corresponding pay increases. McPhee specifically called out the $58.33 monthly pay increase that promoted members are legally owed, noting that many have been denied this incremental raise despite already carrying out the responsibilities of the higher role. The union has also challenged what it calls “unconstitutional postings,” where members are assigned to higher roles without formal approval from the Public Service Commission. While the government recently promoted 36 administrators, McPhee questioned why long-pending cases for promotions from 2016 and 2018 remain unaddressed, leaving senior staff working under newly promoted juniors.

After the union’s demands were not addressed, the next scheduled meeting between BEMU and government negotiators was not set until September 14, a timeline McPhee said the union could not accept. “We have begged, we have pleaded,” McPhee said in comments Wednesday. “As of this day, we have invoked our right… We are asking you to come to sit and to listen to us… on how we can resolve these most pressing matters.” He rejected claims the action was an unapproved sick-out, noting the strike certificate was formally issued by the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and National Insurance, making the action legal prior to the court injunction.

Education Minister Chester Cooper characterized the strike as “precipitous, disruptive and disappointing,” pushing back against the union’s claim that the government had refused to engage. Cooper confirmed he met with McPhee in August, and the union president subsequently held a two-hour negotiating session with the Ministry of Education’s permanent secretary and director. He noted that BEMU submitted its full list of demands on August 24, and he had requested time to coordinate with the Public Service Commission and other government agencies, with talks set to resume on September 14. “Some of them are legacy issues,” Cooper said. “Therefore, in my considered view, and any reasonable person’s considered view, waiting another two weeks to come back to the table with resolution would be reasonable.” He added that it was “counterintuitive” for administrators to walk off the job at a time when the system already faces a shortage of administrative staff, as the country works to restore normalcy to school operations.

Initially, the Ministry of Education activated its contingency plan to keep schools open despite the absence of most administrators, with Cooper confirming most of the nation’s 161 public schools remained operational through the morning. By noon, however, the ministry was forced to dismiss all students across New Providence, Grand Bahama, and the outlying Family Islands, notifying parents and guardians to pick up their children immediately and wait for further updates on when schools would reopen.

Prior to the court injunction, the government’s Labour Relations Unit had stepped in to mediate the dispute, with talks running past 1 a.m. Wednesday that secured a planned meeting between BEMU leadership and Minister Cooper on Wednesday. McPhee praised LRU chief negotiator Bernard Evans for his mediation efforts, but noted that any deal reached would need to be put to a vote of the full union membership before industrial action could end. The interim injunction has now paused all strike activity ahead of further court proceedings.

In a separate and parallel development, the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) is also considering its own industrial action over an ongoing salary dispute with the government. The union’s latest voting shows that 80.5 percent of responding members rejected the government’s most recent salary counterproposal, and 84.8 percent have authorized strike action if the union’s deadline for a deal passes without an agreement. That deadline is set for midnight tonight.

A targeted daylight assassination in Abaco, The Bahamas, has left an innocent local teen injured after he was struck by gunfire while simply stopping for a drink on his commute home from school, community leaders have confirmed. On Monday, 50-year-old Warren “Spy” Ellis — a man long linked to alleged drug trafficking and organized crime in the region — was killed in a public shooting that also caught the 14-year-old Patrick J Bethel High School eighth-grader in the line of fire.

Senior Pastor Beabrun Bresslin of Marsh Harbour’s New Haitian Mission Baptist Church, who has been supporting the boy’s family, has pushed back against widespread false social media speculation claiming the teen had connections to Ellis. Bresslin emphasized that the student had no ties whatsoever to the victim, and was not with Ellis at the time of the attack. The boy had simply left school, stopped at Parts City Auto Parts to purchase a cold drink, and was walking out of the store when gunmen opened fire on Ellis, who was walking just behind him.

Graphic footage from the scene captures the moment the teen was hit in his right leg, showing him dropping his school backpack and hopping back to the safety of the store as bullets flew. The student was quickly airlifted to the main hospital hub in New Providence for emergency care Monday night, and was discharged just one day later. Medical teams confirmed the bullet passed cleanly through the muscle tissue of his leg, avoiding any major damage to bones or critical vessels, leaving the boy with no life-altering injuries. While his physical condition is stable, the traumatic experience has left the teen deeply shaken, Bresslin said.

Despite the good medical outcome, the low-income family has faced significant financial and logistical barriers to continuing the teen’s care. The boy’s mother works as a stay-at-home housewife, and his father does not have consistent, stable employment. The pair accompanied their son to New Providence, but had no local family to stay with and could not afford hotel accommodation, forcing them to spend the entire first night at the hospital. Doctors recommended the teen remain in New Providence for several weeks of close follow-up checks, but the family could not cover the costs of an extended stay. With Bresslin stepping in to purchase their return tickets, the family travelled back to Abaco on Tuesday, and will now complete follow-up care at the local Marsh Harbour clinic. Bresslin’s church has pledged to provide the teen with professional counselling to help him process the traumatic event, and the pastor is currently appealing to the public for donations to cover the family’s unexpected medical and travel costs. He can be reached at 476-2874 for community members willing to contribute.

Octervil Baptiste, president of the Abaco Haitian Pastors Association, joined Bresslin in correcting misinformation circulating online about the teen’s involvement, noting that the random nature of the incident means it could have happened to any local resident. “He was passing by the store, and he stopped by the store to get something to drink. That’s something that could happen to anyone,” Baptiste said, adding that he hopes law enforcement will move quickly to identify and apprehend the attackers.

Police have confirmed that five gunmen coordinated the attack, with footage showing four suspects carrying high-powered military-grade weapons as they approached Ellis. The attackers escaped in a Cadillac, which was later found abandoned and set on fire to destroy evidence. Law enforcement sources told local media the killing is suspected to be a retaliatory attack connected to Ellis’ alleged past criminal activity.

Ellis had a decades-long public connection to criminal allegations, though formal cases against him were repeatedly discontinued over the years. In 2001, he was charged with murder and attempted murder following the killing of nurse Joan Lunn during an alleged hit on a patient at Princess Margaret Hospital. Those charges were dropped after Ellis agreed to testify against co-defendant Kendon Brown, who was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. In 2008, he was charged alongside an extradited drug dealer for the 2000 murder of Timothy Henfield, but the case was stayed the next year after the prosecution’s key witness recanted their testimony. Most recently, in 2018, Ellis and his wife were arrested at Lynden Pindling International Airport while en route to Canada after police found more than $13,000 in cash in their luggage; those charges were also ultimately dropped.

According to Tribune records, Monday’s killing marks the second murder recorded in Abaco this year, and the 52nd homicide across The Bahamas in 2024 as of the date of the shooting. As of Tuesday, it remained unclear whether any suspects had been taken into custody.