标签： Bahamas

A routine family getaway to Haiti has turned into an unthinkable tragedy for a Bahamian community, after a 39-year-old father of three from Eleuthera died in a boating accident just four days into the trip. As Andre Dean’s family waits for clear answers from Haitian law enforcement about the exact circumstances of his death, they are pushing back hard against damaging online rumors that falsely linked his passing to violence and drug trafficking.

According to Dean’s sister, Kenva Neely, who spoke to The Tribune from Haiti, Dean traveled to the Caribbean nation last week alongside Neely and their mother to visit family on his stepfather’s side. This trip marked Dean’s second visit to Haiti, after he fell in love with the country during his first stay. Neely shared that her brother had reflected deeply on the privileged life his three young children – aged two, 10, and 16 – enjoy back in The Bahamas, telling his family he wanted his kids to learn gratitude for their comfortable lives after seeing the conditions local children navigate in Haiti.

Dean’s wife and three children remained in The Bahamas for the trip, a choice that leaves them now grieving from thousands of miles away as the family works to bring Dean’s body home. Neely explained that Dean told relatives he planned to go boating with local friends on Sunday evening, though she was not present for that conversation. Though weather conditions were rough that day, Neely said her brother believed the journey would be safe. When Dean failed to return by Monday morning, the family immediately launched a search effort led by their stepfather and other local relatives. By Monday evening, their search ended in grief when Dean’s body was recovered from the waters off Port-de-Paix, in northwestern Haiti, alongside the bodies of other people who had been on the boat.

In the wake of Dean’s death, unfounded rumors spread rapidly across social media, claiming Dean had been shot, killed in a violent incident, or was involved in drug activity. Neely has forcefully refuted all these claims, noting that she personally saw Dean’s body and confirmed he had no gunshot wounds or signs of foul play. The family’s working belief is that Dean drowned in the accident, with only a small bruise on his head consistent with hitting a rock or reef during the capsizing. Neely said the cruel online speculation has left her mother in tears, emphasizing that Dean traveled to Haiti solely for a family vacation, drawn back by his affection for the country.

Described by Neely as a joyful, ambitious, and deeply family-oriented man, Dean worked as a self-employed construction worker and had recently finished building a new home with his wife, who is originally from Abaco. In the days before the trip, he had taken his own children to the beach to build sandcastles and share quality time, always focused on earning enough to give his family a stable, comfortable life.

As of Tuesday, the family was still attempting to arrange their return to The Bahamas, but told reporters all available flights were fully booked. They will continue coordinating with Haitian authorities to process Dean’s death and facilitate the repatriation of his body. Bahamian officials have also stepped in to support the family: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that embassy staff will maintain constant contact with both Dean’s relatives and Haitian law enforcement as the investigation moves forward. Local political representative North Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty was among the dozens of people who shared public condolences for the family following news of Dean’s death, in an outpouring of support that has spread across Bahamian social media.

A weeks-long downtown power outage in Nassau has triggered an unprecedented disruption to the Bahamas’ judicial system, forcing the Supreme Court to shut its doors entirely and drawing sharp criticism from the country’s top legal body over persistent infrastructure failures and poor public communication.

What began as a localized power interruption on Friday afternoon rapidly escalated into a full-blown crisis for the judiciary. According to a senior court official, Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) provided no advance or ongoing updates about the outage after power cut out around 4pm Friday. Left with no information about when service would resume, court administrators opted to keep the facility’s backup generators running nonstop through the weekend, assuming the issue would be resolved quickly. By Monday morning, the generators had completely exhausted their fuel supply.

After officials paid out of pocket for emergency refueling—an unbudgeted expense not accounted for in the judiciary’s annual operating plan—one of the court’s primary generator units suffered permanent damage to its seals from the continuous operation. The unit repeatedly failed on Monday, forcing court administrators to order a full shutdown of the Supreme Court while technicians waited for the system to cool to complete repairs.

The closure has upended a tightly scheduled judicial calendar, where most hearing dates are locked in six to 12 months in advance. For the Bahamas Bar Association, the disruption amounts to a direct attack on citizens’ constitutional rights to timely justice. In a scathing statement, the association condemned both BPL and relevant government authorities for their failure to maintain consistent communication with the judiciary throughout the outage.

“When the doors of the Courts cannot open, the rights of citizens to be heard, to have their liberty preserved or vindicated, and to have their disputes resolved in a timely manner are placed in jeopardy,” the association said, adding that the lack of advance warning left the judiciary unable to put contingency plans in place, leaving litigants, witnesses, and legal professionals stranded without information. “This is unacceptable.”

Attorney General Wayne Munroe acknowledged that any loss of court time poses a significant concern for the justice system, though he noted that backup generators are not designed to operate 24 hours a day continuously. “Anything that causes loss of any court time clearly is something that is not useful,” he said.

The outage’s ripple effects extended far beyond the Supreme Court. The nearby Industrial Tribunal also lost power on Monday, with a senior official confirming that the outage brought all proceedings to a halt. Without electricity, the tribunal could not operate its computers, cooling systems, or even running water. The official added that the facility has struggled with longstanding infrastructure issues, including an elevator that has been out of service for months, persistent mould growth, and extreme overheating during summer months. Despite these challenges, the official stressed that the tribunal has no backlog of cases and has stayed ahead of its scheduling.

Downtown businesses have also absorbed thousands of dollars in unexpected costs to stay operational. Allen Williams, manager of the popular downtown eatery Cafe Matisse, told reporters that his establishment has kept its generator running nonstop since Friday afternoon to preserve thousands of dollars worth of perishable food inventory. He estimated the business has already spent around $1,000 on extra fuel, and like court officials, he received no direct updates from BPL about the outage or restoration timeline. “Long as they down, we burning fuel,” Williams said. “Very expensive.”

In a statement released Monday, BPL blamed the Bank Lane area outage on a cable fault near Rawson Square that was identified by Bahamas Grid Company (BGC) technicians around 2:30am Tuesday. The utility said crews from BPL and BGC were working together to complete repairs and expected power to be fully restored by 1am Wednesday. However, the statement did not address the loss of power reported by multiple downtown stakeholders that began as early as Friday afternoon.

The outage is the latest in a string of high-profile failures for BPL that have rocked the Bahamas this summer. Less than two weeks ago, a transformer explosion at Blue Hills triggered a seven-hour-long island-wide blackout across New Providence, affecting most residents on the island. Just days later, western New Providence communities endured five consecutive days of rolling outages, forcing some residents to sleep in their cars for cool air, throw out entire refrigerators full of spoiled food, and spend hundreds of dollars on generator fuel. Outages have continued in recent days and spread to some of the country’s Family Islands as well.
BPL has attributed the recent spate of outages to a combination of factors, including physical cable faults, overloaded transformers, tripped feeders and breakers, damaged power lines, small infrastructure fires, and unusually high summer energy demand that has pushed the grid beyond its designed capacity. Last week, BPL Chief Operating Officer Anthony Christie acknowledged that the country’s power grid is under severe strain, with many key circuits and transformers operating at or near maximum capacity.

In a separate clarification, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles noted that the ongoing closure of sections of Central Police Station is unrelated to the power outage, and is instead the result of planned extensive renovations. Members of the public seeking to file police reports during the renovations are directed to use facilities at the Tourism Police Unit on Parliament Street and the downtown wharf.

As The Bahamas grapples with a surge of violent crime, public corruption allegations, and deep-seated social unrest, the nation’s top Christian advocacy group has issued a unifying call for collective spiritual action, inviting all Bahamians to gather for a mass prayer rally at downtown Nassau’s Rawson Square on August 30.

The announcement came from Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) President Pastor Mario Moxey during a press conference held at Nassau’s Bahamas Harvest Church on Tuesday. Alongside unveiling plans for the anti-crime prayer gathering, Moxey shared details of an upcoming memorial service this Friday to honor the ten lives lost in the Independence Day plane crash earlier this year.

To build momentum for the late-August rally, the BCC has launched a 21-day nationwide prayer initiative, asking Bahamians from every industry, neighborhood, and background to participate. Moxey urged residents to set aside just 60 seconds at noon each day, no matter their location—whether at the office, at home, or out in the community—to join the collective moment of reflection and prayer.

“We will pray for our leaders. Pray for our families. Pray concerning crime and violence. We pray for righteousness and justice. Pray for our economy, our communities, our young people,” Moxey told reporters. “And because this rally coincides with the beginning of a new academic year, we’ll also have a special time to pray for our students and teachers and administrators as our children head back to school this coming semester.”

The call for collective spiritual action comes at a time of growing national anxiety, driven by a recent string of deadly gun violence, multiple reports of sexual assault across the islands, and high-profile corruption claims that have roiled the nation’s political landscape. Most recently, a U.S. federal indictment triggered widespread political controversy after court filings alleged that an unnamed Bahamian politician held a meeting with an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent inside the country’s Parliament building in October 2024 to negotiate illicit drug trafficking deals.

Moxey emphasized that this moment calls for more than just public debate about The Bahamas’ most pressing challenges. Instead, he said, the BCC believes it is time for people of faith to “stand in the gap for our nation” to address these ills head-on. He acknowledged that corruption is a global challenge that impacts governments of every nation, and no administration is free from the risk of institutional graft. “And so, we consistently pray for our government. We’re willing to stand in the gap for our government and to also assist everywhere we possibly can to assist them in overcoming corruption within government as well,” Moxey added.

The mass prayer rally will be preceded by Friday’s official memorial service for the ten plane crash victims, set to take place at 7 p.m. at Bahamas Faith Ministries. The event is a joint effort between the BCC and the Bahamian government, designed to bring the nation together to mourn, honor the victims, and wrap the grieving families in collective support. Moxey noted that the tragedy was not just a loss for the families directly impacted—it was a blow that touched every corner of the Bahamian nation, making a unified public commemoration all the more important.

Social Services Minister Barbara Cartwright echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the partnership between the government and the BCC for the memorial is far more than a symbolic gesture. “This partnership is not ceremonial. It reflects something deep in who we are as a people, a nation built on Christian principles where church and state have always labored side by side in our schools, in our communities and in our hardest hours,” Cartwright said.

Nearly three years after landmark anti-violence legislation was formally gazetted, The Bahamas’ long-awaited Protection Against Violence Commission is marking a key milestone this month: it will officially move into its permanent new facility on Pitt Road, bringing the interagency body one step closer to full operational capacity. Even with the new headquarters opening, commission leadership confirms the body will not yet be prepared to offer direct support services to survivors of violence, a gap that will continue to be filled by existing public and non-profit entities for the immediate future.

Commission Chair Marisa Mason-Smith shared updates with The Tribune on the body’s progress, noting that substantial foundational work has been completed since the commission’s members were officially appointed in March 2024. She explained that at this stage, existing public infrastructure remains responsible for supporting survivors: “Social services is the machinery that is dealing with that at this time. There are still other NGOs and departments within the Ministry of Social Services that are already addressing these needs, and the Police Violence Unit also carries out these core support functions right now.”

Mason-Smith’s comments follow an official announcement from Social Services Minister Barbara Cartwright, who scheduled a formal commissioning ceremony for the new Pitt Road building for August 14. Cartwright emphasized that the new facility will clear the way for the commission to begin its full mandate, adding that the government is “anxiously waiting” for the body to launch its core work.

Established under the 2023 Protection Against Violence Act, the commission is designed to serve as the national central coordinating body for efforts to combat gender-based violence across the country. Its statutory responsibilities include centralized data monitoring on violence incidents, overseeing the network of emergency shelters for survivors, and ensuring that all survivors can access the legal protections and support services guaranteed under national law. Notably, the commission’s official appointment came nearly three years after the enabling legislation was formally gazetted, drawing criticism from advocacy groups over delays in rolling out the new body.

The current Davis administration has allocated an initial $42,900 to the commission to launch its operations – a figure that women’s rights advocates across the country have repeatedly warned is far too small to allow the body to fulfill its broad legislative mandate.

When asked about the funding gap, Mason-Smith acknowledged that the initial allocation is not sufficient to cover all of the commission’s planned work. However, she pushed back against concerns that limited initial funding would derail the body’s progress, noting that government officials have committed to allocating additional supplementary funding through the Ministry of Social Services’ existing budget.

“In the short term, the initial allocation will assist us with getting set up, but the Ministry of Social Services has identified other funding streams from across their budget that will complement the work we are doing,” she explained. Mason-Smith also expressed confidence that the commission will receive a much larger, more robust budget allocation for the next fiscal year, noting that the body was appointed late in the current budget cycle.

“Recognizing that we came in towards the end of the budget cycle, I am grateful that they have included us at all,” she said. “We know that the initial amount is not enough, but we have been assured that we will not be disadvantaged when it comes to meeting the needs and advancing the core priorities of this commission.”

In the months leading up to the move to the new facility, the commission has made steady progress on laying the groundwork for full operations, Mason-Smith confirmed. The body has already held multiple working sessions for its members and is currently developing a multi-year strategic plan to guide its work once fully operational. It is also ramping up public outreach efforts, including educational forums and public town halls, to help residents across the country understand the commission’s mandate and core responsibilities.

Another key priority in the coming months will be recruiting and appointing a full secretariat and support team to handle day-to-day operations. The secretariat will serve as the commission’s core technical division, with responsibilities including coordinating support for community-based anti-violence projects, developing formal protocols for funding applications, and publishing public guidance for service providers and survivors.

Reflecting on the milestone of securing a permanent headquarters, Mason-Smith expressed optimism about the commission’s path forward: “So we are proud and excited, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to have a resting place.”

A promising 15-year-old top-performing high school student is recovering in hospital with life-altering injuries after being struck by a motor vehicle early Friday morning on Nassau’s Robinson Road. The incident unfolded as Dino Pinto Jr., a student at R M Bailey High School, was forced to flee into the roadway to escape two aggressive dogs that were charging him while he walked along the sidewalk on his way to work. Now, his mother is publicly calling for answers and accountability, saying she is devastated by the driver’s apparent lack of care for her injured son.

Dino, who was heading to a part-time shift at an electric store ahead of starting an official summer placement at the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday, recalled that multiple drivers had already stopped their cars to let him cross the two-lane street when the accident happened around 7 a.m. In an interview from his hospital bed, he explained that one vehicle failed to stop, instead overtaking one of the stationary cars and hitting him before he could get out of the way.

“I lost consciousness immediately after the impact, and the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed,” Dino said. “I have no memory of anything that happened right after I was hit.”

The crash left the teen with severe soft tissue damage to his face, a fractured bone adjacent to his spine, a broken kneecap and a damaged ankle – injuries that have forced him to cancel his planned summer job and put his preparations for the upcoming school term in September in jeopardy. As he works through the pain of his recovery, Dino said he is relying on his religious faith to pull him through this difficult period and help him get back to his normal routine.

The teen’s mother, Nakaya Knowles, said she got the devastating news from a Good Samaritan motorist who witnessed the crash and stopped to help her son, calling her to share details of the incident. “When I got that call, my heart just sank. I went into complete shock – I threw on whatever clothes I could grab and rushed to the scene, praying the whole way that my son was still alive,” Ms Knowles recalled.

When she arrived, the driver had remained at the scene but stayed inside her vehicle. Ms Knowles said she walked over to the driver to politely request her name and contact information, to clarify how the crash had unfolded. However, she said the driver refused to share any personal details, claiming she did not want to be “harassed” and did not want her name shared publicly on social media, adding that all communication would go through her insurance provider. She told Ms Knowles she was in shock from the incident.

Police officers at the scene assured Ms Knowles they would collect the driver’s information and follow up on the incident. Still, she says the most hurtful part of the entire experience is that the driver has made no effort to reach out, check on Dino’s condition, or even visit him at the hospital.

Wiping away tears, Ms Knowles said: “This is not about money for me. My child is a human being, not a paycheck or an afterthought. You should at least reach out to me, or call the hospital to see if he’s okay. That’s the only thing that’s hurting me this much.”

Dino echoed his mother’s frustration, saying the driver could have avoided hitting him if she had been paying attention and slowed down. “She didn’t have to keep going when all the other cars stopped for me,” he said. “At the very least, she could have apologized. Right now, my eye is covered in bandages, I’m in a cast, and I have a broken bone right next to my spine that could have left me paralyzed.”

The teen added that he is deeply distressed about the impact the injury could have on his schooling when the new term starts in just a few months. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back to normal,” he said.

Ms Knowles’ decision to share her story in a live Facebook video has sparked widespread public attention and solidarity. By the time local media outlet The Tribune went to press, the video had already been shared more than 1,000 times, with hundreds of commenters expressing support for Dino and criticism of the driver’s actions.

A Bahamas woman who captured international attention earlier this year for a fiery public confrontation with government officials during a demolition operation has been taken into custody once again, this time for allegedly erecting four new unauthorized structures on her land in Spanish Wells.

Dominique Pinder was taken into custody on August 4 by members of the Unregulated Communities Action Task Force, the interagency body leading the government’s crackdown on unpermitted development across the country’s major islands. Task force chairman Superintendent Stephen Carey confirmed the arrest in a press briefing, noting that the operation marked a return to Pinder’s property months after a high-profile January incident that drew widespread social media outrage.

In January, Pinder and her brother Blake Pinder became viral figures after cell phone footage captured their heated confrontation with task force personnel as crews carried out a scheduled demolition of unpermitted buildings on the Spanish Wells plot. That encounter led to immediate charges against both siblings: Dominique Pinder faces counts of disorderly conduct, obscene language, and abusive language, while Blake Pinder faces an additional obstruction charge. Both have pleaded not guilty to all allegations and their original case remains pending.

During the January operation, crews demolished 14 unregulated structures on the Pinder property. But when task force members returned last week to conduct routine follow-up checks, Carey said investigators discovered four completely new structures had been erected in the place of the demolished buildings, all without the mandatory government construction permits. Following her arrest on new unpermitted construction charges, Dominique Pinder was released on bail and is scheduled to make her first court appearance on the latest charges this Thursday.

In addition to Pinder’s arrest, six other individuals found on the property during the operation were taken into custody for immigration-related processing, Carey confirmed. The senior law enforcement official used the arrest to issue a sharp public warning to property owners across the country who host unauthorized construction on their land.

“To the landlords, we send out a stern warning that once we come and place 28 day notice on the structures, we will charge the landlords for allowing persons to build without a building permit,” Carey said.

The latest arrest comes as the task force ramps up its long-running enforcement of unregulated construction rules across Eleuthera, where authorities have issued a 28-day eviction notice campaign targeting illegal development. So far, 59 eviction notices have been delivered to landowners in Blackwood, a district where crews demolished roughly 60 unregulated structures earlier this year. Carey confirmed that multiple property owners in the area have already begun rebuilding illegal structures after the 2024 demolitions, mirroring the alleged actions of Pinder in Spanish Wells. Across the entire island of Eleuthera, the task force has issued 63 eviction notices to date.

Looking ahead, Carey confirmed that demolition operations will continue across three major Bahamian islands: Abaco, Eleuthera, and Andros, all of which have seen widespread unregulated construction in recent decades. A major demolition operation is already scheduled for Andros in early September, and Carey warned that there would be no last-minute reprieves for residents of unregulated structures who refuse to relocate ahead of scheduled enforcement actions.

He urged all residents currently occupying illegal, unpermitted structures to vacate their properties before official demolition teams arrive, emphasizing that the task force would not offer extensions or grace periods for non-compliant landowners and occupants.