标签： Bahamas

GEORGE TOWN, EXUMA, BAHAMAS – Local non-profit organization Friends of Exuma is advancing long-term community growth through a $20,000 investment in youth education, splitting the total donation between two scholarship programs: one at Exuma Christian Academy and a second contribution to the Nelson A. Ranger Scholarship Fund. The funding is designed to remove financial barriers that prevent high-achieving, motivated young students from accessing post-secondary education, opening doors for them to develop their skills and achieve their long-term career goals.

Unlike one-off tuition support, these scholarships create a sustainable pipeline for local talent to grow into the next generation of Exuma’s leaders. For a small island community where the full cost of college and university study falls almost entirely on household budgets, this targeted financial support turns vague ambitions of higher education into concrete, actionable plans. Recipients gain the resources to pursue degrees in high-demand fields, with a shared commitment to bringing their skills and experience back to strengthen their home communities.

“Exuma is full of extraordinary young people whose talent, grit, and character push all of us to do better,” shared Bob Coughlin, President of Friends of Exuma. “These scholarships are not just gifts to individual students – they are an investment in the potential of our entire island. When we lift up our young people, we invest in the future of Exuma itself.”

During Exuma Christian Academy’s 2026 commencement ceremony, four graduating seniors received the first round of grants from the non-profit’s contribution, each with distinct career paths and a shared commitment to returning to The Bahamas after completing their studies. The first recipient, 16-year-old Jaylen McKenzie, will move to London to study law, with plans to come back to The Bahamas as a corporate attorney and eventually launch her own scholarship for local students. Stanley Pitt will attend the University of The Bahamas to pursue dual degrees in engineering and medicine. Head boy Winston Barr will study management and aeronautics to train as a commercial pilot, and Jeremy Clarke also plans to pursue a career as a professional pilot.

Founded by veteran educator Keniqua Burrows, Exuma Christian Academy started as a small vision centered on faith and academic excellence, and has grown into a thriving K-12 institution serving more than 100 students across Exuma. The school has built a strong regional reputation for its focus on academic achievement, intentional leadership development, and fostering a campus culture where students are empowered to pursue success across every area of their lives.

Burrows emphasized that the relationship between her school and Friends of Exuma goes far beyond financial support, calling the non-profit a genuine collaborative partner. “For many of our local families, economic times are tight right now, and covering the extra costs of higher education – from accommodation to travel flights to the one-time startup fees of moving for university – can feel impossible,” Burrows explained. “Every dollar of this funding makes a huge difference. Friends of Exuma has stood by our school for years, and we’re excited to grow this partnership for many more years to come.”

For scholarship recipient Winston Barr, the grant has been a life-changing support for both him and his family. After completing his management degree, Barr will begin pilot training, a future that was out of reach without the scholarship’s assistance. “There are no words to capture how grateful I am. This organization turned a long-held dream into a reality,” Barr said. “It takes an enormous weight off my parents’ shoulders, and I’m committed to giving back to my community and my country as I move forward.”

The second portion of the $20,000 donation will go to the Nelson A. Ranger Scholarship Fund, an organization founded by Nelson Ranger, who received scholarship support as a young student and has dedicated his career to paying that opportunity forward. For years, the fund has supported students across Exuma pursuing both college degrees and technical vocational training, while also celebrating academic excellence across the island through its programming.

Ranger noted that he understands first-hand how a single educational opportunity can reshape a young person’s entire life trajectory. “Every scholarship we award is more than financial support – it’s an investment in a young person’s dream, and a reminder that the entire community is rooting for them,” Ranger said. “I’m so grateful to Friends of Exuma for partnering with us to keep this critical work going.”

Coughlin reaffirmed that the grant aligns with Friends of Exuma’s core mission: investing in education creates shared prosperity for every member of the Exuma community. “By partnering with trusted local organizations that already know the needs of our young people, we can advance our goal of strengthening the people, programs, and places that make Exuma such an extraordinary place to live,” he added.

For community members interested in learning more about Friends of Exuma’s work across youth development, environmental conservation, and cultural preservation across Great Exuma, more information is available on the organization’s official website at exumafriends.org, as well as its Facebook and Instagram social media channels.

A devastating early-morning car crash on Shirley Street in Nassau has stolen the lives of four young women from Cat Island, all on the cusp of pursuing their college dreams abroad, leaving tight-knit communities across The Bahamas reeling from unfathomable loss on Sunday. Most of the eight people crammed inside the vehicle had grown up together, their shared childhood bonds making the tragedy that much more devastating for families and friends across the archipelago.

Three of the victims have been formally identified: 17-year-old valedictorian Diamond Stubbs, 19-year-old Betrica Brown, and 19-year-old Stania Webb. As of press time, official confirmation of the fourth victim’s identity has not been released.

Local residents of Cat Island described the sudden loss of four young residents as an unthinkable nightmare, saying the small, interconnected community has been left struggling to process the scale of the tragedy. Family members traveled by air to New Providence on Monday to formally identify the remains of their loved ones, arriving broken by the sudden turn of events.

Authorities report the crash unfolded shortly after midnight Sunday, when the Mazda sedan carrying the group lost control and collided with a tree near the intersection of Shirley Street and Church Street. Unconfirmed reports indicate the group had attended a local pool party earlier in the evening and was heading home when the incident occurred. Three of the female passengers were pronounced dead immediately at the scene, while the five surviving occupants were rushed to nearby hospital for emergency care. A fourth victim later succumbed to her injuries despite medical intervention.

The surviving passengers include a 19-year-old man with a broken wrist, a 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman who are currently listed in stable condition, and a 25-year-old man who remains in critical care as of Monday.

For each of the deceased victims, the crash cut short lives full of potential, just weeks before they were set to leave The Bahamas to pursue higher education. Just two weeks before the crash, Stubbs graduated from Old Bight High School as both class valedictorian and head girl, a high-achieving young woman who had earned five separate college scholarships and was set to attend Langston University in Oklahoma this fall. Her godmother, Phillippa Anderson, said the entire family is completely shattered by her death.

Stubbs had traveled from Cat Island to New Providence to wrap up pre-college arrangements, including organizing a community cookout to raise funds for her schooling, and was staying with her grandfather during the trip. Anderson described Stubbs as a quiet, reserved, and kind young person, noting that the night of the crash was one of the rare occasions she had gone out to socialize with friends. “This was her first time going out because her friend wanted her to live a little,” Anderson said. “She had so much to experience and live for.” An active member of her school band, Stubbs also represented Old Bight High at the Bahamas National High School Pageants, and her principal Dr Bennique Brown-Pratt recalled that Stubbs cried tears of joy throughout her graduation ceremony, overwhelmed by her bright future ahead.

Nineteen-year-old Stania Webb, a 2024 graduate of Old Bight High, had already earned a band scholarship to Langston University and was returning to campus for the new school year when the crash occurred. Webb and Stubbs had been close friends since primary school, and Dr Brown-Pratt remembered her as a bright, hardworking young woman with a generous spirit and a deep love of music. “The school will do everything in its power to honor the legacy of these two remarkable young women,” Dr Brown-Pratt said.

Nineteen-year-old Betrica Brown, who had also been preparing to start college abroad, had overcome extraordinary hardship in her short life. After her mother died in 2015 when Brown was just nine, her older brother Anthony Thompson raised her; Brown had already lost her father when she was two years old. Thompson described Brown as his “baby,” and said the two shared an unbreakable bond. Brown lived with Thompson, his wife, and their two children in Abaco, where she graduated from Agape Christian School. A standout athlete, Brown excelled at volleyball, track and field, and basketball, earning multiple MVP awards and multiple scholarship offers to study abroad. Thompson had helped her apply to a top college program, where she planned to train as a physical therapist.

When Thompson received a 4 a.m. phone call notifying him of the crash, he had just arrived in New Providence to identify Brown’s body, and still could not process her death. “I just hoped that, hey, maybe the one survivor was her. I guess that’s selfish,” Thompson sighed. When asked if he felt anger toward the driver, Thompson said he bore no ill will: “Imagine you crashing a car and knowing that persons died on your watch. You done have to go through that the rest of your life.”

Brown had traveled to Cat Island to visit family and Stubbs, who was her cousin, and the pair had caught a ferry to New Providence just days before the crash to pick up their student visas ahead of their July departure. “They grew up together, they were more like sisters than cousins,” Thompson said. The tragedy comes just three years after Thompson’s family lost Brown’s 18-year-old brother, leaving the family reeling from yet another devastating loss. “It’s almost like this, you want to be strong, but ain’t nobody care about being strong right now,” he said.

The crash has sparked an outpouring of national grief across The Bahamas, with politicians, community leaders, and ordinary residents sharing tributes to the young women on social media. Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, who serves as the Member of Parliament for Cat Island, said he was heartbroken by the tragedy and extended his deepest condolences to all the affected families. Transport Minister Leon Lundy also offered condolences, and used the tragedy to urge all motorists to prioritize road safety, reminding drivers to avoid impaired driving and distracted texting behind the wheel.

The crash has also reignited public debate over persistent road safety hazards across The Bahamas. St Anne’s Member of Parliament Adrian White shared video footage of the crash scene, noting that recent utility trench work in the area’s northbound lane created an uneven hazard for motorists. White called on the Ministry of Works and the Water & Sewerage Corporation to ensure that similar unaddressed hazards are removed from public roads across the country to prevent future tragedies.

A devastating car crash in Grand Bahama has claimed the life of a 26-year-old local mother, who passed away in hospital early Sunday morning following a rollover collision with a concrete utility pole along East Sunrise Highway. As of press time, law enforcement officials have not formally published the victim’s full identity, but local community leaders and residents have confirmed she is Nica Julien, a recent employee at Celebration Key and mother to a young son.

According to initial statements from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the collision unfolded just after 11 p.m. Saturday night, involving a burgundy Ford Focus that Julien was operating. First responding officers arrived at the scene to find the young woman thrown outside the damaged vehicle. Emergency Medical Services teams quickly transported her to Rand Memorial Hospital for urgent medical intervention, but her injuries proved too severe, and she was pronounced dead at approximately 12:35 a.m. Sunday.

Preliminary law enforcement investigations have outlined a likely sequence of events leading to the crash. Julien was traveling westbound on East Sunrise Highway when she attempted to overtake another vehicle traveling in the same direction, investigators confirmed. During the maneuver, she lost full control of her sedan. The car veered off the travel lane, struck the central median, rolled multiple times, and ultimately crashed hard into a stationary concrete utility pole. The impact left the vehicle completely totaled, with extensive damage across its frame.

News of Julien’s sudden passing has rippled across Grand Bahama, prompting official condolences from regional government leadership. Ginger Moxey, the Minister for Grand Bahama, released a public statement of mourning on Sunday, extending her deepest sympathies to Julien’s loved ones.

“Today, we join our community in mourning the passing of Nica Julien,” Moxey said in her statement. “To family, friends, and all who knew and loved Nica, please accept our sincere and heartfelt condolences during this time of profound loss.” Moxey added that she and her team were holding Julien’s family in their prayers, saying, “We pray that God grants you comfort, strength, and peace in the days ahead, and that the love and support of those around you will help carry you through. May Nica’s memory forever live on in the hearts of those whose lives she touched.”

Those who knew Julien described her as a vibrant, warm-hearted and caring person. Across local social media platforms, the young mother’s death has sparked a widespread outpouring of grief, with dozens of friends and acquaintances sharing tributes recalling her impact. One close friend remembered Julien as “the light to brighten a room when you enter,” thanking her for “the laughs we shared, the shoulder to cry on, and being the overall gem that you were.” The friend also highlighted Julien’s “infectious smile,” noting that she would be deeply missed by everyone who had the chance to know her.

On the island of Grand Bahama, a critical gap in cardiac care at Rand Memorial Hospital has been closed, thanks to a joint community donation from the Rotary Club of Grand Bahama and local enterprise Coakley International. The two organizations formally presented a brand-new $7,000 electrocardiogram (EKG) machine to the public hospital during a ceremony on Thursday, ending a weeks-long disruption to one of the facility’s most essential diagnostic services.

The gap in service opened weeks earlier, when the hospital’s aging existing EKG machine suffered an irreversible breakdown. Without functioning equipment to detect cardiac irregularities, clinical teams were left without a core tool to evaluate patients presenting with chest pain and other heart-related symptoms. Adelecia Campbell, senior assistant administrator at Rand Memorial Hospital, reached out directly to the Rotary Club for support, drawing on the organization’s long history of standing with the hospital through crises and community needs.

Campbell emphasized in remarks at the presentation that the new machine is far more than an incremental upgrade for the facility. “Our old equipment was worn down after years of constant use, just like any medical device that sees daily use,” she explained. “This new model is far more advanced, and it restores a service that is absolutely central to our daily operations. When a patient arrives with chest discomfort, our physicians depend on EKG results to map out next steps—whether that means immediate treatment or a referral to a cardiac specialist. This machine directly shapes the care we can deliver to our community.”

Campbell also highlighted the Rotary Club of Grand Bahama’s unwavering commitment to the hospital in the years following Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the island in 2019. “They have stood with us every step of the way through every crisis, and we could not be more grateful for their partnership,” she added.

Shane Coakley, chief executive officer of Coakley International—a Bahamian private real estate investment firm currently working to acquire the historic Ginn properties in West End—said his company jumped at the chance to step in when the Rotary Club reached out. After an initial approach to another potential donor fell through, Rotarians turned to their long-time community partner, and Coakley International immediately agreed to split the cost of the equipment.

“As a Bahamian company rooted in this community, we see giving back as a core part of our mission, not an afterthought,” Coakley said. “Every year, we set aside dedicated funding to support local nonprofits, children’s programs, healthcare providers, and community initiatives. This donation is just the first of many investments we plan to make in Grand Bahama as we grow our presence here.”

Rotary founding member and past president Christine Van der Linde noted that two additional local businesses stepped up to make the donation possible: Bahamas Medical and Surgical Supplies secured a discounted rate for the machine, and the Mail Boat Company covered the cost of transporting the equipment to the island. The partnership reflects a broader pattern of local collaboration to address gaps in public healthcare on the island, turning a critical service disruption into an opportunity to improve care for generations of patients.

The donation was celebrated by hospital staff and community leaders gathered in the hospital’s main foyer, marking the end of weeks of uncertainty and the start of enhanced cardiac care for Grand Bahama residents.

Decades of dedicated volunteer work across Bahamian sports, cultural development, and youth empowerment have earned veteran talk show host and community organizer Charles Carlos Mackey the prestigious Outstanding Servant Leadership Award from White House Prayer for Our Nations, a private non-governmental organization. The recognition was presented earlier this month during the group’s 28th anniversary celebration held in Arlington, Virginia.

For Mackey, the host of the long-running radio program *The Best of Sports World* on ZNS, the honor is far more than a personal accolade—it is a validation of a life guided by unwavering faith, a value that has shaped every major choice from his childhood growing up in segregated Daytona Beach, Florida, to his decision to relocate permanently to The Bahamas in 1984.

“I said to myself ‘GOD, this is a grand slam. All the things I’ve done, I know that this is the work you chose for me. I’m walking this path with you all the way,’” Mackey shared in an interview with The Tribune. “I’m just following in your footsteps, because I know you will always stand with me.”

Born to a Bahamian father and a mother from Georgia, Mackey’s early life in the American South was marked by direct encounters with systemic racism that forged his commitment to service. He vividly recalled an incident from childhood when a group of white men surrounded members of his local Black church, hurled vile racial slurs, and blocked the congregation’s exit until a police lieutenant who knew his father intervened to escort the group to safety. “The same kind of hatred you see on television with Dr. King? I lived that when I was just six years old,” Mackey said.

Mackey went on to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where he played collegiate baseball and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health. He later pursued professional baseball stints across the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Caracas, Venezuela, before completing a master’s degree in guidance counselling and education from Bowie State College. Following years of work in rehabilitation and counselling services in the United States, Mackey felt a calling to serve young people in The Bahamas, and made his permanent move to New Providence in 1984.

Within months of arriving, Mackey drew on his U.S. rehabilitation experience to help launch the Dean Granger Centre, a halfway house for men transitioning out of addiction during The Bahamas’ severe national drug crisis of the 1980s. In 1990, he organized a landmark visit of FAMU’s world-famous Marching 100 marching band to New Providence, an outreach effort that ultimately secured full athletic and academic scholarships for three Bahamian students to attend the university. He went on to support youth football clinics hosted by leading historically Black colleges and universities, expand grassroots track and field development programs, and launch a series of cross-cultural exchange initiatives between The Bahamas and U.S. institutions.

In 2010, Mackey led a coalition of local arts leaders to pitch a proposal for a unified national performance band to then Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard. That collaborative effort eventually grew into the Bahamas All Star Band, which has helped dozens of emerging Bahamian musicians secure competitive music scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities.

Throughout his decades of service, Mackey emphasized that public recognition has never been the driving force behind his work. His core mission, he says, has always been rooted in connecting The Bahamas to the broader global community. “If I cannot take The Bahamas to the world,” he said, “I’m gonna bring the world to The Bahamas.”

It has been more than nine years since 21-year-old Phillip Daniel Clare Jr. lost his life after being struck by a vehicle while crossing Tonique Williams Darling Highway, a case that the victim’s parents refused to let go cold. Now, a serving police corporal has finally been formally charged in connection with his death, marking a long-awaited turning point in a case marked by years of delays and unrelenting advocacy from the victim’s family.

Forty-one-year-old Corporal Samuel Rolle, 3847, was granted $8,500 in bail during a hearing before acting Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans on Wednesday. He faces one count of causing Clare’s death through dangerous driving. This development comes nearly two full years after a Coroner’s Court inquest delivered a verdict of gross negligence manslaughter in the case, a finding that cleared the way for formal criminal proceedings.

According to prosecution allegations, Rolle was off duty on January 10, 2017, when he was operating a 2008 Suzuki Swift at excessively high speed. The vehicle struck Clare as the young man attempted to cross the highway to reach Pressure Point Bar to purchase food. Clare sustained catastrophic traumatic injuries in the collision and died shortly after the incident.

During the 2024 coroner’s inquest, the court heard critical details that were not publicly disclosed until that point: responding officers confirmed that Rolle’s vehicle was both unlicensed and uninsured at the time of the crash, yet no traffic-related charges were filed against him in the immediate aftermath of the incident. No plea was required from Rolle during his recent initial appearance before Magistrate Evans, and the case is on track to advance to the Supreme Court via a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI), a procedural path for serious criminal matters.

Prosecuting inspector Deon Barr did not raise any objections to the request for bail. In granting bail, Magistrate Evans ordered that Rolle secure one to two financially responsible sureties, and required him to check in daily at the East Street South Police Station every Thursday before 7 p.m. She also directed the prosecution to move quickly to set an early date for service of the voluntary bill of indictment, specifically noting the extraordinary length of time that Clare’s family has already waited to see the case heard in a court of law. Rolle is scheduled to reappear in court on September 3 to receive the official VBI documentation.

This long-awaited charge is the direct result of years of unrelenting pressure from Clare’s family, who have repeatedly spoken out about the agonizingly slow progress of the case and demanded accountability since the day of the crash. After the coroner’s inquest concluded its work, the full case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to review and make a final determination on whether formal charges would be filed.

When contacted by The Tribune for comment on the years-long delay in advancing the case to court, police press liaison Superintendent Sheria King deferred questions about the timeline to the lead investigator assigned to the matter.

The case first captured widespread public attention back in 2018, when Clare’s parents made a public statement that they were prepared to launch a private prosecution if state prosecutors failed to take action. At that time, The Tribune reported that a memorial wreath honoring Clare sat atop a small stunted tree along the side of Tonique Williams Darling Highway, a quiet but constant public reminder of the fatal crash and the ongoing grief of his parents.

Clare’s mother, Ms. Reckley, shared at the time that she still listened to old WhatsApp voice notes from her son to cope with her overwhelming grief. His father, Phillip Clare Sr., said he still regularly visits his late son’s old bedroom, keeping it largely unchanged from when Phillip lived there. “The room is him,” he said in that 2018 interview. “I just go in the room and look.”

At the time, Ms. Reckley said justice had remained out of the family’s reach for years, and that no one could understand the pain her family had endured. “All I want is justice for Phillip,” she said then, a statement she has repeated consistently in the years since the crash. “No one is getting what I am feeling. My child was knocked down, and they’re like, it’s finished, we’ll just get over it. How can we get over it?”

Kevin Armbrister is representing Rolle in the proceedings.