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Save The Bays Chairman: ‘Hottest year on record in 120 Years, Bahamas facing Grave Danger, cannot afford to delay action on Climate Change’

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Bahamas, January 26, 2017 – On the heels of official news that the 2016 was the hottest year on record globally since weather record-keeping began in the 1880s, (www.edition.cnn.co), Save The Bays Chairman Joe Darville urged the nation’s leaders to act before up to 80% of the islands of The Bahamas are swallowed or inundated by water from rising seas caused by climate change.

Darville, a climate change lecturer certified by Al Gore, stepped up his year-long efforts in the face of what he says “is irrefutable evidence that we are on a path to becoming little more than a memory of a forgotten time when we were once the most beautiful place on earth.”

“The very same waters that inspired astronaut Scott Kelly to declare The Bahamas to be ‘the most beautiful place from space’ could be inundated by water from rising seas in our grandchildren’s lifetime,” said Darville.  At 75, the lifelong educator and human and environmental rights advocate has vowed to spend his remaining years sharing the message of protecting and preserving The Bahamas. In recent weeks, he stepped up those efforts, talking to students, appearing on radio, participating in interviews, spreading the warning wherever he could that the time for talk is over, the time for action is now.

“We have only 5,300 square miles of land in 100,000 square miles of ocean and the prediction is that by the end of this century 80% of our islands will be inundated by the sea,” said Darville. “We must be prepared, we must be alert.  We owe it to our children and to generations to come to do everything in our power to mitigate against the effects of climate change.  We cannot stop it, but we can slow it down and it is up to us to do that and we can.”

According to Darville, mitigation can take several forms. First, he says, is protection of life by making the tough decision not to allow people to rebuild on treacherous, low-lying properties where stronger hurricanes in the future that will form in the Atlantic will strike with little warning and could swallow entire seafronts.  He points to land in Grand Bahama that has receded 35 feet in a decade and the home where he grew up in Long Island that was washed away by Hurricane Joaquin.

Next, he says, Bahamians must reduce the nation’s carbon footprint.  Though not large relative to highly industrialized nations, the local footprint could be significantly reduced by growing more food locally, establishing green spaces, trading fossil fuels for sustainable power supply sources and requiring a less harmful type of fuel for jet aircraft.  “Today, 30 million tons of carbon is emitted into the atmosphere by jets every year, burning the ozone layer,” he said.  And, he suggests, it is time that Bahamians revived the art of boatbuilding.

“We are going to be a floating country, I don’t want to scare people but I want to alert our people, to wake them up to what is happening around us.  There are those who say that what we are seeing is just part of Mother Nature’s cycle.  Yes, it is part of a cycle but climate change is speeding it up in a way we have never experienced before. That is why each of the last three years has been recorded as the hottest year in history.  We have seen 20,000-year cycles but this cycle is accelerated by 300% because of industrial pollution, greenhouse effects and what we have done to alter the environment.  I just want us to be aware, to develop a plan and realize this is happening right now, not in the future, but before our very eyes and only we have the power to change it.”

Launched in 2013, Save The Bays has been an outspoken non-government organization promoting environmental protection, freedom of information and an end to unregulated development through education, legal and public awareness campaigns. Its Facebook posts draw more than 20,000 friends and its 6-point petition www.savethebays.bs, has some 7,000 signatures.

 

#MagneticMediaNews  #SaveTheBays

 

 

 

Bahamas News

Royal Bahamas Police Force – ARRAIGNMENT NOTICE

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The Bahamas, August 27, 2026 – The Royal Bahamas Police Force wishes to inform members of the public that several individuals are scheduled to appear before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 27th August 2026, at 12:00 noon.

The individuals and charges are as follows:

An 18-year-old female is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:

Three (3) counts of Murder
Three (3) counts of Attempted Murder
Three (3) counts of Possession of a Firearm with Intent to Endanger Life
Three (3) counts of Possession of an Unlicensed Firearm
Two (2) counts of Possession of Ammunition
Armed Robbery
Abetment to Armed Robbery
Stealing
Receiving

The charges stem from three separate shooting incidents and an armed robbery that occurred on Friday, 21st August 2026, and Saturday, 22nd August 2026.

The first shooting occurred in the area of Soldier Road and Baillou Hill Road, resulting in the death of a 51-year-old male.

The second shooting occurred in the area of Joe Farrington Road, resulting in the death of a 52-year-old male.

The third shooting occurred in the area of Gladstone Road, resulting in the death of a 36-year-old male.

The armed robbery occurred at a business establishment in the area of Carmichael Road and Baillou Hill Road.

A 21-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on one charge of:

  • Murder

The charge stems from a shooting incident that occurred on Tuesday, 21st July 2026, in the area of Samson Street, Nassau Village, which resulted in the death of a 28-year-old male.

A 32-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:

  • Murder
  • Attempted Murder

These charges stem from a shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday, 24th December 2025, in the area of Graham Drive, Yellow Elder, which resulted in the death of a 25-year-old male.

 

RBPF, PACD

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Saunders Tells Caribbean Media: Be Seen, Be Heard – But What About TCI

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by Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

 

PROVIDENCIALES, TCI — In a country where government press conferences are virtually non-existent, ministers are often difficult for journalists to access and regular broadcast television news has disappeared, TCI Innovation, Technology and Energy Minister E. Jay Saunders has challenged Caribbean media to become “impossible to ignore.”

Speaking at the Caribbean Broadcasting Union gathering, Saunders argued that the Caribbean does not have a relevance problem but a “discoverability and positioning problem.”

Discoverability is precisely the issue in Saunders’ home country. Even Government’s own attempts at video news broadcasting have struggled against the realities of consistently producing a daily, weekly or even monthly newscast.

The difficulties confronting TCI media extend well beyond algorithms: limited advertising revenue, underfunding, shortages of trained professionals and insufficient human capacity leave newsrooms struggling for both staff and stamina.

Then there is the reality of operating in one of the region’s smallest societies. Politicians, journalists, advertisers, businesses and the subjects of stories often exist within the same tight economic and social circles. A controversial report that might create a ripple elsewhere can produce a tsunami in TCI, intensifying concerns among journalists about commercial and professional victimisation.

Saunders believes AI can help.

He urged Caribbean media to use the technology to transform one original story into television, radio, web, podcast, social and translated content without multiplying newsroom workload.

He also wants regional journalism structured so AI systems can find, understand and trust Caribbean sources, moving media beyond traditional SEO into Answer Engine Optimisation.

His ultimate message was emphatic: “Use AI not to make Caribbean media more artificial — but to make Caribbean voices more visible.”

For Turks and Caicos media, however, becoming visible may require more than technology. It requires an environment in which journalism can survive.

That last sentence is where I think we land the plane. It acknowledges that EJ actually has some us

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Bahamas News

Bahama Brass Band Invitation Sparks Heritage Debate Ahead of TCI Constitutional Holiday

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Turks and Caicos, August 20, 2026 – The planned participation of the Bahama Brass Band in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ inaugural Constitutional Holiday celebrations on August 30 has sparked public debate over culture, heritage and the historical contributions of Turks and Caicos Islanders abroad.

Organizers defended the invitation, saying the band’s inclusion is intended to highlight the deep historical ties between the two countries and honor Turks and Caicos men who helped establish and develop the institution in Grand Bahama.

According to the organizers, the Bahama Brass Band began in 1955 in Pine Ridge, Freeport, with Turks and Caicos Islanders, including the late Deacon Reuben Hall Sr. of Middle Caicos and Jenkins Williams and Mervin Hendfield of North Caicos, among those who helped build its foundation. The band eventually grew to more than 50 men.

The organizers also pointed to the participation of Turks and Caicos men in The Bahamas’ Independence celebrations on July 10, 1973, arguing that their contributions became part of Bahamian history while maintaining strong connections to their homeland.

Supporters say bringing the band home represents an opportunity to honor those pioneers, showcase their regional influence and expose younger generations to an important part of Turks and Caicos history.

However, concerns raised publicly described the invitation as potentially disrespectful to local culture and heritage. Organizers acknowledged those concerns, apologizing to anyone who felt overlooked or offended, while maintaining that no disrespect was intended.

The committee said the event should ultimately unite rather than divide, presenting the band’s history as evidence of the reach and resilience of Turks and Caicos heritage.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bahamas Brass Band

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