News
Turks and Caicos Poker Run a lifeline for Kidney patients!
#TurksandCaicos, June 25, 2024 – “The Poker Run is a Godsend, the greatest group of men and women you can find. These guys are a blessing to the Kidney Foundation. We get a donation from them every year and we look forward to that and if they don’t show up, we are in trouble,” Rueben Hall President of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Kidney Foundation declared recently.
Come the weekend of July 26-28, the Turks and Caicos Boat Club will host its 10th Annual Poker Run and again the Kidney Foundation along with the Turks and Caicos Diabetic Association and Abuse Awareness Turks and Caicos will be this year’s
beneficiaries.
The Poker Run which starts at Haven Down Rock Marina with usually four stops along the way before the grand finale at the Turtle Cove Marina, offers up $30,000 in prizes.
When Hall joined the organization 10 years ago, now having served as president for the past eight years, there were only 21 dialysis patients but that number has more than doubled and is now at 55.
When the kidneys no longer work properly, dialysis is used to try to achieve balance by imitating the fluid and toxin removal functions of healthy kidneys. But for many kidney patients, treatment three times per week may not be enough and this can put stress on their hearts. This makes the work of the Kidney Foundation especially vital as it seeks to cater to the social well-being of affected patients, many of whom cannot hold a steady job, having to undergo dialysis treatment as many as three times a week. The procedure lasts for three hours or more and is physically demanding, with the patient usually exhausted by the process.
While the government provides some support by providing airfare for individuals who must travel outside the Turks and Caicos in order to access dialysis treatment, the money needed for food and a place to stay is usually not covered. There is no provision for caregivers, usually only one person’s airfare is covered and this makes it unattractive even for relatives to come onboard for the trip which is usually to Jamaica or the Dominican Republic, for a week at least.
Helping to cover these costs is where most of the Kidney Foundation funds are directed; but as the financial demand grows there are no additional sources of income, even as the recurrent costs grow. These include the provision of gift baskets, greeting cards and money.
“At Christmas time we do something special for all the patients because many of them are lonely people as most do not have families. During the Christmas we’ll have dinner for them, give them gifts, a card and sometimes some money. Ninety-five per cent of them are not working because they can’t hold down a steady job, so people won’t hire them,” Hall lamented.
He again appealed to the private sector to support the Kidney Foundation and other such worthy causes.
“The cost is becoming more and more every year because you get and more people going away almost every month for treatment and
that’s where the bulk of the assistance that we receive goes and we have other expenses that we deal with as well.”
This includes the observance of World Kidney Day which is celebrated globally every second Tuesday of March with activities such as health screenings and education campaigns, all geared to promoting kidney health.
The TCI Kidney Foundation uses the observance to share messages with school children and educators which promote the need to develop and maintain healthful eating habits from early on in order to avoid lifestyles which often lead to lifestyle diseases.
Getting the buy-in of corporate Turks and Caicos is critical to the future of the country’s population because of the need for a comprehensive sustained public awareness campaign to help low-income families to understand that kidney damage most times can be traced to poor food choices started in childhood.
“Getting them to understand that message is at the core of our public awareness and treatment of the disease,” Hall explained.
“We have a very poor diet system here, so 99.9 per cent of the people on dialysis are in the low-income class because they are forced to eat certain things since eating health is so expensive. So we try to educate persons not to feed the children certain kinds of food so we say to people, ‘Try and avoid smoking, avoid drinking too much alcohol and cut down on the salt in your diet’ and we try to educate our children in the school setting.”
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
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
Bahamas News
Bahama Brass Band Invitation Sparks Heritage Debate Ahead of TCI Constitutional Holiday
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
