Bahamas News
Caribbean Wines & Spirits Raises $7,200 for National Art Gallery with Immersive Art and Dining Experience
Nassau, BAHAMAS — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS) hosted an intimate and immersive dining experience with the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) to mark the opening of NELEVEN: Into the Void, the 11th National Exhibition featuring of 23 Bahamian artists.
The evening was the perfect blend of culinary finesse and art. Throughout different stages of the experience, guests enjoyed the finest
champagnes, wines and cognacs provided by CWS.
Keeping true to its philanthropic pillar, CWS sold all tickets and raised $7,200 for the NAGB.
Waylon McHardy, General Manager for Caribbean Wines & Spirits spoke to what prompted CWS to host, “A Night at the Museum.”
“As a 100% Bahamian owned company which is focused on the advancement of culture, we felt it was important to contribute towards the growth of Bahamians in the orange economy.” McHardy said.
Maelynn Ford, Director of the NAGB expressed her gratitude in receiving such a generous donation from CWS.
“I am so pleased that Caribbean Wines & Spirits saw the opening of this National Exhibition, not only as an opportunity to showcase their phenomenal wine selection, but also to donate to the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. We look forward to deepening this partnership.”
she said. 60 philanthropists were welcomed to the museum with glasses of Bleu Brut and Brut Rosé from CWS’ Besserat de Bellefon champagne line along with various hors d’oeuvres. For an hour they had exclusive access to view NELEVEN: Into the Void, which was unveiled to the public only days before.
DeCarlo McPhee, Sales Advisor for CWS shared why Besserat de Bellefon champagne and rosé were the perfect sips to start the evening.
“For an evening such as this there is no better way to greet our guests than with champagne from the “Maison” Besserat de Bellefon. Founded in 1843 this champagne house is known for its elegance and finesse. It has fine bubbles that are pleasing to the sight and palate making a great start to a beautiful night.” he said.
Following their gallery exploration, guests were invited into the ballroom which held various art pieces, one being from artist Jonnique
Beadle. Before dinner, host Nicholas Mitchell gave a warm welcome and an overview of dinner, officially starting the culinary portion of the night. Patrons indulged in a delicious six course Italian tasting menu fused with many Bahamian delights prepared by Chef Alexandra Maillis-Lynch.
Dishes such as the: thyme and goat pepper braised Bahamian octopus, with roasted bone marrow on squid ink risotto, and the seared fish, with creamy coconut sauce, on fried breadfruit bruschetta offered an explosion of flavor.
Guests enjoyed a curated selection of exceptional Italian wines from CWS’ extensive collection. The wines—Villa Matilde Greco di Tufo, Tenuta Sette Ponti Crognolo, Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto, Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco, Michele Chiarlo Barolo, and Fonseca 10-Year—
were carefully curated to complement each course, creating a complete gastronomic experience. At the dinner’s midpoint Beadle spoke to the audience about her straw mannequins ‘Straw Doll Series: Sentinel and Nexus Nostalgia’ along with the exhibit’s Co-curator, Letitia Pratt.
Artist Jordanna Kelly was also in attendance. Her piece titled ‘95%’ which she co-created with fellow artist Jenna Chaplin is partially sponsored by Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), CWS’ sister company.
After the final course, guests were escorted outside to the gallery’s lawn which was transformed into a tropical lounge for the final treat of the night – cognac and cigars. Guests got exclusive access to CWS’ newest product ABK6, the finest French cognac in The Bahamas. The cognac was perfectly accompanied by hand rolled cigars from Graycliff.
“In our desire to give our guests the ultimate dining experience we chose to give them a taste from our ABK6 line, an exquisite French single estate cognac. We featured the VSOP, XO Renaissance and the Honey Cognac Liqueur, all of which were thoroughly enjoyed.” McPhee revealed.
Guests left the evening transformed by the incredible blend of culinary and artistic flair. CWS is proud to have hosted such a successful event in support of programming at the NAGB.
To learn more about the latest products, sampling schedules and upcoming events, visit Caribbean Wines & Spirits’ website at www.cwsbahamas.com.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
1st insert: Guests seen engaging in stimulating conversation at the start of the dinner. Photo credit: Travis Bastian
2nd insert: Jordanna Kelly adorns a bright smile in her piece titled ‘95%’ which is partially sponsored by Coca-Cola. Photo credit: Travis Bastian
3rd insert: A big smile along with the various cognacs CWS offers from the ABK6 line. Photo credit: Travis Bastian
4th insert: Bubbles Galore: CWS Team members standing at their champagne stations, one being a lush champagne wall to greet guests. Photo credit: Travis Bastian
5th insert: An up-close shot of Chef Alexandra’s seared fish, with a creamy coconut sauce, on fried breadfruit bruschetta. Photo credit: Travis Bastian
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
-
TCI News7 days agoExperience Turks and Caicos and Aquila Host Product Development Workshops to Strengthen Sister Islands Tourism
-
News5 days agoThe Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
-
Bahamas News2 days agoTens of Millions Announced – Where is the Development?
-
News4 days agoStrong December Performance Signals Continued Demand for the Turks and Caicos Islands
-
Bahamas News1 day agoGroundbreaking for Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre
-
News6 days agoMulti-Agency Planning Enforcement Operation Conducted at multiple locations in Providenciales
-
Caribbean News5 days agoMottley Sworn in After Historic Clean Sweep in Barbados Election
-
Health1 day agoWhat to Look for with Self-Checks at Home