C M C M Y K Y K WEATHER ! EW N McCOMBO OF THE DAY HIGH 90F THE PEOPLE’S PAPER – BIGGEST AND BEST LOW 76F The Tribune CLOUDS, SUN, T-STORM BAHAMAS EDITION www.tribune242.com Volume: 106 No.248 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25) CARS FOR SALE, 8-Ball S Customs’ ‘empty S S E T E D HELP WANTED I R N I S O S playoffs N threat’ to firms P I U AND REAL ESTATE S B SEE PAGE 1B BAHAMAS BIGGEST SEE PAGE 15 Young woman reported to have attempted suicide By ALISON LOWE Tribune Staff Reporter [email protected] POLICE were called to Students stabbed the condominium home of a young woman on Paradise Island on Wednesday after receiving reports that she had attempted to commit sui- cide. If correct, this would make the incident the sixth attempted or actual suicide in under two weeks — rep- in latest violence SEE page 10 Calls for permanent CONCERNED PARENTS police presence on school campuses By ALISON LOWE Fearful parents who gathered Tribune Staff Reporter outside C I Gibson Junior High [email protected] School, where two male stu- dents were stabbed in a break- A SENIOR school official, time brawl during the morning, the President of the teacher’s were unanimous in their view union, police, parents and coun- that a permanent police pres- selors offered a variety of views ence was needed to quell rowdy yesterday on whether police students in the face of what should be re-introduced as a they believe is escalating vio- permanent presence on school lence in and around school campuses as two students were campuses. stabbed and five more taken President of the Bahamas into custody in the fourth seri- Union of Teachers Belinda Wil- ous outbreak of violence son, who is to face an electoral involving school children to take place in as many days. SEE page two The parents of student shooting victim reflect on ‘senseless crime’ f By AVA TURNQUEST f a Tribune Staff Reporter t s [email protected] e n u b i AS REPORTS of student violence in the capital escalate, r T / the parents of Rashad Rolle, a recent student victim, reflect on e k how the “senseless crime” has affected their family. r a l The Elizabeth Estates family are not seeking vengeance for C Rashad’s shooting only saddened that their son’s injuries are just m i one casualty in an overwhelming tide of youth violence. T Rashad’s father, Gregory Rolle, a 45-year-old self-employed mason, and his mother, Janet Taylor, a 44-year-old janitress, told SHOW OF CONCERN: Parents stand outside the gates of C I Gibson yesterday after two male students were stabbed in a break-time brawl. The Tribune of how on that tragic day their entire world was changed forever. Majority of Call for govt Prison record Date set for SEE page 11 staff at ZNS investigation defended by hearing into ‘walk off job’ over worker’s Dr Elliston Grant-Bethel UNIONIZED workers at ‘severe illness’ Rahming the Bahamas Broadcasting decision Corporation were reportedly By DENISE MAYCOCK By NOELLE NICOLLS By NATARIO McKENZIE told to walk off the job yes- Tribune Freeport Reporter Tribune Staff Reporter Tribune Staff Reporter terday, amid reports that [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] those same workers locked their union president inside FREEPORT - The govern- THE prison’s record speaks A DATE was set yesterday his Farrington Road office for ment is being called on to inves- for itself, said Dr Elliston Rah- for a judicial review hearing nearly an hour. tigate operations at Bradford ming in response to claims that into the decision not to It is understood that the Marine after an employee was the Prison Staff Association has appoint Cheryl Grant-Bethel reportedly diagnosed with a declared its opposition to his to the post of Director of Pub- majority – if not all – of the severe, possibly life-threaten- reporters and staff at ZNS left reappointment. lic Prosecutions. ing respiratory illness that is Dr Rahming’s current con- the corporation yesterday at believed to be commonly asso- While that hearing has been the request of the Bahamas tract, soon to expire, will require set for January 2011, Mrs ciated with sandblasting. the government to appoint a suc- Communications and Public The activist group Families Grant-Bethel’s attorneys were cessor by February 2011, or presented yesterday with their Officers Union. For Justice is concerned that make a reappointment at the However, reports also indi- the health of other employees first legal hurdle. During a SEE page 11 SEE page 10 SEE page 10 SEE page 10 NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER C M C M Y K Y K PAGE 2, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 THE TRIBUNE LOCAL NEWS Crabs for Computers initiative finally nets laptop funds By REUBEN SHEARER jects and class assignments. Now they is in talks with Flamingo Air and Lee- cil of Mangrove Cay, Mr Pretzel’s, Tribune Staff Reporter will have full access to modern tech- Air to arrange a flight to leave Nassau Scotia Bank International, Kelly’s [email protected] nology, and complete their work in at 1 pm for Mangrove Cay to take Home Centre, Commonwealth Bank, real time. those attending the ceremony from CIBC, Our Lady’s Catholic Church, THE Mangrove Cay District has The Crabs for Computers initiative Nassau to make the presentations. Holy Family Catholic Church, Flamin- finally collected enough funds to pur- was launched by administrator Gilbert They will return to Nassau by charter go Air, Lee Air, Bahamasair, chase 19 laptops for primary and high Kemp who inspired many Bahamians at 6 pm. Bahamas Subs and the Deputy Prime school students who participated in to believe that they could have a good To ensure that the majority of the Minister and his wife were sponsors of the Crabs for Computers initiative start by getting a real reward with island is covered with wireless internet the project. during the summer months. hard work. access, the Mangrove Cay District is Governor-general Sir Arthur Gilbert Kemp, administrator of the The students reached the goal of still accepting donations for more lap- Foulkes will also attend. programme told The Tribune yester- the project by raising $9,000 to catch tops and powerful routers to place at day that the children of Mangrove and sell crabs, to use the money for various spots on the island. COLLECTING CRABS: The initiative has Cay were inquiring about the use of the purchase of Compaq laptops. The Tribune, Omni Technologies, raised enough funds for 19 laptops. laptops to do research for their pro- According to Mr Kemp, the council Galleria Cinemas, the District Coun- FROM page one Students stabbed in latest violence challenge on Tuesday, called for “beefed up security” at pub- iar scene – a group of ten par- cation Desmond Bannister lic schools in the form of added ents and other relatives of stu- found himself privy to a first reservists and retired police dents at the school gathered hand view of school violence officers joining school security, outside the school’s gates seek- when he saw CV Bethel Senior and more frequent police ing information after receiving High School students that had patrols on and outside campus- word that there may have been just left school very quickly get es, but said she did not want to multiple stabbings inside. caught up in a brawl with other see a permanent police pres- Several were frustrated that young men and students from a ence. they were not given the oppor- private school in a nearby plaza. Meanwhile, former principal tunity to speak with their rela- The fight led to the arrest of Dressler Sherman, District tives inside. Some shouted three people. Students, along Superintendent of Schools for insults at the school security with others involved in the the north eastern area of New who stood guard by the locked brawl, were seen throwing Providence, who has responsi- school gate, suggesting the inci- rocks, wielding cutlasses and bility for C I Gibson school and dent proved they were not one was even witnessed wield- three others said she felt police doing a good enough job. ing a gun. Mr Bannister had in schools would make little dif- Grandmother of a 14-year- been in the area to observe first ference to the levels of violence old student at the school, Della hand what happens when if no other efforts were made to Thomas, said: “The police school children are leaving address the root cause of the should’ve been here before the schools, amid fears that it is problem, and may even be fight started. The Government during this time that students counter productive. needs to do something about are most prone to starting or “Is it deterrent or are we fur- this situation now before some- vulnerable to getting caught up ther making police powerless one gets killed because that’s in fights. that they would be fighting in what’s going to happen. This is On the same day a 16-year- front of them? war. They need to go in each old CC Sweeting high school Their comments came after class and take out the bad kids, student was attacked in a sepa- the stabbing incident at C I other ones want to learn.” rate incident by a number of Gibson Junior High School, “If they don’t have enough students and subsequently which police said resulted in police get reserve fellas who stabbed.