WEATHER TRY OUR McFLURRY SNICKERS HIGH 88F LATEST NEWS ON WWW.TRIBUNE242.COM LOW 78F The Tribune SUNNY AND THE PEOPLE’S PAPER BREEZY BIGGEST AND BEST Volume: 107 No.160 TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25) CARS FOR SALE, Top athletes S Minka on E S E R T D HELP WANTED get set for U R I T S O A N the runway P I E AND REAL ESTATE NCAA Outdoors S F SEE WOMAN SECTION BAHAMAS BIGGEST SEE SECTION E CYNTHIA ‘MOTHER’ BISHOP’S WIFE TELLS COURT . PRATT DEFENDS REPUTATION AGAINST ILLEGAL FIREARM ‘INSINUATIONS’ By CELESTE NIXON Tribune Staff Reporter [email protected] FORMER deputy prime minister Cynthia Pratt defended her reputation ‘We had sex in same against “insinuations” regard- ing the discovery of an illegal firearm on her property. During what was her final budget contribution in Par- liament, Mrs Pratt passion- ately defended her record, reputation and character yes- terday, denying she was con- nected to any criminal activi- ty during her term as DPM and Minister of National room as our children’ Security. Mrs Pratt, who is affection- ately referred to by many By NATARIO Prosecutors have Bahamians as “Mother”, is McKENZIE accused Fraser, 53, of SOLAR-POWERED BINS TO HELP CLEAN UP BAY STREET f Tribune Staff abusing his position f a SEE page 10 t s Reporter of trust by having a e nmckenzie@ sexual relationship n u tribunemedia.net b with a 16-year-old i r T girl he had agreed to / PLP DEPUTY EXPECTS e THE wife of Bap- counsel. k r a tist Bishop Earl It is alleged that l MURDER TOLL TO C Randy Fraser testi- Fraser, pastor of Pil- m i REACH 125 THIS YEAR fied yesterday that it grim Baptist Temple T By PAUL G TURNQUEST was not unusual for on St James Road, Tribune Staff Reporter she and her husband had a sexual rela- [email protected] to have sex while in tionship with the girl the same room as ACCUSED: Bishop between July 2005 AT THE present rate of their children. Randy Fraser and February 2006. murders being committed in When asked by Fraser denies the the Bahamas, PLP Deputy her husband’s attorney Jiaram allegations and remains on Leader Philip Davis said he Mangra whether she and her $10,000 bail. expects the death toll to husband during their 22 years Mrs Fraser claimed yester- reach 125 by the end of the of marriage had ever had sex day she did not see anything year. while their two children were wrong with her husband He claims the record- in the same room Mrs Fraser counselling the complainant breaking figure will be replied, “Yes, sir.” as he often counselled boys reached so long as the gov- Prosecutor Franklyn and girls and who were her ernment fails to make fight- Williams questioned whether age at the time of the alleged ing crime a national priori- her testimony about having incidents. ty. sex with her husband in his Mrs Fraser told the court During his contribution to church office while in close she never told anyone she and the 2011/2012 national bud- proximity to their two chil- her husband had sex in his get, Mr Davis, described the dren was a “concoction.” Mrs church office. recent surge in violent crime Fraser claimed it was not. Mrs Fraser also said that as the “most serious prob- In her previous testimony, during a confrontation with lem” facing the country Mrs Fraser corroborated her the complainant’s family on today. husband's evidence that dur- Palm Sunday, 2006, she never “The most fundamental ing power outages at their confirmed that the voice on right any government owes Eastwood Estates home she, a recording played in her its citizens is personal safety. her husband, and their two presence was that of her hus- The citizens of the Bahamas daughters went to the bish- band. deserve the right to live, op's church office. She said The trial was adjourned to work and move about peace- on some occasions, while their June 20 when attorneys in the children were asleep in an case are expected to present SEE page 10 inner room in the office, she their closing statements and her husband were inti- before Deputy Chief Magis- mate. trate Carolita Bethel. IN THE BIN: Trash is placed in a new BigBelly Solar Compactor – a compacting trash receptacle completely powered by solar energy – on Bay Street yesterday. The device can hold ‘five to six times’ as much garbage CHILD INJURED IN as the regular bins now lining Bay Street. SANDILANDS VILLAGE • SEE PAGE FIVE FIRE DIES IN HOSPITAL THE Sandilands Village fire claimed the life of anoth- ‘MILLIONS PASSED THROUGH STAFF’ IN VEHICLE LICENSING SCAM er victim yesterday. One of POLICE estimate “millions of dollars” have vehicles through this unauthorised scheme to the surviving children who passed through the hands of employees at the bring their vehicles into CDU. He said the was fighting for life at Princess Road Traffic Department involved in a vehicle police have a list of well over 100 registra- Margaret Hospital died yes- licensing scam. tions. terday. Ten employees were arrested by police in “Either you come or we come and get you,” Funeral services were held the fraud investigation that started six months said Supt Rolle. last week for three other chil- ago. The vehicles licensed under this scheme dren killed in the tragic blaze. Superintendent Paul Rolle, head of the Cen- could be stolen, said Supt Rolle. The children remain venti- tral Detective Unit (CDU) said the police More arrests are expected in the investiga- lated and managed by a team took four employees into custody this week, tion. One of the employees arrested was a 52- of specialists in the Intensive with the others having been arrested last week. year-old woman, who had been 18 years on the Care Unit, including paedia- The scam has been in operation for about two job. One of the male employees arrested was tricians, anesthesiologist, neu- years, according to police estimates. rosurgeons, and critical care Supt Rolle appealed to drivers who licensed SEE page 10 paediatric nurses. Get out of debt Fast! Get out of Debt Fast with a Fidelity t Decisions Fast Fast Track Debt Consolidation loan. t Money Fast tPlus Visa Credit Card Fast Call 356.7764 today! www.fidelitygroup.com NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER PAGE 2, TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011 THE TRIBUNE LOCAL NEWS EDUCATION SPECIAL REPORT L W Young Junior High School makes technological leap By NOELLE NICOLLS Tribune Staff Reporter [email protected] THE transition from type- writer to keyboard has been a success at L.W. Young Junior High School, which is leading the pack in computer educa- tion in the public school sys- tem. While some students are still required to use typewriters to sit the annual keyboarding exam for the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Edu- cation (BGCSE), students at L.W. Young have access to some of the most modern tech- nology in the public school sys- tem. Principal Janet Nixon said the school has some way to go before donning the title of cut- ting edge, but it is well on its THE new technology at L W Young Junior High School. way. Thanks to a major dona- /Tribune staff tion by Scotia Bank, the school Tim Clarke is currently configuring a new modern languages lab that will with them,” said Ms Gibson, “Let us get them seeing this have 30 networked computers who is also teacher of the year language in action. Once they by the start of the new school at the school. see it, I think their apprecia- year. Not only will the new lab tion for a second language will Inside the lab, students will help to strengthen the language be deepened and strength- participate in inter-classroom based skills of the students, it ened,” she said. exchanges with classrooms all will allow teachers to take the Even teachers at L.W. software and provide technical “We are having refurbish- help of private sponsorship. over in the world. Language classroom beyond the school’s Young have dedicated com- support to teachers. ment of our physical plants Computer teachers at the students will have access to gates. puters. The Teacher’s Resource The primary lab at the school every single year. H.O. Nash is school have a vision for the online resources like vocabu- Lab is equipped with about 12 is administered by Linda Rah- a good example of where we school and the ministry on the lary and word builders with computers, where teachers can ming, a computer teacher at the have challenges. The school is whole. Ms Rahming said she audio and visual tools to assist Internet enter grades into the student school. This lab was also pri- about 41 or 42 years old; The hopes to see the programme in learning the “correct pro- information management soft- vately funded. The 24 student mechanical and electrical had expand beyond keyboard, and nunciation” of words. Because “We have had many kids this ware. computers are used in comput- to be redone completely. L.W. even Pitman, the computer cer- of the contained lab environ- year who illness took the better Ms Nixon said the Software er classes and during break Young, C.H. Reeves are simi- tification system used in some ment, other classes will not be part of them. So they were out Technology Inc (STI) system, times for student projects.