November 2002 Table of Contents

RADIO ABACO NEWS

Boat Thefts: A 17 year old youth was taken into custody by police on 16th September and was charged before a juvenile panel of stealing from boats moored in Marsh Harbour harbour. The youth had been seen rowing a small boat to several anchored craft by Kenny Long of Long’s Landing. The youth was initially apprehended by Roger Jones, a visitor to the island, and was handed over to Martin Johnson of Citizens Against Crime. Johnson in turn handed the youth over to the police whose investigations indicate that the youth would steal from boats in Marsh Harbour and then go on to Freeport and Nassau stealing from boats in anchorages. There are 17 charges against the youth in Nassau, eight in Freeport and seven in Marsh Harbour.

Cherokee Crash: The Cherokee Sound school bus was rammed from behind on the Cherokee road, shaking up the eight students aboard. The incident occurred at about 4.30 pm on 18th September. Michelle Lowe, the school principal, was driving the Plymouth bus and was being followed by Diane Sutherland, a teacher at Cherokee Sound All-Age School. Ms Lowe had stopped the bus to chastise some noisy students when Ms Sutherland’s car ran into the bus. Ms Sutherland was taken by Trauma One to Dr Boyce’s office with injuries to the head and lower legs.

Not Good Enough: During a visit to north and central Abaco medical clinics the Minister of Health Dr Marcus Bethel said that the facilities for Marsh Harbour were insufficient and would be upgraded in the future. He noted that the previous government’s plans for a mini hospital in Marsh Harbour were “not off the table”.

Regatta Coverage: Radio Abaco was able to give extensive coverage to the 6th All-Abaco Regatta from aboard a yacht provided by Moorings Ltd of Marsh Harbour. See ALL-ABACO REGATTA.

Break-ins: The glass front door to Abaco Hardware in Marsh Harbour was broken into before 6 am on 23rd September. Manager Robin Albury noted that with 26,000 items it was hard to tell what was missing. One till was missing along with some petty cash. A month later A & K Liquor Store was also broken into by means of a smashed glass door. This time the thief or thieves concentrated on Bacardi Gold rum, dropping and smashing some bottles as they left the premises.

Abaco People: A television news magazine Abaco People, produced by Radio Abaco for airing on ZNS TV, got off to a rocky start. The first programme was blacked out in Abaco and did not run at all the second week. The third show was shown on an unscheduled date. By this time Radio Abaco was getting pretty frustrated. It turned out that the digital format used by Radio Abaco was not compatible with ZNS TV’s equipment and the corporation demanded extra money for the conversion. In recent weeks Abaco People has aired successfully on Monday evenings.

Here a Church, There a Church: It’s official - there are now 67 churches on Abaco, one for every 200 people. The latest church is Change Ministry pastored by Samuel Cornish who presents real pentecostal ministry in the Dove Plaza complex.

Charlie Boo Yard Fire: Ten people are homeless after a 5th October fire at Charlie Boo Yard, Marsh Harbour, destroyed four houses which were built close together. The Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire Department responded with three fire engines and prevented further spread of the fire.

Record Turn-Out: Free cancer examinations for men and women were held island wide on 5th October and a record number of members of the public responded. Pap smears, breast and digital examinations were performed by doctors from Nassau and Freeport as well as Abaco. Dr Ronald Knowles of Nassau noted that his first female patient had a problem and she would now be able to seek treatment at an early stage in the disease.

Contract Awarded: A contract for the upkeep of the Marsh Harbour dump site was awarded by the Central Abaco Council to Alex Archer of Ace Garbage Collection. There were five bidders for the contract which calls for the dump to be open to the public for 11 hours a day in summer and 10 in winter, with the area to be cleared on a regular basis.

Night Watchmen Needed: Two years ago the Central Abaco Council appointed night watchmen for Central Abaco Primary School and Abaco Central High School on a temporary basis for six months. During that time the Ministry of Education was asked to provide funds to allow the watchmen to be retained. No funds were forthcoming and the schools are now open to theft and vandalism. Although Abaco Central High School has a fence, the gates are unable to be locked. Over the weekend of 12th October the vice principal’s office door was smashed in and a cash box containing about $50 was stolen.

Cemetery Beautified: One of the requirements for graduation from Abaco Central High School is the completion of 24 hours of community service. Several Grade 12 students, led by Rosie Demosthenes, have elected to clean up and plant flowers at the Haitian cemetery on S C Bootle Highway which has had no upkeep for several years.

November 2002 Table of Contents