September 2003 Table of Contents

RADIO ABACO NEWS

The Power of Prayer: The Church of God in Dundas Town has been the target of several break ins in recent months. On 23rd July Pastor Campbell found a youth in his office during a church service. The following Saturday 26th July at 4.30 am the church office was broken into again by an 18 year old man. This time the office was occupied by visiting minister Lance Hobby of Mississippi. It is reported the man forced a pair of scissors against Hobby’s neck and demanded money. True to his commitment, Hobby started to pray for the intruder who turned contrite and walked with Hobby to the nearby home of Rev Campbell. The police were called and the intruder taken into custody.

Traffic Fatality: 18 year old Anton Edgecombe lost control of his black 1991 Isuzu pick up truck on S C Bootle Highway in Coopers Town at around 6.45 am on 26th July and drove into a large boulder. He was taken to Coopers Town Clinic then flown to Nassau by air ambulance. He succumbed to his injuries early next morning at Princess Margaret Hospital.

PM Opens Port: Prime Minister Hon Perry Christie officially opened Marsh Harbour’s new port facilities on 28th July. Minister of Transport and Aviation Hon Glenys Hanna-Martin performed the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony before several hundred Abaco luminaries. Minister Hanna-Martin noted that the port was the first and only government owned and operated container port in The Bahamas and would be manned by 20 members of staff. Prime Minister Christie, with a touch of humour, said that he expected greater revenue to be collected. The new facilities consist of an administration building and a customs warehouse and sit upon 15 acres of land. American Bridge did the construction, using mostly Abaconian labour, at a cost of $11 million.

US Tourists Arrested: Two Florida residents, James Allen Dodd, 38, and Crystal Lee Bright, 35, were charged in Marsh Harbour court on 5th August on charges of possessing a quantity of dynamite, a .9mm Ruger, 40 rounds of matching ammunition, 4 grams of cocaine and half a pound of marijuana. The pair had been staying at a rental facility on Abaco at the time of their arrest. They were both denied bail by magistrate Crawford McKee. The accused will spend time in Fox Hill prison until their next hearing on 27th August.

One Man Crusade: Many people grumble about the illegal Haitian communities on Abaco. Jeffrey Cooper of Fire Road has decided to do something about them, particularly the illegal settlements in north Abaco. On 7th August he toured Sand Banks, near to Treasure Cay, and noted that between 17 and 20 dwellings were under construction. When asked who was building them he was told nobody knew. Cooper emailed a letter and photos to Minister of Works Bradley Roberts who immediately replied that there were people in charge with authority to deal with matters such as illegal construction. At another site on the Farm Road he noted that a dwelling had a partially completed roof. Despite an order to desist, the roof was completed five days later. “When I had my house built,” Cooper complained, “the contractor forgot to put up the building permit number. The Ministry of Works officials gave me grief over that. But they won’t do anything with the Haitians, who are laughing at us.” On another occasion he bought a generator and was told by BEC that he was committing an offence. “But there are generators all through Sand Banks. Why don’t they do anything about them?” Cooper made it clear he was not against Haitians, only against illegal construction. “I want them to build according to the Bahamas Code,” he explained. He also noted that he had received several verbal threats that his soul would be “sent to Haiti”.

Going, Going, Gone! An auction was held at Mackerel’s Restaurant in Dundas Town on 11th August to dispense bar concessions at the All Abaco Regatta which will be held 25th - 27th September at the Treasure Cay dock. There will be two bars and the bidding for the smaller one started at $4,000 and closed at $6,400. The larger bar bidding started at $6,000 and closed at $11,800. It was agreed that Bristol Cellars would make presentations during the regatta but would not be a competitor.

September 2003 Table of Contents