Radio Abaco News

April 2000 Table of Contents

RADIO ABACO NEWS

You Mean Things Could Be Worse? A survey of local service stations by Radio Abaco reporters showed that the average price of gasoline per gallon in Marsh Harbour was $2.94. Service stations are allowed by law to charge up to $3.01 and it is the competition between them that keeps the price in line.

Floyd Recovery Update: "Generosity to The Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Floyd has been phenomenal," declared Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham in the House of Assembly on 21st February. Four and a half million dollars has been raised through relief funds and donations. 550 houses have been repaired with 150 more to be repaired. 120 new houses will be constructed, 75 for the use of senior citizens aged between 65 and 94. 2,221 tons of roofing material had been purchased so far by government at a cost of $1.3 million. In a later address, Mr Ingraham said $167.8 million had been paid in insurance settlements so far, $54.4 million to Abaco. This figure did not take into account foreign home owners who had insurance settlements from outside of The Bahamas.

No Injuries, PTL: The school bus taking Crossing Rocks students to schools in central Abaco on 21st February ran into the rear of a delivery truck on Forest Drive and came to a stop just short of a utility pole. None of the students was injured. The following weekend there was a two vehicle collision at the entrance to Spring City from the Abaco Highway. There was extensive damage to the vehicles but no injuries. A Murphy Town youth overturned his vehicle several time in another incident, yet climbed through a broken back window and walked away without a scratch.

New Magistrate for Abaco: Magistrate Helen Jones has been appointed to deal with northern Abaco cases in Coopers Town Magistrate's Court. Her appointment will relieve pressure on cases heard in central Abaco as well.

Just Like the Real World! BaTelCo launched its new Class Service on Abaco on 29th February which will allow local subscribers to use the latest technological developments such as Caller ID. Cellular phones will also be able to receive voice mail.

Snip, Snip, Snip... A spay and neuter programme run by Abaco Animals Require Kindness and the Pegasus Foundation was declared "a magnificent, magnificent accomplishment" by Cathy Hargreaves of AARK. Her husband, Harry, said that the clinic was the largest and most successful of its sort ever in the Caribbean. As many as 135 dogs were processed at both animal clinics in Marsh Harbour and owners were given $10 or $15 reward for bringing their pets in for treatment.

Abaco Read! The results of the Abaco Read 2000 Speech Competition held in Marsh Harbour on 3rd March were as follows: Primary (Grades 4-6) 1st Bradley Albury, Agape Christian; 2nd Devonya Russell, Fox Town Primary; 3rd Jamie Rose, Central Abaco Primary. Junior (Grades 7-9) 1st Shane Pedican, Forest Heights Academy; 2nd Samantha Hield, Mores Island; 3rd Lavardo Sands, Long Bay. Senior (Grades 10-12) 1st Keora Brown, Abaco Central High School; 2nd Cutelle Mikula, Forest Heights Academy; 3rd Elizabeth Collie, Long Bay.

New GTC Town Committee Member: Following the resignation for health reasons of Town Committee Chairman and Council Member Roswell Sawyer, Cola McIntosh succeeded him on the Town Committee by being the only candidate to declare.

Prime Minister Visits: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham visited Abaco on 8th March, travelling to Fire Road, Coopers Town, Cedar Harbour, Central Abaco and Mores Island. During his visit, Mr Ingraham called for volunteer labour to help complete houses in need of rebuilding. Only senior citizens would receive complete aid but government would be able to provide help with foundations, plumbing and electrical work for other citizens. He added that many people on Eleuthera had taken advantage of the guaranteed loan programme and urged Abaconians to do the same. (See Government-Guaranteed Loans elsewhere in this issue.)

Motorcycle Incidents: One of a group of several motorcyclists, Kenneth Brown was involved in a head-on collision with a car near the Little Abaco bridge on 11th March. Brown was thrown into the bush and suffered a broken leg and two broken arms. He was taken to Nassau where he was hospitalised. On the same day, motorcyclist Aaron Hield of Coopers Town claims he was chased by policemen in an unmarked car who caused him to crash into the bush. Mr Hield also claimed he was shot at by a police officer. A police spokesman denied the allegation.

Happy Birthday to Us! Radio Abaco celebrated its third birthday on 14th March. In those three years Radio Abaco has increased in power from 1,000 watts to 5,000 watts and survived Hurricane Floyd. Radio Abaco seeks to provide news without being confrontational and to accent religion. It features music from the past to the present, native and foreign, secular and gospel. "We pledge," said Radio Abaco's Silbert Mills, "to be the best that we can be."

Christie on Treasure Cay: Leader of the opposition Progressive Liberal Party Hon Perry Christie said in an interview with Radio Abaco that no one person should be allowed to stand in the way of development. He was referring in particular to Alfred Meister of Treasure Cay. "If I were prime minister," said Mr Christie, "I would sit down in a room with him and work the matter out." Whether true or not, it was believed by many people that Mr Meister was obstructing progress in the development of Treasure Cay. "You have to make Treasure Cay attractive for investors," Mr Christie added. He even suggested a joint venture with government, if that would help ameliorate the situation.

Bush Fire Threatens: A bush fire has been raging in the Bahama Coral Island, Great Cistern and Murphy Town area since mid February. The location of the fire changed as the wind shifted and in mid March the fire departments of Marsh Harbour and Dundas Town worked well into the night protecting residential areas.

Teacher of the Year 2000: Mrs Neulessa Major of Central Abaco Primary School was declared Abaco's Teacher of the Year at a luncheon held at the Spinnaker Restaurant on 16th March. Outgoing Teacher of the Year Huel Moss in his address said Bahamian schools were not meeting the needs of the children. Academic subjects were stressed while most of the children would benefit more from trade and skill subjects. "There's no such thing as Algebra in the real world," he quoted. Other teachers honoured as Teacher of the Year in their respective schools were Ryan Mootoo, Abaco Central High School; Nancy Burnett, Hope Town School; Kenneth Roberts, S C Bootle High School; Monique Williams, Treasure Cay School; and Sandy Walker, Crossing Rocks School.

This Issue Table of Contents - - Previous Issues

Other Abaco Bahamas Links
Home Page (oii.net) - Message Board (AbacoBoard.com) - Latest Happenings (AbacoToday.com)