October 1999 Table of Contents

Golden Girls! The Silver Girls of the Atlanta Olympics became the Golden Girls of Seville as The Bahamas won the prestigious World Championships Ladies 4 x 100m relay with France second, Jamaica third and the USA fourth. The basis of the victory was intense training at the Pan Am Games when a team could not be fielded at the last moment. Training continued in Spain and paid off on 29th August. Not only did The Bahamas win, the Golden Girls won decisively. Abaco's Sevatheda Fynes, leading off, made up the stagger on most of the other competitors and handed off to Chandra Sturrup like the baton was made by Rolls Royce. The second hand off from Chandra Sturrup to Pauline Davis-Thompson, normally a 400m runner, was equally sweet. The last hand off was a little more circumspect, but by that time the team knew they were leading and wanted to make sure the exchange was good. You give Debbie Ferguson the lead, running anchor, and you know you are going to win. She flew home with metres to spare. Those tiny little islands in the stream can now boast the fastest team female athletes in the world. It's Better in The Bahamas with a baton! Eldice Clarke-Lewis, a silver medallist from the Atlanta Olympics, also was a gold medal recipient. Sevatheda Fynes had to withdraw from the 200m event in order to allow an injury to heal. Eldice ran her leg in the semi-finals, allowing Sevatheda to be at her glorious best in the final. In many ways, the victory was symbolic: a team of Bahamian women achieving the greatest of international heights. The Bahamian men screwed up exchanges in the Men's 4 x 400m relay finals and finished way down the field. No doubt about it, Bahamian women are the best!

Policeman Killed in Nassau: Constable Raymond Knowles of the Royal Bahamas Police Force was killed by a shot to the head while on patrol. He died at the scene. A teenager was arrested and charged with the offence. Constable Knowles was buried with military honours in his Rock Sound, Eleuthera, home town.

Millionaire Commits Suicide: A Lyford Cay millionaire who went to gaol in Nassau for refusing to disclose his assets to his estranged wife apparently committed suicide in his Lyford Cay home. Property developer Brad Arnold had called his wife and, after the call, Mrs Arnold alerted Nassau police to his reference about killing himself. Police arrived but Mr Arnold locked himself in a room and, with police outside the door, apparently ended his life with a head wound caused by a .22 handgun. "I don't think there will be a long line of friends at the funeral," a Lyford Cay resident told the Nassau Tribune. Mr Arnold was an American who had permanent resident status in The Bahamas and was embroiled in a divorce settlement of over $3 million.

Chief Policeman Off To School: Police Commissioner Bernard Bonamy started an 18-month study leave while Opposition members claimed that The Bahamas was facing a major crime wave. The leave preceded the release of the findings of an independent investigation into the workings of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Deaths During Floyd: Grand Bahama resident Robert Tinker (41) was drowned while attempting to cross the swollen Hawksbill Creek near the Fishing Hole Road. In Nassau, Nacarra Brown (19), a student at the College of The Bahamas, was electrocuted while opening a refrigerator door shortly after power was restored to her home.