RADIO ABACO NEWS

September 1998 Table of Contents - Current Issue of The Abaco Journal - Abaco Bahamas' Home Page

RADIO ABACO NEWS

Road Traffic Fatality: Clifford Bain of Crossing Rocks was killed in the early hours of 24th July when the small delivery truck he was driving ran into the back of a parked vehicle on the Great Abaco Highway between Spring City and Marsh Harbour.

Fatal Boat Collision: Two Hope Town men were returning from Marsh Harbour on the night of 25th July in an aluminium boat, using a flashlight for guidance. The batteries ran out as they rounded the point of the mainland harbour and the aluminium boat was hit by a 22' rental craft driven by Denis Carlton. One man, Mark Dacise, was rescued. The body of the other occupant of the boat, Inocles Senatus, was discovered by tourists on 27th July about a mile offshore from Great Cistern. The body had been attacked by sharks and an arm was missing.

Lemon-Pickin' Mexicans: At 12.40 pm on 29th July a Miami Air charter arrived from Mexico with 129 workers to pick lemons at Bahamas Star citrus farm. The Mexicans were recruited after the fruit picking jobs had been advertised locally, with little response. They are expected to be on Abaco for two months to complete harvesting.

Double Jeopardy: Local fisheries officers and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force combined to apprehend several fishermen who tried to get a jump on the crawfish season. A north Abaco man was found to have 300 lbs of crawfish tails in his freezer in the week preceding the official opening of the 1998-9 season. A couple of days later, the Defence Force chased down a boat near Mores Island manned by two Sweetings Cay, Grand Bahama, men who were observed throwing crawfish tails out of their vessel as they fled. When the Defence Force caught up with them, the fishermen said they were diving conchs with compressors. But there was a crawfish in their vessel they had missed in their haste to escape. In addition, it is illegal to catch conch using compressors.

Three Die in Car Crash: At about 4.45 on 31st July, an Oldsmobile hire car driven by Patrick Roberts of Dundas Town was in a collision with a black Mitsubishi carrying three Spring City residents. All three - driver Clarence North, 27, his grandmother Mrs Sambrieanna Mayes, 62, and Jermaine Delancy, 19 - died at the scene of the accident which occurred at the junction of Forest Drive and Crockett Drive.

Prime Minister Opens Post Office: On 2nd August, during the inaugural visit of the Disney Magic to Castaway Cay, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham officially opened the Post Office which is situated on the resort's dock. On hand were several dignitaries from Abaco and government personnel as well as Disney Cruise Lines president Art Rodney and interested cruise guests. PM Minister Ingraham was introduced by Minister James Knowles after the invocation and blessing had been given by Rev Napoleon Roberts of Sandy Point. Mr Ingraham noted that Gorda Cay - the site of Castaway Cay - had previously been used for the nefarious trade of drug trafficking and noted that the island had been transformed into a lawful and legitimate enterprise that provides employment and pleasure for so many. As the Prime Minister declared the facility open there was a fusilade of firecrackers and Mickey and Minnie appeared to post the first card. A special first day cover was available for new stamps that would only be used for Castaway Cay mail. The mail bags would travel on the Disney Magic to Port Canaveral for onward distribution.

Mores Island Airstrip Closed: The airstrip at Mores Island has been closed by Civil Aviation due to the extreme deterioration of the landing surface. One Mores Island woman died on the island while unable to receive the services of an emergency flight. Permission was, however, granted for a plane to land and take the body to Nassau for an autopsy.

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