Bahamas Evening News: King Charles III expected for first visit in 53 years; trained teachers’ top pay rises to $54,000

lol242.com Bahamas Evening News · Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Here is your Bahamas Evening News for Tuesday, October 27. King Charles III was expected to arrive in The Bahamas today for his first visit since 1973 and his first as King, thousands of teachers have a new five-year contract, and a severe weather watch remains in effect for much of the country.

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King Charles III due for three-day visit

King Charles III was expected to arrive in New Providence today for a three-day visit, his first as King of The Bahamas and only his second official visit to the country. He last came in 1973 as the 24-year-old Prince of Wales, representing Queen Elizabeth II at the Independence celebrations. His programme was set to open with a ceremonial welcome at Lynden Pindling International Airport and a public youth rally at Clifford Park, the same park he visited in 1973, with about 300 young people taking part, The Tribune reported. lol242 will update this story once his arrival is confirmed.

On Wednesday, October 28, he is scheduled to visit the Defence Force base at Coral Harbour, Bonefish Pond National Park and a cultural festival in Parliament and Rawson Squares with a Junkanoo rush-out on Bay Street, before a garden reception at Government House. He leaves on Thursday, October 29, for Guyana and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

All public schools on New Providence closed today for the visit, The Nassau Guardian reported. Police have warned of disruption on all three days, with roads closed as the royal convoy passes and streets near each venue closed while the King is there. Downtown, parts of Bay Street and Marlborough Street close from tonight until after Wednesday’s ceremony, The Tribune reported.

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell did not give a figure for the cost of the visit but said the spending was appropriate and “it’ll not break the bank,” Bahamas Latest reported. How much the visit will cost is still not known: Finance Minister Michael Halkitis said last month that agencies were still working out the bill, with some costs expected to be shared with the Sovereign Grant, the UK-funded allowance for the monarch’s official duties, The Tribune reported.

The visit has also revived calls for an apology and reparations for slavery, and for The Bahamas to become a republic. The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has demanded an apology for slavery and colonisation, and a Rastafari group plans to rally during the visit and present the King with a petition. Buckingham Palace has said the King will not shy away from Britain’s role in the slave trade during the tour but will not formally apologise, according to The Tribune and Al Jazeera. A 2023 Lord Ashcroft poll found 51 percent of Bahamians surveyed favoured becoming a republic and 27 percent preferred keeping the monarchy, Al Jazeera reported.

Teachers sign five-year deal

The Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Government signed a 2025-2030 industrial agreement on Monday, October 26. Trained teachers’ top salary rises to $54,000 a year and entry-level pay to $30,100. The deal is retroactive to July 1 and includes lump-sum payments and hardship allowances for teachers who move to Family Island schools, The Tribune reported. BUT president Belinda Wilson, signing her last agreement as union president, said: “Today shows that delayed is not denied,” she said, Bahamas Latest reported. In early September, the union had put more than 1,400 members on industrial action alert after rejecting the Government’s financial counter-proposal for a sixth time, The Tribune reported.

Grand Bahama

Freeport reform debate widens

The debate over Freeport’s future widened. Prime Minister Philip Davis set out the Government’s plan last week: the Port Authority would lose its current role governing Freeport, with a new framework, including a proposed Grand Bahama Development Act, taking its place, Bahamas Latest reported. PLP chairman Fred Mitchell told “outsiders” that the debate is “none of their business,” in an apparent reply to US Ambassador Herschel Walker, who said he viewed the Government’s plan “with real concern.” Mr Mitchell also accused the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s owners of not keeping the promises of the original agreement, Bahamas Latest reported. The Port Authority’s response to Mr Mitchell’s criticism was not included in that report.

Former Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce president Dillon Knowles argued the other side, saying that repealing the Hawksbill Creek Agreement would hurt Grand Bahama and the whole country, Bahamas Latest reported. The Government’s Green Paper calls Freeport’s set-up a “convoluted framework” and proposes a Grand Bahama Development Council that would co-ordinate and monitor but could not grant licences or commit public money, The Tribune reported. Public consultation runs from November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027.

Business: Two Grand Bahama concrete suppliers, Heroic Group and Smith Construction Company, are calling for an urgent probe into what they allege is predatory pricing by rival Del Zotto Products of The Bahamas, which they say sells concrete blocks for up to a third less than they can, and renewed calls for a competition law. Heroic Group president Glennett Fowler said she was not against competition and allowed that “maybe there is a legitimate reason” for the prices, but said Bahamian firms need a level playing field. Del Zotto Products had not responded to The Tribune’s phone messages and emails by its deadline, the paper reported.

Politics

Leaked recording: A recording of Long Island MP Dr Andre Rollins speaking inside the FNM’s closed-door weekend conclave circulated online. In it he challenged post-election research presented at the conclave, saying only 8 percent of people in New Providence had said they support leader Michael Pintard. FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands called the leak “a betrayal of trust”, ZNS reported. ZNS did not report a response from Mr Pintard or Dr Rollins.

Courts and Incidents

Harbour Island: Police have opened a death investigation after the body of a juvenile boy was found washed ashore on Harbour Island on October 27. It was found two days after a 15-year-old boy went missing while swimming in rough seas on October 25, but police have not confirmed whether it is the missing teenager. Police said foul play is not suspected; an autopsy is planned, Bahamas Latest reported. Our thoughts are with the Harbour Island community.

In the courts: The Court of Appeal quashed a man’s murder conviction and 35-year sentence in a 2020 stabbing case and ordered a retrial. His lawyers had challenged the trial judge’s directions to the jury on self-defence and provocation; written reasons will follow, Our News reported.

Caribbean and World

Haiti: About 1,000 soldiers from El Salvador have been sent to Haiti in recent days after four Salvadoran members of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force went missing, a security official in Haiti told Reuters. The four have been unaccounted for since jumping from a burning vehicle during a gang ambush on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on October 18. President Nayib Bukele says they are air force technicians and that he believes they are being held hostage; no gang has claimed the attack. Mr Bukele has not said how many soldiers he plans to send, Reuters reported.

Sports

Sailing: Armaan Manwatkar won gold in the ILCA 4 class and Emanuel John Alexiou took silver in ILCA 6 at the 2026 Caribbean Dinghy Championships in Sint Maarten, Bahamas Latest reported.

Weather

A Severe Weather Watch remains in effect for the Northern, Northwest and Southeast Bahamas, with a Gale Warning for the Northern Bahamas, the Bahamas Department of Meteorology said on October 27. Small boats should stay in port and swimmers on shore, with a high risk of life-threatening rip currents and a moderate to high risk of flooding in the Northwest and Southeast Bahamas. The year’s highest tides could push waves over seawalls and coastal roads, including near the Glass Window Bridge, through Wednesday, with more settled weather expected by the weekend.

What do you think: what should the King see or hear while he is here, and is the new teachers’ deal fair? Tell us in the comments.

Sources for this edition include The Tribune, The Nassau Guardian, Bahamas Latest, Our News, ZNS, Al Jazeera, Reuters and the Bahamas Department of Meteorology. Statements by politicians and other people are their own claims and are reported as such. People charged with crimes are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This news was brought to you by one of our sponsors, PayDat LLC, and researched by Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare. To sponsor the next edition, send Michael a WhatsApp message at 242-817-9293.