Empty Shelves, a Missing Grandmother, and the King on the Horizon: Late Edition Across The Bahamas

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · 8:40 PM Bahamas time

Long Island’s mailboat crisis deepens into empty shelves. Only two pilots remain charged over the Acklins cocaine plane. Great Guana Cay’s lights are back after a subsea cable failure. A 75-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s is still missing on Grand Bahama. In Nassau, a corruption trial flares, a union boss wins an injunction, and King Charles is due October 27 — plus Devynne Charlton’s hurdles clinic and Bahamian stars in the WNBA and beyond.

Listen to the full briefing

Exuma: the room that matters on Thursday

All eyes are on Thursday, October 15, when the 20th annual Exuma Business Outlook opens in George Town at the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church Community Centre, running from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Tribune reports Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper — Exuma’s MP and the Minister of Education — will speak, along with Labour Minister Pia Glover Rolle and Bradley Fox, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs.

Exuma Chamber of Commerce executive director Emmett Saunders says this year is deliberately island-specific. He has asked speakers to skip the broad talk and bring Exuma-specific ideas with realistic timeframes.

Utilities will be in the hot seat too: Anthony Christie of Bahamas Power and Light, Henrea Curry of Water and Sewerage, Keiran Chase of the Cable Bahamas group, and Owen Bethel of INTI Corporation sit on the infrastructure panel. University of The Bahamas economist Rupert Pinder will speak on Exuma’s growth prospects, and the Ministry of Tourism’s Andre Miller on marketing the island.

On the Rosewood Exuma court fight over Sampson Cay covered in the earlier briefing, there is still no ruling. We will bring the decision as soon as it comes down. Arguments in court remain allegations; the judge has not decided.

Inagua: salt and a trade shock

No fresh Inagua headlines tonight, but a national trade number lands hard on an island built on salt. The Nassau Guardian and Bahamas Latest report Bahamian exports to the United States fell more than 75 percent in July compared with a year earlier — from $104 million to $25.5 million. Salt exports in that July total came to about $2.21 million. Salt is what the Morton Salt works at Matthew Town are famous for. Overall, the country’s trade deficit with the U.S. that month widened to $351 million.

Acklins: a drug-plane case narrowed to two

A court update on a case that goes back almost two years. The Nassau Guardian reports that only two of the nine men originally charged over the drug-laden plane that crashed in Acklins in December 2024 will now face prosecution. Charges against the other seven were withdrawn.

The two pilots, Hugh Gray Jr. and Donald Ferguson Jr., remain accused of conspiring to import drugs into The Bahamas. Police say they found 1,982 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of hydroponic marijuana aboard that aircraft. The case is supposed to go to the Supreme Court, but the voluntary bill of indictment needed to move it there has been outstanding for more than a year, and prosecutors have not explained why. The two men are innocent until proven guilty.

Long Island: “We’re tired of talk”

The mailboat story has gotten worse since the six-thirty briefing. Our News spoke to residents this evening, and the picture is empty shelves and spoiled produce.

Long Island District Chief Councillor Ian Knowles said the people are suffering, especially business owners and locals. He was at a shop yesterday and said pretty much there was nothing in it — hardly any meat. He says the north of the island gets more consistent service, but southern communities are often left waiting, and produce can sit for days before it even leaves Nassau.

Jill Smith of Stella Maris Resort says she opened with half an order of food and had to drive thirty miles south looking for potatoes because she has an event on Thursday. She also says another local business had to close over the holiday weekend when its food shipment did not come. Knowles says he is done with meetings and wants action against mailboat operators who cannot meet their obligations. If you are headed to Long Island, call your guest house ahead and ask what they need you to bring.

Eleuthera: a world champion brings the hurdles home

Devynne Charlton, the Bahamian world-record holder in the 60-metre hurdles indoors and a three-time World Indoor Champion, is taking her free hurdles clinics on the road. Our News reports the next stop is Saturday, October 17, at Preston H. Albury High School in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, through her Barrier Breakers Foundation — skills, confidence and opportunity for young Bahamian athletes.

On the Central and South Eleuthera power outages covered earlier, we still have not seen a public timeline from Bahamas Power and Light in the reports we checked. We will keep watching.

Andros: batik for a cause

Androsia, the famous batik fabric made in Fresh Creek, has teamed up with Bahari Bahamas on an exclusive collection for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Our News reports it blends Androsia’s signature batik designs with Bahari’s blue. Bahari is giving financial help to five women going through cancer treatment this year, in partnership with the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group. Androsia representative Terran Simms and Bahari general manager Carole Barnett were at the cheque presentation on Saturday.

Bimini: farewell to Captain Pat

Sad news from Bimini. Bahamas Press reports the passing of Bimini legend Captain Patrick Gregory Brown. He died in hospital on Friday at the age of 82. Captain Pat was a dock master and later ran Capt. Pat’s Golf Cart Rentals on the island. Back in 1969, Time Magazine reported his wedding to Corrine Huff, a former Miss Ohio. Our condolences to his family in Bimini and around the world.

Abaco: lights back on Great Guana Cay

The folks on Great Guana Cay finally have their lights back, but they have had a rough few weeks. The Nassau Guardian reports BPL restored power to Great Guana Cay at about 12:50 p.m. last Thursday after a subsea cable fault between Scotland Cay and Guana Cay left the whole community in the dark overnight.

That followed a string of failures. The cay’s standby generator had a major failure in August and was taken away for repairs. Then the Man-O-War Cay generator that served as backup tripped offline on October 4. The Kent Smith area of North Guana Cay went three days without power. The long-term fix: BPL says a tender for new reinforced subsea cables is in final approval, and once work starts, laying the cables should take about four to six weeks. BPL apologized for the inconvenience. Boaters heading through the Sea of Abaco, give those cable crews room when they get out there.

Grand Bahama: a missing grandmother, and poison in the mangroves

First, a family in Lewis Yard is still searching. Seventy-five-year-old Lynda Pinder, a grandmother who lives with Alzheimer’s, went missing in late September after leaving home for her usual evening walk. Our News reports that despite search parties on foot and drones, there is still no sign of her.

Her daughter, Latara Laing, says the case is now with the Criminal Investigation Department, but there are no new leads. She is asking people to ignore false rumours that her mother has been found.

If you have seen Lynda Pinder, please call the police. Every tip matters.

Next, an environmental warning. The Tribune reports a University of The Bahamas study found cadmium — a toxic metal linked to cancer — in mangrove sediment in East Grand Bahama at more than 700 times the reference level the researchers used. Researchers took 48 samples from 12 locations in Dover Sound and East Grand Bahama. At the three most contaminated East Grand Bahama sites, they recommend precautions, including considering public advisories. The findings will be presented at the launch of the International Journal of Bahamian Studies on Tuesday, October 20, at 2 p.m. at the Harry C. Moore Library auditorium. It is open to the public.

Community notes: Urban Renewal managers from New Providence and the Family Islands gathered in Grand Bahama for a two-day retreat. Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey told them they walk the pavement, unlock the doors, and listen directly to the unvarnished pulse of people every single day. Grand Bahama’s Urban Renewal Programme also teamed up with Celebration Key and Carnival Cruise Line to provide meals to residents of Eight Mile Rock.

Sports shout-out: wide receiver Prince Strachan had the best game of his college career for West Virginia — five catches for 121 yards, including grabs of 36 and 40 yards — in a loss to Arizona.

Nassau: a courtroom clash, an injunction, and the King

Things got heated in the corruption trial of former parliamentarian Adrian Gibson. The Nassau Guardian reports former Water and Sewerage Corporation board member Bennett Minnis suggested on the stand that the same behaviour is happening today. Director of Public Prosecutions Cordell Frazier fired back that it does not make it right. When she said they were starting with one, Minnis answered that if you prosecute one, you have to prosecute all. The DPP then told him to take any evidence he has to the police, and Senior Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson reminded him to answer only the questions asked. Gibson is on trial along with Elwood Donaldson Jr., Joann Knowles and Jerome Missick. They are all presumed innocent.

A Supreme Court judge, Justice Simone Fitzcharles, has granted an injunction preventing BPL from firing Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson. Wilson had been suspended in September. He told the court BPL never gave him the details of the misconduct it alleges, or a hearing. The injunction was granted on October 6; the Nassau Guardian reported it this morning.

National Security Minister Myles LaRoda is defending the promotion of about 1,300 police officers — 800 regular and 500 reserve. He said officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep citizens safe are a price the government is prepared to pay. He could not give a price tag, The Tribune reports. Opposition Leader Michael Pintard says cases where officers harmed members of the public, or cost the government money, should be considered before promotions are granted.

A troubling story from the prison. The family of Thomas Jean-Baptiste, who died on October 4 — less than three months after the Court of Appeal sent him back to prison — says he was denied proper medication and care. He suffered from diabetes and a history of blood clots. His sister, Alicia Jean Baptiste, told The Tribune that officials took no care and no concern. Those are the family’s allegations; we have not seen a response from correctional officials in that report.

In the courts, three young men, aged 21 and 22, are charged with the rape and indecent assault of a 19-year-old woman at a party at an Airbnb on October 4. They were denied bail and remanded until January 28. They are presumed innocent. Police also seized 38 pounds of hydroponic marijuana, worth about $76,000, at a home on Sandilands Village Road on Friday. A woman was arrested, and police are looking for a 32-year-old man to help with the investigation. Police are also waiting to identify a man in his mid-sixties whose body was found in bushes on St. Andrews Drive near Blair Estates on Saturday; foul play is not suspected.

Students are back in class at C. C. Sweeting Senior High after a week-long closure over electrical problems that reportedly left several students with minor burns. Parents say they are relieved, but they want to be sure it is really fixed. The Ivy Dumont Building, which houses the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, stays closed for maintenance through Friday and reopens Monday, October 19.

At Columbus Primary, 10-year-old Naveah Strachan received a brand-new motorized wheelchair donated by the Bahamas Educators Managerial Union. Her mom, Ana Thompson, broke down in tears.

On disability rights, Social Services Minister Barbara Cartwright highlighted the new Persons with Disabilities Amendment Bill. It proposes moving companies with 50 or more workers toward a two-percent staff quota for persons with disabilities, and criminal penalties for abuse.

In business, the Securities Commission’s first-ever digital assets report says Bahamas-linked crypto activity dropped more than 70 percent after the FTX collapse. But the sector still serves more than two million clients worldwide, holding about $33.65 billion in assets. Tribune Business reports Bahamian firm Mosaic Financial says it is a “victim” in Brazil’s biggest-ever bank fraud, the Banco Master case. The bank’s liquidator has sued in a Florida bankruptcy court, alleging a web of Bahamian investment funds was used to move $430 million. Mosaic’s president says the company had absolutely nothing to do with it. Those are allegations in a lawsuit, not findings.

A big date for the nation: King Charles III and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit The Bahamas beginning October 27, before heading to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Our News reports the King is expected to face renewed calls about the slave trade and reparations on the tour.

National sports: J.J., hurdles, gymnastics and more

Jonquel “J.J.” Jones and the New York Liberty’s season is over, swept by the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA semifinals. But J.J. was dominant, averaging 19.7 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks a game in that series. In the final game, an 85–83 loss, she put up 26 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Opposition Leader Michael Pintard also sent his congratulations on her semifinal run.

Back home, Devynne Charlton and American Olympic hurdler Alaysha Johnson ran a free hurdles clinic on Saturday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Stadium for more than 30 young athletes. Charlton told the Nassau Guardian she always takes full advantage of every opportunity to come home and pour into Bahamian youth, and said The Bahamas is having “a big resurgence of hurdling.”

For the first time ever, The Bahamas will host the CARIFTA Artistic Gymnastics Championships, November 13–15, at the Kendal G. L. Isaacs National Gymnasium, with gymnasts from eight Caribbean nations. Team Bahamas has been on the podium both years so far — third overall with 22 medals in 2024, and third again with 44 medals in 2025. Now they chase it on home soil.

Two days after laying their teammate Daphaney Maxine to rest, the University of The Bahamas Mingoes women opened their NPVA season with a three-set sweep of the Johnson Hornets, with her number 14 jersey draped on the bench. The team plans to keep it there all season.

Basketball: national team guard Franco Miller Jr. scored 20 points in his debut for the Ningbo Rockets in China, with six assists, in a preseason loss to Beijing. Buddy Hield hit four of six from three for 15 points in the Bulls’ preseason loss to Denver and said mentoring the young guys is his job. V.J. Edgecombe scored a team-high 19 points with four steals for the 76ers against Boston. In baseball, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the New York Yankees are out of the playoffs, swept by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Weather and our advice

The National Hurricane Center’s 8 p.m. outlook says no tropical cyclone formation is expected over the Atlantic, the Caribbean or the Gulf over the next seven days. Good news for boaters.

If you have a relative living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, keep a recent photo handy, let your neighbours know, and consider an ID bracelet. In Grand Bahama, keep an eye out for Lynda Pinder. On the Family Islands, check on the seniors around you when the mailboat is late or the power goes out. Share what you have. Young athletes: show up to those free clinics. Opportunities like that do not come every day. And ladies — it is still Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Book that screening.