It was a close race for The Nassau Guardian's Senior Female Athlete of the Year honor, with one point separating the two professional female athletes.
At the end of the count the country's first female professional basketball player, Waltiea Rolle, was crowned the winner with 19 points. Young track and field rising star Anthonique Strachan came in second and Olympic finalist in swimming Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace was third with 14 points. Strachan's total was 18.
In September 2013, Rolle joined the DSK Karlin, a team in the Czech Republic ZBL Women's Basketball League. The 6'6" center was drafted in April as the 36th pick in the first round of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) to the Minnesota Lynx. Rolle opted out of playing in the WNBA and completed her studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Since signing, Rolle was named Player of the Week and the third best player in the league. This season Rolle averaged 14.1 points and nine rebounds. The sole Bahamian female professional basketball player, Rolle, closed the season with eight double-doubles. Her best game was against Kara Trutnov, where she scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. The DSK Karlin finished with a 3-17 win/loss record. Rolle was among 40 women in The Bahamas who were honored by the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) on November 9.
Strachan is one of several athletes training with Henry Rolle at Auburn University. The young sprinter started competing professionally earlier this year, while still continuing her studies at Southern Union. She placed third in the 200 meters (m) at the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Championships, which took place in August. Strachan was third in her heat three, of the semifinal round, clocking 22.32 seconds. She missed out on the final.
It was three-way tie for fourth with Sheniqua Ferguson, Ashanti Darville and Ernestine Stubbs. All three ladies scored 11 points. Both Darville and Stubbs are softball players and Ferguson is a track and field star.
Stubbs proved that age is only number when she led her team to a double crown, capturing the New Providence Softball Association (NPSA) and the Bahamas Softball Federation's (BSF) titles. Ferguson clocked 11.35 seconds in the 100m semifinal round of the World Championships. She did not advanced to the final. Darville is one of the up-and-coming softball players. The junior had an outstanding season.

Three-time award-winning film Passage, a short film by Kareem Mortimer became the first Bahamian film to screen in Havana, Cuba at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in the festival’s 35 year history.

Passage tells the story of a young woman and her brother fighting for survival while being smuggled into the United States on a fishing vessel. The film was featured in a showcase presented by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF) entitled ‘Caribbean Calling.’ The showcase included four feature length films and five short films, all of which screened at this year’s TTFF where Mortimer’s Passage won best short film.

“Passage was included in our Havana presentation as it is a moving, well-crafted film that is particularly resonant for our region," stated Annabelle Alcazar, Program Director of The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.

The films featured in ‘Caribbean Calling’ represent a wide cross-section of the non-Spanish speaking Caribbean and come from countries such as Aruba, Barbados, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago.

“I have traveled to Cuba several times as a filmmaker and the honour of Passage having a place at such a vibrant, exotic festival that is a must for any serious filmmaker making content in Latin America and The Caribbean is a dream come true,” stated Mortimer.

Passage was one of five film proposals chosen by the Commonwealth Foundation’s Commonwealth Shorts, beating out thousands of applicants from around the Commonwealth in 2012.

Premiering in Auckland, New Zealand in February 2013, the film has received critical acclaim in the festival circuit winning Director’s Choice at the Portland Maine Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival and an Open Category winner at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Grand Bahama this year alone.

Passage will screen in Nassau, Bahamas in January, followed by several festival dates in France and the United States in 2014.

This was the scene: The flash from cameras as pictures were snapped; the colors -- emerald black and white; excited people having their photographs taken in front of the "Step and Repeat"; and the hum of conversation -- it was like one of those red carpet Hollywood affairs, except this was an emerald carpet for "The Sounds of the Stars Launch Party".
Queen's College's campus was recently transformed into a glitzy celebration as it welcomed past and present students as they launched their debut CD titled "Sounds from the Stars". The night, from the pre-party reception, into the mini concert, right through to the after party, was an enjoyable experience for all.
Alisa Moss, Class of 2012, said she "felt honored to be part of the experience". She also said she felt overwhelmed, as she had been flown in from Atlanta for the star-studded event.
Twelfth grader Shaun Thompson said she was thankful to Queen's college for affording her the opportunity to be exposed.
The show began with the entire cast pooling their voices to perform "Seasons of Love", a track from the popular Broadway musical "Rent", and their harmonious melodies captivated those present. Ninth grade student David Allens delivered a stirring rendition of "My Tribute" followed by recent graduate Patrea Gardner who delivered a powerful cover of "I Am Changing".
Shantwon Martin, also a recent graduate, gave a haunting performance of Adele's "Skyfall" followed by a dramatic and commanding "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" performance by Patacia Rhodriquez. Osano Neely and Shaun Thompson then carried the baton, joining forces to deliver a mellow, smooth version of "The Prayer".
Eighth grade student Danielle Dean delivered an impressive, soaring rendition of "Hallelujah", with a maturity and capability that far belied her age and tiny stature. The penultimate number, "Big Spender", where the dynamic Alisa Moss unleashed a vocal powerhouse rendition, embellished with every ounce of theatricality such a big diva ballad demands, truly astounded everyone in the concert hall. The final act of the night was Karrington McKenzie who serenaded the audience with the Etta James classic "At Last", engaging the crowd and closing the show on a high note.

 

POLICE officers on Monday found three marijuana fields in North Andros worth an estimated street value of $250,000. Officers of the North Andros Division along with DEU and DEA agents executed “Operation: Green Giant” around 9am at a large marijuana cultivation site in an undisclosed pine forest...

POLICE officers on Monday found three marijuana fields in North Andros worth an estimated street value of $250,000.

Officers of the North Andros Division along with DEU and DEA agents executed “Operation: Green Giant” around 9am at a large marijuana cultivation site in an undisclosed pine forest...