Funeral service for Lonna Louise "Nonna" Mackey, 62 yrs., a resident of Dunmore Street, will be held at Evangelistic Temple, 4th Terrace, Centreville, on Saturday April 1, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Officiating will be Rev. Dr. Vaughn Cash, assisted by Pastor Dave Cash. Interment follows in Lakeview Memorial Gardens & Mausoleums.

Left to cherish her memorie are

Her son: Lorenzo Mackey

Sister: Sandra Mackey

Brothers: Bernard Hanna and Henry Williamson of Grand Bahama, Anthony Wilmore, Nelson Mackey (Valerie) of Tennessee and Tony Mackey Sr. (Ursula)

Aunt: Gwendolyn King

Brother-in-law: Craig Bethel

Nieces: Shavania Hanna and Shavette, Rosetta Grant and Min. Clarissa Robinson (Simeon), Cayana Nance (Gibril), Celeste Rose and Anae Bastian, Tonyshka Simmons (Jefferson) and Tonyque Sweeting (Winston), Nakada, Henrinique Williamson and Branequa.

Nephews: Bernard Jr.(Bridgette), Dwight (Nel), Jeremy (Naobi), Sergio and Shavargo Hanna, Henry and Marvin Rolle (Chantal), Raymond and Leon Grant, Jared and Simeon Mackey, Santhon Bastian, Tony Jr and Tonaz Mackey

Grand Nieces: Kasune, Kiemara, Ciara, Tamara, Taliyah, Tameka, Sienna, Jerrese, Sarayah, Anika, Recey, Cenae and Chadnae.

Grand Nephews: Tyrone, Clavontae, Clavaughn, Claveze, Dwight Jr., Brandon, Ansle, Khai, Henry Rolle Jr., and Achilles.

Great Grand nieces: Chai and Alayah

A host of other relatives and friends: Melissa Storr-Butler, Willice Mitchell, Denise Williams, Juliette, Tyrone, Christopher and Larry Walkes, Sarah Pennerman (Keith),Estancia Rolle, Norma Thurston-Rolle, Christina Thurston-Lowe, Joyanne Thurston, Sandra Thompson, Stephanie Mackey, Sylvia, Sonia, Sherry, Shane Neely-Smith, Sophia, Shellina, Sharmaine and Vince Morris, Karen, Stanley, Shelton, Steve, George, Leo, Lolisa, Linda and Laurie Miller. The Dunmore Street family, The Baptist Bible Church family and The Gospel Light Church family, Most Worshipful Prince of Peace Grand Lodge, George W.W. Gardiner #9 and Princess Ozeil Chapter #3, Sheldon Storr and family, Edward and Tamara Pinder, Andiff King, Garvon Bullard, Wendy and Ricardo Pinder, Management and Staff of Bahamas Air especially the Security Department, Albert Ingraham and Family, Rae Russell, Ronald and Chantal Newbold, Debreca Mortimer, Randlese Gibson, Dewayne Rolle and family and Clement Cartwright and family.

Childhood friends: Hyacinth Russell, Eunice Culmer, Gretchen Moncur, Gayle Coakley, Michael Durham, Baswell Sands, Elva, Sharlene Butler,Melony, Pauline Nesbitt-Albinger, Coranell Nesbitt and Antoinette Storr.

Special Church family and friends including: Angela Smith and family, Julie Roberts and family, Dian Barr and family, Mizpah Johnson, Bettymae Holmes, Belinda Dorsett, the Nursery Ministry, Rev. Dr. Vaughn & Dr. Wendy Cash and family, Rev. Dave Cash & family, Rev. Bradick Cleare & family, Pastor Keno Smith & family and the entire Evangelistic Temple family.

Friends may pay their last respects at Demeritte's funeral Home, Market Street, from 10-6:00 p.m. on Friday & on Saturday at the church from 9:00 a.m. until service time.

The post Lonna Louise "Nonna" Mackey appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

The post Lonna Louise "Nonna" Mackey appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

DEATH NOTICE Renae K. Sands, 57 yrs., a resident of James Cistern, Eleuthera, died at PMH on Thursday, March 23, 2023. She is survived by her husband: Granvill Wilshire Sands Sr.; 2 children: Reshae Sands & Granvill Wilshire Sands Jr.; 2 sisters: Rochelle Albury & Ingrid Whyte; 3 brothers: Enoch, Quon & Reco Whyte; numerous nieces & nephews & a host of other relatives & friends.The post Renae K. Sands appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

The post Renae K. Sands appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

Island living is all about slowing down, chilling out, and tuning in to that easy Bahamian groove that takes your troubles away. 

Luckily, there are venues to do just that on Grand Bahama beginning with the home to numerous restaurants and the first Bahamian Fish Fry, Smith's Point.

On Wednesdays, the Outriggers Beach Club stands out as the place for a night of music, food, great company, and even line dancing. Luck Timothee and the GB Line Dancers are always willing to put on a show and give a few lessons and tips. Visitors are advised to get to the beach club early, as service starts at 5:30 p.m., and the lines can get long for the fresh fish.

Tony Macaroni's Conch Experience hosts Jazz on the Beach every Sunday at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where local singer Doranell Tiffany Brown puts her spin on popular jazz songs.

For people who want to show off their musical talent, Blu Bar in the Port Lucaya Marketplace has an open mic and karaoke night from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Thursdays.

There is also karaoke on Thursday at the restaurant Ocean's Blue at the Ocean Reef Resort & Yacht Club on Bahama Reef Boulevard from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and at the Grand Lucayan on Friday night in its lobby from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.

There is also live music to enjoy over the weekend.

On Fridays, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., guests can enjoy dinner near the ocean while being entertained by an alternating lineup that includes the musical artist Sharade Taylor and the one-man band and vocalist Hubert Gibson also professionally known as Hubert G.

Taylor moves through various genres ranging from old school R&B and reggae to Junkanoo-infused pop with known favorites such as Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud", Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", and Tarrus Riley's "She's Royal" being staples in his act.

Pianist Hubert G. performs various genres as well, but favors jazz standards such as Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Girl From Ipanema".

Doranell Tiffany Brown. Photos: Tristan Gibson

Sharade returns on Sunday afternoons to perform during the restaurant's Sunday brunch, alternating with Methice Rigby-Uptagrafft. Well known from her Port Lucaya performances, here she shares smooth jazz and bossa nova covers of golden oldies and popular songs.

Friday is the only day that Banana Bay on Fortune Bay Drive is open for dinner while musician and vocalist Ryan Carroll gives an intimate performance of acoustic soft rock covers.

Listeners can reminisce to golden oldies like James Taylor, The Beatles, and Elton John while enjoying the ocean breeze overlooking the peaceful shoreline of Fortune Bay Beach.

For a livelier Friday evening, Maxxi's Bahamian Beach Club on Silver Point Drive near the Island Seas Resort hosts the seven-member band, the Deep South Island Boys.

Though known for the down-home sound of rake 'n' scrape, the band also ventures into other Caribbean genres such as soca and reggae.

Those still in the rake 'n' scape mood on Saturday nights can head over to No Holds Bar near the YMCA on East Atlantic Drive.

Starting at 10 p.m., fans of Bahamian music can sing along and shuffle to the sounds of the Conch Juice Band as they perform beloved classics.

Jazz enthusiasts can enjoy their favorite music on Sundays at Toni Macaroni's Conch Experience located at Taino Beach and voted one of the Top 10 USA Today's Best Caribbean Beach Bars of 2022.

From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., beach-goers can listen to the vocal stylings of Doranell Tiffany Brown as she puts her spin on jazz standards such as Erroll Garner and Johnny Burke's "Misty", and Thomas "Fats" Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'" during the beach bar's Jazz at the Beach.

Acoustic music lovers can head over to the Flying Fish GastroBar, one of Caribbean Journal's Top 50 restaurants of 2022, found near the Pelican Bay Hotel.

From 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., it's "Casual Sundays" when the owner and musician Tim Tibbets performs acoustic covers outside on the deck overlooking Bell Channel Bay - the perfect backdrop for ending the weekend.

The post Getting into the Grand Bahamian rhythm appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

The post Getting into the Grand Bahamian rhythm appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

The Bahamas National Statistical Institute's latest gross domestic product (GDP) report showing 17 percent economic growth in 2021 demonstrates that when the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) was elected in September of that year, the economic recovery was already in full swing, and the Davis administration's repeated claim that it met an economy in "deep recession" is just not true, Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Dr. Duane Sands said yesterday.

"It suggests that their version of the truth is incorrect, or if you want to put it more bluntly, it's a flat out misrepresentation of the facts, that the economy was very much already in rebound mode when the election of 2021 was held," Sands told The Nassau Guardian.

"Bear in mind, we had had some very, very serious headwinds in the year prior and COVID did The Bahamas no favors, coming after Dorian.

"If you look at the contraction of our economy, it was massive and the dollar cost to our economy of COVID and Dorian is in the many millions of dollars.

"So, when in 2021, as you saw the gradual reopening of the economy, tourism starting to come back, tourists arriving, the 17 percent growth had very little to do with any new initiatives of this administration.

"It is true that they ended some of the COVID closures or restrictions and that added to the growth, but by no means can they claim responsibility for growth that had already started."

When the PLP came to office, the country's borders were already reopened, cruise ships had started returning, and lockdowns were already a thing of the past, but there was still a nightly curfew in place.

As an immediate act, Prime Minister Philip Davis got rid of the curfew.

In November 2021, the Davis administration continued with a plan that had been announced by the Minnis administration to end the state of emergency.

Sands said, "The rest of the world was already getting back to travel and there was pent-up demand.

"What is surprising is that the numbers tell a far greater story that even though we may have arrived where we were in 2019, I think that we should be further along and you have to ask the question of whether or not the missteps of this administration have limited the recovery of our economy.

"I can point to the challenges with the energy sector and the cost of energy and what negative impact it has had on the growth of the economy.

"There were some dumb decisions made by this administration as it relates to additional costs put on the backs of ordinary people with the additional VAT on certain things.

"There was an increase in real property tax that people had to find money for, and I can go on and on and on, so if you look at the numbers, what could have been an even more dramatic recovery just hasn't happened and the level of recovery that we need to deal with the structural challenges facing The Bahamas is greater than what was bragged about by our government."

The numbers show that in 2022, the economy grew by 14.4 percent.

In 2020, the first year The Bahamas grappled with COVID-19, the economy shrank by 23.5 percent.

In 2019, the year Dorian struck a large swath of the northern Bahamas, the economy shrank by seven percent.

Compared to 2018, the economy last year had a marginal increase with the value of goods and services produced estimated at $12.85 billion in real prices in 2022.

This figure stood at $12.5 billion in 2019 and $12.6 billion in 2018.

In a press statement on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper said the latest data "demonstrate that it is indeed a new day in The Bahamas and the thoughtful, carefully planned stewardship of the Davis administration has led to a flourishing economy that is outperforming the expectations of most observers".

Cooper added, "Not only do the recent gross domestic product figures show that we have a robust economy that is growing rapidly overall and in critical metrics, but forward bookings and the past quarter's record arrivals demonstrate that we continue to grow beyond the standard post-pandemic buoyancy predicted.

"The latest numbers from the National Statistical Institute indicate real GDP growth in 2022 that beat the optimistic projections of major international financial bodies," he said.

Cooper said GDP growth of 14.4 percent is "not just some fluke coming off the watershed of pent-up demand in 2021".

"This represents a coordinated and calculated strategy to drive growth throughout the economy," he said.

But Sands insisted that while the economic recovery is positive news, the growth needle has barely moved when one looks at the bigger picture.

He said the average Bahamian is just not feeling an improving economy.

"You ask the question, what level of growth is needed to deal with the high level of unemployment, particularly among the youth? What level of growth would be necessary to make opportunities for teenagers leaving school? What level of growth would be needed to start having surpluses to begin knocking down this deficit and the $400-plus million per year that we have to service debt?" Sands said.

"The level of growth we have, while I think we should celebrate any improvement, it is far less than what it needs to be for our economy to be considered to be thriving, and so, I think this is spin.

"It's not surprising, but they are not prepared to say, 'Look, you really ought to be disappointed that we've only had this level of growth.'

"Grand Bahama certainly asks the question, 'what about us?' because Grand Bahama certainly has not been the beneficiary of significant growth.

"Grand Bahama is still waiting for that breakthrough and a number of the Family Islands similarly find themselves out in the cold."

Sands added, "We also see a throwback to some of the old approaches that threaten Bahamian participation in any growth in the economy."

Cooper said the Davis administration plans to build on its success, "opening up pathways to ownership and wealth for Bahamians and continuing to make The Bahamas an attractive place to live, work and play, while expanding the role of Bahamians in our economy".

The post Sands: GDP numbers belie PLP's claim it met economy in recession appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

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