Castrol Quote of the day: January 16th, 2016

"Welcome to 'Hood-Check'

Saturday..."

1. Check your fluids.

2. Check your hoses.

3. Check your tires.

"...and remember, we're

open until 1 today if you

need to top up or replace a

bulb."

Tip brought to you by Bay Street Garage. Visit our listing page on BahamasLocal.com.

In his inaugural speech as Chief Justice, Sir Hartman Longley called for performance standards to weed out those who fall short, and continued training and education for judges and other members of the judiciary. The Honourable Chief Justice addressed a special sitting of the Supreme Court to officially open the Legal Year, Wednesday, January 13, 2016.

In this regard, the Chief Justice announced plans to hold a meeting with Attorney General the Hon. Allyson-Maynard Gibson and the President of the Court of Appeal Dame Anita to statutorily advance the Judicial Education Institute.

“Draft Bills (one of which was drafted by the President) have sat dormant for years. Now is the time to bring them to the fore so as to give statutory structure to and ongoing training and education program for judges, magistrates and other judicial officers,” said the Chief Justice.

“My hope is that the Government of The Bahamas will embrace this much needed measure and provide the necessary funding to ensure its success.  So far we have been able to draw on foreign sources of funding for some training and no doubt we will have to continue to rely on external sources of funding where possible.  But we do so with the clear intent of ensuring that all judicial officers receive the necessary training and education to do their jobs competently.

Continuing judicial education and training must be a major plank on our agenda in advancing and modernizing the judiciary.”

He remarked that members of the judiciary recently completed a Judgment Writing course, which was sponsored by the National Center for States Courts and the US Embassy. The objective of the course was to improve written and oral judgments.

“It is hoped that this is one of those areas of education that will produce tangible results to the benefit of all in short order and help to achieve the new time frames. In particular with improved writing and oral skills there will be more timely delivery of judgments -- both written and oral -- thus cutting down this area of delay that impacts the quality of justice.”

Moreover, in an effort to make the judiciary more versatile and responsive to the needs of the public, the Chief Justice announced changes that are on the drawing board. As of March 1, the civil court will be strengthened with the additions of Justices Charles and Winder who will move from crime to civil, and Justices Milton Evans and Fraser will move to crime.

To facilitate the transitions, an in-house orientation and training program will be held in February for the judges who are moving to crime.

By Kathryn Campbell | Bahamas Information Services

The Hon. Chief Justice Sir Hartman Longley participates in a procession as part of the events to mark the Opening of the Legal Year. (BIS photo/Patrick Hanna).

…HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF THE AZORES BY EARLY FRIDAY…

AT 5PM AST, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE ALEX WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 33.6°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 27.8° WEST OR ABOUT 350 MILES SOUTH OF FAIAL ISLAND IN THE CENTRAL AZORES.

ALEX IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 22 MPH, AND A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED BY FRIDAY FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO AND ALEX IS LIKELY TO LOSE ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON FRIDAY.

THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6AM FRIDAY.

The Bahamas Striping Group of Companies (BSGC) is ensuring that the traffic fatality victim count in 2016 will begin to decrease.

The country continues to record an average of fifty traffic fatality related deaths annually.  Primary contributing factors are drunk driving, speed, and poorly lit roads.

BSGC is presently in Abaco applying thermoplastic beads and reflective spheres on all of the dangerous curves on the roads on the island.

President, Atario Mitchell commended The Ministry of Works for its commitment and zeal  to enhance the safety of the roads in the Family Islands.

"Shortly before the end of the year, two persons died and another two were seriously injured on the Don McKay Boulevard. Throughout 2015, a number of Abaconians lost their lives, or sustained injuries due to poorly marked roads."  said Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell also indicated that the application of the thermoplastic beading and cat eyes will provide the retroreflectivity necessary for a bright appearance at night, which will be able to assist motorists as they approach the curves, which is an important contribution to road safety.

He added, ''BSGC is primarily concerned about road safety, but we are also concerned about building a strong economy. Our scope of work will have us here in Abaco for a month, and during this time, we will employ five Abaconians, so that the money will stay in Abaco. Not only does it provide a job opportunity, the young men employed can also learn a trade. I am also an Abaconian at heart as I was born, raised, and schooled here and I will guarantee that not only will the roads be safe for all but the work will be completed to the highest international standards."

Mr. Renardo Curry, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for North Abaco indicated that Bahamas Striping could not have come to Abaco at a better time.

He added, "The five miles of curves from Wood Cay to Central Abaco is a grave concern for us in Abaco. Many Abaconians choose to stay in at night time because the roads are not lit, and it is a safety hazard."

Mr. Curry said that a good percentage of the residents work in the north and between central Abaco and this will assist them tremendously with traveling to and from work, and ultimately it will mitigate the accidents on the road. The tourists are always concerned about driving on the roads at night and this will impact the Abaco economy because tourists will be more inclined to go to restaurants in the evening and experience the flavor and the culture of the island which is one of the reasons why they travel to our islands.

Abaconians are making their roads safe. Bahamas Striping Group of Companies is in Abaco applying thermoplastic beads and cat eyes on all the dangerous curves. Show from left to right: Mr. Atario Mitchell, President of Bahamas Striping Group of Companies, Mr. Renardo Curry, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for North Abaco, Mr. Philmore Poitier, Inspector, Ministry of Works.