csjreport

For Roger Rolle, affectionately known as “Bubbles,” a safe place to sleep, a warm meal and people who care have become a new reality, thanks to a community that refused to let him be forgotten.

The Grand Bahama fixture, who had been living on the streets and sleeping behind a hospital, is now receiving care at The Burrows care home after friends and supporters rallied to raise funds for his accommodation and medical needs.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched with a $10,000 goal to help Rolle, who is blind, unwell and living with lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling and discomfort in his legs. The fundraiser had collected more than $3,000 at the time of the update.

In a heartfelt message, organiser Ewa Tyleka Mellor announced that Bubbles had secured a place at the care home for the next few months.

“We are so happy to share some wonderful news! Bubbles is now safely in The Burrows care home. He finally has a place to sleep, food to eat, and people around him who are looking after him,” she said.

For someone who had been sleeping behind a hospital with nowhere to turn, Mellor described the development as a “life-changing beginning.”

The original fundraiser painted a heartbreaking picture of Rolle’s circumstances, detailing his lack of housing and family support, and the indignities he reportedly endured while living on the streets.

The campaign appealed for assistance to provide accommodation, food, clothing, personal essentials and medical care, basic necessities that everyone deserves.

While securing a place at the care home represents a significant step forward, Mellor stressed that Bubbles’ needs have not ended.

He still requires ongoing medical attention, clothing, personal supplies and help with daily expenses.

The community’s generosity has also brought moments of joy. In a separate update, Mellor shared that supporters surprised Bubbles with a birthday cake at his new home.

“It’s an incredibly emotional day for everyone, and seeing him smile means more than words can express,” she said.

She thanked everyone who donated, shared his story and offered support, while encouraging the public to continue contributing.

For Bubbles, the impact of the campaign goes beyond a fundraising total. It is the reassurance of having somewhere safe to sleep, people looking after him and a community willing to stand up for his dignity.

“You have given him something very special: hope, safety, and the feeling that he is not forgotten,” Mellor wrote.

The fundraising effort continues, with supporters hoping to reach the $10,000 target to help ensure Bubbles receives the ongoing care and stability he needs.

For those who knew Clayton Patterson Smith, his life was defined by his accomplishments as a pilot, sailor, businessman, the people he helped and the community he served.

The Exuma native’s life was tragically cut short following a plane crash while travelling from Exuma to New Providence. After an extensive search, his remains were discovered in waters off New Providence, bringing an anguished end to the desperate search by family members and rescue crews.

His son, Clayron Smith, 20, who joined divers in the search and was present when his father’s remains were recovered, told The Tribune: “Everything is numb.”

Across the country, tributes have poured in for a man whose influence reached well beyond his home island.

Former FNM North Abaco candidate Terrece Isabella recalled first encountering Smith after Hurricane Joaquin devastated Long Island.

Although they did not know each other personally, she said his commitment to helping vulnerable residents rebuild their homes was immediately evident.

“He delivered on his commitments, and it was an absolute honour to stand alongside him as he presented the fully completed homes to the homeowners,” she recalled.

For Isabella, what stood out was not simply what Smith accomplished, but the heart behind it.

“Beyond his many accomplishments and professional identities, I will remember the man whose compassion translated into action when people needed it most,” she said.

She added: “Hope against all odds is more than a phrase. Sometimes, it arrives in the form of people who choose to care, show up and deliver.”

In Exuma, where Smith served as a Local Government Councillor, the loss is deeply personal.

The Exuma Council described him as a dedicated public servant who gave his time, knowledge and energy without seeking financial gain or recognition.

His love for the island and its people, the council said, was reflected in everything he did.

“He was a true pillar of our community, a passionate supporter of sailing, and, above all, a genuinely great man.”

Nine people boarded a Learjet 60 bound for North Eleuthera but none made it to their destination. The aircraft crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, claiming nine lives.

The trip to the Bahamas was meant to be a celebration. Adam Robinson, 45, had reportedly chartered the Learjet to take his wife, Helen Sharp, their two young children, their nanny and two friends on a week-long trip to celebrate his birthday.

According to the New York Post, the family was looking forward to time together — a holiday that would bring loved ones together for a special occasion. Friends also recalled Robinson recently remarking that life was “going too well.”

Among the victims was Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, a young woman whose ambition was to fly. She earned her private pilot’s licence at just 17, before obtaining her driver’s licence. After training through her high school’s aviation academy, she graduated from American Flyers flight school as she worked towards her dream of becoming a commercial pilot.

Jeff Gregory, 55, was the pilot in command. A husband to Cheryl and father of three, Gregory had dreamed of flying since childhood. His longtime friend David Peters recalled a young Jeff who loved aviation and wore a leather bomber jacket. He eventually turned that childhood fascination into a career, beginning his flight training in the 1990s. Friends remembered him as diligent, dependable and hardworking, with a Christian faith rooted in his upbringing.

Also aboard were Adam Robinson, 45, an Austin-based technology entrepreneur, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2.

Robinson was the CEO and co-founder of Retention.com and also led RB2B and Moltsets. Sharp was an entrepreneur, potter and public relations company owner. But beyond their professional lives, their families remembered them as devoted parents whose greatest joy was their children.

In a joint statement, their families described Adam and Helen’s relationship as “the love affair that will last forever,” remembering their warmth, generosity and ability to make others feel welcome. Emma and Charlie, they said, were “the light of their lives.”

Rachael Reed, an ICU nurse originally from the Oklahoma City area, was travelling with her fiancé, Charmi Fehr. Their families remembered two people building a life filled with “joy and adventure,” who loved their people “fiercely, fully and without hesitation.”

Also aboard was Anita Maria Cetina, who cared for Emma and Charlie and was considered part of the Robinson-Sharp family. Their loved ones said she showed them “a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.”

As federal investigators examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, including weather conditions and reports of icing and turbulence, the families expressed gratitude to first responders, investigators and the Palm Beach County community, while asking for privacy as they grieve.

“I love you forever but for now take your rest my sweet boy,” Garthia St Vil shared as she said goodbye to her son, Jayden Ferguson.

The 15-year-old Grade 10 student of Harbour Island All Age School died after getting into difficulties while swimming on Sunday, October 25. Another teenage boy who was with him managed to make it back to shore, but Jayden was not seen again.

For his mother, the loss is especially devastating. Jayden was her eldest child and leaves behind two younger siblings.

His uncle, Henry Solomon, told The Tribune that the family had not expected Jayden to be at the beach that day. Around 4pm, he had told his mother he was going to study with a friend.

Solomon described his nephew as a good young man with an entrepreneurial spirit. The two had worked together during the summers for the past two years.

Jayden was a student to Harbour Island. He was a son, a nephew, a friend and a familiar face in a close-knit community that is now struggling with his absence.

His mother also took time to thank the people who stood beside her family during the search.

“From the bottom of my heart I want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped search for my son Jayden and to everyone who showed love and support and kindness to me and my family during this very difficult time,” she wrote.

“Y’all showed up for my boy.”

Harbour Island All Age School remembered Jayden as one of its own, describing him as a beloved student and member of its school family.

“Jayden is not just a student. He is our child, our Cougar, and a valued member of our school family,” the school said, thanking those who assisted in the search and asking the community to continue supporting his loved ones.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Chester Cooper also expressed condolences, noting that grief counselling and psychological support for students and staff began on Tuesday with the assistance of local pastors and a psychologist.

Messages of grief have continued across the island, with residents remembering Jayden as a happy, smiling young man whose presence left an impression on those he encountered.

Tamara Lorey said in a post, “We lost a young, happy, always smiling young man…taken too young. The ocean is powerful. He will be missed by all in this small community.”

The 2022 royal visit had a wealthy crypto backer. Four years later, the public is still asking what King Charles’ visit will cost.

When Prince William and Kate visited the Bahamas in March 2022, the royal spectacle came with a reported $636,194 government budget. But behind the scenes, another source of money helped support the occasion, Sam Bankman-Fried, the then-billionaire founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX whose headquarters was in the Bahamas.

FTX reportedly paid for the ballroom used for the royal reception. Bankman-Fried’s financial support for the event was not publicly disclosed at the time. His role offers a revealing backdrop to the renewed questions about who pays when royalty comes to the Bahamas.

Later in 2022, Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire collapsed, and he was arrested on fraud charges. His downfall transformed the image of a wealthy benefactor whose money had flowed into events and causes associated with the governing Progressive Liberal Party.

Now, with King Charles III visiting the Bahamas in October 2026, the question of royal spending has returned. But there is no Bankman-Fried to help underwrite the occasion.

Prime Minister Philip Davis appeared caught off guard when asked about the cost of the King’s visit on Wednesday.

“The dollar figure? I don’t know anything about that,” Davis said, before questioning why the reporter wanted to raise the issue and walking away.

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell took a more defensive approach, insisting that the spending was justified.

“This is the king of the Bahamas who’s coming, so the spending is appropriate for that visit, and it’ll not break the bank,” Mitchell said.

Yet Mitchell could not provide a total cost or say whether the expenses had been itemised. Finance Minister Michael Halkitis had previously said agencies were still calculating the government’s contribution, with costs expected to be shared with the Sovereign Grant.

In 2022, the government eventually published a breakdown of its $636,194 budget. For the 2026 visit, the final public cost remains unclear.

The issue is whether the public should have to wait until after the pageantry to learn how much was spent, who contributed and what taxpayers ultimately paid.

Bankman-Fried’s role in the earlier visit also raises questions about the influence of private wealth in public affairs, particularly when donations and sponsorships are not publicly disclosed.

Royal visits may be ceremonial, but the money behind them is a matter of public accountability. The public deserves to see the numbers.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has criticised King Charles III’s remarks on the legacy of slavery, saying his acknowledgement of historical suffering falls short of the apology and action it believes are necessary to address the harm caused by the Crown.

In a statement responding to the King’s speech on Tuesday, the committee said Bahamian culture was not “born out of darkness”, but was shaped by the agency, resilience and determination of people who survived slavery and its lasting effects.

“Our culture was born out of agency and out of the w  ill to survive despite the horrors, trauma and degradation,” the statement said, describing Bahamian culture as a testament to the power of the human spirit.

The committee argued that praise for Bahamian culture was not enough, calling on the King to address the Crown’s role in slavery and explain how it intends to atone for the harm committed in its name.

“We need him to speak about his role in the darkness and how he plans to atone for it actively,” the statement said.

The BNRC added that the King’s comments fell short of what justice requires: “a full and formal apology”, alongside steps to remedy historical wrongs.

Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, the committee’s chair, told The Guardian that she appreciated the King’s attempt to connect with Bahamian culture, but described his words as “hollow platitudes”.

She stressed that her criticism was not intended to diminish the significance of the King’s visit or the hospitality shown by Bahamians.

“My critique is not an attempt to rain on their parade,” she said. “It is because of this pride that I feel we deserve so much more than what was offered.”

The debate also drew comment from Professor Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community Reparations Commission, who said the Caribbean was seeking “proprietary justice, beginning with remorse”.

Beckles argued that the King’s engagement with Caribbean young people should offer meaningful empowerment and acknowledge the continuing consequences of slavery. Anything less, he said, risked minimising the legacy of harm and suffering.

While King Charles’ remarks recognised the pain of the past, reparations advocates are pressing for a more explicit acknowledgement of the Crown’s role, a formal apology and concrete steps towards addressing the consequences of slavery.

King Charles III has acknowledged the suffering caused by slavery in the Bahamas, but he left without offering the formal apology reparations advocates had demanded, a position Buckingham Palace had signalled ahead of his visit.

“Some of what is best in Bahamian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness.

“It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future,” King Charles said, speaking at a youth rally at Clifford Park on Tuesday after his arrival in the country.

Now the question is what comes next.

At the site where the Bahamas celebrated its independence in 1973, Charles said it was “only right” to acknowledge “the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond.” He also confirmed that Commonwealth leaders would discuss slavery’s legacy at their upcoming meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

It was an acknowledgement of historical suffering but not an apology.

And for the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, that distinction is important.

The BNRC said the King’s remarks fell short of what justice requires, arguing that Bahamian culture was born not simply from “darkness”, but from the agency, resilience and determination of people who survived slavery and its aftermath. Its chair, Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, described the speech as falling short of what Bahamians deserved, according to The Guardian.

For reparations advocates, acknowledgement alone does not address demands for a formal apology, material remedies or the return of cultural artefacts. A speech can recognise suffering without committing the Crown or the British government to any of those steps.

Buckingham Palace had already indicated that a formal apology was not expected, while the British government maintained its opposition to financial reparations. Charles’s remarks should therefore be understood as a public recognition of a painful history alongside a promise that Commonwealth leaders would discuss its legacy.

The discussion in Antigua will be worth watching. But placing slavery’s legacy on a summit agenda does not, by itself, guarantee negotiations, commitments or action. The substance of those discussions and what governments do afterwards, if anything, will matter more than the announcement alone.

For the Bahamas, more than 50 years after independence, the country remains a constitutional monarchy, and the relationship between the Crown, colonial history and national identity continues to prompt questions.

It remains to be seen whether the conversation moves beyond carefully chosen words, and whether any concrete steps will follow.

Featured Images: AP/Tim Aylen

King Charles III will arrive in the Bahamas today. But beyond the ceremony that comes with a royal visit such as the official welcome, the public engagements and the children greeting him, others gathering to catch a glimpse of the monarch, one question remains: why does an independent Bahamas still have a king?

The King’s visit offers a timely opportunity to examine what the Bahamas’ relationship with the King means today.

The Bahamas gained independence from Britain in July 1973. More than five decades later, it remains a constitutional monarchy, with Charles III serving as King of the Bahamas and head of state. The elected government, led by the Prime Minister, is responsible for governing the country, while the Governor-General performs the monarch’s constitutional functions locally. The King does not personally run the Bahamian government.

The Bahamas’ Independence does not mean the country has severed every constitutional tie to Britain. Instead, the country became a sovereign state while retaining the monarchy as part of its system of government.

For some, the monarchy represents tradition and a connection to the Commonwealth. For others, it raises questions about national identity, colonialism and whether the institution still reflects the aspirations of Bahamians today.

Those questions are especially relevant during this visit.

The King’s programme includes engagements focused on young people, national security, environmental conservation and Bahamian culture. These are important areas of national life, but the visit itself cannot resolve the challenges facing them. The value lies in what attention, dialogue or lasting cooperation may follow, not simply in the spectacle of the occasion.

There is also the question of history.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee and other advocates have called for Britain to confront its role in the transatlantic slave trade, including demands for an apology and reparations. Reporting ahead of the visit indicates that the British government does not intend to offer a formal apology or financial reparations.

The King’s presence does not, by itself, answer those demands, nor does it settle the debate over the future of the monarchy.

What should the Bahamas expect from the institution it still recognises as head of state — and what relationship does the country want with that institution in the years ahead?

The royal visit will last only a few days, but the historical questions surrounding it will remain long after King Charles departs.

For a Bahamian mother living in Florida, her children were more than the babies she brought into the world. Marshall Clarke-Milton called them her pride, joy and the centre of a family built on love, laughter and kindness.

Charles, Jakara and Dalvena were among six people killed in a fiery crash on the Florida Turnpike near mile marker 252 on Friday night. The siblings were travelling with their significant others and a friend to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights when tragedy struck.

“Jesus, all of my children are dead.

“Why Lord would you take all my babies. All 3…I’m numb… I can’t think… I can’t … sleep,” she lamented.

In a heartbreaking tribute shared on social media, Marshall recalled the difficult pregnancies she endured to bring each child into the world, describing the medical challenges she faced to carry them to full term.

“I birthed you, raised you, molded you, and educated you, but most importantly I filled you with love, kindness, and respect for everyone,” she wrote.

She remembered teaching her children to stand up for those who could not defend themselves and to love people openly. Their home, she recalled, was often filled with other people’s children, many of whom came to call her “Ma.”

Even in her grief, she reflected on the memories that will remain with her: the siblings laughing together, sharing stories and filling a room with the warmth of family.

The last message in their group chat was their mother checking that they had arrived safely. She did not know then that her children were already gone.

“I wouldn’t change a single moment of our lives shared together with the exception of Friday night,” she wrote.

Marshall later told FOX 35 that she sensed something was wrong when she could not reach her children. After contacting officials and providing their names, she learned that two had been identified.

Her husband, Charles Milton Sr., also spoke of the family’s devastating loss, describing the struggle to get through each hour and each day.

Their granddaughter has become a source of strength as they try to face a future without three of their children.

But alongside their grief is a demand for answers.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a roadside assistance truck had been moving across the roadway to help a disabled box truck when it was struck by the Chevrolet Traverse carrying the six victims. Both vehicles left the road, and the SUV caught fire. All six occupants died.

Marshall has questioned aspects of the initial account, saying investigators should examine vehicle data and other evidence before determining responsibility. The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the investigation remains open, while the National Transportation Safety Board announced its own investigation into the crash.

For Leanne Gregory, 36, the family holiday in the Bahamas was meant to be a celebration of love, family and ten years of marriage.

The mother of two, from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, England, was on the trip with her husband, Nathan, ahead of their wedding anniversary in December.

Instead, the holiday ended in unimaginable loss.

According to Nathan, the couple’s sons had been excitedly snorkelling in shallow water while their parents arranged their belongings on the beach. He believes a powerful current swept the boys out to sea.

Both parents rushed into the water in an attempt to save their children. The ordeal unfolded in less than ten minutes.

The boys were rescued off the coast of Bimini on Tuesday, but Leanne could not be saved, the Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed.

She was found unresponsive at the North Bimini Ferry Dock shortly after 10 a.m. local time. Police said CPR was administered before she was taken to a local medical clinic, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy was to be conducted, and police said foul play was not suspected.

But beyond the tragic circumstances of her death is the life of a woman whose husband says had been at the centre of his world for more than two decades.

“I’ve known her since infant school,” Nathan told the BBC, recalling how they first became a couple at 14.

Their relationship spanned 22 years, growing from young love into a marriage and a family.

He described Leanne as “the purest of people, the most generous kind and beautiful person who ever walked the earth.”

“She was the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the foundation of our entire family,” he said.

Nathan described losing his childhood sweetheart as unimaginable, but said her actions in the water made her a hero in life and in death.

Now back home with their sons, he is facing the painful task of helping them navigate a future without their mother while trying to remain strong for them.

Support has begun pouring in for the family, with a fundraising page raising nearly £9,000 at the time of the BBC report. Nathan also praised Royal Caribbean and Virgin Atlantic for helping make their journey home easier.

In Stapleford, the grief extends beyond the family. Local councillor Richard MacRae described the community as tight-knit and said people would rally around those left behind