Monthly Archives: July 2024

L.L. Bean has just added a third shift at its factory in Brunswick, Maine, in an attempt to keep up with demand for its iconic boot.

Orders have quadrupled in the past few years as the boots have become more popular among a younger, more urban crowd.

The company says it saw the trend coming and tried to prepare, but orders outpaced projections. They expect to sell 450,000 pairs of boots in 2014.

People hoping to have the boots in time for Christmas are likely going to be disappointed. The bootsare back ordered through February and even March.

"I've been told it's a good problem to have but I"m disappointed that customers not getting what they want as quickly as they want," said Senior Manufacturing Manager Royce Haines.

Customers like, Mary Clifford, tried to order boots on line, but they were back ordered until January.

"I was very surprised this is what they are known for and at Christmas time you can't get them when you need them," said Clifford.

People who do have boots are trying to capitalize on the shortage and are selling them on Ebay at a much higher cost.

L.L. Bean says it has hired dozens of new boot makers, but it takes up to six months to train someone to make a boot.

The company has also spent a million dollars on new equipment to try and keep pace with demand.

Some customers are having luck at the retail stores. They have a separate inventory, and while sizes are limited, those stores have boots on the shelves.

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Royal Bahamas Police Supt. placed on leave amid investigation into Chicago woman's disappearance at yoga retreat - NBC Chicago

Editor's Note: An updated version of this story can be found here. Our original story continues below.

Family and friends of Taylor Casey, the Chicago woman who disappeared last month while attending a yoga retreat in the Bahamas, are set to hold a press conference downtown Thursday morning as they continue to press for answers from authorities.

"My child has been missing for almost 3 weeks," Casey's mother, Collette Seymour said in a press release. "My family, friends, and I are distraught! I am pleading with everyone to call your elected officials and demand the FBI lead this investigation andbring her homesafe and sound.

Casey, set to turn 42 Thursday, was last seen the evening ofJune 19at theSivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, on Paradise Island in Nassau,where she was completing a yoga certification course.She was reported missing June 20 after retreat employees that said Casey "did not attend morning classes."

Five days after she was reported missing by police, organizers of the yoga program posted a message to Facebook about the disappearance.

"A participant from our yoga certification program, Taylor Casey is missing,"The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat posted to Facebook. "She was last seen at the retreat late on the evening of June 19th."

Several days later, a contingent including Seymore traveled to the Bahamas to meet with local officials and program leaders. The trip left Seymore with more questions than answers, as Seymore described her experience as "unsettling," "disturbing" and "infuriating."

In an interview Wednesday, Seymore said something sounded "off" in her daughter's voice when the two spoke the day before Casey disappeared.

I got an eerie feeling after hanging up the phone with my child, Seymore said. And I sensed through the phone that something was wrong.

Seymore also raised concerns about the integrity of the case, saying her daughter, a transgender woman of color, isn't receiving the proper investigation or attention because of who Casey is.

I just feel like they are hiding something, covering up something, and they separated, isolated my child, Seymore said. My child was the only African American in the instructors class.

Thursday's press conference, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., comes days after the Royal Bahamas Police Force provided an update on their investigation.

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said searches using divers and submersible drone technology were conducted near the area Casey's cell phone had been found, but that no new evidence had been discovered.

"They came up negative with additional information," Fernander said, adding that officers, canines and marines were continuing to search the area.

Fernander noted that the force was also investigating another missing persons case involving Devon Issacs, a local 17-year-old boy who disappeared more than seven weeks ago.

"That is a concern for us," Fernander said. "No kind of indication, no calls came in that they had any sighting of him."

Both investigations come as Michael Johnson, Chief Supt. of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, on July 5 was placed on "garden leave" following recent social media circulation of "voice notes" involving Johnson.

"The Royal Bahamas police force has a proud history of service," Fernander said during the update. "Unfortunately, there may be instances where individuals fall short of our standards of integrity. This is painful, especially if found within senior ranks, nobody, and I repeat, nobody is above the law."

The retreat, on Paradise Island in Nassau, is described as a "vibrant yoga ashram offering vacations, courses, and teacher trainings as well as cleanses, detox programs, healing arts trainings, family programs, kirtan and more," according to the group's Facebook page.

Visitors are able to rent a variety of accommodations when staying at the Ashram, including rooms, huts and tents, thegroup's website showed.

Earlier this year, the retreat was featured as part of a "Wellness Retreats & Destination Spas" guide from Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's luxury brand and website.

Earlier in July, the Ashram issued the following statement:

"All of us are distraught over Taylors disappearance, and our hearts go out to her family and friends.. With that in mind, I wish to advise you that we did our best to provide Taylors mother and friends with support and comfort while they were in the Bahamas last week. We met with them along with the police and the representatives of the US embassy on two occasions once at police headquarters and once at the ashram. Taylors family and friends stayed at the ashram for many hours after the end of the official meeting to collect her belongings and speak with Taylors teachers, fellow students and administrators.

To be clear, the police advised us that while we can encourage community members to speak with them, it must be their choice. So we announced their presence to Taylors classmates and teachers and invited anyone wanting to meet with them to come forward. Many of our community members chose to speak with them and the ashram did not intervene in terms of what individuals said. They were encouraged to speak freely. Any perceived hesitancy could have been due to their own grieving processes.

At the end of the afternoon, Taylors mother and friends thanked us profusely for our help."

July 5, the program posted an updated message to their Facebook page.

In January, the U.S. issued a "Level 2" Travel Advisory for the Bahamas, warning that travelers should "exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime."

"The majority ofcrime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands," the advisory said. "Violent crime,such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults,occur in both touristand non-touristareas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental propertieswhere private security companies donot have a presence."

The Nassau Guardiansaid Director General of Tourism Latia Duncombe addressed the travel advisory last month.

The destination is safe and we have to make sure visitors do feel safe when they visit the Bahamas," Duncombe said. "Whenever there is an odd occurrence, it does increase concern and we want to make sure we address it in a very measured way.

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Family, friends of Chicago woman who disappeared during Bahamas yoga retreat hold press conference - NBC Chicago

A woman was immersed in the awe of a reef teeming with life when she slammed into something during her snorkeling venture.

When I turned to my right to see what I had bumped into, I was face to face with a shark,North Carolinaresident Tiffany Johnson told Fox News Digital about the 2017 attack in the Bahamas.

The bump I felt was when it had literally grabbed onto my arm, so my arm was in his mouth.

She overcame the sinking feeling of giving up, fought back and finally freed herself, butthe sharkcompletely severed her arm and left her with a mangled stump.

She overcame the sinking feeling of giving up, fought back and finally freed herself, butthe sharkcompletely severed her arm and left her with a mangled stump.

And thats when it was on for him, she said. The shark began to fight and thrash. Im screaming through my snorkel, but you really cant utter words. Youve got the snorkel tube in your mouth.

No one on the boat knew she was wrestling with death.

She kept fighting, and One of the times, I yanked his jaws open, and my arm kind of just flies out, and I look down, and its gone.

All that was left was her shoulder and about three-to-five inches of her upper arm.

The entire attack happened like a snap of the finger.

Johnson and her husband were snorkeling during a cruise excursion ironically off Paradise Island when her husband became sick to his stomach.

Within 10 minutes of leaving the water, he threw up on the boat, medical staff tended to him, and the shark snapped Johnsons arm off.

After freeing herself, she was on the surface. She tossed her snorkel and screamed. Her husband heard her desperate pleas for help and rushed to her aid.

There were gaps in her memory from the attack, so she relied on her husbands recollection to fill in the blanks.

He said he turned and saw me. I had started to swim back, and I had put my injured arm up out of the water, Johnson said.

It was literally spewing blood everywhere. And that was the sight he saw, and I remember locking eyes with him.

The terror on his face was something Ive never seen before, and he just screamed out, Baby, and jumped in the water as Im trying to get to that boat.

At that point, no one had eyes on the shark.

Johnson remembered being laser focused on the boat and said she felt like it was right behind me.

I was praying the whole time, God get me to that boat, Johnson said. My husband met me in the water. I had made it most of the way on my own, and he took me the last 10 feet or so.

Cruise employees threw a rope to get onto the boat. They were at the ladder, and the shark launched me from behind, Johnson said.

The captain kind of grabbed my left arm, and I hit the boat. The minute I hit that boat, I felt Gods peace around me like a cloud.

Every time I talk about it, I get emotional because its like, I cant even put it into words fully. All I can say is, it felt like a thick, tangible cloud of peace.

They used towels as a makeshift tourniquet. She lay down during the longest seven minutes of their lives.

The ship beelined for Paradise Island to get Johnson to a hospital. They reached the island and yelled for help.

After onlookers initial shock, they directed everyone to the main port, which was another 20 more minutes, according to Johnson.

They finally reached the emergency room, but Bahamian medical care is not as advanced as Americas, and there were passport issues getting back to the U.S. that required the U.S. Embassys involvement, Johnson said.

However, she did. She is alive and thriving. She is an author and helping other shark attack survivors.

Johnson and her husband are celebrating anniversaries, going on trips and enjoying their lives.

I believe wholeheartedly God miraculously saved me, she said. Every time I tell that to anybody (what happened in the hospital in the Bahamas) with any kind of medical knowledge, theyre speechless.

Theyre like, Tiffany, I dont know how youre alive. Youre a living, walking miracle. Science cant explain you. You know you dont make sense.'

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American on Bahamas vacation loses limb during grisly shark attack: Arm just flies out - New York Post

Portland's big man helped pave the way, holding down the paint for the Bahamas' run through Olympic qualifiers, however they came one game shy of qualifying.

PORTLAND, Ore. Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton nearly led the Bahamas to its first ever Olympic games, falling one game short of qualifying after losing to Spain 86-78 in the final on Sunday.

In the final game, Ayton dropped a 17-point, 14-rebound performances. For the qualifying tournament, Ayton averaged 19.5 points, and 11.8 rebounds, leading the Bahamas in rebounds per game, and less than half a point shy of leading the team in points per game.

Here's a look at Ayton's performances through the four-game qualifier:

Ayton, the former No. 1 pick from the 2018 NBA Draft, is one of three active NBA players on the Bahamas roster, including Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield and Philadelphia 76ers guard Eric Gordon. The rest of the Bahamas roster is filled of mostly former and current college basketball players, including VJ Edgecombe, an incoming freshman at Baylor who's projected as one of the top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

After being traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Blazers in 2023, Ayton began to break out during the homestretch of the season, averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds per game after the All-Star break.

With the Bahamas being eliminated from the Olympics the only Trail Blazer to be playing in the Olympics is center Duop Reath, who will suit up for the Australian national team.

Australia's first game will take place on Saturday, July 27 at 2 a.m. PST against Spain.

Follow along with KGW Sports for more coverage on the Olympics.

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Deandre Ayton has strong performance in Olympic qualifiers final, but it isn't enough to take down Spain - KGW.com

The friends and family of Taylor Casey, a Black transgender woman from Chicago who has been missing in the Bahamas since June 19, are calling for greater public attention to her disappearance.

Casey, 42, was last seen at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island late last month, per NBC News. The island is located off the coast of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. In a statement to NBC News, Caseys mother Colette Seymore said that her family was deeply concerned for Taylors safety and well-being.

I believe Taylor is in danger because she was eager to share her yoga retreat experience with others upon her return, she told the outlet. Taylor would never disappear like this.

It wasnt until a press release earlier this week that Caseys mother publicly shared that her daughter is trans, according to NBC News. Seymore told NBC News that she had now previously made that information public because the focus was going to be taken off of finding my child, my child being missing and that they were going to put the focus on oh, Taylors transgender, which should not be the focus at all.

Last week, law enforcement in the Bahamas announced that they had located Caseys cell phone, journal, and other personal effects in nearby waters, according to a press release from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. However, they were unable to access the phone, and also stated that her passport remains missing.

Seymore also told WMAQ, Chicagos local NBC affiliate, that she felt as though Caseys case wasnt receiving the attention it deserved. I just feel like they are hiding something, covering up something, and they separated, isolated my child, Seymore told the local outlet, adding that Casey was the only African American in the instructors class.

Seymore herself visited the yoga retreat herself last week and called her visit deeply unsettling, as she told KABC. She told the outlet that she felt like the students she talked to at the retreat were told what to say and what not to say. Caseys family additionally told KABC that the police allegedly refused to turn over her phone, and refused to tell them how many statements they collected from people at the yoga retreat.

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A Black Trans Woman Went Missing From a Bahamas Yoga Retreat. Her Family Wants Answers - Them

Planning to escape the brutal cold in exchange for a tropical paradise this winter? Might want to think twice about the Bahamas.

The US embassy released a security warning and travel advisory that the island nation is currently unsafe for tourists as the capital city of Nassau has reported 18 murders since the beginning of 2024.

The US Embassy in Nassau advises US citizens to be aware that 18 murders have occurred in Nassau since the beginning of 2024, the embassy wrote in the release.

Murders have occurred at all hours including in broad daylight on the streets. Retaliatory gang violence has been the primary motive in 2024 murders.

Following the security alert, the US State Department on Friday put the Bahamas on its Exercise Increased Caution list raising it to a Level 3 as it warned Americans to keep a low profile, be aware of the surroundings, and to not resist if confronted by robbers.

Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas, the warning read. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies donot have a presence.

The State Department also told travellers that they should not even try to physically resist when being robbed and use caution when traveling at night.

Many recreational watercraft rentals, tours and trips are inconsistently regulated, the State Department also warned.

Watercraftmay be poorlymaintained,andsome operators may nothave safety certifications, the release said. Always review and heed local weather and marine alerts before engaging in water-based activities.

The department also reminded Americans not to swim alone in the Bahamas, where there have been recent shark attacks.

In December, a female tourist from Boston was killed by a shark while paddleboarding less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where the capital, Nassau, is located, the Associated Press reported.

At least 33 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1580, with the island ranking ninth worldwide, according to the International Shark Attack File.

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis responded to the recent security alert in a national address last week, stating there will be an increase in police action and roadblocks, according to the Nassau Guardian.

This may make you late for your appointments, or delay plans you have, but this is a small price to pay for the collective benefit of having our streets made safer, and our lives less blighted by murder and other violent crimes, he said.

Last week, the State Department raised its advisory level for travel to Jamaica to Level 3 based on violent crime including home invasions, armed robberies, homicides, and sexual assaults - which occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.

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US warns tourists against travel to Bahamas after 18 murders reported this year - Yahoo News Australia

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Nassau, The Bahamas The Commonwealth of The Bahamas celebrated 51 years as an independent nation on July 10, 2024.

A Calendar of Events planned and managed by the National Independence Secretariat focused on the theme: One People United In Love & Service, an excerpt from the National Pledge.

An Ecumenical Service and Cultural Show was held July 9, 2024 at historic Clifford Park, where the Flag Raising segment stirred emotions from spectators many of whom were at that same spot when the birth of the nation happened in 1973.

The 51st Independence Anniversary celebrations kicked off with a number of leadup events: beginning with National Flag Day on June 28, during which Bahamians throughout the country donned the national colours of aquamarine, gold and black and held brief ceremonies marked by singing of the National Anthem, reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, and solemn Flag Raising.

The traditional Independence Beat Retreat was held in Rawson Square, downtown Nassau, June 30, where a joint uniformed branch band wowed dignitaries and scores of spectators with their skillful drills and upbeat music. This year, young people were added to the mix and drew thunderous applause as they sang the songs of local artists.

On July 1, a National Time Capsule Packing Day was coordinated, which involved all Family Islands, and New Providence. Residents gathered historic items unique to their specific communities and placed them in time capsules. All capsules will be unsealed in 2049 during the countrys Diamond Jubilee independence celebrations.

The week leading up to Independence was filled with activities aimed at bringing people together right where they live their communities. It called for Bahamians to focus on heritage, culture, love and commonalities as opposed to differences.

The main event on Tuesday, July 9, at Clifford Park drew many who donned fashionable clothing in the national colours, waved pompoms, blew whistles, and held flashing lights as they experienced from 7:30 pm to 12:00 midnight aspects of the spiritual and cultural Bahamas.

The Ecumenical Service sermon was delivered by Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander who called into focus the theme of unity, love and service. The gospel singing by Bishop Denczil Rolle & Friends added to the worship mood throughout the park and the vicinity of Fort Charlotte.

Following on, the cultural segment showcased folklore dance, performances by artists who evoked crowd excitement, Junkanoo, skits in which young actors dreamed of their future, and interviews with Bahamians who have beaten the odds.

Minutes before midnight, Her Excellency Dame Cynthia Pratt, Governor General, inspected the Honour Guard; members of the clergy gathered around the National Flag as it was being hoisted and offered prayers for various segments of the community; and as the Flag reached the top the National Anthem was played followed by a burst of fireworks bringing in July 10, 2024 the 51st Independence Anniversary of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

In those early hours, starting at 1:00 a.m. the celebration continued with The Peoples Rush Junkanoo extravaganza.

On the afternoon of Independence Day, a Family Fun Day was held at Clifford Park, where all manner of activities, games, foods, drinks and entertainment were available for families to enjoy.

That evening, a State Reception at Government House, Mt. Fitzwilliam, was hosted by Governor General Dame Cynthia Pratt in celebration of Bahamas Independence.

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Bahamas Celebrates 51st Independence United In Love & Service - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer