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May 2023: Marco matters

Award-winning footballer Marco Warren died after a road incident on May 14 (File photograph)

The untimely death of an award-winning footballer marred the month of May.

Marco Warren, 29, was found unconscious at the junction of North Shore and Trinity Church Roads in Hamilton Parish on May 14.

Mr Warren, captain of the champion PHC football team, was then taken via ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mr Warren’s mother, Wendie, said her son, a three-times recipient of Bermuda Football Association’s most valuable player award, was “a little man but he has left such a big hole.

“He always included everyone in everything that he did. He was all-inclusive. He just made a such an impression on everyone.”

She pleaded for whoever was responsible for Mr Warren’s death to come forward.

Members of both the House of Assembly and Senate also paid tribute to Mr Warren, with David Burt, the Premier, calling him an “unquestioningly beautiful soul”, as well as “an amazingly talented Bermudian, a kind Bermudian, a soft-spoken Bermudian and a wonderful Bermudian.”

Former Progressive Labour Party senator Curtis Richardson has since been charged with causing Mr Warren’s death by driving without due care and attention.

Public-school reform was in the headlines early in the month, with Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, apologising for how the Government had conducted the initiative.

Speaking in the House of Assembly, the minister did not specify the reason for the apology, which came after his ministry ditched plans to temporarily move students from East End Primary, St George’s Preparatory and St David’s Primary to Whitney Institute in Smith’s in September 2024.

This was planned to occur so that East End could be renovated and reopen as a parish primary school in 2026.

In a letter to schools involved, Mr Rabain said the ministry abandoned this plan as a result of negative feedback from parents and other stakeholders.

He said: “We recognise that our engagement meetings could have been conducted differently to fully achieve the desired outcome — to present the transition plan, accept feedback that would be used to guide the plan’s finalisation and then re-engage stakeholders to discuss again.

“For this, we wholeheartedly apologise, and to everyone who came out or has held subsequent discussions focused on the future of Bermuda’s children and young people, we thank you.”

A holiday was held on May 8 to commemorate the coronation of British monarch King Charles III.

Mr Burt and Rena Lalgie, the Governor, attended the ceremony in London on May 6, which also featured members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, who paraded with thousands of other troops.

Members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment participate in King Charles III’s coronation parade in London (File photograph)

While in Britain for this event, the Premier met with Lord Goldsmith, the Minister for the Overseas Territories, to discuss “a range of issues related to Bermuda and her people”.

He said: “It is vital that outstanding matters such as the BMU Code in our passports, cannabis reform and the extension of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are advanced.

“I am hopeful that after our discussions there will be positive advances on these issues which are important for the people we serve in Bermuda.”

Rain dominated the latter half of May, with the Bermuda Weather Service recording a record-setting 12.39in throughout the month — more than three times the average.

Flooding on Mill Creek Road (Photograph by Akil Simmons)

Some of the wettest days were May 23 and 24, which each brought 2.48in of precipitation to the island, and Bermuda Day on May 26, when 3in was recorded.

This rain, which continued into June, took its toll on the island’s roads, public transport and natural formations — nine out of Bermuda’s 30 electric buses broke down as a result of wet weather, and a saturated cliff collapsed on to a sidewalk in Pembroke.

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Published January 01, 2024 at 10:37 am (Updated January 01, 2024 at 10:37 am)

May 2023: Marco matters

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