As the lights of Hamilton prepare to shine on another Front Street Mile, we look back at the historic marks that have defined three decades of racing on Bermuda’s most iconic stretch of tarmac.
Since the inaugural elite race in 1989, the quest for a “sub-four” minute mile in Hamilton has become the island’s great sporting white whale. While the $10,000 jackpot for breaking that barrier remains unclaimed, the record books are filled with times that sit just a heartbeat away.
The men’s course record belongs to Kenya’s Leonard Mucheru, who in 2002 came agonizingly close to immortality. His time of 4:02.60 remains the benchmark, narrowly eclipsing the 4:04.60 set by British legend and former world record holder Steve Cram in 1991.
In the women’s elite ranks, Jamaica’s Kenia Sinclair delivered a tactical masterclass in 2011. Her record of 4:33.61 has stood for 15 years, surviving challenges from a host of Olympians and NCAA champions.
The Front Street Mile is also the ultimate proving ground for Bermuda’s youth, with many records held by athletes who went on to global success.
Senior School (Under-20)
Boys: The legendary Tyler Butterfield still holds the gold standard. His 4:27.30, set in 1999 for Saltus, remains untouched.
Girls: Kyrah Scraders (Berkeley Institute) set the pace in 2014 with a blistering 5:19.74, though Ashley Berry and Jaeda Grant have pushed the mark close.
Middle School
Boys: A young Dage Minors—now Bermuda’s premier miler—made his mark in 2009 with a 5:01.90.
Girls: Ashley Irby holds the definitive record here, stopping the clock at 5:23.63 in 2015.
Ministry outlines west and east parish pickup dates for natural trees
The Ministry of Public Works and Environment reminds the public of the scheduled Christmas tree collection dates following the recent holiday period.
Christmas tree collection will take place as follows:
West (all areas of Sandys, Southampton, Warwick and Paget parishes, and the following areas of Devonshire: Tee Street and Kent Avenue): Saturday, 17 January 2026.
East (all areas of St. George’s, Hamilton, Smith’s, Pembroke and Devonshire parishes, not including Tee Street and Kent Avenue): Saturday, 24 January 2026.
Residents are asked to place natural Christmas trees at the roadside by 7:00 a.m. on the applicable collection day. Trees should be free of all decorations, tinsel, lights, stands, and plastic bags.
Artificial trees will not be collected and should be disposed of at the Tynes Bay Public Drop-Off.
The Ministry thanks the public for its cooperation in supporting safe and efficient waste collection operations.
The Bermuda College course aims to “develop competent, ethical long-term care administrators, strengthening oversight and improving care quality across Bermuda”
A new training programme is launching in Bermuda to professionalise leadership across the long-term care sector, improving accountability, operational standards, and the quality of care provided to seniors island-wide.
The Administrators in Training (AIT) programme is a 12-month professional certification designed for administrators and managers of licensed nursing homes, rest homes, and caregiver agencies in Bermuda.
It includes two academic semesters and a supervised practicum, providing participants with hands-on training in the competencies required to manage modern long-term care facilities.
Participants complete 12 core competencies across four domains: care and support, environment, operations, and leadership and strategy.
The curriculum focuses on practical, day-to-day management skills, including resident care systems, admissions and discharge processes, regulatory compliance, financial oversight, staffing, governance, risk management, and emergency preparedness.
Programme partners say recurring issues identified through facility inspections and complaints highlighted the need for consistent, formal leadership training across Bermuda’s long-term care sector.
Ja’Mae Smith, Programme Manager at the Bermuda Health Council, said the AIT programme was developed in response to clear evidence.
“We developed this training programme because the data showed that many issues in long-term care facilities could be prevented with stronger management,” said Ms Smith.
“By addressing root causes, the programme supports safer operations, stronger compliance, and better outcomes for residents.”
She added: “Effective leadership strengthens the entire system. When administrators are confident and well-trained, staff performance improves and residents receive the quality of care they deserve.”
Although administrator certification is required by law in Bermuda, no local training pathway previously existed. The AIT programme adapts a recognised international model and aligns it with Bermuda’s regulatory and operational framework.
Dr Claudette Fleming of Age Concern, who led the localisation of the curriculum, said the programme reflects years of collaboration and sector demand.
“Long-term care homes are doing their best under increasing pressure, but they need the right structures and leadership tools. Better-run homes deliver higher-quality care for Bermuda’s seniors.”
She added: “This programme formalises the training administrators have long needed and supports them in meeting modern regulatory and operational expectations.”
Karen Smith, Programme Coordinator at Bermuda College, said the AIT programme fills a critical workforce gap.
“Administrators carry enormous responsibility, yet until now there has been no formal, local training pathway. This programme provides structured, practical preparation that the sector urgently needs.”
She continued: “Participants gain tools they can apply immediately in their facilities, strengthening confidence, leadership capacity, and care standards.”
Lecturers will be drawn from healthcare, regulatory, emergency management, business, and community sectors, ensuring participants receive interdisciplinary, real-world instruction.
Programme organisers say the initiative will help develop competent, ethical long-term care administrators, strengthening oversight and improving care quality across Bermuda.
The course runs from January 27 to April 28. For eligibility requirements, programme schedules, or enrolment details, contact apace@college.bm or visit www.college.bm.
The utility advised that work from Barnes Corner to Evans Bay will resume on Monday, January 19
Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) today provided an update on the Transmission Upgrade Project in the west end that will resume on Monday, January 19th.
Work in the east end of the island is complete. The central to Barnes Corner section in the west end is also complete. Work on the section from Barnes Corner to Evans Bay will resume on Monday, January 19th.
The public are encouraged to allow additional time to get to their destination as there are no alternative routes. Traffic lights will be in place for the duration of the project with manual traffic controls to accommodate rush hour traffic.
The Transmission, Distribution & Retail (TD&R) assets are being upgraded to improve reliability, reduce costs and expand grid capacity.
BELCO Managing Director, Shelly Leman said: “We are now in the final stages of our transmission upgrade project – one of the most important network projects BELCO has undertaken to modernize the grid in recent times. I encourage everyone to drive safely around open trenches and working crews. This project has many benefits for the consumer and will help to maintain grid reliability and support future renewable penetration. I thank the public for their patience and understanding and look forward to the project being completed and ensuring a more reliable, sustainable energy future for all our customers.”
More information about the Transmission Upgrade Project can be found on BELCO’s website at www.belco.bm
Senegal is grappling with a debt burden that the Fund said hit 132% of gross domestic product at the end of 2024
International News via Reuters:
The International Monetary Fund’s new mission chief for Senegal will make a short trip to the West African nation early next week, an IMF spokesperson said, but no substantive negotiations are expected.
Senegal is grappling with a debt burden that the Fund said hit 132% of gross domestic product at the end of 2024 after the country’s current leadership uncovered billions of dollars in borrowing not reported by the previous administration.
The IMF froze a $1.8 billion lending programme over the controversy, forcing Senegal to rely heavily on regional debt auctions to meet its financing needs. The government has for months been in talks with the Fund to establish a new programme.
Mission Chief Mercedes Vera Martin will visit Senegal with her predecessor, Edward Gemayel, for a “primary introductory visit” early next week, the spokesperson said late on Wednesday.
Both are expected to meet with Senegalese authorities, but no substantive negotiations are expected in the immediate future, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Spokespeople for Senegal’s finance and economy ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Vera Martin oversaw Zambia’s debt restructuring as head of mission there from 2023 to 2025. Gemayel will take over from her as Zambia mission chief.
Senegalese authorities have repeatedly ruled out a debt restructuring but have said they hope to finalise a loan programme with the IMF quickly.
Reporting by Portia Crowe; Editing by Karin Strohecker and Joe Bavier
“Around 12:00 a.m. on Thursday, 15 January 2026, police and other first responders were dispatched to a report of a single vehicle collision involving a motorcycle on South Road, near the Coral Beach Tennis Courts in Paget.
Initial inquiries indicate that a male rider traveling in the westbound lane was negotiating a right hand bend when he lost control of the motorcycle and veered off the roadway over an embankment. The rider sustained severe leg injuries and was transported by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Police Constable 2617 Ameen Azeez.”
Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor more than two years after they started rerouting vessels around Africa following Yemeni Houthi rebels’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea
International News via Reuters:
Shipping group Maersk will resume sailings via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for its MECL service, connecting the Middle East and India with the U.S. east coast, the Danish company said on Thursday.
“Maersk has decided to implement a structural return to the trans-Suez route for all MECL service sailings,” the company said in a statement, adding that this was part of a stepwise approach for its fleet.
Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor more than two years after they started rerouting vessels around Africa following Yemeni Houthi rebels’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea in what they said was a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Maersk on Monday said one of its vessels had tested the route as a ceasefire in Gaza raised hopes for normal shipping traffic.
The change for the MECL service comes into effect with a sailing departing Oman’s port of Salalah on January 26.
The Suez Canal is the fastest route linking Europe and Asia and, until the Houthi attacks, had accounted for about 10% of global seaborne trade, according to Clarksons Research.
The ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, in place since October last year, has renewed hope of normalising Red Sea traffic.
The ceasefire has ended major combat in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides have accused the other of regular violations. More than 440 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the truce took effect.
Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche
“This is not the first time the Kremlin has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff,” the foreign office said in a statement
International News via Reuters:
The British government said on Thursday it was “carefully considering” its response after Russia expelled a British diplomat who it said was an undeclared officer in Britain’s intelligence services.
“This is not the first time the Kremlin has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Their targeting of British diplomats comes out of desperation and actions like this undermine the basic conditions required for diplomatic missions to operate,” it added.
Reporting by Muvija M; Writing by Catarina Demony, editing by William James
The antitrust authority said it has received complaints from private businesses as well as many government agencies and public companies over significant price hikes of Microsoft’s product licenses
International News via Reuters:
Switzerland’s competition commission said on Thursday it launched a preliminary investigation into Microsoft’s licensing fees in the country.
The antitrust authority said it has received complaints from private businesses as well as many government agencies and public companies over significant price hikes of Microsoft’s product licenses, which may indicate an unlawful restriction of competition.
“Should such indications be confirmed, this could warrant the opening of a formal investigation,” the agency, also known as COMCO, said in a statement.
“Microsoft is committed to complying with Swiss competition law and will cooperate with the Swiss Competition Commission in its preliminary investigation,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
Reporting by Linda Pasquini and Oliver Hirt, editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Thomas Seythal
The Crew Dragon capsule parachuted into calm seas off San Diego at about 12:45 a.m. PST, capping a 10-hour-plus descent from the International Space Station and fiery re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere
International News via Reuters:
A SpaceX capsule carrying a four-member crew home from orbit in an emergency return to earth necessitated by an undisclosed serious medical condition afflicting one of the astronauts splashed down safely early on Thursday in the Pacific Ocean off California.
The Crew Dragon capsule parachuted into calm seas off San Diego at about 12:45 a.m. PST (0845 GMT), capping a 10-hour-plus descent from the International Space Station and fiery re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere, carried live by a joint NASA-SpaceX webcast.
Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Aidan Lewis
A meeting of officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday avoided the public humiliation meted out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last year
International News via Reuters:
Military personnel from France and Germany headed to Greenland on Thursday as Denmark and its allies prepared for exercises to try to assure U.S. President Donald Trump over its security as he pushes to acquire the island.
A meeting of officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday avoided the public humiliation meted out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last year, but also produced no quick fix for the dispute.
Trump has said the strategically located and mineral-rich island is vital to U.S. security and the United States must own it to prevent Russia or China occupying it. He has said all options are on the table for securing the territory, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
He says Denmark is not capable of warding off Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic region.
PROMISE TO BEEF UP ARCTIC DEFENCE
Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale, that threats of force are reckless and security concerns should be resolved among allies.
Prominent EU countries have backed Denmark with many leaders warning a U.S. military seizure of the island could in effect spell the end of NATO.
Ahead of the meeting, Greenland and Denmark said they had begun to increase their military presence in and around Greenland in close cooperation with NATO allies, as part of their promise to beef up Arctic defence.
European allies including Germany, France, Sweden and Norway have said they are sending military staff to Greenland to begin preparations for larger drills later this year.
“The Danish Armed Forces, together with a number of Arctic and European allies, will explore in the coming weeks how an increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic can be implemented in practice,” the Danish Ministry of Defence said.
So far the scale of the planned military build up has not been made public, but the initial deployments appeared to be small. The German Armed Forces were deploying a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Nuuk on Thursday morning aboard an Airbus A400M transport aircraft, the German Defence Ministry said.
Nonetheless, the European military increase to Greenland was a message to the U.S. administration, Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, told Reuters.
“There are two messages … one is to deter, is to show that ‘if you decide to do something militarily, we’re ready to defend Greenland’,” he said.
“And the other purpose is to say: ‘Well, we take your critique seriously, we increase our presence, take care of our sovereignty, and improve surveillance over Greenland’.”
TALKS AGREE TO WORKING GROUP
After the talks at the White House with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt said the U.S. and Denmark would form a working group to discuss a broad array of concerns regarding the island.
But they also acknowledged that Washington had not budged on its position that it must acquire Greenland, an outcome they said would represent an unacceptable breach of sovereignty.
Late on Wednesday, a Danish Air Force plane landed at Nuuk airport and personnel in military fatigues disembarked for the exercises, footage showed.
France was also joining the deployment. “The first French military elements are already en route. Others will follow,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X.
Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s ambassador to the Poles, told France Info radio: “We will show the United States that NATO is there, that Denmark has dramatically increased its surveillance capabilities in Greenland and that the European Union is contributing to ensure the national security of the region as a whole.”
Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Nuuk and Terje Solsvik in Oslo; Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris, Tom Little in Copenhagen and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Writing by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Alison Williams
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