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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

SP Darts Team wins first ever Big Creek Group Darts Classic
The San Pedro Jaguars Darts Team is the winner of the first ever Big Creek Group Darts Classic. The event, which the organizers hope to make an annual once, took place at the Belize City Lions Den on Saturday April 13th and Sunday April 14th. Sponsored by the Stann Creek based Big Creek Group of Companies and the competition attracted teams from all over the country who competed in six different categories. The host team was the Jolly Rogers Reloaded Darts Team of Belize City. The host team "Jolly Rogers Reloaded". The event kicked off with a short ceremony and had the presence of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Honorable Herman Longsworth. In his remarks, Longsworth applauded the organizers and sponsors and pledged his support in improving and promoting darts in Belize.

ACCSD responds to West Side Marina dredging
ACCSD is very concerned about the dredging taking place on the west side of the marina. We are concerned that the laws of the country are apparently not being followed. There was no EIA for this development when it is clearly stated that any dredging that exceeds 50,000 cubic yards should require an EIA. We are concerned that proper protocol does not seem to have actually taken place in this instance. This area is a major fishing spot for the fly fishermen who visit this area on a daily basis. We cannot stress how very important it is to protect these areas as they are where all the fishes are born. The mangroves around this island are very important, they are our natural barriers against storms; provide a home for all the fishes that eventually make it to the reef which is our most precious natural asset.

Belize Zone with Lowest Levels of Major Crimes in March awarded
On April 17, 2013, Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar presented a Certificate of Award and a cheque of $1,000 to Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano who heads the Southern Zone and is also the Officer Commanding the Dangriga Formation which forms part of the Southern Zone. The cheque of $1,000 is for the best performance by the Southern Zone, and the Certificate of Award is for the best performance by the Dangriga Formation in the Month of March. This is the second consecutive month that the Southern Zone has had the lowest level of major crimes in the Country.

An exciting night find: it’s a Sea Walnut!
Imagine walking down the beach barefoot, enjoying the sounds of the waves as they lap at the shore. The stretch of sand going ever forward, the soft squelchy feel of that … eeeewwwww…what is that!! What on earth have you stepped on? *shudder* It’s time to turn on the phone light…look down with trepidation and search…nothing! Short of a true-to-life Stephen King novel, there cannot be disappearing squelchy things on the beach. One must investigate. Look closer – get down on all fours and peek, if one dares that is. Well, we did, and imagine our surprise at what we found! So transparent was this squelchy, squishy jellyfish, which was in obvious distress as it had washed out on shore and gasping for breath, it was hard to locate in the dark of night. Overhead, true to scary story form, lightning started flashing, and thunder pealed and clapped loudly. The temperature had increased in the still, windless evening – rain would pour shortly.

Ambergris Today

Founder of Caribbean Fashion Week Visits Belize
Kinglsey Cooper, the chairman and CEO of Pulse Model Agency was visiting Belize from April 13th to April 18th, 2013 accompanied by his partner and wife, Ms. Romae Gordon who is also the fashion director of Pulse Model Agency. Pulse Model Agency is credited with launching the careers of several internationally known models, including Jamaican- born models Jaunel McKenzie and Carla Campbell, over the past thirty-three years, and its Caribbean Fashion Week has been regarded as the leading fashion event in the Caribbean since its inception in 2001. This event has been a major catalyst for the development of the Caribbean fashion industry, and brings together the best designers and stylists from the region and designers from all over the world. Mr. Cooper’s work has been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at Caribbean Fashion Rocks!, New York’s signature event for Caribbean fashion and models.

Miss Guatemala Turismo 2012 Visits San Pedro
Ambergris Today had the opportunity to spend some time with the beautiful Cintya Contreras, Miss Guatemala Turismo 2012 this week as she visited San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, on a personal trip to get to know our Isla Bonita. Having made friendship with Ambergris Today’s Editor, Dorian Nuñez, through facebook, Cintya met up with him to solidify their friendship in person. Cintya was crowned Miss Guatemala Turismo in 2012 and has seven years experience in modeling in fashion shows, advertising and commercials. She has modeled for Guatemalan brands and international brands that include Zara, Menetton, MNG, Sebastian Professional, Tigi, Alfaparf and Avon. Cintya has studied theatrical and movie acting and has also worked in television in her home town of Peten, Guatemala. She is currently a student working for her degree in Communication; she is a very talented and hard-working woman.

Misc Belizean Sources

VIDEO: Scuba Divng Belize

A Bird's Eye View
Aerial photographs from Southern Belize by Benedict Kim.

OFFICIAL Dates Announced for Next Placencia Yamaha Saltwater Fishing Tournament!
September 21 & 22, 2013 are the official dates sanctioned by the Placencia BTIA. Mark your calendars!

Africanized Killer Bees
Steps to take if you see or are attacked by Africanized bees. There is no need to panic. There are a lot of bee colonies out there. While Africanized honey bees are very defensive and easily provoked, they are generally not a threat to humans provided they are not riled. However, if you are attacked by Africanized honey bees, you can take the following steps to get away from them and protect yourself and others. STEPS 1. Be aware of the triggers that encourage Africanized honey bees to attack, so that you can avoid provoking an attack. Some of the things that can encourage attacking by Africanized honey bees include hive disturbance, causing the bees to think that the hive is under threat, and a range of sensory threats such as loud noise, strong odor or artificial fragrance, shiny objects (including jewelry) and dark clothes. If you do spot a hive of stray bees in your yard, farm, or when out for a walk, take care and consider the following precautions:

Caye Caulker in Black & White photo book
by Lee Vanderwalker

The Beautiful Scarlet Macaw
"...For man, as for flower and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive..."

Evidence Room Handing Over Ceremony
The new evidence room for the police was handed over by the People's Coalition of Cayo, and the Cayo Neighborhood Watch Association was there to get pictures of the event. "CNWA was present at the PCC handing over ceremony of the new evidence room that shall provide additional space inside the main building of the Police station and also provide better evidence to court with less tampering."

BHS Open House
The Belmopan Humane Society is having an open house today. Go and learn about what the BHS has done, and is currently doing. Maybe pick up a new dog while you're there. There will be food and drinks, along with a free health clinic for cats and dogs.

Earth Day Fun at UB
The University of Belize had their Earth Day Thursday, and it was a huge success, with a great showing of kids, students, and NGO's.

THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURE AND TRADE SHOW – MAY
The National Agriculture and Trade Show (NATS), the largest and brightest agriculture and trade show in Belize. Since its establishment in 1970 the show has grown by leaps and bounds. The 2011 fair have been expanded to be an international show as several countries of Central America have been invited to participate. The National Agriculture & Trade Show is Belize’s leading agricultural show which is organized by the National Agriculture & Trade Show Committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries. The Ministry of Agriculture has committed to make this year’s show focus more on the agriculture and agro-industry sectors. Zoning of the grounds will be implemented this year to have better control of the number and distribution of bars. The dates for this year’s Show are from the 3 – 5 May, 2013. Held in the Nation’s Capital the show is well attended as it attracted over 32,000 show goers over three days. The main objective of the show is to educating the public on the importance of agriculture and its contribution to the Belizean economy and food security. Since its establishment in 1970 the show has grown by leaps and bounds.

Channel 7

Child Suffocates In Massive Rice Bin In Blue Creek
There are two deaths to report in northern Belize tonight – one child who died by accident, and one man who was killed. We start with the tragic death of seven-year-old Jacob Dueck who was killed at a rice processing plant in Blue Creek yesterday evening. The owner of the grain facility Peter Remphel confirms that three children were playing in what is known as the dump bin – which holds 30 tonnes of rice. Yesterday, the bin had half that, 15 tonnes, which is still a lot. They were playing but no one knew they were in there – and the workers turned on the “augur” – which is like a giant corkscrew that feeds rice down into a cleaning machine. That’s when the three boys – all relatives of the workers and owners – started to be pulled down into the tones of rice like quicksand. At 5:45 Jacob Dueck was pulled under, and resurfaced briefly screaming for help. All the workers tried to get him out but he was buried beneath tonnes of Rice as the augur had pulled everything down. It took them 45 minutes to find him at 6:30 but by the time they did he was already dead. It is believed that he suffocated.

Midday Murder In A Northern Town
And staying in the north, there was a murder at noon today in Libertad Village. 43 year old Sisto Victor Osorio, a mechanic known as Dalla Coin was found lying face down on the pavement at noon today, apparently dead. He was walking along the main road when an individual indentified as Marciano Moh approached him from behind and struck him with a blunt object on the head. No one knows what prompted the attack, but alcohol may have been involved. The main suspect is reported to be on the run.

Triple Traffic Fatality On Western Hwy
When we left you last night, it was with the news that there had been a major traffic accident at mile six on the Western Highway. It turned out to be a triple fatality – three Hattieville men dead and another injured. Monica Bodden spoke to the families of the deceased today. Monica Bodden reporting Our news team arrived on the scene just after 7:00 last night - about 25 minutes after the accident happened. The two vehicles - a grey Suzuki car and this red pickup truck were mangled into each other in the eastbound lane of the highway. Two bodies were inside the red pickup truck and one on the left shoulder of the highway. Both vehicles were extensively damaged - almost beyond recognition.

Shot By Cops With An AR-15, Burglar Dies
Last night, we told you about 21 year-old Ryan Lozano who was shot by Ladyville police when he was caught in the act of committing a burglary at a home in Los Lagos. Pictures provided of the home show that it had been properly ransacked. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition yesterday, but sometime around 8 this morning, he succumbed to massive internal injury. As we reported, police responded to the report of a burglary in progress in Los Lagos at around 12:00 noon yesterday. When they arrived, they reportedly saw 27 year-old Lenny Benguche hiding behind the house and Lozano was walking out. Police say that they cautioned him, but according to them, he advanced in a threatening manner whilst armed with a knife and a crowbar. So, they shot him in the midsection.

Wanted Man Turns Himself In
Two days ago, Marvin Neal was Cayo’s most wanted – but tonight we can report that he has voluntarily turned himself into San Ignacio Police. He did so at 11:30 this morning. According to a release from San Ignacio police, he has, quote, “pledged his full corporation with the Police in the Valencia Murder, the Rumours Robbery, the November 2012 robbery in Mango creek and other crimes within the country of Belize.” End quote. His alleged partner in crime, Jarod Arthors Lamb aka Steel Bob is still on the run and is a wanted man. As we reported, the duo are accused of a brutal home invasion, assault and armed robbery at Rumours resort earlier this week. Police recovered all the stolen items.

Bar Assoc Gets Major Court Victory
Tonight, the Government of Belize is smarting from a major judgment against them coming out of the courtroom of Justice Oswell Legall. It’s in relation to challenge launched by the Bar Association about the amendment to the Belize Constitution in 2008. In these amendments, the Government gave itself direct control over the length of time that they can allot when appointing sitting judge on the Court of Appeal. The Bar saw this as the government having the ability to directly influence the decisions of these judges because they didn’t have security of tenure. According to them, a reasonably informed observer can draw the conclusion that the judges being appointed under these amendments experience undue pressure because they appreciate that the government can make the decision on whether or not to extend their contracts after their short period of tenure is up. According to the Bar, the judges are then unable to make a fair and impartial judgment in relation to litigation concerning the government because the constant threat of termination hangs over their heads.

US Radar Is Mobile, Tactical
What’s up with the US Army installed Radar near Chan Chen Village in the Orange Walk District? We mentioned it last night, and since then we’ve learned it is – according to the internet - a “TPS-75 a mobile, tactical radar system capable of providing radar azimuth, range, height, and Identification Friend or Foe information for a 240-nautical-mile area.” The description adds that the radar system is capable of providing long-range radar data to support operations and control of tactical aircraft. It can be assembled and disassembled in 90 minutes. According to our information it was put up in the area about two months ago by the US Army Southcom when they came to do the New Horizons Project in Belize.

City Garbage Tax Will Be $13.00
Last night the Belize City Council and the Solid Waste Management Authority held a meeting at the YWCA where they disclosed details of the garbage tax city residents will have to pay starting in the second half of 2013. The standard fee for residential users will be $13.00 dollars per household per month – which, we should note is $3.00 dollars more than the proposed residential garbage fee. Of that, City hall will get seven dollars monthly and the Solid Waste Management will get five dollars, with the rest going into a service charge. For low income homes, there will be a social rate of $3.00 per household per month.

Senator Makin’ Bacon News
The Customs Department has confirmed that it has a few thousand pounds of bacon waiting to be returned to sender – because it was imported without a BAHA permit. It’s news because the importer is the owner of Southside Meat Shop, who also happens to be the Senator for the business sector Mark Lizarraga. Sources from BAHA tells us that Lizarraga imported an assortment of meats with proper permits – but also imported as much as six thousand pounds of processed bacon, for which he had no permit. We are told it is an item with restrictions. So the bacon can’t be cleared, and we are told he will either have to pay for it to be destroyed or return it to sender. We tried to reach Senator Lizarraga for comment at his business but at newstime he had not returned our calls.

More Condemnation For Rosewood Trade
Two more significant groups have come out against Government’s decision to share Rosewood revenues. The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, known as SATIIM today called on the Prime Minister to immediately rescind the Rosewood Amnesty. That Organization says that the Amnesty has only served to trigger flurries of illegal Rosewood cutting in Toledo. They have provided photos of to prove that rosewood flitches are being cut in numerous areas in Toledo. They add that these newly cut rosewood flitches will be sold; in fact some have already been sold. They conclude bys aying that the amnesty is only serving to perpetuate a vicious cycle of the destruction of precious resources for short-term gain. Also speaking out is APAMO, the Association of Protected Area Management Organizations which quote, “registers its objection to and disappointment with the…amnesty. “

Mixed Martial In Belize
Since the beginning of the year, 7News has closely been following the revival of boxing, but this weekend, the House of Shotokan, seeks to launch mixed martial arts here in Belize. This weekend they will hold the first tournament of its kind for the sport, and instead of us trying explain it to you, we got the experts themselves do so. Here’s what the Belizean big ticket fighter, and his trainer told us about what MMA is, and what the Belizeans audience can expect Jameel "Ice Man" Smith - MMA Fighter, House of Shotokan "MMA is Mixed Martial arts. It's basically a mixture of all the Martial Arts. We're mixing the junior, wrestling, boxing, kick boxing - we mix it together and we throw in a couple rules to make sure that it's not - no holds bars of course. We mix it together and the best man wins." Daniel Ortiz "So tell us about what is expected of an athlete of MMA and what type of discipline does it take at peak conditioning?"

Team Off To King James
Since February, the Belize Basketball Association has been holding tryouts and practices with an under 18 team in order to prepare them for the King James Tournament to be held in Ohio. It’s been a long 3 months for the athletes as they wait in anticipation to participate in the tournament, today, they finally left the country. 7News was there to see them off, and we got a chance to speak with a few of the athletes and their coaches. Here’s what they told us about their expectations for their performance while in Ohio. Bernie Tarr – Coach, U-18 King James Team "Yes we are all set, we rapped things up yesterday about noon so I was able to smile, relax a bit after that and we are very excited to go look forward to keep that one goal. Our goal is to get one individual a scholarship. We were fortunate to get four last year so we will see what happens this year." Steven Williams - Assistance Coach, U-18 King James "It's just for them to keep that mindset and focus because from seeing the guys in workout for the past couple weeks and so forth; they are ready, so it's just to go out there and put whatever they did in workout into action."

Getting The Jump On Father’s Day
Father’s Day is 2 months away, but the President of The Association for Belizean Artists First, Tony Wright, is already making his rounds to promote his 5th annual Fathers’ Day Song Competition and Concert. And this one is unique because the organization is accepting entries from only high school students. That’s a major departure from prospective contestants, and so, Tony Wright, the competition’s organizer stopped by 7News a few weeks early to get the message out to the public. Here’s what he told us about his collaboration this year with the Ministry of Education and Youth. Tony Wright - Organizer, Father's Day Song Competition "It's the fifth year we are doing Father's day song competition and concert. The difference about this year is that, for the last four years it was open for all musicians or artists to write a song. Last year when we did it we had some people from the Ministry of education and youths and they were all excited about it and they contacted us.

Vansh’s Birthday Celebration Wraps Up
Vansh Charles celebrated his 6th birthday today – along with about 187 other Belizean children between one and 12 years old. As we’ve been reporting, he’s been having an open giveaway to all those kids all this week. Here are a few of the April 19th recipients. Mikey "Mikey" Reporter "How old are you? Mikey "Six" Reporter "Six years old and are you happy you got a gift? Mikey "aha" Reporter "How do yo u feel getting your gitf?" Denisha - 10 Years old "Wonderful"

Channel 5

Three Hattieville residents perish in a traffic accident
As many as three persons were killed on Thursday night when a small car and a pickup truck collided on the George Price Highway. The stretch of road just before mile eight where the accident happened was desolate, but became a bloody scene and traffic came to a halt.   Two victims were trapped inside the [...]

Man dies within hours of being shot by police in Los Lagos
The mother of twenty-one year old Ryan Lozano says her son was executed at the hands of the police. Lozano succumbed to injuries he received on Thursday afternoon after being shot multiple times by a police officer in the Los Lagos Community.  Shortly after midday, Ladyville police responded to a burglary in progress where they [...]

Murder in Libertad
A man was murdered in the north of the country this afternoon.  Several accounts say that the man who was killed is known as Victor Chi, who also uses the surname Osorio.  According to one of the victim’s friends, Chi was a mechanic by trade and he was well liked in his neighborhood. But it [...]

Court agrees with Bar and calls for security of tenure for judges
The Bar Association of Belize has won a landmark case against the government of Belize with wide ranging implications for judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal as well as the public at large. Today, Justice Oswell Legall ruled to overthrow government’s sixth amendment to the Constitution which effectively allowed the executive [...]

Amended Legal Act; will it be passed?
In early March, Attorney-General Wilfred Elrington launched what was considered in some quarters as a direct attack on the Bar Association. He proposed an amendment to the Legal Act which would mean that attorneys would not be required to join the Association in order to practice in Belize. Elrington used as his justification an assertion [...]

Massive dredging on la Isla Bonita; Deputy Mayor says no EIA has been done
There are more details tonight on dredging activities taking place in San Pedro and it appears that it is a case of putting the cart before the horse. As we reported, investor Darrin Sherry was granted a license to dredge even before the San Pedro Town Council could see a development plan. But even more [...]

Sanchez brothers freed of murder charges
Earlier this week in the Belmopan court, two brothers were freed of murder charges. Herson and Jose Sanchez were on trial for the murder of Belmopan businesswoman Rosa Cornejo which happened exactly four years ago. There were signs that Cornejo had been abducted  from her house in the Salvapan area on the night of April [...]

IMF concludes yearly review of Belize’s economy; how did Belize fair off?
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded its yearly review of Belize’s economy on April eighteenth, 2013.  This exercise began in November, 2012 and is carried out with guidance from IMF’s Article Four. Three major recommendations are covered by the Mission: output growth, debt and debt management, and measures to strengthen Belize’s external position. First, on [...]

City refuses to renew driver’s licenses if you owe the council
Streets in Belize City are being upgraded courtesy of the municipal bond that was successfully launched by the Belize City Council. But how will the council pay that debt?  Well, by encouraging residents to pay their taxes and fees. The revenue stream for City Hall will also benefit from the implementation of a garbage collection [...]

Revisiting the court ruling on oil contracts
OCEANA Belize spends as much time in the courtroom as it does on the ocean and two legal battles took place in court just this week.  The most recent included a roadblock to Oceana’s referendum case that Vice President for Belize, Audrey Matura Shepherd vows to continue possibly in the Appeals Court. But earlier in [...]

ITVET holds annual open day and fight night
The Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Belize City today hosted its annual open day. It’s an event designed to showcase the talents and achievements of the students enrolled at the institution, and also serves to sell the school and its programs to the many students who attend the open day each [...]

Mexicans come to Belize for mixed martial arts competition
Belize’s history with full contact sports has been limited to rare amateur boxing. The crowds that attend thirst for and appreciate the fervor of the fighters who probably, once a year, get to spar in a ring. But mixed martial arts is a sport that is almost unheard of except for when the House of [...]

PlusTV

Murder in Libertad Village
There is news coming out of Corozal that a 43 year man was killed. Details are still sketchy at this time but preliminary reports are that Victor Osorio Chi, a resident of Libertad Village, died today after he was hit to the head with an object. Reports are that...

Deadly collision claims three lives
Three men, residents of Hattieville, died late Thursday evening after a violent collision with another vehicle on the George Price (Western Highway). According to police, around 6:45 p.m. Hattieville police found a gray Suzuki car and red Chevrolet pickup truck on the right hand side of the highway as...

Night accident on the Hummingbird Highway
There was yet another accident last night. It happened on the Hummingbird Highway just about two miles outside of Belmopan near to the garbage dump. Apparently, a Green Nissan truck heading towards Belmopan, followed by a white Chevy Silverado with a trailer on it were just about to hit...

Belizeans need to change their culture on disposal of garbage
A consultation for the Solid Waste Management Authority on its project to link the Western Corridor from Benque Viejo to the cayes to a single regional landfill located at Mile 24 on the Western Highway was held today. Previously each community had its own dump-site for all sorts of...

Attorney says Rosewood sale is a conflict of interest
The Rosewood Amnesty decision taken by Cabinet has not been met with much acceptance by many sectors of the society. The fact that one of the major exporters of the coveted Rosewood is the brother of Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega has also been met with cries of “Nepotism”...

UB holds Community Outreach Symposium
Yesterday the University of Belize was the venue for a Community Outreach Symposium organized by the Faculty of Education and Arts. The bi-annual event is aimed at enriching participants with an understanding and strategies to overcome barriers that negatively impact teaching and learning. The symposium was held under the...

CDEMA holds Technical Advisory Committee meeting in Belize City
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) closed its meeting of its Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) held in Belize City. At a press briefing held after the conclusion of the meeting, executive director Ronald Jackson outlined the key points of the 5 year strategic direction plan approved at the...

Medical School in Grenada seeks to expand
In this latest installment of our series on international medical schools, we give you an example of what such an institution can do for its local government. St. George’s University, the Caribbean’s first private medical school, was established in Grenada in 1976 by an act of its parliament and...

Vice-President of OCEANA comments on cancelled oil concessions
Earlier this week, Oceana, COLA, and Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage, won a ruling in the supreme court. Justice Oswell Legall ruled that oil concessions granted from 2005 and 2007 to Island Oil Belize Ltd, Tropical Energy Ltd, Petro Belize Co Ltd, Princess Petroleum Ltd, Providence Energy...

One Home Invasion suspect turns himself in, another at large
Marvin Neal, the Santa Elena resident, wanted for questioning in relation to a recent home invasion, turned himself into Police today. On Wednesday of this week, a wanted bulletin was issued for the twenty year old’s detention, after it was believed that he and another man assaulted and robbed...

Recycling company exhibits at Earth Day Fair
Recycling is one of the best ways you can contribute to a sustainable future, as it has both local and global benefits. Locally, it saves our limited disposal capacity by reducing how much garbage must be buried in our landfill. While globally, recycling reduces pollution and conserves both energy...

PCC donates Exhibits Room to Twin Towns’ Police
The Peoples Coalition of Cayo (PCC) has been working closely with the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Police formation over recent years. Another gesture taken by the PCC which affirms its commitment to the community and Police was the handing over of a forty foot container. For many months...

Battlefield Park refurbishment begins Monday
Perhaps it is a sign of how hard the Belize City Council has worked in its first year in office that on Thursday night, holding its first public meeting of 2013 at the YWCA meeting hall on St. Thomas Street, very few City residents attended and even fewer questions...

Youth Basketball Team leaves for the US
The group of young Belizean basketball players selected to play in the King James Classic, left the country for Cleveland, Ohio today. The team is set to play against US teams of their peer group, where they will have a shot at getting scouted by top colleges. Between the...

“Do the Right Thing Pedestrian Crossing” safety program set for Fort George
The “Do the Right Thing Pedestrian Crossing” safety program has been all over Belize in the last few years teaching our youngest citizens the importance of traffic safety. It has evolved into a sort of do-everything community initiative under the watch of former Belize City Council employee Philip “Fawda”...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Was the sharing of the land fairly done?
Since the lands were shared with the people of Caye Caulker or so we are made to believe, there have been quite a few rumors circling around that a number of people who were recommended were not qualified or better yet, not even residents of the island. It was also rumored that to be qualified for a piece of lot you are to be a resident of the island for at least 5 to 10 years. One thing is for sure that you are not suppose to own any land but there have been a few people who already own a piece of property, was still put on the list and still got their piece of the pie as well as non residents of the island. Will the residents of the island ever be granted the wish to see the list of who all were lucky to get and if it is not confidential why hide it?? A list of names which seems to be the preliminary list has been obtained and these are just some of the names from the 150 or so recommended names. Please note these are not the final list of the people who got property.

Amandala

3 DIE IN MILE 7, GEORGE PRICE HIGHWAY ACCIDENT
A tragic accident involving two vehicles occurred tonight, Thursday, at approximately Mile 7 on the George Price Highway, claiming the lives of three persons, Godwin Flowers, Mark McKoy, Jr., and Luis Jones, according to preliminary reports. The three men died at the scene of the incident. All three were traveling in a red Chevrolet pickup truck which was said to have been traveling away from Belize City. Jones was the driver of the vehicle, while Flowers and McKoy were traveling in the pan of the vehicle. One other passenger in the Chevrolet, Philip Latchman, sustained injuries to the upper body. The other victim, Marlon Martinez, was driving a black Suzuki four-door sedan. Martinez survived, sustaining injuries to the lower body. He was reportedly traveling to Belize City from Hattieville Village.

PUP-GIVEN OFFSHORE CONTRACTS “UNLAWFUL, NULL AND VOID” –JUSTICE OSWELL LEGALL
“Allowing oil exploration before any assessment of its effects on the environment is not only irresponsible, but reckless, especially in a situation where Belize may not be fully capable of handling effectively an oil spill.” – Justice Oswell Legall The court made two major findings: (1) no environmental assessment was carried out before the agreements were awarded, violating the EPA, and (2) contracts were given to companies that were unqualified and did not demonstrate a proven ability to contribute the necessary funds, assets, machinery equipment, tools and technical expertise necessary for the effective performance of the terms and conditions of the agreements, contrary to the Petroleum Act. “…prior to entering into agreements for oil exploration and seismic testing, an assessment of their effects on the environment is required” Supreme Court Justice Oswell Legall issued a landmark ruling on Tuesday morning, when he quashed six offshore contracts as “unlawful, null and void,” because Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) were not conducted before the Government of Belize gave concessions to the companies, mostly owned by foreign interests. Furthermore, the court ruled that the companies to which the contracts had been granted were unqualified. The court went further to grant an injunction, barring the government from acting on the PSAs which Legall has quashed. Former Minister of Natural Resources, Johnny Briceño, who approved the earliest of the six contracts to Island Oil Belize in 2004, admitted to Amandala today that the strict interpretation of the law, as he understands it, is that an EIA is required before the concession is granted. He said he knew Government was going to lose the suit filed by Oceana.

RANDOLPH HYDE, 46, DEAD; HIS BROTHER MARK, 36, CRITICAL
A masked gunman shot the brothers in their Roaring Creek meat shop. Six children are now fatherless after their father, businessman Randolph Hyde, 46, of Roaring Creek, died after being shot multiple times in the family store, Hyde’s Tender Meats and Groceries in Roaring Creek, at about 7:30 Tuesday night, April 16. Along with Randolph Hyde in the store at the time was his brother, Mark Hyde, 36, who was shot in his shoulder and back. He was taken to the Belmopan Hospital in a critical condition, and has since been stabilized and is recovering in ward. Randolph has been taken to the morgue, where he will undergo a post-mortem to certify the cause of his death. Less than a year ago, on May 11, 2012, the third son of the family, James Hyde, 26, was shot to death by three gunmen while he was socializing in a yard in Dangriga. Witnesses told police that a car pulled up in front of the yard, then three gunmen got out of the car and shot James, hitting him multiple times.

MOODY’S UPGRADES BELIZE
The successful restructuring of the US$547 million super-bond by the Government of Belize has triggered Moody’s Investors Service to upgrade Belize’s government bond rating from Ca to Caa2, adding that the rating outlook is stable. “The upgrade balances an improvement in the government’s liquidity position following a pre-emptive restructuring of its external commercial debt, against a debt overhang that was not cured by the default and continues to impair Belize’s credit solvency,” the agency said. Moody’s added that, “The distressed debt exchange concluded Belize’s second default since 2006.” It cautions that, “While the restructuring should provide temporary liquidity relief, we see it as insufficient in addressing Belize’s debt overhang.” Last month, Standard & Poor’s, another international ratings agency, announced right after the new bond offer closed that, “We are raising our long- and short-term foreign and local currency issuer credit ratings on Belize to ‘B-/B’.”

IDEAS AND OPINIONS – LEADERSHIP
What we have with Guatemala is a difference of opinion over whether or not the territory which forms the nation state of Belize belongs to us or to them. It does not make sense for a country to claim the land which constitutes another country. We have been negotiating directly with Guatemala to settle her claim since Independence. Recently, the OAS has had to take a hand in the negotiation, in order to ease tensions not of our making. They have got the two parties to agree that what we have between us is a differendum and, to declare an adjacency zone on both sides of the boundary line agreed upon by Guatemala and Great Britain (our former colonial masters) in the 1859 Treaty. The adjacency zone is like a kind of “no man’s land,” which neither nation should occupy. The negotiations between Belize and Guatemala have reached the point where both our governments have agreed to submit the differendum, in the form of the Compromis, for adjudication by the International Court of Justice. This piece is not about the ICJ, it is about leadership. In democratic countries, which our country is, leaders are empowered to make decisions in Affairs of State and take action in the name of the people. I think that the fact that we are uncertain about the outcome of the referendum is a failure by our leadership to lead.

DAVID POPPER, 70, CHARGED FOR “UNNATURAL CRIME” AGAINST 23-YEAR-OLD MAN
Popper allegedly drugged, then sodomized a Burrell Boom resident. Today, David Popper, 70, was taken before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer and charged with three offenses after a doctor discovered that a Burrell Boom male resident, 23, had been the victim of sodomy. According to police, at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, they visited the home of the Boom resident after Popper made a report that he had assaulted him. But when police arrived at the house, they found a disoriented person, who told them that he had visited Popper’s residence and was offered a drink, which he accepted. He continued that after he started consuming the drink, he started to feel dizzy and lost consciousness. He regained consciousness for only a few moments, and saw Popper standing beside him, but passed out again

BELIZE TERRITORIAL VOLUNTEERS HEAD TO AGUAS TURBIAS
“The expedition is definitely on…” says Orlando de la Fuente. “We will raise the Belize flag on the Belize side of the monument. We will plant 3 mahogany trees as a symbol of friendship…” A group of individuals organized by the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) plan to make a historic visit to the border marker at Aguas Turbias in Orange Walk, northern Belize, to install a metal plaque where they say the name “Belize” has only been penciled in to identify the country. The group is hoping to make a statement to mark the 154th anniversary of the signing of the 1859 Boundary Treaty by Britain and Guatemala, describing the border between Belize and Guatemala. Among the latest documents making reference to the dividing line between the countries is a set of Confidence Building Measures signed in 2005, in which “the adjacency line,” which Belize knows as the borderline, is described as “a line running generally in a south-to-north direction from the reference marker at Gracias a Dios in the south to the reference marker at Garbutt’s Falls and from there to the reference marker at Aguas Turbias in the north.” Orlando de la Fuente is organizing this weekend’s expedition. He had a Belize plaque made for the Aquas Turbias marker, and vowed, “This plaque will be installed on the monument.”

ROSEWOOD AMNESTY NOT FOR NEWLY CUT ROSEWOOD
“No one caught in the act as yet …it’s difficult to penalize anyone for illegally harvesting rosewood because the material is not submitted to the Government directly from the seller.” After Cabinet instructed that all the confiscated rosewood flitches be released for sale to exporters, the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development declared amnesty on rosewood from April 9 to the 26th, 2013. The Ministry issued a press release on Wednesday, April 17, stating that Cabinet has agreed that no new illegally cut rosewood will be allowed to be exported under the Rosewood Amnesty Program. The Ministry said that the amnesty was granted in order for persons who are in possession of harvested rosewood to submit their material to the Government. Well, it seems that some unscrupulous persons have been taking advantage of the amnesty period. Reports are that several persons have been cutting down more rosewood trees. The Ministry included in the press release that the Forest Department field staff can differentiate between freshly cut and old rosewood stock. Minister Lisel Alamilla has said before that any newly cut rosewood that is found or submitted would be confiscated by the Government and no compensation would be given for such timber.

WORTHLESS UNCLE AND WORTHLESS STEPFATHER ARRESTED
In separate incidents, the two of them preyed on their 13-year, 12-year and 10-year relatives, onesince she was 4 years old. A man from Cayo has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison on charges of 2 counts of carnal knowledge and aggravated assault upon his 13-year-old niece and 2 counts of aggravated assault against his 10-year-old niece. The young victims of the assault—who are sisters—went to the San Ignacio police, accompanied by their mother, and reported that their uncle has been molesting them. The 13-year-old reported that her uncle raped her on two different occasions, while the 10-year-old told police that her uncle fondled her private parts on several occasions, the last being in February of this year. Police took the 13-year-old to the San Ignacio Hospital, where doctors examined her and found that she had been carnally known. Police immediately arrested the uncle, 38, and charged him with the sexual offences. He was taken to court on Friday, April 12. He pleaded not guilty to the offenses, but bail was not offered to him and he was remanded into custody until June 20.

CELEBRATE CHOCOLATE ON SATURDAY
by Annie Seashore-Heredia Dear Editor, Hello from Caye Caulker. Thank you so much for your wonderful article on my husband, Chocolate Heredia. I would like to make an important correction. His death was not related to the prostate cancer. He actually died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. I was proud to help him keep the cancer at bay for over 10 years. He died with it, and not from it. He was the love of my life and my best friend. I’ll miss him so much! Please note: there will be a Celebration of Chocolate’s Life on Saturday, April 20th, from 1-3 p.m. Everyone is invited. Please come out and join us! Thanks again for a great article! Regards, Annie Seashore-Heredia

LEON HARRISON’S “SHAME” Letters
— 19 April 2013 — by Leon Sesare Harrison Dear Editor, There are very few times that I feel the impulse to publicly express my views. Late yesterday, I learned of the Boston Marathon bombing in the United States. The irony I felt, in that moment, was indescribable. I was deeply ashamed of the perpetrators that would engage in disgraceful acts of violence and terror. Those few people that know me best, know that shame is not a word that would best describe me. But yesterday, I felt an irrational impulse to walk the streets of Belize City, covered in “sack and ash.” Violence and terror was abhorred by the Mahatma Gandhi. This is not the Ghandhian way! In a time of war, with the world at the brink of nuclear destruction, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi gave the world a way out of madness. Gandhi professed that violence in the mind (by our thoughts) would lead to violence of the word (slander, insults, and hate), which would inevitably lead to the exchange of fists and bullets and bombs. “An eye for and eye, leaves the whole world blind!”

CRAWL CAYE – NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
I noted the reported recent arrangements between GOB and the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) regarding the future development of Crawl Caye. Given NCL is majority owned by Apollo Global Management LLC, I wondered if the latter had conducted an in-depth risk assessment of the location before entering into discussions with GOB officials? During and after Hurricane Keith in 2000, the Mauger Caye and adjacent Crawl Cay suffered substantial weather damage. Mauger Caye was near flattened, with the majority of the sand area of the north side being transported to the south by the severe elements leaving the roots of the palms completely exposed. The light keepers only survived because they were able to take shelter in a concrete bunker near the lighthouse accommodation, which itself completely disappeared as a result of Keith’s fury. Crawl Caye fared little better, and it has taken 13 years for both to recover

JUSTICE ABOVE RIGHTS Letters
by Paul Rodriguez Dear Editor, At a conference of Caribbean Ombudsman held in 2004, during a discussion on rights I asked the person sitting next to me, an eminent UWI professor: when are we going to discuss duties and responsibilities? The professor answered: let others do that. This response made me realize that there may have been even before then, an international agenda to remove human rights out of the context of Natural Law and away from the idea of justice. Justice, as you know, is that quality of thinking and acting by which everyone is given his due. It applies to every encounter between humans. There are no exceptions, except when a person wronged or violated chooses to exercise mercy, compassion, or love. In these instances the civilization of man becomes more pointed to a more exalted state of being. But, for the sake of order, the demands and requirements of justice should be observed and obeyed, as a general rule. When I wrote the “Foreword” of the Ombudsman Annual Report for 2003-2004, I made this comment: “Rights considered as set apart and in contradiction to the common good and the public interest will continue to contribute to the development of a culture of egoism. On the other hand, the human person must stand delicately poised between what the proper maturing of his own selfhood requires and what the community requires of him to help others achieve the fulfillment of their selfhood. Wherever any successful attempt is made to exaggerate either of these poles, i.e. self or society, it results in aberrations that dehumanize the human person.”

PROUD OF MAYOR AND OPPOSITION LEADER Letters
by Hakeem Bush Dear Editor, I’m not a big fan of Mayor Bradley but I must tip my hat to him for the wonderful work he’s doing with the infrastructure in the City, especially the streets. But mostly I must congratulate him on inviting the area representative for the Freetown Division to the opening of the Chetumal Boulevard. Although they’re on different sides of the political fence, the Mayor made it known he is the area representative for the division and he has all right to be part of the festivities. Oh how I wish the government would start to use that kind of mentality when there is any major development in a constituency. They need to invite the area rep no matter what party color they are. They are the duly elected representatives: the people put them there. Let us stop this nonsense about giving the so-called caretakers the limelight – they are not the elected representatives. Recently I noticed a Minister of Government boasting about a road being paved in Hopkins. Isn’t Hon. Rodwell Ferguson the area rep? I didn’t see him giving a speech or even sitting at the head table with the other dignitaries, but yet they featured some caretaker and a former representative. That’s totally wrong. Hon. Rodwell Ferguson is the area rep; the people elected him; he should have been in the forefront.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Looking back, I wish that I had paid closer attention to the history of the Harmonettes. At the same time, I want to go on record to say that the University of Belize (UB) or the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) simply have to find a way to finance the writing of Gerald Rhaburn’s biography. Rhaburn is a walking encyclopedia of Belize’s musical history, and when you talk about musical history in Belize, you are also talking about Belize’s sociology and politics. If UB and NICH don’t understand that this is so, then we have a real problem in Belize. At the very end of Regent Street West, where it is linked with the eastern beginning of Vernon Street, there is a small street called Turton’s Alley or Turton’s Lane, whatever. Bert Nicholas, a saxophonist who was in the full-time employ of the Santiago Castillo company at their headquarters corner New Road and Hyde’s Lane, lived on Turton’s Lane with his wife and children, and there is where he began the musical combo which would become the Harmonettes. The core musicians were Mr. Godfrey MacGregor and Bucko Cadle on guitars, and one Steeno on drums. The vocalist was Anthony “Cheapy” Richards. There was a tall trumpeter whose name was Daniel Bennett, but I’m not sure. Later on, the group added Anthony “Soupa” Jones as another vocalist, and one of Mr. MacGregor’s talented sons, Melvan (Majeli), began playing saxophone. “Soupa” Jones has seemingly vanished into history. When the Harmonettes were disbanded, Melvan would become a key member of Dickie Straughan’s Bamiki Bandula, along with another one of Mr. MacGregor’s sons on keyboards.

AMANDALA AND THE CLAIM - Editorial
In the beginning of this newspaper in August of 1969, as the organ of a black-conscious organization, a certain amount of our energy was similar to COLA’s – we young people in the capital city were dissatisfied with the tame and submissive attitude of Belize’s PUP government where the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory was concerned. It may be said that history, after a fashion, is repeating itself: Belize’s young people, 44 years later, are dissatisfied with the tame and submissive attitude of Belize’s UDP government where the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory is concerned. When Mr. Price’s PUP government surged forward to political independence in September of 1981, despite the fact that Belize was under martial law, the Belizean people were divided, and the British were refusing to give us a defence guarantee, this represented a gamble on the PUP government’s part. This newspaper had rejected the Heads of Agreement in March of 1981. But we, who had supported the PUP all-out in the pivotal 1979 general elections, had begun to withdraw from our PUP alliance after October of 1980, when it became clear that Belize would become independent because of a decision by the Jimmy Carter administration in Washington. At Amandala, we had reason to believe that once they achieved independence, PUP leaders would seek to crush this newspaper, because it had become too powerful.

BEN BOUNAHRA 9-BALL TOURNAMENT – ELEMENTS BAR OF BELIZE CITY – CHAMPS
by Erwin Woodye, Jr. - General Secretary of BBSF The first ever Ben Bounahra 9-Ball Tournament, that was sponsored by Mirab and Company through the Belize Billiards Sports Federation (BBSF), was held on Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14, at Elements Bar in Belize City. It was a tremendous success, as twelve teams from across the country participated, namely: MJ’s Challengers and Sea Side Heights from Toledo; Dolphins and Shattaz from Belmopan; Eagles from Cayo; Elements, Extra Gold and La Cabana from Belize City; Dem Boyz, Tijuana and JR’s from Orange Walk; and Cerros Sand from Corozal. Here’s more: There was no electricity available by BEL at the start of the tournament due to upgrades in the area at Elements Bar, but the owner of Elements Bar acquired a backup generator that allowed the tournament to start, though a little later than expected. There was the brief opening ceremony, whereby Mr. Mike Bounahra of Mirab and Company opened the tournament with the first shot, easily pocketing the 9-ball. Then, it was show-time. It was a race to 4, double-elimination format, and certainly teams had to show-up their skills to stay alive. By the end of the first day, a number of teams were eliminated, then it got more interesting and exciting on the second day.

BELIZE CITY PRIMARY SCHOOLS BASKETBALL COMPETITION 2013 TIPS OFF AT BIRD’S ISLE
The Belize City Primary School Basketball Tournament 2012-2013 tipped off at Bird’s Isle on Monday of this week with 16 male (M) teams and 7 female (F) teams participating. The boys’ teams will compete in 4 Divisions – A, B, C and D; while the girls are divided into 2 Divisions – A and B. Game results for Monday, April 15, were: (F) Belize Elementary 9:0 Muslim Community; (M) Belize Elementary won by default over Queen Square Anglican; (F) St. Martin De Porres 13:6 Buttonwood Bay Nazarene; (M) St. John Vianney 16:4 Buttonwood Bay Nazarene; and (M) Unity Presbyterian won by default over St. Ignatius. On Tuesday, April 16: (F) Holy Redeemer 14:0 St. John Vianney; (M) Wesley Upper 14:10 St. Mary’s; (M) St. Luke Methodist 24:20 New Horizon Academy; and (M) Ephesus SDA 41:12 Hummingbird Elementary. On Wednesday, April 17: (F) St. Martin De Porres 16:4 Queen Square; (M) St. John Vianney 32:1 Queen Square; (M) St. Martin De Porres 17:14 Holy Redeemer; and (M) Wesley Upper 17:12 New Horizon Academy. And today, Thursday, April 18: (F) Holy Redeemer won over Muslim Community by default; (M) St. Luke Methodist 24:9 St. Mary’s; (M) Trinity Methodist 20:8 Queen Street Baptist; and (M) St. Martin De Porres 23:5 Unity Presbyterian.

Blogs

Driving to Tikal or are we?
Phil and Marie were waiting for us at Municipal airport and so was our ride to Budget car rental, it was a short ride 10 min or less, very close to Benny’s Hardware. We ended up with a big @ss Ranger truck and a white Jmny, cost was $135 usd per vehicle for a 24h rental. The staff there were all very nice and helpful. Of course our first stop was Broadies supermarket, as if we did not have enough food already. We all got excited at the deli counter, samosas and conch fritters were 2 popular items among our crew. Unfortunately the conch fritters were on the greasy side Tacoboy was still clueless as to where we were going. It was not the nicest thing to do but I decided to completely throw him off track, after learning that Pedro had been acting like an spoiled 5 year old who can’t keep a secret and spilled the beans to Paul about where his party was. I told him that what Pedro said was Andy’s cover up when he kept asking where the party was, started name dropping Tikal and was in total agreement when Tacoboy said that is why we did not buy beer at Broadies because we will soon be drinking Guatemalan Beer. My travel trivia question to you is: Based on what I wrote above, how could Tacoboy have figured out that we were not driving to Tikal? See answer below.

Belizean Folklore: The Legends of Belize
The Belizean culture is unlike anything else on Earth. It’s a unique blending of many different influences, ranging from the Spanish Mestizos, to the German Mennonites, and the Ancient Maya. Today, aspects of these people live on in the nation of Belize and its folktales. Here are some of the land’s most compelling legends: The Scary Sisimito, Beware the Tata Duende, Xtabai, the Ultimate Seductress

Chaa Creek Spa One of the World’s Top Ten
The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s Hilltop Spa has been selected as one of the world’s top ten spa values by the internationally respected Gayot’s Guide, according to spa manager Bryony Fleming Bradley, who said the recognition is a first for a Belizean rainforest spa. “Many people don’t realise that we offer a professional spa with a range of massages and therapeutic treatments,” Ms Fleming Bradley said, “So to be featured by such a highly regarded authority as Gayot’s is very satisfying.” Gayot’s “Guide to the good life,” which provides reviews on restaurants, hotels, travel, fine dining, wine and other topics, was launched by renowned French restaurant critic André Gayot in 1969 and is respected worldwide as an alternative to the Michelin guide. Gayot, who is credited with starting the term, Nouvelle Cuisine, has reviewed over 20,000 restaurants, hotels, and spas worldwide. The April 2013 online edition of the guide carries a feature, “Top Ten Value Spas” with the heading; “Get the best massage for your money at one of GAYOT’s Top 10 Value Spas! Found in dramatic locations around the world from South Asia to the Adriatic Sea, these idyllic escapes provide a posh spa experience at a price that will put your mind at rest.”

“I’m Down” in Ambergris Caye
Spent a bit of time yesterday morning researching a door lock that we had been told about . It’s the Millennium Ultimate Lock. This is the lock that we will be using on all external doors on the Ground Floor and the First Floor of our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize.. Then spent a couple of hours on the PC trying out different tile combinations (the website I used allows you to see what the effect would be) for my bathroom. I have found what I want but now need to find out if they have them in stock. Fingers crossed. If not, it is back to the drawing board! With that out of the way I then arranged the wire transfer for the fifty percent deposit for the golf cart that we have ordered from Captain Sharks. Using FC Exchange (the foreign currency exchange ‘house’ we have been using to convert sterling to US dollars) this only took a few minutes. Time out for lunch and then we headed to Tres Cocos to our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize to review progress. Walking from the golf cart there didn’t appear to be a lot of guys around. Alfredo out front clearing rubbish and one guy working in the living/kitchen room area of the Ground Floor self-contained apartment. He was creating the recesses that the windows will fit in to.

Belikin Commercial Focuses on the Hard Working Belizean People
Belikin Beer, the beer of Belize. Check out our latest commercial from our series. We focus on the hard working Belizeans and the different industries Belize has to offer in this one. At the end of the day, we all just want an ice cold Belikin Beer.

History's Persevering Reminder to all Belizeans
This cannon seen here was in battle at some point in the fight for the country of what is now Belize during the Battle of Saint George's Caye. Today it is mounted permanently on the island of Saint George's Caye as a reminder of the sacrifices others made to fight for what we have now as Belize.

International Sources

Great Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef from space
Surrounded by darker, deeper ocean waters, coral atolls often glow in vibrant hues of turquoise, teal, peacock blue, or aquamarine. Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll fits this description, with its shallow waters covering light-colored coral: the combination of water and pale corals creates varying shades of blue-green. Within this small sea of light colors, however, lies a giant circle of deep blue. Roughly 300 meters (1,000 feet) across and 125 meters (400 feet) deep, the feature is known as the Great Blue Hole. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite captured this image of the Great Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef in the Caribbean Sea on March 24, 2009. The Great Blue Hole appears at the center of the image, surrounded by a ring of lighter color caused by elevated coral. In fact, parts of the ring surrounding this feature actually crest the water surface at low tide, but a layer of shallow water covers most of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Boats leave tiny white tracks on the nearby water surface, and two boats appear to travel away from the Hole in this image. East of the boats, a broad band of aquamarine indicates an area of especially shallow water along the reef’s margin. Along its easternmost edge, the reef crests the ocean surface, where breaking waves from the Caribbean Sea form a jagged line of white.

The Fishin' Magician: Go Fish Belize
I just got back from a week in Belize, fishing for bonefish, permit and tarpon. My wife Eileen and took a group of eight along with us, and we all had a ball. We fished for four days with guides from Go Fish Belize and everyone caught bonefish. Some of us caught permit, and tarpon eluded us on this trip. One day the gals went snorkeling and then had a shore lunch prepared by one of the people from Go Fish Belize. This was a nice break from the fishing and the sun for them and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

Machado Ventura Meets with Deputy Prime Minister of Belize
Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Vice-president of the Cuban councils of State and Ministers, met on Thursday morning with Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture of Belize, who is on a visit to Cuba. During the cordial meeting, the two authorities expressed their satisfaction for the good state of bilateral relations and reiterated their willingness to continue strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation existing between the two countries, mainly in the health sector. Likewise, they spoke about the processes of integration of the region, particularly of the CELAC and the CARICOM and on the next Summit of the ACS. Accompanying the distinguished visitor were Pablo Saul Marin, Minister of Health of Belize, and Efrain Ravey Novelo, Charge d’Affaires of that diplomatic mission to Cuba, as well as Cuban Deputy Health Minister Marcia Cobas.

I want to go to Belize but I'm gay.
So Belize has some pretty backwards laws regarding gays and who can and cannot enter their country. Is this something that we should *actually* to worry about? Or, what are some alternate travel...

Pupils to work in Belize rainforest
Caithness pupils are to work with the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh as part of efforts to conserve plants and habitats in Belize. The teenagers from Wick High School will spend four weeks in the Central American country this summer. The trip will involve staying at Las Cuevas in the Chiquibul rainforest. More than 3,700 plants have been recorded in Belize and hundreds of other species are thought to remain undiscovered. The country's forests also provide habitat for big cats such as ocelot and jaguar.

Belize Resort Picks Top 5 Placencia Scuba Diving Sites
Belize Resort, Chabil Mar, Partners with Award Winning Dive Centers and Picks Top 5 Placencia Scuba Diving Sites to Create Luxury Dive Vacation Packages and Services Top 5 Scuba Diving Sites of Placencia, Belize selected by premier Placencia dive...

April 19, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Lisel Alamilla to receive University of Idaho International Alumni Achievement Award
The Senator, Honorable Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development for Belize, has been honored by the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources (CNR), as the winner of its, “2013 International Alumni Achievement Award”. She will be presented with the award at a banquet honoring outstanding CNR alumni and students in Moscow, Idaho, on Thursday, April 18, 2013. Minister Alamilla was nominated for this award due to her outstanding achievements, including her appointment as a minister in Belize’s Cabinet, her selection as winner of the 2012 Whitley Award for Nature and her selection as winner of the 2010 Marsh Award for Conservation Leadership. Each year the CNR Leadership Team convenes to nominate six distinguish college alumni for awards. The International Alumni Achievement Award is given to an alumnus who has a career is some aspect of natural resources, whose career exemplifies a record of distinction and international service in natural resources, and who is recognized as having made a difference in natural resource management in their country.

Dredging – mangrove clearance taking place north of marina channel
The San Pedro Sun can confirm that dredging is taking place in an area north of the San Pedro Marina Channel (located south-west of Ambergris Caye). The person to whom the dredging permit has been issued to is Darrin Sherry for Royal Belizean Land Co. S.A. The San Pedro Sun can also confirm that the recommendation was granted by the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) and signed by Mayor Daniel Guerrero on April 2, 2013. Documents obtained by The San Pedro Sun shows that the owner of Lot Number 5481 and 5482 in the San Pedro Registration Section intends to dredge a total of 76, 917 cubic yards of sand, silt and mud. However the person has divided the dredging into three phases; the first will see 16,851 cubic yards of material dredged, the second 11,666 cubic yards and the third 48,400 cubic yards. It is interesting to note that the law requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for any dredging exceeding 50,000 cubic yards of material. On March 8, 2013, the Government of Belize, through the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment approved a mining (dredging) permit which expires on December 31, 2013. The permit was granted a month before Sherry received the recommendation from the SPTC. The permit (for extraction) indicates that not more than 16,000 cubic yards of material shall be extracted from burrow sites around the properties in question.

Three more officers join the San Pedro Police Department
The San Pedro Police Formation has been slowly growing and with the recent six new officers, the formation counts with 39 policemen. They are tasked in ensuring the protection of life and property on the island of Ambergris Caye. Last week we presented you with two of the six new officers and in this issue, The San Pedro Sun introduces three more police constables. Woman Police Constable (WPC) number 1554 Arilee Young is originally from San Ignacio Cayo. She has recently graduated from the Belize Police Academy and her first placement is at the San Pedro Police Formation. Just as WPC Young, Police Constable (PC) number 1459 Norman Coye Jr is also a recent graduate of the Belize Police Academy and his first assignment was to Ambergris Caye. PC Coye Jr is from Cotton Tree Village in the Cayo District. PC number 1443 Hector Blanco is also new to the police force and he too is a new graduate from the Belize Police Academy. He is originally from Orange Walk Town.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Darts Team Wins Big Creek Dart Classic
The Jolly Roger Reloaded Darts Team, organizer and host of the first BIG CREEK GROUP ANNUAL DARTS CLASSIC, takes great pleasure in formally thanking Mr. Anuar Flores, Buisness Leader, and his Board of Directors of the Big Creek Group Of Companies for their sponsorship of our dart tournament held on April 13th & 14th, 2013. We also applaud the company for the commitment to venture into curving of the youths into the sport of darts in the country of Belize. This show of sportsmanship through its participation, endorses the company’s mission statement of “A Company In Touch With Tomorrow”. The Big Creek Darts Classic was a huge success with a brilliant display of camaraderie and unity to foster a new generation of dartists in Belize. The host team through this medium would like to also thank Fr. Timothy Thompson (SJC), the Minister of Sports, Hon. Herman Longsworth, “Open Your Eyes” Management, Staff and anchors, for such a quick response to readily endorse such encouragement to inspire the young people and to revive the consciousness to pass on the skill of yesteryear before it is buried with us, and The Belize City Lion’s Club, for the use of the “Lester Young Lion’s Hall” for the venue.

Unknown Graffiti Artist Spreads Flower Power Around San Pedro
The message might be that of Peace, Love or Happiness, but the images of flowers that have been plastered around the island by an unknown graffiti artist surely bring a smile to your face when you see it. Or maybe it is a puzzled face that people make when they see these random images of flowers (of different sizes and colors) that have been pasted in random areas of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. There is a large colorful one on a utility post by The Island Academy, a large black one on the concrete fence of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School and tiny ones all around. You have to have a keen eye to actually catch a few. I got out to conduct some investigating this morning, but there were no clues as to who posted these flowers around town. There seem to be no witnesses around as it seems that they were posted in the middle of the night. Clever!

Public Consultation For San Pedro’s Solid Waste Management Project
Keeping La Isla Bonita clean is something that the San Pedro Town Council has been arduously working on. There has been a massive cleanup campaign taken into effect to target specific areas of the island in different time periods so as to effectively cover the entire island and educated the people and maintain the island as clean as possible. The collection of garbage has always been the responsibility of the Town Council and the disposal of the garbage has been in the southern side of the island in the dumpsite where all solid waste is disposed and burnt. But the disposal of the island’s garbage will change once the Solid Waste Management Project comes into effect. The Government of Belize has proposed to implement a project to improve solid waste management practices in four municipalities of the Western Corridor of Belize (San Pedro Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Belize City and San Ignacio/Santa Elena) that will support the goals of environmental protection, natural resource conservation, and protection of public health, safety and welfare.

Responsibility To Whom And For What?
In my articles I try to point out and describe to readers, both inside and outside of Belize, the many responsibilities as well as the essential needs of educators, students, parents, and the community/country at large. The bottom line and ultimate goal of each article presented in this column and on belizeguidance.blogspot.com is to encourage each individual, not only students but the entire country, to keep improving and growing productively in the new 21st Century. My recent observations and striking descriptions (with apologies to no one) of “learned helplessness” throughout Belize have elicited quite numerous and varied individual responses throughout social media such as Facebook, Blogs, and emails. I respect and will honor each individual’s request for privacy. Nonetheless, it was very encouraging to see that, despite the scant or few comments usually posted under each new article, so many of you readers “do care” about how our Education Systems in Belize work, and whether or not they serve the nation productively. Most encouraging of all was to see how many of you, according to the many emails you sent me, are genuinely interested in improving our Education systems in Belize.

Misc Belizean Sources

Barry Bowen Bridge closed on May 15
to all vehicular traffic for one or two weeks.

New Horizons provides veterinary care to animals of Belize
U.S. veterinary professionals provided treatment to various types of animals April 17 in Orange Walk, Belize, as part of a training exercise called New Horizons. The veterinary team treated approximately 340 dogs, seven horses and one cat. Elisa Castellanos, Orange Walk resident and owner of Napoleon, a 10-year-old Labrador and pit bull dog, was excited the clinic provided free veterinary care for dogs in the town. “I love this effort because it is very much missing here in Orange Walk,” she said. “When I heard about it, I told everybody.” Castellanos wants as many dogs as possible to be vaccinated at the clinic. “My neighbors have never given their dogs vaccinations,” she said. “I have some random dogs in my neighborhood, but I will make the trips back and forth.” Castellanos also said she believes this clinic will make a big difference in the community. “A lot of it is people are not educated what to do for their dogs and the responsibilities of it,” she said. “We each have a responsibility to do something. We just have to do what we can in our community.”

IMF concludes consultation mission to Belize
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Gerardo Peraza, visited Belize from April 8-18, to conduct its yearly review of the country’s economy in the context of the IMF’s Article IV consultation, which began in November last year. Peraza released the following statement in Belmopan at the conclusion of the meetings on Thursday: “This year’s Article IV consultation mission took place after the completion of an external public debt exchange. The mission welcomes the collaborative dialogue between the government of Belize and the Creditors Committee to achieve a consensual debt restructuring. “In 2012, economic activity accelerated thanks to a strong rebound in agriculture and services, despite a sharp decline in crude oil production. Output growth is estimated at 5.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), led by a recovery from the 2011 effects of weather-related damages to commodity exports. Inflation averaged 1.4 percent in 2012, as commodity price pressures abated. The external current account deficit widened to about 1.7 percent of GDP, up from 1.1 percent of GDP in 2011, due to a steep drop in crude oil exports and higher imports of fuel and electricity. The fiscal primary surplus for FY2012/13 is expected to decline to 1.3 percent of GDP from 2.3 percent of GDP in FY2011/12. After two years of decline, credit to the private sector recovered in 2012. For 2013, output growth is expected to moderate to about 2.5 percent as the main export crops stabilize and crude oil production continues to contract.

Belize to develop its first credit reporting system to increase access to finance
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping Belize establish its first credit reporting system, which will allow financial institutions to share credit information and better manage lending risks, thereby expanding access to finance for individual borrowers and small businesses. With support from the Canadian International Development Agency, IFC and the Central Bank of Belize are co-hosting the third Caribbean Credit Reporting Conference today in Belize City. The conference will bring together representatives from financial institutions, credit unions, utilities, insurance companies and central banks in the region to build awareness and deepen knowledge of credit reporting systems. IFC organized previous conferences in St Kitts and Nevis and Jamaica in 2012. “A credit reporting system is key to the development of a sound economy,” said Marilyn Gardiner-Usher, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Belize. “It helps to reduce risks for financial institutions and often leads to lower interest rates, making loans more affordable and more widely available. That’s a win-win for Belize.”

Heartz FC Family Day
The Heartz Football Club has uploaded some football pictures from their 'Family Day' this last weekend. "HeartzFC Family Day with Adventures FC"

PACT at UB Earth Day
The University of Belize had their Earth Day today, and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust was there to take some pictures of the event. Lots of people showed up for the food, fun, and games. "PACT attended the University of Belize's Earth Day Celebrations 2013. We helped to judge the Trash-On Show Competition! Kudos to all participants, especially the winners: Kuxlin Ha Primary School - 1st Place St. Martin's Primary School - 2nd Place United Evergreen Primary School - 3rd Place"

'My Body is Precious' Tours Cayo
The play 'My Body is Precious' is on tour around Belize, and it is coming to Cayo tomorrow. The Special Envoy for Women and Children is promoting the new book with the same name to combat the sexual exploitation of children. The play will be in Belmopan, at the UB Auditorium at 10am, and then in Benque, at the Marshalleck Stadium, at 2pm.

Black Hole Drop
One of Caves Branch's most amazing tours is their famous Black Hole Drop, where you rappel into a 300 foot deep cenote. If you crave adventure in Cayo, this is for you. Some of the best Cayo jungle lodges, including Crystal Paradise, Mariposa, and Parrot Nest, got to experience it so they could better answer their guest's questions about the unique adventure. "Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge offers one of the most extreme rappelling adventures in Belize with their Black Hole Drop. It's around an hour hike to a huge cenote that you rappell 300 feet into. You then have a delicious lunch, and explore the cenote. There are caves in it too."

Succotz Festival Weekend
The Succotz Fiesta is this weekend, and they are having the opening ceremony tomorrow with the Super Furia Band. Saturday and Sunday is when the fiesta really takes off. They'll be having a bicycle race, and fun in the Mopan. There will be live music, food, and games for the entire family. Feliz Fiesta!

Belizean Cold Cake Version 2
This is the 2nd version of Cold Cake. In this version, I eliminated the jello and added sugar and butter to the Nestle's Cream. I think added the sugar made all the difference for this dish for me. It wasn't too sweet and the cookies are a delight in each bite.

Channel 7

Police Get Aviation Fuel, No Luck In Finding Plane
Tonight, nine drums or 450 gallons of aviation fuel are sitting at the Ladyville police station – the product of an all-day search by Ladyville police and the Belize Special assignment group yesterday. At 10:00 in the morning, they received information that a plane was circling in the area West of Crooked Tree. A team of two dozen BDF soldiers and police were dispatched to scour the vast area between Crooked Tree and Shipyard. 7news got information as well, but our quest only took us to the Lagoon at behind Crooked Tree, as the terrain was treacherous beyond that. But police persisted, and at 2:30 pm, between an area known as Backlanding and Shipyard they encountered an abandoned runway – one that had been destroyed by BDF explosives months ago. But about 100 yards from the runway they found 9 full drums of aviation fuel. The drums were covered with palms and Bay leaves – likely for concealment and protection against the sun. There were also 16 empty clear plastic fuel containers beside them, likely used for refueling vehicles and ATV’s.

Ladyville Police Catch Burglars In Act, Shoot One; HeÂ’s Critical
Ladyville Police shot a man they allegedly caught committing a burglary this afternoon. 21 year old Ryan Lozano is in a critical condition at the KHMH – after police shot him in the midsection. Ladyville Police shot a man they allegedly caught committing a burglary this afternoon. 21 year old Ryan Lozano is tonight at the KHMH in a critical condition – after he was shot by police. Police say that at 12:20 this afternoon, the responded to the report of a burglary in progress in Los Lagos. When they got there, they saw 27 year old Ladyville resident Lenny Benguche hiding behind the house while Lozano was walking out. Police say he had a crowbar and a knife and they cautioned him – but he continued to advance in, quote, “a threatening manner.” Police then opened fire, hitting him in the midsection. But this evening 7news travelled to Ladyville to where the shooting happened. Neighbors confirmed that they heard 4 gunshots ring out – and when it did, they say the two men were already lying face down on the ground. They said they saw neither a crowbar nor any knife. Lozano’s mother was told by doctors that her son was shot twice- once to the back and once to his side. Tonight Lozano is on life support at the KHMH still hanging on to life and his mother Cynthia Usher, has still not been contacted by police. She said she has had troubles with her son.

IMF Urges GOB To Reign In Wage Bill
The IMF today concluded its Article IV consultation with Belize – and they say government has to watch its wage bill. A press release issued this afternoon reports that discussions with the government focused on how to take advantage of the breathing room provided by the Superbond renegotiation. The IMF recommends what it calls “robust fiscal consolidation,” among other measures. They emphasize quote, “(placing) debt and financing needs on a faster downward trajectory,” and continue to say that quote, “the focus of fiscal policy should be on spending restraint—especially moderating wage pressures—and reversing the erosion of the tax revenue base.” The release also points to “a high…level of nonperforming loans” – in the commercial banks and urges government to “(tackle) major impediments to doing business in order to better attract investment, expand exports, and bolster external sustainability.” The more complete staff report will be issued in June.

Another Bee Attack In North
There was another killer bee attack in the Orange Walk District today. 72 year old Wilhelm Nuefeld, a Mennonite of Camp 18 in Shipyard was rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital after bees swarmed him while he was working behind his house. KREM News reports that he was attempting to transfer swine from one stall to another and was not aware of a hive of bees in the stall. Fortunately he was treated and released. His horse was also attacked but survived as well. There’s also news about the other tragic case which occurred in Little Belize. As we reported 4 year old Enrique Thiessen was killed by a swarm of bees while his five year old brother, Pedro was critically injured. Well, Pedro has been showing signs of improvement, and was released from the Northern Medical Plaza today to attend his little brother’s funeral. But when that’s done, he’ll have to go right back to the hospital. Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez reports that his liver is still swollen and he has to be kept for two more days of observation.

Sidewalk Demolition Raises Concerns
In March of last year, the Sustainable Tourism Project started works for the Belize City Fort Point Pedestrian Walk. The 5.47 million dollar project promised to deliver a refurbished North Front Street from the bridge-foot to the Memorial Park. It’s been a long 14 months since the ground breaking ceremony launching the development and so, residents of the city have been forced to deal extensively with the limited road access while the contractors do their work. The works are now approaching the foot of the Swing Bridge, and so today we caught up with the Project Director for an update on when they will be completely finished. We also asked about the demolition of the newly built sidewalk in front of the Image Factory. The director told us that it is due to a drainage issue that they had to fix. She also discussed the challenges which have delayed the completion of the works. Christy Mastry - Sustainable Tourism Project "Well North Front street right now is about maybe another three or four weeks away from completion. The entire project was scheduled to be totally completed by the end of April. North Front St. had some unique challenges that many of the other roads didn't have or not in as much dire need of attention as North Front St. did. It was the variation of the entrances of all of the buildings to the actual sidewalk and then the relationship to the sidewalk to the road bed itself. So because of that it definitely posed a drainage challenge to the contractor.

OCEANA: Win Some, Lose Some
On Tuesday Oceana Belize had a major victory in court when they up-ended 6 offshore oil drilling contracts. Well, their next challenge in the Supreme Court hasn’t been enjoying as much success as that one. That’s because since the Chief Elections Officer disqualified 8,047 of their signatures to trigger a referendum on off-shore oil drilling in 2012, the GOB attorneys have been ensuring that the court doesn’t reverse it. Today, once again, GOB, successfully managed to convince Justice Michelle Arana to dismiss an application from Oceana for leave to appeal concerning her ruling to strike the challenge out on a technicality of tardiness in December of 2012. We spoke to both sides outside of court, including Audrey Matura-Shepherd, who is undeterred by this dismissal. She says that these setbacks will not discourage her from trying to get the Court of Appeal to hear the matter. Denys Barrow - Attorney for GOB "The Oceana people had applied for leave to appeal against the earlier decision of Justice Arana, striking out their claim, which have been filed out of time. We took the objection on this application today that again, they have made a misstep and they applied for leave to appeal when they had a clear right to appeal without making any application for leave. Therefore the application for leave was a mistake. It was meaningless and as the judge said she has no authority to give leave. If they wanted to appeal they ought to have filed a notice of appeal. So they have no appeal"

Murder Way Up in 2013
Crime Statistics show that – for the first quarter of 2013, the murder rate is way up. Comparing the period of January to March 2012 with the same period in 2013, 30 murders were recorded in 2013, as compared to 23 for the same period in 2012. Looking at it on a district-by-district basis, Belize City showed an alarming increase, from 11 murders between January and March 2012, compared to 26 murders for the same period in 2013. All other districts except Toledo were down in the number of murders reported. According to the numbers, cases of Robbery, burglary and theft were all down.

Jamaican Police Minister Cries For Crime
And while those murder figures are enough to make anyone hang their head in weary resignation, in Jamaica, the staggering crime statistics almost brought the Police Minister Peter Bunting to tears. In a speech that has triggered angry responses from Jamaicans, on Saturday Bunting said only divine intervention can solve his country’s problems – we have this report from CEEN News:.. Tamika Tomas Reporting "It was an emotional security Minister Peter Bunting who lamented the situation of the country's crime problem. After fifteen months on the job, the Minister says he is frustrated over what he described as little results despite the best efforts of the security forces. Speaking at the anual cry and thanksgiving service for the security forces, as the Northern Caribbean university over the weekend, the Minister noted that he was in a dark time in his career as Minister and only divine intervention would solve the crime misery." Peter Bunting, Minister of National Security, Jamaica "After fifteen months I am convinced that the best efforts of the security forces by itself, will not solve the crime problem in Jamaica but it is going to take divine intervention; touching the hearts of a wide cross section of the society"

UB Researchers Touching On Important Topics
Research: it’s the duty of every university to promote it – and for the third year, UB’s Faculty of Management and Social Sciences held their Annual Student Research Conference. The idea is to get out the research work students have been doing in a specific subject area Dr. Jean Briceno-Perriot - University of Belize "The research are in areas of Accounting, Tourism, Management and some social Science. It's very intense and they have to work very hard and at times it is stressful for them. They get it done and as you can see from the response of them being here it's kind of a goal for them now. We want our study to be presented." Shenira Hoare - Student Researcher "Well my research was mainly to focus on the factors that are contributing to a GPA change in students, specifically Accounting students that are doing their Bachelors Degree after they have relocated to Belize City. My findings were that specifically because it was such a small group, there were minimal changes in their GPA. So for the minority that changed didn't feel like their parents' expectations were a push for them to do their best. They didn't have the family support. They did not feel like they had good relationships with those they lived with. So for the minority that did change those were the factors that affected them the most and caused them to shift from having a higher GPA to a lower GPA."

Central Banks Setting Up Credit Bureaus
And while UB’s students are researching business, the central bank was kinda sorta doing something similar. They’ve teamed up with the International Finance Corporation to set up a Belize’s first credit reporting system. Today, they held a press conference and the Deputy governor of the central Bank explained the importance of credit bureaus. Here’s how it goes. Marilyn Gardiner Usher – Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Belize "A credit reporting system is key to development of a sound economy. It helps to reduce risks to financial institutions and often leads to lower interest rates making loans more affordable and more widely available. We expect the data to come financial and non-financial providers like the utilities and the insurance companies. So that this can actually have the impact of bringing individual, small and medium enterprises who don't normally hold accounts and have a relationship with the bank, to have access to their reputation and collateral to the formal financial system."

Triple Fatality Reported
There was a terrible accident at mile six on the Western highway just a short while ago. At about 6:50 pm, a maroon Chevy extended cab pickup and a black car collided head on. First images from the scene show sent by our team show massive frontal damage to both vehicles. Our team reports that at least two persons have been extracted dead from the pickup – and bystanders say one more person is dead inside. Another was taken out alive and rushed away via ambulance. We’ll have more on this before the end of the news.

PROFILE
Tonight’s I am Belize profile of Mona Lisa Mangar.

Making The Most OF Disaster Preparedness
This afternoon at the Radisson, Godwin Hulse the Minister in Charge of Emergency Management briefed the media about the highlights coming out of the Regional Disaster Preparedness technical advisory committee meeting organized by Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency - CDERA. Hon. Godwin Hulse – Minister of National Emergency Management "Some of the highlights coming out of today's meeting were, still ongoing as you know, but there's the strategic direction was endorsed. That is where we are going from 2013 to 2018 and so there was a tremendous amount of discussion there that was endorsed and so that now goes up to council. The country's support program was examined and supported. A country support program means for example; What will Belize get? What the other agencies will get? That was also was discussed and then of course the operational planning enhancement. How we are going to move in all of these changes that are happening? We looked at communications systems and that sort of thing; the world is a changing place. You know, couple years ago we sent a mail and we would hope you got it and then from there we sent you a 'telex' and the we started sending you a fax and then we got cellphone and now we have facetime. So we are going up. So communication is changing and how we interact and communicate with each other. In between all of that, a myriad of smaller issues so fundamentally that is where are and what we have been doing so far."

A Fiesta With A Tradition
The SAN JOSE Succotz Fiesta has become a major annual event for the WESTERN village and it is scheduled for April 18, 19 and 21. But oftentimes, these events become established for a particular symbolic reason, which is lost on the younger generation who look forward to it only for the fun and excitement involved. The spokesperson for the Fiesta gave 7News a brief history about the importance of the event. Wilson Patt - Spokesperson, Benque Succotz Fiesta "Usually for the 'fiesta" we try to promote our own traditional dances and folklore and also the traditional dishes. That is the main focus of the fair. It was done yearly from the 1920’s it was done more as a religious but traditional event. Now its being done like a fundraising drive. We have moved away from the Catholic since the St. Joseph day, the patron Saint is 19th of March and it falls within lent so we have decided to move away from lent and move it into a more traditional way and there isn't a religion that can do any harm."

Vansh Giveaway Day 4
Today, the Vansh Charles Birthday giveaway continued here at Channel 7 on Albert street. As we’ve told you, all this week, Monday to Friday all children 12 and under who are born on April 19th, between the years 2001 and 2012 can come to Channel 7 to pick up their gift bag and a gift certificate. We spoke to a few of the recipients who’ve come form all over the country. And we spoke to one mother who is just happy to have her April 19th birthday after he was switched at birth in a hospital mix-up Daniel Ortiz "Now that he's celebrating his birthday. What's it like?" Sofia Fuller - Mother of 2 Year Old Kent Moses "Well, i'm very happy and greatful everyday that I have my son." Mother of Shernelle Anderson "I feel great about this. It's a wonderful thing to do for kids that are born on April 19th." Sherl Lewis "Hi" Daniel Ortiz "How do you feel about receiving your gift today?" Alliyah Salam "Happy." Daniel Ortiz "You're happy. What school do you go to?"

Channel 5

Brutal accident on highway kills three
There is breaking news of a fatal traffic accident on the George Price Highway that happened just before seven this evening. Three persons are now dead and two survived when there was a collision between a small car and a pickup truck. The persons who perished were in the pickup truck and are believed to [...]

Terrible dredging on the north end of Ambergris Caye
On Tuesday, OCEANA won a major legal victory when six oil contracts were declared null and void by the Supreme Court. Tonight, there is a developing story from San Pedro that is stirring unease on the island. It is reported that north of San Pedro’s Marine Channel, seventy-six point nine cubic yards are being dredged [...]

Aviation fuel found near Crooked Tree; reports of plane attempting to land confirmed
On Wednesday, reports circulated that a plane had been heard circling somewhere behind Crooked Tree, but we could get no official confirmation and our investigations came up empty-handed. But today, there is official word from the Belize Police Department, of a significant find of what is believed to be aviation fuel. Following the reports of [...]

Union salary increase dependent on Maranco Oil
Since the announcement of an encouraging oil show in the northwest block, an area in the Orange Walk District spanning nine hundred and fifty-two square miles, the Ministry of Energy & Science has remained relatively quiet about the results of an assessment to determine whether the find is in commercial quantity.  On March thirtieth, prospecting [...]

APAMO strongly disagrees with rosewood amnesty
The sale of confiscated rosewood announced by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development on Monday has been drawing huge public outcry. This afternoon, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organization added its considerable weight to the public condemnation surrounding the recent decision by government regarding the amnesty, sale and exportation of rosewood. In [...]

Bad bus business resolved in the capital
Public transportation is flowing tonight following a meeting in Belmopan.  As it stands, the wrinkles have been ironed out between two competing companies over the Belmopan-Belize City run. Both have agreed to a formula making way for one of the companies to service the five o’clock run which transports most public officers from the Capital [...]

Violet Jones believes found bones are from lost son
On January nineteenth, 2011 distraught mother Violet Jones visited our studio to plead with the public for information on the whereabouts of her son, Matthew Gonzalez. Matthew lived in San Pedro, and had not been seen since January seventh, when reports are he went fishing. No information ever surfaced, and Violet Jones never found any [...]

Second bee sting victim is suffering liver damage
A five year old boy remains hospitalized at the Northern Medico Plaza in Orange Walk following an attack by killer bees. On Monday, Pedro Thiessen and his four year old sibling, Enrique were playing behind their house in the Little Belize Community in southern Corozal when they were stung repeatedly by the swarm of killer [...]

OCEANA loses on technicality on referendum, but fight not over
Oceana has had a good week in the court. Justice Oswell Legall ruled that several offshore contracts were null and void. It was a celebration that came with a terse reply from the Government that it would appeal the decision. Today, Oceana Belize returned to the Courthouse. This time they appeared inside the courtroom of [...]

Minister says it’s impractical to refuse entry to Guatemalan citizens
When he spoke to us today, Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse also expanded on the plan to require new entry permits, at an additional cost, from all persons entering Belize with the newly proposed Guatemalan passport. The printing of the passports have been put to tender, but Guatemala is proposing that will retain a map [...]

John Baptist, accused of abusing minor, fails to appear in court
The trial of a Belize City man for sexually abusing a young girl had to be put on hold because the accused failed to return to court. John Baptist’s trial got underway last week in the Supreme Court and continued throughout the week, but earlier this week Baptist was a no show. He is accused [...]

13 packages of weed found in car
San Ignacio Police has recorded an impressive bust of cannabis. It happened on Wednesday at around twelve-thirty p.m. when a mobile patrol on the George Price Highway intercepted a green Toyota car with two men inside in front of Three Flags Superstore. A cursory search of the vehicle turned up nothing, but because of the [...]

Belize to implement a Credit Report System
Belize is establishing its first credit report system that when completed, financial institutions will be able to share credit information and improve on lending risks. The Central Bank is with support of the Canadian International Development Agency. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports.   Jose Sanchez, Reporting The International Finance Corporation is assisting Belize to develop [...]

200 students graduate from Gang Resistance Education
Today more than two hundred students from the Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School, the Queen Street Baptist School and the Saint Luke Methodist Primary School graduated from a new program in their schools called Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT for short. The program was introduced to Belize in 2009 by the US Embassy [...]

Regional facilitators gather for disaster management conference
The Technical Advisory Committee of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency today concluded a two-day session. The Committee includes representation of National Disaster Coordinators from the eighteen member states, as well as other participating regional bodies. The goal of the session was to come up with a cohesive, effective and forward thinking regional strategic plan [...]

Healthy Living examines the complications of the gall bladder
Many persons have gall stones and would not know about it until the pain begins to strike.  The stones form in the gall bladder from cholesterol, bile, salts and calcium. While galls stones affect all age groups, its formation increases with age, especially among women. In this week’s Healthy Living, we look at the complications [...]

LOVE FM

GREAT Program Graduates Hundreds of Primary School Students on Gang Resistance Training
This morning over two hundred students from Queen Street Baptist Primary School, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School and Saint Luke Methodist Primary School graduated from the Gang Resistance Education and Training, GREAT, Program. The graduation ceremony was held at the Nazarene Ch...

Second Recognition Within A Month For Police Southern Zone
For the second consecutive month the Southern zone has been recognized for recording the lowest level of major crimes in the country. On Wednesday Minister of National Security John Saldivar made the presentation. A certificate for the best performance was presented to the ...

Two Ladyville Residents Caught Red Handed; Police Shoots One and Apprehended Both
A man was shot by a police officer earlier today. Preliminary reports are that about 12:20 this afternoon, police responded to a burglary in progress in the Los Lagos area. Upon arrival, police apprehended 27 year old Lenny Benguche who was hiding behind the house. Police say after...

Cancer Support Group Prepares For Annual Awareness Walk In Orange Walk
The Orange Walk Cancer support group will be holding its fifth cancer awareness walk this Saturday, April 20. The walk is both to create awareness of the illness and the fifth anniversary of the support group. President, Badrah Coleman tells us more. BADRAH COLEMAN ...

Villagers Plead For Water In Cayo District
The village of Armenia located a few miles outside the City of Belmopan on the Hummingbird Highway, in the Cayo District was initially settled by immigrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras who were fleeing civil war. Later on Mopan and K’ekchi Maya moved into the a...

Central Bank of Belize Spearheads Caribbean Credit Reporting Conference
“Achieving the Possibilities Through Credit Information Sharing” is the theme for a Caribbean Credit Reporting Conference spearheaded by the Central Bank of Belize, CBB, the International Finance Corporation, IFC, and the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, now...

Evangelistic Campaign Makes Its Way To Belize City
Preparations are underway for an Evangelistic Campaign entitled “Experience God” an initiative of the Seventh Day Adventist Church scheduled to kick off this Sunday in the Belama Phase One Park in Belize City. Pastor Osborn Collins, who is organizing the campaign spok...

Grace Primary School Choir Recruited For International Program
Grace Primary School Choir has been in existence for fifteen years and has touched the lives of many school children that have entered the gates of Grace Primary School. Presently the choir has about 60 members and has had the opportunity of performing in different neighbour countries ...

Aviation Fuel Found; Owners Unknown
A quantity of what may be aviation fuel was found in an area known as Back Landing in the Orange Walk District. Based on information received by Ladyville Police, on Wednesday at about 3pm, a team of Police officers from the Ladyville sub-formation along with members of the Belize Spec...

Association Involved in Management of Protected Areas Calls On Government To Rethink Amnesty On Rosewood
The Association of Protected Area Management Organizations (APAMO) has called on Government to rethink its position to implement an amnesty period, allowing the export of illegally harvested Rosewood. APAMO says while it was in full support of the moratorium declared one year...

CTV3

Five Year Old Stung By Bees Sent Home To Bury His Younger Brother
On Monday afternoon a four year old Mennonite boy from the community of Little Belize in Corozal lost his life after he was stung more than 500 times by killer bees. Five year old Pedro Thiessen and his younger brother 4 year old Enrique Thiessen were playing in an open lot located a few feet away from their home in Camp 70 when they were swarmed by killer bees. The boy’s father, Jacobo Thiessen and neighbor Issac Shmith aided the children and were also stung in the process. Four year old Enrique Thiessen was pronounced dead on arrival at the Northern Medical Plaza while his brother and father were admitted under critical condition. According to Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez, while Jacob Thiessen is out of the woods, the same cannot be said for his five year old son. Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez “Pues el niño se nota que está mejorando. Todavía está un poco hinchado pero el día de hoy sacamos algunas pruebas que le habíamos hecho el día anterior y nos dimos cuenta que había más inflamación en el hígado afortunadamente las otras pruebas de su riñón y las otras pruebas están normales. Lo único que se elevo es el hígado que era lo que esperábamos. El día de hoy el padre nos pidió que lo diéramos de alta por un rato porque iban enterar a su hermanito. Pero no más termine eso va a regresar. Los mayores ya están bien y ya les dimos de alta claro ellos no fueron severamente picados como el niño a quien vamos a tener con nosotros unos dos días más bajo observación.”

9 Gallons Of Aviation Fuel Confiscated By Police In Orange Walk
Yesterday Orange Walk Police received several calls from residents of Carmelita Village claiming to have heard the sound of a low flying airplane circling in the area, on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. We understand that police, along with members of the anti drug unit, combed the area from Carmelita Village to Crooked Tree but found nothing. Ladyville Police received the same information from residents living in Crooked Tree and the search was extended. At around 3:00pm a team of police officers from the Ladyville sub-formation along with members of the Belize Special Assignment Group visited an area known as Back Landing in the Orange Walk District which borders the village of Crooked Tree in Belize. There they found these nine plastic blue drums containing aviation fuel and sixteen empty white plastic five gallons hidden in some bushes. The items were discovered about 300 feet from an airstrip that had been destroyed previously by the Belize Defense Force. At the time of the discovery no one was in the area and all items recovered were transported to the Ladyville Police Station where they were labeled and kept as found property. So, what were 9 gallons of aviation fuel doing the in the area? Could it be that a drug plane was about to refuel and something went wrong? Those are questions that may never be answered, but one thing is for sure, residents of Carmelita say they are positive of what they saw and heard.

New System To Be Set In Place For Guatemalan Visitors
Since the news broke out that Guatemala’s new passports will feature a map in which Belize is included as part of the country’s territory, only demarcated by a dotted line to indicate the ongoing dispute between both countries, Belizeans have been up in arms. The People’s United Party has stated on the record that a PUP government will not allow any person holding a Guatemalan passport which shows Belize as a part of that country to enter Belize. But the Government of the day is not being so passionate about the situation. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honorable Wilfred Elrington, has indicated that if Guatemalan passports include Belize; residents will still be allowed to enter the country. According to Elrington Belize cannot put to risk the good business relationship shared with Guatemala. But according to Minister of Immigration Honorable Godwin Hulse, there are certain measures that will be set in place.

Villagers Of Ranchito Tell GOB Leave Our Land Alone
On our newscast of April 3rd we brought you the story of the Pol family from the Village of San Joaquin in the Corozal District who claimed that Government was taking away their 3.6 acres of land located behind the village. Tonight, there is a similar scenario in the village of Ranchito only that this time it involves more than two hundred parcels of land and more than one family is being affected. Elmer Cornejo Reports. Elmer Cornejo - Reporting Tonight residents of Ranchito Village in Corozal are up in arms and are pointing fingers at the Government of Belize particularly the Ministry of Natural Resources. According to Orvin Rancharan, chairman of Ranchito Village, more than two hundred parcels of land are in the process of being taken away from villagers who already have a lease. Rancharan says that the lands in jeopardy were issued back in 2007 by the P.U.P Government. A year after there was a change in government as the United Democratic Party took office and that is when the struggle began. Orvin Rancharan: Ranchito Village Chair “We had never had a problem except since 2007 when these lands were issued in the Rancharan Layout and the reason we called it Rancharan Layout it was because we acquire it from Nataniel Rancharan almost 80 lots. We start facing a serious issue when the government change in 2008 but before that we had acquire lands in all areas in fact there are ten loan in Ranchito, with the latest land Rancharan Layout is where the problem is right now. What is happening to those lots is that we had surveyed the land and we charge $200 per person, all who were interested paid their $200 we didn’t discriminate got their lot and their file with official government receipt which they had gone to the lands.”

Land Grab In San Felipe Village
While that land dispute is taking place in the Village of Ranchito Corozal, trouble is also brewing in the Village of San Felipe Orange Walk. On Sunday, Israel Olivera, a resident of San Felipe Village was brutally attacked by two men from the same village, who by force wanted him to vacate the property on which he built his house on, four years ago. Olivera admits to not having the proper documents for the property which is located on the outskirts of the village. According to him, he has tried to obtain the lease papers for the land but it’s easier said than done. The men who attacked him are allegedly supporters of the United Democratic Party who have set their eye on the property. But that is not the only piece of land that is presently in dispute in the Village. Sixteen years ago, Terencio Magana took possession of a quarter acre parcel of land on which he planted several coconut and fruit trees. He has been taking care of the land ever since even though he has no proper documents. And that’s not because he hasn’t tried to take them out, the process is just too slow, he says. The bad news is that parcel 420 has been given to another resident of the village who is ready to construct. The only problem is, Magana says that land is his because he has squatter’s rights.

The Fight Against Cancer Is On
The Orange Walk Cancer Support Group has been providing much needed support for cancer patients over the past few years, and this coming Saturday the group will be hosting its 5th annual Cancer Walk in celebration of their 5th anniversary. The walk will be followed by a health fair at the Orange Walk Central Park. “The Fight is on against Cancer”, is this year’s theme and according to President of the group Badra Coleman, this year’s message is more than clear. Badra Coleman-President, Orange Walk Cancer Support Group “I think we are ready and we have been working for the past three months on this and so it is crunch time but we are fitting all in and we are ready and we know we will feel the support of our community. We have had good response and all our shirts are finished we might have just maybe ten shirt available it is a first come first serve but it is great to see the response throughout the country and we have raffle tickets going since March and we have raffle tickets all over the country and they have been sending and big up to Corozal also we have friend there and he is working for us every year.

Lions Zone 59 To Hold 35th Convention In San Estevan Orange Walk
Lions Zone 59 is hosting its 35th Annual three day Convention starting tomorrow, Friday April 20th 2013, through Sunday April 21st, in the village of San Estevan. “Lionism” has existed in San Estevan since 1978 and is one of four Lions Clubs in Belize. According to Zone Chairman, John Wongsam, the celebration is also an opportunity to seek new ways on how to make the community a more peaceful and safer place to live in. Today when we visited the Lions Crew in San Estevan we found them hard at work preparing for this year’s convention. The Official Welcome Ceremony kicks off at 8:00pm tomorrow with addresses from a number of guest speakers including Yolanda Gomez, General Manager of La Inmaculada Credit Union Limited. Ariel Munoz-President San Estevan Lion’s Club “El Sábado a las siete queremos comenzar y vamos a tener el pageant de las reinas y durante las ceremonias vamos a tener presentaciones de cada club y entre medio unos muchachitos van a dar una serenata a las reinas y acabando la ceremonia vamos a tener el baile con Super Furia band y hasta amanecer.

The Importance Of Donating Blood
The Northern Regional Hospital will be hosting a blood drive at this year’s health fair scheduled to be held immediately after the Cancer Walk on Saturday, April 20th, 2013. The drive is hoping to see more volunteers, as the need for blood is always very high and they are pleading for more public participation. A few recommended tips for donors are: Maintain a healthy iron level in your diet by eating iron rich foods such as red meat, fish, poultry, beans, spinach, iron-fortified cereals and raisins. Get a good night’s rest, drink an extra 16 ounces of water or non-alcoholic fluids before the donation, avoid fatty foods such as hamburgers, fries or ice-cream before donating since fatty foods can affect the tests performed on the blood. And if you are a platelet donor, your system must be free of aspirin 2 days prior to donation.

PlusTV

APAMO comments on recent Rosewood amnesty
The Rosewood Saga continues, as today, the Association of Protected Area Management Organizations (APAMO), the leading network of non-governmental conservation organizations, voiced its objection to and disappointment with the decision by the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development to implement an amnesty period; which is now allowing for...

Bus Association meets with Transport Department
President of the Belize Bus Owners Cooperative (B.B.O.C.) Mr. Thomas Shaw, along with the Commissioner of Transport, the General Manager for Westline; Mr. Castillo and other relevant representatives; met this morning at the Belmopan Bus Terminal to bring resolution to a recent problem between both bus carriers. Plus news...

Washington University of Health and Science said it graduated 200 students
All this week we have been covering medical school operations in Belize. Yesterday we featured the concerns of one protestor who feels that the American Global University School of Medicine (AGUSM) has not been doing enough for Belize, and that school’s response. Today, vice president of operations for American...

Professional Standards Branch investigates two shootings by Police
A mid-day burglary took an unexpected turn for the culprit today. Police say that they responded to a burglary in progress in the Los Lagos Area and when they arrived there, they saw 27 year old Lenny Bengueche, a Ladyville resident, hiding behind the house. Shortly after, 23 year...

Arguement turns into brawl in Valley of Peace
An argument in the Valley of Peace Village turned into an all out brawl. On Tuesday night, a 19 year old resident of village was hanging out with another man at a local bar. They then decided to go to La Cabana night club in Belmopan on the man’s...

Belize hosts 3rd annual Caribbean Credit Reporting Conference
Credit is essential to businesses to obtain goods and services and to individuals to advance their livelihoods. Belize is in the process of establishing a credit reporting service and today the Central Bank of Belize hosted the 3rd annual Caribbean Credit Reporting Conference featuring representatives of financial institutions and...

UB hosts 3rd Annual Research Conference
The University of Belize (UB) has as part of its mandate the delivery of key research for national development. Its students are subject to numerous research classes where they learn the ins and outs of preparing and presenting research papers and have the option to do a final thesis...

UB hosts Earth Day Activities
Earth Day will be recognized globally on April 22nd of next week, but festivities have already begun to bring awareness to environmental conservation. For as we learned today, Earth Day is every day, as we should all seek to protect the earth and its natural resources daily. Today the...

Southern Zone maintains lowest levels of crime
For the second consecutive month, the Southern Zone and Dangriga Formation have maintained the lowest levels of major crimes throughout the country for the month of March. And yesterday, they were awarded by the Ministry of National Security for this success. Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano who heads the Southern ...

Hon. Lisel Alamilla recognized for work in natural resource management
Though she recently came under scrutiny for the Rosewood newly amnesty, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, the Hon. Lisel Alamilla is being recognized internationally for her work in natural resource management. The Minister has been honored by the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources, as...

The Guardian

Changing Traditions
Traditions are important. They help to hold societies together and shape the meaning of lives. By definition traditions have a history and do not change with the fads of passing fashion. However, though they remain fairly constant over time they are not unchangeable. Very often they are tightly bound up with and sometimes confused with religious beliefs and this adds to the natural resistance to change. Thus the Catholic Church is debating internally the tradition of celibacy for priests and many religious scholars question whether this tradition is based on any biblical injunction. Other Christian denominations are already satisfied that it is not and allow their ministers to marry. The question of the ordination or rather the non-ordination of women is another tradition that is creating controversy within many established Christian churches. Many denominations have women ministers, some forbid such actions outright and others stand divided on the issue. Contraception is a huge issue for the new Pope to grapple with and many think the Catholic Church will be forced to change its stance banning contraception since it is the one doctrine almost universally ignored by its followers.

UDP Chairman readies the troops for Village Council Elections
Every since Party Chairman, Alberto August took the reins of the office he's been moving around the country energizing the party's political machinery, getting it ready for the village council elections. Last weekend it was no different as he paid visits to five- constituencies in three districts. The weekend tour began on Thursday April 11th when he visited San Jose Palmar in the Orange Walk East constituency. Friday it was August Pine Ridge and San Felipe in the Orange Walk South constituency. Then it was the Calcutta Community on Saturday in the Corozal South East constituency. That very day he travelled to Corozal North and on Sunday it was Cayo Central.

Three-Week Amnesty but Rosewood Moratorium Remains in Effect
On the 14th of March, 2013, at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) a decision was taken to regulate the international trade of rosewood and now the harvest and exportation of rosewood from Belize will fall under the CITES regulations. In order to regulate the trade of rosewood, the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development needs to account for the entire pre-convention volume of harvested rosewood currently available in the country. The best way to make such an exercise successful in what has become an extremely shady trade is the implementation of an amnesty period.

Chetumal Boulevard ready
Mayor Darrel Bradley and Leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca cut the ribbon officially declaring the Chetumal Boulevard open on Tuesday April 16th. According the Mayor Bradley it took over three months and 708 thousand dollars for the contractor RJB Construction to complete the plans which were designed by M & M Engineering. Most of the finances, he noted, went to the construction of drains alongside the boulevard. The road also consists of other features which include proper lining with therma-plastic lining and a beautified median which will be adopted by Westrac. According to the Mayor, the plan is to extend the paving to meet the river and await the construction of the 4th bridge which will link the north side of Belize City to the south side on Chetumal boulevard.

Irrelevant Victory on Illegal PUP Oil Contracts
Audrey Matura Sheppard, Vice President of Oceana in Belize, stood outside the Supreme Court and posed for the Guardian Newspaper holding a judgment by Justice Oswell Legal on Tuesday April 16th. Oceana along with Citizens Organized for Liberty Through Action (COLA) and the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage had filed a claim in 2011 against the Minister of Natural Resources. They were seeking that the Supreme Court declare that offshore drilling agreements signed by the PUP government in 2004 and 2007 for 6 companies be declared illegal because they were in breach of the Environmental Protection Act, the Petroleum Act, the Fisheries Act, and the National Parks System Act. It is noteworthy that the 6 Production Sharing Agreements signed were all done under the People’s United Party Government’s tenure. Island Oil’s contract was signed on 25th May 2004, Miles Tropical Energy, Petrol Belize Company Limited, Princess Petroleum Belize Limited, Providence Energy Belize Limited and Sol Oil Belize Limited secretly signed their contracts on 12th October, 2007.

Give it a Rest Now
If you haven’t drawn this conclusion so far by way of inference, let me cue you in: I am a sympathizer of the United Democratic Party. And the Party I support has taken some big hits this past week, no maybes about it. Truly, the only good news “in the rush” since last Friday was the opening of Chetumal Street by the Belize City Mayor, Darrel Bradley. But that aside, it was downhill all the way and one can actually feel the excitement at Channel Fox when news time comes around.

Dean Dawson Jr. Charged for Wallace Donald Matura’s Murder
On Friday, April 12, police charged 22-year-old Dean Dawson Jr. for the murder of Wallace Donald Matura. On February 15, 48-year-old Wallace Donald Matura was shot while standing in front of VIP Wireless at the corner of Orange Street and East Canal. Minutes earlier he had intervened to stop an older male from harassing a female child. The man later returned with another male and opened fire with a handgun in the direction of Matura. He was shot to the stomach, left leg and left arm. He died six weeks later, on March 27, as a result of complications from the gunshot injuries.

Father and Son Taken to Court for Weed
Police conducted a search at a tire shop on Central American Boulevard owned by 67-year-old Genaro Gallego at 12 noon on Thursday, April 11th. Inside they found a bag containing 213 grams of cannabis stashed inside a tire. Gallego and his 33-year-old son, Jose Gallego, were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. Later that day they were escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court to answer to the charge before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Jose Gallego took responsibility for the drugs and pleaded guilty to the offense. Magistrate Cayetano issued a non-custodial sentence and fined him $10,000 plus $5 cost of court.

Densfield Lemott Charged for Snatching Wallet
On Tuesday, April 16, 33-year-old Densfield Lemott appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Dale Cayetano to answer to a charge of theft. 60-year-old tour guide, Errol Belisle, reported to police that he was in a Chinese shop at the corner of Raccoon and Allenby Street where he met two other men. Belisle had his wallet inside a bag while in the shop. However, when he later reached into the bag for his wallet it was missing. That was when he approached one of the men in the shop who he knew as Densfield Lemott and asked for his wallet.

Lloyd Alexander King’s Charge Upgraded to Murder of Ronald Rivers
A little before 11 a.m. on Monday, March 4, 28-year-old Ronald Rivers was doing mechanical work on a Ford Escape that had shut down in the Uno Gas Station compound on Youth for the Future Drive when he was approached by a gunman who rode up on him and fired a single shot. The bullet caught Rivers in the face. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and died ten days later when he was removed from life support. Police responded quickly to the incident and managed to detain Mayflower Street resident, 18-year-old Lloyd King, for the shooting.

One Dead One Critical in Roaring Creek Robbery
Police are investigating a robbery that took place in Roaring Creek Village that has left one man dead and another in critical condition. According to police report, sometime around 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday night, April 16, a lone ski mask wearing gunman entered Hyde’s Meat and Grocery Shop and demanded money. While executing the robbery, the gunman fired several shots. 42-year-old Randolph Hyde sustained gunshot wounds over his right eye and on the left side of his chest while 36-year-old Mark Hyde received gunshot injuries to his upper left chest and upper left back. Randolph passed away at 8:15 p.m. while receiving treatment. Mark is in a critical but stable condition. At this point in their investigation, police have not determined the amount of money stolen and no one has been arrested and charged.

Five Months in Prison for Grabbing Woman’s Buttocks
39-year-old Fernando Tun, a laborer and resident of the Gugulung area, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer on Monday, April 15, to face a charge of aggravated assault upon a 28-year-old woman. According to reports, at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, the woman was in front of Downtown Plaza on Albert Street when Tun grabbed her twice on her buttocks. The woman was offended by Tun’s actions and as a result she reported the incident to police, requesting court action. In court Tun pleaded guilty to the offense, claiming that he was drunk at the time of the incident. He was sentenced to 6 months at the Belize Central Prison for the offense. The maximum sentence for the offense is 3 years in prison.

UDP Chairman readies the troops for Village Council Elections
Every since Party Chairman, Alberto August took the reins of the office he's been moving around the country energizing the party's political machinery, getting it ready for the village council elections.

Lowest Levels of Major Crimes registered in Southern Zone and Dangriga
Hon. John Saldivar (c) and Compol Allen Whylie(r) make presentation to Sr. Superintendent Robert Mariano On March 17, 2013, Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar presented a Certificate of Award and a Cheque of $1,000 to Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano who heads the Southern Zone and is also the Officer Commanding the Dangriga Formation which forms part of the Southern Zone.

National Agriculture and Trade Show Farmer of the Year
The National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Farmers of the Year 2013:

OAS says Guatemala Will Not Offend Belize at General Assembly
On Tuesday April 16th the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, held a press briefing to update the media on activities of the organization in particular, the OAS' General Assembly which will be held in Antigua, Guatemala on June 6th. At the last meeting of the general assembly in Bolivia in February of this year and again in Washington there was an offensive video presented by Guatemala which showed no differentiation in territory between Belize and Guatemala. At the time it was met with great displeasure by Belize's ambassador to the OAS, Nestor Mendez and a formal protest was launched. Belize's Foreign Minister has since reported that if such a video is again presented Belize will be walking out of the meeting.

Government of Belize and CDB launch $12.8M Poverty Alleviation Project
The Ministry of Economic Development, in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), officially launched a BZD$12.8 million project on Thursday, 11th April, which will finance a number of poverty alleviation projects throughout Belize. The project will be implemented by the Social Investment Fund (SIF).

Rainbow Park in Corozal expanded
The Rainbow Park in Corozal Town is currently undergoing massive renovations thanks to the vision of Corozal Bay Area Representative, Hon. Pablo Marin.

RF&G; Adopts Town Clock
The Belize City Council and the insurance company, RF&G; officially inaugurated the town clock located on Barrack Road in Belize City on Monday April 15th. The clock was constructed in memory of Scottish doctor, Frederick Gahne by residents of Belize City in 1913.

Solid Waste Consultations begin along the Western Corridor
The Solid Waste Management Authority (SWaMA) within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture held a public consultation on April 10. The event was held at the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio Town. A similar consultation has been scheduled for Belize City at the Young Women Christian Association YWCA at 6:30 pm on April 18.

Special Envoy Launches Children Sex Abuse Awareness Campaign
Belize’s Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis-Barrow, has launched an awareness campaign aimed at reducing the prevalence of sexual abuse against childred. The key instrument in the campaign is a children's book entitled “my body is precious”. The book was written to appeal to students from Infant II to Standard II and an audience made up mostly of this age group gathered at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, April 15, for its official release.

Million Dollar Chocolate Museum for Toledo District
The Toledo District will benefit from a significant economic investment which will create educational and job opportunities for its residents. The Toledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) has received a grant of €500,000 or BZ$1,250,000 through the Belize Rural Development Project II. This grant will be used for the construction of the Maya House of Cacao and Chocolate Museum.

Young Bank residents now enjoy potable water
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Rural Development (2nd from right) and Mr Alberto August (far right) inaugurate the Young Bank water project Residents of Young Bank, a community on the outskirts of Camalote Village in the Cayo District, now enjoy quality, potable water twenty four hours a day thanks to a Social Investment Fund (SIF) and Belize Water Services Limited (BWSL) project, which aims to improve and expand water supply to rural communities in Belize.

Belize City Primary Schools Basketball Competition opens
The 2012-2013 Belize City Primary Schools Basketball Competition opened on Monday April 15, 2013, at Bird’s Isle in Belize City. There are seven (7) girls’ schools and 16 boys’ schools participating in this year’s primary schools basketball competition. The schools in the girls’ competition are Muslim Community, Belize Elementary, Holy Redeemer, St. John Vianney, St. Martin De Porres, Queen Square Anglican and Buttonwood Bay Nazarene. Meanwhile, the schools in the boys’ competition are St. John Vianney, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene, Queen Square Anglican, Belize Elementary, Wesley Upper School, New Horizon Academy, St. Mary’s Primary, St. Luke Methodist, Trinity Methodist, Ephesus SDA, Hummingbird Elementary, Queen Street Baptist, St. Ignatius Primary, Holy Redeemer School, Unity Presbyterian and St. Martin De Porres.

Belmopan Bandits open its lead in Premier League Competition
The Premier League of Belize Closing Season Tournament for 2013 continued over the last weekend with a number of games across the country. On Saturday April 13, out at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, the defending champions and the current leaders in this year’s competition the Belmopan Bandits blanked FC Belize by the score of 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Deon McCaulay in the 61st minute of play. The competition then continued on Sunday April 14, with three more games. At the MCC Grounds here in Belize City, Police United also blanked Verdes FC by the score of 1-0. Devon Makin scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute of play. Out at the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk Town, Belize Defence Force blasted FC San Felipe Barcelona by the score of 6-0. The goals for the Belize Defence Force were scored by Shane Flores in the 45th minute of play, Harrison Tasher in the 61st, 79th and 90th minutes of play, Jeremy Gentle in the 77th minute of play and Carlton Thomas in the 85th minute of play.

Football Federation calls players to tryout
The Football Federation of Belize in preparation for Gold Cup 2013 has called the following players to camp. According to the FFB, the camp commenced on Tuesday April 16, 2013, at the FFB Headquarters. The players called are: Woodrow West (Belmopan Bandits), Frank Lopez (Belize Defence Force), Darrel Novelo (San Felipe Barcelona), Shane Moody (Marathon FC), Elroy Smith (Vida FC), Ian Gaynair ( Belmopan Bandits), Dalton Eiley (Placencia Assassins), Tyrone Pandy (Belize Defence Force), Cristobal Gilharry (FC Belize), Jermaine Jones (Police United), Bernard Linares (Placencia Assassins), Andres Makin (Police United), Floyd Jones (Belmopan Bandits), Harrison Tasher (Belize Defence Force), Trevor Lennan (Police United), Kalil Velazquez (Belize Defence Force), Everal Trapp (Verdes FC), Keshawn Pech (Police United), Gilroy Thurton (Verdes), Danny Jimenez (Police United), Lennox Castillo (Police United), Deon McCaulay (Belmopan Bandits), Harrison Roaches (Belize Defence Force), Evan Mariano (Police United), Clifton West (San Felipe Barcelona), Jaron Myvette (Brown Bombers), Ashley Torres (Placencia Assassins), Devon Makin (Police United), Luis Torres (Placencia Assassins) and Collin Westby (Placencia Assassins).

Interoffice Basketball to begin next Friday night
The 2013 Interoffice Basketball League Tournament is scheduled to commence on Friday April 26, at the Bird’s Isle in Belize City. This year’s tournament will see the participation of eight elite teams with representation from Belize City and San Pedro Town. The teams participating in this year’s tournament are Department of Youth Services, CYDP, Police, Allied Insurance, Belikin Under Dogs, Alamillas Furniture’s, Digi Cell 4G and the defending champions Tuff “E” Nuff Tours. The sponsors’ Interoffice Basketball League tournament includes Sprite & Belikin, Smart and Brothers Habet Ltd.

Camalote United open on right foot in the Miley Garcia Cayo Softball Competition
The 2013 Cayo District Softball Competition regular season opened on Sunday April 14, at the Joan Garbutt Stadium in Esperanza Village. This year the teams will be playing for the Miley Garcia Softball Trophy, as he is the official sponsor of the Cayo Softball Association’s premier competition. In the first game played, the defending champions Camalote United continued its winning ways when it blasted Belmopan Capital City Emeralds by the score of 16-0. The winning pitcher was Francine Salazar and the losing pitcher was Dana Mae King. In game two, Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy employed the services of young pitcher Shanika Anderson who bested Ontario Rebels and the veteran Kenreen Gillett by the score of 9-3. The competition will continue this coming Sunday April 21, at the softball pitch in Ontario Village. In the first game scheduled for 12:00 midday it will be Las Flores against Camalote United; followed by roaring Creek Grace Kennedy against the Capital City Emeralds and in the final game of the day Esperanza Wolverines will be entertained by Ontario Rebels.

Oceana pays tribute to Marine Conservationist And Calls on all Belizeans to never forget his work, which we must continue
Oceana is saddened by the news of the passing of one of Belize’s first Marine Conservationists, Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia, who was a true Belizean patriot contributing immensely to the protection of marine resources, especially the manatees. In 2012, Oceana presented “Chocolate” its Ocean Hero Award for his outstanding work spanning over five decades as a conservationist when that term had not even become popular or even considered a career field. “We must celebrate the life of our brother Chocolate and always remember him as a role model because even though he has parted this earthly life his works and contribution to this nation remain with us. And it is his work all of us in the conservation community must continue as we stand on the shoulder of this conservation giant,” said Oceana V.P. Audrey Matura-Shepherd. A brief History: Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia spent much of his adult life in and around the sea as a fisherman and later as a tour guide. He built up a healthy respect for the environment, knowing how important conservation was without even knowing what the word meant.

New Market Trends for Belizean Farmers
Belizean consumers regularly use products from Nestle, Kraft Foods and other food imports. These popular products can be found at the dinner tables on the farthest reaches of the country. However; these food products which have attained the highest level in value added form, contain constituents that can be produced by our local farmers.

University of Belize to Present a Wide Range of Research Findings
On Thursday, April 18, students and members of faculty at the University of Belize will be making presentations on a wide range of research topics in the institution’s Third Annual Student Research Conference. The Student Research Conference is being conducted by the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences (FMSS). The topics researched includes the Prevalence and Identification of HIV/AIDS, Risk Factors in Recovering Addicts, The Economic Impact of DFC’s MSME Loan Program on Loan Beneficiaries, Determinants of Risk in the Commercial Banking Center, Facebook’s Impact on Sales on Two Small Belize City Businesses, Texting and English: Factors Affecting Proper Writing at the University of Belize, Factors Contributing to Out District Students’ GPA, among others.

Belize Welcomed Home Her Very Own Yoga Master, Yogi Charu!
The 37 year old yoga practitioner and teacher, Yogi Charu, was born in Belize City and grew up on Prince Street. He was first introduced to yoga at age 15 through his classmate and lifelong friend, Alexander Aguet. By age 16, determined to deepen his yoga practice and his understanding of life through the science and philosophy of yoga; the young Belizean set off on a journey that took him to places like California, Hawaii, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Germany, Poland, Sweden, several countries in Africa, and New York where he currently resides. More than 20 years after leaving Belize; after years of studying yoga and meditation with adept yogis, after living as an ascetic yogi in the Himalayas, after years of teaching yoga around the world, after making a name for himself as an authentic yoga master; Yogi Charu has returned home to Belize to share his knowledge of yoga with us.

Blogs

Sometimes You Don't Want to Catch & Release - Belize Weddings
One of the wonderful things about being a destination wedding photographer in Belize is that we get to meet all sorts of people, from all over the world, with different lifestyles, jobs and hobbies... These are some awesome wedding photographers in Belize ...

A Passion. A Love.
University of Belize Calabash Caye Field Station -- My Office! :D Great video, worth watchng.

Life in a Banana Republic - Raymond Auxillou Jr., My hero
RAYMOND DENNIS AUXILLOU Jr., my father, was fondly known as “Captain Ray” by the local Reef community of Caye Caulker and his Sail buddies worldwide; “Raymundo the Magician” by some of his oldest & dearest friends who remember his brief early years as a traveling magician; the familiar “RAY” or “DAD” or “Grandpa” as his children and grandchildren referred to him, was 75 at the time of his death, after fighting a valiant battle he eventually lost to Cancer.

Belize Fan Pages Taking A Gamble?
Ok I have to admit this is a bit of a pet peeve for me and I’ve hesitated writing this blog for this same reason. It seems that there are seasons on Facebook where contests of all sorts keep springing up or a new page is hosting a promotion to create awareness. Most of them are really good and I even won an overnight stay from a contest I saw posted on a Facebook page. However this is where it gets a bit sticky. It seems that very few people are aware that the contests or promotions are not in compliance with Facebook rules and they are in danger of getting their page shut down! I myself was ignorant of the rules when I just started with Facebook, I mean how many people actually sit down and read the Terms and Conditions? Unless of course you’re into that sort of thing. So I want to use this post to encourage those who are running contest, promotions, etc or thinking of doing one to take some time to familiarize yourself with the rules. You’ve already put a lot of work, time, energy into your page, probably built some really good connections, have a great fan base etc… are you willing to take a gamble and risk all that?

April 7, 2013 - April 13, 2013 Fishing Report
The second Orvis Saltwater seminar was a huge success with half day of classroom and practical work, provided by Orvis’ Jim Welch. The class was then followed by 3-1/2 days of fishing. Overall the wind slowed down the catch of tarpon but the guests and guides still managed some good fishing for permit and bones by hiding on the west side of the island, as much out of the wind as possible. Brian asked Kristen to marry him on this trip and she said yes! Wow! --Ed

Tacoboy’s 24h SURPRISE party
As of last Monday, the picture below was the only real clue tacoboy about his 24h surprise party and he was baffled by it. As far he knew he was having a party at Victoria House with an international DJ and 900 people on the guest list. Not long after his facebook invite and picture clue went out, Paul was at work and got a call from Maya confirming reservations Cindy had made under Pedro’s Hotel. The cat was a little more out of the bag, now he knew we were flying somewhere and that he had to bring slogger shoes just in case.

International Sources

Blacklisted?
There was an attack on Hostmonster Wordpress installations three days ago, and hostmonster added a lot of IP addresses to a blacklist. I think they used the kitchen sink method to determine who was attacking, because too many folks are having this problem. http://SanPedroDaily.com, http://BelizeNews.com, http://BelizeSearch.com, http://sagahumanesociety.org are among sites hosted by hostmonster, and might be giving you a problem. Of those sites, only the SAGA site is a WordPress installation, so you don't have to be running a wordpress site to have your site be affected if your website is hosted by hostmonster. If you are unable to get onto certain sites because it says your IP is blacklisted, here is why

Travel to Cuba
I have been researching a trip to Cuba and was made aware of the National Lawyers Guild and their links to the travel organization below. I have provided a link here which is literally a mini-counter-intelligence manual as to how the travel restrictions work and how to disrupt and evade them. As a bottom line it appears no matter that even if one is tagged at the airport or by mail later (and the vast majority are NOT anyway), all one really needs to do is request a hearing within 30 days and then Treasury backs off. There will be no hearing, no fine, no nothing. Only suckers and cowards have paid fines and not one single person has ever been actually prosecuted. If confronted one needs only to stand up for their rights and refuse to answer any questions, other than the ones answered on the customs form. You are not required to answer any other questions coming back into the U.S. other than what is on that form -- period.

Caithness pupils to work in Belize rainforest
Caithness pupils are to work with the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh as part of efforts to conserve plants and habitats in Belize. The teenagers from Wick High School will spend four weeks in the Central American country this summer. The trip will involve staying at Las Cuevas in the Chiquibul rainforest. More than 3,700 plants have been recorded in Belize and hundreds of other species are thought to remain undiscovered. The country's forests also provide habitat for big cats such as ocelot and jaguar. Teacher Chris Aitken, who will be accompanying the fifth and sixth pupils, said the June trip offered the youngsters an "amazing opportunity".

Cuba and Belize Determined to Promote Bilateral Co-op
The governments of Cuba and Belize expressed their bilateral cooperation during a visit to this capital by Deputy Premier Gaspar Vega, who was received by Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura. The two officials reviewed the links between their countries and discussed ongoing integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to an official note, Machado Ventura and Vega, who is also Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture of Belize, showed satisfaction for the good state of relations and talked about mechanisms like the Caribbean Community and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Court rescues Belizean coral from offshore oil drillers
The world’s second-largest barrier reef was saved from offshore drilling by activists who successfully sued the government of Belize over the issue. Belize issued contracts to energy companies in 2004 and 2007 that allowed them to drill around the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. But the government officials awarded the contracts to inexperienced drillers and didn’t bother studying the environmental impacts first. That’s actually kind of understandable: I mean, what could go wrong? Oceana and two other nonprofits sued the government over the contracts. They won the lawsuit this week in Belize’s Supreme Court.

Offshore Oil Drilling Stopped in Belize - WSJ.com
Yesterday, Belize's Supreme Court declared offshore drilling contracts issued by the Government of Belize (in 2004 and 2007) null and void, providing a dramatic and potentially definitive setback to The Government of Belize and the petroleum prospecting companies issued the contracts.

Inspired Travel: The Great Blue Hole
If you’re an avid scuba diver or adventure junkie, you’ve probably heard of, or maybe even experienced the Great Blue Hole in the Belize Barrier Reef (an UNESCO World Heritage Site). Around 10,000 years ago, the hole’s roof collapsed to reveal the previously concealed cave below. Measuring at around 1,000 feet in diameter (and around 412 feet deep), the cave sits in the Lighthouse Reef and it is close to a perfect circle.

How an Unexpected Delay Led to a Wonderful Trip to San Ignacio, Belize
Sometimes, when it seems like things are going from bad to worst, all you gotta do is hang in there for a bit until the sun comes out again. After barely being allowed into Belize, we were able to get to the insurance office on time. At 3:00p.m. we were still harboring hopes that we’d be able to get down to Belize City in time to catch the 4:30p.m. Water Taxi to Caye Caulker. “So, Insurance Guy, how far are we from Belize city?” Insurance Guy, who looked suspiciously Guatemalan, responded in perfect Belizean-accented English: Oh, about 2… maybe 2 and a half hours.” Our hopes dashed, I mentally made a note to check the wireless signal on my Guatemalan Tigo modem when the vehicle’s paperwork was complete.

The Mayans the Mass and Me
While in Belize we had the chance to visit some Mayan ruins. I climbed to the top of the main pyramid in Caracol and sitting up there on a beautiful day in April, the jungle birds crying and the jungle trees and neatly trimmed lawned–I imagined the priests offering their sacrifices of grain and human lives to their sky gods. It was a different scene then. The forests all cut down, the barbaric rites continued in fear and desperation as famine and starvation loomed. The critics of Catholicism–both Protestant and atheist–might say, “Geesh, it’s not really any different than what you do is it Father?” They’d argue, “Don’t you also get dressed up and ascend to the heights of the holy place where you offer a sacrifice of bread and blood? Don’t you say this is the Body of Christ? Aren’t you making the same pagan sacrifices of body and blood and grain to the sky god hoping that he will bring you prosperity and peace?” The Protestant will turn away in horror at the idea that Catholicism is simply brutal paganism warmed up and the atheistic materialist will turn away in ridicule and disgust that we still believe such superstitious ideas and practice such crude religious magic.

April 18, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Representatives of US Fund for UNICEF visit the San Mateo Area

UNICEF and SPTC host Birth registration campaign
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in conjunction with the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC), held a Birth Registration campaign on Tuesday, April 16th at the Community Church in San Mateo. The church doors opened from 9AM to 5PM. Residents of the San Mateo area and other neighboring areas that have not yet registered their children were encouraged to visit the church and complete the registration process. The objective of the program is to properly document unregistered children. Proper documentation is essential for schooling, work and even medical care. Birth registration is normally done by parents in the days after the birth of their child, either at the San Pedro Police Station or in Belize City at the Vital StatisticsUnit. The campaign was started in February 2011 by Christine Norton, Belize’s country representative for UNICEF. The birth registration campaign has since visited several locations across the country promoting the importance of child birth registration and documentation of the unregistered.

SPHS wins third annual San Pedro Softball Cup
The San Pedro High School (SPHS) male softball team won the third annual San Pedro Softball Cup. The games, hosted by The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC), were held at the Ambergris Stadium on Saturday April 13th and Sunday, April 14th. Participating in the tournament were San Pedro High School, St. John’s College and Belmopan Comprehensive High School. In the first game played on Saturday April 13th, SPHS faced Belmopan Comprehensive; SPHS took the lead with a 10-0 win. Unfortunately SPHS fell short in the second game of the day against St. John’s College in a 3-7 point game. In the third game of the day, St. John’s College faced against Belmopan Comprehensive. The game ended in a tight 9-8 win for St. John’s College. SPHS delivered a sweeping win in the last game of the day against Belmopan Comprehensive. Belmopan Comprehensive boys put on a struggle but it was effortless as the game ended in a 8-1 win for SPHS.

Ambergris Today

Is Coconut Oil a Healthy Alternative?
Reader: I want to know how healthy cooking with coconut oil is? Is it good to include on a fitness or healthy diet? Have seen many articles on the health benefits, but how much is too much. Katherine: This is a great question! I wondered how healthy coconut oil is myself; I even went out and bought a jar. When trying to lose weight, as I did when I competed, any form of oils was eliminated from my diet. I got fats from almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter and fish oil pills. That’s definitely doable and it works but I know it may be too extreme for some. I currently use Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) when cooking, but every now and then when I want to add a little flavor to food so I use the coconut oil. I learned from a nutrition class not to believe what we read from fitness and nutritional businesses…they promote products to make money and will tell you things to make you buy their product. We were advised reading the facts about a product from credible sources that reference the research studies proving those facts. I read articles on the American Heart Association and from WebMD and found this article as the most educational on coconut oil and fats.

Belize Lions Zone 59 - Annual Convention
This year, the Lions of Belize are celebrating 40 years of Service in Belize. During these 40 years, Lion members throughout Belize have been involved not only in the traditional Lions Projects of eye conservation, but also in Projects impacting Youth, Education, Health, Social Issues, Environment, etc. And now Lions are planning to be more involved in Projects which will target the problems affecting Belize. As part of the Anniversary celebrations, the Lions of Belize will converge in the Village of San Estevan, in the Orange Walk District, for the Lions Annual Convention. There will also be a delegation from the Chetumal Lions Club. The Convention will be hosted by the San Estevan Lions Club from Friday 19th April, 2013 to Sunday 21st April, 2013, with the theme, “Lions-Serving and Embracing the Future Through the Winds of Change”.

Belize Offshore Oil Contracts are Null and Void
“This is a victory for the People of Belize, our democracy and the reef of Belize” on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, Justice Oswell Legall handed down the much awaited decision in the case challenging the validity of the offshore oil contracts issued by the Government of Belize in 2004 and 2007 and since then extended in 2009. The decision is a historic one as it chastises the government, especially Cabinet saying that “allowing oil exploration before any assessment of its effects on the environment is not only irresponsible, but reckless, especially in a situation where Belize may not be fully capable of handling effectively an oil spill.” In his judgment Justice Legall said that the Minister who signed the contracts “exceeded his jurisdiction when he entered into the agreements without first having or considering an environmental impact assessment of oil exploration on the environment”. He explained the entire intention of the Environmental Protection Act is to make environmental assessment so as to protect the environment. Having explained his reasoning for the decision he then handed down the four orders he issued, namely:

Misc Belizean Sources

Prepare Now to See the Whale Shark Migration to Belize
Travellers wishing to experience the spectacular annual whale shark migration to Belize had better begin preparing now if they want to make the most of this rare opportunity, according to the Belize Natural History Centre at Chaa Creek. The whale shark is the world’s largest fish and the third largest animal on the planet. Long known in Belize as “Sapodilla Tom” due to its penchant for staying at the Sapodilla Cayes and Gladden Spit during its annual feeding and breeding season, the whale shark has a recorded length of 12.65 metres (41.50 ft) and weighs in at more than 36 tonnes (79,000 lb). Although they are true sharks (Rhincodon typus) that have changed little over the last 60 million years, whale sharks are peaceful creatures, allowing divers to come close as they lazily strain plankton and other food during their annual stopover in Belize. Bryony Fleming, who coordinates tour packages and bespoke excursions from Chaa Creek, said that the increasing numbers of people coming to see the gentle giants is another indication that more and more people are discovering the attractions of this laid-back little Caribbean country. “Not very long ago you could go out and actually play with whale sharks and there would be no one else around,” she said, “But word has obviously gotten out, and while it’s still uncrowded, there are definitely more people coming each year to take advantage of opportunities to get close to these amazing creatures.” Ms Fleming said recent media attention such as National Geographic’s pictorial features have spurred interest in the whale shark’s stopovers in Belize, which is one of only a few destinations these giants choose for their annual mating and feeding gatherings, with Madagascar, South Africa, Australia, Mozambique, Indonesia and the Yucatan also acting as annual hosts.

Loving Belize Episode 5 - Belize Zoo, Police Brutality, Marine reserves, ...
Welcome to episode 5 of Loving Belize. In this episode I asked people what they would like to see on 'Loving Belize'. With interviews from: Driva don't stop at all, he wanted to show me the bridges of Belize city. Kevin Jay who wanted to talk about Belize city and police brutality. Stone Crab who wanted to talk about the youth of Belize. Nelson Young who wanted to talk about art and the art of living. Rudolph Boeing who wanted to talk about the Belize Zoo. Captain David who wanted to talk about the effect dredging has had on his lobster grounds. Adriel Casteneda wanted to talk about Marine reserves. Zoe Walker who explains the work Wildtracks is doing to help fishermen find other ways of sustaining themselves, in tourism, pig farming and other trades.

Offshore oil drilling stopped in Belize
On Tuesday, Belize's Supreme Court declared offshore drilling contracts issued by the government of Belize (in 2004 and 2007) null and void, providing a dramatic and potentially definitive setback to the government of Belize and the petroleum prospecting companies issued the contracts. The ruling, handed down by Justice Oswell Legall, was in response to a case brought by Oceana, COLA, and the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. It effectively ends the Belizean government's immediate effort to allow offshore oil drilling in the Meso American Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world. The court overturned the contracts after determining that the government failed to assess the environmental impact on Belize's ocean, as required by law, prior to issuing the contracts. The court also found that contracts were made to companies that did not demonstrate a proven ability to contribute the necessary funds, assets, machinery, equipment, tools and technical expertise to drill safely. Oceana has campaigned against offshore drilling in Belize for more than two years. In 2011, after collecting the 20,000+ signatures required to trigger a national referendum that would allow the public to vote on whether or not to allow offshore oil drilling in Belize's reef, the government disqualified over 8,000 of these signatures effectively on the basis of poor penmanship, stopping the possibility of a vote.

San Antonio School Going Organic
Feelgood news of the day. Blancaneaux Lodge is giving back to the local community, and is working with San Antonio Primary school to get an organic garden growing. Plant those seeds! "One of our Community Outreach Projects and how Blancaneaux Lodge helps our communities to be responsible with our environment."

UB Earth Day Today
The University of Belize is having their Earth Day celebration today, and it looks to be quite an event. They'll have games, food, drinks, information booths, a 'Trashion' competition, a bicycle race, and much more. The theme this year is 'Addressing Climate Change: If Not Now, When?' See you there!

Earth Day Bike Race Today
To kick off the Unversity of Belize's Earth Day celebrations, they are having a cross Belmpan beach cruiser race this morning. They are going from UB to Westar, and back to UB. First place is $200. Have fun!

Belize Book Week Coming
The Belize Book Industry Association is doing a call for artists of the spoken word. Belize Book Week is coming up fast, and it'll be happening here in Cayo on April 27th. The theme this year is "A Night of the Spoken Word," and the venue will be the Cayo Welcome Center. The schedule will be posted soon.

Digicell's website finally gets a makeover
So Digicell finally did a redesign on their official website and let me tell you this one has a soothing and impressive design — but I wonder if it was built with responsive web design capabilities. It doesn't matter because this new design totally kills the one they had before. The new design is fairly easy to understand and the most important links are boldly visible on the front page. One thing I didn't see on the makeover was a blog section. I believe this is something they can work on in the future. Overall, I believe this design clearly speaks great things about Digicell, especially since they are the top mobile service provider in Belize. I also like this map that displays all their cell sites found in Belize. Really cool! You can find the full map in this link.

Leonel "Chocolate" Heredia: A Lion Of The Conservation Movement Passes
Belize mourns the passing of a giant in Belize's conservation community. Leonel Heredia, known as "Chocolate" dies at his home in Caye Caulker. He had been troubled by an aneurysm for the past two weeks and that's what took his life this afternoon. "Don Choc" as we affectionately called him, was 83. In his young days, he was a fisherman and later on became a founding member of the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association with his boat, "The Soledad." But he was best known for his deep affinity for manatees and in 2002, he got the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary legally established. When it was established, the then 73 year old told said that he hoped to bequeath a legacy to coming generations yet unborn…

Channel 7

Min. Of Immigration Says No To New Guat Passports
Over the past three weeks, there’s been a lot of public uproar about those new Guatemalan passports. By now, you should know them well, the one’s showing Belize as a part of Guatemalan territory separated only by a dotted line. The passports have been put out to tender but they haven’t been printed yet. However, Belize’s Immigration Authorities already have a policy position. Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse outlined it today. Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Immigration "We cannot refuse people entry into the country because we can't stop business and all. So they are legitimate people coming. People in Guatemala are not necessarily fully responsible for the kind of passport the state issues to them. What we are saying? That when you reach the border that we are not going to accept that which is on a front of the Belizean Sovereignty. So we are going to develop a mechanism whereby you will be required to have an entry permit which you will pay for and that entry permit is what is going to be the legal document that brings you in the country and keep you in the country. That is our position as we stand. Hopefully, they don't proceed with it because we understand that there are several moves especially through the UN Department not for them to proceed but that is our position should they proceed." The Guatemalan government is tendering to print millions of the newly –re-designed passports.

One Killed, One Critical in Roaring Creek Robbery
There was a murder and attempted murder in Roaring Creek Village in the Cayo District last night. It started with the robbery of Hyde’s Meat and Grocery Shop – and ended with one man dead and another critical. Monica Bodden spoke to the surviving victim today Monica Bodden reporting Just 30 minutes before close time last night - Hyde’s Meat and Grocery Shop in Roaring Creek was held up by an armed robber. The attack played out in less than 5 minutes but when it was over, one man was injured and his brother - the owner of the store was dead. The incident happened around 7:30 last night . The gunman entered the store wearing a ski mask and carrying a firearm. He approached the cashier and demanded money. And shortly after, things turned deadly. Voice of Liani Mehiea - Common-law Wife Randolph Hyde "I was serving some children and they had just sold me their pint bottles so I was paying them. It happened so fast,I was in a shock. A person with a long sweater with a hood came in and he had on a black ski mask. He was in front of the counter and he said to me 'Give me all you have'. He had a silver gun in my face. He came behind the counter and stopped 1 yard in front of me and he put the gun in my face. He started surveying the area to check if any money was around. I only had some small monies - some $5 and $2 bills. He grabbed them while his gun was still in my face. When I saw he grabbed the money out of the box, Mr. Randolph Hyde said - 'What is going on at the front?' As I heard his voice, the gun was moved from my face. The man fired a shot to the back where meats are sold because that is where they were."

"Horse" Stabbed In Prison
There was a stabbing at the Kolbe Central Prison this morning – and while the injuries are described as superficial, the person involved is major. According to reports, Jermaine “Horse” Garnett was stabbed in the Supermax section of the prison by another inmate. Reports say that he was stabbed in the back of the neck as he returned from a visit. The man holding the “bora” was another inmate who was on recreation time. Notably, the reports say he was stabbed while being escorted by two prison officers. The prison described his wounds as superficial and the KHMH confirms that he has been discharged. He is back in the prison tonight. But his wife, Pamela Garnett, known as Ms Pam is far from satisfied with that. And that’s because the prison buildings are sectioned off to make sure that rival gangs do not encounter each other. But she says Horse Garnett was placed in Tango 10 because the prison regards him as a gang boss – which she says he is not. Voice of Pamela Garnett "They are saying that my husband is the leader of Crawl Road and Southside. On that she moved my husband from Tango 9 to Tango 10. So I asked her 'Why?' She said because he needs to go under protection and that is the best place for him right now. If Tango 10 was the best place for my husband; then 'Why did he get stabbed in Tango 10's building?' No one can answer me.

DOE: No Answers Yet In OW Fish Kill
One week ago, hundreds of dead fish started showing up dead along the banks of the New River in Orange Walk all the way from the BSI factory to the Tower Hill Toll Bridge. Tonight, the Department of the Environment says that they are investigating but so far, they have not determined the cause of the fish kill. Water samples were collected for analysis and the results are not yet known. And while the DOE has vowed to get to the bottom of it – we’d say that first they just have to check their files, because ours show that seasonal fish kills have been happening in the area literally for decades – and residents say the most likely culprit is industrial pollution. CTV-3 in Orange Walk reports that they also found a dead crocodile, and saw signs that birds, iguanas and Spider Monkeys are also affected. BSI has disavowed any responsibility and cited water tests to back up their position.

Customs Continuing Crackdown on Liquor With Suspect Sticker
Right now, the Customs Department is continuing its countrywide search for uncustomed liquor – and this evening that has them at 88 shopping Center on Central American Boulevard. The store was closed this evening as the officers conducted searches inside. The shutter was opened just a few minutes ago and the search turned up a relatively small quantity of uncustomed liquor, and cigarettes. And while that was small, as you saw yesterday at Vin Hong, Customs confiscated a major amount of imported liquor, reportedly more than 800 cases!. Today 7news confirmed that in just a one-day operation on San Pedro and in Belize city yesterday, they confiscated over two thousand cases of un-customed liquor. As we told you last night, all liquor that is legitimately processed by customs carries the “Belize Market” sticker on each bottle. But, customs searches have turned up thousands of bottles of liquor with a bogus, look-alike sticker. However, when checked under special light for security features, the sticker fails the test.

Terror In Cayo, Dangerous Men On The Loose
Cayo police have issued a wanted poster for two men accused of pulling off a brutal armed home invasion yesterday in San Ignacio. Tonight police have filled in details to what we reported yesterday: the target was the proprietor Rumors Resort on the Benque Road. She was in the laundry room when she was approached by 2 “dark skinned” men dressed in dark clothes with rags over their faces. They grabbed her by the neck and began choking her. She put up a fight and managed to pull off the rag from one of their faces. That’s when the other man said that they have to kill her because she already saw one of their faces. And while they didn’t do that, they did choke her with a piece of cloth. They took her jewelry, tied her hands and left her in the laundry room. They then went inside her house and stole various electronic items and fled. Neighbors saw them escaping and called police who launched a manhunt. At 12:30 pm, it proved successful when they went to a farm in the Trapaiche area and saw Marvin Neal and Jarod Lamb Arthurs sitting under a tree sharing up the stolen items. They saw police and dashed off, leaving behind all the items they had stolen just hours earlier. Cayo Police are looking for both men pending the charge of Burglary and Robbery. They also issue a dire warning to Cayo resident, saying, quote: “Residents of San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town are asked to be on the alert as it is believed that, these people will strike again and are considered to be armed and dangerous.”

70 Year Old Accused Of Ugly Crime
70 year-old David Popper, a retiree residing in Burrell Boom Village, is at prison tonight after he was taken to court for allegedly raping a 23 year-old man. Yes, that’s right; Popper is accused of a heinous crime where he allegedly abused the young man’s trust and took advantage of him. The victim reported to police that on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at about 3:30 p.m., he visited Popper at his home in the Riverside area where Popper offered him a drink. The man didn’t suspect anything, so he drank it, and he suddenly lost consciousness. He said that he later woke up and saw Popper standing up next to him, but he lost consciousness again. It was not until 5 hours later that he woke up at his mother’s home, where police came to detain him because of an allegation of assault Popper made against him. Police took him into custody, and he slept for 8 hours and woke up in the cell, when he had to relieve himself. The 23 year-old discovered that he was passing blood, and alerted the officers who took him to seek medical attention. The doctor who examined him certified that he had been sodomized.

Christian Cruiser Caught With Cannabis
Another septuagenarian was in court today – for a far less objectionable crime. 74 year-old American Douglas McCleary, a Christian Minister residing in Washington, had to pay just under a $1,000 today after he was busted with weed while on vacation. According to police, McCleary arrived this morning on one of the Cruise Ships and took a tour to Altun Ha. But before he could board the tendering boat back to ship, one of the tourism police searched him and found a pipe and 0.23 ounces of weed in his pockets. The officer became suspicious because he smelled the strong aroma of marijuana on McCleary. As a result, he was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled drug and possession of a pipe. He was arraigned this afternoon before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart, where he pleaded guilty explaining that he uses the marijuana for his prostate cancer.

"Fawda" Protests Medical University In Ladyville
In the past three years, the American Global University School of Medicine has moved from Belmopan to San Pedro and now to Ladyville. The Ladyville move was made earlier this month – and professional one man protestor Phillip Fawda Henry was out on the Airport Road to welcome them today. Here’s what we found out. Jules Vasquez reporting Looking at the website of the AGUSM, it has every appearance of a legitimate operation and a going concern. And the website even boasts of a new campus. Clicking through we saw pictures of the facility located close to the airport. Phillip Fawda Henry - Protesting 'American Global' Medical University "What is going on behind this is all a 'hocus-pocus' - a scheme. This American Global has been taking money from people and stating that they have the right resource in here to have these people who are coming into the country to study to be doctors and these people are not getting what they paid for. If you could see right next to me here that from when I've been here this morning two of them left immediately and chained this gate up. So I am asking the Prmie Minister to investigate on American Global. What is going on up here? If they would have been doing the right thing the gate wouldnt have been chained.

Hon Hulse Makes GOB Position Clear On Crawl Caye
Last night during the news, Minister Godwin Hulse, who’s chairing a cabinet Subcommittee on investment called us to outline the position with Norwegian Cruise Line and the discussion of a cruise port on Crawl Caye near Placencia. He re-iterated that to us in person today. Hon. Godwin Hulse - Chair of Cabinet Subcommittee on Investment "All the departments responsible for of government fisheries, environment, tourism met to lay to the potential investor what our parameters are and see if those are acceptable to them and we go from there so at this stage there is nothing to be jumping up and down. The potential investor is going to go back to see if he can meet and come back to us with a proposal and we go from there. That proposal then will be subject of an EIA and all the rest of parameters that are required before the investment can be made and we move forward. All investments must first of all be economically and sociably acceptable and must be legally doable.

Disaster Managers Meet In Belize
We caught up with Minister Hulse at a meeting of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency this morning. The technical committee meeting is being held to come up with a five year strategy. Hulse told us more. Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of NEMO "The whole idea is to be able to work through the various issues which will be coming up at the council's meeting sometime towards the end of May, early June. Therefore generally this meeting is a meeting where you have all the national coordinators coming together from the various countries in the Caribbean to be able to sync our talks regarding how we are going to continue to manage, mitigate and manage any disasters pending." Ronald Jackson - Executive Director CDERA, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency "Well I think that one of the first challenges we face is changing the culture of our people to understand that disaster risk is a development issue. It is not simply a response issue. With that said we also need to look at the collective capacity of our region to deal with the requirements for responding to catastrophic events and I think what we are trying to do as an organization is to link development, the macro economic framework of countries to this disaster resilience issue. I think if we can show clearly the relationship between the development, economic prosperity, which all our countries are now striving to achieve then we can perhaps influence a little bit of the politics."

Citco Position On Vex Vendors
Last night, 7News told you about the dilemma facing the vendors and taxi drivers who operate around the Battlefield Park. The Belize City Council has issued them with a notice that they must vacate the area by Friday, which is a great inconvenience to them because their customers look to them for service due to proximity. We showed you one vendor who explained just how the obligation to move will affect her directly, and so today, we spoke to Kenny Morgan, City Halls PR Officer. He told us why it has become necessary. Kenny Morgan - PR Officer, Belize City Council "The vendors have been asked to vacate Battlefield Park but this is not something that just arose. They were informed, even the vendors who were originally at ground O and were relocated to Battlefield Park were informed at the time that it would only be a temporary measure because extensive renovation works were about to commence inside Battlefield Park. With the contracts now being signed for those works to commence we have had to asked the vendors to relocate until the works are finished. Currently we are looking to relocate them temporarily again to somewhere along Southern Foreshore. We are looking into it but I would like to remind you that it is not the councils' responsibility to find areas for the vendors. The vendors are to seek out these areas and then they come into the City Council to apply for the area and if the approval is given then they can conduct their businesses in those areas. We are going, I think, above and beyond the call of duty by trying to assist them in finding locations."

No Word Yet On Oil Find
15 days ago, we reported on what was called “an encouraging oil show in the Orange Walk District. Government said they’d know in two weeks if it was in commercial quantities, but 15 says have passed and, “nada.” Today KREM news spoke to Petroleum Minister Joy Grant told us that the company had to bring in equipment that they didn’t have to continue seismic testing. The last piece of equipment came in yesterday and so they should know in the next four days – so she says to look out for something early next week.

Shedrock’s Sad Situation
One week ago, 7News showed you the fire which completely destroyed the home of 88 year-old Shedrock McKoy at corner of Casuarina and Mahogany Streets. He continues to be housed by his Grand-niece, and has asked the public for assistance to try to rebuild his home. But, since interviews with the media, he’s being criticized by a private citizen who claims that he has been untruthful. Natalie Pitterson has come forward to 7News claiming that McKoy has no title to the property, which he was living on, and that he’s only been living there for the past 8 years due to her kindness. She explained the situation to us in detail in which she says that she have a problem with anyone trying to help him. What she doesn’t want is anyone building a new home for him on that land, because he doesn’t own it Natalee Pitterson - Claims Ownership of Land "I bought the property between 2004 and 2005 from Mr. Shedrock and allowed him to stay on the property after purchasing it and in 2008 I received title for the land. He is like a friend of the family so I didnt want to throw him on the street after buying the land because that wouldn't look good. He is old; at the time he was 80 years old, so I allowed him to stay there. Not knowing that he would even come on the air and say the truth, you undestand me? 'Ok I was only staying here the owner of the property is XYZ'. He just came on the air and said all types of things - far from being the truth. I feel like it wasn’t fair for the whole situation to happen the way it happened because I am at a lost. I own the place and I don't think it is fair for him to go back and build anything there. I want him off the property completely. I do not know what to tell the public what to do, you understand me? Ok if they want to continue help funding him since he does not have any property but.."

Springfield: A Rare Look At A Place Lost In Time
The traditional Mennonite communities of Belize very rarely make the news because, being very conservative, they keep to themselves and rarely allow cameras into their settlements. But, one photojournalist has gotten a rare opportunity to do a photo-documentary on the community of Springfield, just outside of Belmopan. He’s sharing it in an exhibit at the Image Art Factory, today he discussed with the media what was his vision behind it: Norris Hall - Photojournalist "Springfield is a small Amish Mennonite settlement about 50 minutes drive from Belmopan. It was established about 17 years ago and it is one of seven Amish settlements in Belize. The idea for this exhibition came when my wife and I, along with other friends, went out to Springfield around the middle of 2011 to buy plants. I was looking for organic fruit trees. When I was out there I got the idea to do a documentary on the Amish Mennonites. I found myself in a dilemma where I wanted to respect their not wanting to be photographed but I also found myself, as a photo journalist, having the responsibility to document life in all its pursuits. I tried all different methods.

Cops In South Are Best
The performance based appraisals in the Police Department continue and for the month of March, the Southern Zone shone brightest. Today, Minister of National Security, John Saldivar presented a Certificate of Award and a Cheque of $1,000 to Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano who heads the Southern Zone. This is the second month in a row that the Southern Zone has had the lowest level of major crimes in the Country.

Hon. Alamilla, Honoured But Still Has Headaches
She’s been taking a public beating for Government’s controversial decision on Rosewood - but Minister Lisel Alamilla is still gaining kudos internationally. She has been honored by the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources as the winner of its, “2013 International Alumni Achievement Award”. A release says she was nominated due to her outstanding achievements including her selection as winner of the 2012 Whitley Award for Nature. Minister Alamilla has a Master's Degree in Conservation Social Science from the U- Idaho College of Natural Resources. And while she wins international praises, locally, the Rosewood pressures are unrelenting. 7news has received reports that the amnesty is being used by some as a license to cut all the rosewood they can between now and April 26th. Reports say that in villages such as Corazon, Sunday Conejo, Barranco and Midway, chainsaws are roaring and trees are falling late at nights. A release form the Forestry Department says the amnesty is only for rosewood that was previously cut. It adds that the Forest Department field staff can readily recognize the difference between freshly cut and old rosewood stock.

Channel 5

Brothers shot, one killed during Roaring Creek robbery
A family in Roaring Creek is today mourning the loss of one son and praying for the life of another who lies critically injured at the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan. Both men, Randolph ‘Peeney’ Hyde and Mark Hyde, were the victims of a lone gunman Tuesday night at a meat and grocery shop operated [...]

Brother of slain man on the road to recovery
Randolph was allegedly shot in the head and died shortly after arriving at the Western Regional Hospital. His brother, Mark was shot in the chest and back. One of those bullets punctured his lung and another broke a rib, but his prognosis for recovery is good. He is in extreme pain and is grieving the [...]

Accident or intent? Cop shoots foot of North Creek resident
A Belize City man is tonight recovering from a gunshot wound to the foot…not at a medical facility, but in fact at the Queen Street Police Station. Arnold Anderson was detained for weed following a search at his house, but the family is saying the cops are covering up the shooting by a female officer. [...]

Bus Owners Cooperative near blockage of terminal
The issue of road permits is sparking up again. The Belize Bus Owners Cooperative confirms that one of its routes to Belmopan has allegedly been canceled at the instruction of Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport, Edmund “Clear the Land” Castro. The BBOC had planned to block the entrance to the Belmopan bus [...]

Second attempt on Horse’s life, this time in prison
A second attempt on the life of thirty year-old Jermaine ‘Horse’ Garnett, on pretrial detention for the murder of Raheem Requena, was made behind prison walls this morning.  Garnett, who is being held inside the Tango Ten cellblock, was stabbed once in the left side of the neck with a shiv.  It is unclear whether [...]

Former prison employees meet with P.M. on Kolbe Management
The Belize Central Prison Employees Coalition is an ad hoc group established following several terminations and suspensions by Kolbe Foundation which manages the institution. The former employees charge that all is not well behind the prison walls. And after the Coalition took to the airwaves, Kolbe sought legal advice regarding the allegations. But the group [...]

Minister Rene Montero allows cutting down of Guanacaste trees
There is widespread outrage over the mass harvesting and exportation of rosewood, and that sentiment shows no signs of abating. In the Cayo District, there is also outrage involving the cutting of trees on a much smaller scale. Our newsroom received a call on Tuesday from a furious resident of Santa Elena who told us [...]

Norwegian Cruise Line and G.O.B. sign MOU for Crawl Caye development
On Monday, a delegation of executives, representing Norwegian Cruise Line, met with government officials at the Belize Tourism Board office in Belize City to discuss the prospect of a mega infrastructure development project on Crawl Caye, off the coast of southern Belize.  The impressive undertaking, once approved, should see the total transformation of the small [...]

Wanted: 2 fugitives that robbed Rumours
The Belize Police Department has issued an all-points bulletin for two men believed to be involved in a vicious home invasion on Tuesday morning. Twenty year old Marvin Neal, a resident of Santa Elena Town, and his accomplice, twenty-five year old Jarod ‘Steel Bob’ Lamb of Ontario Village, remain on the lam, following an incident [...]

Another cruise tourist busted with marijuana
An American Religious Minister who was visiting Belize for the day found himself in big trouble with the law when he was busted with cannabis and a pipe used for smoking the illegal leafy substance. Seventy-four year old John Douglas McCleary, a resident of Washington D.C., came to Belize on board the Norwegian Cruise line [...]

70 year old drugged and abused victim, the accused him of assault
A seventy year old Burrell Boom resident is accused of a hideous sexual offense against a twenty three year old man, who he allegedly drugged.   This afternoon, David Popper was arraigned in the court of Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer for an Unnatural Crime and Wounding of the twenty-three year old victim.  He was also charged [...]

Patrick “Faada” Henry says Medical School is bogus
In the past seventeen years, at least twelve licenses have been granted to offshore medical schools. Most of them have gone under and tonight there is the American Global University, School of Medicine that is also under question. The AGUSM is located on the Airport Road in Ladyville; that’s the most recent location because the [...]

Dead fish float near Orange Walk Toll Bridge
The Department of the Environment is investigating reports of a fish kill in the New River near the toll bridge. There are reports of fish kills in the same area at least once every year, and every year it is blamed on some material being pumped into the river by the Belize Sugar Industry’s factory. [...]

Empowering Education for Children in Today’s Society
The University of Belize is also paving roads of sorts for the future of our youths. U.B. will be hosting a biannual community outreach symposium under the theme ‘Empowering Education for Children in Today’s Society.’ It’s a popular event which is usually well attended, especially by students who plan to attend the university, but also [...]

Norris Hall’s Photo Exhibit on Springfield
A black and white photographic exhibition opens this Friday evening at the Image Factory.  It took some convincing for veteran photojournalist Norris Hall to record candid moments in the life of a small Amish community in Springfield off the Hummingbird Highway. His camera lens captured their way of life which shows that while basic and [...]

LOVE FM

Annual Symposium On Natural Resources Management Held
The seventh annual natural resources management symposium is taking place at the Jaguar Auditorium in Belmopan. Jamaal Andrewin Communications and Membership Officer MSDC. JAMAAL ANDREWIN "This year we partnered with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre or t...

Murder In Roaring Creek Village Grocery Shop Leaves Residents In Fear and Mourning
A trail of blood leads to the door of Hyde’s Meat and Groceries shop in Roaring Creek Village. On the door is a black bow to mark the passing of its proprietor, 42-year-old, Randalf Hyde, who was shot multiple times last night. Reports are that sometime around 8pm, a ...

Sea Collision In Northern Belize
There was a sea collision up north yesterday evening which left a boat sunken. Thunderbolt Water Taxi in Corozal Town has daily runs from Corozal to San Pedro, but yesterday evening at about 5:30 one of the company’s boats was travelling from San Pedro to Corozal when it was invo...

New Horizons Extends Its Services In The Pomona Valley
Yesterday we told you about the free medical services that New Horizon is offering to Belizeans. Public Affairs officer for New Horizon James Law says presently over 40 volunteers are rendering various medical services for residents of Pomona Village. JAMES LAW "At Pomona ...

Department of Environment Investigates Report of A Fish Kill
On April 12, 2013, the Department of the Environment (DOE) received a report of a fish kill in the New River near the Toll Bridge Area of the Orange Walk District. DOE personnel then responded to this report to investigate the matter. Various checks were made along the New River fr...

American National Fined For Drug Possession
Seventy-four year old American national John Mcleary, a tourist who came on the cruise ship, Norwegian, was fined a total of $900.00 today by Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart after he pled guilty to possession of six point six grams of cannabis and possession of a pipe used for smoking con...

Senior Citizen Charged With Unnatural Crime
Seventy year old David Popper, a retiree of Burrell Boom who allegedly sodomized a 23 year old man, was charged with an unnatural crime when he appeared in Court today. No plea was taken because the offence is indictable. Popper was also charged with wounding and a mischievous act. The...

Family Loses Home In Suspected Arson
There was a reported arson in Belize City early this morning on Berkley Street. According to police, shortly after midnight, the residence of 59-year-old, Judith Morrerra was set on fire. Fortunately only a portion of the house caught on fire. Morrerra was alerted by her neighbor...

Armed and Dangerous Duo Wanted For Robbery
Police are looking for Marvin Neal and Jarod Arthurs Lamb. This follows a robbery reported at a resort on the George Price Highway on Tuesday. A woman reported to police that sometime around ten thirty yesterday morning she was in the laundry room when she was approached by...

Historical Ruling In Court; Oil Contracts Are Null and Void Says Supreme Court
A decision was reached today in court in connection with Oceana’s challenge to six offshore Production sharing agreements. The decision which was in favor of OCEANA and co claimants, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action and the Coalition to Save our Natural heritag...

Inaugural Ceremonies Held For Opening of Boulevard in Belize City; Mayor Explains Other Projects
Even though work has not been completed on Chetumal Boulevard in the Freetown Division, this morning the Belize City Council officially held inaugural ceremonies. According to Mayor Bradley the contract which was awarded to RJB’s Construction came at a cost of $708,000.00. DA...

OAS Assistant SG Ends Visit To Belize
Assistant Secretary General for the Organization of American States, Albert Ramdin, ended his visit to Belize with a press conference this morning at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. Ramdin said during his visit he met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Minister of For...

Bench Warrant Issued For Accused Child Sexual Molester
A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of 38 year old John Baptist, a Belize City Council employee who is charged with one count of carnal knowledge and 3 counts of aggravated assault of an indecent nature. Baptist went on trial last Wednesday and the trial judge, Justice John ...

Belize Bond Rating Upgraded
Last month Government announced that it had met the required threshold needed to complete a debt exchange on the country’s external debt, allowing the restructuring of the country’s debt. On Monday Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Belize’s bond rating fr...

Belize City Resident Charged With Murder of Taxi Man
24-year-old Herman Grant of a Cleghorn Street address in Belize City was formally arrested and charged with the murder of 23-year-old Charles Ariola. Ariola, a taxi driver was shot to the chest while socializing with friends in a yard on George Price Drive in Dangriga on Su...

Belizean Buses Retain Parking Spaces In Chetumal
Three weeks ago Belizean buses were removed from the Mercado Lazaro Cardenas, also known as the Mercado Nuevo or New Market in Chetumal. Love News has been reliably informed that the buses have been allowed to return to the market. This means that things, at least for passengers ...

CTV3

Man Chopped Several Times While Defending His Property
Blood flowed in the Village of San Felipe in Orange Walk on Sunday afternoon as one man was chopped several times on both hands as he allegedly defended the property he lives on. Israel Olivera has lived in the Village of San Felipe since the age of three. Four years ago, Olivera cleared a piece of land located on the outskirts of the village and built a house for his family. But on Sunday, two men from the village, allegedly supporters of the United Democratic Party, attacked Oliver with a machete while he was at home. The men, according to Olivera, wanted him to vacate the premises and when he refused the situation got out of control. Israel Olivera- Chopping victim “El Domingo llegaron dos muchachos a sacarme de mi casa por un terreno que yo tengo allí que quieren agarrar ellos y se metieron hasta mi cerco y me machetearon la mano.” Carmelita Perez – reporter “Que era la condición del terreno cuando usted fue a empezar a construir su casa?”

Police Release Pictures Of Wanted Men
Tonight police are on a manhunt for two fugitives both hailing from the west of the country. The two men are 20 year old Marvin Neal of Eve Street in Santa Elena Town and 25 year old Jarod Lamb of Ontario Village, Cayo. Marvin Neal is wanted for questioning in respect to the murder of Steven Valencia that dates back to January 24th, 2013 at Trapiche Area in Santa Elena Town. Police say he is considered armed and extremely dangerous. Marvin Neal is suspected to be hiding somewhere in the Belmopan area, Mango Creek in the South, Mahogany Heights in the East and within the Twin Towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town. And if you doubt Marvin Neal’s criminal record, well, you may want to think again. Marvin Neal and Jarod Lamb are wanted for burglary and robbery after they are believed to have burglarized Rumors Resort located on the Benque Viejo road just outside San Ignacio, yesterday. The duo wiped the premises before making good their escape.

DOE Investigates Case Of Fish Kill
Last Friday we broke the news about the hundreds of dead fish that were seen floating along the banks of the New River stretching approximately six to seven miles from the Belize Sugar Industries Limited up to Tower Hill. Residents of the area are sounding alarm over what appears to be an environmental hazard that has been affecting aquatic life. Those living in the immediate area told CTV3 News that the stench is unbearable and it’s not the first time that the banks of the New River is seen covered with dead fish. The massive fish kill has led to an investigation being launched by the Department of the Environment and the Public Health Department. CTV3 News understands that environmentalist visited the affected areas on Saturday and collected water samples to verify what exactly was causing the fish kill which was concentrated in the area of toll bridge. We understand that DOE personnel also noticed that small-sized fish were coming to the surface for air; these appearing to be in distress. The preliminary investigation; however, was unable to determine the exact cause of the fish kill. However, water samples from the river were collected for laboratory analyses. The results are pending. The Department of the Environment will be conducting follow-up investigations into this fish kill and will be monitoring the river to address the matter. The Department of the Environment is also asking the public to be vigilant and to immediately report to the DOE any other incident, in addition to fish kill, that may affect the quality of the river ecosystem. We will keep monitoring the situation and bring you the results of the analysis as it becomes available.

Belize Sees 30 Murders In Three Months
The Belize Police Department’s Joint Intelligence Coordinating Centre has issued their national statistics report comparing major crimes committed during the first three months of 2012 and 2013. A total of 30 murders have been committed in the three month span of January through March 2013 throughout the country, 26 of those occurring in Belize City alone. This indicates a high increase in murder cases in Belize City since 2012’s statistics shows 11, compared to the 26 currently reported. Orange Walk has zero reported murders this year. All other districts report one each. The total number of murders committed in the Northern Districts of Corozal and Orange Walk, has decreased, since by March of last year, a combination of 6 murders had already been reported, compared to this year’s 1 in Corozal. On a broad scale comparison, 2013 has seen a decrease in robberies, burglaries and theft, with an increase in shooting incidents and murders, nationally. There has neither been a decrease or increase in reported rape cases countrywide, that figure remaining at 7, while carnal knowledge reports have almost doubled from 14 to 25.

Illegal Harvesting Of Rosewood Continues
On Monday Minister of Forestry Lisell Alamilla spoke about the 19 days rosewood amnesty declared by her government during her absence, for the first time. Many questions were answered but the shocking news came when Alamilla announced that government’s twenty-five thousand board foot rosewood, will be sold to GIV Enterprises, a company owned by German Ignacio Vega, the brother of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources Honorable Gaspar Vega. Alamilla explained that the amnesty, which will last until April 26th, 2013, is intended to take stock of all the already cut rosewood that private individuals may have in their possession, and to approve this stock for international trade subject to the conditions of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). But trouble is brewing and that is because the Ministry has received several reports indicating that persons are engaging in the cutting of rosewood after the declared amnesty.

New Horizons Belize Holds Free Clinic For Pets
Over the past 20 plus years, US Southern Command has regularly partnered with the Belize Defense Force as well as the Ministries of Health and Education to conduct combined exercises that make both sides more prepared to respond to humanitarian relief scenarios. This year’s initiative is scheduled to last approximately 90 days with several construction projects to add new classrooms and buildings to existing schools as well as ongoing events providing free medical services to Belizeans. Yesterday we brought you coverage from the New Horizons Team that was in Guinea Grass Village conducting free medical, dental and optometric services. While the medical team was wrapping up their final day in Guinea Grass today, there was a separate New Horizons Team at the Union Town Park in Orange Walk Town. Shelly Gillett – Reporting The New Horizons Exercise is an annual event conducted to train military civil engineers and medical professionals to deploy and conduct joint operations designed to build partnerships with the exercise participants from the host-nation's government and military forces, in this case..Belize. As a part of their three month exercise and deployment, The New Horizons Group was on hand today at the Union Town Park in Orange Walk tending to some of our less recognized, yet very loyal companions...our pets.

Sailing Race Scheduled For Sunday In Honey Camp
The Belize Sailing Association is once again organizing the Honey Camp Lagoon Regatta scheduled to be held on Sunday April 21st, 2013 with a preview day of activities on Saturday April 20th. The Honey Camp Lagoon Regatta forms part of the association’s 7 part regatta circuit which aims at establishing a National Rating system for “one design classes” necessary for Belizean sailors to attend international sailing events. Allan Usher and John Oliver form part of the organizing committee and gave us an insight as to what visitors can expect on Sunday. Mr. Allan Usher-Regatta Organizer “A regatta is a series of boat races and Mr. John will say it is a celebration in the water so when he refers to a regatta you should have a smile in your face and you should have in your mind that it is going to have a lot fun and basically we are going to have a series of boat races on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday right here on the Honey Camp lagoon. There will be about thirty boats on the water and they will be sailing on a course that is about almost three statute miles long, it will be two nautical miles and they would be sailing an international race course. The optimist there will be about twenty or so each with one sailor and the optimist class the sailors are between the ages nine and fifteen boys and girls, hopefully we get people from San Pedro or from the Corozal Bay Sailing Club or from the Placencia Sailing Club and couple of little clubs in Belize City, people from St. Lukes Methodist, people from Buttonwood Bay, Nazarene, people from Belize Elementary and Liberty indeed from Ladyville and I think we have three sailors actually sailing in this regatta.”

Taking A Look At Dysgerminoma Cancer
Last night we brought you the story of 41 year old Bernaldino Barrientos who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Synovial Sarcoma more than two years ago. In order to save Barrrientos’ life doctors amputated his right leg. The 41 year old is presently fighting the disease and hopes to walk again in the near future in order to sustain his family. Tonight we bring you the story of a young female who at the age of 18 was diagnosed with Dysgerminoma, a rare form of ovarian cancer that most commonly occurs in young women of reproductive age. Here is her story. Carmelita Perez - Reporting The most commonly occurring germ cell tumors is the dysgerminoma, which accounts for approximately 2% of all ovarian cancers. Although rare, dysgerminomas are important irrespective of incidence because they most commonly affect women of reproductive age. In fact, dysgerminomas make up two thirds of all malignant ovarian neoplasms in women younger than 20 years. Moreover, once diagnosed, dysgerminomas respond well to therapy, potentially sparing patients from infertility and early mortality.

LOVE TV

Inaugural Ceremonies Held For Opening of Boulevard in Belize City; Mayor Explains Other Projects
Even though work has not been completed on Chetumal Boulevard in the Freetown Division, this morning the Belize City Council officially held inaugural ceremonies. According to Mayor Bradley the contract which was awarded to RJB’s Construction came at a cost of $708,000.00. DARREL BRADLEY “I think that this particularly thoroughfare is of great importance and significant benefit to residents including the business community in this area. It provides a major access way from the northern Highway to the Belama community. It was done in a little over three months at a cost of $708 thousand Belize dollars and it was done by RJB’s Construction. The design was provided to us by Roque Matus and it is an impressive design. One of the things that we are pleased to have been able to do on this boulevard was to ensure that the drains were properly constructed and on this project the drains cost more than the streets. We have ensured that we have state of the art drains and they fit into the other development plans for this area including the Flood Mitigation Project.” Also present at the inauguration ceremony was Leader of the Opposition and Freetown Area Representative Francis Fonseca. FRANCIS FONSECA “I want to express my gratitude to the Mayor, the Belize City Council, the contractors, the laborers who toiled to do the work every day and so behalf of the residents, we express our gratitude to you and the Council for understanding and appreciating the importance of this project.”

Senior Citizen Charged With Unnatural Crime
Seventy year old David Popper, a retiree of Burrell Boom who allegedly sodomized a 23 year old man, was charged with an unnatural crime when he appeared in Court today. No plea was taken because the offence is indictable. Popper was also charged with wounding and a mischievous act. The charge of wounding was a wound he allegedly caused to the anus of the complainant and the charge of mischievous act was for allegedly giving the police false information. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that Popper’s safety was in jeopardy. Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser upheld the objection and remanded Popper into custody until May 17. The incident for which Popper is charged occurred on April 13.

Annual Symposium On Natural Resources Management Held
The seventh annual natural resources management symposium is taking place at the Jaguar Auditorium in Belmopan. Jamaal Andrewin Communications and Membership Officer MSDC. JAMAAL ANDREWIN “This year we partnered with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre or the 5C which also based in Belmopan. The symposium is basically, a platform for professionals in the natural resource and conservation fields to showcase their findings over the past year and you know its an opportunity for the UB students especially to see what is going on in the field because they may not always know what kind of areas of interest are out there that they could get into once they left UB. Each year we normally pick a theme that is relevant to the status of natural resources in Belize and this year the theme is, ‘Meeting National Challenges of Water Security, Climate Change and Social Development. With climate change being the central focus of this symposium, just because it is so relevant to the country. We are fortunate to have a keynote address on climate change from the Executive Director of the 5C of the CCCCC and also a guest lecture from the University of the West Indies Cavehill campus Dr. Adrian Cashman, so they both did keynote addresses related to climate change. As the day progresses the themes shift a bit; we started off with climate change then we shift into basic terrestrial assessments of natural resources; we go into marine management and fisheries; we also do humans/wildlife interactions as one of the main theme. That’s kind of the layout for the day shift.

Murder In Roaring Creek Village Grocery Shop Leaves Residents In Fear and Mourning
A trail of blood leads to the door of Hyde’s Meat and Groceries shop in Roaring Creek Village. On the door is a black bow to mark the passing of its proprietor, 42-year-old, Randalf Hyde, who was shot multiple times last night. Reports are that sometime around 8pm, a man with his face covered, entered the store and pointed a gun at the cashier demanding money. The cashier, who is Hyde’s common law wife was at the time holding their one year old toddler in her hands, Love News tried speaking with her but we only managed one sentence. Randalf Hyde’s common law wife says the scream of the children in the store at the time is what alerted her husband that something was happening at the front. But by that time the assailant had already taken the money from the register. Randalf was shot to the right eye and the left side of his chest. The alleged gun man is said to have disappeared into the bushes across the street from the house. Still alive, Randalf was put into the back of his car and transported to the Western Regional Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. Mark Hyde, his brother was hospitalized in a critical condition but today he spoke with Love News from his hospital bed, where he is now stable.

Armed and Dangerous Duo Wanted For Robbery
Police are looking for Marvin Neal and Jarod Arthurs Lamb. This follows a robbery reported at a resort on the George Price Highway on Tuesday. A woman reported to police that sometime around ten thirty yesterday morning she was in the laundry room when she was approached by two male persons dressed in dark clothing with a rag tied over their faces. She said the men began to choke her and she struggled with them and in the process she managed to remove the rag from one of the persons. The men then told her they would have to kill her because she had seen their faces. The woman said the men then tied her up and relieved of her jewellery. They then made their way into her house where they stole a number of items including a black Samsung laptop, a cell phone, three watches, an assortment of jewellery and 20 dollars in cash and assorted coins. The men then escaped. With the assistance of the community Police were able to locate the men on a farm in the Trapiche area of Santa Elena. The men were reportedly sharing the loot taken in the robbery when they saw the police. Both men then escaped. Police recovered the stolen items. Police are looking for Marvin Neal and Jarod Arthurs Lamb pending charges of burglary and robbery. Police say residents of San Ignacio and Santa Elena should be on the alert as they believe the duo will strike again and are considered armed and dangerous.

Family Loses Home In Suspected Arson
There was a reported arson in Belize City early this morning on Berkley Street. According to police, shortly after midnight, the residence of 59-year-old, Judith Morrerra was set on fire. Fortunately only a portion of the house caught on fire. Morrerra was alerted by her neighbors who quickly doused the flames. If it hadn’t been for her neighbors, Morrerra who was asleep at the time says that her entire house would have been engulfed in the flames with her family inside. JUDITH MORRERRA “Well what happened is that I heard a banging on my wall and when I got up, it was my neighbor who told me that my house is on fire. So, I jumped up out of my bed along with my husband; I woke up my children, took my phone and I started to call for police and I called for the fire department.

OAS Assistant SG Ends Visit To Belize
Assistant Secretary General for the Organization of American States, Albert Ramdin, ended his visit to Belize with a press conference this morning at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. Ramdin said during his visit he met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Minister of Foreign Affairs WilfredElrington to discuss and listen to concerns on how the relationship between Belize and the OAS can be strengthened. During the press conference, Ramdin addressed burning issues, specifically controversies stemming from the Belize-Guatemala differendum. One of the first issues he discussed was the comment made by Minister Elrington that Belize was not completely prepared to attend the meeting and has requested that no offensive map, meaning a map of Guatemala annexing Belize by a dotted line, be presented at this meeting. ALBERT RAMDIN “Our position is that during and OAS meeting and the general assembly is and OAS meeting nothing should take place, nothing should happen which can be offensive to any other member state of the Organization of American States; so we will be clear to all participants in that regard not to go that route or not to use that opportunity to be offensive or provocative in any way or means.

Blogs

AMID A STACKED OAS DECK, BELIZE NEEDS PROACTIVE SUPPORT!
Paco Smith staunchly advocates the emergence of civil society to serve as a proactive force toward positive change within the policy development arena. Among his many involvements, he is a co-founder of the group Belizean Patriots against the ICJ. For approximately five years, I have monitored and expressed my view in terms of: Recently, an editorial appeared in the Jamaican periodical “The Gleaner”, which spoke of the current status involving Guatemala’s intransigence on the matter of Belize’s territorial integrity. I must express sincere thanks, for the voice of support that has finally begun to emanate from the region! (1) the signing of the Compromis… its folly, and trappings; (2) the need for caution on taking Guatemala on their word, due to their insistence on moving the proverbial goalpost; (3) the double-standard and lack of impartiality demonstrated by the OAS on this matter; (4) the gullibility of Belizean officials to believe that Guatemala would actually adhere to any agreement and subsequent developments that holds the potential for them not to prevail, especially given that the organiser (the OAS) has repeatedly allowed Guatemala virtually unchecked leeway by which to manipulate the agreement; (5) the Belizean government’s well-documented incompetence and ineptitude in dealing with this issue of national security; and

VIDEO: Maya Creation Myth
Based at researched conducted in Belize, this short film details the Maya creation myth according to the Popol Vuh and the importance of the Ceiba tree as the bridge between the heavens, earth and the underworld. This is such a fascinating story with lovely illustrations. Beautifully captured, you will see insects, fishes, birds, crocodiles, jaguars, howlers, and spider monkeys – they all play a part in the story. To learn more about the Maya, check out interesting facts about the Maya, the rise and fall of the Maya, and a short briefing on Maya architecture.

Swim with Whale Sharks at Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn in Belize
Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn, located in Belize’s village of Placencia on the Caribbean Sea, is excited to offer a Seven-Night Whale Shark Package for adventuresome guests looking for a thrill in one of the world’s greatest scuba destinations. Adventure seekers can explore the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest in the world during Whale Shark season, March through June. During the full moon these months, Whale Sharks share the ocean with divers and snorkelers allowing them to swim right beside these gigantic fish as they glide through the water. Belize is one of the few dive spots in the world that guarantees the return of the Whale Sharks each year. The package includes three 2-tank dives for experienced divers along the barrier reef from the South Water Caye Marine Reserve in the north to the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve in the south. All dive trips are led by a licensed Tour Guide who is also a PADI Divemaster or a certified PADI Instructor. Excursions will take place from Turtle Inn’s beautiful 46-foot dive boat, Miss Ellie, equipped with two 4-stroke, V8- 350 HP engines, VHF marine communication, fish finder, rinse tank for camera equipment, first aid kits, life support oxygen, life vests, diver down flag, and of course, a captain who knows the sea like the back of his hand! Starting at $2,796 USD per diver, the seven-night package includes includes accommodations in a luxurious Garden View Cottage based on double/twin occupancy, daily breakfast, five picnic lunches, five dinners, three 2-tank dives, two whale shark dives and round trip transfers from Placencia Airstrip to Turtle Inn. Available from March 27-July 3, 2013, the package does not include round-trip air or marine reserve park fees. Additional whale shark dives can be added for an added cost.

International Sources

2nd cut reef crest wave action
Waves crashing over the reef crest at 2nd Cut, Belize Barrier Reef. This wasn't even that rough of a day on the water! Lots of fire coral on the crest - need to really time your hops or you'll get blown back over it!

RIP “Chocolate”; a tale of passion
There are times in life when you’re lucky enough to meet someone who doesn’t just have a passion, but who has lived their passion and created a legacy from it. Chocolate’s legacy is the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary off the coast of Caye Caulker, Belize. There you will find the creatures that he has been ferrying tourists out to see since 1968. Not one to benefit through the exploitation of these manatees, he has worked tirelessly to protect them and their habitat. He’s a truly successful eco-tourism story. His effort paid off with creating of Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary in 2002. As the legend goes, he teared up when he received his copy of the statutory instrument that created this sanctuary. In 2003 he was awarded The James Waight Conservation Award and The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Belize Tourism Board.

Oil prospecting halted in Belize by Supreme Court
Belize's Supreme Court yesterday declared offshore oil drilling contracts issued by the government null and void. The move provides a dramatic and potentially definitive setback to The Government of Belize and the petroleum prospecting companies issued the contracts in 2004 and 2007. The ruling, handed down by Justice Oswell Legall, was in response to a case brought by international ocean protection advocacy group Oceana, COLA, and the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. The court overturned the contracts after determining that the government failed to assess the environmental impact on Belize's ocean, as required by law, prior to issuing the contracts, effectively ending the Belizean government's efforts to allow offshore oil drilling in the Meso American Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world. "This is a great day for the people and country of Belize and its democratic process and it shows that we, as ordinary citizens, need not sit back and only complain about all the wrong decisions our government makes, but that we can use the Judiciary system to settle them," said Audrey Matura-Shepherd vice president of Oceana in Belize. Oceana, which has campaigned against offshore drilling in Belize for more than two years, has voiced its concern about the potentially devastating impact of an oil spill on Belize's reef and its economy, which depends heavily on tourism and the barrier reef. The companies were granted the oil concessions essentially in secret. Princess Petroleum, whose contract was just overturned, began as a hotel and casino company before it was granted concession to explore for oil.

Chaa Creek's Green Family Friendly Adventures Hailed
Families with a sense of environmental responsibility and a desire to bond over shared adventures are fuelling the growing trend towards “Green family vacations” which, according to one popular parenting magazine, no longer need be Spartan, uncomfortable experiences. And an educator at Belize’s The Lodge at Chaa Creek, which was featured in a recent article in Natural Child World magazine for providing environmental and family friendly vacations, agrees that a growing number of families worldwide now place a high value on environmental sustainability. The Natural Child World article, “Time To Embrace a Green Family Vacation” begins by stating that “We learned that vacationing responsibly does not mean you have to sleep on the ground or cook your meals over an open fire. By doing your research and selecting travel suppliers that support the future of the environment, preserve cultural history and promote local economies we can all take greener family vacations.”

Guatemala Adding Fuel to Belize Dispute
As a Belizean American citizen, I hereby congratulate The Gleaner for its editorial on what Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations should do to Guatemala for failing to comply with the binding agreement it signed with Belize to take their dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final resolution. Guatemala is not going to go to the ICJ because it is convinced that most Belizeans will vote no to go to the ICJ with this dispute, and the Guatemalan government does not want this matter to be resolved once and for all through the courts. Successive Guatemalan governments have been using this issue for decades to divert their people’s attention from more serious internal problems their country is experiencing and to obtain power during the elections.

Mangrove Engineering
putting elements of Biology (Ecology, Photosynthesis, Adapatations, Diversity) into various aspects of Engineering and Architecture for this major coastal protection and restoration project.

Going Paperless: My Virtual Bookcases in Evernote
Some time back, I wrote a Going Paperless post called “Creating a Digital Version of Your House” in which I described how I use tools like Skitch and Penultimate to capture floor plans and measurements around the house that might be useful to have when I am away–say at the hardware store. While I was away on my Internet vacation, it occurred to me, as I was measuring my bookshelves, that it might be equally useful to have a digital version of my bookshelves in Evernote. With something like 1,100 books, I can’t always remember if I happen to have a particular book or not, and it might be useful to have a quick reference. Let me back up a moment and admit that yes, I still have paper books. The books on my bookshelves are part of a collection of books I’ve been growing since high school. They consist of science fiction books, books on science, and history books, as well as some miscellaneous books thrown in for good measure. Many of the books are pretty rare in their respective areas, and many more are signed by authors I admire, or who have since become friends of mine. I know there are database systems out there for keeping track of books, and I’ve tried many of them but they are too time consuming for me.

April 17, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The latest Tia Chocolate column is ready for reading!!!
Defiant – Part I:
The brush dipped into the pot of shimmering powder. In the mirror, she could see the clothes that were strewn about haphazardly through the small, dark room. She squinted in the gloom, and expertly applied streaks of pretty powder along her brow bone. Pencil followed, lining her eyes darkly and bringing out the brown and hazel flecks in her eyes. She added mascara, and with a few quick swipes of color on her cheeks, she was done. The heat in the room was too much, and she turned the small fan by her bedside on, putting it to rotate as she walked all around picking up the discarded clothes. She wore her standard work outfit, fitted skirt that hit just above the knees, a colorful butterfly print blouse, and her hair short and swingy in a neat bob completed the ensemble. Her shoes were her only impracticality: they were sky high, strappy colorful wedges that matched the colors on her shirt. She teetered in them, but she wore them proudly.

The San Pedro Sun

SPHS honors male baseball team
The faculty, staff and students of the San Pedro High School (SPHS) took the opportunity to honor the male Softball team on Monday April 15th. The team won the National Secondary School Softball Tournament championship for the second consecutive year on March 16th. To celebrate the back to back win, the SPHS held a special award ceremony followed by a parade through the principal streets of San Pedro Town. Six seniors, who are expected to graduate at the end of the school year, were amongst the students that were recognized for their dedication to the team over the past two years. As their names were called, the student body applauded them one by one as they got on stage to be recognized. Following the assembly, the team members got on a truck and joined the other students in a school parade led by the SPHS marching band.

Offshore Oil contracts are null and void

Bishop Martin wins Sagicor Visionary Challenge
Bishop Martin High School has earned the top prize at the inaugural Sagicor Visionary Challenge, a regional competition showcasing science and technology. The Sagicor Visionary Challenge is a collaborative effort between the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF), SAGICOR (a regional insurance company), and the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). The point of the challenge was to encourage secondary school students to develop innovative ways to construct solutions to problems that their schools face. Orange Walk District’s Bishop Martin High School took on the Sagicor Challenge with their project “Coconuts for Life.” The team, composed of members Dovini Chell, Saul Osorio, team leader Angel Navidad and supervising teacher, Shakira Gonzalez, focused on the problem of high levels of consumption of artificially flavored drinks.Their proposal of a coconut plantation was aimed to not only eliminate the problem but to also provide a recreational facility for the school. The Bishop Martin students used the coconut tree and its fruits for food and drinks, recreation and to create ornaments to provide income for the school.

Oceana Pays Tribute to Marine Conservationist Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia
Oceana is saddened by the news of the passing of one of Belize’s first Marine Conservationist, Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia, who was a true Belizean patriot contributing immensely to the protection of marine resources, especially the manatees. In 2012, Oceana presented “Chocolate” its Ocean Hero Award for his outstanding work spanning over five decades as a conservationist when that term had not even become popular or even considered a career field. “We must celebrate the life of our brother Chocolate and always remember him as a role model because even though he has parted this earthly life his works and contribution to this nation remain with us. And it is his work all of us in the conservation community must continue as we stand on the shoulder of this conservation giant,” said Oceana V.P.

Ambergris Today

Panama's Karen Jordan Crowned New Miss Costa Maya 2012
Miss Panama, Karen Jordan, was officially crowned as the new reigning Miss Costa Maya 2012-2013 on Saturday, April 13, 2013, during Belize Fashion Week runway show that took place at Fido’s Courtyard. Karen Jordan replaces Miss Mexico, Natalia Villanueva, who was unable to complete her duties as Miss Costa Maya 2012; Karen was the first runner up at the pageant. Miss Panama was invited to the island as a model for Belize Fashion Week and the Costa Maya Festival Committee took advantage of her presence on the island to officially pass on the title to her. Crowning Karen and presenting her with the official sash was Miss San Pedro, Naiely Puc.

Oceana Pays Tribute to Marine Conservationist Lionel Heredia
Oceana, along with the rest of the country, is saddened by the news of the passing of one of Belize’s first Marine Conservationist, Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia, who was a true Belizean patriot contributing immensely to the protection of marine resources, especially the manatees. In 2012, Oceana presented “Chocolate” its Ocean Hero Award for his outstanding work spanning over five decades as a conservationist when that term had not even become popular or even considered a career field. “We must celebrate the life of our brother Chocolate and always remember him as a role model because even though he has parted this earthly life his works and contribution to this nation remain with us. And it is his work all of us in the conservation community must continue as we stand on the shoulder of this conservation giant,” said Oceana V.P. Audrey Matura-Shepherd.

National AIDS Commission Held Health Fair in Caye Caulker
The National AIDS Commission Island Committee held its first ever Health Fair in Caye Caulker. Named “The Caye Caulker Community Health Fair”; the fair aimed at educating the Caye Caulker populace on the many health risk factors that exists while familiarizing them with the various services available within the country of Belize, at their disposal. The fair was held at the Caye Caulker Basketball Court commencing at 10a.m. and ran through to 3p.m. on Saturday April 13. Further to this, the fair offered free first base testing such as Body Mass Index testing, Free HIV Testing with Pre and Post-test counselling, HIV Awareness, Breast Check UP, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Information, Down Syndrome Information, Mental Health Services and Blood Sugar Check amongst others. Residents of Caye Caulker took advantage of the fair and all the services and with music provided by Amador Magana of Caye Caulker, the court was soon bustling with residents receiving services.

Belize Fashion Week Opens New Doors
The first annual Belize Fashion Week took place this past week in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize with a spectacular two-day runway fashion show that highlighted the event. Gathering local talent from designers, models and businesses within the country and mixing it up with international designers and models, Belize Fashion Week has officially opened the doors to the fashion industry in Belize. Enrique De Leon, one of the organizers of Belize Fashion Week, commented that the goal behind the event was to give Belizean fashion designers the opportunity to showcase their talent, learn new skills and become professional entrepreneurs in order to launch their careers. Fashion week was not only about the glitz and the glamour on the runway shows; what many did not see were the workshops and seminars that were prepared for the designers. The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE), in collaboration with The National Institute of Culture and History through the Institute of Creative Arts (ICA) and the Belize Tourism Board, were involved in workshops that were provided to the designers.

Financial Crisis in San Pedro, La Isla Bonita
Dear Residents of San Pedro. How aware are you of the financial crisis in San Pedro? This news week article serves to bring to your attention our concerns surrounding the present financial crisis that is affecting so many established businesses and private homes of the founding families of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. As you are aware, the global economic crisis is the worst that the world has seen since the Great Depression of the 1930’s and it has also overtaken our beloved Belize. We believe that nowhere in Belize is the effect of this reversal of fortune in business and financial well-being more devastating than among the members of the indigenous business community and home-owners of Ambergris Caye. We predict that it is only a matter of time until the entire country falls prey to what we believe are the causes of the present hardships that we are enduring. It is our belief and sentiment that while the local business person is forced to borrow from institutions which offer rates that are comparable to a loan shark’s, the foreigner is able to come onto our island and compete with investment capital that is obtained overseas at preferential interest rates and less stringent payment and loan agreements.

Flashbacks: World Renowned Fido's
It has changed ownership over the years since the 1970’s and it has changed its looks, but it practically remains the same casual “all-friendly” and “anything goes” and “exciting things are happening” ambience that it started out with. Fido’s is the brainchild of Mr. Wilfrido “Fido” Nunez, J.P (+) originally designed as a centrally located spot to drop in for a beer or rum cocktail, some entertainment, a little dance and a good party. Fido’s has boasted natural beach, a seawall, several platforms and a variety of amenities that the visitor and eager shopper would delight in. At Fido’s you can simply throw off your shoes, get up and make any spot a dance floor- after all you are at Fido’s.

Old Timer Or Modern Sanpedrano? Num. 19
Even by the name you carry, you can know whether you are an OLD TIMER San Pedrano or a modern day one. If your name happens to be Florentino, Genaro, Anselmo, Benigno, Gerononimo, Eustasio, Fabiola, Liduvina, Baltazar, Anastacio, Deodato, Bonifacio, Cleotilde, Cleotilda, Cleto, Fausto, Reynaldo,Hildo, Isidora(o), Nemencio, or Mauricio, you are very likely an old timer San Pedrano. YOU KNOW YOU ARE A MODERN SANPEDRANO if your name happens to be Audry, Alex, Alexis, April, Betty, Bill, Dennis, Dymra, Dulce, Faith, Diane, Gricel, Grace, Sylvia, Tatiana, Cristal, Lindsey, Ronnie, Yanniqui, Mike, Smile, May, June, Savannah, Zoe, or Yara. If you believe that the road down south all the way to Victoria House and beyond have been there ever since, then it is quite likely that you are a modern day Sanpedrano or a new comer to San Pedro. YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN OLD TIMER SANPEDRANO if you remember that the entire way from Tropic Air down south was all bush and in some cases high jungle. There was not a single home nor building- no Ramon’s, Wine Divine, Island Supermarket, Fairdale Plaza, Island Plaza, Pepperoni’s Pizza, George’s Kitchen, Coconuts, Pete’s Gas Station, S P Supermarket, Marina’s, Banyan Bay, and no Grand Colony, Banana’s, Royal Palm, Victoria House, nada, nothing else but bush all along that route. That is what the old timers remember.

Misc Belizean Sources

Important Lecture on the 1859 Anglo-Guatemalan Boundary Convention, the 1931 Exchange of Notes and General Discussion on the Belize - Guatemala Relations
George Price Centre for Peace, April 17th at 7:00 pm

NRM Symposium Today
The Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation, along with the University of Belize, and the Belize Wildlife Referral Clinic, are having the 7th annual NRM Symposium today at the UB auditorium.

'My Body is Precious' Tour
The Special Envoy for Women and Children is doing a book launch tour all around Belize for the new 'My Body is Precious' book, and they're coming to Cayo on Friday. They'll be in Belmopan, at the UB Auditorium, on April 19th at 10am, and in Benque, at the Marshalleck Stadium, at 2pm. "Launch of the Book by special Envoy for Women and Children Mrs Kim Simplis- Barrow together with author Starla Bradley- Acosta, donors Christine Norton and the children of Belize in attendance. An arm injury could not keep the US Ambassador to Belize away and the Hon Minister of Education taught us a new three letter rule for bedtime (ppb, figure it out;-) For more info on the fabulous work being done by the Envoy, go to https://www.facebook.com/SEWC.Bz"

SHJC at ATLIB Football Finals
The Sacred Heart Junior College male football team travelled to Corozal for the ATLIB football finals at Escuela Mexico. They took home the 4th place trophy. Great work, guys. Next year take first.

Photos of Caves Branch Jungle Lodge
Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge has beautiful grounds, and boasts the biggest and most diversified orchid garden in Belize. Nestled along the lush Hummingbird Highway, it's very close to the Blue Hole National Park, and their famous Black Hole Drop. Check out those amazing tree houses. "Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge has some amazing grounds. They have an orchid garden which boasts the widest variety in Belize, if not Central America. They are known for having luxurious treehouses"

Belizean Cold Cake Version 1
This cake is similar to ambrosia or fruit salad. The Nestle's Crema is the distinctive ingredient in this cake. The Maria cookies are also unique and adds a wonderful taste to the salad.

Channel 7

Liquor With A Counterfeit Sticker?
This morning the Customs Department launched a major national operation on what can only be contraband liquor. But it’s an unusual case, because the imported, top-shelf liquor we saw customs impounding today at Vin Hong on Euphrates Avenue all bear the “Belize Market” sticker – which is only affixed to legally imported liquor, the stuff that’s NOT contraband. It is a specially designed sticker with multiple security features, given out by Customs along with the Supplies Control Office. That’s an important sticker because it identifies imported liquor that has been duly processed by the Customs Department – meaning it’s legit. In the past, the sticker was very primitive, but now it has been updated with security features. But, the owner of Vin Hong – who declined an on-camera interview - told us that Customs informed him that his stickers were counterfeit. He told us that he bought the assorted liquor legitimately from the agents. He wouldn’t comment further, but we know that the sticker has hidden features, which only show up under special illumination. While we were at Vin Hong this evening around 5:00, we saw Customs loading up two pickup trucks full of all imported top-shelf liquor. But neighbors told us they had gotten there from 1:00 pm, and had already taken a truckload back to the customs department.

How Bees Killed A Baby In “Little Belize”
Last night we told you about the tragic death of a four-year-old boy after he was swarmed by killer bees. It happened in Little Belize, a fairly remote Mennonite community in the Corozal District. Monica Bodden went there today to find out more, and speak to the family about the victims five year old brother who was also badly bitten:… The incident happened in the backyard of the Thiessen’s residents. 5 year old Pedro and 4 year old Enrique Thiessen were playing in some nearby bushes - when they were swarmed by killer bees. Their father Jacobo Thiessen was working in the yard and heard the commotion. He along with his nephew went to the boys rescue and in the process they were also stung. The boys were rushed from their home in the Little Belize Area to the Northern Medical Plaza - almost an hour drive. By that time, 4 year old Enrique had already died. Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez - Pediatrician "Yesterday around 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon, there were four patients that reached, two adults and two children. The children were 4 and 5 years old. Unfortunately, when they came in some of them were in critical condition due to bees stings that they had experienced in Little Belize. The 5 year old had a lot of bee stings and of course they had to give him treatment and put him through an IV/Drips and some treatment that was provided. But the 4 year old came without a heartbeat.

OCEANA Gets Major Victory: Court Declares PSA’s Illegal
For several months now, 7News has been closely following Oceana’s Supreme Court challenge to 6 offshore oil drilling contracts which the Government Issued between 2005 and 2007. Today, that matter concluded in dramatic fashion when Justice Oswell Legall ruled in Oceana’s favor, vindicating the position they took in 2001 – that quite a lot of Production Sharing Agreements aren’t worth the paper they are written on. The contracts under challenge were those issued to the companies Island Oil Belize Ltd, Tropical Energy Ltd, Petro Belize Company Ltd, Princess Petroleum Ltd, Providence Energy Belize Ltd and Sol Oil Belize Ltd. After several months of court hearings, Justice Legall delivered the judgment against GOB along with very strict orders, which sends a clear message that the court did not agree with the procedure employed when they were granted by the then Musa Administration. Oceana’s Vice President, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, was – in a word – ecstatic, and today, she spoke to us outside of court about how challenging it was to get to this outcome.

GOB Says “So What” To Judgment, But Still Appeals
But, how effective is the judgment? It’s a question not clearly answered because although the court has declared them null and void, 3 of the contracts were terminated last week, and 1 of them expired last year. So, the judgment affects only Princess Petroleum Limited and Providence Energy Belize Limited which were extended long before today’s dramatic ruling. And more importantly, GOB still has the authority to issue new contracts to these same companies if they so choose. So, today we asked Godfrey Smith, attorney for the claimants, to explain what this judgment means for the overall mechanism that GOB has to employ when they grant these Production Sharing Agreements. He told us that it’s a major signal that the environmental checklists are there for a reason Godfrey Smith - Attorney for Claimants "The decision is welcomed because it's the first decision of it's kind involving Oil Exploration Offshore. I'm sure you're aware that there have been judicial challenges in court concerning onshore - the ones on land. This was the first to be challenged to production sharing agreement to offshore oil exploration. The main lesson is that decision makers should take care to ensure that before they enter into production signing agreement, that they are aware of all the full certitude of environmentally connected legislation whether it's the environmental protection act or whether it's some other piece of legislation and marine reserves.

Grant Charged For Killing Cabbie
Last night we told you about the weekend murder of 23 year old Charles Ariola – a Dangriga taxi driver. Police said that he was shot after he had a scuffle with 24 year old Herman Grant. Grant, it is alleged pulled out a 9 millimeter pistol and shot him in the chest. Police recovered the weapon and have now charged Grant for murder.

Terrifying Home Invasion In Cayo
There was a violent home invasion in San Ignacio town this morning – and tonight police have an all points bulletin out for the suspect. For much of this afternoon, Cayo and Benque police were on a manhunt for the suspect – but they did not find him. Reports tell us however that they did find a number of items stolen during the home invasion. According to unofficial reports, at 10:00 this morning, a single assailant stormed into a home near Rumours Resort, which is on the Benque Viejo road just outside San Ignacio. They badly beat up the female who was alone at home and stole a number of items. She has been hospitalized while the suspect continues to elude police.

Orange Walk Burn Victim Dies
A man died at the KHMH today after receiving massive burns in Orange Walk Town this weekend. On Friday night near the 45 year old Daniel Antonio Ayala was lying down amidst some boxes near the town’s old cemetery when he caught on fire. A group of men he had been socializing heard his screams and ran to help. They found him in flames and hurriedly put them out – but by then he had gotten massive burns to his left foot, back and abdomen. They report that the only flammable item he appeared to have in his possession was a bottle of what’s known as “red-top”, which is overproof rum, known to be highly flammable. Due to the severity of his burns, Ayala was rushed to the KHMH, but he succumbed this morning.

Marine Biologist: Why Crawl Caye Doesn’t Make Sense
Last night, 7News told you about the proposed development in the south by the cruise tourism company, Norwegian Cruise Line. The development plan includes building a cruise port on Crawl Caye, which is near Placencia. Crawl Caye is a privately owned island currently on sale on the internet. But because Crawl Caye sits inside a UNESCO World Heritage site, the environmentalists believe that GOB should not entertain the proposal at all. We asked Dr. Melanie McField about her expert opinion on the topic. She started by explaining that her organization has been having the very same difficulties our newsroom has been having in trying confirm the report. Dr. Melanie McField – Executive Director, Healty Reefs Initiative "We've heard bits and pieces mostly from the stakeholders in the Placencia area the resorts and the BTIA down there. People are beginning to talk about a deal or proposal that is under way for Crawl Caye which is primarily a Mangrove island ringed by coral reef. I think three sides of the island is surrounded by Coral Reef and it's inside the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve which is also one of the World Heritage site. The Tourist Board has commissioned two reports. One was in response to a previous discussion about whether or not to have a cruise terminal in Placencia a few years ago and they commissioned a consulting firm that came down and talked to people. There were consultations up and down the coast and all the communities. With the result of that it was very clear that the communities don't want it.

Chetumal Street Now A Boulevard
About 20 years ago, Chetumal Street in Belize City wasn’t much to talk about – it led into a budding housing community called Belama Phase two. Since then, Belama’s population has exploded – it’s now up to Phase 4 and has hinterlands extending beyond that. Chetumal street has turned into a major roadway, a gateway into that suburban sprawl. More than that, the street bearing the name of your favourite Mexican City is also going to lead to a third bridge spanning the Belize River and connecting north and southsides. So, then, it wouldn’t suffice anymore as a street. That’s why the city council upgraded it – into Chetumal Boulevard, concrete pavement with a dual carriage-way. It was opened today, and the news wasn’t the street, but the politicians who joined hands to cut the ribbon. When the Mayor and the Leader of the opposition are shoulder to shoulder in the front row, you know it’s a major event – and, in this case, a major street transformed into a Boulevard. Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City "I think that this particular thorough-fair is of great importance and significant benefit to residents including the business community in this area" Chetumal Boulevard is the major gateway into the Belama community and the pavement is white and fresh, even as the median is still a work in progress. It cost just under three quarter million dollars but that’s because of the drainage demands.

Ramdin Says Guatemala Won’t Display Offensive Map
The Assistant Secretary General of the OAS Alberto Ramdin left Belize this morning after a quick round of meetings yesterday. He was here to talk generally about OAS matters – including the OAS General Assembly to be held in June in Antigua, Guatemala. Belize’s Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington yesterday told the press that if the Guatemalans display their offensive map including Belize in their territory, his delegation will walk out. Today at the Airport VIP Room, Ramdin told the media that won’t happen – or at least it shouldn’t. H.E. Alberto Ramdin - Assistant Secretary General - OAS "Our position is that during an OAS meeting and the general assembly is an OAS meeing, nothing should take place, nothing should happen which can be offensive to any other member state of the Organization of American States so we will be clear to all participants in that regard. Not to go on that road or not to use that opportunity to be offensive or provocative in any way or means. So this is a commitment which we made as an organization to be very clear about that to all, including the Government of Guatemala. We will make sure that in any document presented, in whatever form, whether thats a video, a document or in whatever form that no such provocative or offensive statements or depictions are provided. That whatever is presented to the general assembly in terms of to be presented as a docment or as a video or on a screen needs to be submitted seventy two hours before so that we can see the content of it before. I will apply it as rule, very strictly to avoid things from happening which are not helpful in any process." Ramdin also briefly discussed the dispute about the referendum over the territorial differendum. If you can follow all that high tech diplomatic talk – what we’re referring to is the fact that the Guatemalans have rejected the agreed upon October 6th referendum date. They want Belize to change it’s referendum law and to change the date. And if we don’t? Well, their president Otto Perez has been making strident declarations in the press, saying most recently, that, quote, “if Belize does not accept, we will not go to a referendum and waste 2 hundred 60 million quetzales on something that, going in, we know we will not win.”

Battling For Battlefield Park
Tonight, the food vendors and taxi operators based around the Battlefield Park are preparing to move their operation from that area – but they aren’t doing it willingly. That’s because the Belize City Council has issued them with notice that they must vacate by Friday. And as you would imagine, this notice affects their businesses greatly because of proximity to the downtown area, and because their regular customers won’t necessarily follow them to their new location. These vendors are very angry with this decision, but need assistance from the council in finding a new location for their businesses. As a result, they didn’t particularly want to speak freely, for fear of victimization. We attempted to get comment from the Council’s PR Officer, Kenny Morgan, but he was unavailable.

Min Of Works Shuts Down Citco Plan For Northern Highway
In March when the city council celebrated a year in office, one of the big plans it revealed was to transform and put a toll on that part of the northern highway between Belize City and the Haulover bridge. And while the mayor would have wished to start it, like, yesterday, 7NEWS has learned that the Ministry of Works put the brakes on the project? Why? Well, the highways entering Belize City and the Central American Boulevard for that matter are the responsibility of the Ministry of Works. The mayor told us its needless turf protection. Darrell Bradley - Mayor of Belize City "The Ministry of Works had expressed the original issue that always fell on the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works. We have maintained always that this is a street. The speed limit along this highway is still 25 miles because it comes within the jurisdiction of Belize City. We've indicated to them and I wish to restate the sentiment mentioned by the leader of Opposition that all sectors of our Government and all political parties need to come together. There should not be an issue over turf war between the municipality and the Ministry of Works." Jules Vasquez "But right now it's at a standstill because of the no-go of the Ministry of Works."

Crazy Collision Caused By Streetside Shooter?
On Saturday night in Belize city, there was a crazy collision at the corner of Freetown and Salughterhouse Roads. A minivan heading west on Freetown Road, charged over a speedbump near Jusco Plaza and slammed into a car that was waiting to come out of Slaughterhouse Road. The driver of the van was neither drunk nor crazy, but he told us that someone on a motorbike started shooting at his van on Evergreen Street, and they kept chasing him right into Freetown. He believes it was prompted by someone who thought he had knocked down a bicycle rider. We have footage and interview captured on a cell phone. Voice of: Driver of Van, Fled Bullets "When I was turning i saw a guy coming on a bicycle and he fell" Daniel Ortiz "From where did you come?" Voice of: Driver of Van "From Mahogany Street. And I turned by WASA (BWS) then I stopped. A guy asked me 'what happened?' I told him 'I dont know but someone started shooting at me.''

Regional Port Meeting In Bze
Twenty delegates form Caribbean Countries are meeting in Belize this week under the auspices of the Belize Port Authority. The meeting is called the Port State Control Seminar about the 5th Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding. That doesn’t say much, and we found out that it’s really about ship safety. Dwight Gardiner - Chairman of Caribbean MOU1 Port State Control "It's about building capacity within the region so that our Port state control officers or ship inspectors can effectively and efficiently conduct inspections on all vessels entering the Port or Ports of each respective country. Basically our mandate as I indicated is for the elimination of sub standing shipping in the region. So the mandate of Port State control is focused on safety and security of a vessel. Hence, even if there is a breach in security or even a breach in the safety of a vessel based on the inspection then the Port State Control officer will have the authority to detain." The meeting concludes on Thursday.

Hon Hulse Speaks On Crawl Caye
Earlier on in the newscast we had marine biologist Melanie McField’s comments and concerns about the proposal for a Cruise Port in Southern Belize. Well, during her interview, Minister in charge of a Cabinet Investment Committee, Godwin Hulse called us. He told us that all the fuss that’s being raised is premature – because nothing has been agreed upon and talks are at a very preliminary stage. He said that the Cabinet Committee did meet with Norwegian Executives, but that was simply for government to lay out the regulatory parameters of what would be required for tourism, environment and fisheries before an investment is made. He said it is now up to Norwegian to take all this information back and decide if they want to proceed. He agreed that there is a draft Memorandum Of Understanding but that is a quote, “non-starter” because they “are not at that stage at all.”

Moving FASHION FORWARD
Since Rebecca Stirm’s big appearances in the local and international fashion worlds, 2013 has become the year of opportunity for models and designers to be recognized. And today, another opportunity presented itself to the local models. It involves 2 professionals from fashion entities based in Jamaica are in Belize to discover local talent and to give them an opportunity. They are Kingley Cooper, the Chairman and CEO of Pulse Model Agency, and Romae Gordon, the Fashion Director for Caribbean Fashion Week. Today, they got a chance to meet the Belizean models, and we got a chance to speak to them about their plans should they decide that a local model fits into what they’re looking for. Here’s what Gordon told us Romae Gordon - Fashion Director "Well we are interested in the development of the industry here in Belize obviously we know that talent abound everywhere, just walking about since I have been here in Belize we've seen lots of great faces, beautiful women and so we are hoping that we could discover some of that talent here in Belize and also on the designs side. We do Caribbean fashion week which takes place during June 6th - 10th in Kingston Jamaica this year and we are hoping also that we could find some talent who potentially could walk the runway of CFW or present collections at CFW from Belize"

Vansh Continues
The Vansh Charles Birthday Giveway continued today at Channel 7 with children who share his birthday coming in to get their gifts. As we’ve told you, the idea is for all kids born on April 19th who are 12 and under to come to Channel 7 and collect a gift from Vansh himself. We spoke to one mother who came all the way from Guinea Grass for her gift bag and gift certificate. Daniel Ortiz "Where are you coming from?" Mother of Child "Guinea Grass" Daniel Ortiz "And how do you feel about receiving the gift on behalf of your daughter?" Mother of child "Fine" Daniel Ortiz "Are you excited?" Mother of Child "Yes" Daniel Ortiz "Do you think that the trip was worth it?" Mother of Child "It is good because we will get to meet a lot of other kids that share the same birthday" The giveaway continues tomorrow until Friday. Again, all children 12 and under who are born on April 19th, between the years 2001 and 2012 can come to Channel 7 on Albert street – with a proof of their birth date to pick up their gift bag and a gift certificate – free of charge and no strings attached.

Channel 5

Killer bees, four year old from Little Belize dead
A four year old boy suffered a horrific death on Monday afternoon. He and his five year old sibling were stung repeatedly by a swarm of killer bees from a hive attached to a nearby tree. By the time Enrique and Pedro Thiessen reached the closest hospital to Little Belize, Enrique had lost his life. [...]

OCEANA wins! Court rules offshore contracts illegal
OCEANA Belize and other environmental organizations have scored another major victory in the Supreme Court. They challenged the validity of six Production Sharing Agreements granted by government to individual companies for offshore oil exploration.  In 2007, concessions were exclusively awarded to Princess Petroleum, Providence Energy, Sol Oil Belize, Miles Tropical Energy, Petro Belize and Island [...]

Government to appeal loss to OCEANA
The forty-five page judgment this morning knocks the government for allowing oil exploration before any assessment of its effects on the environment. The judge described it as not only irresponsible, but reckless, especially in a situation where “Belize may not be fully capable of handling effectively an oil spill.” A release from the Ministry of [...]

Herman Grant charged for murder of Dangriga taxi man
Twenty-four year old Herman Grant, a resident of Cleghorn Street, has been arrested and charged for the murder of taxi-driver, Charles Ariola, which occurred in Dangriga over the weekend.  On Sunday evening, Ariola was embroiled in a physical altercation with Grant and two other men while at a yard on George Price Boulevard.  Ariola, a [...]

Do you support cabinet’s decision for Vega’s brother to be the sole exporter of confiscated rosewood?
And tonight’s question is: Do you support the cabinet decision for the brother of the D.P.M. to be the sole exporter of confiscated rosewood? Yes or no. Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your [...]

No offensive images at O.A.S. General Assembly in Guatemala
At the last O.A.S. General Assembly in Bolivia and at a meeting in February in Washington, Guatemala presented a video that annexed Belize to Guatemala. Belize Ambassador to the O.A.S. Nestor Mendez protested the video for the offensive image. The next General Assembly is to be held in Antigua, Guatemala on June sixth and the [...]

O.A.S. will soon meet with Belize and Guatemala on Referendum
Another date that is on the collective minds of the two countries is October sixth, the scheduled date for a dual referendum on whether or not the dispute should be forwarded to the International Court of Justice. Reports from Guatemala’s Prensa Libre newspaper have quoted both President Otto Perez Molina and Foreign Minister Fernando Carrera [...]

Chetumal Boulevard now open for drivers
It’s been a solid three months of inconvenience, loss of business and traffic holdups, but today the Chetumal Boulevard located off the Phillip Goldson Highway was officially inaugurated. Well, it actually opens fully to pedestrian and vehicular traffic on Monday. It is an impressive stretch of road, complete with covered drains and median, and the [...]

City Hall and Ministry both want to improve Northern Highway
In what seems to be political irony of some note…while Mayor Darrell Bradley and the Belize City Council are being praised by leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca for their good work, they are being yanked to a screeching halt by the Ministry of Works. Remember the Mayor’s big plans to construct a new four-lane [...]

Garbage tax on water bill to be reality
The intensive work project in the city is necessary, and actually long overdue, but the reality is that the Belize City Council does need to service the Bond to ensure the continuation of the project, and that means that revenue collection has to be streamlined and enhanced. And one way in which the Council plans [...]

6 months in prison for tapping derriere
A man who tried for a free fondle of a woman’s rear now knows that nothing in life is free after he was sentenced to six months behind bars for Aggravated Assault of an Indecent Nature. A twenty-eight year old housewife told Police that on April twenty-first while she was in front of the Downtown [...]

Pregnant Prunella and the machete
And a pregnant woman was before the court this morning to answer to a single charge of Aggravated Assault. Twenty-five year old Prunella White, of Central American Boulevard, was escorted to court in a prison van and appeared before Magistrate Adolph Lucas Junior. She was arraigned for the aggravated assault upon eighteen year old Aaron [...]

Belize and CARICOM relations; where is it headed?
The two R’s remain on the front burner as it relates to issues of national importance …rosewood and the referendum.  On Monday, News Five asked Minister Wilfred Elrington if our CARICOM allies will be asked to support Belize on the referendum roadmap. The response from the Minister was surprising and sounded as if he was [...]

Belizeans getting Fashion Forward on the runway
Belizean models and fashion designers, male and female, interested in regional and international exposure through Caribbean Fashion Week, are being scouted by a pair of seasoned industry insiders presently in the country.   Renowned fashionista Kingsley Cooper, founder of Pulse Modeling Agency, accompanied by his wife and fashion director, Romae Gordon, is here in search of [...]

Mexicans, Mixed Martial Arts and Belizeans prepare for battle
This coming weekend there is a competition that promises to be entertaining and full of suspense.  The neighborhood House of Shotokan will take on their Mexican counterparts in what is known as mixed martial arts. The big ticket event will be a match in a cage. News Five’s Jose Sanchez caught up with the local [...]

CTV3

Rosewood to be Sold To GIV, Company Owned by DPM's Brother
Last week the Government of Belize, particularly the Ministry of Forestry, came under fire after it was announced that Government was awarding a 19 days amnesty period for the sale and export of Rosewood to exporters who illegally harvest the precious wood during the moratorium that was set in place 13 months ago. The fact that the 19 days amnesty was implemented while Minister of Forestry Lisel Alamilla was out of the country, certainly raised eyebrows and left more questions than answers, answers, which received a response this morning during a press conference held by Minister Alamilla in Belize City. The press conference was scheduled for an unusual time, at 8:00am. It began at around 8:30 and lasted half an hour during which time; in a prepared speech, Minister Alamilla explained her government’s decision to carry out the 19 days amnesty program. According to Alamilla, the decision comes at the heels of the 16th Session of the Conference of Parties on the convention on International Trade in endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Apparent Freak Accident Claims The Life Of Orange Walkeno
This morning 45 year old Daniel Antonio Ayala, a resident of Santa Maria Street Orange Walk Town, died at the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital after he sustained severe burns to several parts of his body. On Friday night, Ayala, also know as Chaparo, was hanging out with friends at the corner of Muffles and Cemetery Street when he decided to head home. Apparently Ayala could not open the door of is house and he returned to the area. But instead of sitting with his friends, he went behind the building where he laid down on some empty boxes. A few minutes after, Ayala’s friends heard him scream for help and by the time they arrived to his aid he was already on fire.

Four Year Old Receives Over 500 Bee Stings, He Does Not Survive The Attack
Last night we told you about the four year old Mennonite boy from the community of Little Belize in the Corozal District who was attacked by a swarm of African bees and did not survive. The child and his five year old brother were playing behind the family’s back yard when they wandered off into an open lot located near some bushes without their parent’s knowledge. By the time Jacob Thiessen reached his son’s, they were both laying on the ground covered by the bees. Both four year old Enrique and five year old Pedro Thiessen received multiple stings to face, head, arms and abdomen. Enrique did not survive the attack and died on the spot. As he tried to aid his son’s, Jacob Thiessen was also stung by the bees. Today, as he and his five year old son recuperate at Northern Medical Plaza, Thiessen relived the dreadful ordeal as he spoke reporter Elmer Cornejo.

New Horizons Belize Offers Free Medical Care To Orange Walkenos
New Horizons Belize, through the US Air Force and the Ministry of Health, is once again coordinating with the Northern Medical Team in Orange Walk to provide free family medical, dental & optometric services to residents of the north. The initiative forms part of a large scale humanitarian assistance exercise which is benefiting Belize in both the education and health sectors. As previously mentioned, the Belize Defense Force, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, are working hand in hand to train over 200 U.S. soldiers in engineering and in the medical field. Presently the construction team is building new classrooms at the Louisiana Government School and Trial Farm Government School here in Orange Walk and Lady Technical High School and Crooked Tree Government School in Belize City. As for the medical team, they are also spread out across the country. Yesterday a group of about 8 medical practitioners arrived in Orange Walk, specifically in the Village of Guinea Grass, where they are presently offering free medical services to residents of the area and surrounding villages.

The Battle Against Cancer Continues
On Saturday the Orange Walk Cancer Support Group will hold their annual Cancer Walk from the San Martin Gas Station to the Orange Walk Central Park. The walk is geared at creating cancer awareness but most importantly it honors those who are fighting against the disease and pays tribute to those who have lost the battle. Cancer is a disease that has no boundaries, affecting its victim and their family. As we all know, there are different types of cancer, most of them deadly. Tonight, in order to raise awareness about the deadly disease, we feature the story of Bernaldino Barrientos who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Synovial Sarcoma more than two years ago. His story can be considered peculiar because according to him, positive thinking is what’s keeping him alive.

Police Investigate Report of Carnal Knowledge Committed Against A Minor
Tonight a 55 year old man is behind bars after being accused of raping a nine year old student from the Village of Libertad. According to the child, in the month of December last year she was at her aunt’s house in Libertad when a male individual known to her, pushed her into one of the bedrooms. The individual then placed a knife to her side after which he covered her mouth, tied her hands and then raped her. According to the child, she recently decided to come forward since the individual threatened to take her life away if she reported the incident.

Historic Win For Oceana Offshore Oil Contracts Are Null and Void
On February 5th 2013, Attorney Godfrey Smith, representing Oceana Belize, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage concluded oral arguments challenging the validity of six offshore Production Sharing Agreements in the courtroom of Supreme Court Justice Oswell Legall. The PSA’s, were awarded to Island Oil Belize Limited, Tropical Energy Limited, Petro Belize, Princess Petroleum, Providence Energy Belize and Sol Oil Belize, between 2005 and 2007. What the claimants were seeking was for Justice Legal to quash the oil concession contracts. And today, that is exactly what Justice Legall did as he ruled in favor of the claimants. In his judgment Justice Legall said that the Minister who signed the contracts “exceeded his jurisdiction when he entered into the agreements without first having or considering an environmental impact assessment of oil exploration on the environment”. Justice Legall further explained that the entire intention of the Environmental Protection Act is to make environmental assessment so as to protect the environment.

PlusTV

Court rules that offshore oil concession contracts are null and void
Supreme Court Justice Oswell Legall ruled this morning that the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment exceeded his jurisdiction when between 2005 and 2007 he granted oil concession contracts to Island Oil Belize Ltd, Tropical Energy Ltd, Petro Belize Co Ltd, Princess Petroleum Ltd, Providence Energy Belize Ltd...

OAS will not tolerate disruption of its congress in Guatemala City
Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, hosted the press before his departure at the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) this morning. He had been meeting with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington among others. He explains the purpose of...

Herman Grant charged for murder of Charles Ariola
Police have arrested one man for the shooting of Dangriga resident Charles Ariola. 24 four year old Herman Grant, a Belize City resident, was charged today with one count of murder. Police say that on Sunday afternoon, Ariola was sitting with some friends in a yard on George Price...

2 boys attacked by killer bees
What was supposed to be a typical afternoon playing, took a horrible turn when killer bees attacked two brothers. Yesterday four year old Enrique Thiessen and his brother, five year old Pedro Thiessen, were playing in their yard at Camp 70, near Little Belize, when they were swarmed by...

Pros and cons of medical schools in Belize – Part 2
Yesterday we began a special series having to do with international medical colleges in Belize. We highlighted the work of the Central American Health Sciences University (CAHSU) in reaching doctoral candidates in countries far afield to achieve professional status. Another such college is the American Global University School of...

Former coach of Belize’s national Football team gives his side of the story
Leroy Sherrier Lewis; Former Coach of Belize’s National Team is back in Belize, but not for long. Sherrier was appointed as Belize’s National Team Coach in early October of last year. His appointment was brief, (being only six months) and was not without its theatrics. His recent trip back...

Two men walk away from murder charges
Two men walked away from murder charges today in the Belmopan Magistrate’s court. Brothers, Herson Sanchez and Jose Sanchez, were acquitted of the charge due to insufficient evidence. The two were charged for the murder of 66 year old Rosa Cornejo, the Belmopan business woman who was believed to...

Pueblo Viejo village without potable water for years
We all know that water is an invaluable resource. More so, having running water certainly eliminates the sometimes unhealthy practice of using water retrieved from creeks and rivers. But this is what the Village of Pueblo Viejo has been dealing with since they lost mechanical water supply some seven...

Belizean runners safe after Boston Marathon explosions
Yesterday afternoon, Monday, the city center of Boston, Massachusetts was rocked by a pair of explosions occurring near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest such event with more than 23,000 runners participating. Three persons including an eight year old boy waiting at the finish...

Lionel Heredia dead at 83
The environmental community is morning the passing of Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia of Caye Caulker, Belize District, at the age of 83. Heredia died at home Friday afternoon due to complications from an aneurysm, in the company of his wife Annie of 25 years. A former fisherman and water taxi...

Ports commissioners of the Caribbean, meet in Belize
The Caribbean MOU on Port State Control, a group of ports commissioners of the Caribbean, is meeting in Belize this week for annual training. Chairman Dwight Gardiner of Antigua and Barbuda spoke to PLUS News about the training. 1 The meeting continues through the course of the day.

Refurbished Chetumal Boulevard formally opened
Part one of the redone Chetumal Boulevard which runs through the Belama Phase 1 and 2 boundary to the Haulover Creek was formally opened today even though it will not be opened to traffic until next Monday. Mayor of Belize City Darrell Bradley gives details on the construction of...

Ras Indio promotes new project
Belizean reggae artist Ras Indio is back again in the country after being away touring and visiting Africa. Earlier this week he stopped by PlusTV to tell us what he’s been up to. Ras Indio – Reggae Artist: As usual, I made a trip to the US, and from...

Public presentation on Belize / Guatemala territorial dispute
The ongoing Belize Guatemala territorial dispute has been dominating the air waves for some time now and has been a hot button issue for many. The matter keeps on gaining momentum as the anticipated October 6th referendum draws nearer. And with that comes the surfacing of new elements to...

55 year old man charged for rape of 9 year old girl
A 55 year old man has been arrested and charged for the rape of a nine year old girl. On Saturday 13th April, the Libertad village student, accompanied by her mother, reported that in the month of December 2012 about 1:00pm, she was at an aunt’s house. She says...

Amandala

CABINET ORDERS CONFISCATED ROSEWOOD SOLD TO GERMAN VEGA
Maya Leaders Alliance and Toledo Alcaldes Association furious – “worst of many injustices in rosewood and logging industries.” Last week Cabinet gave instructions to the Forestry Department to release all confiscated rosewood the department had in custody for sale, and granted amnesty from April 8 to 26, 2013, for all persons who have rosewood in their possession, to submit the timber to the Government for sale. At a press conference today, Monday, Minister of Forestry, Fishery and Sustainable Development, Lisel Alamilla, said that although the Government had in its possession three containers with over 25,000 board feet of rosewood, they still believe that there is more harvested rosewood being stored in secret. For that reason, the amnesty was granted, so that those persons would come forward with whatever amount of rosewood they might have. “The events of the past week have understandably given cause for concern,” she said. “The decision and action were taken with full cognizance that the decision, while not being a popular one, was in the best interest to solve an impasse in the local rosewood trade,” she went on to explain. She said that the Government’s decision was made in order “to account for the entire volume of rosewood currently available and to dispose of it and to concurrently be in compliance with a decision made by CITES on March 14 with respect to the trade of rosewood.”

“WE’LL WALK OUT!” SAYS AG SEDI ELRINGTON
The Foreign Minister says he and his delegation will leave the OAS meeting if Guatemala uses offensive map which shows Belize as a part of Guatemala. Belize Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington said during a press briefing this morning that the Belize delegation would walk out of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) meeting to be held in Antigua, Guatemala, in June, if the country uses or broadcasts any offensive material against Belize, in relation to the pending territorial differendum. Elrington made the comments right after he met with Albert R. Ramdim, the Surinamese who now holds the post of Assistant Secretary-General of the OAS, at Elrington’s Belize City office this morning, during what Elrington describes as “a periodic visit” with member countries. 7 News director Jules Vasquez asked Elrington how a Belize delegation would handle the situation, should Guatemala choose to display at the meeting of the OAS General Assembly in Antigua, Guatemala, this June, any map including Belize as part of their territory, as was done by the Guatemalan rep who played a preparatory video at an international OAS meeting earlier this year. Elrington said that the last thing he told Ambassador Ramdim this morning is that this offense should not be repeated.

LIONEL “CHOCOLATE” HEREDIA, CONSERVATION GIANT, PASSES
News has been received today of the death of Lionel “Chocolate” Heredia, 83, dubbed by Oceana as “one of Belize’s first marine conservationists who was a true Belizean patriot, contributing immensely to the protection of marine resources, especially the manatees.” Chocolate, a fisherman who formerly lived in Belize City, moved to Caye Caulker many years ago, and quickly made a name for himself as a conservationist, when, according to Oceana, the term “had not even become popular, or even considered a career field.” Oceana, in 2012, presented Chocolate its Ocean Hero Award for his outstanding work spanning over five decades as a conservationist. “Everybody who has anything to do with conservation and the sea knows Chocolate,” we were told. The likable Chocolate was not only a fisherman, but also a tour guide. He is credited with being instrumental in the formation of the Friends of Swallow Caye, signed into law as a wildlife sanctuary in 2002 by the then Minister of Natural Resources. Chocolate, we were told, had been suffering from prostate cancer, and died of the disease. Of him Oceana said: “We must celebrate the life of our brother Chocolate, and always remember him as a role model, because even though he has parted this earthly life, his works and contribution to this nation remain with us. And it is his work all of us in the conservation community must continue, as we stand on the shoulder of this conservation giant.”

TEXAS COURT SENTENCES BELIZEAN JUAN TORRES, 41, TO LIFE FOR STABBING DEATH OF SURIE BAEZA, 15
Plea bargains for possible parole in 30 years. U.S. press reports published today, Friday, say that Juan Enrique Torres—a Belizean migrant to the US accused last October of the vicious stabbing of his ex-step-daughter, Surie Baeza, 15, also of Belize—has pleaded guilty to murder and has accepted a life sentence with the possibility of parole in a plea bargain which he accepted Thursday afternoon. The mitigation was offered because Torres waived his right to a trial, which could have meant a capital murder indictment and a sentence of life without parole.

TAXI DRIVER, CHARLES ARIOLA, 23, FATALLY SHOT IN DANGRIGA
A taxi driver of Dangriga, Charles Ariola, 23, is dead after being shot in the left side of his chest by another Dangriga resident during an altercation. The incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. yesterday, Sunday, April 14, in a yard on the George Price Boulevard in Dangriga. Police said that Ariola and three of his friends were in the yard when three men entered. An argument then ensued between one of the men and Ariola. The men reportedly left the yard, but returned shortly after. According to police, one of the men approached Ariola and slapped him, and when Ariola attempted to grab him, the man pulled out a 9mm pistol and shot Ariola in the left side of the chest. Ariola was transported to the Southern Regional Hospital, where he died of the gunshot wound shortly after, at about 4:15 p.m.

RUSTLERS STOLE 3 HEAD OF CATTLE FROM CAYO PASTURE
Owner found only the heads and hides on the ground. A carpenter from Santa Familia Village, Cayo District, reported that sometime between April 4 and 11, 2013, three cattle went missing from his pasture. Two of the cattle were black and white milking cows that were both pregnant, and both animals were branded RM on their left hind legs, weighed about 1,400 lbs and were valued at $3,000 each. The third was a white heifer which weighed about 1,200 lbs and was valued at $2,100. The carpenter reported that he later checked the racetrack on a feeder road and found three cow heads with the hides on the ground. He identified the remains to be those of his missing cattle. At press time no one has been detained in connection with the incident. Police have informed us that this is not the first incident of its kind in the area. Investigations into the matter are on-going.

GUATE AND CUBA – IN BETWEEN, BELIZE Editorial
The Kremandala organization looks to Nuri Akbar as our representative in Los Angeles, California, and we publish his views in Amandala from time to time. We respect his ideas greatly, but we do not always subscribe to them completely. For instance, in his last article published in last weekend’s issue of this newspaper, Nuri Akbar said that “ … Belize has no alternative but to step up to the regional balance and ask for Cuba’s assistance, both from a military standpoint and leveraging its expertise and experience in international diplomacy.” That is a good idea, but the time has not yet come for that. If Belize draws closer to Cuba, Guatemala will interpret such a move as indicative of open hostility on Belize’s part towards Guatemala. At the same time, how much longer can we Belizeans tolerate Guatemala’s provoking us, bullying us, threatening us, and actually humiliating us? Guatemala is our immediate neighbor, and so we want to exhaust all peaceful and diplomatic options before we make military alliances with Guatemala’s enemies. That is a given. In the Western Hemisphere, we can think of no relationship involving nations of similar population size which are in relative proximity to each other, which has been so intensely hostile for as long as the relationship between Guatemala and Cuba. That hostility began in January of 1959 when the Cuban Revolution overthrew the Cuban military dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Fidel Castro then declared himself communist, when Guatemala was being run by the hard line, anti-communist general, Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes. From 1959 until now, Cuba has remained communist, whereas Guatemala remains a capitalist oligarchy controlled by a neo-European minority supported by the military and the Church.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
“Any Third World leader who preaches against colonialism yet will not tackle the deeper problem of colorism is evading the real issue. “There is no white colony in the world: all colonized peoples have a common denominator – coloring. “The conclusions are there to be drawn.” - pg. 100, X COMMUNICATION, Evan X Hyde, Angelus Press, Belize City, 1995 One of the strange things about Belize is that you can hear enough complaints and criticisms to last a lifetime, but we are also always hearing these effusive and sincere testimonials of how much we love Belize. Things are sometimes a bit contradictory. I know one thing about Belize, and it is that this society is rigged. Our society remains colonial in its thinking, and what I mean by this is that there is, from day to day, an entrenched favoritism/colorism which features certain families at the top, and then the masses being trampled on at the base of the socio-economic pyramid. I want to give you two examples of how Belize works. Ray Lightburn was an exceptionally gifted but controversial individual who was very close to the two most powerful PUP politicians in Belize during the middle 1970s – Premier George Price and Deputy Premier C. L. B. Rogers. Whenever the PUP needed any muscle work to be done back then, Ray got the contract. He was a cynical man in some ways, but was known by the streets as very generous. Because of that unwavering generosity, he was popular in the streets. Everything Ray hustled, he gave away.

UB PRESIDENT WRITES BELIZE TIMES
Dear Mr. Vellos, I am writing with reference to the article – UB President slams GOB for lack of vision – which was published in the April 7, 2013 edition of your newspaper. The article selectively quotes from a document that I presented to the Board of Trustees at the University of Belize on March 14, 2013 which presented an analysis of what I consider to be institutional weaknesses at the University of Belize and my recommendations for improving the performance of the University. That analysis and the recommendations arose from an audit that I commissioned and which was conducted by the firm Castillo, Sanchez and Burrell. While I respect the freedom of the press as a universal right, I would also remind you that the press has a responsibility to engage in serious and informed reportage of matter that are published for public consumption. The article cited excerpts from the document but the headline and tone of the article seem to suggest that I am engaged in an ad hominem attack on the government of the day and on the Board of the institution. I wish to make it clear that my analysis of the University was clinical and was designed to identify problems and to propose solutions based on the need to improve institutional performance.

NO RECOGNITION FOR DAVID MCKOY Letters
by Luke Palacio Editor Amandala Sir, In the early 1950’s David McKoy was the man who organized the General Workers Union in the Stann Creek District, using a motorcycle as his transportation. In 1957 he got elected as Stann Creek West representative for the PUP and was appointed Minister of Labour. He was the first Minister of Labour in Belize. He also was in government for 32 years, from 1957 to 1989. As Minister of Labour Hon. David McKoy spent 5 years negotiating to have the Social Security funds be established for the welfare of all workers. Today the Social Security funds have grown to many millions of dollars, a great safety valve to Belize, but Hon. David McKoy’s picture is not displayed at any of the Social Security offices here in Belize. It is disrespectful and hate for a Garifuna by those in authority which prevent them from giving Hon. David McKoy the recognition he so deserves. We were quick to name Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and also quick to deny a Belizean the recognition for leaving millions of dollars money for the people of Belize, just because of his being a Garifuna.

Blogs

Learn the Secrets of Composting and Organic Farming
Composting is the natural process of ‘rotting’ or decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms under controlled conditions. Raw organic materials such as crop residues, animal wastes, food garbage, some municipal wastes and suitable industrial wastes, enhance their suitability for application to the soil as a fertilizing resource, after having undergone composting. Compost is a rich source of organic matter. Soil organic matter plays an important role in sustaining soil fertility, and hence in sustainable agricultural production. In addition to being a source of plant nutrient, it improves the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil. As a result of these improvements, the soil: (i) becomes more resistant to stresses such as drought, diseases and toxicity; (ii) helps the crop in improved uptake of plant nutrients; and (iii) possesses an active nutrient cycling capacity because of vigorous microbial activity.

“Better Days” in Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Started the day by reading The Times on-line and was immediately mildly wound-up ( an English expression meaning “in a state of tension”) when I saw on the business pages that Sly Bailey, the former CEO of Trinity Mirror (the last newspaper publishing group I worked for in the UK) had received a pay-off of around £2.3 million for ‘loss of office’ (asked to leave). Why should anyone be rewarded for failure – the share price declined by 87% during her tenure. I just find it obscene. Apologies. Rant over. Really hopeful that my mood would improve and thought that lunch at Pedro’s Hotel while watching Arsenal versus Everton in good company would facilitate this. Well the company was, as usual, exceptionally good. And so was the food. Regrettably Arsenal never really got in to second gear and the best we could do was get a nil, nil draw. They have definitely had better days! After lunch Rose and I went to Captain Sharks to make the final arrangements for the golf cart that we are ordering and were given the good news that it could be with us within as little as four weeks. Feeling so much better Rose and I headed off to our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize and as we parked the golf cart noticed that another golf cart was just behind us and the couple got out of the cart and introduced themselves as Grace and Randy, two readers of this blog who intend to also build on Ambergris Caye.

International Sources

10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America
Imagine you have a brother and he’s an alcoholic. He has his moments, but you keep your distance from him. You don’t mind him for the occasional family gathering or holiday. You still love him. But you don’t want to be around him. This is how I lovingly describe my current relationship with the United States. The United States is my alcoholic brother. And although I will always love him, I don’t want to be near him at the moment. I know that’s harsh, but I really feel my home country is not in a good place these days. That’s not a socio-economic statement (although that’s on the decline as well), but rather a cultural one. I realize it’s going to be impossible to write sentences like the ones above without coming across as a raging prick, so let me try to soften the blow to my American readers with an analogy: You know when you move out of your parents’ house and live on your own, how you start hanging out with your friends’ families and you realize that actually, your family was a little screwed up? Stuff you always assumed was normal your entire childhood, it turns out was pretty weird and may have actually fucked you up a little bit. You know, dad thinking it was funny to wear a Santa Claus hat in his underwear every Christmas or the fact that you and your sister slept in the same bed until you were 22, or that your mother routinely cried over a bottle of wine while listening to Elton John. The point is we don’t really get perspective on what’s close to us until we spend time away from it. Just like you didn’t realize the weird quirks and nuances of your family until you left and spent time with others, the same is true for country and culture. You often don’t see what’s messed up about your country and culture until you step outside of it.

What's the best way to take money overseas
There is no one answer that fits every traveller in every situation, but a few general rules will work most of the time. Having all your travel funds in cash is a high-risk strategy, but a small supply of US dollars or euros will enable you to hit the ground running. Travellers' cheques offer the ultimate security but exchanging them can waste time. Automated teller machines are just about everywhere, and they provide a convenient way to access funds. You can use your normal ATM card to do this, provided you've contacted your bank and authorised its use offshore. Note that many foreign banking systems will not accept a six-digit PIN. Each time you withdraw via an ATM, you'll pay a cash advance fee and a foreign currency conversion fee. In a world of dazzling choice, Belize is the place. Mexico and Guatemala are perfect if you're interested in cultures and history, but my own choice would be Belize, a wildlife wonder. Tucked into the base of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Belize is luxuriantly endowed with tropical forests, mountains, rivers, more than 500 species of birds and the biggest reef system after our own. Since its human population has remained relatively small, Belize's wildlife continues to flourish.

The 154 Best New Hotels in the World
Aerial bicycles to traverse the forest in Ecuador? Frozen coconut mojitos in Belize? Friar-made bath lotions in Italy? Yes, please. These are a few of the luxe amenities available at 2013's hottest hotels. Condé Nast Traveler visited more than a thousand hotels across the world to find the 154 best places to stay this year, and their newly released list, complete with stunning photos, will make you think twice about your previous hotel plans. Now—how does one get that job?

Sharks Dive By the Moon
The moon and water temperature affect the diving behaviour of sharks, researchers reported Tuesday, in a discovery that could help prevent fishermen from catching the marine predators inadvertently. A team from the University of Western Australia's Oceans Institute and the government-run Australian Institute of Marine Science spent nearly three years monitoring grey reef sharks off Palau in the Pacific. They tagged 39 sharks -- common on coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region -- and used acoustic telemetry to follow them, finding they stayed in deep water on full moon nights but rose to the shallows with the new moon. Similar patterns have previously been recorded in species such as swordfish, yellowfin and big eye tuna, suggesting the reef shark behaviour was related to feeding. The study also said it may be an anti-predator response where reef sharks seek to avoid increased light nearer the surface that may aid the hunting abilities of larger sharks. "We also found that the diving behaviour of grey reef sharks was related to water temperature," said lead researcher Gabriel Vianna.

Amid a stacked OAS deck, Belize needs proactive support!
Recently, an editorial appeared in the Jamaican periodical “The Gleaner, which spoke of the current status involving Guatemala’s intransigence on the matter of Belize’s territorial integrity. I must express sincere thanks, for the voice of support that has finally begun to emanate from the region! For approximately five years, I have monitored and expressed my view in terms of: (1) the signing of the Compromis... its folly, and trappings; (2) the need for caution on taking Guatemala on their word, due to their insistence on moving the proverbial goalpost; (3) the double-standard and lack of impartiality demonstrated by the OAS on this matter; (4) the gullibility of Belizean officials to believe that Guatemala would actually adhere to any agreement and subsequent developments that holds the potential for them not to prevail, especially given that the organiser (the OAS) has repeatedly allowed Guatemala virtually unchecked leeway by which to manipulate the agreement;

Solar panels could destroy U.S. utilities, according to U.S. utilities
Solar power and other distributed renewable energy technologies could lay waste to U.S. power utilities and burn the utility business model, which has remained virtually unchanged for a century, to the ground. That is not wild-eyed hippie talk. It is the assessment of the utilities themselves. Back in January, the Edison Electric Institute — the (typically stodgy and backward-looking) trade group of U.S. investor-owned utilities — released a report [PDF] that, as far as I can tell, went almost entirely without notice in the press. That’s a shame. It is one of the most prescient and brutally frank things I’ve ever read about the power sector. It is a rare thing to hear an industry tell the tale of its own incipient obsolescence.

April 16, 2013

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

National AIDS Commission Island Committee holds Caye Caulker Community Health Fair
The National AIDS Commission Island Committee held its first ever Health Fair in Caye Caulker. Named “The Caye Caulker Community Health Fair”; the fair aimed at educating the Caye Caulker populace on the many health risk factors that exists while familiarizing them with the various services available within the country of Belize, at their disposal. The fair was held at the Caye Caulker Basketball Court commencing at 10AM and ran through to 3PM on Saturday April 13th. Further to this, the fair offered free firs t base testing such as Body Mass Index testing, Free HIV Testing with Pre and Post-test counselling, HIV Awareness, Breast Check UP, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Information, Down Syndrome Information, Mental Health Services and Blood Sugar Check amongst others. Residents of Caye Caulker took advantage of the fair and all the services and with music provided by Amador Magana of Caye Caulker, the court was soon bustling with residents receiving services.

Belize Fashion Week 2013 brings color and creativity to life!
Fashion Week Cocktail Reception-6From Thursday through Sunday, fashion was the name of the game as Belize Fashion Week 2013 brought color, design and creativity to the forefront. Young Belizean fashion designers had a chance to showcase their talent for designing clothing, jewelry and handmade purses. Gorgeous Belizean models also had the opportunity to walk a runway under the lights for all to see. International designers Marisol Hernriquez and Momo Soho brought their own flair and talent, mixing beautifully with the raw talent that shone over the course of two nights. Fashion Week began with a cocktail reception held on Thursday, April 11th, where models, fashion-lovers and designers mingled in a fun, informal setting at Caprice Bar & Grill. It was an opportunity to meet Fashion Week Cocktail Reception-35with the people who would be showcased over the next two nights at Fido’s Courtyard.

Ambergris Today

National AIDS Commission Held Health Fair in Caye Caulker
The National Aids Commission (NAC) / Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) Island Committee was established to Coordinate the Efforts locally towards the National One Response!!! We are a limb of the National Aids Commission (which is the only entity in the country sanctioned by the Belize Government to work in the Response to HIV) and as such we follow the guidelines established in the NAC's National Strategic Plan. Our vision is: "By the end of 2012, Belize will have continued to reduce the number of new HIV infections; extended the length and quality of life of people with HIV and their families; significantly reduce discrimination against persons vulnerable to HIV; and effectively coordinated a multi-sectoral response which is human rights based and gender responsive." Our Specific Goals are three fold: * Ending New HIV Infections, * Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Individuals living with HIV * Creating an Enabling Environment.

Misc Belizean Sources

VIDEO: Belize Top Model of The Week - Lauren
Belize's Top Model is selected Weekly and shot on location at various sites in and around the beautiful travel destination of Belize. Models are selected based on various criteria by a well known and published photographer in Belize, Will Moreno from Will Moreno Photography and Lucelli Cal the owner and principal of one of the hottest trending boutiques in Belize, Catwalk Fashions. We will take you on a journey with us as we travel around Belize and perform these photoshoots in these beautiful locations with gorgeous models. The Main photo selected weekly is published on a full color print page in the Belize Times Newspaper in Belize. Make sure to tune in to see who our next weekly Top Model will be. Music by Chris Martin - "Hotta Than Dem"

VIDEO: Princess Margaret 1958 in Belize

Video: Extraction of natural resources, 1930
In 1930 clearing YOUR forest for banana plantation and air spraying it with poison to your health and then taking it to Jamaica and unloading at Rotterdam making the British rich on your natural resources.

VIDEO: Princess Margaret 1958 in Belize II
Freetown Road and North Circular Road

VIDEO: Princess Margaret 1958 in Belize III

JTF-B supports Belizean drug eradication
Joint Task Force-Bravo, together with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, assisted Belize authorities in a successful marijuana eradication operation April 8-11 throughout the Northern Tier of Belize. The operations resulted in the Belizean government destroying 16 fields, 61,000 illicit plants, 330 pounds of compressed marijuana and 22 pounds of marijuana seeds; for an initial estimate of $12.5 million U.S. dollars. Joint Task Force-Bravo provided the aviation support, on-call casualty evacuation and the Jacob’s ladder familiarization support to 55 Belize Defense Forces personnel. “Jacob’s ladder, or caving ladder, operations were used in areas where the landing zone could potentially harm the aircraft,” said Army Staff Sgt. Glen Haynie, Bravo Company Standardization instructor. “It allowed us to get troops down and up without landing and still accomplish the mission.” The assets and expertise used to work jointly with the Belizean government allowed previously unseen levels of interdiction.

Race relations issues in Belize should be dealt with now
By Wellington C. Ramos There are some Belizeans who believe that our country does not have a race problem and we do not need to address this issue, but they are living in a fantasy world. When the British landed in Belize, the indigenous people of Belize were the Maya Indians. They fought against the British to try and keep their land but without success. Some of these Maya Indians fled to neighbouring Mexico and Guatemala where they continue to move back and forth within these three countries. The Mayas were living throughout the whole of Central America but the Spanish were able to take over all their territory with the use of brute military force. The British brought slaves to Belize from Africa to cut logwood and mahogany for them from the 1600s to the middle 1800s -- almost two hundred years of slavery. During slavery in Belize, some of these slaves had children for their slave masters and were given their slave master's name, hence the reason why most Creole Belizeans have British names.

VIDEO: Caye Caulker, Belize - GO SLOW
If you're looking for island vibes, beautiful weather, underwater adventure, reggae beats, and good people, travel on over to Caye Caulker, Belize! In this video, I reunite with my best friend Allie and get to know the island of Caye Caulker.

Cuban Medical Scholarships Application
Cuba is offering scholarships for medical students for Belizeans between the ages of 18 and 25. This is an incredible opportunity, so if you like science, go for it! "The Government of the Republic of Cuba, under the Belize/Cuba Government Scholarship Programme, is once again awarding scholarships to the Government of Belize. The scholarship will allow qualifying Belizean students to enter the Escuela Latinoamericana de Ciencias Medicas (ELAM), in the city of Havana, Cuba, to pursue a medical degree... Applications packages can be downloaded and printed from www.moe.gov.bz. Packages are also available at the Ministry of Education in Belmopan and District Education offices countrywide. Completed application packages must be hand-delivered to the office of the Tertiary and Post Secondary Education Services no later than May 17, 2013 and should be addressed to: Director, Tertiary and Post Secondary Education Services, Ministry of Education, West Block, Third Floor, Room 10, Belmopan"

Caribbean Film Showcase at GPC
Tonight at the George Price Centre in Belmopan, the 5th Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase is having their cocktail party and film screening. They will show two movies, one being from Cuba and the other from Jamaica. Everyone is invited, and it's free. "For more information, kindly contact Ms.Suzette Jayden, Coodinator, Film and Media Arts Unit, Institute of Creative Arts, National Institute of Culture and History, Facilitator, Belize Film Commission, Director, Belize International Film Festival. Tel: (501) 227-2110 / Cell: (501) 600-8283 ."

UB's Lady Jaguars Win at ATLIB
A big congratulations to the University of Belize's Lady Black Jaguars for winning the ATLIB football championship! They traveled to the Corozal district to play at Escuela Mexico on Sunday, and they brought back the 1st place trophy. "UB Lady Black Jaguars are the new ATLIB Football Champions after defeating Belize Adventist Junior College (BAJC), and Independence Junior College (IJC) on Sunday, April 14, 2013. The first game was against BAJC which ended in a 1-1 tie during regular time which meant the victory was going to be decided at the penalty shots. UB’s able goal keeper Idania Ramirez, stopped three penalties, and UB classified to the championship game. In the final game of the day UB scored the only goal of the game, Rosaria Cal was the striker of that decisive goal."

Rotaractor of the Month
Congratulations to Marlayna Hecker, who is the Rotaract Club of San Ignacio's Rotaractor of the Month. If you're interested in joing Rotaract, or just finding out more about all the great projects they do around Cayo, they meet at 7:00pm on Wednesdays at Hode's. Keep up the great work, Marlayna! "Why she joined Rotaract... Moving from another country gave me extra motivation to join groups here in Belize. Rotaract's proven history of service and professional development seemed the most attractive of the options out there. So far, I love the energy and overall attitude of the Rotaract San Ignacio club and look forward to working alongside my new friends."

Belize Fashion Week 2013
Cayo was well represented at the Belize Fashion Week in San Pedro. Joris Hendrik and Gabriela Berrera, with her Add!ction line, were there to show off their designs. Jose Luis Zapata was on hand capturing the magic of the catwalk. And is it just a coincidence that the catwalk is in the shape of a 'J' as in Joris? "An excellent Fashion Show at Fido's Courtyard featuring local and intenational models and designers. Feel free to share the photos. Enjoy! :~))"

BELTRAIDE / SBDCBelize workshop at Belize Fashion Week 2013
The Small Business Development Centre (SBDCBelize) main goal in Belize Fashion Week was the strengthening and capacity-building of eight Belizean Designers by providing training in Entrepreneurship, corresponding to Business plan development, Marketing and Sales workshops. These workshops provided the guidelines that cover the core elements that make up the foundation of a business; along with examples for proper development and marketing applications.

Channel 7

Bees Swarm and Kill Child In OW District
Tonight there is terrible news coming out of the Orange Walk District: a four year old boy is dead and his five year old brother, Pedro Thiessen is critical after they were swarmed by killer bees. Their father and his nephew – both adults – were also injured when they tried to save the children. According to preliminary reports, it happened in the Little Belize area this afternoon when the children were playing under a tree at Camp 70. The four year old boy was stung in the face and head and by the time they got him to the Northern Regional Hospital in Orange Walk Town, he was already dead. His brother is tonight at the Northern Medical Plaza – still in critical condition. We’ll have more on this story tomorrow.

The Real Rosewood Deal: DPM’s Brother Is @ Top Of Food Chain
Last week when the Rosewood news broke – it had the air of a scandal – a private trucking company carting out thousands of board feet of confiscated rosewood from the forestry compound in Belmopan. Since then, Government has tried to get in front of the story – but mostly they’ve ended up getting run over by it. And that’s because there hasn’t been any coherent and orderly explanation of what’s happening, why and when the decision was taken. But today, back from Istanbul and up to speed on all the latest developments, Minister of Forestry Lisel Alamilla addressed the media in an 8:30 press conference at the Fisheries building in Belize city. 7news had a front row seat:… This morning, Minister of Forestry Fisheries and Sustainable Development Lisel Alamilla was calm and at ease as she met with the media. She opened with a statement: Hon. Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry Fisheries and Sustainable Development "The events of the past week have understandably given cause for concern. The decisions and actions were taken with full cognizance that the decision, while not being a popular one, was with the best interest to resolve an impasse in the local Rosewood trade. The rationale for Belize's decision - the Government's decision is based on several mutually supporting activities. To account for the entire volume of Rosewood currently available and to dispose of it and to concurrently be in compliance with a decision made by CITES on March 14th with respect with the trade in Rosewood. The CITES decision directly limits and affects the exportation of Rosewood in its raw form as logs or flitches, lumber, veneer and plywood sheets. With this in mind, the Ministry of Forestry Fisheries and Sustainable Development undertook to institute an amnesty period on all harvested Rosewood. The purpose of the amnesty is to allow all those persons in possession of Rosewood material to declare it to the Forest Department.

GOB In Talk With Norwegian; Causes Conservation/Cruise Sector Worries
Tonight, waves of concern continue to ripple across the Tourism Sector as the Government of Belize has engaged in talks with the Cruise Tourism giant, Norwegian Cruise Line, about a major Cruise terminal on a small island in Southern Belize. Reliable information to 7News is that NCL has approached GOB with a proposal to build a cruise port to call in Placencia. Part of the plan is to purchase Crawl Caye, which is a few miles away from mainland Placencia, to operate marine tours. Crawl Caye is a privately owned island currently on sale on the internet for 6 million US dollars. One of the major concerns about this development is that Crawl Caye sits inside the South Water Marine Reserve, which is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site. Environmentalists have contacted our newsroom so provide us with the opinion that all the major development to accommodate this cruise port will have major environmental impacts because of the close proximity to the Barrier Reef, which the website advertisement proudly boasts of as a perk to owning the island.

Cab Driver Killed In ‘Griga
Police have recovered the murder weapon and have a suspect in the weekend’s only murder – which happened in Dangriga Town yesterday. The victim is 23 year old Charles Ariola – a taxi driver. Yesterday afternoon at around 3:45, he was hanging out in a yard when he had a misunderstanding with Herman Grant, who was along with Raheem Williams and Elton Martinez. They left and came back five minutes later and Grant slapped Ariola in the face. Ariola tried to grab him and that’s when Grant pulled out a 9 millimeter pistol and shot him in the chest. Ariola was rushed to the hospital, but died at 4:13 pm. Police recovered the pistol allegedly used by Grant loaded with three live rounds. 24 year old Herman Grant, 18 year old Raheem Williams, and a 17yr. old minor have been detained pending charges.

Boots Bangles Burglars
Tonight, 7 Belize City residents are facing criminal charges in relation to $31,000 dollars in stolen building supplies. The allegations are that between Thursday, April 11, and April 12, 3 houses in the final stage of construction at mile 1 on the Western Highway were burglarized. The thieves made off with doors, windows, window frames, and bathroom items such as the toilets, and basins. Well, quick police investigation led to the recovery of a large portion of the items, and the arrest of 43 year-old Louis Robinson, along with his wife and 15 year-old and 17 year-old daughters. They were charged with 2 counts of handling stolen goods, and they were arraigned today in Magistrate’s Court. After police intercepted the items at Robinson’s home, they were led to 26 year-old Michael Godoy, and 19 year-old Adrian Avaloy, who they arrested and charged jointly with 3 counts burglary. They were also arraigned in court today. They were also charged jointly with Mark Godoy Sr. with handling stolen goods because some of the items were connected back to these three men by police.

Hon. Elrington Says He’ll Walk Out Of OAS Meeting If Offensive Map Displayed
Tonight, the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Alberto Ramdin is in Belize for a quick round of meetings, visits and a press conference. He’s not here to discuss the hardline position on the referendum that Guatemala has taken, that’s the Secretary General’s job. But, we gather, that he is here to talk about Belize’s presence at the 43rd General Assembly on June fourth in Antigua, Guatemala. There’s an issue because Guatemala is now including Belize on many of its official maps as part of its territory, separated only by a dotted line. It will also be on their new passport – and the PUP says that if they were in charge, no one with that passport would be allowed to enter the country. Today Foreign Minister Elrington took a more moderate position – while also laying down a hardline: Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Foreign Minister "I think that the way to handle these things is to solve it through diplomatic means or to solve it through legal means with the least discord and the least break in relationship between the two countries." Jules Vasquez "So you will attend the meeting on June 14th - the OAS General Assembly?" Hon. Wilfred Elrington "That would be the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be recommending to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet that we attend these meetings and if you're not at the table, you won't be able to defend yourself. You have to be at the table to be able to defend yourself."

Chavez Successor Squeezes Out A Victory in Presidential Elections
Hugo Chavez’s successor Nicolas Maduro is the new president of Venezueala, but only by the slimmest of margins. Maduro won with a mere 50.8% of the vote – the closest poll that country has seen in 45 years. His opponent Henrique Capriles is alleging voter fraud and has demanded a recount, but the Venezuelan Congress is opposing it. While that plays out, preserving the Chavez status quo is important for Belize and other countries in the region that have benefited from Chavissmo initiatives such as Petrocaribe, Housing Grants and Mission Milagro.

Canadian Tour Guides in Belize
Tonight, a small contingent of Canadian Tourism Industry professionals is in Belize to experience what the Belize tourism package has to offer. Canadian tourists are a major marketing target for the BTB because they contribute significantly to the annual numbers for overnight visitors. And so today, when they arrived at the PGIA, 7News spoke to them about the importance of experiencing Belize as opposed to just reading about it in some tourism article. Here’s what they told us. Alyssa Carnegie - Marketing Director, BTB "They are here to actually familiarize themselves with the Belize product and to get to know a little bit more about Belize. And to know what we have to offer so that they can better sell that to Canadian residents and potential visitors from Canada in the future. So it's really important because a lot of people are booking their vacation by travel agents. A lot of people anticipate that it's just to log on and go to a website and book their website. But that's not necessarily true. A lot of people use travel agents because they trust what their travel agents have to tell them. So it's important that these travel agents are familiar and know the product that they are selling as well. You wouldn't be a sales person and not know what you're selling. So it's important for them. The destination has also developed quite extensively. Belize has become very sexy and lots of new developments happening and they want to get to know that. They want to experience it and get to see what it's like firsthand."

Special Envoy Targets Sexual Abuse in New Book
Today, Kim Barrow, the Special Envoy for Women and Children along with the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation launched a children’s book called “My Body is Precious”. Monica Bodden found out what it’s about at today’s launch. Hundreds of primary School students from across the city were invited to the Bliss today for the launch of a children’s book entitled "My Body Is Precious". The book is a part of a national public information campaign on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. It is the brainchild of Belize’s First Lady and Special Envoy for Women and Children in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation. Kim Simplis Barrow - Special Envoy for Women and Children "It's a project that started like about three years ago. I had asked Starla to work with me to put together a piece of information that will be child friendly and that they children would be able to read easily and that parents would be able to feel comfortable with reading the story to their children. So we started working and putting all the elements together and then we embarked on bringing UNICEF on board and all the different players, getting an administrator and getting the printing company to work with us. It's been work in progress really. It really stems from protecting our children and my passion is children. I really wanted to ensure that we could provide something that these children could read and understand that their body is precious and no one has the right to touch them in a body way or in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. This is what this book is all about."

Smart Science Students Shine In Regional Competition
Tonight, the Bishop Martin High School from Orange Walk is the recipient of much praise and recognition in the Caribbean after they won a regional science and technology competition, held in Barbados. The high school sent representatives to Barbados to participate in the Regional Sagicor Visionaries’ Challenge, and they won with their entry, Coconuts4life. They brought back 5 thousand US dollars in prize money, and so today, 7News got a chance to speak with one of the students who made the presentation. Here’s what he told us about what Coconuts4life means: Angel Navidad - 1st Place, Bishop Martin High School "It was about finding a problem in your community or school and taking it up as a challenge using Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to solve it and create more sustainable community." Daniel Ortiz "Tell us about your project and how did it perform in terms of the judges expectations?" Angel Navidad "Our project was about an Eco-Park which was called 'Coconuts4life' which would give us Coconut Water to solve the dehydration problem in our school. It would give habitats because there are already forests and savannah where we planned to make it. We would also teach the people sustainable practices so that they can take it home and they can practice sustainable practices and like that you bring sustainability to the park and into the community to create a more sustainable community."

Cricel Castillo Shines In Florida Figure Competition
And while those students excelled in the Caribbean, Cricel Castillo made a name for Belize in Florida this weekend. The 24 year old participated in a figure bodybuilding competition in Boca Raton Florida this weekend and won first place in the Figure category. She’s actually there pursuing a master’s degree but she started to seriously work out while in Belize with her instructor Mr. Jones. And when she went to the US, she continued, honing her petite frame to near muscular perfection. And that’s what she was recognized for when she came out ahead of a group of 50 competitors, in her first major event. It’s quite an accomplishment and via phone from south Florida, she told us what made her stand out. Voice of Cricel Castillo - First place, Figure Competition, Diamond Classic, Florida "I was really scared out of my mind because I was really fighting for this dream so long and so hard but because it was all coming into place, it kind of scared me and I began questioning my body. Was I big enough? Was I ready? Will I make a fool of myself on stage? Will I represent Belize in a wrong way? All of those questions crossing my mind and at that point my coach handed me over these little Bible stories. So I prayed to Him for strength and for faith in myself. To be quite honest i think all of that exuded force throughout the day of the competition and that was actually something I was judged on so well. The judges all told me how confident I was and I had so much poise. They told me they could tell I was a dancer. All of this is for Belize."

Teenager Accused By Family Of Burning Down Their Home Goes To Court
Last week, 7News showed you 19 year-old Alexander Pitts, the young man suspected of burning down his family’s home on Holy Emmanuel Street. Well, tonight, he is on remand after he was arraigned in Magistrate’s Court today. As we reported, the house at lot 45 was set ablaze and the entire house was destroyed. Police and Fire Department officials arrived shortly after, and they detained Pitts. He was eventually arrested and charged with arson, and he was arraigned today in Magistrate’s Court. Due to the nature of the offences, he was remanded to prison until May 15, 2013, his next court date. As we showed you in our story on last week Thursday, the family believes that he was having some sort of mental episode. He reportedly stood on the street and watch the house burn down after he lit it on fire. Neither the home nor the contents were insured.

The Week Of Vansh Gifting Begins
As we told you last week, Xtrahouse owner Jack Charles wanted to do something special for his son Vansh’s birthday – something that would teach the six year old that on his birthday, instead of thinking about receiving gifts, he should be giving. Two years ago, he held a mass, gala birthday party for all children born on the same day as Vansh, that is April 19th. This year, he’s set up a mass giveaway, and he’s doing it along with Channel 7. Here’s how it works: all children all children 12 and under who are born on April 19th, between the years 2001 and 2012 can come to Channel 7 – with a proof of their birth date to pick up their gift bag and a gift certificate. The gift sharing started today and continues until Friday. The giveaway continues tomorrow. Starting at 1:30 pm and going to 5:30 pm, only if you are 12 or under and your birthday is April 19th, you can come to Channel 7 at the corner of Dean and Albert to get your gift.

Town Clock Re-Loaded
The Dr. Frederick Gahney Town Clock on Barrack Road has been there for decades – almost a century, actually. But it had earned the reputation for being one of those clocks that are only right twice a day; you know the kind, a busted clock. WELL, now it’s been renovated and it’s always right because RF and G insurance has sponsored a brand new clock. The mayor told us more at the launching today: Mayor Darrell Bradley "One of the things that RF&G; felt that they wanted to give another gift to the residents of Belize City. This is a clock that has always been maintained by RF&G; Insurance and they've give it a total face lift in terms of purchasing a brand new clock and giving it a new paint job. They will be continuing to do the maintenance for the clock of the tune of $20,000. It is very important as I said in the presentation, Belizeans always have a problem with time and this is another reminder, a gift from RF&G; insurance that time is important and that we should always be on time."

Channel 5

Rosewood sold to brother of Minister Gaspar Vega
Forestry Minister Lisel Alamilla took the hot seat this morning to explain the recent rosewood scandal. It includes a decision by Cabinet to declare an amnesty for those in possession of the precious hardwood, and to approve the sale and export of rosewood with government splitting the profits from sales. We’ll have that explanation in [...]

50/50 profit split, but Lisel Alamilla says it was cabinet decision
And from the rosewood which was under government lock and key, to all those countless board feet which were in hiding because of the moratorium and are now coming to light under amnesty. With the decision becoming public while Minister Alamilla was out of the country, many speculated that it was a case of ‘while [...]

Minister says Maya communities are part of rosewood extraction
The Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcalde’s Association have issued a joint statement saying that they are deeply disturbed and utterly outraged by the actions of government. Spokesperson of the Maya Leaders Alliance, Cristina Coc, told News five that it was an insult and a slap in the face of the Maya people. Well [...]

Belize to attend O.A.S. meeting in Guatemala, but may protest
The second highest ranking man in the Organization of American States is visiting. Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin is in Belize regarding relations among Belize, Guatemala and the O.A.S.  Ramdin will oversee the upcoming General Assembly that will be held in Antigua, Guatemala from the fourth to the sixth of June. That holds significance for [...]

Calls for O.A.S. and CARICOM must to defuse political tension
The Caribbean is also weighing in on the territorial dispute. An article in the Trinidad Express calls on CARICOM and the Organization of American States to step into the fray to defuse political tension between Belize and Guatemala—political tension which has resulted, according to the author, from Guatemala’s surprisingly hostile act to circulate a new [...]

Cab driver shot and killed in Dangriga
The most recent homicide takes us south to Dangriga where a taxi driver was shot on Sunday afternoon. Twenty-three year old Charles Ariola was blasted on the chest with a nine millimeter pistol; he died minutes later at the Southern Regional Hospital. Two men and a minor with whom Ariola was engaged in an argument [...]

4 year old dies following attack by killer bees
Two young boys were stung by killer bees today in Little Belize up north. The siblings, four year old Pedro and five year old Enrique Thiessen, were playing under a tree when they were attacked by the bees. They were rushed to the Northern Regional hospital, but the four year old, who was stung to [...]

Norwegian Cruise Line going to the south?
Is there a cruise ship port of call in the works for southern Belize? Talks of a massive tourism development project, to be spearheaded by Norwegian Cruise Line, has been bubbling below the surface for the past few weeks, despite strong objection from environmentalists, as well as residents of Placencia and surrounding communities.  Crawl Caye, [...]

Territorial Volunteers will get in trouble; Guats protest
In early April, the Belize Territorial Volunteers traveled to Dolores in Toledo to continue their “Clear the Border” project in which they intend to demarcate the border between Belize and Guatemala. During this second excursion, they alleged that a Guatemalan company called African Palm Plantation had its property on this side of the border. The [...]

If Guatemalan passports include Belize, entry into the country will be allowed
At the top of the newscast, you heard the Minister of Foreign Affairs say that the Belize delegation would walk out of the June O.A.S. General assembly if Guatemala produces images offensive to the territorial integrity of Belize. But Guatemala also intends on producing ten million passports that will annex Belize to its landmass. Would [...]

Diplomats called home to chart plan for Guatemala issue
Despite all the offensive actions taken by Guatemala showing that it is keeping the unfounded claim alive, Minister Elrington says his ministry must wait for an official response from the O.A.S. regarding Guatemala’s position regarding the October sixth referendum. Guatemala’s President, Otto Perez Molina, had requested via the O.A.S. that Belize amends the Referendum Act [...]

Alexander Pitts charged for burning down family home
A teenager is tonight on remand at the Belize Central Prison for allegedly setting on fire his family’s house in the Gungulung area last Thursday.  Nineteen year old Alexander Pitts was charged this morning with Arson in the court of Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Everything was lost in the blaze and according to police, the [...]

7 persons on bail for 3 house burglaries
Seven persons are currently on bail for charges related to the burglary of three government-constructed houses on the George Price Highway. Two men, twenty-six year old Michael Godoy and nineteen year old Adrian Avaloy were jointly charged with three counts of Burglary. It is alleged that sometime on the eighth or ninth of April, 2013, [...]

Baptist High School wins regional Sagicor Science Competition
After competing nationally, representatives from the Bishop Martin High School from Orange Walk Town travelled to Barbados to compete on the regional stage. It was no small feat as they took on equally bright science minds from other CARICOM countries with their project called Coconuts for Life.  The competition   targets the innovation of high school [...]

“My Body is Precious,” a children’s book on sexual abuse
My Body is Precious…that’s the name of a new publication that tackles sexual abuse against children. The brightly illustrated book makes for easy reading and was launched this morning as a special project by the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow.  The book explains in clear and simple terms, the difference between [...]

Agents say Belize is top destination for Canadians
Canada is one of the prime markets for Belize as a tourist destination. Today a contingent of some twenty persons from the Canadian travel industry arrived at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. The travel agents, tour operators and travel press are participating in a seven-day familiarization trip organized by the Belize Tourism Board which will [...]

Chocolate forever, well loved conservationist passes away
A man who dedicated a great portion of his life to conservation has passed away. His efforts brought him critical and international acclaim by environmental groups. He was simply known as “Chocolate” to everyone he met. But eighty-three year old Leonel Heredia had been ill for two weeks and died from the effects of an [...]

Sports Monday highlights with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   Week 12 of the PLB Football Season saw league leading and defending champions, Belmopan Bandits play host Saturday night to FC Belize who came into the Isidoro Beaton Stadium looking for the full three points in an effort to keep their playoff hopes alive. [...]

LOVE FM

Bus Owner Seeks Compensation From Owner of Cow Following Collision
Last week Friday night a traffic mishap involving a bus and a cow occurred on Mile 10 which left the conductor of the buss with injuries and the bus owner frustrated. Bert Ramos, Owner of Ramos Bus Service says that a herd of cattle suddenly appeared crossing the road. Ramos says that ...

Orange Walk High School Wins Regional Science And Technology Competition In Barbados
On Friday, April 12, Belize was represented in the Regional Sagicor Visionaries’ Challenge in Barbados. Belize was represented by Bishop Martin High School of Orange Walk. The school’s idea was to showcase the coconut palm as a versatile element and that idea has gained Bis...

Minister Explains Decision For Amnesty Period On Rosewood
Last week the Minister of Forestry, Lisel Alamilla and her Department received a lot of flak from quite a few sectors of the community over Cabinet’s recent decision to return the flitches of rosewood that have been illegally harvested and allow for their exportation. The d...

Centennial Celebrations In Belize Continue With The Pallotine Sisters
Major activities in connection with the Pallotine Sisters Centennial Celebrations in Belize continued Saturday in Belize City. Correspondent Paul Mahung reports. PAUL MAHUNG "The event was marked by a centennial style Youth Jamboree and Liturgy held at Birds' Isl...

Three Persons Charged For Burglary On Government Houses
Three persons were charged in connection with the burglary of three houses that are being constructed by the Government when they appeared in court. They are Mark Godoy Sr. , his son , 26 year old Michael Godoy and 19 year old Adrian Avaloy. Michael and Adrian were charged with t...

Teenager Remanded To Prison Following Alleged Arson and Claim of Hearing Voices
Nineteen year old Alexander Pitts, an unemployed of Holy Emmanuel Street, who allegedly burned down a plywood house belonging to his mother, was charged with arson when he appeared today in the #2 Magistrate’s Court. No plea was taken from him because the offence is ind...

Renovated Town Clock Unveiled In Belize City; Mayor Makes Presentation On Behalf of Secretary of State for Illinois
Renovation work on the Dr. Frederick Gahne Town Clock located on Barrack Road in Belize City was unveiled this morning. The work of restoring the clock was done by RF&G; Insurance as explained by Mayor of Belize City, Darrel Bradley DARREL BRADLEY "RF&G; for th...

Dangriga Police Investigate Taxi Man Murder
A taxi driver was murdered in Dangriga Town yesterday afternoon. Correspondent Harry Arzu has the details. HARRY ARZU "Shortly after 4pm yesterday police responded to a call from the Southern Regional Hospital about a shooting incident. Upon their arrival they ...

Special Book Launch Just For Children
The office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children along with the Ministry of Human Development and the United Nations Children’s Fund this morning launched “My body is precious” a book for little ones discussing the topic of child sexual abuse. The book dep...

CTV3

Father Is Accused Of Abusing His 12 Year Old Daughter
When we report on cases of carnal knowledge or rape committed against female minors, it puts one to think what goes through the mind of the perpetrator. But when we hear that the victims aggressor is her own father we are lack for words. There is such a case being investigated in Orange Walk Town tonight. CTV3 News understands that over the weekend a 12 year old Belizean student visited the station in the company of her mother and reported that in the month of December 2012, her father took her to an abandoned house and had sexual intercourse with her. But that was not the first time the child was abused. She told police that at the age of four her father also had sexual intercourse with her. Indeed it is a disturbing report and one that police are investigating. The father of the 12 year old has not been detained by police since he is nowhere to be found.

OAS To Hold Meeting With Both Belize And Guatemala To Determine Faith Of Referendum
Tonight the October 6th Referendum continues in limbo an all indications are that the next fifteen days will be crucial ones as the future of the referendum will be decided. On Wednesday April 10th, Guatemala’s Foreign Minister, Fernando Carrera, traveled to Washington where he met with OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza and requested the postponement of the October 6th simultaneous referendum since Belize refuses to amend its referendum laws to a simple majority. After that meeting with Carrera, which Belize did not form part of; the OAS has decided to hold what is considered to be virtually the last meeting with both parties to decide the faith of the referendum during the last two weeks of April. The reunion must take place during the two week time frame since the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to the referendum to resolve the dispute at the International Court of Justice is expected to convene in May. Guatemala’s President Otto Perez Molina has stated on the record that his country will not take part in the referendum process if Belize does not change its referendum laws in order to level the playing field.

Corozal's Rainbow Beach Extended To Accommodate More Visitors
For several days now there has been a good amount of speculation regarding the destruction of the building that formerly housed the Lands Department In Corozal located near the Rainbow Beach Area. Word was that the building was demolished since the parcel of land, which belongs to Government, was awarded to a certain U.D.P Minister from the Corozal District. But apparently there is no substance to those rumors as Mayor of Corozal Town Hilberto Campos says, the building was demolished in order to extend the Rainbow Beach Area in order to accommodate more visitors.

Four Year Old Dies After He Is Attacked By A Swarm Of Killer Bees
Tonight the family of a four year old Mennonite boy from the community of Little Belize in the Corozal District is mourning his death after the child was attacked by a swarm of killer bees. CTV3 News understands that the four year old and his brother were playing behind the family’s residence located at Camp 70 in Little Belize when they were attacked by Africanized bees. Both boys were stung on the face and head but the four year old never made it to the hospital as he died while on the way.

Rosewood to be Sold To GIV, Company Owned by DPM's Brother
Last week the Government of Belize, particularly the Ministry of Forestry, came under fire after it was announced that Government was awarding a 19 days amnesty period for the sale and export of Rosewood to exporters who illegally harvest the precious wood during the moratorium that was set in place 13 months ago. The fact that the 19 days amnesty was implemented while Minister of Forestry Lisel Alamilla was out of the country, certainly raised eyebrows and left more questions than answers, answers, which received a response this morning during a press conference held by Minister Alamilla in Belize City. The press conference was scheduled for an unusual time, at 8:00am. It began at around 8:30 and lasted half an hour during which time; in a prepared speech, Minister Alamilla explained her government’s decision to carry out the 19 days amnesty program. According to Alamilla, the decision comes at the heels of the 16th Session of the Conference of Parties on the convention on International Trade in endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Honorable Lisel Alamilla- Minister of Forestry “The events of the past week have understandably given cause of concern and the decisions and actions were taken with full cognizance that the decision while not being a popular one was with the best interest to resolve an in past in the local rosewood trade, since the rose wood moratorium was enacted we have had modest success in regulating the trade and export of rosewood. However addmitively so, we have been unable to get a firm grasp on the illegal harvesting of rosewood which has decreased considerably from the time the moratorium was put in place thus far we have in excess of three contain