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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

McClain August Wanted
McClain August, a resident of Ambergris is wanted by San Pedro police. In a very unusual wanted bulletin placed on the clock-tower jumbotron across from Central Park, the post states that August is wanted for three counts of attempted murder with a firearm. According to San Pedro police, August is wanted for the shooting that occurred on Wednesday September 18th in which an 11-year-old student was injured and another person grazed. August is considered to be armed and dangerous. If you have seen McClain August or have any information that can lead to his whereabouts you are asked to call the San Pedro police station at 206-2022 or the police hotline number 911.

Search efforts continue to locate a missing Caye Caulker fisherman
A fisherman living on Caye Caulker is missing and police and authorities on the small island have launched a search and rescue operation. Caye Caulker police are reporting that the missing man was with three others who went fishing at 8AM today, September 19th. According to police the missing person, a 55 year old fisherman originally from San Ignacio, was fishing with Donicio Edwards originally of Santa Elena – Cayo Valentin Verde of Sarteneja Village – Corozal and Jimmy Andrews (origin unknown). According to Inspector Jesus Palma of Caye Caulker Police Station, Edwards reported to the police that sometime around 9AM, while free diving for fish near the South Channel area off Caye Caulker, they noticed that one of their companions had not returned to the vessel. They immediately began searching for him but their efforts were fruitless. They returned to the island where the police were notified and a search and rescue effort was launched.

Children display patriotism at the Annual Talent Show
Children from the various schools in San Pedro Town participated in the annual Talent Show held on Friday, September 13th. The event is organized every year by the San Pedro Town Council as part of the September Celebration events. The show was held at the Angel Nunez Auditorium a little after 6PM. This year’s celebrations are being held under the theme “Belize in Me, Belize in You, Land of the Free” and the children were sure to keep that in mind. The program was hosted by none other than the recently crowned Miss San Pedro 2013-2014 Solani Graniel. Presentations included poems, songs and dances. Dancers in colorful costumes showed their Belizean pride by moving to the beats of soca music from Belizean artists such as Ernestine Carballo and TR Shine. Each presentation was unique and different to their school. A few students also recited Belizean poems and acted out moments in the history of Belize. The show was a crowd pleaser and it was evident that San Pedro truly has talent.

Remembering the Father of our Nation: Right Honorable George Cadle Price
On September 19, 2011 Belize lost a great hero and forefather of our nation, Right Honorable George Cadle Price. He was the pioneer of Belize’s political stability having fought till his death to see the betterment of his beloved country. The Right Honorable George Price was also one of the founding members and first leader of the Peoples United Party that was formed on September 29, 1950. The Right Honorable George Price led Belize to independence on the 21st of September 1981 after starting the peaceful, constructive Belize Revolution in 1950. George Price became the first Prime Minister of Belize. In October 1996 he announced his resignation as party leader and devoted his life for the betterment of Belize.

Minister of State Hon. Elvin Penner Required to Resign
The Office of the Prime Minister announces that, with immediate effect, the Hon. Elvin Penner is no longer a Minister of State in the current Administration. The Prime Minister formed the view that, with respect to a situation brought to his attention on Tuesday, Hon. Penner, as Minister of State in the Immigration Ministry, did not discharge his responsibilities with either the due judgment and balance, or the scrupulous regard for appearances, which the Prime Minister demands of all his Ministers. As a consequence the Prime Minister late yesterday evening met with Hon. Penner and required him to resign. After discussion Hon. Penner agreed with the position of the Prime Minister. He therefore tendered and had accepted his immediate resignation. In a related development, the Office of the Prime Minister also announces that the Immigration Ministry, together with the Ministry of the Public Service, has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the issue of a Belize passport to a South Korean national. The Immigration Ministry will make a statement in the next day or so as to the results of that investigation.

Carnival brings Belize’s culture, music and color to life
Belize City was busy over the weekend as citizens from all over the country descended on the old capital to witness and participate in the national Carnival Road March. It was one of two major events; the 17th annual Expo Belize Market Place and the carnival parade. The festival spirit was present from very early in the morning of Saturday September 14th with the pre-carnival jouvert. While the jouvert is a spectacular show unto itself, the carnival is always the main highlight, attracting thousands of spectators.

Ambergris Today

Belize City Lions Club National Service Day Activity
In order to commemorate the life, work, dedication and service of the late Rt. Hon. George Price, the George Price Centre for Peace and Development declared September 19th as “National Service Day”, a day set for Belizeans to carry out community service projects in order to make a positive change through hard work and service. At 6 a.m. on Thursday, September 19, 2013, Lion Members of the Belize City Lions Club conducted a National Service Day activity by raising 20 Belizean Flags at the Flag Monument at the main Round-About in Belize City. After the Flag Raising Ceremony, the Lion members sung the Belizean National Anthem. This is the second year that the Belize City Lions Club has conducted this National Service Day activity.

Island Team Works on Alcoholics Aid Program
Our lovely town of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye is known for being a party hub, but while some of us drink for socializing others sadly have developed an alcohol addiction. Here on the island those who seek help for their addiction have the support of the Alcoholic Anonymous and the San Pedro Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute (SPADAI). SPADAI works hand in hand with Alcoholic Anonymous, the National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC) and most recently the San Pedro Police Department. On Tuesday, September 10, 2013, ASP Luis Castellanos, along with Tourism Police and Councilor Gaby Nuñez, personally delivered food to ten underprivileged persons (alcoholics). http://ambergristoday.com/content/stories/2013/september/19/belize-public-and-bank-holidays-2014-announced

Belize Public and Bank Holidays for 2014 Announced
The Government of Belize Press Office has sent out a press release informing about the Public and Bank holidays for 2014. It is notified for general information that public and bank holidays specified in the First and the Second Schedules to the Holidays Act, Chapter 289 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2003, will be observed on the following days during the year 2014 in accordance with section 3 of the said Act:-

Did Belize Tourism Board Need to Apologizes for Song Choice on Promotional Video?
Yesterday, September 18, 2013, The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) issued an apology to all Belizeans after it came under fire from artists and other groups over its decision to use a musical track by Aurelio Martinez for the Belize Promotional video “Discover How To Be”. The general complaint is that the BTB failed to choose a song from a Belizean artist as opposed Aurelio’s who is originally from Honduras. I believe that the BTB took the high ground in issuing an apology, but I do not think that it was all necessary for them to do so or for them to be pushed to do so. There should not be any issue with them choosing Aurelio Martinez’s song for the video. Aurelio and his music are very much Belizean; he has chosen to make Belize one of his homes, has been a very productive citizen of this country and contributed tremendously in developing and promoting Belizean music through his work with the Garifuna Collective and the late Andy Palacio.

Misc Belizean Sources

RAIN, ROAD & RAGE!
This particular situation hits me personally since I have so many friends in the beautiful villages of Sarteneja, Chunox, Copper Bank, Progresso, Consejo and other surrounding villages. These are the most humble, peaceful and hardest working people, I have run across in Belize. As Editor of the Corozal Daily, I stand firm in solidarity with them as I feel their pain. It is sad and a crying shame that at a time of Belizean Patriotism/Nationalism, as we comfortably celebrate and rejoice at home our Independence Day Celebrations that for the past months, these villagers and residents have been enduring much pain and suffering in silence. Their road condition is farthest, the worse. In some areas deep ravines have carved themselves out on the road making traffic impassable and unbearable. Water is as high as 2 feet and more in some areas. This falls nothing short of the oppression, marginalization and malignity against those that don’t seem to have a voice. It is social injustice and travesty by those that don’t give a damn and those that do not stand up for them.

San Pedro Jump=up Parade Route
Happy September Celebrations everyone! You can see the route for the Jump-Up Parade for Independence Day and the various activities we will be having. You definitely can't miss out on the BLOCK PARTY and EL GRITO to bring in our Independence Day!

MCHS Patriotic Day
Mount Carmel High School students got in the festive spirit when they decorated their school for the September Celebrations. "Vibrant and Patriotic day at Mount Carmel High School, Kudos to the Winning Classes for their team work and high creativity."

CELEBRATIONS FLOAT
The final touches are being added to the float from Georgeville that will be entered in the Independence Day parade on Saturday. The Williams family has been working on the artistic creation since August 1st. Here is a first look at the float. All the pieces on the float are hand-made by Mr. Eric Williams, Jr. The concept is an amalgamation of the family's ideas. Congratulations to the Williams family of Georgeville.

HAT COMPETITION AT SANTA ELENA PRIMARY
The students of Santa Elena Primary School were resplendent in their patriotic colors on Thursday morning as they participated in a hat competition. Congratulations to the staff and students for a wonderful presentation.

Channel 7

PM Forced Hon. Penner to Resign Due to Passport Irregularity
This morning rumours started zipping around that there was a major shake-up in the UDP Cabinet - and by 10:30 the news came down like an executive Sledgehammer: Minister of State in the Ministry of Immigration Elvin Penner had been forced to resign by the Prime Minister. What's behind it? Well 7News has received credible information which says that Penner signed off on, or facilitated the issuance of a passport for a South Korean who is in jail. Best information is that the South Korean was being held, but when he produced a passport, which was backdated - the South Korean got bail and skipped the country. These are the sketchy details presently available, and those details say further that another elected official in the UDP facilitated the operation. That official we are told was also named in a previous investigation into 8 stolen visas. That's what we know tonight, but here's what the PM's statement said today - we'll read it verbatim: "The Office of the Prime Minister announces that, with immediate effect, the Hon. Elvin Penner is no longer a Minister of State in the current Administration. The Prime Minister formed the view that, with respect to a situation brought to his attention on Tuesday, Hon. Penner, as Minister of State in the Immigration Ministry, did not discharge his responsibilities with either the due judgment and balance, or the scrupulous regard for appearances, which the Prime Minister demands of all his Ministers. As a consequence the Prime Minister late yesterday evening met with Hon. Penner and required him to resign. After discussion Hon. Penner agreed with the position of the Prime Minister. He therefore tendered and….his immediate resignation (was accepted)."

Embattled Former SIF Exec Director Declares Innocence, Admits “Errors”
And while that corruption scandal is just starting to break - the other one at SIF is in what you might call "free-burn", a revelations continue to surface about what appears to have been a culture of corruption at SIF. Today former executive director Daniel Cano held a most unusual press conference; he did it at LOVE FM, where the 50 minute session was also broadcast live. He opened by saying, quote, "I am here because I have nothing to hide." And indeed, he took any and all questions - after an emotional opening:.. Daniel Cano, Former Executive Director - SIF "Mr. Smart, you have made many, many false accusations about me which has hurt me, which has hurt my family and that place that I have work and that I have loved for 14 years. I categorically deny these allegations and I demand that you retract each and every one of your false statements and you apologize for the damage you have done to me, to my good name, to my career that I have work so hard to build and for the pain you have caused my family."

Man Found Dead In South, Foul Play Suspected
Tonight, police are investigating the death of 24 year-old Ferris Torres, a resident of Independence Village, and so far, they have enough to treat the case as a homicide. Torres, who is a caretaker, and lives at the Michael Ashcroft Football Stadium, was discovered this morning by a fellow caretaker at around 7:45 a.m. this morning. His body was facedown, his pants were off, and his knees were bloody. These signs along with sand all over his body have led to investigators to believe that there was a struggle. The doctor who examined the body found no obvious signs of death, but the working theory is that he was choked to death. Torrres was a well-known as announcer at the stadium where he famously used the word "dispossessed" when referring to a player losing control of the ball due to the efforts of his opponent.

Cop On Cop Shooting Left One Dead, One Paralysed
10 days ago, 7News told you about the cop on cop killing of 24 year-old Police Constable Dean Yearwood, who was shot to death by his fellow officer, 32 year-old PC Glenn Grant. The Police Department says that it was not murder even though Yearwood, who was off-duty, was shot in the back by Grant, who said he was responding to a robbery in progress. The man who is central to the story is Brian Vasquez, who they say tried to rob Yearwood, which forced him to pull his service weapon and shoot at Vasquez, which, in turn, led Grant to respond and fire his weapon at both men. Yearwood ended up dead, and Grant shot in the back. Vasquez, who is now paralyzed from the waist down as a result of that shot to the back, has been at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital recovering, and he's been under police guard. While at the hospital, we were unable to approach him, but he was discharged yesterday, and he called us this afternoon to make sure that his side of the story was aired.

With PC Yearwood Dead, 2 Men Go Free
And while Vasquez continues to wait in dread to see if police will charge him, today, 2 men Police Constable Dean Yearwood allegedly caught with weed last year, were discharged because Yearwood, as arresting officer, cannot testify against them. According to police, Yearwood accompanied other officers on August 18 of last year where they conducted a search for illegal immigrants, drugs and firearms at the Happy Hour Night Club in Ladyville. Nothing incriminating was found at the bar, so they went upstairs and searched a locked room belonging to 33 year-old Chinese national, Zihai Li, and his 16 year-old roommate. Yearwood said that he found 2 grams of cannabis inside the room, and as a result, he charged both men with possession of controlled drugs.

Stake Bank Project Gets Environmental Approval; NCL Urges Caution
15 days ago, the National Environmental Appraisal committee met to consider a pair of addenda to the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Cruise Tourist project at Stake Bank Caye and North Drowned Caye. The project received tentative approval pending approval of an environmental monitoring fee and a proposals for fuel transport to one of the cayes. Well, the news tonight is that the Environmental Compliance Plan was signed today. Developer Mike Feinstein confirmed this to us, which means that his project now has full environmental compliance. We'd say that's a green light, but pending an approasial by Cabinet, it might still be yellow. Still the environmental clearance alone would seem to put Feinstein ahead of the Harvest Caye Project which is still pending environmental approval. But what does Norwegian Cruise Line think of the much larger Stake Bank project proposed for the Belize district? Yesterday we spoke the project director for NCL's Harvest Caye investment about a parallel berthing facility in Belize City competing with their plan for the south.

Assad Shoman Launches New Pro-Referendum Book
"How you can end the the Guatemalan Claim" - that's the name of a new book launched by Assad Shoman and published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The original idea was that the book by Belize's pre-eminent living historian would be used as an awareness tool, to get the public to support the referendum. But, as Shoman himself says, there's not going to be a referendum this year, or next. Still, they launched the book today in the hope that it can help to build critical mass and support for the referendum going forward:.. Assad Shoman "I can tell you that those resolutions do not in any way guarantee our borders. We never even discussed borders, not United Nations, in that struggle for independence. We were fight for the right to be independent, but they do not have the effect of defining a border. The UN resolutions on the membership of the United Nation, does not even reflect what our borders are. The only organ under the United Nation system which is qualified to define a border legally is International Court of Justice - the only one. Any decision of that court is binding and the Security Council which is the only organ of the United Nations empowers to take action including military action." "How can we achieve real safety and security not just by shouting "dis da fu we" but by having other countries and especially the one that claims us Guatemala recognize that this is for us. How do we achieve that because that is the only way we can have real security."

To Make Sure Rt. Hon. Price Is Never Forgotten
We spoke to the Opposition Leader at the wreath laying for George Price - who passed on two years ago. Here's how that went at the Lord Ridge Cemetery where they remembered The Great Man. Henry Charles Usher, Chairman PUP "He had a true sense of self, a sense of purpose that he tries to view in all of us. A large part because of his education and inspiration and vision we have an enduring national identity - a Belizean identity." "The Lord plays no favorites. He took Mr. Price from us, Yes although he did I will always be painful at least to me. Today as we gather to honor his passing let us dedicate ourselves to try to accomplish what he did." Rt. Hon. Said Musa "He gave us an identity; who are you - a Belizean right. That's what Mr. Price gave us - that identity - all of us Belizean." Hon. Francis Fonseca "If you are a market vendor or a street cleaner he was humble in your presence. That's a very important lesson for all of us especially the young people but also those of us who are leaders in our country - that humility must define our leadership."

Flash Flood Swamps Democracia, Shuts Down Highway
It's been raining for days, and we all knew that something somewhere had to give with the rivers running over their banks and the ground so inundated. And today, it did with a flash flood in La Democracia caused by the Sibun River breaking its bank. Several homes on the Coastal road ended up under water due to the fast rising waters. Our team headed out there but couldn't reach because the rushing water broke a culvert at mile 27 on the Western Highway closing down the road. Monica Bodden was there:.. Monica Bodden reporting Traffic was backed-up this morning as this pool of water settled over the road at mile 27 on the Western highway. Police officers were deployed to the area - to render assistance and to inform motorists about the current situation they were faced with - Vehicles were not allowed to cross a specific section of the highway - after one of its culverts was washed away by the force of the flooded water. If you notice closely, both sides of this particular culvert are washed away - leaving minimal support underneath the road.

And the Forecast Says
That flash flood was caused by Heavy rainfall associated with a slow moving area of low pressure over Belize over the last couple days. Our news team stopped in at the Weather Bureau to speak with Chief Met Officer, Dennis Gonguez about the current flooding situation and an update on the weather as we go into the 21st.. Dennis Gonguez, Chief Met Officer "There as a weak area of low pressure influencing our weather over the past couple of days. It has now moved offshore the Yucatan Peninsula into the bay of Campeche and it has been affecting our weather in terms producing some rainfall. Last night we had about 7 inches near the Belize Zoo and about 4 inches at La Democracia on the George Price Highway. As this system moves away we are looking at conditions will gradually improve as time goes by." Monica Bodden "Can we expect more flooding?" Dennis Gonguez, Chief Met Officer "With the rains decreasing, indications are the flooding should start to recede in the upcoming days and therefore we are not looking at any major events occurring in the next day."

Dr. Sanchez Explains Why Dulce Died
Last week, we told you about Baby Dulce Maria Coye, whose family from San Roman, Corozal was accusing the doctor at Northern Medical Plaza of contributing to her death due to medical malpractice. We've been trying to get an official position from Dr. Hugh Sanchez, the pathologist, who conducted the autopsy. Yesterday, Dr. Sanchez, who completed his report, shared it with us at a KHMH media mixer. He explained that the child died due to a post-surgical infection: Dr. Hugh Sanchez, Pathologist "It was alleged that something was left in the baby. Whether it was a needle or a blade or whatever, I would like to say that from the post mortem no such thing was found." "The child did pass on and we did the post mortem which revealed that there was evidence of Peritonitis. There was pus in the abdominal cavity which may have been a result of the initial surgery." "The risks were there and with any risk that should be told to the patient. There is a risk and you explain the risk because if you do you are damn and if you don't you are damn. So you better try and do something. The womb breaking down is a sequel of surgery - even in adult that would happen. With the mechanics some time the pressure builds up too much and it leak and once sepsis cycle begins any number can play."

Channel 5

PM drops a bombshell…Minister of State for Immigration, Elvin Penner, is fired
Elvin Penner is no longer a Minister of State in the current administration. That’s because he was required to resign with immediate effect from that post by Prime Minister Dean [...]

Investigation into a passport fast-tracked to a South Korean National in detention caused Penner’s demise
And now to the facts of the story…why was Ministry of State so summarily and brutally dismissed? Using the trail of breadcrumbs to the Immigration Department so thoughtfully provided by [...]

But is it the first time that allegations have been brought against Penner?
Ironically, this isn’t the first time Penner has been accused of being involved in the fast-tracking of documents. In 2012, just before general elections, he came under fire when the [...]

Former Executive of SIF, Daniel Cano, says he knew of Kenard Smart’s bribes but did not act
The scandal involving the Dangriga Municipal Market and employees of the Social Investment Fund continues to unravel. This afternoon, former executive director Daniel Cano faced the music and held a [...]

Cano says SIF is not responsible to compensate investors
The contention is that SIF never entered into a contractual arrangement with financiers, Lyndon Bailey or Gush and Emy Ramirez; therefore, the agency is not responsible for compensating them for [...]

But denies receiving any monies from Smart
Allegations of bribery, placed squarely at Cano’s feet, are also being passionately denied.  Cano says he had nothing to do with an alleged inducement of eleven thousand dollars purportedly paid [...]

Leader of the Opposition addresses the SIF scandal
The Former Executive Director of SIF, Daniel Cano, spoke for the first time today since his resignation following the scandal of the Dangriga Municipal Market. It’s an issue that won’t [...]

Belize/Guatemala Forum; is the ICJ the only option to settling the claim?
The referendum on whether or not to take the territorial claim to the International Court of Justice is not going to be held in October or likely at any other [...]

Fonseca responds to Assad Shoman’s comment on P.U.P. non-position on Referendum
When we caught up with the leader of the opposition earlier today we also asked him about the claim made by former Foreign Minister, Assad Shoman, that despite the P.U.P.’s [...]

Panelists question the severity of measures taken against illegal harvesting in Chiquibul
Incursions into the Chiquibul Forest, for the most part, remain unchecked despite routine patrols of its vast expanse by local armed forces.  Guatemalans caught poaching and mining gold and other [...]

Culvert near Mahogany Height caves in due to flooding
Water rose up to seven inches in the area of the Belize Zoo on the George Price Highway this morning. Students and other commutes were forced to exit their transport [...]

…while 3 flood-prone villages in Orange Walk under watch
The incessant rains also continue to fall over the north or the country, and the waters of the Rio Hondo are rising. In the municipalities that can be an inconvenience, [...]

Anthony Rancharan wins SMARTS big raffle
Today, Smart announced the winner of their latest big raffle – a trip for two to New York with spending money and all the bells and whistles included. By any [...]

2 years after his passing, the late father of the nation, George Price, is remembered
Across the country today, activities were held to honor the late father of the nation George Price, who has been described as the best Prime Minister Belize has ever had. [...]

Coping with stress…Healthy Living has useful tips on how to live stress-free
People cope with stress in many ways; some make use of healthy habits like exercise and mediation and others turn to alcohol and drugs. The common motivation behind these habits [...]

LOVE FM

Ambassador Speaks on Ending the Guatemalan Claim
On the heels of the Forum on Belize Guatemala, Ambassador Assad Shoman has released a book entitled “How You Can End the Guatemalan Claim” and as he mentioned in last night’s forum, the book speaks of the solution being going to the International Court of Justice. He explained that the book was written at the time when the Belize Guatemala referendum was at the forefront and it served as an encouragement for Belizeans to know why it was important to have a referendum and to go to the ICJ. ASSAD SHOMAN “I think that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs feels that, in the first instance, they feel that it is possible that the referendum may be held next year but I don’t think so. I do believe whether Guatemala agrees to have a referendum or not, we have signed an agreement with Guatemala that we will take this matter to the court and I think that Belizeans have to be convinced that that is necessary for our safety and security and our future development; Belizeans must be convinced that that is necessary and we must do it so that we can fight internationally to pressure Guatemala to agree to go to court; therefore this book is still useful, they thought, at least in explaining to Belizeans why it is good and it is necessary and it is the only way to resolve this dispute and to end this dispute by going to the ICJ.”

Opposition Leader Says Urgent Attention Should Go To Dangriga in the SIF Incident
And while he spoke well of Mr. Price, the PUP Leader, Francis Fonseca, appealed to the Government to get to the bottom of the scandal at the Social Investment Fund. FRANCIS FONSECA “My main concern is that the people of Dangriga are being deprived of their market; they have longed for this project to be completed, vendors are losing money; the people of Dangriga are losing out. I would like for the government to take this matter very seriously and for the Prime Minister to get involved and whatever monies are remaining to somehow find the way that those monies are made available very quickly to the Dangriga Town Council or some other contractor that the government secures. I understand that there is a process they have to go through; the Social Investment Fund is not our money, so to speak and so there is a process they need to go through but they need to expedite this process; they need to sit down and talk to the funding agencies and explain to them the urgency of this matter and if they do that then they can move this project forward very quickly and with a sense of urgency because the only ones really losing right now are the people of Dangriga; it’s very sad and I know there are contract disputes and lawyers involved now but none of that is helping the people of Dangriga and that is what we want to see happen.”

Damage Control Continues on Roads in Northern Belize
The work continues today on the San Estevan road, or at least the areas that have been severely damaged by continuous rains over the last week or so. Our correspondent visited the area again today and while the road is still bad, heavy machinery continued to work on the road. While water has drain from some areas, the road has been left mud-covered. At other areas, the water has washed away some soil leaving huge pot holes in the middle of the road. Water continues to overflow over some parts but Love News has been reliably informed that contractors responsible for the paving of the road, Bella Vista Development Co Ltd and Lopez Equipment Co Ltd are presently filling in the worst parts. We were informed that the contractors have filled two sections and are working on two more today. In other sections, the mud is being scraped off the road and replaced with a more sturdy material. In addition, at least ten culverts will be installed as part of the emergency work being done in the area. The contractors responded to the situation yesterday after hundreds of commuters, workers and students, were unable to pass the stretch of road. Traffic flow returned to normal this morning without incident but drivers still need to take caution when passing the stretch of road as some areas are still in very bad conditions. We were told that if rains hold up, the work will be finished by tomorrow.

Prime Minister Requests Resignation From Cabinet Member
Yesterday rumors were circling about a major scandal within the Ministry of Immigration. While all the details have not been revealed, what is for sure is that area representative for Cayo North East Elvin Penner is no longer Minister of State with responsibility for Immigration, a post he has held since last June when the Department of Immigration was taken out of the Ministry of National Security. In a release from the office of the Prime Minister, after a late meeting yesterday with Penner, the Prime Minister asked Penner to resign. According to the release, a situation was brought to the Prime Minister’s attention on Tuesday. After looking at it the Prime Minister was of the view that Penner did not discharge his responsibilities with quote “either the due judgment and balance or the scrupulous regard for appearances which is required from all Ministers” end quote. The release goes on to say that the Immigration Ministry together with the Ministry of the Public Service has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the issue of a Belize passport to a South Korean national. The Ministry will make a statement at the conclusion of the investigation which should be completed shortly.

Former Executive Director of SIF Says The Allegations are False
Former executive director at the Social Investment Fund Daniel Cano today broke his silence regarding a number of allegations made against him. Cano was forced to resign earlier this week after the Board of Directors of SIF demanded his resignation. Contractor Ken Smart had alleged that Cano along with four other employees had extorted money from him. Cano who was employed at SIF for the past 14 years explained why he took the decision. DANIEL CANO “My resignation from the post of the Executive Director of the Social Investment Fund was requested and I agreed to submit it on the basis of the findings of the Contractor General’s report where my management of the allegations was found to be less than desirable. My resignation was not on the grounds of any involvement of bribery, corruption or extortion. I stepped down for the institution to be able to move forward without the questions of my management decisions around it.

Caretaker Found Dead in Football Stadium
The family of 24-year-old Ferris Torress is looking for answers after the body of the young man was found in a room at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium sometime after eight o’clock this morning. Love News spoke with his mother Ann Elizabeth Torress who believes her son was murdered. ANN ELIZABETH TORRES “Well, you can see the struggle on the ground that he had, all in the drain because he stayed in the stadium because he took care of the stadium, he was an announcer in there and but he lived in the stadium and it’s in there that they murdered him. There were no stab marks; it looks like he was beaten then strangulated. I don’t know of any enemies he may have had; he announced in the stadium and took care of the stadium; I don’t know him to have had any enemies and we haven’t heard anything from the police or from the neighbors or surrounding areas.”

Opposition Party Remembers George Cadle Price
Today marks two years since the passing of the Father of the Nation, George Price. After a mass in his honor, officials of the political party he started, the People’s United Party, gathered at his graveside to lay wreaths, pray, and give tributes. Chairman of the PUP, Henry Usher, paid tribute to the late leader, who was also his grand-uncle. Henry Usher, Chairman, PUP “Because of his dedication, vision and inspiration, we have an enduring national identity, a Belizean identity and in all this he was mindful that he did not do this alone. He braced our history, he braced our lives with his devotion to justice and the way he faced every adversity with steadfast feet.” PUP Leader, Francis Fonseca, said that the party will have to find a way to ensure that George Price is not forgotten.

Opposition Leader Says This Is Not the PUP of the Past
Fonseca also answered a question which had to do with remarks made a forum on Belize Guatemala on Wednesday night on the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute. The remarks made by former PUP Minister, Ambassador Assad Shoman, that the PUP does not have any position on the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute. FRANCIS FONSECA “We respect what he has to say but I have made it very clear on many occasions that the People’s United Party will proceed on this matter at its own pace. We believe that we are taking the right course of action and I have made it quite clear from the very beginning of the process that we would participate fully, we are united as a people in ensuring that the Belizean people at the end of the day decide whether or not we proceed with this matter; yes or no; we are united in that regard but the People’s United Party, he is right in saying that we have not taken a decision as to whether as a party, we will vote yes or no and we believe that we are on the right track in respect to that matter and yes, he is right that the People’s United Party started this process and we have an obligation to respect the process and we are treating it with the seriousness that it requires and demands but we will not be pushed in the wrong direction...

PlusTV

IDEAS TOWARDS IMPROVING ‘CHECK AND BALANCE’ IN BELIZEAN GOVERNANCE
Please download, read and share this set of ideas compiled by Senator Henry Gordon on improving separation of powers and increasing Checks and balances in Governance.

Investors in Dangriga market project say they want money and justice
PLUS News continues to follow the saga of the closed Dangriga Town market project managed by the Social Investment Fund (SIF), which has come under fire amid allegations of corruption and extortion that has resulted in the firing of four employees and resignation of another. While there is no...

Chamber & CitCo to address trade licenses
Trade license time is here for the Belize City Council and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is asking Minister for Local Government Godwin Hulse to intervene. BCCI CEO Kim Aikman said elsewhere in the press that they have been meeting with the Minister since last year to forward...

BSCAP questions licensing of Aurelio Martinez song in BTB ad
Last week we brought you the controversy surrounding the usage of a song by Honduras’ Aurelio Martinez in international advertisements promoting Belize by the Belize Tourism Board (BTB). While the Board is sticking to its guns, the Belizean Society of Composers, Artists and Promoters (BSCAP)...

UB celebrates Independence
On September 21st, Belizeans at home and abroad will be celebrating the jewel’s 32nd year of Independence. Because of the valiant and unyielding efforts of forefathers, the country is today a sovereign and developing nation. So on that day, we not only recognize our Independence, but we also pay...

Battlefield Park reopens
After months of controversy, the re-imagined and restored Battlefield Park was formally reopened. Even the cloudy day could not dent the spirits of the Belize City Council which has valiantly insisted on its interpretation of the role and purpose of the park. Belize City Mayor Darrell...

Felicia Chen remanded to Central Prison awaiting inquiry
Felicia Chen, the woman accused of murdering her three small children in April, was before the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. The Twenty-two year old Felicia Chen faces three counts of murder for the deaths of 4 year old Triana, 3 year old Thomas and 1 year old Trinaya Teul....

Teachers and Students thank Lifeline for donations
On Tuesday we told you about the over $200,000 in donations ranging from computers to a fully stocked library to improvements to school infrastructure made by Lifeline Foundation in six schools in the Orange Walk District. Orange Walk’s District Education Manager Carla Alvarez discussed with PLUS News the importance...

Mayor Bradley explains delays in Belize City street renovations
Works have stopped on Baymen Avenue, Belize City, for weeks now, maybe a month. On Wednesday we asked Mayor Darrell Bradley why the works have stopped and he explains that the council has encountered some difficulties. Mayor Darrell Bradley: The flood mitigation project wants to...

National Day of Prayer held at Showground
This past Sunday September 15th, Church leaders and followers gathered at the main stage at Showground to host their annual National Day of Prayer. After a half an hour of praise and worship songs, the crowd bowed their heads and lifted up their prayers- their strongest weapon- on three...

Prime Minister of Dominica visits Belize for Independence Day festivities
The Prime Minister of Dominica will be making a courtesy call to Belize for the Independence Day festivities. Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, will be a guest at the official ceremonies commemorating Belize 32nd year of Independence and will also take a tour of two of the country’s tourist attractions. Minister...

NCL launches education campaign on Harvest Caye Development
Representatives from the Norwegian Cruise Line have launched an education campaign on the nuts and bolts of the proposed cruise port at Harvest Caye. The team was in Independence Village this weekend. With more, here is Harry Arzu.

The Guardian

A pregnant Felicia Chen Now Behind Bars
22-year-old Felicia Chen has been declared fit to stand trial and is now behind bars at the Belize Central Prison. On Tuesday, April 30th, Chen was charged with three counts of murder for allegedly drowning three of her four children at Belizean Beach on Saturday, April 27th. Since her arraignment she has been in a medical facility where she was being observed and treated for some form of mental disorder. Chen has appeared in the Magistrate's Court numerous times since she was arrested but was ordered to return to the mental health facility until a doctor could declare her fit to stand trial. On Tuesday, September 17th, she was escorted to the Belize City Magistrates Court once again. The press was ordered to exit the courtroom because of the sensitivity of the case. According to reports, Dr. Wesley Quimbo declared that she was now medically fit to leave the mental health institution and stand trial. Chief Magistrate Anne-Marie Smith then ordered that she be remanded at the Belize Central Prison until her next court appearance on November 8th. Chen was represented by Attorney Antoinette Moore.

Battlefield Park Resurges
The Battlefield park has seen a magnificent rebirth. On Wednesday, September 18th Mayor Darrell Bradley officially declared the park open once again. After 5 months of arduous work put in by International Environs (IE) the park was opened to the public two weeks ago. And it is quite a marvelous space to behold. Anyone standing at the center of the park can appreciate what Mayor Bradley’s intention was. According to him, the park was originally designed as a plaza to accommodate the surrounding public buildings which include the Supreme Court. The park now features a flat square with benches, a fountain, a flag pole, green spaces and the bust of the great labor movement leader, Antonio Soberanis. In opening the park Bradley described the park as the heart and soul of Belize City since it sits smack in the center of the commercial area. He noted that the park has a great historic origin having been the gathering ground for residents of Belize from as early as 1638. It was “ground stand for people to congregated and advocate for their rights,” and as such the redesign of the park was to pay respect to its history.

Heads roll at SIF
Four senior officers from the Social Investment Fund were terminated on Tuesday, September 17th. The decision was taken after allegations were made by Kennard Smart in which he provided copies of cancelled checks written out to 4 of the SIF officials. Smart contends that it is because of 'shakedowns' that he has been unable to complete the Dangriga Market project which he was contracted to do in May of 2012 with a scheduled completion date of July 2013. He has however been unable to complete the work and is now claiming that it was because of officers at SIF shaking him down for money. He provided checks to prove that he had been giving four officers money by way of check and further alleged that the Managing Director received at least one payment of 11 thousand dollars in cash which was given to him in two transactions, one which amounted to $1,000 and the other of $10,000 which he allegedly gave Cano in a black bag.

Two Rights do not make a Wrong
There will always be problems in life because even though many people are working diligently to solve problems other people are busy creating them. In addition, when finding a solution to one problem we sometimes inadvertently create a new one. Naturally individuals rank the seriousness of issues in their own way and concentrate on those that they find most compelling either because of some personal or professional experience or an emotional affinity. Some people might find a particular issue to be of the utmost significance while it barely registers on the radar of others. However, there are a few issues which are almost universally accepted as being of top priority. Paedophilia and other varieties of child abuse is such an issue. However, it is intellectually dishonest to use the widespread disgust that accompanies this issue to lambast efforts to solve other problems. The Gender Policy, for example, is tasked specifically to address gender issues while the Education Policy concentrates on education. Both policies can be expected to cover a wide range of subject matter but each will focus on its own theme. The Commercial Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Policy on the other hand deals with all pertinent issues including child sexual abuse for commercial purposes. The Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation (MHDST) has worked diligently on both the Gender Policy and the CSEC Policy so it is puzzling that some people would add two rights and get a wrong. Undoubtedly, there are many problems in the world that these two policies do not address but that is because they do not fall within the scope of these works. It is unreasonable to attack people for addressing these issues using the rationale that they should be focussing on another issue.

Mothers and Children enjoy a day with the Zone Ten Neighborhood Watch in Cayo
Dozens of mothers and their children came out last Sunday to enjoy the newly refurbished basketball court in Santa Elena Town, Cayo. On hand for the day was the Zone Ten Neighborhood Watch Committee, comprising of residents living in all that Area between the Hawkesworth Bridge and the residence of Desol Neal, near the Santa Elena Football Stadium. Desol Neal is the current President of the Zone Ten Neighborhood Watch Committee. Children from Zone Ten were entertained with songs and given gifts in the spirit of the September Celebrations. There was also a food eating contest later in the day. As dawn enveloped the court, powerful lights were turned on. Zone Ten Committee members then handed books, markers and other school supplies to the children. Funds raised from the sale of food by the Zone Ten Committee will be returned to the Community in organizing other events to promote socialization among residents. Zone Ten, along with the Cayo Neighborhood Watch Association, have been the beneficiaries of numerous crime fighting tools from the U.S Central American Regional Security Initiative.

Belize District Football Association players’ registration is on
The Belize District Football Association is currently conducting registration of all amateur players in the Belize District free of cost. The registration process commenced on September 5 and will conclude on October 4, 2013. Registration forms are available at Infotel Limited at 53 Regent Street in Belize City. Meanwhile, the association also informs the general public and football teams in the district that the 2013 Belize District 1st Division Competition is scheduled to commence on October 12th. For further information you can contact the Belize District Football Association at [email protected]

Guest of Honour for Belize’s 32nd Independence Day
Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, will be hosted by the Government of Belize as the Guest of Honour during Belize’s Independence Day festivities. Hon. Skerrit will arrive in Belize on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, accompanied by Hon. Dr. Collin McIntyre, Minister of Trade of Dominica. After arrival, Hon. Skerrit will make a courtesy call on Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow. During his stay, Prime Minister Skerrit will be a guest at all official ceremonies commemorating Belize’s 32 years of Independence. He will also visit two of Belize’s many natural tourist attractions. Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit’s visit will conclude on Sunday, September 22nd, 2013, when he returns to Dominica.

New British High Commissioner to Belize H.E. Peter Hughes Makes Courtesy Call on Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar
The new British High Commissioner to Belize, H. E. Peter Hughes, today made a courtesy call on Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar, in his office at the Ministry of National Security Headquarters in the Curl Thompson Building in Belmopan.

Female participants in the Five-a-side game held on Sunday at the Five-a-side stadium near the Santa Elena Public Library in images ‘Female FiveAside’
Hon. Rene Montero viewing the Five-a-side games on Sunday The Five-a-side football, which started about two weeks ago in the Cayo Central Division, is running smoothly. Some fourteen teams have participated in the Five-a-side so far. This comes as a full female teams clashed on Sunday at the Five-a-side stadium near the Santa Elena Public Library in the Cayo District. Area Representative for the Cayo Central Division, the Hon. Rene Montero braved the rains on Sunday to view the sport. The Hon. Rene Montero is providing the Jerseys, equipment as well as the trophies for all the Five-a-side games.

Jobs - a top priority for Benque Viejo del Carmen
The creation of job opportunities has become a top priority for the Benque Viejo del Carmen’s Town Council. Mayor Miguel Velasquez and his team have in the past had a meeting with the Hon. Erwin Contreras, the Minister of Trade, Investment Promotion, Private Sector Development and Consumer Protection and who is the Representative for the Cayo West Divisio, on a growth plan for Benque Viejo del Carmen.

KHMH Celebrating 18th Birthday
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is celebrating its 18th anniversary and on Wednesday, September 18th, the institution’s management team held a mixer with the press to speak about its medical advancement in the past year and how it has responded to the devastating outbreak in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

People’s Coalition of Cayo Meet
The People’s Coalition of Cayo (PCC) held its monthly meeting on September 11, 2013 at the San Ignacio Police Station. This is the last meeting of the PCC, before its soon to be announced Annual General Meeting. Present for the meeting on Wednesday was the PCC’s Chairman Albert Moore and Officer in Charge of San Ignacio Police Formation, Ralf Moody.

Crime Statistics for the Month of August, continuing trend in reduction
There were only 3 murders countrywide in August 2013, compared to 9 murders in August 2012. From January to August of 2013, there were a total of 70 murders, compared to a total of 97 for the same period of 2012.

Finally relief for San Estevan
The road from Orange Walk to Progresso has been getting progressively worse over the past few days. Despite numerous requests to the contractor to get work done on the road, it has been slow in coming. It was not until UDP Caretaker for Orange Walk Central, Denny Grijalva got personally involved that the terrible conditions of the road are beginning to be addressed.

September session of Supreme Court commences- over 100 cases on the list
The September session of the Supreme Court began on Monday, September 16th and already the court has seen a beefing up of security personnel posted at the institution. That’s because a number of murder cases are set to kick off before either Supreme Court judges, Adolph Lucas and Troadio John Gonzalez.

Deputy Prime Minister Vega concludes official visit to Petén, Guatemala
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture, Honorable Gaspar Vega, recently concluded a working visit to Petén, Guatemala as guest of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala.

Youth Talks - Meet the Kardashians... twerk it like Miley Cyrus
Why is it that we still wonder why our youths and our children are in the position that they are in now; lacking morals, respect and values? Have you ever sat down and watched what your children are watching? And when I mean watch, I mean have you ever sat down and put attention to what the movies, television shows and cartoons are teaching your child? I have. Once I sat down watching a television series created for young adolescent for about the age of ten to thirteen. I happened to pay attention to the plot of the series which was about two girls liking a boy and trying to seduce him in order to get a kiss. Guess which channel was playing the series? Hmm if you are thinking Disney then you got it right, the all-time favorite channel of most kids. It is of no surprise then, that to some extent these same producers encourage children to become wild. .

Dangerous Precedent
Like several of the other municipalities in our country, Orange Walk is a small town and the majority of its citizens know each other fairly well. Unlike other communities, however, the political climate in OW is always charged, no matter how far away the next elections are. Politics has become an integral part of the culture of the average Orangewalkeno; as much a part as the dozens of taco stands which dot the town at each corner. Even in such a heated atmosphere of diverse political opinions and sympathies, there is an underlying and tangible respect for each other and a calm acceptance of the outcome of each election once the ballots have been counted. Because of this familiarity between our people, we may rant and rail, but rarely take things to a personal level to bring harm to each other. But in every good story there will always be a novice, a greenhorn, who will try to stir the pot to see what develops; this Monday, 16 September being that example. This PUP Town Council triggered an incident that day which can have lasting effects here in our little town, since I am sure some UDP supporters will never forgive or forget the malice behind it.

BTB robber pleads guilty to 10 counts, sentenced to 46 years
On Monday, September 16th, 23-year-old Clarence Lamb, who is still limping from a gunshot injury to his right leg, was sentenced to 46 years in jail after he pleaded guilty to 10 criminal offenses including seven counts of aggravated assault, one count of robbery and 2 firearm related offenses for keeping a firearm and ammunition without a gun license. When he was first charged Lamb had pleaded not guilty but on his reappearance he changed his plea to guilty. The Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith who heard his plea for leniency sentenced him to 12 years for robbery, two 10 years for the firearm related offenses and two years each for the 7 counts of aggravated assault with a firearm upon seven BTB employees including a cashier. The sentences are to run concurrently with each so Lamb will only be serving 12 years imprisonment.

Teenager charge for the murder of Jamal Anthony Neal
On Friday September 13th, a St. John’s College Junior College student was arraigned for the murder of Jamal Anthony Neal who was killed on July 8th, on Banak Street in Belize City. 18-year-old, Micah Tillett was taken to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court where he was charged with one count of murder. Tillett, who was unrepresented, appeared before Magistrate, Hettie Mae Stewart. Magistrate Stewart explain to the teenager that due to the nature of the offense, no plea will be taken since the matter is an indictable offense and that he will be remanded to the prison. She also explained to him that on his next court date, he will appear before Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer since the matter was assigned to that court. Tillett now joins, UB Student, Jedd Allan Burgess, who is also on remand at the Belize Central Prison. Both Burgess and Tillett will appear in Court #2 on October 15, 2013 for the first time together, for the murder of 21-year-old Jamal Anthony Neal.

Accused cop killer gets off ammunition charges
In July 2012, police investigations into the shooting death of a policeman led investigators to arrest and charge Bainsville resident, Delford Slusher for the offense of murder, and ammunition offenses. Police allegations are that on July 24, 2013, Slusher was found in possession of 2-aguila brand bullets which were found in a black suitcase inside his home. On July 25, 2012, Slusher was arraigned and remanded to prison on that charge. On Friday, September 13th, Slusher appeared in court where he was acquitted of the offense of keeping ammunition without a gun license. In a ruling, Magistrate Adolph Lucas found Slusher not guilty of keeping ammunition without being granted a gun license since there were a number of discrepancies which unfolded in the trial.

XV Central American Table Tennis Masters Championships September 13 -15, 2013
The XV Central American Table Tennis Masters Championships concluded yesterday, September 15, 2013 at the Belize Elementary School auditorium.

Baden pink balls for the XXIII National Women’s Softball Championship
The Belize Softball Federation will play host to the XXIII Edition of the National Women’s Softball Championship which is scheduled for Friday, September 27 – September 29, 2013, at Rogers Stadium the home of softball in Belize. As the premier female sports in the country, the Belize Softball Federation has dedicated this year’s National Women’s Softball Championship to the survivors of cancer especially breast cancer. The Baden’s balls that will be used in the championship are pink in colour and carry the logo of the Cancer Awareness Foundation. The ceremonial first pitch will be a dual pitch, the first time that this will be done in the country and this honours will be given to Mrs. Philippa Griffith-Bailey, ISF Hall of Fame Member, immediate past Treasurer of the Belize Softball Federation, the only Women in Sports Commissioner in the country and she will be joined by a representative of the Cancer Society.

Basketball Firms’ Competition enters Knockout round
Written by Administrator Thursday, 19 September 2013 00:00 The Belize District Basketball Association Firms’ competition will enter its knockout round on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at Bird’s Isle. In the first game on the schedule at 7:30 pm will feature Belize City Council against PUC/CBA/Fisheries. In game two, BTL will see action against Ready Call Centre. On Friday, September 27, 2013 in the first game at 7:30 pm Heritage Bank will go up against Courts and this will be followed by Belize Bank against Central Health. The competition will then enter the Quarterfinal round on Thursday, October 3, 2013 with two more games on the schedule.

Belize Rural Softball Association playoffs commence
The Belize Rural Softball Association entered its playoffs round on Sunday, September 15th, 2013. In the first game played, Easy Does It of Flowers Bank edged Lord’s Bank Sunrise by the score of 18-17. The winning pitcher was Amber Wade and the losing pitcher was Stacey Smith. In game two, UB Jaguars blasted Mel’s United of Double Head Cabbage by the score of 16-6. The winning pitcher was Herlette Clarke and the losing pitcher was Annett Morey. The competition will continue on Sunday, September 22, at Lord’s Bank Village. In the first game scheduled for 9:00 am will see Lord’s Bank Sunrise against Easy Does It from Flowers Bank and in game two it will be Mel’s United of Double Head Cabbage against UB Jaguars.

Visiting Ambassadors present their Credentials to Governor General
Ten ambassadors presented their credentials to the Governor General at Belize House in Belmopan, today. The ambassadors were: H.E. Jan Gerhard Lassen of Norway, H.E. Hristo Gudjev of Bulgaria, H.E. Polyxeni Stefanidou of Greece, H.E. Palam Mulonda of the Republic of Zambia, H.E. Leon Kalenga of the Holy See, H.E. Julio Anibal Riano Velanda of Columbia, H.E. Stuart Savage of Canada, H.E. Guy Lamothe of Haiti, H.E. Matthias Peter Sonn of Germany, and H.E. Segundo Rafael Andrango-Bonilla of Ecuador. The ambassadors all stressed the good relations between their country and Belize and offered on behalf of their country a continuance of support to Belize. Their messages included well-wishes to the Governor General as well as to the Government and people of Belize. The Governor General courteously received their presentations and warmly welcomed the ambassadors to Belize.

Pickstock Carnival Band and Mother Nature’s Creation are 2013 Road March Champions
Pickstock Carnival Band and Mother Nature’s Creation earned a year’s worth of bragging rights on Saturday, September 14th, when they were named the 2013 Junior and Senior Carnival Road March Champions. In the words of Patrick Thompson, President of the Belize Carnival Association, “All the bands were really impressive this year. It was the most colourful Carnival I have ever seen.” Thousands of Belizeans shared that opinion as they gathered in large numbers along the stretch of Central American Boulevard and Princess Margaret Drive to witness the spectacular road march. There were thirteen bands participating in the road march this year; including, one from Seine Bight and one from Dangriga. Competing in the junior band category were Pickstock Carnival Band from the Victoria Street area, Black Pearl Carnival Band from the Queen Square area, Jump Street Posse from the Albert Street area, Sunshine Masqueraders from the Yarborough (Southside) area and Irahunu Mas Band from Dangriga. Wipeout Carnival Band from Seine Bight, which has dominated the Placencia Peninsula’s competition in recent years, also participated in the junior section this year but not competitively

Survey of Drugs and Alcohol in Our Schools
The National Drug Abuse Control Council will conduct a survey of approximately three thousand high school and junior college students to gage the level of alcohol, tobacco and drug use in our schools today. According to Amelio Matura, Schools and Communities Program Unit Coordinator at the National Drug Abuse Control Council, the survey is part of a regional effort to address drug use and abuse by Caribbean adolescents. Matura says the data will be compared to those compiled in 2003 and 2008 to see if intervention strategies implemented in schools have worked. He says based on the results of surveys that are being conducted in other Caribbean countries, Belize will study and adapt intervention strategies that have worked in order to aggressively tackle drug use in our schools. The Epidemiological High School Drug Prevalence Survey of 2003 had a sample of 1,700 students and almost 27% did not believe that frequent use of alcohol was harmful. 12.8% of those who were drinkers drank more than 10 drinks daily. 22.9% of drinkers were also marijuana smokers. Belize’s sample of the 2008 Global Youth Tobacco Survey included 1,751 students aged 13 to 15 years. That survey showed that 8% of students are cigarette smokers and 1 in 5 use some form of tobacco. It also revealed that 26.6% of students have tried cigarette smoking and a quarter live in homes in which someone smokes. Three quarters of smokers have tried to quit but failed because they did not receive help doing so.

Mayor Bradley: “Trade License Act Needs to Change”
Mayor Darrel Bradley says that the Trade License Act is unfair and it needs to be amended. The Chamber of Commerce recently wrote to the Minister of Local Government, Senator Godwin Hulse, asking for him to guarantee that the Belize City Council will not raise trade license fees for the upcoming year. Mayor Bradley says that the Chamber needs to do a better job as an advocacy group in working with the council on behalf of its members. The Chamber had similar complaints last year and was encouraged to work with the Ministry of Local Government and the City Council to come up with a more acceptable trade license assessment system. Mayor Bradley says a year later “the chamber has not put forward any proposal to us.” He continues, “The only time we hear from them is around tax time, which is not a good time for us. It is after we have already made our assessments, printed the bills and issued them out that we here from central government that the chamber wants to meet.”

70 More Streets under Belize City Infrastructure Project Phase 2
The Belize City Infrastructure Project is nearing completion but Mayor Darrel Bradley says there is much more the Council wants to accomplish in terms of infrastructural development and a proposal for phase II of the project is already on the table.

New Measures to Improve Enforcement of Fisheries Laws
The Belize Fisheries Department will benefit from a new initiative being funded by the European Union to improve the enforcement of fisheries laws in the Caribbean region. Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism, said, “A major weakness in the Caribbean region is the fact that our capacity is limited on the enforcement side, and very often offenses are not successful in the courts because the proper procedures are not followed.” He continued, “"We want to strengthen their capacities so that they are more effective at prosecuting offenses against the Fisheries Act.”

The Reporter

Cayo cops maul BDF soldier
Belize Defense Force Corporal, Keith Pinnix, 27, a seven-year veteran of the Force, is recuperating from injuries he sustained, allegedly at the hands of a few police officers.

Differences over U.S. – Russian deal focuses on possible punishment for Syria
Just days after Russia and the United States reached a deal on getting Syria to give up its chemical weapons, world powers are divided over the details.

US vows to work through tensions even as Brazil uproar over NSA grows
Even as the uproar mounts in Brazil over reports that the United States spied on President Dilma Rousseff , Brazil’s Foreign Minister continued to proceed to Washington on Wednesday.

Rural communities to benefit from Rural Health initiative
Sixteen Peace Corps Volunteers, focused on implementing a two-year Rural Family Health program, were sworn in on September 6t in Belmopan.

Belize Territorial Volunteers protest Guatemalan presence
The Belize Territorial Volunteers have written a formal complaint to the Prime Minister about Guatemalan armed forces entering Belizean Territory.

Opposition reps. leave PAC, GoB will now oversee itself!
The Government of Belize will now audit itself, as the opposition, People’s United Party’s members on the Public Accounts Committee say they’ve decided to boycott any GOB-led PAC meetings.

A Culture of Corruption
The current crisis at the Social Investment Fund brings into sharp focus the overwhelming culture of corruption that has now dominated our society.

Clarence Lamb, BTB robber, gets long prison sentence
The man who robbed the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) in January and was shot during his escape attempt was sentenced to 46 years in prison on Monday.

Living adult tissue transformed back into embryo state
A new, relatively simple way of treating heart attacks could save thousands of lives, according to specialists at a Clydebank hospital.

Byron Pope wins BCA September Criterium
Byron Pope of the Benny’s megabytes team won the annual September cycling criterium organized by the Belize Cycling Association and sponsored by the Belize City Council and Bowen & Bowen Ltd on Albert and Regent Streets in downtown Belize City on Sunday, September 15.

Belize wins gold in C.A. table tennis singles championships
Belizean Eric Stamp won a gold medal in the over-65 age division, when Belize Table Tennis Association hosted the 15th Central American table tennis masters championships at the Belize Elementary School auditorium on Saturday and Sunday, September 14-15.

Blogs

Carnival 2013: Belize City Wi Bash It Up, Part Two
In first post on last weekend’s Carnival in Belize City, everyone looks clean and dry, happy, neatly pressed and well hydrated. This was before the parade really started. About 4 hours later, as we were stationed at the Belikin tent by the Karl Heusner Hospital, the crowd was just trying to keep cool. These ice salesmen were doing swift business… Tailgating of all sorts was happening up and down the road. I won’t pretend it was just tasty ices…rum bottles were being passed around freely. Thanks sir…but I’m good for right now. With his many “Rollin’ 30s” prison tattoos and half closed eyes, I certainly wanted to keep my curb-mate on my good side. Finally! The first vehicle arrived. We honestly were waiting for HOURS! And I was charged by this guy who spent a few seconds twerking on me. Obviously this is a costume that life altering night mares are made of. He stood up, conked me in the head with a bull horn and thankfully ran off to catch up with the parade.

Belizean Creole Bread 1 Loaf in the Toaster Oven
No need to be discouraged because you can't need up too much dough at once. With minimal ingredients, you can now make only one loaf of delicious Belizean Creole Bread.

PRIME MINISTER ROOSEVELT SKERRIT TO VISIT THE JEWEL
Late this evening, the government announced that the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, will be arriving this Wednesday in the country. Skerrit is a guest of the government during the remaining Independence Day celebrations which include the official Independence Day ceremonies in Belmopan. Following his arrival, Skerrit will be paying a courtesy visit on the Prime Minister Dean Barrow and will also be taking time to experience the jewel’s natural beauty. Skerrit will be accompanied by Collin McIntyre, Minister of Trade of Dominica. Their visit ends on September twenty-second September. Recently, the Prime Minister was having a bumpy ride back in Dominica. In early September, following fiery public criticism, Skerrit’s government withdrew the nomination of Alix-Boyd Knights as a candidate for the presidency of Dominca. Knights is the current Speaker of the House and the criticism over her nomination was that she was biased against the opposition.

“Movin’ On” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
A nice dry morning when I got out onto the veranda yesterday shortly after 04.30 hours. I enjoy the sound of the rain but sometimes its been known to dilute my coffee too much. I don’t like really strong coffee but I do want to know its in there. I know there’s a simple solution . Like, move the mug. But sometimes I forget its there. A by product of getting old? I prefer to think that it is because I am deep in contemplation! After taking my dose of The Times on line I decided to take the camera for a little stroll along the beach. It was a nice morning with a cooling breeze and the sun wasn’t out. I also thought that it would give me be opportunity to satisfy requests made by a number of you that I vary the photos a little.

A Trip to Belize As An AFAR Ambassador
I thank social media for knowing someone as awesome as Kirsten. If I remember correctly, I met her via twitter a few years ago - mobile photography was a new thing, and I loved her photos. But what I like the most about her is that she’s super friendly and always up for a good chat on twitter. I’m glad Kirsten was finally able to visit Belize and from the looks of it, she had a great time. A Q&A; on her recent trip to Belize as an AFAR ambassador follows: Tell me a little about yourself and your travel style? Well, I hate writing about myself! Which is hilarious since so much of my job requires it. Instead, I love photographing and writing about places and about the people who make a place special. That’s what drove me to become a travel photographer and writer. I used to be a nomad, traveling from assignment to assignment and rarely pausing to catch up on work in between. Now, I have a home in New York City with my boyfriend (and sometimes travel partner) and travel a little less. Yet I think I appreciate travel more now.

A Touch of Luxury in Belize
Belize is a small country that packs a big punch for adventurous travellers who want to experience the outdoors. However, modern facilities and comforts aren’t the norm here as you’re probably used to. You don’t have to ‘rough it’ as there are some excellent luxury resorts here. Accommodation in Belize has many options from non-air conditioned hostel rooms to multimillion dollar beach front mansions. Lets take a look at three resorts from Belize’s most popular vacation destinations.

International Sources

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013
From views of the Moon and our neighbours in the solar system, to colourful depictions of the gases and galaxies which swirl in deep space. Take a look at the best images - and see the overall winner - of this year's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

Ignacio Volunteers have life-changing experiences through service in Belize, Jamaica
Over the summer, 30 Loyola University New Orleans students immersed themselves in a new country, giving a whole new meaning to the word “service.” Fifteen Loyola students participated in a 10-day service trip to Kingston, Jamaica in May while another 15 students traveled to Belize from late July to mid-August. The students served as Ignacio Volunteers, a program of Loyola’s Office of Mission and Ministry. In Belize, more than 200 local primary children participated in the two-week Ignacio Volunteer 'Umadagu Lescuelana' Summer Camp—founded by the Rev. Ted Dziak, S.J., Loyola vice president for Mission and Ministry, more than 20 years ago—at Holy Ghost School, a small Catholic primary school in the town of Dangriga. The Loyola students worked with Belizean co-teachers and taught classes in English, math, and arts and crafts in the mornings. In the afternoons, the students led a sports program in basketball, soccer and volleyball.

New World Oil & Gas highlights ongoing farm-out discussion
Belize and Denmark-focused exploration and development company New World Oil and Gas on Thursday unveiled interim losses of -9.49m dollars, well ahead of the -1.4m dollars seen for the comparable period of 2012. The majority of those were the result of the write-downs incurred as a result of the dry-wells encountered during the period, in its Belize – formerly known as British Honduras – Blue Creek licence area. Drilling in Belize showed that three of the four elements required to make a commercial discovery were in place; source, migration and seal. The missing element was the trap – as a result of seismic activity in the area. Besides the aforementioned operating cost, as the firm treated those losses, the outfit also incurred in a £259m loss resulting from provisions for losses on a financial instrument.

Hottest Destinations in Belize
Known for its exemplary beauty, Belize is a small sea side nation located between Guatemala and Mexico. Whether you want to enjoy oceanic activities or jungle adventures, Belize is the ideal destination for that perfect holiday. Mentioned below is a list of some of the most interesting places that you can visit while in Belize. A visit to Belize is not complete unless you visit the Barrier Reef. Located 25 miles from the Belize coast, this reef happens to be the second biggest reef of its kind at approximately 180 miles. This can be considered as the number one tourist attraction found in Belize. While at this destination, you can enjoy snorkelling, diving and fishing.

No Stress, No Regrets—Living off the Land in Belize
Alfredo and Yvonne Villoria were just another fast-paced, career-minded couple in Los Angeles. But money-making wasn’t enough. “We felt that something was missing,” says Yvonne.

September 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 latest Tia Chocolate column is ready for reading!!!
La Llorona:
Long Ago: It burned and stung, the stickiness making wet squelching sounds that I was sure could be heard all the way in the village. The grass hid us from sight, but its sharp green blades dug into my exposed flesh. I couldn’t move from where I lay, for he held my hands in a vice-like grip while he was over me, doing something I knew was bad. It hurt, but I didn’t make a sound. Above me I could hear the cries of birds, their evening song coming together in a chorus. I don’t know how long I had lain there while he did the bad thing to me, but knew for sure it had been a long time, for the sun had been bright when he started. That sun was now fast fading, the gloom of nighttime approaching in its wake, as if brought in by the sound of the evening birds.

The San Pedro Sun

Shooting leaves 2 injured, including an 11-year-old student
The San Pedro Police Department are investigating a shooting incident that left two persons injured, including an 11 year old male student of San Pedro Roman Catholic School. The incident happened on Coconut Drive, near the airstrip, shortly after 11:30AM on Wednesday September 18th. The shooting happened during height of traffic as the students were heading home for lunch. According to police the entire incident was caught on a surveillance camera. When speaking to The San Pedro Sun Luis Mendez, an eyewitness explained that he had just arrived on a flight and was in the process of exiting the terminal from one of the local airlines. “When I was stepping out, I saw a man pulled out a gun and pointed it at head of another man. The men then began struggling and the firearm fell to the ground. They both went for the gun and they struggled for firearm on the ground. I went to inform a traffic officer who was in the area but when I was returning, I heard a blast. I saw the man that had the guy running down an alley towards the beach,” said Mendez.

National AIDS Commission Island Committee raising awareness
The National AIDS Commission Island Committee has been hard at work educating the public and offering the opportunities to individuals to learn their HIV status. On Friday September 6th, the Island Committee teamed up with the Caye Caulker Health Committee to offer a full day of HIV services in Caye Caulker. Two teams were dispatched to the island, thanks to the generosity of the San Pedro Belize Express which provided transportation for all eight participants. At the Caye Caulker Village Center – Nurse Lezel Cayetano, Nurse Robertha Herera, Miss Kristina Romero and Miss Natalie Arceo spent the day interacting, counselling and offering free HIV rapid tests to villagers to take the test. At the end of that exercise, we had tested 33 individuals.

San Pedro Cancer Society holds Blood Drive
On Saturday September 14th the San Pedro Cancer Society (SPCS) sponsored a blood drive which was held in collaboration with the Belize Blood Bank. The drive took place at the Island Galleria from 8AM to 3PM. No appointments were needed and all were welcomed to come out and support the cause. SPCS members encouraged passersby to give a little back to the community and donate a pint of blood. Several people came out to offer their support to SPCT and donate blood. At the end of the day SPCS was able to donate over 11 units of blood to the Belize Blood Bank. The purpose of the blood drive is to keep blood in reserve for emergencies, “It isn’t for our cancer patients, it is for any San Pedro residents who has suffered an accident and needs blood,” said Miguel Perez. Blood that was collected will be screened and made available for San Pedro patients through credits in the blood bank. If any emergency arises on the island where blood is needed the blood will be released to the patient.

Marco Gonzalez Reserve Temporarily Closed Due to Flooding
Jan Brown, Director of the Marco Gonzalez Reserve located south of San Pedro Town submitted the following : "I went to Marco entrance this morning (Sept 18). What a trip! The southern road is badly flooded from Victoria House to the end. I only went to Marco at Mile 5.25. Finally took out my camera to capture some of it. I've never seen this much water on the road. Thankfully, SPTC has added some hardcore from Croc Lagoon to almost the Dump road. Thanks Kendrick and crews! Marco Gonzalez Reserve will be closed for next few days. The boardwalk is underwater for quite some way. I didn't wade into the site, but if it's this high on the walkway, I know the water level will have encroached at the site entrance, Plaza 2 will be flooded and for sure the west side pathway will be underwater. I'll investigate on Thursday."

Ambergris Today

National AIDS Commission Works in Caye Caulker and San Pedro
The National AIDS Commission Island Committee has been hard at work educating the public and offering the opportunities to individuals to learn their HIV status. On Friday September 6th, the Island Committee teamed up with the Caye Caulker Health Committee to offer a full day of HIV services in Caye Caulker. Two teams were dispatched to the island, thanks to the generosity of the San Pedro Belize Express which provided transportation for all eight participants. At the Caye Caulker Village Center – Nurse Lezel Cayetano, Nurse Robertha Herera, Miss Kristina Romero and Miss Natalie Arceo spent the day interacting, counselling and offering free HIV rapid tests to villagers to take the test. At the end of that exercise, we had tested 33 individuals.

Fulbright and University of Belize collaborate on teaching English Methods
The University of Belize in collaboration with the Fulbright Scholarship Program, United States, has developed a Sheltered Instruction Model for teaching English to students who come from a variety of language backgrounds, and for students who may not demonstrate adequate language proficiency in English. Sheltered Instruction consists of teaching strategies that focus on language and content, and is used as a teaching tool for lecturers/teachers to teach students at different levels of proficiency; in particular, for students whose first language is not English. Sheltered Instruction is being used in American schools to boost the performance of students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Education, Entrepreneurship, & Community Service
Dear Editor, Please allow me space in your newspaper to share my utmost perspective on 3 high points that young BELIZEANS should have at heart. We all know that in an ever changing world, BELIZE needs to adapt quickly, or the country and its people will lose its grasp. Our Government understands this for sure. But they need to reinforce dynamics into its young people. These younger generations today, are fast adapting to technology, internet and cable TV, for instance. However, they need to learn to apply it usefully, and properly to accommodate Education, Entrepreneurship, & Community Service. These high points are areas which must be “worked into” the mentality of the young people in BELIZE to ensure that the future is not only promising, but feasible to growth, and development of the economy. After all, Belize is in You, Belize is in Me, but we can’t say that we live in the LAND OF THE FREE. Respectfully Yours, Kenny Jacobs Executive Director/ TV Host Teens Belize Organization/ Developing Toledo TV Show www.teensbelize.com

Misc Belizean Sources

Belizean Artist, Wilson Grinage releases his new Soca single - "Misbehavin"
An excellent collaboration between Belizean Artists, Wilson Grinage and Ernestine Carballo.

Postcards from Belize
"A video of postcards from all over Belize. Some look pretty old. The Hawkesworth is in there. There are a lot of them. Thanks to Belize Abroad for the video."

Angela Casey Receives Meritorious Service Award
Congratulations to Angela Casey for receiving the Meritorious Service Award! Thanks for all your great contributions, Mrs. Casey. "A teacher for forty-three years, Mrs. Angela Therese Casey has touched the lives of over five thousand children from Belmopan and surrounding areas. Her journey as a teacher began after receiving her Teacher’s diploma from the Belize Teachers’ College, starting her career as a teacher at the Roaring Creek Roman Catholic Primary School and thereafter various schools throughout Belize. Mrs. Casey’s legacy, however, is best credited to the Belmopan Community Preschool which she founded in 1983 and for which she was appointed Principal in 1984."

Divaz Next Door Bocawina Adventure
The Divaz Next Door are having another fun adventure, and this time it's to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park for some ziplining and waterfall rappelling. Bocawina has the longest zipline in Belize - the best too! - and the waterfall rappelling is a refreshing adrenaline rush. All ladies 18 and older that are interested need only like their fb page, and follow the super-simple directions for entering the contest. They are choosing 3 lucky winners randomly from the entrants. Email your submission in by September 23rd for a chance to go on this amazing trip.

Moving to Belize: When Philadelphia Refinement Met Rustic Living in Belize: S. Tyson Gardner: 9781492307129: Amazon.com: Books
What do you do when Belize calls to you? Do you answer the call? For S. Tyson Gardner, the answer was simple - you throw your hat over the wall and GO for it! What happens next is an adventure! You are sure to laugh, cry and glean wisdom from this book. Enjoy Tyson's unique conversational writing style that has you feel as you are there with him. “You will love this book! You will laugh out loud as S. Tyson Gardner shares his true story of his mis-adventures that will educate you on the joys, tribulations and thought provoking insight of Belize uncensored. It is said that there is something in the water of Belize that just GRABS you - this book will GRAB you right back!” Dr. Edward Paul, Honorary Consul of Belize “Expats move to Belize for many reasons. This book is a delightfully entertaining way to learn about some of the adventures and challenges when moving to Belize. Tyson's story is full of insider information from someone who made the move and learned how to adjust to a new culture along the way. Current Expats in Belize will identify with the stories in this book and soon-to-be Expats will learn from them. A must-read for anyone considering expatriation to Belize Central America.” Yvette Dalton www.ExpatBelize.com

Paan Yaad Steel Band Concert will be held in Belize City on Thursday 9-19-2013
Paan Yaad Steel Band Concert is certainly an event that will have you moving in your seat to the beats they play. This years event will be no different and will surely get you in the spirit to dance. Take a look at a previous event for Paan Yaad:

Police bust trio with uncustomed cigarettes
Three persons including two women are in police detention in San Ignacio town after they were busted with a cache of uncustomed cigarettes on Tuesday night. Police say that around 7:30 pm on Tuesday, the intercepted and searched a car without license plates in front of the Uno Gas station on the George Price Highway in San Ignacio town. Police say that when the truck of the car was opened they found a large plastic bag containing a variety of cartons of cigarettes. The occupants of the car which had the word “TAXI: written on the rear bumper were taken to the San Ignacio police station for processing. Two of the persons, the taxi driver included, are Belizeans while the third person is from Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala. An inventory of the uncustomed cigarettes shows: 50 cartons of Gem Virginia Blend; 15 cartons of Benson and Hedges; 6 cartons of Richman Royal Menthol and 1 carton of Vogue Blue cigarettes.

GSU search results in big marijuana bust
The Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) is reporting a big drug bust in Belize City. During a search of a house on Gibson Street on Sunday night, personnel of the GSU say they found two sacks and two separate plastic bags underneath a sheet all containing marijuana weighing over 50 pounds. The home owner and the marijuana were escorted to the Queen Street police station. The following day, on Monday, September 16 police formally arrested and charged Calbert Hubert Young, 24, with four counts of possession of controlled drugs with the intent to supply. Police say the amount of marijuana found in the bags weighed in at 17.5 kilograms in one bag; 7 kilograns in another; 451 grams in a third and 448 grams in the fourth bag.

Channel 7

Ramirez And Bailey Say SIF Told Their Bankers To Proceed After Corruption Was Known
The scandal at the Social Investment Fund is still simmering this evening as there are many loose ends in a tale of what appears to be corruption run amok in an institution that was widely perceived to be above board. Our coverage tonight begins with the two local investors who found out the hard way that "what appears to be and what is" at SIF are two very different things. Last night Emy Ramirez and Lyndon Bailey listened as Minister with responsibility for SIF, Santiago Castillo Jr said that Government had no money to refund them. That's after they gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in bridge financing to Kennard Smart's company so that he could try and finish the Dangriga Market. Today we got their reaction to that announcement, along with commentary from Ramirez's attorney Audrey Matura Shepherd:..

Why Contractor General Said Cano Had To Go
And the man in the middle of that muddy area was Executive Director Daniel Cano. At Monday's emergency meeting of the SIF Board of Directors, he was given the option to resign - and he did, packing up that very night. But, his conduct in the office remains very much in question. Centrally, Kennard Smart has accused him of accepting an eleven thousand dollar cash bribe, which we stress that Cano has denied receiving, and the contractor general says in his report, quote, "there is an absence of clear, compelling and conclusive evidence which supports or corroborates the solicitation or receipt on (CANO'S) part of any monies from K & G Construction Limited or the Contractor in person." So that remains as only an unsupported allegation, but one made by a source who proved credible in his other charges. But according to the contractor General, Cano has other failings. In his report - which 7news has obtained a part of, the Contractor General says, quote, "in his capacity as Executive Director of SIF, the manner in which he dealt with revelations of alleged bribes, extorted sums or gifts of money purportedly paid to himself and other SIF employees by the Contractor, is less than desirable." End quote. Indeed, in his complaint to the Contractor General, Smart says he reported the allegations of corruption to Cano, quote, "giving him checks and stubs for him to settle the matter with his officers; instead he called them in, showed them the evidence and used it at his discretion to control them" end quote. Smart alleges that Cano ultimately lost the stubs.

BTB Backtracks On Aurelio Martinez Track, Says It Was A Mistake
One week ago, the Belize Tourism board had the local launch of its new "Discover How to Be" promotional video. It stirred quite a controversy because the music backing the video was an Aurelio Martinez song, "Santo Negro" - and he's a Honduran. Still, though, the song was conceived in Belize, recorded in Hopkins with mostly Belizean musicians, a Belizean producer and on the premier Belizean record label, Stonetree records. But all that didn't count for local artists who complained that they were passed over and disrespected; today the BTB backtracked and caved in to those pressures. It issued a statement 90 minutes ago saying, quote, "The Belize Tourism Board wishes to express…our sincere regret for the musical track chosen for the "Discover How To Be" Belize promotional video. We are deeply saddened that our decision was the cause of such public concern as it was never our intention to disrespect or offend our own talented musicians." End quote. The statement continues, quote, "In selecting the track, we placed our emphasis on finding a culturally relevant piece of music created, recorded and produced in Belize that blended seamlessly with the timing and tempo of the video." End quote.

Did Basilio Abduct His Own Baby?
Tonight, Guatemalan Police continue to keep on file a missing persons report in which former VIP Candidate Basilio Mes is being accused of abducting his baby from her mother over in Guatemala and returning to Belize. As seen in this flier, the child's mother reported that Mes, showed up at her Guatemala City home and took the baby without her permission. The infant, 9 month old Izabella Lariza Mes Suchini, is a child which Mes shared with the woman, Mariana Suchini, who made the report against him. She told police that the child has been missing September 10, and that's when the police issued the notice on all community boards so that they can be on the look-out. She's also been reaching out to the different media houses, including our news room, requesting that the matter be broadcast to the public. But, it would seem Mes is giving a different version of events, in which he is categorically denying all claims that he abducted his daughter and brought her to Belize to hide.

Battlefield Park: The Big Reveal
The Battlefield Park is at the center of Belize City - but for decades - it was not a public space in the truest sense. And that's simply because it was over-run with homeless persons, covered in filth and smothered by stench. So, when work to renovate the park started in May, it wasn't just to fix up the place, but to reclaim it as a viable public space. And from the early reviews we'd say that goal has been surpassed. Sure, they had to close off two vital streets to do it - but, as the old saying goes, if you want breakfast, you're gonna have to break some eggs - and the Belize City mayor smashes 'em by the dozen! That meal was served up today when the new park was opened and 7news was there:.. Daniel Ortiz reporting Today, the Newly renovated Battlefield Park was officially opened for public use.

Embattled KHMH CEO Gets Contract Extension
Today the KHMH invited the media to a late afternoon mixer where the hospital administration noted the institution's 18th anniversary by going over some key achievements. They also provided an update on the work that's being done at the new neo-natal intensive care unit. The event ran close to our deadline, so we'll have that full story tomorrow - but tonight we do have some news that came out of the event, and it is that Gary Longsworth is staying on as CEO. His contract expires this month and he told us the Board has given him a one year extension:.. Gary Longsworth "I should hope to be here for at least one more year, during which time I hope to get a lot of the projects well entrenched, a lot of the changes completed and then we will see where we go from there." Jules Vasquez "So then you have been given a contract extension." Gary Longsworth "Yes the offer is there." Jules Vasquez "Ok but then, this is not a reflection on you, but a member of the public might ask how would your contract be extended when you have presided over when the most regrettable event, when people say 13, I know the report says 8 - when 8 babies died in just a few days in May. Who would give you a renewal based on that?"

Mayor Says Trade Licenses Reviewable/Apologizes For Publishing Bogus Tax Arrears Declarations
In December of last year, 7News told you about the sharp increase in trade license fees for Belize City where business-owners complained that they were not being fairly assessed. Well last week, the Belize City Council published notices in the major newspapers in which they announced that assessment of business for the 2014 trade license fees is due to begin shortly. That sent out waves of concern from business owners, who are now dreading what their new assessment will be, and how much they will be required to pay. They've voiced that concern to the Belize City Council, and today, while he had the opportunity; Mayor Darrell Bradley announced that he is open to having a discussion on how the trade license assessment should actually work. Here's how he explained it: Mayor Darrell Bradley "Every year in the months of September and October we send out these notices to remind people that by December you have to pay your business trade license. I have also been in discussions with various groups including the mayors association to really discuss how the trade license regime can be changed."

Up To The End Of August, Crime Was Down
Today, the Police Department released the crime statistics for the month of August, and the numbers reflect that, nationally, all major crimes are down by 11.2%. Shooting incidents are down by 29.4%. Murder is down by 27.8%, while rape is down by 30%, but the most significant decrease comes from the number of robberies, which, according to the data, shows that this major crime is down by 43%. But while police are making progress in these areas, theft is up by 7%, and reports of carnal knowledge are up by 51%. Police also announced the winners of the Minister of National Security's monthly awards for the zone and formation which performed the best at reducing major crimes for the month of August. The winner chosen was Western Zone, which covers the area of the Cayo District, and which is under the command of Senior Superintendent Aaron Guzman. The best performing sub-formation, according to police, was the Benque-Viejo Sub-Formation, which is headed by Assistant Superintendent Dinsdale Thompson.

2014 Holidays Announced
The list of holiday's for 2014 has been released and weekend warriors might be disappointed to see that there are only five long weekends on the list - that's including Christmas and Easter. New Year's day falls on a Wednesday, while Heroes and Benefactors day March 10th will be observed on Monday, March 10th. Easter Holidays run form April 18 to the 21st, followed by Labour Day which falls on a Thursday. But holiday lovers do get a break when Sovereign's Day which falls on Saturday May 24th, is observed on Monday the 26th. The tenth falls on a Wednesday, but interestingly the 21st falls on a Sunday so Independence day will be observed on Monday September 22nd. Pan American Day will be observe don Monday October 13th - while Garifuna Settlement day falls on a Wednesday. Christmas will be on Thursday the 25th December, so like Easter, it will be a four day weekend.

Dominica PM Visits, Says Belize Plays Pivotal Role In CARICOM
As we told you last night - Dominica's Prime Minister will be the guest of honour at the 32nd Anniversary of Belize's Independence. Skerrit arrived in the country this morning and we caught him at the airport. At only 41 years old, he's serving his second term as Prime Minister - but he told us the difficulties of governance are the same whether young or old, small nation or large. Skerrit opened by explaining why' he's happy to be here:... Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica "I am here really to celebrate with the Belizean people. You have a wonderful country, wonderful people and I think you in Belize underestimate the important role you play in the wider Caricom family. Belize is a very important member of Caricom and has been instrumental in leading the way in a number of important issues within the Caricom region. For example, Belize has lead the way in the issues relating to climate change and the environment and also with the Caribbean Court of Justice. Belize is one of few countries within Caricom who has join on to the CCJ." "Belize continues to play an important role notwithstanding its geographic distance away from Caricom."

Darley Says Mass Cruise Tourism Can Still Be “Pocket”
One month ago, Hugh Darley, the Project Manager for Norwegian Cruise Line's Harvest Caye project raised eyebrows when he discussed the Garifuna, which, with his southern drawl sounded more like "Gari-foona". But he got into trouble when he spoke about re-enacting the Dugu Dance - which was a major miscue because the Dugu is a sacred and closed ceremony where the Garifuna communicate with their ancestors. That comment elicited a condemnatory statement from the National Garifuna Council, but Darley is undeterred: Norwegian has major plans for Belize, and they plan also to work with the Garifuna, so they won't let that mis-statement get in the way. Darley told us today that he met with the President of the National Garifuna Council Robert Mariano to explain what Norwegian has in mind:.. Hugh Darley, Project Director - NCL harvest Caye "We probably make the mistake by asking the audience for the name for dance. The idea was that we like to showcase entertainment. You say entertainment and culture is the same thing, there are certain things that are sacred and we understand that, but what we want to do is we want things to be authentic."

Channel 5

Contractor Kenard Smart says he hasn’t been paid since May 2013 and is turning to the World Bank
The dust is yet to settle on the sandal at the Social Investment Fund which led to the resignation of Executive Director Daniel Cano and the termination of Mike Hernandez, [...]

A minor is shot in San Pedro
San Pedro police are tonight investigating a shooting incident in which two people were injured shortly before midday.  Reports are that two men were involved in an altercation in the [...]

Commuters take matters in hand over the impassable San Estevan Road
There was mayhem today in Orange Walk as commuters were unable to drive through the San Estevan road to get to their destinations. The stretch of road in the constituency [...]

Isani bests the region and wins another award
In July, the Caribbean Research Development Institute, CARDI and the Technical Center for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, CTA, launched the third Regional Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Awards. The theme this [...]

NCL says it is getting support from the south for the mega tourism project on Harvest Caye
Six past presidents of the Belize Tourism Industry Association have jointly signed a letter opposing the Norwegian Cruise Line Project at Harvest Caye because it goes contrary to Sustainable Tourism [...]

B.T.B. says it will host a consultation in Placencia
Cruise Sub-committee Chairman Roger Espejo says that the Belize Tourism Board is actively participating in a readiness consultation in the south to field questions and concerns from stakeholders who are [...]

B.T.B. apologizes to local artists for using Aurelio Martinez’s track on promotional video
This afternoon, the Belize Tourism Board issued an apology to all Belizeans. It is a first for the B.T.B. which came under fire from artists as well as from many [...]

Port of Belize C.E.O. discusses wide range of issues including the CBA
The Port of Belize has been going through a phased out modernization program. In the past months, new equipment has been acquired, construction work continues to take place to improve [...]

Mayor Darrell Bradley clarifies newly implemented bus routes
Up north, the commuters protested this morning the deplorable conditions of the San Estevan Road and by this afternoon, workmen were busy trying to fix the road. But in the [...]

Mayor Bradley addresses the issue of trade licenses
We reported on Tuesday night that the Belize Chamber of Commerce has written to the Minister of Labor, Godwin Hulse, who is also previous senator for the private sector, to [...]

Teacher charged for assaulting city council administrator
Excelsior High School teacher, Ian Mariano, was found guilty today by Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith of a charge of common assault. In the court this morning, Mariano also conceded [...]

Salvadoran national escapes criminal charges, but failed to comply with visitor’s permit
A Salvadoran national, who landed in police custody after a domestic dispute in which he was accused of stabbing his wife in Belize City, managed to escape criminal charges but [...]

Police sergeant dies from stage four cancer
The Police Department is mourning the death of one of its own. Sergeant Jose Zetina, who was attached to the Corozal formation, passed away on Tuesday at his home in [...]

Historic Battlefield Park re-inaugurated after much needed sprucing up
The historic Battlefield Park, in the heart of Belize City, has gone through a major transformation. In the 1600’s, the park served as a meeting place for the labor movement, [...]

Mayor Darrell Bradley says overflowing drains and flooded streets will be fixed
At the launch of the re-inauguration of the Battlefield Park, the media took the opportunity to ask the mayor about several issues affecting the citizenry of the Old Capital. Aside [...]

LOVE FM

Father of the Nation Remembered on National Service Day
On Thursday Belize will observe National Service Day to mark the second anniversary of the passing of the late George Price. In context with that the People’s United Party has issued a press release in which it states the symbolism of the day. The party plans to pay tribute to the legacy of the late Mr. Price by carrying out community service activities throughout the country of Belize. The PUP encourages and invites all Belizeans to take part in community service initiatives to commemorate the life, work and service of Mr. Price. It will also hold a wreath-laying ceremony at nine on Thursday morning at the burial site at the Lord Ridge Cemetery.

Report Shows Drop in Major Crimes
The Crime Statistics for the month of August has been released showing a continuing reduction in major crimes. So far this year, there have been 70 reported murders compared to 93 that was committed during the same period last year. Rape, burglary and robbery are also down but the statistics show an increase in theft and carnal knowledge. There were only three murders countrywide in August of this year compared to nine murders reported last year for the same month. This afternoon, Minister of National Security, John Saldivar presented the monthly awards for the zone and formation that performed the best in reducing major crimes during that month. The Zone with the best performance in reducing major crimes in the month of August was the Cayo Region, headed by Senior Superintendent Aaron Guzman. The Formation with the best performance in August was the Benque Viejo Sub-Formation, headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Dinsdale Thompson. As a reward for the performance by their respective zone and sub-formation the Minister handed over a cheque of one thousand dollars to Senior Superintendent Guzman and a Certificate of Recognition to Assistant Superintendent of Police Dinsdale Thompson.

Police in Northern Belize Destroys Hundreds of Drug Plants
A joint operation involving the Special Branch and the Criminal Investigation Branch of the Orange Walk Police Department was conducted in the London Camp Lagoon Area, three miles south of Santa Martha Village in that municipality. During the operation, three marijuana plantations were discovered; the first had 260 plants ranging from 2-6 feet in height; the second had 380 marijuana plants ranging from 1 – 10 feet in height and the third had 1200 marijuana plants ranging from 5-7 feet in height. The total amount of marijuana plants uprooted and destroyed amounted to 1,840. No one was arrested as there was no one in the area.

PM Says Government or His Party Should Not Be Fingered in Recent SIF Corruption
The Executive Director of the Social Investment Fund resigned and four employees were fired after allegations of wrongdoing. However a number of questions still remain. Love News spoke with Prime Minister Dean Barrow who described the incident as most unfortunate. He said it is simply a case of unwelcomed corruption on the part of the employees. The Prime Minister bristled at the view that the revelations might suggest corruption within the system allowing known UDP operatives to benefit. RT. HON. DEAN BARROW “Mr. Smart was the contractor; he is not a UDP operative; he is a contractor who got contracts and who has complained now that people have extorted him. His complaints have been investigated, the Contractor General has found those complaints made out and the people have been dealt with, they have been fired. Please don’t try to make this into more than it is; what it is, is bad enough; don’t try to finger the government or the United Democratic Party; that is absolutely unacceptable.”

Investors Want SIF to Honor Letters Sent to Bank
In tonight’s newscast we reported on the Prime Minister weighing in on the scandal at the Social Investment Fund. Five employees have lost their position at SIF and two investors are out of hundreds and thousands of dollars. Lyndon Bailey and Emy Gilharry Ramirez jumped on board with the mindset of completing the project and completely unaware of what was occurring within SIF even though allegations were made to the Contractor General months before. Two investors who are caught in the middle, Emy Gilharry Ramirez and Lyndon Bailey told Love News they hope to recover their monies. Ramirez has contracted Audrey Matura Shepherd as her attorney while Bailey is making moves to get back the thousands he had invested while they request a meeting with SIF. LYNDON BAILEY “As a contractor, when somebody comes with something like that, you will jump on it; you want to help the young man get out of the situation because I wouldn’t want to find myself in a situation like that. So, a little sympathy on my part because I have seen the market come up several times in the news and I thought that if I could get that market finished for the people in Dangriga, I would feel very good.”

Worker Assists in Stealing From Boss
An 18-year-old domestic worker appeared in court today after being accused of stealing from her employer’s home. Police reports say Santos Abigail Balona was charged with handling stolen goods when she appeared in Court #1 in Belize City. Balona pled not guilty to the charge and was offered bail of $500. She is scheduled to reappear in court on November 11. The charge against Balona stems from an incident on Monday, September 16 where Balona assisted in the retention of one red I-pod and one Tommy Hilfiger wrist watch with knowledge that the items were stolen. The items have a combined value of $360. Balona’s former employer, Mary Avila reported to the police that the items were stolen from her residence in Buttonwood Bay on Sunday, September 15. The police launched an investigation and as a result they went to Balona’s house the following day and recovered the stolen items.

PM for Dominica To Be Guest of Honor for Belize’s Independence Celebrations
In the next few days Belize will celebrate the 32nd anniversary of its independence. Guest of honor will be the Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit. Prime Minister Barrow said he is looking forward to the visit. RT. HON. DEAN BARROW “We will be very pleased to have Prime Minister Skerrit; he is one of the youngest and brightest of CARICOM Prime Ministers; he has been extremely successful and his usefulness and energy are quite impressive. We feel honored that he has accepted the invitation to be the guest of honor at this year’s independence anniversary celebrations.” Prime Minister Skerrit will be accompanied by Minister of Trade Dr. Collin McIntyre.

PlusTV

Minister of Economic Development briefs the media on SIF terminations
On Monday night, we told you that four persons from within the Social Investment Fund were fired in light of alleged corruption. The firings follow an investigation conducted by the Contractor General of the Statutory Body and investigation of the current project that is the renovation of the Dangriga...

Mayor Bradley says that buses will be allowed to go down Albert Street
The public outcry has been tremendous on the Belize City Council’s new decision to ban city buses from going down town Albert Street – an announcement that was made by Councilor Alifah Elrington-Hyde. But Mayor Bradley explains that the media had it wrong. Mayor Bradley said that the council...

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Assad Shoman Discusses the Guatemala-Belize Referendum Issue with UB Students
Belize will be recognizing its 32nd year of Independence in the coming days and indisputably the country has reached significant milestones since attaining sovereignty from Great Britain in 1981. But one matter still lingering over our heads is a territorial claim lodged by neighboring Guatemala. Efforts have been made...

Home invasion in Belize City
A resident of Belize City, reported to police that on Monday shortly before 8pm while home, watching television with his common law wife, two men of dark complexion entered the house. According to the owner of the home, one of the men brandished a black handgun and he and...

Robbery at Central Farm
Central Farm was robbed this weekend. According to the reports made by the Head Carpenter For the Ministry of Agriculture in Central Farm, on Saturday, September 14th, he properly locked up and secured the carpenter section in Central Farm Village, as usual. Reports have it that on the following...

Jaslyn Aguilar Wins the Title of Little Miss Cayo
In celebration of its 21st anniversary, the Pandy Show, the oldest running show in the country, hosted its annual Little Miss Cayo Pageant, on Sunday, September 15th. A total of 21 beautiful little girls participated. Kent Pandy told us how the event went. Kent Pandy: “The pageant was mostly…we...

Lifeline Foundation donates to schools in Orange walk
On Tuesday, Lifeline Foundation, an organization managed by Special Envoy for Women and Children Kim Simplis Barrow, donated the proceeds of an annual charity benefit to six schools in the Orange Walk District. The donations range from eight to seventy thousand dollars, but were specifically tailored to each school’s...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Area of disturbed weather over Belize
Yes folks, it rains even in paradise!

Chronicles launches electronic discussion board
The Caye Caulker Chronicles has launched a new electronic discussion board. Now readers have the ability to post questions, feedback, comments, experiences, reviews on any or everything pertaining to Caye Caulker. The forum categories are Island News, Island Life, Classifieds, Properties for sale or wanted, Travel and Tourism, and Belize News. You can find the discussion board at this link: http://www.cayecaulkerchronicles.com/forums/ In order to prevent spam, you must be registered to post. We are looking for volunteer moderators for the forum. If you are interested, please email [email protected] with your expression of interest. Enjoy your local forum, peeps!

Accidental purge of subscribers
Dear subscribers of the Caye Caulker Chronicles. We were attempting a purge of some spam registrations to our website and may have inadvertently deleted some valid, legitimate subscribers from our list. Our profuse apologies. Our registration portal is being used by spambots which the WP-Captcha (Are you a human?) feature doesn’t seem to be able to stop. (If anyone knows how to fix this, please let us know.) While the spam registrations are negligible, they are still a nuisance.

The September 22nd, 2013 issue of The Capital Weekly is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

• Corruption Rears its Ugly Head, Prime Minister Barrow Chops It Off !:
  But I tell you, any UDP government that I lead will never be engaged in corruption. As soon as it rears its ugly head, I personally will cut it off. And I will tell you, I will sharpen a special machete with blades on two sides so that every time it springs up, right so, I will chop it off. And if it means the government has to fall, then so be it. Let the consequences be damned, the people of this country deserve better and I am determined to give them better.” Those were the words of Hon. Dean Barrow, declared at a town hall meeting way back in November, 2004; and by all accounts, it’s a promise he and his government are keeping. This past week, the Board of the Social Investment Fund, with the full blessings of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, moved swiftly to terminate top level executives at the Social Investment Fund following the Contractor General’s report on a probe conducted into a Million Dollar project to build a new Market in Dangriga Town.
• Patriotism Alive at University of Belize!:
  Wednesday, September 18 was Annual Patriotic Day at the University of Belize. The Photograph to the right is that of the ladies who won First, Second and Third Place in the Patriotic Dress Competition. Kudos to the University of Belize. Happy Independence, Belize!
• From the Desk of the Chairman:
  The biggest day of the season is here. The climax of it all. Independence Day, that is. There is something about this season that inspires each and every true Belizean to dig deep within ourself and find our most creative way of expressing our love and devotion to our Nation and Homeland. Like romance, Patriotism is an uplifting thing. As difficult and demanding as life might be, it picks us up, gives us wings and allows us to soar above our trials and tribulations. And, of course, it adds true meaning and purpose to our existence. Something to live for, something to strive for, something to die for.
• Belize & Guatemala - Food & Agriculture: DPM Gaspar Vega addresses Guatemalan Livestock Fair:
  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture Honourable Gaspar Vega recently concluded a working visit to Petén, Guatemala as guest of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala. The Minister attended and addressed the First National Livestock Fair held in Petén where contacts with several private sector livestock, equipment and service providers were made. The Guatemalan Minister of Agriculture Elmer Lopez, the Governor of Petén and the Congressman for Petén were among many distinguished Guatemalan officials addressing the fair. Bilateral meetings were held between the two ministers who focused principally on cross border collaboration in particular efforts to eradicate the Mediterranean Fruit Fly.
• Faith Lift By Zelda Hill: It’s a Time for Rejoicing, Belize !:
  Our Creator, God, has Blessed or homeland “with wealth untold” as described in our National Anthem, written by Samuel Haynes. The magnificence of the abilities of our indigenous Maya people and their will to persevere in spite of all the odds, continue to amaze humanity. Our cultural diversity reveals God’s providence in leading our forefathers to this ideal spot, a land that still abounds with the resources we need to work, to live and to raise our families. While other nations around us endure succeeding conflicts, severe calamities and major civil unrest, Belize has been spared through the labor and prayer of those who acknowledge the might of truth and the grace of God, by which we continue to exist.
• Dominican PM To Belize for Independence:
  Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, will be hosted by the Government of Belize as the Guest of Honor during Belize’s Independence Day festivities. Hon. Skerrit will arrive in Belize on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, accompanied by Hon. Dr. Collin McIntyre, Minister of Trade of Dominica. After arrival, Hon. Skerrit will make a courtesy call on Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow. During his stay, Prime Minister Skerrit will be a guest at all official ceremonies commemorating Belize’s 32 years of Independence.
• “Building on Enduring Friendship”: British High Commissioner meets National Security Minister:
  The new British High Commissioner to Belize, H.E. Peter Hughes made a courtesy call on Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar last Friday September 13, 2013 in the Minister’s office at the Ministry of National Security Headquarters in the Curl Thompson Building in Belmopan. The British High Commissioner’s visit is part of his familiarization tour, having recently taken up his new position after presenting his credentials to Governor General Sir Colville Young. His Excellency Mr. Peter Hughes started his diplomatic career as Desk Officer in the British Defense Department and has since served oversees in Australia, the Caribbean, Asia and Afghanistan. Upon his appointment to Belize, Mr. Hughes was quoted as saying he hopes to build on the enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and Belize.
• Police Liaison Officer in UK for International Leadership Program:
  Police Liaison Officer in the Ministry of National Security, Superintendent Howell Gillett is in the United Kingdom attending an International Leadership Program held at the College of Policing, Bramshill. Superintendent Gillett left the Country last Saturday, September 7, 2013 and will return in Six Weeks. The course started on Monday September 9 and will conclude on November 1, 2013. As part of the program, Superintendent Gillett will be expected to complete 50 hours of selfstudy, and he will eventually earn a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Bramshill Certificate.
• Major Crimes Trended Downwards in August, Western Zone and Benque Sub-Formations Performed Best:
  Crime Statistics for the Month of August, 2013 show an overall continuing trend in reduction of Major Crimes committed Countrywide. The statistics were released on Wednesday, September 18, 2013. There were only 3 murders countrywide in August 2013, compared to 9 murders in August 2012. From January to August of 2013, there were a total of 70 murders, compared to a total of 97 for the same period of 2012. Minister of National Security Honorable John Saldivar this week presented his monthly awards for the zone and formation that performed the best in reducing major crimes during that month. The Zone with the best performance in reducing major crimes in the month of August was the Western Region, headed by Senior Superintendent of Police Aaron Guzman.
• Honouring Heroes Past & Present: Tribute to Belizean Patriots - September 12, 2013:
  Each September Belizeans from every community in our nation come together to commemorate and celebrate the historical milestones that helped to shape our Belizean identity, our democratic way of life and our Belizean sovereignty. Our annual traditions thus transform September into a colourful, exciting and festive time in our country. It is always a matter of great satisfaction that in the middle of the festivities we take time out to honour Belizean men and women – past and present – whose service to their fellow Belizeans has been exemplary. Each of the honourees tonight has, in their own unique way, risen above personal interest to serve the people; to serve their communities; and to serve our nation with dedication and self-sacrifice. It is meet and right that we pay tribute to them as we enjoy our September.
• Carnival in the Old Capital: Organizers “Do NOT Encourage Indecent Behaviour”:
  Last Saturday, September 14, 2013, the streets of the old capital, Belize City, were vibrating and glowing with the sound and color of Carnival. According to a press release from the Belize National Carnival Commission, six bands registered and competed in the Junior Band Category. First Place was taken by Pickstock Carnival Band who will receive a prize of $7,000. In Second Place was Jump Street Posse. And Third Place was taken by Sunshine Masqueraders. In the Senior Band Category, Five bands registered and competed. First Place was taken by Mother Nature’s Creation who will receive a cash prize of $10,000. In Second Place was Belizean Jewel; and in Third Place, Soca Warriors.
• Winners in Annual September Criterium:
  First Place - Junior Category Byron Pope - Benny’s Megabytes Team First Place - Elite Category Kirah Eiley & Patricia Chavarria First and Second Place- Female Category Barney Brown,, Jose Choto & Dwight Lopez Second, First and Third in Masters Category Kirah Eiley - BECOL Team First Place - Female Category Giovanni Lovell - Belize Telemedia Team Second Place- Junior Category

Blogs

Celebrate Belize’s Independence and enjoy Central American Cuisine
SAGA HUMANE SOCIETY MONTHLY COOKOFF FUNDRAISER Join Saga as they celebrate Belize’s Independence and enjoy Central American Cuisine. This Thursday, September 19 – Hosted by El Fogon Tickets go on sale at 6:00pm and serving starts at 6:30pm. Cost 15 BZD to sample all the wonderful dishes. IT’S HIP TO SNIP! The goal of Operation SNIP is to sterilize 75% of the island animals in 3-5 years. This will STABILIZE the pet population. In doing so, virtually NO PETS will be strays, wandering and breeding freely. No animals will be born that will not have Forever homes

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to visit the jewel
Late this evening, the government announced that the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, will be arriving this Wednesday in the country. Skerrit is a guest of the government during the remaining Independence Day celebrations which include the official Independence Day ceremonies in Belmopan. Following his arrival, Skerrit will be paying a courtesy visit on the Prime Minister Dean Barrow and will also be taking time to experience the jewel’s natural beauty. Skerrit will be accompanied by Collin McIntyre, Minister of Trade of Dominica. Their visit ends on September twenty-second September. Recently, the Prime Minister was having a bumpy ride back in Dominica. In early September, following fiery public criticism, Skerrit’s government withdrew the nomination of Alix-Boyd Knights as a candidate for the presidency of Dominca. Knights is the current Speaker of the House and the criticism over her nomination was that she was biased against the opposition.

Final Working Session for Belize Medical Tourism Association

The 1st – Belize Medical Tourism Forum, to be held Thursday, September 26, 2013

“Rainy Dayz” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Yesterday up early (around 04.45 hours) as usual and straight to the veranda with the obligatory mug of black coffee and my iPad. The weather was much the same as it has been for what now seems like weeks (I might be guilty of some exaggeration here). Nothing but rainy dayz (I know days isn’t spelt this way but…). First job for me after ‘knocking out’ yesterday’s edition and catching up on the news was to send emails to the Excess International Movers (the company we are using to ship our stuff from the UK) and Belize Logistics Services Limited (the company that they are using to manage delivery once it ‘hits’ Belize). I received fairly quick responses from both companies but neither informed me of what I really want. The date of arrival in Belize City! They have now requested ‘tracking’ reports for our consolidated (in Miami) load and have promised to revert to me when they have this. Hopefully then all will be revealed. The rest of the morning/early afternoon then just seemed to fly by. Breakfast, followed by the completion and submission of a ‘Source of Funds’ form to Atlantic International Bank Limited for approval to wire money from the UK and then a light snack for lunch and it was time to head off to our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Avacado Black Beun Salsa
Wit maters still hangin on t'vines an' nuff o'fresh corn at my disposal, here is a salsa recipe we have enjoyet resantlee. Serve wit taco chips as un appetiz'r, as a side dish wit chicke er on top o'a bet o'greens as a lunch salad. 2 avocados, pittid an' cubet 1 14 oz./ 398 ml a'ken black beens, draind an' rinset (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (kernels frum 2 ears o'fresh cooket corn er 1-15 oz. a'ken corn, draind) 2 cups cherry maters, quarteret

International Sources

The World's 7 Best Budget Destinations
If budget is a top concern, following are 7 destinations where you should be focusing your attention. You could live in each of these places on a budget of $1,200 per month or less. (Note, coincidentally, that that's the amount of the average Social Security payment.) You could spend more, maybe much more, retired in these destinations, depending on the lifestyle you adopt and where, exactly, you choose to settle yourself. But, if you're in the market right now for a simple but comfortable retirement on a modest budget, here's where I'd suggest you shop: #1: Cayo, Belize Warm and welcoming, independent and private. Those four perhaps seemingly contradictory adjectives best describe both Belizeans and their country. Belize is also one of the safest countries in the world, despite what you may read about it. In some neighborhoods of Belize City, gang members and drug dealers do the things that gang members and drug dealers do, but those are small, contained areas. Outside Belize City, crime is nearly non-existent.

New World Oil & Gas Loss Widens On Higher Operating Costs
New World Oil and Gas PLC Thursday said its pretax losses widened significantly in its first half as an exceptional write-off and administrative costs hit the company. The oil-and-gas exploration-and-development company focused on Belize and Denmark said its pretax losses widened to USD9.5 million for the six months ended June 30 compared to USD1.4 million the previous year. The company is yet to make any revenues but experienced a one-off USD6.9 million write-off on one of its dry-wells and an increase in administrative expenses to USD1.2 million from USD485,000 after the company undertook an in-depth review of all overhead expenses, including the remuneration of directors. As a result, the company said it made an operating loss of USD9.2 million from USD1.4 million the previous year which represents the bulk of its losses. The company said that after the first-half period its shareholders approved a USD25 million investment by Niel Petroleum, together with a related conditional USD25 million debt facility.

View from the top: New World Oil & Gas interview
With New World Oil & Gas (NEW) shares trading at a low on the back of abandoned wells in Belize, chief executive William Kelleher and executive Georges Sztyk talk to Julie Fisher about the impact a major new stakeholder will have on their strategy. What has been happening with the company recently? William Kelleher: We've recently completed a transaction with Niel Petroleum [New World agreed to issue more than two billion subscription shares to Niel in August in return for up to $50 million (£31 million) in financing]. We're very excited about that because they're a very serious, competent group of people with some very, very strong connections throughout the Middle East and French-speaking Africa. It's all upside for New World Oil & Gas because there's funding available to acquire a project and [a] debt facility available to capture the upside. After the market's response to our drilling operations in Belize, to have a company come in and show this much interest in us is very encouraging. Interactive Investor user question: A number of private investors are concerned by the size of Niel Petroleum's stake and the possibility of Niel seeking to delist. Is that not something you're concerned about? WK: There's not been any talk of delisting, that's not been a consideration, that's never been on the table. I think Niel Petroleum was looking for a competent oil platform to engage in the oil business in a serious way, and that's what they've got and I think they plan to be in it for quite a while.

Ross man earns award for book about the New Orleans Sisters
What started as a plan to write an article or two about an order of sisters turned into an award-winning book for Ross Township resident Edward Brett, a professor emeritus of history at La Roche College in McCandless. Recently, he learned that his book “The New Orleans Sisters of the Holy Family: African American Missionaries to the Garifuna of Belize” was named the 2012 Bronze Award winner in the religion category by ForeWord Reviews, a magazine and book-review service focusing on books published by independent presses. In addition to showing the book “rises above others in its genre,” the award provides a new marketing opportunity for a book that no longer is “new,” said Karen Connick, head of publisher and author services for ForeWord Reviews. Brett's book had been one of 13 finalists selected from 30 entries in the religion category. The work tells the story of some special women “who struggled against racism in society and patriarchy in the church, and yet made tremendous achievements,” Brett said.

New International Flights Added to Belize by Delta Airlines and United Airlines
Delta Airlines and United Airlines are offering new non-stop services to Belize City, making Belize even more accessible for travelers departing from Los Angeles and Newark this winter. Taking advantage of the West Coast market to Belize, Delta Airlines will be offering convenient non-stop service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Belize City (BZE) on Saturdays starting December 21st, 2013. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying this route will have 160 seats available. Delta is the only airline offering the convenience of non-stop service between Los Angeles and Belize City. Flights depart at approximately 12am, and land in Belize City at 7am. The new route complements Delta’s existing services between Belize City and Atlanta, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to the Central American region.

September 18, 2013

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Dominican Prime Minister to be Guest of Honour for Belize’s 32nd Independence Day
Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, will be hosted by the Government of Belize as the Guest of Honour during Belize’s Independence Day festivities. Hon. Skerrit will arrive in Belize on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, accompanied by Hon. Dr. Collin McIntyre,Minister of Trade of Dominica. After arrival, Hon. Skerrit will make a courtesy callon Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow. During his stay, Prime Minister Skerrit will be a guest at all official ceremonies commemorating Belize’s 32 years of Independence. He will also visit two of Belize’s many natural tourist attractions. Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit’s visit will conclude on Sunday, September 22nd, 2013, when he returns to Dominica.

Central American & Mexican communities celebrate their Independence
The Central American and Mexican communities in San Pedro celebrated their independence with a night showcasing their culture through food and music. The activities were organized in collaboration with the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC). The official activity, which is a part of the island’s September Celebration Calendar of activities, was held on Saturday, September 14th at the San Pedro Central Park. The celebration coincided with the eve of the 192nd anniversary of the day of independence for Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua obtaining political freedom from Spain on September 15, 1821. In the case of Mexico, they celebrated their 203rd year of independence having obtained it on the 16th of September 1810. Unlike the other Central American countries, Belize is the only English speaking country of British descent and the youngest nation of the region. These Spanish speaking countries have flourished throughout the years embracing their Spanish heritage while emphasizing on their individually unique cultures.

Interoffice Volleyball Tournament gets fired up
The San Pedro Volleyball Association 2013 Interoffice Volleyball Tournament continued on Sunday, September 15th. Now in its fourth round of games, the competition is getting hotter. The teams are all well prepared and fighting to lead the game and earn the coveted first place trophy. First victims of the day were team Lady Jaguars who succumbed to the Lady Rebels in a 3 to 1 set game. In the first set the Lady Rebels made a quick win of 25-6 points. The Lady Jaguars gave it a fight in the second set, winning by 25-21 points, but a determined Lady Rebels took the third and fourth set (set 3:25-23, set 4: 25-24) winning the game.

VIDEO: Rain day #? in San Pedro..

Ambergris Today

Belize to Conduct Fisheries Monitoring With Cutting-edge Surveillance Technology
The enforcement of fisheries laws is a major challenge all across the region, but a new initiative funded by the European Union (EU), through the ACP Fish II Program, promises to ensure that fisheries personnel, police, coast guard and other relevant enforcement authorities will be more adequately equipped to curb practices which threaten to undermine the sustainability of the fisheries sector and food security across the region. Acting on a recommendation from the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the ACP Fish II project has commissioned two regional experts: Dr. Winston McCalla of Jamaica and Ambassador Joseph Daven of Antigua, to build on the successes of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) by revamping and expanding two procedural manuals to cater to the demands of a broader regional regime envisioned in the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy.

Education in Belize: Breaking Free!
September in Belize is a month for celebrations! Many festivities lead up to Sept 10th to commemorate the “Battle of St. George’s Caye”, a day that has been celebrated each year, and long before the country achieved self-governing status in the mid 1960’s and Independence in 1981. Each September includes many talent competitions throughout Belize, then a festive Carnaval, then the nationwide celebrated Independence Day on Sept. 21st to top a full month of festivities. In our many September celebrations throughout the country, we celebrate many forms of “breaking free”, whether from Colonial masters or from whatever may have once held us back -- as a country and as a people. We even broke free from our former name, British Honduras, and have proudly made ourselves known throughout the entire world as: Belize. Certainly, we have every right to celebrate all the changes and advancements in Belize today.

Memories of San Pedro's First Theater
I was chatting the other day with my good friend Clive Welch and when I mentioned the cinema, he remarked, “I did not know you had a cinema in San Pedro; I thought Paradise Theater was the first one.” Today memories of our beloved cinema flashed back in my mind with much fondness. This first cinema in San Pedro was aptly named Teatro Arenas as it was built on a hill of sand exactly where Fido’s Courtyard is presently located. It was owned by our former alcalde (village chairman), village leader and first proprietor of Fido’s Hotel, Don Fido Nuñez. Teatro Arenas was a huge long building with zinc walls, a wooden floor and wooden benches that could seat some three hundred spectators. The cinema delighted San Pedranos of all ages with mostly Spanish movies, American Indians and Cowboys, romance and adventures- whatever Mr. Fido Nuñez could get from the three movie places in Belize City. There were two huge projectors at the back using huge rolls of 35 mm. film. You could literally feel the heat from it bright lamps and hear the hum of the projectors at work. But the cinema was equipped with about ten commercial fans, and a snack bar to add to our comfort.

Gerry Challenges Elvi's Kitchen Macho Burger Eating Competition
After an hour of chomping down on what was a very large burger with two pounds of meat, four slices of tomato, two handfuls of bacon, eight slices of cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce and a serving of French fries, it was the Elvi’s Kitchen Macho Burger that came out the winner of the competition. The first-ever Macho Burger eating challenge took place on Saturday, September 14, 2013, at Elvi’s Kitchen and I was up for the challenge. Seven hopeful contestants, including myself, gave a shot at the prize and prestige to be up on the Macho Burger Wall of Fame but everybody came out short of completely eating a triple-sized Macho Burger. Yes, only 3.5 ounces of burger came between me and the title of Macho Man Burger eater, but I did take first prize for eating most of it.

SIRH: Luxury and Hospitality at its Best
The San Ignacio Resort Hotel just got a superb review from the Ambergris Today. It highlights the beauty of the hotel, and the quality and teamwork of its staff. It's obvious why they won the Belize Tourism Board's 'Hotel of the Year' award. Humberto and the Green Iguana Conservation Project get praise too, of course. Jose Luis Zapata got some great pictures. "Nestled in the heart of the Cayo District you will find one of Belize’s oldest and finest premier resort, The San Ignacio Resort Hotel. This resort boasts first class amenities and accommodations for locals and international visitors seeking to relax or explore our beautiful Belize. Upon our arrival at the hotel we were greeted with the warmest of smiles from of one the friendliest front desk receptionist, Amaris Wakefield; she immediately made us feel at home... A huge part that makes your stay at the resort is the staff’s professional and friendly service. Through the very enlightening encounters with their staff you can learn how knowledgeable Humberto Requena is about the Green Iguana Project (you get big smiles from him all the time), how attentive to details and serviceable waiter/bartender Ragner Smith and Food & Beverage Manager Fiona Rudon are, how Daryll Leslie from maintenance is willing to help out any of his coworkers and even the guests in anything possible and how Head Chef of the Running W Restaurant Estella Vellicillo has over 13 years experience in the culinary field."

Misc Belizean Sources

Man accused of stealing the pastor’s chickens
A man from the village of Louisville village in the Corozal district has been arrested and charged for the crime of theft. Reymundo “Porky” Chan, 48, is accused of stealing two chickens from the hen house belonging to evangelist Abraham Jimenez, a resident of San Narciso village. The incident happened last week Thursday night. Around 7 pm, Jimenez told police he heard someone calling his name and when he went to check, he saw his neighbors holding Chan. The neighbors who made the citizen’s arrest say they caught Porky exiting the evangelist’s chicken coop with one chicken in each hand. The value of the chickens has been estimated at $50.

Belize Territorial Volunteers questioned by Guatemalan military, in Belizean territory!
By Frank Edward Paco Smith, Jr., JP I trust our fellow CARICOM brethren have maintained a watchful eye on the ongoing saga involving the government of Belize’s implausible call for Belizeans to vote, via referendum, on whether or not to take Guatemala’s unfounded claim on our sovereign territory to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On 22nd April, the Belize Coalition for Justice (BCJ) wrote to the OAS Secretary General, Ambassador Jose Insulza, to inform of illegal activities being carried out by Guatemalans, inside Belizean territory. Not only are the activities and settlements a violation of Belize’s territorial integrity, it is also an affront to the once, much vaunted Compromis, signed by Belizean and Guatemalan officials, under the aegis of the OAS, which was designed to provide guidance toward a path forward. For our efforts, in true diplomatic form, we have yet to be afforded a response, let alone an acknowledgement from the aforementioned individual.

VIDEO: Deep Sea Fishing Belize 'FISH ON"
Fishing outside the reef, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye Belize

4 The World Calla Creek Medical Mission
Feelgood news of the day. 4 the World has teamed up with the University of Oklahoma to bring doctors and medical students to Calla Creek and provide medical care this week. Looks like they'll be helping a lot of people. Thanks, 4 the World! "University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) Doctors and students volunteer with 4 The World to provide medical care to the community of Calla Creek Village in the Cayo District of Belize."

Sweet Belize by David Smith
Musical Interlude. David Smith wrote Sweet Belize for the Patriotic Song Competition. Good job, David! Check out Roots and Honor Records for more. "David Smith submted Sweet Belize into the 2013 Patriotic Song competition. He states that the song encourages Belizeans to come bring Belize back to the way God originally intended it to be... A SWEET NATION. "

Decorative Interiors Furniture
Lea's has changed names to Decorative Interiors Furniture, and have a new location, but still have the same great quality woodwork. They have a new website too, along with a September Celebration special. "Discover Decorative Interiors Furniture Co. Ltd. with surprising pricing on style, design & superiority ...without paying more and see what sets us apart from other furniture stores. Below is a special sale flyer that gives you the opportunity to place your order with an automatic RED, WHITE & BLUE DISCOUNTS. Send us an email or give us a call so we can send you pictures of other furniture."

Assad Shoman Talked Belize - Guatemala Relations
Assad Shoman gave a lecture today about the Belize and Guatemala relations at the University of Belize. "Historian Assad Shoman (Author of 13 - A History of Belize in Thirteen Chapters) gave a brief lecture on the Belize - Guatemala Relations this morning at the UB Auditorium. In attendance were teachers, students and members of the public and private sector."

National Service Day
National Service Day, the day during the September Celebrations that George Price is honored, is Thursday, September 19th. This is a day to help others and your community. There are many community based activities where you can 'take positive action for a better Belize!' "National Service Day is coming up this September 19th!!! Would like all Belizeans at home and abroad to take time out in community service!!!! Mr. Price believed that the greatest honor is to bestow service to each other for the greater good, therefore, in this regard, I would like all Belizeans to honor this legacy in continuing the tradition and his example that has been set!!!! Therefore, I would all of you to take part in this effort!!!!"

Gwendoline Zetina Receives Meritorious Service Award
Congratulations to Cayo native Gwendoline Zetina for winning the Meritorious Service Award! Well deserved. "In her early years, Mrs. Zetina sewed for her family and many others. Her great love for plants and gardening, led to her involvement with flower booth at the Agricultural Show. She once made funeral wreaths but now she uses her love for plants and her talent to create beautiful floral arrangements for friends and charitable organizations. Ms. Gwen remains active as a lay minister at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral where she also a choir member; an active member of the Belmopan Lion’s Club, Help Age, the Cancer Society and the Senior Steps Dance Group. "

Channel 7

4 SIF Staffers Sacked, But Questions About Corruption Persist
Last Friday, the media blew the lid open on the allegations of rank corruption at the Social Investment Fund - and since then, the Government, the SIF Board of Director and the Contractor General's Office have been struggling to keep up with the pace of revelations and public outrage. This morning - after yesterday's emergency board meeting which went into the late evening - the axe came down on four employees, while the managing director Daniel Cano - was given the courtesy of resigning; if he didn't he would have been fired. One of those employees who was fired is Mike Hernandez the former Public Relations Director at SIF. As you saw last night, he accepted a five hundred dollar cheque from contractor Kennard Smart - who then turned around and accused Hernandez and other SIF Officers of corruption. Today Hernandez told us that how it all went down just isn't fair:..

He Said, She Said Between Mayor And Councilor
For almost a week now, 7News has been telling you about the announcement from the Belize City Council that they were moving the bus stop from in front of the Supreme Court to Regent Street West near Mike's Club. As we've showed you, a part of that announcement was that City buses were being banned from driving on Albert Street, and neither could they pick up passengers along it. It would mean that everyone would have to walk to the new location on Regent Street West to catch a bus. Well, tonight, it would seem that there was a miscommunication. That's what we were told when we caught up with Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley, who was out of the country until yesterday. He told us that buses aren't banned from Albert Street. But that's not what his Councilor said! So, to make sure we're not hearing wrong, we'll also air our interview with the City Councilor with responsibility for Traffic, Alifa Elrington-Hyde, who first made the announcement a week ago:

Accused Child Killer Felicia Chen remanded To Prison
But first, we take you to Magistrate's Court where Felicia Chen, accused of intentionally drowning her 3 small children, had an adjournment today. Her case has been treated very delicately because according to her psychiatrist, she was a danger to herself. Well, the news today is that the court will now treat her like any other defendant facing criminal charges for murder. But, while that was today's outcome, it's been 4 and a half months since she was criminally charged, and today our Daniel Ortiz took a closer look at the undercurrents surrounding this case. Here's his story: Daniel Ortiz, reporting Since the allegation on April 29 that 22 year-old Felicia Chen murdered her 3 children, she's been on remand at a mental health institution because the authorities believed that she was clinically depressed, and a danger to herself.

Dominica PM to Belize For Independence
Roosevelt Skerrit is only 41 years old, but he's been the Prime Minister of Dominica since the age of 32 - which made him the youngest head of government in the world at the time. We mention it because it was announced today that Skerrit will the Guest of Honour during Belize's Independence Day festivities. That means Skerrit will be a guest at all official Independence Day ceremonies and in between he will also visit two of Belize's tourist attractions. He arrives in Belize tomorrow September 18, accompanied by Dominica's Minister of Trade, Dr. Collin McIntyre. He will first make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Hon. Skerrit leaves on Sunday, September 22nd. Dominica is an Eastern Caribbean Country with a land mass of 290 square miles, about one third the size of the Chiquibul Forest. It has a population of 71 thousand.

Mayor Says There’s A Story Behind Unfinished Streets
To date, the Belize City Council has fully cemented 85 streets. While they've gotten these to completion, there are still streets which are on the last leg, but work has stalled. It's created inconvenience for city residents who want to know what's the hold up? Today, the mayor explained that there are matters happening in the background which the public isn't aware of when it comes to Baymen Avenue, the section of Newtown Barracks near Princess Hotel, and the BTL Park:.. Mayor Darrell Bradley "The flood mitigation project wants to do a drainage aspect from a canal that's located under Douglas Jones Street and they want to route that canal either through Wilson Street or through Calle Al Mar and then they want to take it out to the sea."

City Prepares Contingencies In Case Of Rain
As you might have seen in the weather report, the forecast is for more rain tomorrow. But this time, the city council doesn't want to get caught like it did last time - with flood waters rising in the homes of city residents at one in the morning - who had no one to call. That's why the councilor who calls himself Superman set up a temporary Emergency Operating center this evening - just in case. He told us how it will work and what you can do if you see water rising:.. Phillip Willoughby - City Councilor - CEMO "I wouldn't want a repeat of what transpired earlier this year. The wide area of low pressure which caught us somewhat off-guard - a repeat of that to happen. I am saying this is no alarm, this is no threat, there is no system out there affecting us but the rains are here and if there is anyone who would be affected by the rains we want people to become accustomed that the City is here for you and if you need to evacuate your home due to the rains then this is our option - to come to the Bishop Sylvestre Memorial Center to get sheltered."

Channel 5

Heads roll at the Social Investment Fund; 4 executives terminated and Executive Director resigns
There is a purge of the Social Investment Fund. And tonight, four employees: Mike Hernandez, Enrique Romero, Faustino Pineda and Lionel Jimenez have been sent home, while their boss, the [...]

Felicia Chen, the mother who drowned her 3 children, remanded to Central Prison
The woman accused of murdering her three small children in April appeared in Magistrate’s Court this morning. Twenty-two year old Felicia Chen allegedly drowned four year old Triana Teul, three [...]

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to visit the jewel
Late this evening, the government announced that the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, will be arriving this Wednesday in the country. Skerrit is a guest of the government during [...]

Has the SIF board gone far enough with the firing of staff involved in Dangriga Market scandal?
And tonight’s question is: Has the SIF board gone far enough with the firing of staff involved in the recent scandal of the Dangriga Market? Yes or No. Send your [...]

Counselor Alifah Hyde says no need for consultations for change in bus routes
Thousands of Belizeans ride city buses on a daily basis, many of them travelling between downtown Belize City and areas in every other corner of the municipality. But last week, [...]

September Session of Belize City Supreme Court chockfull of cases
The September session of the Belize City Supreme Court has opened; at least forty-five inmates were brought to the court on Monday and today another fifty were escorted under heavy [...]

Court of Appeal order retrial in carnal knowledge case
Turning to the Court of Appeal, today, the decision in the case of Reyes Reymundo was handed down. Reyes had been convicted of the offence of carnal knowledge of a [...]

Ministry of Agriculture in Central Farm burglarized
The facilities of the Ministry of Agriculture in Central Farm were broken into over the past weekend. The carpentry section was properly locked and secured by the Head Carpenter on [...]

Chamber of Commerce writes Minister Hulse to intervene and stop increase in trade license fees
Last December, the private sector experienced a drastic hike in trade license fees. Some businesses complained that their fees went up by three hundred percent than what they previously paid [...]

Belizean and Guatemalan local leaders sign bi-national agreement
There is good news to report with regards to preservation and conservation of our natural resources in the west. According to Friends for Conservation and Development, on Saturday, some nineteen [...]

Lifeline Foundation assists 6 schools in Orange Walk District
The Lifeline Foundation is an organization which focuses on helping children in Belize through fundraising for worthy and beneficial projects. Earlier this year the organization raised funds which were used [...]

Assad Shoman speaks to UB students on Belize/Guatemala Dispute
Students from the University of Belize, majoring in Belizean History, were today engaged in an hour-long discussion with former Foreign Minister Assad Shoman on the issue of the Belize/Guatemala Dispute.  [...]

LOVE FM

Police News: Stealing Chickens; Arson; Burglary and Stolen Tools
Over three thousand dollars worth of tools were stolen from the carpenter shop at the Ministry of Agriculture at Central Farm. The head carpenter reported that on Saturday evening he locked up and properly secured the carpenter section and the following day his co-worker informed him that the carpenter shop was broken into. When he made checks he saw two storerooms had been burglarized. Police investigations continue. A man who attempted to steal two chickens from a pastor in Corozal has been charged wirh theft. 36 year old Evangelist Abraham Jimenez of San Narciso Village in the Corozal District reported that last Thursday night he heard someone calling him. Jimenez said when he went outside he saw his neighbours holding down a man. According to the neighbours the man Reymundo Chan had just stolen two chickens from the pastor’s chicken coop. Police arrested and charged 48-year-old Reymundo Chan with theft.

Mayor Bradley Updates Residents on Streets’ Upgrade
As it relates to the refurbishing of streets, Mayor Bradley said that the Council is almost through with the number of streets they had selected for repair and they have also added on a few more to the list. DARRELL BRADLEY “At present we are at 86 streets; there are 86 streets that the City Council has concreted in the year and a half in office and we have set a target of one hundred and so, we only have fourteen more streets to go by the ending of this year; we are right on track, we are working closely with the water, electricity and telecommunications companies; I have a meeting very shortly with BWSL to work with them in terms of strategizing, in terms of the works we are finishing off in the downtown area; the only street in the north side of downtown that we haven’t done is Douglas Jones Street and that’s being worked on by BWS crew; Cran Street was not in the original plan because that wasn’t in the loop that we were looking at and the loop we were looking at was Orange Street, Barrack Road, Craig Street, Hydes Lane, North Front Street but the first part of Cran Street has already started.

Allegations of Corruption in Development Project Leads to Termination of Employees
Yesterday we reported that the Board of Directors of the Social Investment Fund met in emergency session. Today the Board announced that coming out of that meeting they have terminated the services of four of its employees and the Executive Director Daniel Cano resigned. According to the Board based on the findings of the investigation conducted by the contractor general they have determined that the four members of staff were complicit in the activities and believe that this merited their termination. Cano’s resignation came about as quote “acting in the best interest of the Organization”. The staff members that were terminated are Mike Hernandez, Enrique Romero, Lionel Jimenez and Fausto Pineda. Today Love News spoke to Mike Hernandez, the former Director of Public Relations at SIF who says he is not happy with the manner in which he and the others were let go, and says he is in no way involved in corruption within SIF.

Mayor Talks on Plans to Expand Downtown Belize City
Last week Philip “Faada” Henry raised concerns over the relocation of the Belize City bus stop for the downtown area. The bus stop was moved from near the Supreme Court building to Regent Street West near the canal side. Since then others have raised more concerns over issues of safety regarding the new location. Today, Mayor Darrel Bradley addressed those concerns with the media. He said that the relocation of the bus stop for downtown Belize City falls right in line with the Belize City master plan project and that it complements other aspects of that plan. DARRELL BRADLEY “I want to emphasize here that this is not a decision that the City Council just took; the master plan talks about the development of the downtown Belize City and we have certain projects that are mentioned in the master plan and certain projects that the City Council put in there to say that it is important to us strategically; for example, we have a project to renovate the Commercial Centre which is shortly going to commence; we are also going to, because we are mindful of the parking situation, construct a four-storey parking facility in the NICH parking lot which is the city-owned property and we are working with the Supreme Court building to do some renovations there to really bring out the developments for Battlefield Park; as you know, the Battlefield Park is completed and it’s going to be opened tomorrow.

Pregnant Woman Accused of Filicide Remains in Psychiatric Care
Felicia Chen, the 22 year-old mother who in late April of this year took her four children to Belizean Beach off the George Price Highway and allegedly drowned three of them, today appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. The media and the public was prohibited from entering the closed-door session, but from what we have picked up, Chen’s psychiatric file now rests with the Director of Health Services. She remains at a psychiatric hospital where she continues to receive treatment. Today, the cameras caught Chen, guarded by social and psychiatric experts, leaving the courtroom and found that she is visibly pregnant, which means that when she allegedly committed the act, she was already with child, since she has been kept away from the public and from visits. Prior to the incident, Chen was reportedly experiencing acute depression due to her financial situation, a relationship debacle with the children’s father and issues at home where she was staying with her family.

Officials Alert on Rising Waters in Northern Belize
Officials are keeping an eye on rising water levels in the north of the country. Reporter Dalila Ical has the story. DALILA ICAL “The District Emergency Management Organization branches in Orange Walk and Corozal Districts are monitoring areas prone to flooding given the continuous showers in the north. While the situation is stable in the Orange Walk District, Regional Director for the north, Elodio Aragon says they keep a close watch.” ELODIO ARAGON “We are monitoring the river; we are on alert; we know that the rivers have risen and they have gone over the banks already but there is no village or house in danger at the moment. We met this afternoon to ensure that we have the boats available, that we are ready in the event that there is an emergency in relation to the river.”

Magistrate Renders Second Incarceration Sentence on Belize City Resident
Thirty eight year old Salvador Carballo, a resident of Flamboyant Street who was sentenced to 18 months last Friday for aggravated assault of an indecent nature, was sentenced to five years today when he found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery. The incident occurred on April 27, 2013. 38 year old Mark Cruz, testified that he was inside Elements Nightclub on Newtown Barracks and he went to the back of the nightclub to urinate. He said that while he was urinating he was approached by three men and one of them held him around his shoulder while the other two searched his pockets. He said a struggle ensued between him and them and during it he saw a police mobile patrol passing by and he yelled for help. Cruz testified that the men who were searching him ran and he held on to the third man until the police arrived and took him into custody. He identified the third man as Carballo who he said he has known for over 20 years. Carballo testified and claimed that he was at the scene but he was preventing Cruz from being robbed. He denied that he was with the men who ran. Magistrate Dale Cayetano did not believe Carballo’s testimony and he found Carballo guilty. The two suspects were never apprehended.

Unemployed Busted with Drugs at Water Taxi Terminal
Thirty year old Nelbert Choc, an unemployed of Caye Caulker who the police reported they busted with drugs at Caye Caulker Water Taxi Terminal, was charged with drug trafficking when he appeared in court today. Choc pled not guilty to the charge. Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith offered him a bail of 500 dollars which he met. He is to return to court on October 16. The incident occurred on Sunday, September 15. Police reported that when they searched a man wearing a jeans pant who had just entered the water taxi terminal they found two zip lock bags containing cannabis in the waist of his boxer’s shorts. As a result, Choc was taken into custody and charged. When weighed, the suspected cannabis amounted to 226 point eight grams.

CTV3

Northern Medical Plaza Issues Statement On Baby Coye
On Friday’s newscast, we brought to you the story of the infant that had passed away allegedly of a surgical item left in her stomach. The parents of one month old Dulce Maria Coye, went on various media houses claiming mal-practice from the Northern Medical Specialty Plaza where the baby had been attended to. That was Friday; late yesterday evening, our news room received an email with an official press release from the attorney for Northern Medical Specialty Plaza, Marcel Cardona dated Friday, September 13. The release opens up stating, “Northern Medical Specialty Plaza prides itself in being a private medical specialty clinic both in Orange Walk town and Corozal Town, with over 12 years experience, and with thousands of satisfied patients, who received the highest quality medical care and attention which is available in Belize.” end of quote. The medical hospital is said to be comprised of a consortium of different physicians and specialists in various medical fields, including brain surgery.

San Estevan Road Completely Covered By Water
After two years of signing the multi-million dollar contract to rehabilitate the Orange Walk to Progresso Road, nothing had been done to ease the cries of the people; that is, until August 18th of this year. On that day, residents had threatened to block the road and the Pueblo Nuevo Ferry causing the officials from the Ministry of Works along with CEO Errol Gentle decided to hold a meeting in Progresso to answer to the residents. In that meeting, it was agreed that works on the road were set to commence within ten working days. August 28th marked exactly ten working days and up to today, it seems as if that promise once again was never meant to be upheld. Reporter Irvin Aragon and Camerman Jesus Melgar took a trip up the road this morning and filed the following report. Irvin Aragon- Reporter For months residents of the San Estevan, Progresso, Chunox, and Copper Bank Villages along with students of Muffles Junior College have been begging for assistance to alleviate the deplorable conditions of the Orange Walk – Progresso Road which most of them need to travel on a daily basis.

One Man Shot Another Charged For Wounding
A twenty-seven year old Corozaleño is tonight recovering from a gun shot wound he sustained on Sunday morning in Corozal Town. According to the victim, Francisco Castañeda, sometime around two in the morning, he stopped by a vacant lot next to Sea Breeze Hotel, which is situated on 1st Avenue and began urinating. While in the process of relieving himself, Castañeda says he heard a loud bang. When he looked around to see what happened, he noticed a clear skinned man standing on the verandah of the hotel with a rifle in his hands. Shortly after noticing the individual, Castañeda says he felt a burning sensation on his left lower arm and then saw the blood running down his arm, realizing that he had been shot. Castañeda identified the man with the rifle as the hotel owner, sixty-three year old Gwyn Lawrence. Police have since arrested and charged naturalized Belizean Gwyn Lawrence for the crime of Wounding.

More Rain For Belize Especially The North
Incessant rains have been pouring over Belize during the past couple of weeks due to several storms that have passed over the country. Last week we brought to you the story of villagers of Douglas Village who were concerned about the rise in water of the river which had already flooded the yards and homes of several residents. Well, it appears the river is still rising with the heavy rains that continue to fall with no stopping in the near future. According to the Meteorological Service of Belize, the heavy rains that are is currently being experienced all over Belize is due to a slow moving area of low pressure over the northern part of the country. This low pressure will cause constant rains over Belize and the Southern Yucatan.

PlusTV

Four persons are terminated from SIF, while Executive Director is asked to resign
Four persons from within the Social Investment Fund were on Monday handed their walking papers, following the completion of the Contractor General’s investigation. Since last month, we have been following the developments of alleged corruption within SIF and its associates as it related to the renovation of the Dangriga...

Banks Holdings and CPBL in court
After a delay of several months the case between Banks Holdings Limited of Barbados and the Belize Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited and Citrus Products of Belize Limited reached trial before Justice Rita Joseph Olivetti, but any arguments have been put...

Passengers on a Griga bus narrowly escape disaster
Passengers on a Griga Line Bus were shaken up after the bus they were travelling in on Monday morning, narrowly escaped disaster. It happened a little after 7 near Mile 28 on the Hummingbird Highway. Witnesses say that they bus was heading on a curve,...

UDP wants prime land in Dangriga for constituency headquarters
Some community leaders in the south are claiming that the ruling United Democratic Party Government has all but abandoned the south; that the attitude after being swept out of power in both the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts in the 2012 general elections, has not been...

Mayor of Dangriga concerned about NCL plans
The Norwegian Cruise Lines US$50 million investment in the development of Harvest Caye as a berthing site and welcome center for cruise shippers to Belize has attracted more than its fair share of dissent on numerous issues. We have heard from the tourism denizens of...

Bi-national agreement between Belize and Guatemalan local leaders
This past Saturday, a significant bi-national agreement was reached between Belize and Guatemalan local leaders. The agreement is sort of a treaty to safeguard the Chiquibul-Mopan-Macal and Belize Rivers. The agreement is aimed at the proper conservation of the shared rivers...

Second UB student charged for murder of Jamal Anthony Neal
A second UB student has been charged for the murder of 21 year old Jamal Anthony Neal. Micah Tillet was arraigned in court on Friday and was remanded to prison until October 15. The 18 year old has joined 21 year old Jedden Burgess, who was also a student...

Equipment stolen from Minister Godwin Hulse
Police are investigating a break-in at a warehouse belonging to Minister of Immigration, the Hon. Godwin Hulse. Minister Hulse reported that sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning, someone broke into the building and stole a welding machine, six electronic motors, all Balder brand, and two three phase machines,...

Hotel owner charged for wounding
A Corozal businessman has been charged, after he reportedly shot a man who was urinating near his hotel. 27 year old Francisco Castaneda told Police that around 2am Sunday morning, he went to urinate in an open lot beside the Sea Breeze Hotel, when he heard a loud bang....

Salesman robbed outside hotel in Burrell Boom
Authorities are investigating an afternoon robbery report made by a sales representative at Santiago Castillo. The complainant says he was seated in his pickup truck at the Black Orchid Resort in Burrell Boom talking to a woman, when he was approached by two men on a red Lifan Motorcycle....

COLA comes out against downtown Belize City bus regulations
On Monday we spoke with president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), Giovanni Brackett, whose organization over the weekend issued a condemnation of plans by the City Council to prevent buses from going down Albert Street. Giovani Brackett – President COLA: The Council shouldn’t...

BCCI Expo 2013 is a success
BCCI Expo 2013 is a success. Despite concerns by the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry regarding competition with other events on the day including Carnival, Belizeans came out in numbers to this year’s Expo fair in Belize City. Saturday’s estimated figures were 7,000, a drop...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

NAC Island Committee Works in Caye Caulker and San Pedro
The National AIDS Commission Island Committee has been hard at work educating the public and offering the opportunities to individuals to learn their HIV status. On Friday September 6th, the Island Committee teamed up with the Caye Caulker Health Committee to offer a full day of HIV services in Caye Caulker. Two teams were dispatched to the island, thanks to the generosity of the San Pedro Belize Express which provided transportation for all eight participants. At the Caye Caulker Village Center – Nurse Lezel Cayetano, Nurse Robertha Herera, Miss Kristina Romero and Miss Natalie Arceo spent the day interacting, counseling and offering free HIV rapid tests to villagers to take the test. At the end of that exercise, we had tested 33 individuals. The second team which included: Dennis Craft, Natalia Fuller, Raul Young and Miss Chila Ugarte both of Caye Caulker took to the schools to offer HIV Education. At the Caye Caulker RC School, we made three presentations to the upper grades, Standards 4 – 6. The children were very receptive and offered many questions.

Amandala

BDF SOLDIER ALLEGES VICIOUS BEATING BY POLICE
Police brutality surfaces in public discussion and in the news more often than it should, but over the weekend there was a particular incident of abuse of power by police officers that “raises eyebrows”, so to speak, because the victim of the brutality this time is also a member of our security forces. Keith Pinnix, 27, a Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldier and resident of Georgeville, in the Cayo District, early Sunday morning had a run-in with the San Ignacio police. Initial reports stated that the soldier was chasing someone who had stolen his cellphone, and when the police arrived, they, inexplicably, beat him badly. However, according to eyewitnesses who spoke with Amandala today, Monday, it turns out that in the wee hours of the morning of Sunday, September 15, 2013, Pinnix, off-duty, had just exited the Blue Angels Night Club in San Ignacio after a night of partying. Upon realizing that he had forgotten his bag with his cellphone inside the club, Pinnix reportedly attempted to re-enter the club, which was already closed, to recover his bag with the phone. The witnesses, who claimed to be outside the establishment at the time, said that Pinnix was shaking the metal gate to alert the employees of the nightclub about his phone when he was approached by a police officer.

CLARENCE LAMB, 23, SENTENCED TO 46 YEARS FOR BTB ROBBERY
Lamb, however, will only serve 12 years in jail — sentences concurrent. Clarence Lamb, 23, a resident of #2 Wagner’s Lane, changed 8 of his 10 not guilty pleas to guilty when he appeared in court this morning, and later changed the remaining two when the trial, which was set for today, was about to start. At 4:30 on the evening of January 2, 2013, a cashier of the Belize Tourism Board’s Regent Street office, was reportedly at her desk when two Creole-looking men walked into the office, one armed with a knife, the other with a gun. Both men demanded money from her, and fearing for her life, she handed over two cash pans – a purple one containing $300 cash, and a blue one containing $1,432.78 cash, money which belonged to the BTB. After getting the cash pans from the cashier, the men reportedly “ran into” the BTB’s security officer, Edwin Torres, and assaulted him with their gun. Armed with his service firearm, Torres chased after the fleeing men and managed to shoot one of the robbers, causing him to fall to the ground.

SIF $$$ SCANDAL!!
Exactly four years ago, in September of 2009, some Dangriga-based contractors protested against the Social Investment Fund ( SIF) because they say the statutory body tasked with implementing social projects was not ensuring that local contractors obtain the infrastructure contracts in Dangriga. A little over a year later, in January 2011, the Dangriga-based contractors had to protest again — this time because a Corozal-based contractor, Kenard Smart, had secured the SIF contract for the Gulisi preschool in Dangriga. Smart, at the time, was only a few days removed from running as a UDP candidate in the standard-bearer convention for Corozal Bay. He would lose the convention, but win the SIF contract. Now exactly two years later, Kenard Smart and SIF are in the news again. And while the aforementioned two protests by the Dangriga-based contractors didn’t gain much traction nationally, this time the nation has been promised that “heads will roll,” by no less than the Prime Minister himself. That’s because the story involving the incomplete construction of the Dangriga Market stinks to the high heavens. On September 9, 2013, Smart and his construction company, K & G Construction, were informed by SIF in a letter that they had cancelled his $1.3 million contract to rehabilitate the Dangriga Market – some two months after the project should have been completed. The letter cancelling the contract was signed by project manager Ernest Raymond, and copied to Daniel Cano, the Executive Director of the Social Investment Fund.

SAN PEDRO MAN RAPED 3 WOMEN IN ONE ROOM
Police say Eric Gutierrez, 21, broke into one woman’s room, forced her into another room with two other women, and raped them all A San Pedro Ambergris Caye man has been charged with raping three women early Saturday morning, September 7, at about 3:00, at their rented room in an apartment building on the island. Eric Gutierrez, 21, a labourer of Pescador Drive, San Pedro, was taken to the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, September 11, and remanded until October 28 on three counts of rape, grievous harm and aggravated burglary. Two of the women told police that they were sleeping in their apartment on Pescador Drive when about 3:00 Saturday morning, they were awakened by a knock on their door. When they opened their door to see what was happening, Gutierrez, whom they knew, was holding another woman with a knife to her throat, and he pushed the woman into their room. The woman was a 25-year-old Guatemalan who was a tenant in the same apartment building. Gutierrez, with a butcher knife in his hand, ordered the three women to take off all their clothes.

EXCELLENCE THRILLS BELIZEAN CRICKET FANS IN L.A.
Leaving Belize by bus on Thursday night, August 29, for Cancun, Mexico, en route to Los Angeles, California, was the Excellence Cricket Club of Double Head Cabbage, cricket champions of Belize, and from reports received, they gave a great performance for the fans in L.A. As we reported in the Sunday, September 1, issue of Amandala, in the article, “Excellence off to L.A. for cricket Friendlies,” the trip was “by invitation from the Cal-Bel Cricket Club of Los Angeles, and the Excellence team plans to play two friendly cricket matches on September 1 and 2 at the Woodley Park Cricket Complex as part of the celebrations for the Independence of Belize and Labor Day in the U.S. “The Cal-Bel Cricket Club was founded in 1980 by Belizeans who formerly played cricket in Belize, and is a member of the Southern California Cricket Association. Last year, they hosted the Belize National Cricket Team; this year, they are hosting the recently crowned back-to-back national champions, Excellence.”

ANNUAL CITY COUNCIL SEPTEMBER CRITERIUM RESULTS
The Belize Cycling Association, with the sponsorship of Belize City Council, Leslie’s Imports and Bowen & Bowen Ltd., held its annual September Criterium yesterday on the Albert and Regent Streets Circuit. There were races for youth between the ages of 8 – 16 years and “novice,” in addition to races for Weekend Warriors, Females, Juniors, and an Open Elite/Masters’ category. Prizes were medals and Crystal Juice for the Juniors and youth riders, while the others received trophies and Belikin products. Below are the results for the various categories: 8-10 Years – 1st place Derrick Chavarria; 2nd Derrick Brown, 3rd Dion O’Brien. 11-13 Years – 1t place Andy Faber; 2nd Derrick Chavarria; 3rd Patrick Williams. 14-16 Years – 1st place Davonne Pascascio; 2nd Gerson Lovell; 3rd Kenan Faber. Open Youth – 1st place Tyler Terry; 2nd Andrew Green; 3rd Darien Anderson.

THE AURELIO UPROAR Editorial
The outraged Belizean reaction to the Belize Tourism Board’s decision to use the music of Honduran national, Aurelio Martinez, in a promotional video for Belize, must have come as a surprise to the stuffy BTB. Aurelio is much loved in Belize, because he is such a nice guy, besides being a very gifted singer and dancer. That must have been why BTB thought they could get away with this outright disrespect to Belizean musicians. Mayhap the BTB does not remember how some Honduran musicians twenty-five years ago stole the Chico Ramos composition, “Conch’s Soup,” claimed Ramos’ original creation, and made a wad of money off it in the region. The story is more complicated, and explosive, than that, however. BTB is one of the few organizations in Belize which has more cash flow than they know what to do with, and at the top they have forgotten where they came from. BTB does not have any socio-political credit with the masses of the Belizean people, because they have become aloof and snobbish. BTB has an “attitude.”

FROM THE PUBLISHER
— by Evan X I don’t like visiting the public hospital. As a result of participating in three different political campaigns in the 1970s and being involved in all kinds of sports in my adult lifetime, I know a lot of people. When I visit someone in the public hospital, the chances are I will see other people that I know in a bad condition, and it breaks my heart. There was no way I could not go to see Mr. Arthur Belisle, Sr., however, after he was hospitalized with prostate problems on Saturday, August 31. When I visited him on Tuesday evening, September 3, Mr. Arthur was his usual assertive self, except that he had been passing blood and had become weaker. As a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation, Mr. Belisle was refusing blood transfusions, so the doctors were treating him with a substitute. Like the soldier that he was, Mr. Arthur said to me after we had been speaking for maybe 20 or 25 minutes, “I’m in good hands.” I took that as my cue to leave. At the time, I thought he was referring to his family members and the hospital’s medical staff, but now I wonder if it was his God to whom he was making reference.

A LETTER FROM LUCY FLEMING
Dear Editor, As one of the signatories to the “Open Letter to the Prime Minister” (Amandala, September 6 ), I wanted to take a moment to emphasise some of the points my colleagues and I made that I feel are particularly pertinent, especially as Belize celebrates independence this month. Along with many Belizeans I am disturbed by the lack of consultation and the haste in which the memorandum of understanding between the government of Belize and Norwegian Cruise Lines in regards to the sale of Harvest Caye has been signed. We believe that this rush to sign such an important document with such far reaching consequences may run counter to the very notion of the democracy we are celebrating. I think we all agree that Belize is owned by the people of Belize, and that the government of the day’s job is to manage the affairs of the nation on behalf of and as a representative of the people who put it in power. But how can a government presume to represent its citizens if they are not consulted about major decisions that will impact the nation today and into the future? There is a covenant between a democratic government and its people that those elected to power will act openly and in the public interest, and once this covenant is violated, any pretext of democracy goes out the window. That is why transparency and public disclosure are so important.

SRI LANKAN STUDENT STAMP COLLECTOR Letters
— by Lionel Jinawansa Perera Dear Editor, I am a Sri Lankan student and so much interested in collecting postage stamps from all over the world, as it’s my favourite hobby. My father is also working at a newspaper company called “The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited” here in Colombo. Through him, I get Sri Lankan stamps and have a very good collection at present, but I don’t have a single stamp from your beautiful country, Belize. I shall be very happy if someone could send me some stamps from your country, or introduce me to a stamp collecting friend in Belize so that I can make exchanges.

LIONFISH ARE NOT BELIZE’S MOST DANGEROUS INVASIVE SPECIES – UNCHECKED NGO’S ARE!
— by Matthew James Dear Editor, The article on a “national” workshop for the new fisheries legislation is creating significant anger in the Stann Creek fishing communities of Dangriga and Hopkins. On the 4th September a large group of fisherfolk attended the Hopkins (inc. Dangriga) workshop at Sandy Beach. While the meeting was “spirited,” so were previous workshops at other venues according to Mr. Chris Hedley, lead consultant and attorney. During the meeting Mr. Hedley made reference to an upcoming national workshop tentatively scheduled around September 16. Those present, to a man, have no recollection of September 12 being given as the date, or the Northern Cooperatives building as the venue by Mr. Hedley, Mr. Gongora and Mr. Rodney, Fisheries Officers, or that NGO representative, Julio Maaz from WCS, would be hosting the event. A direct result of this “oversight” was the absence of the vast majority of those who attended the Hopkins (inc. Dangriga) workshop; these fisherfolk were knowingly denied their rightful participation in the “national” workshop. At the same Hopkins (inc. Dangriga) workshop, the issue of inadequate enforcement was raised. The response was that grants are being pursued to assist enforcement efforts. Fishermen were surprised to learn of the imminent deployment of unmanned drones for surveillance of fishing areas – doubly surprised to learn that Mr. Rodney, Fisheries Officer, and Mr. Maaz, WCS, were featured in Amandala the very next day.

BELIZE AND GUATEMALA SIGN JOINT AGREEMENT FOR PROTECTION OF CHIQUIBUL-MOPAN-MACAL AND BELIZE WATERSHEDS
On Saturday, September 14, officials from Belize and Guatemala signed a joint agreement for the protection of the Chiquibul-Mopan-Macal and Belize watersheds. More than 40 human settlements in Belize and more than 130,000 inhabitants depend on these water resources for household activities, farming, recreation, drinking water, hydroelectricity and a healthy environment, the signatories acknowledge. Likewise, more than 75 human settlements in Guatemala and more than 100,000 inhabitants are dependent upon the Chiquibul and Mopan Rivers. In particular, the watersheds are deemed to be vital to the ecology, economy, food security and public health of the people of east central Peten, Guatemala and the central region of Belize, and it harbors a rich wildlife reservoir, as well as a history of the ancient Maya civilization and cultural diversity, the officials noted in the joint agreement. “With the signing of this agreement, the 19 leaders commit themselves to undertake cleanup campaigns, reforestation and education activities; and to promote conservation activities and cooperation, exclusively for the protection and preservation of the shared watersheds,” said Rafael Manzanero, executive director of Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), which spearheaded this initiative.

CARNIVAL BLASTS OFF IN THE CITY!
The dazzling array of colors in the form of unique, hand-crafted costumes mixed with blaring, fast-paced music that is known as Carnival was staged along the streets of Belize City this past Saturday, September 14, 2013. Throngs of Belizeans lined the route of the parade to marvel at the displays presented by the carnival groups for this year’s carnival. A total of 12 junior and senior carnival bands, each with their own themes, came out to ‘strut their stuff’ in hopes of being crowned as the winners of Carnival 2013. Revelers showcased original costumes in an effort to impress both the judges and onlookers as they gyrated their way along the Central American Boulevard in their regalia, with choreographed dances by the junior groups. The winners in the senior category were Mother Nature’s Creations, followed by Belizean Jewel who took second, and Soca Warriors who placed third. In the junior category, Pickstock Carnival Band won first place; Jump Street Posse came in second; and Sunshine Masqueraders took third place.

MICAH TILLETT, 18, CHARGED WITH THE JULY 8 MURDER OF JAMAL NEAL, 21
Tillett, a UB student, now joins Jedd Burgess, also a UB student, for the same murder. Late this evening, Micah Tillett, 18, a University of Belize student of #639 Tibruce Street, was taken by CIB personnel to court, where he was charged with the murder of Jamal Neal, 21. Neal was gunned down as he walked down Banak Street on July 8 of this year. At 6:00 that evening, after he had a phone conversation with his mother, two men travelling on a motorcycle rode past him and shot him dead. Jedd Burgess, 21, a UB student, was previously arraigned for Neal’s murder before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser on July 19, while his alleged accomplice remained at large. That was until today, when Tillett was arraigned before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart.

JOSEPH LORIANO O’BRIEN, 21, CHARGED WITH ROBBERY OF GOLDEN CORN TORTILLA SHOP
O’Brien was subdued by the owner and her family and was arrested when police responded to the call Joseph Loriano O’Brien, 21, a resident of #14 Banak Street, was charged with robbery, five counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and keeping an unlicensed firearm when he appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano this morning. According to police, at 4:00 Friday evening, Isoline Baños, 69, the owner of Golden Corn Tortilla Shop located on Central American Boulevard, was at her shop along with four of her family members when three men stormed into the shop, one armed with a gun. One of the men grabbed a cell phone from one of the persons inside the shop and also grabbed money from the cash drawer. But this family didn’t just stand by and allow the robbers to get away – no! This family managed to wrestle away the gun from the gunman and subdue him, allowing the police to arrest him for the brazen robbery when they arrived on the scene.

NELBERT CHOC, 30, CHARGED WITH DRUG TRAFFICKING
Police found 226 grams of cannabis in Choc’s boxers. Nelbert Choc, 30, a resident of #32 Estrella Street, Caye Caulker, was brought before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith and read a single charge of drug trafficking. According to police, acting on information they received, they yesterday visited the Caye Caulker Water Taxi station on North Front Street, where they saw Choc and conducted a search on him. Found inside the waist of Choc’s boxers were two zip-lock bags which contained suspected cannabis, and when weighed, the substance amounted to 226 grams.

MAN CHARGED FOR THREATENING WORDS AND THROWING MISSILES
Newton Neville Benguche, 33, an entrepreneur of a La Croix Boulevard address, was charged for allegedly threatening his female neighbor and throwing stones on her roof. Maria Isabella Artiaga, a resident of 8147 La Croix Boulevard in the Lake Independence area of Belize City, reported to police that Benguche threatened her by saying “I wa burn down unu house and kill all a unu een deh.” In addition to that, Benguche allegedly threw stones on Artiaga’s roof. The incident reportedly occurred on September 12, 2013. Benguche pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared in court today. He was offered bail of BZ$800 for the offences under the condition that he does not harass the complainant or any of the witnesses in the case.

SHANE MCFOY, 26, CHARGED WITH I-PHONE THEFT
Nicholi Rhys was previously charged with handling stolen goods on Wednesday after police found the I-phone in his possession This morning, Shane McFoy, 26, an undertaker of #71 Euphrates Avenue, was charged with theft when he appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart. Police said that on September 10, they responded to a report from Earl Perez that at 12:05 on Tuesday afternoon, as he parked his vehicle on George Street, someone sneaked up on him, pushed their hand through his opened car window, snatched his 16-gig 4S I-phone, valued at $1,200, from off his lap, and ran down the street with it. The person then handed it over to another person, and they both ran off. After police investigated the report, they apprehended Nicholi Rhys and found the I-phone in his possession. Rhys was arraigned on Wednesday, September 11; he pleaded not guilty to the charge and was offered and met bail.

JAMAL WARRIOR, 19, REMANDED TO PRISON AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AND FIREARM OFFENSES
Jamal Warrior, a construction worker of #40 Queen Charlotte Street, was remanded to the Belize Central Prison after being charged with attempted robbery, keeping an unlicensed firearm, keeping unlicensed ammunition, and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. Police believe that Warrior is the person who attempted to rob Nadine Pelayo with a firearm on September 11, while she was on Coney Drive. They also believe that he assaulted both Nadine and Paul Pelayo with the .38 Smith and Wesson brand revolver that was found in the area after an investigation was launched.

ROARING CREEK TEENAGER ESCAPES DEATH FROM GUNMAN
A 16-year-old boy of Roaring Creek was hit in the abdomen after a gunman fired at him and a friend while they were sitting on the stairs of a house on Progress Avenue in Roaring Creek at about 9:30 yesterday morning, Wednesday. The gunman had come out of a car that drove up to within a distance of about 100 feet from them, and after the shooting, the gunman got back into the passenger side of the car, and the driver then drove away. The boy saw his abdomen bleeding, and he and his mother went to the Belmopan Police Station and reported the attack. Police later found the car in Roaring Creek. It was immediately impounded and taken to the Belmopan Police Station.

Blogs

Karaoke Cab
I had the best cab ride yesterday in Belize City. My traveling companions were with Gaylynn and Teddy-bear, we drove around for about 5 hours doing errands, eating fried chicken and laughing our @asses off. In spite of the heavy dreary weather we are having from Invest 95L – see multiple sources of coverage in the thread on AmbergrisCaye.com Belize Message board. The humor and laughter actually started as soon as we got on the plane. Our Maya pilot was very funny cracking jokes about what our food and drinks options were and so stay tuned for the inflight movie. I had the best cab ride yesterday in Belize City. My traveling companions were with Gaylynn and Teddy-bear, we drove around for about 5 hours doing errands, eating fried chicken and laughing our @asses off. In spite of the heavy dreary weather we are having from Invest 95L – see multiple sources of coverage in the thread on AmbergrisCaye.com Belize Message board. The humor and laughter actually started as soon as we got on the plane. Our Maya pilot was very funny cracking jokes about what our food and drinks options were and so stay tuned for the inflight movie.

Storm System Invest 95L Brings MORE RAIN to Ambergris Caye
Our little neck of the woods has been a bit of a hot spot for rain and storm systems these past few weeks. Nothing close to Tropical Storm status while it passes by us (though the last system turned into deadly Hurricane Ingrid and hit the east coast of Mexico just a few days ago killing as many as 34 people) but we are getting lots of grey skies and plenty of rain. Here is the world wide picture of Tropical storms from Wunderground.com. And 95L sitting EXACTLY RIGHT ON TOP OF US. I present you the always scientific “Me on My Couch” indicator.

The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize Recertified Green Globe
Green Globe Certification today announced the recertification of The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize. Green Globe Certification CEO Guido Bauer said: “The Lodge at Chaa Creek is one of the more exemplary Green Globe-certified properties. From its inception, the owners, managers, and staff of this eco-resort have dedicated their business to sustainable development, as well as presenting a quality eco-tourism experience. “There seems no sustainable practice that Chaa Creek has not built into its operations. And some of these activities are not ones that are usually considered when we think about responsible tourism in beautiful natural locations. “The resort contributes directly to staff health and welfare through the provision of health care treatment, equipment, and supply of medicines. They also work with local law enforcement agencies to protect the welfare of staff and guests, as well as establishing a neighborhood watch program for the local community. “Beyond the excellent interpretive activities based on the rainforest location, Chaa Creek demonstrates that social commitment is also part of true sustainability.”

Johnnycakes 1/2 Recipe in the Toaster Oven
We love freshly baked Johnnycakes, so this half recipe is perfect because it only yields 4. No range is necessary.

Compete Caribbean
Submit your proposal to Compete Caribbean by October 31, 2013 and compete for up to US$500,000 to develop your idea! We welcome any innovative project, from any economic sector and any size of firm. However all firms must be resident in a CARIFORUM country and be prepared to provide counterpart funding of 50% of the cost of the project (of which up to 50% can be in kind).

BELTRAIDE’s participation at Expo through its Small Business Development Centre (SBDCBelize) making an impact!
Participating in events such as expositions and trade shows are considered to provide extensive benefits, including that of economic gains, to other less quantifiable benefits such as exposure. From its inception four years ago, Expo Belize Market Place has provided a gateway for entrepreneurs and the general business/non-business community to showcase their products and services and obtain an edge on the competition. This year, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) couldn’t miss it! BELTRAIDE, through its Small Business Development Centre (SBDCBelize) attended Expo Belize along with three entrepreneurs. The products that were being showcased were those of Bella Dee’s (Soaps, Massage Oils and other), Amarabi Seasonings ( Marinades) and Gayla’s Arts. The location and the versatility of our participating clients and staff allowed for more than 500+ visitors to the booth, allowing for our entrepreneurs to sell and promote their products. One of the entrepreneurs enthusiastically expressed “I am very grateful for the invitation to participate in this year’s expo along SBDCBelize, BELTRAIDE, I am extremely impressed at my consultant’s persistence, determination, and assistance in meeting my expressed needs, I would definitely participate in this show next year”. Similar sentiments were shared from the other participants.

“Moving” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
The rainy season has shown itself with a vengeance during the last few weeks. I am sure that it has not been the case but it seems like it has rained every day and yesterday was no different. Out on the veranda yesterday morning shortly before 05.00 hours the rain was lashing down and so strongly at one stage that I had to retreat to the condo to avoid getting soaked. Weather such as this is obviously not good (or welcomed) by the tourists that are visiting Ambergris Caye but it does have its benefits. Well, for me at least. I just love the sound of the rain hitting the fronds of the coconut trees. I find it restful. Therapeutic. Very calming. Not that I feel at all agitated but the sound, for me, creates a sense of serenity.

Pumpkin Fudge
3 cups white sugar 3 tablespoons lite corn syrup 1/4 teespoon salt 1 1/2 teespoons vanilla extract 1 cup milk 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1 teespoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup butt'r Direckshuns: Butt'r er greese one 8 x 8 inch pun. N' a 3-quart saucepun, mix togeth'r sugar, milk, corn syrup, pumpkin an' salt. Brang to a bawl ov'r high heat, stirryun' constantlee. Reduce heat to medium an' continue boileeun'.

International Sources

Another disturbance forms over Yucatán
As the remnants of Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel brought heavy rains across Mexico, another atmospheric disturbance with potential to strengthen into a tropical storm began forming over the southern Yucatán Peninsula Tuesday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center is predicting that an area of low pressure over Belize and southern Yucatán has a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression during the next two days. Hurricane watchers at the center reported Tuesday afternoon that the system was moving slowly west and northwest and likely will emerge above the Bay of Campeche on Wednesday. “Environmental conditions should continue to be generally conducive for some additional development during the next several days as the disturbance moves slowly across the southern Gulf of Mexico,” a notice from the hurricane center states.

Russian Supermodel Debuts Her Own Swimwear Collection
Russian supermodel and Sports Illustrated magazine cover girl Irina Shayk has released her own swimwear collection for Beach Bunny Swimwear, according to an official announcement. Shayk’s designs for “Irina Shayk for Beach Bunny” were previewed earlier this summer on the catwalks of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami, Florida and mark her second collaboration with the California-based women’s swimwear company. The 2010 Beach Bunny collection also featured some of Shayk’s designs, according to the statement released Tuesday. Shayk, 27, whose real surname is Shaykhlislamova, was born in the tiny mining village of Yemanzhelinsk in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, and landed her big break in 2007 when she became the face of Itimissimi lingerie according to her official website. Since 2007 she has modeled for many top designers and brands and in 2011 appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated famous swimsuit edition.

Vic Spencer – A Call From Belize
Not familiar with Vic Spencer? Then you’re missing out! The wordsmith returns to the scene today with something new and rather addictive for our listening enjoyment. The track is called “A Call From Belize” in which he gets down over top of a beat done by Alchemist. The laid back, melodic beat gets attacked mercilessly by the MC, as he does a great job at showing off his thoughts, his rhyme skills, and his story at the same damn time. He effortlessly weaves together some unique bars, and keeps us entertained in the process. Check out the new track after the jump and let us know what you think down below.

NHC bumps up development chances of '95L'
Forecasters are keeping a close eye on a low pressure system centered near the coast of Belize that is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms over the Caribbean Sea. According to the National Hurricane Center, the system has a 30 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours and a 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next five days. The disorganized area of disturbed weather is forecast to slowly move across Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula and enter the Bay of Campeche Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Forecasters added environmental conditions are expected to be a little more favorable for development during the next day or two. They reported the low is likely to become nearly stationary over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico later in the week and environmental conditions should be generally conducive for some slow development during that time.

September 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 San Pedro Sun

Island students participate in annual Children and Youth Rally
The Ministry of Education Youth and Sports on Friday September 13th hosted students from across the country to the annual Children and Youth Rally. The event was celebrated under the national September Celebrations theme “Belize in You, Belize in Me – Land of the Free.” On Ambergris Caye, the students gathered at the Rafael Angel Nuñez Auditorium where the atmosphere was very patriotic, and included dances and celebration music. The event was broken down into two segments: the first was the official ceremony and the second part was the fun and entertainment section. During the official ceremony, the students of Ambergris Caye were happy to listen to a 10-minute presentation by Anthony Gill. The 11-year-old Belizean/American is an international motivational and inspirational speaker. His visit with the students of San Pedro Town is part of a countrywide tour and it is his second working visit to Belize.

Ministry of Health issues caution on oral Ketoconazole
The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring new information in regards to the use and efficacy of a well established anti-fungal medication, Ketoconozole, which is currently being used in Belize. The Ministry is aware that in some countries this medication has been banned from further use because of its toxic effects on the liver. Other medications of the same category of drugs have proven to be just as effective with fewer side effects. As such, patients on this medication should consult their doctors at the earliest possible time to seek out the best solution available. Doctors across the country are strongly advised to switch to newer, less toxic medications. The Ministry of Health strongly advises that Ketoconazole be used only for cases where patients are unable to tolerate other therapies or when other medication options are unavailable.

Ambergris Today

New British High Commissioner Makes Courtesy Call to Minister of National Security
The new British High Commissioner to Belize, H.E. Peter Hughes made a courtesy call to Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar on Friday, September 13, 2013, in his office at the Ministry of National Security Headquarters in the Curl Thompson Building in Belmopan. The British High Commissioner’s visit is part of his familiarization tour, having recently taken up his new position after presenting his credentials to Governor General Sir ColvilleYoung. H.E Peter Hughes started his diplomatic career as Desk Officer in the British Defense Department, and has since served oversees in Australia, the Caribbean, Asia and Afghanistan. Upon his appointment to Belize, Mr. Hughes was quoted as saying he hopes to build on the enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and Belize.

Flashbacks: Patrotism in the 1970's
It is not the size of a parade but the patriotism that goes along with it. These San Pedro kids are displaying a slightly decorated bike but high in the air is the fluttering British flag. Yes, it is definitely before Independence so you will see one or two Union Jack flags, the flag of England around the village. Even the child on the bike has his little British flag ready for the parade. This was the time when Sanpedranos paid tribute to the Queen of England and showed respect to the Governor of England, the British flag and the national anthem, God Save The Queen. It was also the era when the streets of San Pedro were rolling hills of beautiful white sand.

Teen Talk: Why Judging People is Wrong
- by Ryan Ancona, Teen Talk Reporter - In this week’s article we will be talking about why judging other people is wrong. I believe everyone is guilty of this at some point of their lives, some more than others. Then there are some people who don’t really realize that they are doing it. Why is it wrong you may ask? Well the first reason is more common sense. It is wrong because it can hurt the other person’s feelings. Here is an example: there is a girl who instead of wearing usual girly clothes decides to dress with more ‘boyish’ clothes. Probably as soon as other girls see her they would start laughing because she is different. There are a lot of people who will probably argue that she can’t wear boy clothes because she is a girl and that’s not right.

Pic of the Week: September Celebrations Inspired Art
‘One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure’ perfectly describes our Picture of the Week. It took Heider Perez and his children just a little bit of imagination and a whole lot of creativity to put together this awesome yard art as tribute to Belize’s patriotic celebrations taking place this month. With bits and pieces of scraps that their neighbors had discarded as trash, the Perez family saw it as treasure and an opportunity to recycle all of it into something colorful and beautiful. An old discarded bicycle frame, bucket covers for the wheels, pieces of PVC pipe, an old basket, scrap plywood and some spare paint was all it took to get it done! “Ok ok... this is how it happened,” commented Heider to us. “I was passing by my neighbor’s yard when I notice this old bicycle frame. I went home thinking that I can use it somehow. Two days later I decided to take it home... still not knowing what I was going to do with it. I thought to myself that it would be funny to have a Macaw riding it and since we are in the month of September; that just kinda made everything easier. I am painting my house at the moment so I got the bucket covers for the wheels from the buckets of paint and since it’s a bird I decided to go with PVC pipe for the peddle since this wasn't an ordinary guy riding the bike. LOL. And the basket...well it so happens I have great neighbors - I also found it on another neighbor's trash. I did the Macaw out of some scrap plywood I had in my yard. A little color and there you have it."

Community Bulletin: Saga’s Central American Cook-Off
Come and enjoy Saga’s Central American Cook-off Block Party at El Fogon on Thursday, September 19, 2013! Saga will be serving up very own purrfect Tropical Sangria. There will be both red and white to choose from with all proceeds benefiting Saga. Saga’s Famous Raffle with great prices and plenty of good food to vote for. This fundraiser is to raise money for a SNIP-a-thon that Saga HS will be promoting in October. Saga will also be hosting Helping Paws Across Borders form Oct. 7-11 and Hopkins HS Oct. 19-21. There will be visiting Vets to hold FREE SNIP (spay/neuter) clinics for the community. Saga’s goal is to SNIP over 300 island pets.

Misc Belizean Sources

Education in Belize: Breaking Free!
September in Belize is a month for celebrations! Many festivities lead up to Sept 10th to commemorate the “Battle of St. George’s Caye”, a day that has been celebrated each year, and long before the country achieved self-governing status in the mid 1960’s and Independence in 1981. Each September includes many talent competitions throughout Belize, then a festive Carnaval, then the nationwide celebrated Independence Day on Sept. 21st to top a full month of festivities. In our many September celebrations throughout the country, we celebrate many forms of “breaking free”, whether from Colonial masters or from whatever may have once held us back -- as a country and as a people. We even broke free from our former name, British Honduras, and have proudly made ourselves known throughout the entire world as: Belize. Certainly, we have every right to celebrate all the changes and advancements in Belize today. It is unfortunate, though, that Belize insists on remaining very disadvantaged as a young developing country, because since gaining Independence we adamantly refuse to break free from adhering to former/existing Colonial (Commonwealth) systems of Education throughout the country.

In Bloom Rocked Orange Walk
In Bloom, one of Cayo's up and coming rock bands, took a road trip to Sugar City this weekend to rock out at their Rock 4 All concert. They had more than a little fun while they were up there sharing the jams. "We Stepped Back To Listen To The Roar of The Crowd, Embrace The Feeling of Love And Support, And Thoroughly Enjoy The Scenery Unfolding Before Our Eyes, Orange Walk Surely Knews How To Make Us Feel At Home!!!! Thanks So Much To The Orange Walk Town Council For Having Us And For Accommodations At Hotel de la Fuente, Orange Walk Town, Belize, German Novelo For Giving Us A Chance To Play, And Macs' Dad For Sponsoring The Drive To and From OW. We'll Be Back xD. In Bloom In Orange Walk For The 'Rock 4 All Vol 5' Concert!!!"

Belize Photography Exhibition
The Benque House of Culture is getting ready for their next exhibition, which will be photographs from around Belize that follow the theme 'Belize: Through My Eyes.' The juried photographic exhibit is open to all amateur photographers. They are accepting submissions through the 25th of October. Call Subrata Basu at 633-8000 for more information.

FCD Presented on Chiquibul to PM
Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director of Friends for Conservation and Development, and the FCD crew, gave a presentation on the Chiquibul Forest Reserve to the PM last week. The Chiquibul is one of Belize's greatest areas for flora and fauna diversity, and a large part of the country's water supply originates there, over 4 billion gallons a year. Save the Chiquibul! "FCD had the opportunity to present their work to the Prime Minister, Dean Barrow on the 11th of September regarding the protection of the Chiquibul Forest. FCD’s Director explained the challenges faced to secure the protected area. The reunion was extremely productive and encouraging and the Prime Minister recognized the important work carried out by FCD."

September Criterium Race
Congratulations to Cayo's Oscar Quiroz and Jose Choto for winning the annual September Criterium bicycle race this weekend in the Junior and Masters divisions. For a complete list of winners, go to the Belize Cycling Association page.

Channel 7

Concrete, Actionable Allegations of Corruption At SIF: Board Sanctions Terminations
Tonight, SIF, the Social Investment Fund is reeling after mass terminations - resulting from concrete, actionable allegations of corruption. 7news has confirmed that the Board of Directors had an emergency meeting at 2:00 this afternoon in Belmopan and highly placed sources tell us that they took the decision to terminate as many as four employees, while also asking Executive Director Daniel Cano to resign. According to a release issued a few minutes ago, quote, "The meeting is still in session and a statement will be issued tomorrow morning detailing the outcome. " The meeting had key input from the contractor general who has been investigating allegation of corruption at SIF for some time, too long a time, according to some. We say that because those concrete allegations were made 7 months ago by a contractor SIF had retained to build the New Dangriga Town market. He is Kennard Smart, and tonight, we'll look at those allegations of corruption:...

Soldier Beaten By Cops
And from that scandal to a recap of the weekend's news. Considering all the drinking and wild revelry that happened, we're glad to report that no one was killed. But that doesn't mean there wasn't violence - in fact, there was quite a bit. The most disturbing case is one involving a BDF Corporal who was beaten unconscious by police officers. Now, usually, these lawmen work together, but Cayo police say when they responded to a disturbance at Blue Angels Club on Sunday morning at 3:45 am, they found 27 year old BDF Corporal Keith Pinnix "without shirt, screaming and shaking the metal gate to the entrance of Blue Angels Night Club on Hudson Street, San Ignacio Town." Pinnix had apparently left a bag with important personal documents in the club and they didn't want to let him back in to get it. Police say they told him to conduct himself appropriately but he continued. They then put him under arrest for disorderly conduct. That's when the cops say Pinnix punched a police officer, knocking him off his feet. They say Pinnix launched another attack, throwing several punches. Police say they had no choice but to respond with force, clubbing Pinnix with the baton. They hit him so hard that they allegedly broke the baton in the process.

Carnival Craziness Leads to Crime
And while that was Cayo - in Belize City there were two violent events - both resulting from the Carnival. The first occurred early in the morning at around 4:00 am during the Wet Fete - an event that precedes the jouver't - where, as the name implies everyone is sprayed with freezing cold water. This was staged at the MCC Tennis court on front of the Princess. As you might be able to imagine, the event was quite wild and being held at four in the morning it quickly unfolded into chaos - as revelers - along with more than a few drinkers - mounted the sound system truck and refused to get off to make space for the deejay. Police had to be called - which meant the involvement of the GSU which is headquartered right around the corner near Renaissance Towers. While police used "stunners", referred to locally as "tasers" to get the crowd off the truck, rocks and sticks started to be thrown by the mob at the police. The GSU fired warning shots in the air with their MT-9 machine guns to disperse the mob. IT was effective, but then when a man was injured in the head, the story went out that the GSU had shot him in the head. But that's not so. It turns out that 18 year old Rudolph Ramsey was injured by a rock and not a weapon. He was not at the KHMH and best information is that he discharged himself.

COLA Gets On The No Bus Ban Bandwagon
On Friday you saw expert protestor Phillip Fawda Henry come out against the City Council's plan to ban public buses from Albert Street. Well today, he was joined by advocacy organization COLA - which issued a release asking, quote, "Where is the consultation…that this Council promised City residents when they came into office last March?" To that, they add, dramatically, "Man does not live by concrete alone, but by the sweat of his brow eats bread." We'll have to figure that one out, but for context we spoke to COLA President Geovanni Brackett today:.. Geovanni Brackett - President, COLA "We believe that this new decision of the Council maybe in fact unilateral and a decision that is inconvenient and unsafe for the commuters."

Man Charged For Golden Corn Robbery
On Friday, 7News told you about the robbery which was stopped as it was happening at the Golden Corn Tortilla Factory on Central American Boulevard. As we reported, at around 4 on Friday evening, 3 men, one of whom was armed with a .38 pistol, barged into shop, stole money from the cash pan, and grabbed a cell phone from one of the workers. One of the owners tackled the man with the gun, causing it to fall to the ground. This gave the other workers time to subdue him, until the police arrived and arrested him. His other accomplices ran off and escaped. Police arrested and charged 21 year old Joseph O'Brien was charged with robbery, five counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and keeping an unlicensed firearm when he appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano today.

GSU Makes Plentiful Busts In The West
Between Thursday and Saturday, the Gang Suppression Unit conducted operations in Central Belize, and their efforts led the arrest of 9 persons in relation to drugs and firearm offences. Just before 10 on Thursday morning, GSU searched the house belonging to 37 year-old Eddy Rowland of the Another World Area in Roaring Creek. The officers found him digging up the ground in his back yard, and this led the officers to search the location. They found a small glass bottle which contained 25 small pieces of crack cocaine to a total weight of 1.6 grams. Rowland was arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

Minister’s Warehouse Burglarized
And while police have made arrests for those crimes, they continue to investigate a burglary which happened at the warehouse belonging to Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse. He told police that sometime between 11 p.m. on last Thursday and 8:30 on last Friday, someone broke into his warehouse at his home on the Western Highway and stole 1 welding machine, 6 electric motors and 2 blue phase machines, all to a total of $10,000.

Expo 2013 Was A Smash
This weekend, the 17th Annual Expo Belize Market Place was held at the ITVET Compound, and Channel 7 in collaboration with Belizean to the Bone had live coverage throughout. But if you didn't make it there or catch it live, our Daniel Ortiz was there and he put together this report: Daniel Ortiz reporting The 2013 Expo Belize Market Place drew an impressive 19,000 visitors over the weekend, one thousand more than last year, and a huge success for the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. But while that is the bottom line, a major consideration for all the participating companies was the fact that 2 of the major events of the September Celebrations schedule clashed on Saturday: carnival and expo. No one knew what effect that would have on the event, but it did change the approach some businesses took: Karan Sabnani, Co-owner, Cellular World "This year we were all a bit shaky about it due to the carnival, but we've gotten a great response. What we did was make life convenient for people. We did our Expo deals along the carnival route and we also reduce the prices on our products. Normally at Expo we have a set price range that we work with but this year we drop it a bit to attract people to skip carnival and actually come into expo."

Warrior Accused of Armed Robbery
19 year-old Jamal Warrior is in jail tonight after he was accused of an armed robbery in Belize City. Nadine Pelayo reported that on last Wednesday, she was on Coney Drive when someone attempted to rob her with a gun. She reported it to police who went back to search the area on Thursday, and they recovered a black .38 Special Smith and Wesson revolver and five live rounds of .38 ammunition. This morning, Warrior appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith where he read charges of attempted robbery, keeping an unlicensed firearm, keeping unlicensed ammunition and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm on Nadine and Paul Pelayo.

Man Shot During BTB Robbery Takes A Guilty Plea
So, while those 2 are awaiting trial, 22 year old Clarence Lamb changed his 10 pleas from "not guilty" to "guilty" when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this morning. Lamb was shot in the right foot after he and another person robbed the Belize Tourism Board of $1,732 dollars. They were armed with a knife and a gun when they stormed the Regent Street office on January second of this year, and robbed the cashier, of two cash pans which contained the money. Only Lamb was apprehended after Edwin Torres, the security officer at BTB, shot him while he and his accomplice were trying to flee the scene. The two cash pans and the firearm were recovered from the scene as well. Lamb was arraigned on January 7, and had to be assisted in and out of the court as he was still recovering from his injured right foot. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and had been set for trial today.

Jouver’t to Carnival Was turned Up to The Max
In our top segment we told you about some of the chaos that unfolded in the periphery of the carnival revelry. But, when you consider how many people were out from three in the morning until six in the evening, and how much alcohol was in circulation right after payday - it's fortunate that worse didn't happen. So, there's still a lot to celebrate - and the revelers turned it up to the max on Saturday. 7news was there from the jouver't at dawn to the carnival in the afternoon - and here are the highlights:.. Daniel Ortiz, reporting As you heard, the revelers from the J'ouvert Splash Down converged in front of the San Cas Plaza, for the continuation of the party which started 7 hours earlier. They formed a massive throng - a swarm of humanity, which shows how much Carnival spirit there is in the city. And the numbers just kept increasing, every time they passed our cameras, thousands of people, a mash up of bodies, mud, music, dancing and the chaos called the carnival mood.

Channel 5

Carnival 2013 Video
from Great Belize Productions Ltd.

5 executives of SIF on the chopping block over the failed million dollar Dangriga Market Project
There is big news tonight in respect of a million dollar project to upgrade the Dangriga market which is mired in scandal and corruption. An emergency meeting of the Board [...]

B.D.F. soldier is badly beaten at the hands of the police in San Ignacio
A B.D.F. soldier is today recovering from injuries he received at the hands of officers of the San Ignacio Police Department. The brutal beating was meted out on Corporal Keith [...]

Eyewitness gives account of officer’s beating
As we told you earlier, there are different sides to every story – and the version told by San Ignacio Police couldn’t be more different. According to their report, Police [...]

GSU fire warning shots to diffuse a brawling mob
There were sporadic shooting incidents over the weekend. Also in the city, a confrontation between apparently intoxicated revelers, following the carnival j’ouvert on Saturday morning, has resulted in one person [...]

Belize City man recovering in K.H.M.H. after being beaten by crowd of men
In other related news, a Belize City man is in stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was badly beaten on Saturday evening. It wasn’t included in [...]

New bus routes in the downtown Belize City unleash a firestorm of criticism by commuters
City buses can no longer run on Albert Street. That’s the law handed down from City Council, and to say that the decision has unleashed a fiery storm of criticism [...]

Minister of Immigration’s warehouse broken into; $10,000 worth of items stolen
No one is being spared from a wave of robberies taking place. Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse, reports that sometime between last Thursday and Friday, someone broke into his warehouse [...]

Corozal man shot by hotel owner for urinating in public
A man from Corozal Town has reason to think twice before urinating in public again – since the last time he did so in the early hours of Sunday morning [...]

Calbert Young charged for 55 pounds of weed found inside bedroom floor
On Sunday morning, the Gang Suppression Unit searched a one bedroom shack on Gibson Street off Faber’s road occupied by twenty-four year old Calbert Young. The Unit did not have [...]

Banks Holdings Limited and C.P.B.L. back in Court…a settlement is reached
Banks Holdings Limited of Barbados and the Belize Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited and Citrus Products of Belize Limited were back in court this morning. The session, before Justice [...]

Foiled robbery: Businesswoman and her family catch culprit
A businesswoman, the owner of Golden Corn Tortilla, was robbed at gunpoint in front of five of her family members. But fortunately for them, they managed to subdue the attacker. [...]

B.T.B. robber sentenced to 46 years in prison
Twenty-two year old Clarence Lamb, accused of robbing the Belize Tourism Board of over two thousand dollars on January second, had his day in court today. After changing his plea [...]

Highlights of the revelry of the Jouvert 2013
Before the crack of dawn, thousands converged at the San Cas Plaza for the Jouvert 2013…. It is a prelude of what was to come later in the day for [...]

The 2013 Carnival Road March…the elaborate and breathtaking showing
Following the jouvert, the carnival road march on Saturday was a spectacular show as it made its way from the Yarborough Green to the B.T.L. Park. For one there were [...]

Carnival Committee to assist bands with designing training
With carnival 2013 behind, preparations for 2014 are already on the drawing board. While band leaders are already in the process of putting together innovative ideas to wow the judges [...]

Sports Monday: Belize brings home medals in Central American Table Tennis Competition
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   The annual BCA September Criterium took center stage in Belize City as it ran through the Albert Street/Regent Street [...]

LOVE FM

Shot While Urinating on Private Property
In Corozal 27 year old Francisco Castaneda of Flamboyant Street reported that about 2:00am on September 15th, he went urinate in an open lot beside the Sea Breeze hotel on 1st Avenue Corozal Town when he suddenly heard a loud “bang” and saw 63 year old Gwyn Lawrence, owner of the hotel standing on the verandah with what appeared to be a rifle in his hands. Casteneda suddenly felt pain in his left lower arm and realized that he had been shot. Casteneda’s injury was certified as wounding. Police have arrested and charged Lawrence for the crime of wounding.

Carnal Knowledge and Illegal Firearm Reported in Northern Belize
In Orange Walk, on September 13th Special Branch and CIB Personnel conducted a house search at the residence of 20 year old Frederick Rhaburn on Gristock St, Pasadita Area, Orange Walk Town which resulted to the discovery of a point 22 Revolver, along with two live rounds of ammunition inside the cement block hole in the bathroom. During the search two 17 year old minors were present. Police have since arrested and charged Rhaburn and the minors for kept firearm without a gun licence and kept ammunition without a gun licence Last Friday, a 14 year old and her mother both of Corozal Town reported that in July, she left her grandmother’s house and met a 20 year old man with whom she has been in a relationship since May. She stated that both of them then went to his house where they had sexual intercourse of her own free will. Medical examination was conducted which certified that the minor had been carnally known. Police have since detained the 20 year old pending charges.

Employee Robbed in Parked Vehicle
Police continue their investigations into the robbery of an employee of Santiago Castillo Limited that occurred last week. On Thursday the employee was seated in his four door gold brown Isuzu pickup when he was approached by two male persons on a motorcycle. According to the employee, one of the men had what appeared to be a black automatic handgun which he pointed at him while the other took his blue and grey Jan sport bag from his vehicle. The bag contained about two thousand four hundred dollars in different denomination and a cheque in the sum of about five hundred dollars. The thieves also made off with an iPod in a black case valued at one thousand dollars, a black modem valued at two thousand dollars, a blue key lock money bag and two receipt books. The men then made good their escape firing a shot in his direction. Two nine millimeter expended shells Lugar brand were found in the area. A red and black with white lining Lifan motorcycle was found abandoned off the Boom Hattieville Road which was brought to the Ladyville Police Station for further processing.

Police Seek Culprits in Burglary of Minister’s Warehouse
A warehouse belonging to Minister Godwin Hulse was burglarized. According to police reports, sometime between 11:00pm on September 12th and 8:30am on the following day someone broke into Hulse’s warehouse located at mile 10 ½ on the George Price Highway. The intruder stole a welding machine valued at two thousand dollars, six Electric Motor valued at six thousand dollars. Two blue three phase machine valued at two thousand dollars all to a total of ten thousand dollars.

Teenager Attempts to Rob Couple
A Belize Defense Force Corporal is recovering from injuries he sustained, allegedly at the hands of police officers. 27 year-old Keith Pinnix, who has been with the Force for the past seven years, told Love News that he was socializing at the Blue Angels Night Club in San Ignacio Town, Cayo in the wee hours of Sunday when an altercation ensured between himself and another person. He said that he decided to leave and go elsewhere but when the regular police officers met him at the other location, they did not identify themselves and the treatment was with brute force. Keith Pinnix, Alleges police brutality “I was with my cousin and a young lady from high school; we were all hanging out when a slight altercation occurred but all of that was over already and we left. I was downstairs and I already knew that the police was coming and so my cousin and I were standing and waiting for them to come. When they came, it was about five of them and when they arrived I mentioned to them that I don’t have anything in my hand and I don’t see the re