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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Kim Simplis Barrow promotes Belize in Harper’s Bazaar Interiors
The May-June Issue of Harper’s Bazaar Interiors, featuring an eleven page spread showcasing the beauty of Belize, was officially launched at the opening night of BETEX on Wednesday, May 7th, at the Ramada Hotel and Casino. A feature that highlights natural and man-made elements of Belize, it gives readers a closer look at the simplistic, yet cultured lifestyle of Belizeans, depicted through the eyes of Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow. Speaking of the collaboration, Editor in Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Interiors, Rue Kothari, says, “In Harper’s Bazaar Interiors we always strive to depict the most inspirational people, to reveal how their values and unique style translates to the way they live. It was our honour to present Kim Simplis-Barrow in the pages of our biggest ever issue; and to discover first-hand the natural beauty of the islands of Belize.”

San Pedro Lions host the 36th Annual National Convention
Lion and Leo members from across the country and Mexico converged on Ambergris Caye for three days as part of the 36th annual Belize Lions Zone 59 national convention. The event was held from May 2nd to the 4th under the theme “Lions – rejoicing and uniting to better serve our communities.” During the three days of events, Lion conventioneers took the opportunity to reflect on the goals and objectives of Lionism, as well as methods to improve their work in their communities. The official opening ceremony took place on Friday March 2nd, and the Lion Zone 59 Chair Melanie Paz gave a sober reflection of the issues affecting club members not only locally, but worldwide. “Lion clubs across the world are facing serious problems in terms of membership. Many of these problems are internal and at Zone 59, it is no exception. Over the past decade, if we audit our club numbers correctly, you will realize that more Lion members have abandoned the Club than what has actually joined our ranks…

SPHS Drama Club seeks donations for exchange program
The San Pedro High School (SPHS) Drama Club will be travelling to Los Angeles, California USA from May 23rd to the 31st to participate in a student exchange program. The exchange program will see students from four nations, Belize, United Kingdom, Mexico and Zanzibar, coming together to share and learn in drama and theatrical skills. Seven students from SPHS will be acting as Belize representatives. The exchange program is being organized by Larry and Debbie Heimgartner, who have been hosting plays and exchanging ideas with SPHS students and the community for many years. In November 2013, they hosted a series of plays at the San Pedro High School and initiated the Drama Club. The Heimgartners hope that through the plays they write and produce, they can positively impact the communities in which the plays are performed. To make a donation, contact Alexis Guerrero at the San Pedro High School at telephone number 226-2045.

SMART River Challenge
Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 was a nice cloudy day for the SMART River Challenge at National Agriculture and Trade Show. This year’s race had thirteen entries in seven categories. The uniqueness about this race is that all paddlers had to stand outside their canoe and at the sound of the start they jumped in their sitting position and paddle off. All 1st Place teams in each category received a trophy, medals and $150 cash, 2nd Place teams received medals and $75 cash, 3rd Place teams received medals only. Special thanks to SMART for their continued sponsorship of this race, thanks to the National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee and thanks to LoveFM. Next Race: May 18th, open race, More Tomorrow Village Day 221st Anniversary Celebration.

Attempted armed robbery at Bowen & Bowen Distributors
Police have responded to an attempted robbery incident at Bowen and Bowen Distributors located on Blake Street. Initial investigations have revealed that around 1:20PM on Friday, May 9th, a male person charged into the office with a firearm and demanded money. Security guards on duty quickly responded, removing him from the office away from the employees. The assailant fired nine gunshots; no-one was injured but a glass door was broken. The man fled the scene before San Pedro Police could arrive. According to Officer in Charge of San Pedro Police, Superintendent Luis Castellanos, no one was injured and nothing was stolen. “The man fled into the nearby area after shooting, but no one was hurt. Luckily a security officer was able to identify the attacker and police are now searching for the suspect,” said Castellanos. Police are not yet releasing the identity of the suspect, but they are continuing their investigation and are actively searching for the armed suspect. More information will be made available as the investigation progresses.

Black Orchid Restaurant hosts painting party!
What I was actually doing was sitting at Black Orchid Restaurant, enjoying its fabulous ambiance and listening to Melody Sanchez-Wolfe’s instructions on recreating one of her pieces: a full moon over the water, framed by palm trees in silhouette, and a dock with a palapa in the foreground. My artist pal Monique had joined me for drinks and delicious appetizers, and between the two of us, we hoped to come up with something worthy of display. I mean, I failed Art in junior college. I hear no-one fails art, but I think we all know I’m special…(ha!) so between the two of us, there should be something worthy of display, right? Black Orchid Restaurant decided to do something a little different to offer a little variety to the routine, and so Splash n Paint took on a new dimension. With appetizer service and a free drink ticket, those who signed up got to enjoy the delicious creations of Chef Judyann Horton, while sipping drinks made by her husband Tom. The saying ‘watching paint dry’, is often used to describe boring…but not this time!

Ambergris Today

Belize Tourism Arrivals are Up for First Part of 2014
Tourist arrivals for the first quarter of 2014 are up! Compared to last year, there were increases in all three months for overnight, cruise and airport arrivals. Airport arrivals for January-March, 2014, have seen an overall increase of 10.25%. January had the largest increase of 13.01%, which is a total of 22,562 tourist arrivals. 77,464 tourists arrived via the international airport for the first three months of 2014. Overnight arrivals have increased by 9.67%, compared to 2013. February saw the highest increase with 11.61%, which was a total of 32,105 overnight arrivals. Overnight arrivals in the first quarter of 2014 have all exceeded 30,000 visitors (January - 31,164; February – 32,105; March – 38,712). The total overnight arrivals for January to March, 2014, was 101,982.

Misc Belizean Sources

UB Earth Day Fair
The University of Belize had their annual Earth Day Fair last week. Lots of students made it out to learn about the environment and how they can make a difference. A big thanks to PACT for funding the event.

Nicole C. Mullen Concert and Musical Workshops
Nicole C. Mullen will be performing on Saturday, May 31st, at Governor General Field in Belmopan. She'll be teaming up with the Roots and Honor Records artists. The NCM Musical Team will be offering musical workshops on the 28th and the 30th, and they'll cover musicianship, sound engineering, and song writing.

SHC Art Exhibit
The SISE House of Culture has an exciting new exhibit which will feature art from Sacred Heart College students. It will open today, at 2:00pm.

The Invest Belize Magazine 2014
BELTRAIDE Partners with McNab Publishing Ltd. to produce The Invest Belize Magazine.

Wrobel & Co., Attorneys-at-law Opens Satellite Office in San Pedro Town
Wrobel & Co., Attorneys-at-Law of Belize City has recently opened a satellite office in San Pedro on the second floor of the Vilma Linda Plaza, Tarpon Street. The law practice, led by Managing Partner Ryan J. Wrobel, concentrates on real estate, business law, QRP, and other legal services relating to the ex-pat/retirement community. Mr. Wrobel is licensed to practice law in New York State and Jamaica, in addition to Belize. Wrobel & Co. looks forward to becoming a productive member of the San Pedro Community. More information about Wrobel & Co., Attorneys-at-Law can be found on www.lawbelize.bz

Canadian master corporal expands horizons
A Canadian master corporal deployed from the 16th Field Ambulance in Saskatchewan, Canada, is expanding his own horizons as a medical technician for New Horizons Belize 2014. New Horizons is an annual exercise held in Central America, South America or the Caribbean that offers international partners an opportunity to train to deploy while operating in a humanitarian capacity. The exercise incorporates medical readiness training exercises, or MEDRETEs, along with civil engineering construction projects throughout the select country. In Belize, Master Cpl. Sebastien Lepage is applying his extensive training and experience during the MEDRETEs held in the southern Toledo District. Even with considerable knowledge, however, Lepage is still finding much to discover. "I'm learning lots of different things every day, even medically speaking," Lepage said, relaying his recent hands-on education in steroidal injections or maneuvering scar tissue from a cesarean section to ease abdominal pain. "We don't deal with those kinds of patients typically at our bases. I'm learning a lot more outside of my scope than I'm used to."

Hol Chan Reef Resort and Villas Announces Winner for Its First Facebook Contest
The “Photo Contest” is the very first Facebook contest that Hol Chan Reef Resort and Villas has had. The contest started on April 8th, 2013 and ran for a month. Hol Chan Reef Resort and Villas wishes to express their gratitude to everyone who has participated in the photo contest for April. “We would like to extend a thank you to all of our 26 contestants! Your photos and experiences of past vacation destination sites were delightful and we know a truly memorable experience awaits our winner.” The photo with the most votes, a total of 197 was gathered by Ms. Rosie Wood of Belmopan, Belize. Her picture was a lovely collage of her and family on Easter Vacation in Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve in Belize. This collage embodies all that is great and wondrous with the joys of a family vacation. “Belize is breathtaking and there is no place like it and no place that I’d rather be.” – Rosie, Belmopan, Belize

Channel 7

Obispo Dressed Up In Stolen Clothes To Rob A Bank
Tonight, Teakettle resident Cannon Augustine Obispo is at the KHMH after he robbed a customer at a bank and was shot by police while escaping. It was a lawless morning for Obispo who is accused of trying to get away with theft from not one, but two business places across the street from each other. Daniel Ortiz explains how this almost unbelievable crime unfolded:... Daniel Ortiz reporting 25 year-old Cannon Augustine Obispo, a resident of Teakettle Village, went on what only be described as a robbery spree.??Just before 10 a.m., he reportedly walked into the clothing store, Classics, and asked to try on $210 worth of brand new clothes: an undershirt, a dress shirt, a pair of pants, a pair of socks shoes, and a pair of tennis shows. The vendor who out outfitted then asked him to pay for the items, but he walked out of Classics without handing over any money.??The vendor saw that he was walking over to the Scotia Bank across the street, and so he waited outside, thinking that Obispo went there to withdraw money to pay for the clothes.??We're told that Obispo then joined the line like any other customer, and while he was nearing the front, he walked up to the counter while another customer was making a cash deposit. He then grabbed a large amount of money, $6,500 dollars, and fled the bank.

Health CEO Allen Responds To That Damning SRH Audit
Last night we showed you the Auditor General's report on the embezzlement of almost four hundred thousand dollars from the Southern Regional Hospital. It is a damming catalogue of criminality at the individual level and carelessness at the official level. Basically, anyone who's seen the report has to wonder, how could it be that no one was keeping an eye an account with hundreds of thousands of dollars of public funds? For years no one saw a bank statement or asked for one. Incredible, and it went on for three years, and probably more. In the end, the Auditor General Dorothy Bradley found that the ultimate responsibility rests with the CEO in the Ministry of Health, Peter Allen. Today at a press conference on another subject, we asked him about it:... Jules Vasquez "It says that ultimately the fault rest with you the CEO. The accounts went unchecked for 2 years and 9 months. The government of Belize lost $366,468.88. And the auditor general in her opinion, her considered opinion, said the blame rest with you."

An Execution Plan At Funeral?
24 year old Julian Willoughby was killed a week ago and his funeral was held at today. But it had to be done with a full deployment of police officers. That's because his killing was gang related - and there were security concerns that the presence of Willoughby's relatives and associates in one place could trigger another retaliation. Well, there almost was one! 7News has confirmed that police found a sawed-off shotgun in the yard of the church when the funeral was about to start. Alert officers focused on a male who was standing to one side and the gun fell out of his pants leg when he stepped back. Street reports suggested that there may have been another gunman who escaped but police say they didn't observe anything else unusual. It's not clear why the man was carrying a prohibited firearm at a funeral - but he has been detained and will be charged.

Former BCHS Teacher Accused Of Abusing His Student
Michael Angel Guzman, a former teacher of the Belmopan Comprehensive High School, is spending his second night at the Belize Central Prison after being accused of a taking advantage of a student, and having a sexual relationship with one of his students. 7News has been following this case since the week before the Easter holidays. What we've been able to dig up is that the mother a 14 year-old student found out about the inappropriate relationship and started to press the case first with the school. She brought this matter to the principal first and following her persistence, Guzman was placed on a sort of administrative leave. A few days later, he unexpectedly resigned his post as teacher at the school. Police began investigating him for the crime and on Tuesday, he was arrested and criminally charged. The officer commanding Belmopan Police explained more today: Supt. Howell Gillett - OC, Belmopan Police "A 14 year old minor from the same school reported that on the 11th February she had sexual relations with one of her teachers. The teacher has been identified as Michael Guzman. He has been charged with one count of carnal knowledge and he has been remanded to prison."

Failed Robbery Attempt At B&B; San Pedro
There was an attempted armed robbery this afternoon on San Pedro - and multiple shots were fired - luckily no one was hurt. It happened at the Bowen and Bowen Depot where around 1:30 an armed man stormed into the office and demanded money. The San Pedro Sun reports that security guards responded quickly and bravely to subdue and remove him from the office. In the process he fired nine shots, shattering the glass door, and then ran off before police arrived. But the security did identify him so police are looking for a known suspect. No money was stolen.

Health Ministry Answers The Sceptics To The Pharmaceutical Procedures
More than ever, low-cost, generic pharmaceutical drugs are flooding Belize. But how good are they, and who's checking? Well, in the private realm, no one is really or regularly checking; Belize just doesn't have the capabilities for that. But, in the public sector there is a Drug Inspector, and a newly appointed director of the drug inspectorate. Still, when you go to a public facility, what controls are in place to make sure the drugs you are getting are effective and properly screened for your safety? Some concerns have been raised about that recently - and that's become a public relations emergency for the Ministry of Health - because public confidence in the supply of pharmaceuticals is central to a functioning health system. So, they held a press conference today to assure the public that the public system is intact, transparent and legitimate. Still, though, the backbiting and personal differences in the Ministry that brought the issue into the forefront of public attention in the first place overshadowed today's event. Here's our report:.. Jules Vasquez reporting Today the Ministry of Health gathered all the major players from the public pharmaceutical supply chain to explain that nothing untoward has happened with the process.

Churches: Ever Watchful Of The NGP
On Wednesday we showed you the leaders of the Evangelical Association leaving a meeting with the Prime Minister – and we told you about their press release after. But just to make sure everyone got the message, today they held a press conference at the Central Assembly church in Belize City. They explained that while it’s been a year since the Gender Police was launched, and basically nothing has happened other than lots of talking, they have been busy:

Stolen Guns Spill-Over? Family Claims Police Victimization
Last week Friday night at this time police were searching the home of Constable Yannick Wade’s girlfriend – desperately searching for 8 stolen weapons. That search led them to all his family members including his brother in law, 29 year old Jermaine Patnett and eventually his home.

The Much Disputed Harmonville Buffer Area
Yesterday, the Lands Department sent out a public notice to the persons living the Harmonyville Development Area on mile 41 on the Western Highway.

Akeelah's Family Member Charged For Her Death
3 weeks ago, we told you about the Holy Saturday road traffic accident which claimed the life of 5 year-old Akeelah Wade. Well, tonight, 18 year-old Visiona Carcamo, is out on bail after was criminally charged for her death. Carcamo was charged with manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct; driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention; negligent wounding; using a motor vehicle not covered by third party risk insurance, driving a motor vehicle without a valid Belizean driver's license, and driving with passengers in excess on a vehicle. She was arraigned before Magistrate Dale Cayetano, who took no plea on the 6 charges because they are indictable offences. She able to meet bail of $5,000, and she must return to court on July 14.

Butane Prices Are Down
There's good news on the LPG front tonight as the price of BUTANE is tumbling. Effective yesterday, the new controlled price for a 100 pound cylinder of Mexican LPG in Belize City is 115 dollars, down from 128 dollars - a more than 10% reduction. That is LPG sold by Belize Gas and Western Gas. The Central American LPG sold by Belize Western Energy, Southern Choice Butane, Zeta Gas and Tomza Gas is also sharply down from 128 per hundred pound cylinder to 112 dollars.

KHMH Board Members Expectedly Resigned
7News today confirmed that two persons have resigned from the KHMH Board of Directors. Milagro Garel and Maude Sylvester have both tendered their resignations - albeit weeks apart. Today neither the CEO nor the Minister of Health could tell us why - but we know that Sylvester has had differences with Chairman Chandra Nisbet-Cansino.

Con Artist Still At It; Still Unkown
The police department is warning the public about a con artist who pretends to be a cable guy or repair-man. He has a pattern of preying on the elderly on the city's northside. The best advice form the police is that you should not let him into your house without full and proper identification, and you should call 911. Justyesterday, he tricked a retiree when he pretended to be a cable repair-man. The retiree told precinct 3 police that a dark skinned male person, in his mid-forties about 5ft 10inches tall and wearing a black baseball cap, t-shirt, long pants and brown boots came to his door claiming to be an employee of Baymen Cable and identified himself as Reginald Flowers of Burrell Boom. The retiree let him inside the house to check the cable wire while he was preparing breakfast. He observed the supposed cable guy inching up to his bedroom door and became suspicious - but didn't question it. After the man left he found that his black purse with $60.00 dolalrs inside was gone and his ATM card was missing from his bed head. Similarly, an 88-year-old woman of Kelly Street, Belize City reported that on Wednesday around 10a.m., a man went to her house pretending to be a City council employee there to fix her veranda. She was about to go to the store and the man kindly offered to get someone to run the errand for her. While waiting for the run man to return, the man told her that her wedding band and earrings needed cleaning and offered to clean it. She complied, which is when he told her he will go check on the run man. He stepped out, and never came back.

Student Remanded For Gun Is Getting Desperate
18 year old Godwin Neal Jr is tonight still remanded at the Hattieville prison after he and 5 others were charged with kept ammunition without a gun license and possession of 1.2 grams of cannabis. Since then, five of the accused have managed to secure bail except for Neal who is a student of Nazarene High School. Today his devastated mother told us the young man has been having suicidal thoughts and is asking for assistance from anyone who can help get her son out of prison. On April 13th, police searched a house at 10 Far West Street and found the 2 bullets and a small quantity of cannabis. Present at the time were 23 year old Nicoli Rhys, 27 year old Shane Mckoy, 18 year old Rheonna Rivero, 18 year old Godwin Neal Jr. a 17 year old male student of Wesley High School and Bernadette Samuels, a nurse at KHMH.

There's A Third SPICE Cadidate
Last night, we told you about SJC 4th form Graduates, Siian Rancharan and Mishek Musa who will attend a prestigious science camp at the Cavehill Campus at the University of the West Indies. That program is called SPICE and we missed the other name disngled out for this prestigious honour: she Digna Ramirez of Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico. As we've told you the camp is called the Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering, and only 17 students from the entire Caribbean were chosen along with these 3 Belizean high schoolers. It was made possible through the extensive efforts of the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology and Public Utilities. The Ministry has been working for the past 3 years to ensure that Belize is represented at the camp.

PROFILE...
Tonight, the I am Belize Teacher Profile series is back after a short break. This edition is about a young teacher, Lenessa Reynolds - who has a unique story - here it is:..

Prison CEO To Jamaica For Rehab Training

Ras Indio's: Love You, Mama
Sunday is Mother's Day, and reggae artist, Ras Indio says he has prepared a special treat for those inspiring ladies that made all the babies. It's a new music video called, "Love You Mama". Now no one has ever missed the mark by making a song about Momma - you can ask Tupac or Sizzla about that - and today Indio told us what makes his message special: You'll be able to find "Love You Mama" on YouTube.

Channel 5

A brazen and daring robbery at Scotiabank in Belmopan
A brazen, mid-morning robbery took place at the Scotiabank Branch in Belmopan when numerous customers were conducting business. It happened like this. The robber, who is well known to the [...]

The embattled Health C.E.O. goes on the offensive
After weeks of sustained fire by the Pharmacists’ Association of Belize, the Ministry of Health called a press conference this morning to allow C.E.O. Peter Allen to answer serious allegations [...]

Procurement manager caught by the mouth; his email circulated about Chief Pharmacist
The decision to allow three other persons, including Danini Contreras, to approve Customs entries of pharmaceuticals was made on the strength of one email. That email was circulated on April [...]

Audit Report says C.E.O. responsible for embezzlement at Southern Regional
In October 2013, Administrator of the Southern Regional Hospital Nasley Sommerville was placed on suspension for suspected embezzlement of funds. A subsequent audit revealed that almost three hundred and seventy [...]

Directors resign from K.H.M.H.
That seems like woes aplenty, but there’s even more. News Five has been able to confirm that member of the K.H.M.H. Board of Directors, Maude Sylvester, resigned on Thursday. She [...]

Minister of Health, Pablo Marin, defends his C.E.O.
So where does Minister Pablo Marin stand in all this? C.E.O. Peter Allen is his hands on guy, his right hand, so to speak. Well, despite the myriad administrative and [...]

Belize City man detained but released for the murder of a King’s Park resident
Vince Martinez Junior was murdered within minutes of leaving the funeral for his uncle in Ladyville on Wednesday. No one has been charged for Martinez’s murder nor has the motive [...]

Hansel Garcia dies 5 days after he’s shot
  There is also another murder to report which occurred down south. Seventeen year old Hansel Garcia was shot multiple times last Wednesday as he was walking through Castillo Alley [...]

Belmopan Comprehensive Teacher remanded for carnal knowledge
As we reported on Wednesday, thirty-three year old Michael Guzman, a secondary school teacher at Belmopan Comprehensive High School, has been arrested and charged for carnal knowledge, after carrying on [...]

IMF’s report on the state of Belize’s economy
In economic news, a team from the International Monetary Fund, led by Jacques Bouhga-Hagbe, has concluded a consultation mission to Belize on the state of the economy.  The report issued [...]

Church leaders discuss meeting with PM Barrow
On Wednesday Church leaders met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow to discuss the gender policy and other related issues. Some fringes of the organized church gave the impression that it [...]

Belize Can Patriots should not be confused with Evangelical Churches
With seeming accord between government and the churches, you might be a little confused by those militaristic releases condoning shutdown of schools and strikes or giving the government thirty days [...]

A one-on-one with gay activist, Maurice Tomlinson on the CCJ ruling
On Thursday, the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled favorably on behalf of LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson, granting him special leave to challenge the immigration acts of Belize and Trinidad & [...]

BGYEA executive calls G.O.B. a bully
Firebrand grassroots activist and president of BGYEA, Nigel Petillo, is again up in arms with the Lands Department over the Harmonyville community near mile forty-one on the George Price Highway. [...]

Ras Indio’s music video for mothers
Ras Indio is back in the jewel after touring various cities in the U.S. The talented Belizean artist is back in time to release his new track and video specifically [...]

A Labour Education Seminar
A training workshop on employers’ and workers’ rights and responsibilities under the Belize Labor Legislations and ILO conventions was held today in Belmopan.  Representatives from the National Trade Union Congress [...]

Ministry holds training workshop on employers and workers rights
Senator Hulse also spoke on the establishment of a Labor Advisory Commission which is chartered to look closely at issues pertaining to employment practices.   Godwin Hulse, Minister of Local [...]

PlusTV

Customer Robbed at Belmopan Scotia Bank
A slow and laid back Friday morning was interrupted, when a shooting was reported immediately following reports of a robbery which took place in Scotia Bank, Belmopan branch. ASP Joel Gillet- Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police “Shortly before 10, this morning, we received a call that someone has been...

BGYEA Speaks Out on Bann from Harmonyville Buffer
BGYEA is facing a new hurdle. The latest update on this story was that the Government had finally taken heed to BGYEA’s constant plea for help in removing illegal squatting from the Buffer Zone, which BGYEA hoped to use as farming to generate some revenue for the community. However,...

Ministry of Health Defends Pharmaceutical Tender Process
It has been a trying few weeks for the Ministry of Health and particularly its chief Executive Officer Dr. Peter Allen, with a wide public rift being exposed between senior staff over the regime for importation of drugs into the private sector and who should be in charge of...

Robbers Enter BWSL Compound and Rob Payroll
Yesterday evening, a supervisor at BWSL in San Ignacio Town reported that at 5:50 p.m. while he was inside the main office, two male persons of dark complexion entered the BWEL compound and held up the security guard with a pistol. They then proceeded inside the main office and...

Con Artist Strikes Again Against the Elderly
There have been several reports made of a con artist preying on the elderly in north side Belize city, posing as a linesman, a cable man, and a repairman among others, resulting in monies and properties been stolen from the victims. The police department advises the public especially the...

Armed Robbery Hit Bowen and Bowen in San Pedro, Ambergris
There was an attempted armed robbery this afternoon at Bowen and Bowen Limited on the Island of San Pedro. The incident occurred this afternoon after 1 pm when an armed man entered the office and demanded money. Reports are that the security guard somehow managed to get the culprit...

Evangelical Pastors Remain Vigilant Against LGBT Agenda
Today the Evangelical Association of Churches of Belize hosted the press as promised earlier this week following their meeting with Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Its president, Pastor Eugene Crawford, wished to emphasize that the Church remains vigilant on the issue and awaits the satisfactory response of the Government to...

Amandala

Evening execution in Ladyville
The cashier at the Puma Gas Station on the Philip Goldson Highway in Ladyville told Amandala that shortly after 6:00 yesterday evening, Wednesday, she heard a loud bang, which sounded like the blowout of a car tire. “But I was busy attending to customers and never paid any attention to the source of the noise,” she said. But a few minutes later, Ladyville police officers were demarcating a crime scene with tape, as they diverted traffic from off the highway, where a dark-skinned man lay stretched out at the bus stop, almost in front of the gas station. The man lying on the ground, dressed only in a pair of blue jeans pants, was dead. He was identified as Vincent Martinez, Jr., 27, an unemployed resident of 8th Street, Kings Park. A pool of blood had formed on the ground where he lay. The blood had poured out from a gunshot wound visible at the right side of his head.

Hansel Garcia, 17, dies from gunshot wounds
A teenager and resident of Dangriga Town has unfortunately succumbed to injuries he suffered last Wednesday, April 30, when a lone gunman approached him while he was walking through Castillo Alley in Dangriga around 8:00 that night, fired a barrage of gunshots and ran off. The shooting victim, 17-year-old Hansel Garcia, also known as “Mission,” was found lying on the street suffering from gunshot injuries to the left forearm, right leg and the lower left side of his back. He was later rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga. However, Garcia’s condition deteriorated after he clung to life for nearly a week, and this past Monday, May 5, the young fisherman died after undergoing multiple surgeries.

LGBT’s Tomlinson has “arguable” case – CCJ!
Belize will have to face another round of litigation from the LGBT community over its domestic law in a challenge filed by Jamaican national, Maurice Tomlinson, who this morning won special leave from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to file a suit against Belize and Trinidad over immigration laws which Tomlinson claims violate his right to hassle-free movement across CARICOM, under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. “Upon discovery of the prohibitions contained in the Immigration Acts, he has refused to travel to either state, lest he fall afoul of the law. He claims that the existence of these provisions violates his right to free movement under the treaty,” CCJ president Dennis Byron noted. Byron said that there is no disputing that Tomlinson is a CARICOM national and that the right to free movement inures to his benefit directly. He also noted that the state of Jamaica has refused to espouse a claim on Tomlinson’s behalf, given his prior unimpeded travel to and from both states.

KHMH CEO “talking loud and saying nothing”
Two days after the headline story, “KHMH sued for 5 dead babies,” was published in the Amandala of Sunday, May 4, 2014, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Francis Gary Longsworth, wrote Amandala’s Editor-in-Chief complaining about the story, saying: “The KHMH administration wishes to document its objection to the above-captioned article which is replete with inaccuracies and misinformation, both by the reporter, Mr. Roland Parks (sic) and attorney, Mr. Kareem Musa.” But Longsworth’s letter was extremely short on facts, and long on “talking loud and saying nothing,” to paraphrase the late, great Godfather of Soul, James Brown, even though he claimed that the article was “replete” with “inaccuracies and misinformation.” The lawyer for the five mothers, Kareem Musa, told Amandala that apparently, Longsworth had not thought it worthwhile to send the letter to him, as one of the “accused.”

Convicted child predator from US living in Belize?
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a convicted child predator is supposedly residing in Belize. Thomas Allen Bloom, 63, was convicted of sexual battery and child coercion in Brevard, Florida, in 1997, and is therefore registered as a sexual predator in that state. Since being released from prison, however, Bloom is believed to have relocated to Belize since March of 2013, and although his specific location in Belize is unknown, it must be noted that sex offenders from the United States of America are not required to register in Belize.

Cuban accused of gold heist whisked away to the US
Yesterday, local Immigration and police officials repatriated a Cuban national who, according to authorities in the United States, was wanted in connection with the largest gold heist in Florida history. After over two months of negotiations between the US and Belize authorities, Raonel Valdez Valhuerdi, 34, was boarded on an 11:30 a.m. American Airlines flight and flown to Miami, where he was booked into the Miami Dade County Jail for his alleged perpetration of the October 2012 robbery of 110 pounds in gold flakes valued at 2.8 million US dollars. Valdez Valhuerdi was detained after he had been caught by Immigration authorities in the bushes west of Benque Viejo Town trying to slip illegally into Belize from Guatemala on February 18 of this year. He was subsequently detained, since he had a Cuban passport but could not produce a stamp showing he had entered Belize legally.

From The Publisher
There is a point in all men’s lives when they become irrelevant. This, on an average, happens earlier in men’s lives than ever before, because post-modern life has become dominated by so much technology and so much velocity. We are left behind earlier than ever before. In British Honduras in the 1960s, we had a Mayor of Belize City who was way up in his eighties, perhaps even nineties. That was the famous “Boss Fred” Westby, who also represented the Albert constituency in the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1965. Back then, life was slow and “oh so mellow,” as the song says. Things have changed: you can’t have geriatric people running things, or even making decisions. Old people are out of touch with the real deal, the daily deal. As Rt. Hon. George Price fought to achieve independence in the 1970’s, there was growing stress on him. British Honduras had attained self-government in 1964, and was expected to move on apace to political independence. There was a spoke in the wheel, however, and that was the Guatemalan claim to the colony. The solution to this claim which was offered by the United States Government, through the attorney Bethuel Webster, sparked unprecedented street uprisings in our capital city in 1966 and 1968. (“Unprecedented” is used in the context of our post-World War II generations.)

8th Rose Classic
Every Easter break for the last 8 years, hundreds of young men – and even young women – mainly from the impoverished areas of Belize City have flocked to the Rose Classic (Belize) International Basketball tournament, which is hosted annually by Mr. Cleon Hyde at Bird’s Isle in the Yarborough area. Hyde, who organizes the tournament, can be described as a philanthropist who has been coming to Belize to mentor aspiring basketball players and young people in general, while training them on the skills and techniques of the sport, as well as discipline and respect for others. The young ‘ballers’ were divided into 3 categories: (1) the Biddy category, which consisted of 8 teams made up of players from 8-12 years old; (2) the Junior category, which consisted of players aged 13-15; and (3) the Senior category, which was made up of players who are the top high school basketball players from the city as well as some rural areas.

Third World Sports
Camp director Dion Flowers informed us last week that the Third World Sporting Club is once again organizing its annual Summer Camp for youths of Belize City, where from 150 to 200 youths between the ages of 5 to 13 years are engaged in various positive sporting activities – football, basketball, volleyball, dominoes, checkers and chess, while also being provided with fruits, water and a healthy meal. The camp commences on June 30 and will run until July 25. This is the 15th year that the Third World Sports in Education Summer Camp is being held at the St. Martin De Porres football field, and any assistance, in cash or kind, will be greatly appreciated to help make the camp a success for the kids. Dion can be contacted at 607-8785 or 668-2886 or email [email protected] for any inquiries or concern. Monetary contributions can be made through Belize Bank account #76918.

Belize City No Limit
The first ever National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) playoffs are almost upon us, as the league’s top 4 teams will advance to the semifinal round, to later crown an NEBL champion. The number 1 seed will play the number 4 seed in a best-of-3 games series, while the number 2 and 3 seeds will do the same. The San Pedro Tigersharks have all but locked up the number 1 seed, and going into last Friday night’s game between the Cayo Western Ballaz and Belize City No Limit at Bird’s Isle in Belize City, the number 2 seed was still up for grabs. Last Friday night, before the Elite League players took the court, fans who were early to Bird’s Isle were treated to a rematch of last year’s National High School Basketball championship between Sacred Heart College of San Ignacio and Anglican Cathedral College of Belize City. ACC, who lost to SHC in the championship, would get their revenge, as they blew out the side from San Ignacio by a final score of 90 to 58. No doubt, there were a few future NEBL players participating in that game.

Brown Bombers U-15 males
After almost two months of competition, the Belize District Football Association (BDFA) Youth Tournaments climaxed on Saturday, May 3, with the Finals in 3 different categories at the MCC Grounds. In the U-15 male category, Smart Brown Bombers prevailed, 2-1, over Collet Strikers, with goals from Sherwin Requena and Eldon Byrd, while Shaquil Matute scored for Collet. The 14-17 female championship saw Academy FC (A Team) coming away with the 3-2 win over Pallotti, with Jody Pott netting 2 and Jennifer Estrada scoring 1 for Academy, while Shandy Vernon and Monisha Hyde got 1 apiece for Pallotti. In the U-17 male Finals, Hattieville won, 3-1, over City Boys, with Trevaun Rhaburn, Charles James and Kenyon Lewis netting 1 apiece for Hattieville, while Sydney Bradley got the only goal for City Boys. The “man in the middle”, Anthony “Willie Bo” Bernard was under intense pressure in this one, as the City Boys fans were visibly annoyed with his calling back 2 other goals scored by Sydney Bradley of City Boys, while they claimed offside for 2 of Hattieville’s goals. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. Both managers of Hattieville and City Boys agreed that championship games need to be administered by only the best certified and experienced referees.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Give me a green paper or a white paper
A green paper or even a white paper is needed on education reform. I have been asking several Ministry officials about the education finance reform. I have gotten vague answers to some of my questions, so I have come to the conclusion that a policy document which is available to all stakeholders to comment and improve on the policy is needed. I am not sure if they believe Parliament and Ministry officials are omnipotent and omniscient. “White Papers are used as a means of presenting government policy preferences prior to the introduction of legislation”; as such, the “publication of a White Paper serves to test the climate of public opinion regarding a controversial policy issue and enables the government to gauge its probable impact”.

Mental patient, 21, goes missing
Belize City police are asking the general public to be on the lookout for Clifton Clifford Willoughby, 21, also known as “Grizzle”, who has been reported missing. Willoughby is described as an unemployed Belizean who normally resides at #179 Iguana Street Extension in Belize City, but has been mentally unstable for the past three years. He is of brown complexion, of slim build, and about 6 feet in height. He has a low haircut and can be recognized by a scar over his right eye. According to police reports, Willoughby was last seen wearing a short silk silver pants, an orange and white buttoned shirt with a black sweater over it, black socks with green stripes, a pair of green slippers and a grey hat on his head.

Alrick and Brandon Smith charged with attempted murder
Two men, Alrick Smith and Brandon Smith (no relation), who have been accused of attempting to murder four on-duty police officers in a case that has been through fourteen months of adjournment cycles in the Magistrate’s Court were freed of the charge on Monday, when Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith struck out the case against them. But by today, Wednesday, police brought the two men back to court and re-arraigned them on the charges before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart, who remanded them to prison until their next court date on June 6. On Monday morning, in striking out the case for want of prosecution, Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith told one of the accused men, Brandon “Battery” Smith, 29, who appeared for the preliminary inquiry that morning, “You need not come back on the matter,” after the court prosecutor informed the court that he was not yet in possession of the case file.

Helicopter crash claims life of Belizean-American soldier
A Belizean-American soldier who was working as a helicopter mechanic with the United States Military lost his life in a helicopter accident this past Saturday, May 3, near the state of New Mexico. Amandala understands that Sergeant Dwight Burn, 27, a soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade, died as a result of injuries he sustained when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter – on which he was a crew member – crashed around 8:15 p.m. while the crew was conducting a desert training exercise in an area north of the Fort Bliss Garrison near Orogrande, New Mexico. Sgt. Burn was reportedly the crew chief and one of four persons who were aboard the helicopter when it went down, and unfortunately, he was the only person who died as a result of his injuries.

Day of Healing in Majestic Alley
The 12th Day of Healing will be held in the Majestic Alley area on Saturday, May 17, from 9 in the morning to 7:00 p.m., and at 6:00 p.m., a candlelight vigil will be held in remembrance of those who have lost their lives due to the ongoing senseless gun violence. The event is a collaboration between Perry ‘Stickz’ Smith and Leroy Mutty Smith, the founder of an organization known as the Upliftment Camp, in the Majestic Alley area. Mutty is a social activist who conducts an afterschool feeding program for children from his home in the Majestic Alley area Perry “Stickz” Smith, the Director of the Day of Healing, a registered non-governmental and non-profit organization in Belize, said that the aim of this Day of Healing is to bring the community and the adjoining communities together in a safe and friendly environment to enable residents to reopen the lines of communication and to restore solidarity within the communities. The event also is aimed at displaying the talents and skills of residents – both younger ones and adults – in the community through their participation in various games and competitions during the day. Trophies and medals will be presented to the first place winners.

Back-and-forth persists between SATIIM and GOB over oil exploration activities in Sarstoon-Temash National Park
Of late, indigenous Mayan advocacy groups such as the Maya Leaders Alliance (MLA), the Toledo Alcaldes Association (TAA) and the Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) have been vehemently protesting about the Government of Belize (GOB)’s decision to waive the expiration date for US Capital Energy’s permit to conduct pre-drilling activities within the Sarstoon-Temash National Park without the consent of the buffer communities surrounding the park. In a letter written yesterday to Belize’s Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow, SATIIM categorically describes Government’s actions in regards to the waiving of the expiration date for US Capital Energy’s concession as “the historical trademark of a corrupt, inept, despotic and discriminatory government.” SATIIM, which represents the buffer communities of Midway, Conejo, Crique Sarco and Graham Creek, is lashing out at the Government because they are stating that the permit has been declared by the Supreme Court as “unlawfully granted” and suggests that GOB’s action verifies its “colonial and racially-entrenched mindset towards the indigenous peoples” by regressing and circumventing consecutive rulings by the Supreme Court which affirm customary Maya land rights.

WEALTH AND INSTABILITY – THE OIL PACKAGE
Amongst themselves, the European peoples, and a thousand years ago they were “tribes” (just as how they referred to Africa and indigenous American peoples after their invasion and conquest of Africa and America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries), waged bloody wars among themselves for centuries after centuries. As a result of these unending wars, the various European peoples developed gunpowder, artillery, cavalry, and sophisticated techniques of warfare which gave them a noticeable advantage over the Africans and indigenous Americans when they entered Africa and America. The Europeans were also able to exploit the relative innocence of native peoples, in the sense that many native cultures prized honesty and honor amongst men of noble rank. In Mexico in 1521 and Peru in 1532, Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, respectively, brought levels of dishonesty and treachery to the New World which the natives had never experienced. In addition, these Europeans conquistadors took advantage of longstanding divisions amongst major ethnic groupings. It was not a case of a few Spaniards just massacring many natives. There were natives from groupings which had been oppressed by Moctezuma in Mexico and Atahualpa in Peru who made strategic alliances with the conquistadors in their quest for revenge.

American fugitive recaptured after escaping from Belmopan police
An American fugitive who escaped from police custody on Sunday was recaptured early yesterday morning in Roaring Creek, Belmopan. According to Belmopan police, Martin Chapman, 52, who is allegedly wanted in the United States for several criminal offences, was cleaning his cell when he reportedly slipped past authorities during a change of shift around 3:32 p.m. this past Sunday, May 4. On Thursday, April 24, Chapman was arrested and detained after police received information about a suspicious man who was lurking in the area known as “Another World” in the village of Roaring Creek. Upon running a profile search, police discovered that he was wanted in Minnesota, USA, for felonies which include attempting to escape from a police officer while in a mobile vehicle.

Belizean arrested in Mexico for alleged kidnapping attempt of 2 young girls, but released
A Belizean man, 19, known as “Ariel,” believed to be a human trafficker, has been arrested by Mexican police after he attempted to kidnap two girls, each 8 years old, from a school compound in Sabido, Mexico, a village located across the Rio Hondo River, which borders Belize and southern Mexico. The girls were released when their mothers raised the alarm that they had been taken, at about 3:30 Monday evening, when they went to the school to pick them up. According to Por Esto (Quintana Roo), a Mexican newspaper, Ariel’s accomplice, a 13-year-old girl, approached the two little girls, who had just come out of classes, trying to convince them to follow her to the edge of the river, and the children went. When their mothers went to pick up the girls and they were not at the school, however, an alarm was raised, and an immediate search began, and the girls were seen returning to the village from the river area. They reported what had happened, and authorities began to look for the man and the young girl.

Criminal pair strikes again in Corozal Town
Less than two days after the Huan Huan Store was held up and robbed in Corozal Town, and thieves got away with about $1,000 cash, a husband and wife, owners of Ma’s Fast Food on 7th Avenue, Corozal Town, were held up at gunpoint, beaten with a gun butt and a knife handle, and robbed. The thieves got away with over $3,900 in cash and goods. The owner of the store told police that at about 11:15 last night, he and his wife were in their store when two armed, masked men entered, and one of the thieves, who was carrying a sawed-off shotgun, pointed it at them and demanded money. Fearing for their lives, the owner handed over $2,000 from the cash drawer, two Samsung Galaxy cell phones and $300 worth of phone cards.

Sandhill man re-charged for his brother’s murder
Edward Cabanas, 21, was arrested and charged for the December 31, 2012 murder of his brother, Brandon Cabanas, 20, which occurred in Sandhill. But on March 25, Edward Cabanas was freed of the murder charge when the case was struck out, an occurrence that went under the media radar. Cabanas, however, was rearrested, charged for the murder and again arraigned on the charge today, Wednesday, when he appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart. But before Stewart read the charge to him, Cabanas told her that he had been freed of the charge since March 25. Stewart explained to him that the charge against him was brought back, and that because it is an indictable matter, she would not take a plea from him, and neither could she offer him bail.

Lincoln Sabido, 29, accused of jacking Chinese grocer, remanded to prison
A Belize City man, accused of robbing a Chinese grocer at gunpoint and making off with around $3,500 in cash and assorted items, was remanded to prison after he was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith on Tuesday. Lincoln Sabido, 29, a resident of 6755 Berry Street in the Lake Independence area, pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges police laid on him. Police charged Sabido with one count of robbery and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly instrument, a firearm. Smith remanded him to prison until his next scheduled court appearance date, on August 8. Sabido will have to celebrate his 30th birthday behind bars, on July 6.

Belizean girl, 15, human trafficking victim, rescued by Mexican police
A 16-year-old Belizean girl believed to be a victim of human trafficking who was found in Carrillo Puerto, Mexico, is in the custody of Mexican authorities, who will return her to Belize. The girl told Mexican police that she had been held against her will for the past seven months by an older man who had been beating and abusing her. According to the Mexican newspaper Por Esto Quintana Roo, at about 9:30 Saturday night, police were on patrol on 68th Street in the Colonia Jesus Martinez Ross area in Felipe Carillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico, when they came across a vehicle that was parked in a dark area of the street and inside the vehicle were two people who were in an altercation. The police stopped to investigate what was happening, and the driver, who identified himself as Miguel Angel Manzanero Cocom, 53, claimed that nothing was wrong, but the girl, who was sitting in the front seat, quickly told police that she was being beaten and abused by Cocom.

Carnal knowledge of 14-year-old reported in Punta Gorda
A teenage girl of Punta Gorda has told police that she was molested by an older man. Yesterday, May 7, the girl, 14, and her grandmother went to police and told them that at about 4:30 on Holy Saturday, April 19, she was in Punta Gorda when a man, 27, who is known to her, took her to his house and had sex with her. Police took her to the Punta Gorda Hospital where a doctor certified that she has been carnally known.

Shooter, 17, remanded to prison
A 17-year-old young man who police say fired seven shots at Victor Luna, a resident of Asuncion Street, Orange Walk Town, was taken to the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court today on charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm in public, and aggravated assault. He has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison. Police said that Luna was driving his vehicle on Macal River Street in the Louisiana area of Orange Walk Town when a person shot at him at about 9:00 last night. One of the bullets grazed his leg, Luna told police, who processed the scene and recovered seven 9mm expended shells.

Belmopan schoolteacher remanded on carnal knowledge charges
Disturbing cases of carnal knowledge and sexual abuse of minors have arguably become more widespread in the Belizean society nowadays, and the situation is made even worse when the perpetrator turns out to be a trusted custodian of the victim. Amandala understands that a teacher who had been employed at the Belmopan Comprehensive School is reportedly on remand at the Belize Central prison after he allegedly engaged in a relationship with a 14-year-old second form student from the same school. Additional details have not been forthcoming, but according to our information, the teacher (age unknown) was arraigned at the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court yesterday for one count of carnal knowledge after the mother of the 14-year-old reportedly read her diary and came upon indications of a sexual relationship between her daughter and the former teacher.

The Reporter

Ministry of Health CEO: "I did not victimize Chief Pharmacist"
Today Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Allen, categorically denied accusations that he victimized Chief Pharmacist Sharon Anderson. At a press conference at the Belize Biltmore Plaza, and flanked by Minister of Health Pablo Marin and other ranking members in the MOH, Allen explained that while he and Anderson do not agree, her removal from the tendering committee for pharmaceuticals was a process in accordance with the regulations of the committee. “All members of the committee were asked to declare any possible conflicts of interest. Mrs. Anderson declared that she had such conflicts and so she was replaced on the committee.” Dr. George Goff, chairman of the Tender Committee for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies for the public sector, supported Allen. He explained that all members were subject to the process. Goff also emphasized that the procedure is transparent, and that prior to the current government administration there was no tendering process whatsoever.

Canton out at CPBL
Dr. Henry Canton, the CEO of the Citrus Products of Belize Ltd (CPBL) resigned from that post at the end of April. Canton is now the representative on the CPBL Board of Directors for Banks Holdings Ltd, co-owner and the second major shareholder of CPBL. He served as CEO of CPBL for 12 years. His retirement package, paid by the company that has gone through financial strains in recent years, remains a private issue. CPBL’s interim CEO is the company’s Chief Operations Officer, Jaime Alpuche.

Police warns against prowling con artist
Belize City police have issued a warning to residents of Belize City following an increasing number of reports that a con artist is prowling around and posing as someone with different types of professions. The police advise especially senior citizens to be wary of anyone who visits your home claiming to be a cable collector, a linesman or a repairman. If this happens, the police advise the public to call the company that the person claims he’s employed with to crosscheck his story before letting him into your homes. If it does not make sense the police advise to call the police hotline at 911 and report the matter immediately. The most recent incidents occurred on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Police say that an elderly man reported at the Precinct 3 police sub-station that at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday a man in his mid-40’s visited his home claiming to be an employee of a cable company. The senior citizen said he let the man inside his house to check the cable wire while he fixed breakfast. He said that when he saw the man near his bedroom door he became skeptical but continued about what he was doing. He said that when the man left he discovered that a black purse which contained about $60 and his bank cards and social security identification card was missing his bed head.

Bank robber shot after grabbing cash bag from customer
Belmopan police are preparing charges against an alleged bank robber who brazenly grabbed a cash bag from a customer inside a bank and then attempted to escape this morning. The incident occurred around nine this morning when a customer was about to make a deposit inside the bank in Belmopan. Reports are that the robber waited until the customer placed the bag on the counter before he decided to strike. A policeman who was on patrol when the robber ran through the bank’s parking lot set chase and apprehended him in the Belmopan Market Square area. The two struggled and the policeman was hurt in the process, and the robber was shot.

Earthquake rocks Mexico
An earthquake on Wednesday, measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale and centred near Tecpan de Galeana in southern Guerrero state, or 190 miles south-west of Mexico City rocked several communities but caused no damage or injuries in its wake. A map provided by the BBC World News shows the earthquake’s location and the areas of impact. Mexico, which lies on top of three continental plates, is frequently affected by tremors seismic experts are concerned that more tremors could follow that may cause damage to weakened buildings. The quake had a depth of 15 miles. It followed a 7.2-magnitude quake that shook central and southern Mexico last month.

Nine Steps to Legal Business
Few people would disagree that Belize must increase its rate of economic growth more dramatically, and in a sustainable way. One of the obvious ways in which Belize can do that is by encouraging entrepreneurship. Beltraide, through its Small Business Development Center, provides assistance for new entrepreneurs in the form of advice, training and technical assistance. This is an excellent effort by a government-owned body toward encouraging small businesses to start and increase their odds of business success. Beltraide, working with the government’s Director of Public/Private Sector Development and the three major utilities, also developed the Micro-Enterprise Utility Start-Up Package wherein new small business account deposits and fees are either reduced or waived.

Dr. Arturo Gamero dies in Belize
A funeral service for the late beloved Dr. Arturo Humberto Gamero was held on Thursday, May 1, at the Buddhist Sanctuary at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ken Kensuki on Gabourel Lane, Belize City. He died from a massive stroke suffered two days earlier. His body was cremated the next day. Arturo left behind his beloved wife of 35 years, Luz Maria Gamero, daughter Noriko Gamero and adult sons Alexander and Daisako. Arturo was the son of career diplomat Ambassador Marcial Gamero of Honduras, who served as Ambassador to Belize for 18 years. He studied to become a doctor at the University of Yucatán School of Medicine and during his internship years, in July 1979, married his dream girl, Luz Maria, moving to Belize shortly after that.

Norris Leslie dies in Florida
His many friends in Belize will be grieved to learn of the death of Norris Hillary Leslie Sr. on the morning of May 1, 2014, in the City of Stuart, Martin County, USA. Norris grew up on West Collet canalside, with his boyhood buddy, businessman Tony Leslie of Leslie’s Imports. He also lived for some time on Nargusta Street, Belize City. Norris died from the effects of surgery for colon cancer, leaving his present wife, Laura, to mourn his passing. He is survived by daughters Darlene, Francine, Dyann and Keisha and his sons Norris lll, Lance, Clifford and Jovan, aged 10.

Belize becomes fashionable in Harper’s Bazaar magazine
When did Belize’s tourism offerings become fashionable? Judging from the recently launched 11-page editorial spread in the world-renowned Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Destination Belize has certainly grown in its celebrity status, being ranked among the Who’s Who in fashion, beauty and pop culture. Belize Tourism Board’s Director Karen Bevans told The Reporter Wednesday, hours before the spread’s official unveiling in Belize City, that the BTB and the industry thankfully capitalized on a low-cost opportunity—which was originally designed to feature the personal life of the Prime Minister’s wife, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow—to showcase Belize in the 147-year-old brand name magazine. “One full-page ad in a magazine of this nature averages about USD$40,000; that’s roughly BZ$80,000,” Bevans explained. “There is no way that the BTB could have financed something of this magnitude: almost a dozen pages in a brand name magazine that publishes in approximately 30 countries, including United States, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.”

Venezuelan Ambassador says higher oil prices won’t affect contract with Belize
Venezuelan ambassador to Belize, Yoel del Valle Perez Marcano, says the price of fuel that his country sells to Belize will not increase despite inflation, a marked increase in pump prices in Venezuela, and escalating concerns about a collapsing economy. In a telephone conversation with The Reporter, Ambassador Marcano said, “The price of fuel in Venezuela has nothing to do with international prices. The contract with the 18 member countries of PetroCaribe remains in tact.” The announcement comes in the wake of a 30 percent increase for minimum wage in Venezuela last week, which Venezuelan President, Nicholas Maduro deemed necessary to help address the country’s inflation rate, which literally skyrocketed over the past year to 56 percent, the highest in the world. It also comes after reports that fuel prices in Venezuela could go up to ease the economic strains in that country.

Castro attorneys seek to dispose of misconduct case
Its merits have yet to be fully considered, but the lawsuit brought by Belize Rural North constituent Trevor Vernon earlier this year against his area representative, Hon. Edmond Castro, may not make it to trial, following an application for strike out brought to the Supreme Court on Monday. Senior Counsel Denys Barrow, representing the Minister of State for Transport (and formerly Civil Aviation), asked Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin to dismiss the matter on the ground that it was an “abuse of process” and had no hope of success as presented. Castro is accused of a breach of the code of conduct of his office as outlined in the Constitution, and violating the Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act. He is accused of contravening the law when he allegedly accepted money on his own behalf, or through his representatives, from the Belize Airports Authority (BAA), an entity for which Castro held ministerial responsibility as Minister of State.

Geographic info helps make informed financial decisions
Having geographic information of flood and fire risk to properties in flood-prone areas can help financial institutions make better risk management decisions and to better evaluate the value of properties offered as collateral, said Chief Operating officer Jose Cardona of British Caribbean Bank Holdings Ltd. Cardona was addressing the opening of the fourth annual Geographic Information Systems (GIS) users’ conference at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel on Wednesday morning, May 7. GIS information of population demographics and economic activity can also help the bank make more informed decision in its deployment of Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) and its network of branches, Cardona noted. Land parcel GIS database can help banks map the location of land parcels held as collateral, and additional maps showing areas under sugar cane cultivation can also help the bank better assess the risk of floods to areas under agricultural production, and to loans made to assist farmers.

Cop remanded on slew of gun-related charges
Yannick Wade, 27, police constable # 1332, is on remand at the Hattieville Prison after he was denied bail for a slew of gun-related offences. This follows the discovery, according to police, of two stolen guns in the general area where his 16-year old girlfriend and her family reside, at the corner of Johnson Street and Cemetery Road in Belize City. The Reporter has learned that Wade was one of four policemen who were on duty at the San Pedro Police Station last Wednesday between of one and 7 a.m., but he remained at the station while the other three went on patrol duties in the town. The guns, which are the property of KBH security, are kept locked along with a log book in a metal chest inside the police station. One of Wade’s colleagues, Police Constable Juan Cho, received the weapons on Wednesday night when the KBH guard took them for storage and Cho, reports indicate, supervised the deposit of the weapons inside the chest and signed the log book along with the KBH guard who delivered them.

Panamanian company opposes Coyes’ access to finances
Following a successful application in the Supreme Court, more than a million dollars in assets belonging to the surviving relatives of the late Michael Coye remain under lock and key. Earlier on Monday, Supreme Court Justice Shona Griffith had lifted the freezing order against nearly $6 million in financial assets belonging to members of the family, left to them by Mr. Coye. The family – parents Michael (deceased) and Marlene; daughter Melonie and son Jude; and associates James Gerou, Atlee Matute and Dietrich Kingston, as well as the company Money Exchange International Limited were exonerated after two trials and two appeals, the latest coming in March of this year.The Coye’s ran the money exchange until the start of investigations by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) into allegations of money laundering The FIU has chosen not to appeal the decision, but there are still some legal hurdles for the family to clear.

BTIA threatens injunction against Harvest Caye development
The Belize Tourism Industry Association has threatened to file for an injunction against the Harvest Caye project, if Norwegian Cruise Line does not halt the development. BTIA officialized their ultimatum on Monday, when they also announced that they’ve applied for judicial review of the National Environmental Appraisal Committee’s approval of the project. BTIA’s attorney, Godfrey Smith, explained that BTIA will send a letter to NCL to ask them to delay the start of the initiative until the court makes a decision on the tourism association’s application for leave to bring judicial review against NEAC and the Department of the Environment (DOE). Smith explained that after filing the application for leave to bring judicial review against NEAC and DOE, it may take anywhere from two-weeks to a month to get a hearing on the application.

NTUCB defends position on OSH
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize continues to support the Occupational Safety and Health Bill, despite concerns from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry about the economic impact of the proposed law. NTUCB President Dylan Reneau told The Reporter that he believes the Belizean public would push for the enactment of this legislation when they understand the benefits. Reneau explained that the drafting of the Bill was linked to international commitments that Belize has made, in particular the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) OSH Convention, which mandates that governments enact such legislation. Reneau addressed one of the major points of contention during the consultations, namely the issue of regulations.

Electricity rates to be lowered slightly
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a nominal drop in electricity rates and Belizean consumers may very well see electricity rates trending downward explained PUC Chairman, John Avery. Avery explained that even though Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) recommended a mean electricity rate of $0.43 cents per kilowatt-hour, the Commission uses a specific method to arrive at the rate, which they determined to be $0.4347. Avery explained that while the government may have wanted to further lower the rates, the Commission is mandated to calculate the rates based on particular factors including Operational Expenditure (OPEX). According to Avery, BEL’s OPEX was higher than the target set by the PUC.

VIP continues Anti-Corruption Tour
The Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) has been carrying on with its Anti-Corruption Educational Campaign by visiting tertiary institutions throughout the country. VIP Chairman Hubert Enriquez explained that during their tour they have made visits and heard concerns of young adults from Galen, Sacred Heart Junior College, University of Belize’s Toledo campus and Wesley Junior College. Enriquez said that during their visits the students they have spoken with have been extremely engaged in discussions about the state of the country, the prevalence of corruption, the lack of public moral and the inactivity of young people in the political landscape.

Westrac Stingers win SMART Agric canoe race
The Westrac Stingers comprising Hener and Erwin Cruz, and Jerry Cante won the second annual SMART River Challenge canoe race from the Iguana Creek Bridge on the Belize River to the National Agricultural and Trade Show Grounds on Saturday, May 3. They clocked 2:06:00 to win the $150 first prize in the male category. The Ziprider canoe paddled by Jerry Rhaburn, Wilberto Daniels and Chris Guydis were seven seconds behind to claim the $75 second prize in the male category. The Belize Bank Bulldogs of Armin Lopez and Amado Cruz, finished fourth overall in 2:10:00, third in the male category. The Gerber/Guana team of Eric Cano, Francisca Cruz Phaender and Erwin Cruz, sponsored by Judd and Kelly Gerber, finished fifth overall in 2:10:50 to win the $150 first prize in the mixed category.

Western Ballaz bomb Smart No Limits 77-63 in NEBL basketball
The Cayo Western Ballaz recovered from a heart-breaker loss to the San Pedro Tiger Sharks to outlast Smart No Limits 84-70 and post their 10th victory of the National Elite Basketball (NEBL) Competition at Birds’ Isle last Friday night, May 2. SMART’s Andrew Ortiz rammed home three monster dunks as he led No Limits with 21 pts, as they seized an early 13-4 lead in the first quarter, but Kurt “Chengo” Burgess responded with two 3-pointers to score 20 pts, 11 boards and the Cayo Western Ballaz took over the lead 21-17 at the end of the quarter. Travis Lennan added 18 pts, five boards and Farron Louriano laid up 14pts, snagging 14 boards as the visitors cruised to a 42-36 lead at intermission. Johan Bermudez added 10pts, 10 boards, Ivan Flowers had seven points and three boards, while Mark O’Brien and Elroy Willis chipped in four points each to lead 57-54 at the end of the third quarter.

BETEX 2014 kicks off on solid ground
Belize’s tourism industry has expanded over the years and with encouraging tourist arrival figures, and those taking part in the Belize Tourism Expo (BETEX), which opened Wednesday night in Belize City, feel that the industry is poised for much greater things to come. BETEX, a trade show that is held every two years since 1996, offers those in the tourism industry the opportunity to market their products and services. It provides an opportunity for wholesalers, agents, travel media to visit Belize en masse to discuss with local tourism service providers what they have to offer. The trade aspect of the show ends on Friday afternoon and for the remainder of the weekend the visitors will go on site inspections of the tourism destinations. While the event has over the years expanded to include more of the products and services on the Belizean market, Herbert Haylock, the president of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, says that there are still a few loopholes that need to be plugged.

Agric show 2014 attracts 34,000
Approximately 34,000 Belizeans participated in this year’s National Agricultural and Trade Show, held last weekend in Belmopan. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, this year’s attendance was about 19 percent lower than last year’s 42,000 participants, but considering the inclement weather that proceeded the two-day event, some observers still say that this year’s turnout was relatively good. The show has also become more trade than agriculture oriented in recent years, a trend the agriculture ministry has sought to change by refurbishing the show grounds last year, with permanent roofed pavilions with concrete flooring, where the Agriculture Departments from all six districts showcased the best produce from the farmers of each district. Trade also stepped down, as some major corporate exhibitors of previous years were conspicuous by their absence. Others stepped in to fill the breach as the Belize importers of the St. Lucian lager, Kubuli Beer, introduced a new product onto the Belizean market: Kubuli Gold in the 355 ml aluminium can, which, when marketed for $3.00 each, offered a better bargain than the local Belikin in the 275ml bottle.

A two-legged stool cannot stand!
According to the Belize Constitution, the word “Government” speaks to three separate branches; the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative Branch. Government can be seen, then, as a three legged stool; each leg is separate, but all are working together to hold up the entire structure. In Government, some power is distributed to each branch by distributing various functions so that no one branch has all the power; none making all decisions. One branch may stall or even stop another branch from carrying out an activity; that branch must either find another way, or must give up that pursuit. This is how the separation of powers helps to produce a check and balance on behalf of the people. It ensures that one branch of government does not abuse the people with the very power given to it. When the three branches function together, the people are speaking and acting, and will benefit. The nation moves forward in an agreed direction. This is democracy.

“Major global threat” posed by antibiotic resistance – WHO
Resistance to antibiotics is now a “major global threat” to public health, with “devastating” implications likely unless significant action is taken urgently. That’s according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), which analysed data from 114 countries and reported that resistance is occurring “in every region of the world.” The report warned of a grim “post-antibiotic era” in which simple infections and minor injuries that have been successfully treated for decades will once again become potentially deadly. The report looked at seven different bacteria responsible for common but serious diseases like pneumonia, blood infections and diarrhoea, and suggested that two key antibiotics no longer work in more than half of people being treated in some countries.

EDITORIAL
The Alcalde System is an old, time-honoured tradition for running the domestic affairs of a village. The system exists only in the Maya villages of Cayo and Toledo, where tradition requires a village elder to be in charge of village affairs. His duties require him to maintain law and order, […]

Caribbean Court of Justice says Gay man free to challenge Belize immigration law
The section of Belize’s Immigration Law which bans homosexuals from entering Belize is, by its very existence, prejudicial to these persons, the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled Thursday. The CCJ said this as it granted special leave to Jamaican homosexual activist Maurice Tomlinson to file an application challenging Section 5 (1) (e) of Belize’s Immigration Act under the CCJ’s original jurisdiction (that is to say the court’s power to hear and decide a case for the first time. Presenting the judgment of the court, CCJ President Sir Dennis Byron said that Tomlinson had met the standard of presenting an arguable case. According to the court, even though like Belize states argue that they do not treat homosexuals that way in practice, the very existence of the laws amounts to prejudice. Last November, Tomlinson, a legal advisor to the organization AIDS Free World, a gay activist and attorney for 14 years, argued through attorneys, Lord Anthony Gifford, QC, and Anika Gray that the very existence of the law is an infringement on the rights of homosexuals like himself.

Pharmacy Association responds to release from drug suppliers’ release
Belize Pharmacy Association’s President Hortence Humes said that she expects that pharmaceutical suppliers will indeed provide their quality certification as they promised via press release late Thursday evening. Suppliers to the Ministry of Health said that they support the Ministry’s tendering process and pledged that they are prepared to provide copies of all their certificates of Good Manufacturing Practices. Humes responded by saying that sub-standard pharmaceutical supplies have been entering the country and the Association wishes to see suppliers provide those certificates of good manufacuring practice.Humes also commended the suppliers for supporting the development of a Standard Operational Procedure and again stated that she hoped the suppliers were being sincere.

Will PM be summoned to court?
The private prosecution of former government minister, Elvin Penner, has reportedly hit an impasse, and the plaintiff, Citizens Organised for Liberty through Action, say they might subpoena Prime Minister Dean Barrow and others to give evidence in court if necessary. The announcement came three weeks before the case is called on Thursday, May 29, at which point COLA is expected to furnish the defense with whatever evidence it has against Penner. At a COLA press conference on Wednesday, attorney Kareem Musa told reporters that there has been no cooperation from a number of public offices crucial to the case. These, he said, had informed that they also are investigating the passport/visa scandal. Of vital importance to the prosecution is the case file, which Musa said he has formally requested in writing from Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, Director of Public Prosecutions.

Patrick Jones

Evangelical Association confident about changes to gender policy
Today the Evangelical Association of Churches of Belize hosted the press as promised earlier this week following their meeting with Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Its president, Pastor Eugene Crawford, wished to emphasize that the Church remains vigilant on the issue and awaits the satisfactory response of the Government to the implementation of the Revised National Gender Policy with its input. He said that while certain remarks alleged to have been made by the chair of the National Women’s Commission Ann-Marie Williams may have coincidentally impacted the meeting’s timing, they were ready to hear from the Prime Minister. And he told those skeptical of the Church’s chosen means of addressing the issue that confrontation is not always the best way, that talking to God can move mountains.

The Belize Adventure displayed at BETEX 2014
The biennial Belize Tourism Expo (BETEX) showcases the best of Belize’s overnight tourism industry. With many looking to cash in on the Belize adventure, the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) and other industry partners have arranged a sort of one-stop shop for all things Belizean tourism. BTIA President, Herbert Haylock, told us that this is the primary outlet for purveyors of overnight tourism – hotels and resorts from North to South – and associated businesses to sell their individual experiences to visitors and agents for international outlets and the odd Belizean or two. Representatives for two developers, one on the mainland and the other in the cayes that we spoke to said business can only get better with their exposure here. Grand Caribe Resort, two miles north of San Pedro Town proper in the North Ambergris Caye area, offers a tranquil experience, with its ideal location – close to the reef and all nearby attractions – making it prime property.

Ministry of Health opens up regime for drugs
The Ministry of Health and particularly its chief Executive Officer Dr. Peter Allen, have been doing their best to repair a wide public rift being exposed between senior staff and partners like the Pharmacy Association over the regime for importation of drugs into the private sector and who should be in charge of it. Today Dr. Allen admitted some painful truths about his management style, with specific reference to Chief Pharmacist Sharon Sanchez-Anderson. While they often do not agree, he says, he believes that it should not affect the work the Ministry does in this area. As the man in charge of over 2,000 employees, he admits he is bound to get into a few disagreements with those who dislike how he manages. But he insists that he will not back away from setting clear targets and performance goals that he expects those around him to match and exceed. Dr. Allen also denied having any personal interest in managing who signs for drugs to be brought into the country privately, only in ensuring that there is quality testing and standards.

Employer hired undocumented workers
46 year old Ricardo Marin, a resident of Ladyville who owns Oasis Restaurant and Bar at Mile 4 1/2 on the Philip Goldson Highway, pleaded guilty today to two counts of employing persons not in possession of a valid temporary work permit. Immigration officials visited his establishment and found two women, Cynthia Hernandez and Deinys Cervante, who could not produce their permits when asked. Marin, their employer, was arrested and charged.

Butane price falls by $13
The government of Belize today announced a $13 across the board reduction in the price of a 100-pound cylinder of butane gas. Imported butane from Mexico is now selling for $115 in Belize City and Corozal; $117 in Belmopan and San Ignacio; $118 in Benque Viejo del Carmen; $116 in Orange Walk; $119 in Dangriga and $120 in Punta Gorda. Imported butane from Central America is now selling for $112 in Belize City and Corozal; $114 in Belmopan and San Ignacio; $115 in Benque Viejo del Carmen; $113 in Orange Walk; $116 in Dangriga and $117 in Punta Gorda.

Attempted armed robbery in San Pedro town
There was an attempted armed robbery this afternoon at the San Pedro branch of Bowen and Bowen Limited. According to reports, around 1:30 pm today a man brandishing a firearm stormed the Bowen and Bowen office on Blake Street and demanded money. The on-duty security guard was able to eject the armed robber who did not get close enough to any of the employees to take anything. But before he left the area, the armed robber fired a number of shots.

The Belize Times

UDP Campaigning With YOUR Money!!
The BELIZE TIMES has confirmed from reliable government sources that the Ministry of Finance has paid out $850,000 to United Democratic Party politicians and operatives in another desperate political gimmick to buy out votes. This time, the deceptive political ploy is hidden under the guise of an unofficial Mother’s Day cheer program – much like the 2011 and 2013 Christmas cheer programs in which the Government diverted $1.25 million and $2.23 million dollars respectively from Government’s coffers to dish out $40,000 and $90,000 to each UDP representative for the distribution of ham and toys to political supporters. The BELIZE TIMES has been confirmed that the Ministry of Finance has already disbursed the money to UDP politicians by the tens of thousands. The money, in various denominations, will then be inserted into Mother’s Day cards and distributed to a small number of selected supporters. The cards carrying taxpayers’ monies inside will be signed by UDP politicians in a perverse and dishonest attempt to prop up the UDP’s campaign. Undoubtedly, in Edmond Castro-style, some of the money will end up in the pockets of these same politicians. ABUSIVE & ILLEGAL This is the third or fourth known time the UDP Government is dipping into the public’s purse to dole out funds to their political candidates. They did the same thing in February 2012 too, when four weeks before the early election the Prime Minister boasted that his Government was “slush with funds” and so he had devised a “pro poor assistance initiative” in which HIS political candidates got $50,000 each to spend. This most-recent blatant abuse of tax payers’ money is not sanctioned by the House of Representatives. It is an arbitrary decision by the Minister of Finance who is Prime Minister Dean Barrow. It is totally illegal and arguably, even corrupt.

Stonewalled! – COLA says ComPol, Auditor General & Ombudsman are obstructing Justice
Grassroots organization, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and their attorney Kareem Musa announced on Wednesday morning that they are prepared to take every step to ensure that the criminal case against corrupt UDP area representative Elvin Penner does not fail despite the numerous roadblocks set up by the Barrow Administration through its official functionaries. As the preliminary May 29th trial date approaches, C.O.L.A. has been working on gathering evidence. But according to President, Geovanni Brackett, their efforts to obtain key evidence from the Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie and Auditor General Dorothy Bradley have been stonewalled.

Barrow Defends “Clear the Cheques” Castro – Are taxpayers funding “Poor” Castro’s lawyer fees?
Minister of State Edmond Castro proved to Belizeans what a facey hustler he is when he claimed that he could not afford to pay for his own mother’s funeral services, so he took $4,000 of public funds to pay for the expense. He did the same when it came to paying for personal bicycle repairs, for dental care services and for the purchasing of chicken and soft drinks for his constituency political events. These acts of misuse of public funds that were exposed by the BELIZE TIMES earlier this year, among other major instances of abuse of office involving the misappropriation of tens of thousands of dollars from the coffers of the Belize Airport Authority, moved one of his constituents to seek a Supreme Court declaration that Castro had seriously violated his oath of office.

Progress in St. Matthews Village & Cayo South
The Cayo South constituency may not have access to its due share of Government support and resources under this vindictive UDP Government, but the leadership and humility of the elected PUP Area Representative Hon. Julius Espat and the willingness of residents to work together for the development of their community have become a perfect combination for progress. There are various examples of the positive results from this partnership. One such is the opening of road access to farm lands in St. Matthews Village. The project was initiated through the leadership of the PUP St. Matthews Village Council and Chairlady Teresa Linarez. She approached area representative Hon. Espat requesting support, and he readily offered to assist.

KHMH Implements Parking Fees
The KHMH administration has implemented new parking fees for anyone accessing parking outside of the hospital. In these hard times this is a cold move to squeeze money out of hard working Belizeans. The Belize Times also noted that the Belize City Council is forcing commuters to park at the KHMH parking lot by making the section of Princess Margaret Drive immediately in front a no parking zone.

Zhi Cheng wins 2014 5-Barrel Veteran’s table tennis championships
Zhi Cheng of Punta Gorda Town won the 4th annual 5-Barrel Veterans table tennis championship after defeating Hector Lopez 3-1, Arturo “Tux” Vasquez 3-0, Yasser Musa 3-0 and Carlos Cui 3-0 at the Belize Elementary School auditorium on Sunday. Cheng won twice over 2-time defending champion Carlos Cui, winning the finals 3-0. Cui had advanced to the finals by victories over David Ho: 3-1, Jorge Espat: 3-0, and 3-1 over Sen Sen. Cui fought his way back out of the losers’ bracket by a 3-0 win over Hector Lopez to face a rematch with Cheng in the finals.

Brown Bombers U-15, Academy FC girls & Hattieville United U-17 – win football championships
The Brown Bombers U-15 and the Academy FC “A” team girls and Hattieville United Youth Sporting Club U-17 won the Belize District Football Association’s championship finals at the MCC Garden on Saturday. In Game 1 of the U-15 finals, Brown Bombers bombed the Collet Strikers: 2-1. Strikers’ Shaquille Matute scored the first goal, but Bombers top goal-scorer Sherwin Requeña equalized 1-1 before the half. Bombers’ MVP Eldon Byrd scored the 2nd winning goal after the break.

Westrac Stingers win SMART River Challenge canoe race
The Westrac Stingers won the 2nd annual SMART River Challenge canoe race from the Iguana Creek Bridge to the National Agricultural and Trade show grounds by the Roaring Creek Bridge on Saturday morning. Top 10 finishers: 1st – Westrac Stingers – 2:06:00 – $150 prize Paddled by Hener and Erwin Cruz, Jerry Cante 2nd – Ziprider – 2:06:07 – 2nd male: $75 prize Paddled by Jerry Rhaburn, Wilberto Daniels, Chris Guydis

Land of Injustice
The United States basketball playoffs are in full effect and many Belizeans have chosen a team to ride with. I am a long time Knicks fan but unfortunately once again this year, my heart was broken. I love the game however, and have so far enjoyed the playoffs and the level of competition among the stars like Durant, LeBron and Chris Paul. I feel no guilt, or in any way unpatriotic, about being a bigger fan of the NBA than I am of the Elite League of Belize. It is chalk and cheese and the taste of one is far superior and to be desired than the other. I remain hopeful that one day our country will understand the importance of sports and grant more monies, attention and effort to the cause. We have talent but sports gets little funding and our athletes have little discipline and commitment. One of the teams that have advanced so far to the second round of this year’s playoffs is the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers once played in upstate New York as the Buffalo Braves. They moved to the West Coast in 1978 and became the San Diego Clippers. In 1981, billionaire Donald Sterling bought the team and three years later, move the franchise to Los Angeles. For many years the Clippers were considered the laughing stock of the NBA as they won very few games. They also have had to play second fiddle to LA’s premier team, the Lakers. With the acquisition of point guard Chris Paul and slam dunk specialist Blake Griffith in 2010, the Clippers improved immensely and began to gain more respect. Despite their success however, and in spite of the Lakers recent losing ways (Clippers swept the season’s series 4-0 and blew out the Lakers in one game by 36 points), LA fans still seem to prefer the Lakers and the Clippers remain just LA’s “other team”. It has taken a racist rant by the team’s octogenarian owner to bring the spotlight attention that the Clippers have so long craved; albeit in a negative way.

Editorial: THE UDP’s DISMAL HEALTHCARE RECORD
Since coming to power in 2008, the United Democratic Party government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow has been steadily building a catalogue of failure and fatal political interference with the nation’s healthcare system. The fight with the Pharmacists Association of Belize over the ill-advised appointment of Minister of Trade Erwin Contreras’ daughter, Danini Contreras, is the most recent example of a government that practices nepotistic rule in important affairs of state. In 2009, Barrow had to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of corruption at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. But what was the result of that investigation? Was disciplinary action taken against any of the hospital top management? The answer is no. Business continued as usual. By mid-2009, it came sweeping into the national headlines that officials at the KHMH were hustling from patients. But what did the Barrow administration do to restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of the hospital? The answer: nothing.

Mayor Swaso and Dangriga Town Council Exonerated
It happened about two weeks ago and got lost in the midst of the post Easter slump. But on the 24th April 2014, the Dangriga Magistrate Court exonerated Mayor Gilbert Swaso and the Dangriga Town Council after it dismissed a claim brought against them by one Dennis Bellini. In August, 2013, Bellini took out a suit in the Dangriga Magistrate Court against Mayor Swaso and the Dangriga Town Council. The claim brought by Bellini was for monies Bellini claims the Dangriga Town Council owed for the transportation of a back hoe from the United States for the Dangriga Town Council. At the time the suit was filed, it got national attention as was expected, since Mayor Swaso is one of only three sitting PUP Mayors. Media coverage was given clearly to sully the image of the Mayor and the Dangriga Town Council,

AMAZING GRACE – Desperate People Do Desperate Things
Despite the appearance of wealth that Belizeans often portray with fancy new cars and designer clothes, a large number of our population is living in poverty, the kind of poverty that inspires tears and reeks of human injustice. Some literally have no food to eat for days and feel the gnawing of hunger attack their stomachs, filling them with the desire to tear themselves inside out. The people who feel this desperate hunger will stop at nothing to satisfy that urgent need. Rummaging through the garbage, salvaging for food by stealing or begging, these are all the things desperate people would do to place a little something in their stomachs. What’s the point? Well, the reason desperation appears in these people is because they are hungry. See, everybody has a need. As humans, it is genetically, scientifically, psychologically and all the other ‘ally’s’, impossible for us to ever be fully satisfied. This principle applies to things as mundane as our need to eat everyday for sustenance, to the complicated problems of infidelity, corruption, and war. Our desires are constantly evolving and achieving one goal is just a stepping stone to achieving another. So no matter how ‘independent’ or put together one may look, he or she always has a need.

SCALES OF JUSTICE – Elections Fever
The signs have not been that illuminating but they are there: elections are around the bend. For starters, he- the Prime Minister- did tell us early in the year (February) that if the variables presented themselves, he would do it- call an early election, with two plus years in his second term. Of course, he gave us a spin (as is his habit with everything) and tried to give us some story about the variables that would compel him to call early elections; chief among them, he said, was that he was personally distraught as a result of the continuing self induced scandals that was riddling his government like bullets from an automatic firearm. But of course, everyone knew that was hogwash- Dean Barrow, personally distraught? Everyone knows that the only true variable that he would consider is the timing- whether he thinks he has given the people sufficient sweets to have them on his side. Which is why this latest revelation of $50,000 of taxpayers’ monies being given to the 17 UDP Area Representatives to give away over this weekend, Mother’s Day weekend, must be closely looked at; it is a good marker of possible early elections. Of course our beloved mothers all need a little reprieve and ought to be celebrated. But this government has never done this before. So the question has to be asked: why now? And it is a clever and shrewd gimmick. The Opposition cannot openly condemn it otherwise we would appear as not into our mothers. But the truth is that this is another obscene example of the government using taxpayers’ monies to finance their political campaign.

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – Belize needs a Thuli Madonsela
Yesterday I happened upon an article from VOA News about South Africa which was titled “South Africa Protector of the Powerless is Nation’s Most Powerful Person.” It piqued my interest, and so I read the full script and as well watched the video report online. South Africa has in its Constitution the position of Public Protector. I would imagine that this post is akin to that of Ombudsman, but with far more investigative and reporting clout. The woman who holds this important post is Thuli Madonsela, who according to the article enjoys a higher approval rating than her boss, South African President Jacob Zuma. She has grabbed headlines in her country for exposing government wrongdoing. Recently she even called out the President himself for a major corruption scandal. The article goes on to state that recently she has been recognized as one of Time Magazine’s

Children celebrate National Tapir Day
National Tapir Day is celebrated annually around the end of April, and the Belize Zoo has made sure to keep awareness and respect for our National Animal alive and well. This year the day was celebrated on May 2nd due to the May Day holiday the day before and the opening of school after the Easter break. Children from several schools attended, including two schools from the Toledo District, one from Benque Viejo del Carmen, one from Belize City, and one from Belmopan. Also in attendance was the Pannerifix Steel Band from Belmopan along with their Director Julietta Burrowes.

REFLECTIONS ON THE PUBLIC SQUARE – STOP OR FACILITATE??
All Belizeans should support and be proud of the strong, determined and principled position taken by the Belize Pharmacists Association (BPA) in demanding that the newly and “specially” created post of DIRECTOR OF DRUG INSPECTORATE, be filled by a competent, qualified and experienced pharmacists. Having a Director of Drug Inspectorate, in and of itself may not be a bad initiative, but creating such a post without consulting the Belize Pharmacists Association and seemingly doing so to simply facilitate the well paid employment of a Cabinet Minister’s daughter is wrong and should be condemned by all Belizeans. Erwin Contreras’s daughter has a right to work and if fully and properly qualified for a job, she should not be denied an opportunity to seek such a job, but she has no right to preferential treatment. The GOB has no place creating a job for her and then thumbing its collective nose at the Pharmacists Association and the Belizean people.

Cotton Tree Village Council challenges GOB’s land subdivision – Andrew Marshalleck, of Barrow & Co., says GOB has broken the law
Senior Counsel Andrew Marshalleck has filed a civil claim on behalf of the Cotton Tree Village Council before the Supreme Court. The Cotton Tree Village Council has led by Chairman Oscar Otero is protesting the callous and illegal manner in which the Government has distributed land in the village. Without any form of consultation with the duly elected Council, the Government has surveyed a large parcel of land which it will divide into 111 acres for distribution to persons selected by UDP Port Loyola representative Anthony Boots Martinez. Chairman Otero pointed out that the Village Council Act gives Village Councils the authority to distribute land and not the Ministry of Natural Resources.

A family affair exposed
Two weeks ago, with his back against the wall and his nepotistic appointment coming under intense heat, Anwar Barrow did the predictable. He gave in to the demands of BTL employees for a raise just so he could save his own butt and look good. After all, Anwar does not have report to the nation if, when and how he decides to spend BTL money. With the salary adjustments made, the UDPs can now continue along their merry way, using BTL like a candy dispensary. It is a way for the UDP to get rich quick and to stuff their UDP supporters. Information to the BELIZE TIMES is that Magali Perdomo, who is the daughter of UDP mogul and grand party financier, Maito Perdomo, will take up the post of in house attorney for BTL. This is big news.

PUP Dangriga Council upgrades Havana Bridge approach! – “Working together, more can be done,” says Mayor Gilbert Swaso
Residents of Dangriga Town can now enjoy a smoother and more comfortable ride when traversing the Havana Bridge. This is because the Dangriga Town Council invested $26,500.00 for a much needed upgrade on the North and South approach of the bridge. Residents had indicated that the approaches to the bridge caused undue stress on their tires; the Mayor and his Council heard the cries of the people and found funds for the resurfacing of the bridge. The upgrade of the Havana Bridge is in keeping with development plans that the Dangriga Town Council has to upgrade the entire Havana Creek area to make it more user friendly to residents and visitors and make it more aesthetically appealing. It is expected that the development in this area will boost and stimulate economic activity and growth for the residents of Dangriga.

Blogs

BETEX Trade Exposition in Belize City Brings in Travel Pros, Press & Me from Around The World
After a bit of work, I secured a press pass to the large Travel Expo that is held each year by the BTIA (Belize Tourism Industry Association) to…well…sell Belize. To present the country to visiting travel agents, wholesalers and consolidators (I’m still not exactly sure what those last two are)…to attract visitors to our country. The event was (and is still being) held in the Princess Hotel and Casino which has actually been very recently purchased/repurchased by the Ramada chain. It’s now the Ramada Belize City Princess. The room was filled with booths from hotels, the local airlines and, a bit strangely, the cell phone companies. Lots of freebies for the visiting travel agents from water bottles to shot glasses with rum punch to bags. Lots of bags.

Lizards of Belize – What makes the Belizean Iguana Incredible!
Having briefly talked about the ubiquitous iguana of Belize’s forests and rivers in a recent post, it occurred to us that this amazing reptile, which plays such an important role in Belize’s history and ecology, deserved more than a mere mention. So here, starring in its own post – the Incredible Iguana of Belize! First, some background on our star: Even though it goes through various colour changes during its life, it is technically known as the Green Iguana, with the rather unimaginative scientific name of Iguana iguana (order Squamata, sub order igaunea, family Iguanidae, genus iguana). The name iguana itself is said to come from the native Caribbean Taino language, iwana. Here in Belize things are a bit more imaginative, with Bamboo Chicken, Guana and Garobo for the more bigger, more mature males, who take on an orange hue and can grow up to five or six feet from nose to tail tip.

ReefCI in National Geographic
Polly, ReefCI Founder and MD is featured in the latest edition of National Geographic UK. Check out the article here!

“A guaranteed bundle of fun!”
“I have just returned to reality after spending four months with Reef CI. The diving with Reef CI is hands down the best and most amazing thing I have ever done. With the most beautiful reef I have dived on, seeing Dolphins (that swam close by and played with us), Sting Rays, Nurse Sharks, Eagle Ray, Whale Sharks and much more. I completed my Rescue Diver and my Dive Master course during my stay and I can definitely say that Reef CI has the best instructors I have dived with. They are both knowledgeable about the reef and its eco-system and have such a passion for diving that they want to share their extensive experience and knowledge with everyone. During my stay I did countless conservation surveys that are extremely interesting and fun to get involved in. Lionfish spearing is an experience like nothing else I have ever done and benefits the reef hugely.

International Sources

Statement at the Conclusion of the IMF Article IV Consultation Mission to Belize
Press Release No.14/212 May 9, 2014 An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Jacques Bouhga-Hagbe visited Belize during April 28-May 9 to hold discussions in the context of the country’s 2014 Article IV Consultation. At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Bouhga-Hagbe issued the following statement: “The Belizean economy is estimated to have grown by only 0.7 percent in 2013 mainly because of continued decline in oil production and weak agricultural output, especially sugarcane and citrus. Inflation eased to 0.5 percent from 1.3 percent a year ago, as commodity price pressures abated. Private sector credit grew by 3.8 percent (y/y) in March 2014. While declining, Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) remained high at 17.6 percent of total loans at end 2013. The banking system’s capital buffers improved and weaknesses in the system are being addressed. The external current account deficit widened to 4.5 percent of GDP up from 1.2 percent in 2012, as exports of oil and agricultural products fell sharply, while imports of fuel and electricity picked up. Nonetheless, international reserves improved to 4.3 months of imports (up from 3.3 months at end-2012) owing mainly to PetroCaribe financing and private capital inflows.

Goblin shark caught in Gulf of Mexico, plus 18-foot oarfish and other big and odd fish
Shrimpers fishing in the Gulf of Mexico pulled up an incredibly rare, almost prehistoric-looking goblin shark. It’s only the second sighting of such a beast in the Gulf. Earlier, an 18-foot oarfish was found off Catalina Island in California. Here’s a look at the goblin shark, oarfish and other big and/or odd-looking fish.

From Atlanta, McCaulay points the way for Belize
Each day he steps onto a soccer pitch, Deon McCaulay does so with motivation derived from several sources. The 26-year-old striker plays to make a better life for his family, to represent the people of Belize and to open doors for other Belizean soccer players. “Growing up in Belize is not something that was very easy. Most young men don’t get very far in life,” stressed McCaulay. “As a kid, I didn’t even own my own football. I didn’t have shoes on my feet. I always try to think about where I come from.” He is now a member of the Atlanta Silverbacks, signing with the North American Soccer League club in February. “Life here is good,” McCaulay expressed. “It took a couple of games to get used to what the league is about, but I think I’ve adjusted well. There are a lot more physical players in this league.” McCaulay previously played professionally in Belize for Kremandala, FC Belize, Belize Defence Force and Belmopan Bandits, in Costa Rica for Puntarenas and for Deportes Savio in Honduras.

The Best All-Inclusive Adventure Resorts for Families
The Tropical Base Camp: Slickrock Adventures, Belize. Sixty-five miles offshore from Belize City, Slickrock's Long Caye eco-lodge is ultra-minimal by design: 15 open-air, thatch-roof cabanas fringe the beach and the turquoise waters of Glover's Reef. You won't find air conditioning, maid service, Wi-Fi, flush toilets, deep mattresses, or a saltwater pool (unless you count the ocean) anywhere on the 13-acre island, but if you like your tropics laid-back and natural and packed with action, this is definitely the place. When I was last there, pre-kids, in the late '90s, I spent my days kayaking the calm waters inside the atoll and surf kayaking just offshore. Since then, they've added a vela, or windcenter, stocked with windsurfers and kiteboards, a full complement of surfboards, and even a dry land trainer for teaching newbies to windsurf. You can scuba, surf-cast from your kayak, or just lounge in the hammocks or beachside all day. The island is wind- and solar-powered, and home cooked meals are served buffet-style in the sand-floored dining palapa—no shoes or fancy table manners required. Kids Included: Although many of Slickrock's guests are solo travelers or couples, families fit right in, and kids especially will dig the Castaway-style isle. Children three and older are welcome, and although there is no designated kids' program, those who are too young to paddle can ride along in a tandem or sit-on-top; there's also a cache of sandcastle equipment and a well-loved beach volleyball court. Slickrock is happy to help arrange for a full-time, on-island babysitter (for just $25 per day, including housing and meals). Note to landlubbers: The boat trip takes three hours, but less than an hour of that is through open seas, so plan accordingly if you or your little ones get seasick.

Cosmic touch in the deep sea
I have never felt closer to the sky than when I was 170 feet under the ocean here at Tuffy Canyons, Belize. It happened on Easter morning. A half-dozen of us slipped out of a boat on the barrier reef here and followed our dive master, Michael, into a canyon, dropping through jagged openings past profusions of coral waving like wheat in the wind. There were clouds of fish, turtles and the occasional shark.Then the ocean floor suddenly fell away. We were hovering like unharnessed window washers on a vast wall of rock and coral, the outermost edge of the second-longest barrier reef in the world, the boundary of the big deep.

Macarena’s Memories From HGTV’s “International House Hunters”
Recently, EscapeArtist sat down with Macarena Rose to discuss her upcoming 5th appearance on May 14th on “House Hunters International,” the popular international television show on HGTV. We also discussed her life in Belize and her involvement with the EscapeArtist’s Global Online Summit: EscapeArtist: How did you originally get involved in HGTV’s House Hunters International? Macarena Rose: The House Hunters Production people called me after they saw shows that I did for Belize Television which featured biographies of people in Belize. We shot episodes with exotic birds, a jaguar and John Carr, a remarkable horse whisperer. EA: What was the most surprising thing about the behind-the-scenes process of participating on “House Hunters International”? MR: The behind-the-scenes experiences have been so entertaining. One time, the pickup truck I was driving started sliding down a steep, muddy hill. The film crew was riding in the back of the truck, and they just kept on filming.

Videos

Video: Horses in Belize with John Carr- Horse Whisperer, 15min.
Horse Whisperer John Carr takes us to see his monkeys and horses in this video in Belize.

Video: John Carr with Host Macarena Rose, 15min.
Visit today with Long Time Belize Expat John Carr as we go along with Belize TV Biography host, Macarena Rose. This is Part 2 of 4 and you will see the birds of Belize and hear more from the engaging John Carr.

Video: Blustery day on the reef- Turneffe Atoll, Belize cayes, 1/2min.
A sample of the high winds we faced during a week's stay at Blackbird Resort, Turneffe Atoll, Belize. At times it was gale force, but we still snorkeled the reefs daily to enjoy their pristine condition and the extraordinary life they support.

Video: Belize - BV Expedition (PART 6), 5min.
My expedition together with the amazing Blue Ventures Team and volunteers in Belize, 14 feb - 27 mar 2014. More videos soon, stay tubed. Like, subscribe and expect every part of nature. "Based in Sarteneja and Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve our Belize expedition involves volunteers in marine conservation research and community projects as you immerse yourself in the culture and marine environment of Belize."

Video: Underwater Belize - MACKEENE Beachwear Advertisement, 1min.
Video Made in Belize at Caye Caulker by Arnaud SCIUS (MOUPS) Casting : Pierre VOGEL wearing a Bee model

Video: Belize Scuba, 3min.

Video: Sea Turtle in Belize, 4min.
Snorkeled at the famous diving paradise, Hol Chan Reef, Ambergris Caye, Belize 07/05/14

Video: Jewel Caye Landing, 1/4min.
Jewel Caye Island Landing in Belize --- Gateyway to beautiful Jewel Caye Island!

Video: Holding Nurse Shark - Belize, 1/2min.

Video: Tropic Air - Landing in Belmopan / Belize, 2min.
Flight from Belize City to Belmopan (Belize) on 08th May 2014. These flights are mosty a bit rough, but only as a result of the size of the plane. Its like driving a go-cart but in the air. Pure joy.

Video: Belize tour with Kodi Ireland of the Cayo Area, 3min. slideshow

Video: Costa Maya Festival San Pedro Belize Tropical Night, 5min.

Video: BELTRAIDE Partners with McNab Publishing Ltd. to produce The Invest Belize Magazine., 1.5min.
BELTRAIDE & McNab Publishing Ltd. are pleased to announce their new partnership for the Invest Belize Magazine. The 3rd issue of Invest Belize, which will be released in September, will be created by Beltraide and McNab Publishing. That should be a ground-breaking issue. Beltraide has a video out about the 9 firms that they worked with to increase their sales. The Invest Belize Magazine made its debut early last year and BELTRAIDE's 3rd volume is set to be released this coming September. The magazine is Belize's prime business and investment magazine comprised of engaging articles, enlightening statistics and important information on the country's business community. Invest Belize Magazine provides an opportunity for Belizean Businesses to make their mark; with its wide distribution both nationally and internationally, Invest Belize welcomes both local and foreign parties and promotes their investment in our country. McNab Publishing Ltd. is proud to be partnering in this new venture and to be a part of the growth of this useful tool for promoting Belize.

Video: The illusion of life, 3min.
The 12 basic principles of animation were developed by the 'old men' of Walt Disney Studios, amongst them Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, during the 1930s. Of course they weren't old men at the time, but young men who were at the forefront of exciting discoveries that were contributing to the development of a new art form. These principles came as a result of reflection about their practice and through Disney's desire to use animation to express character and personality. This movie is my personal take on those principles, applied to simple shapes. Like a cube.

Video: Ras Indio’s: Love You, Mama, 2min.
Sunday is Mother's Day, and reggae artist, Ras Indio chats about how he has prepared a special treat for those inspiring ladies that made all the babies. It's a new music video called, "Love You Mama". Now no one has ever missed the mark by making a song about Momma - you can ask Tupac or Sizzla about that - and today Indio told us what makes his message special:

Video: Ras Indio’s: Love You, Mama, 5min.
Here's the video, the cut above is a bit from the video and some interview…

Video: Belize Tunnel, 1min.
Scuba diving pass through. High rez

Video: GILHARRY 7 THE NUMBER ONE BAND IN THE LAND OF BELIZE, 5min.

Video: Into and through San Ignacio Belize, 9min.

Video: Heavenly Belize, 5min.
Belize from the air, ultralight

Video: Gomez the Iguana Belize, 4min.
All about the iguana thanks to a knowledgeable guide

Video: Mr Peters Run fu yu life 2006 in Belize, 5min.

Video: Keisha Belize 2012 San Pedro, 10min.

Video: HiLine Poultry Fiesta processing plant in Belize, 4min.

Video: Househunters International San Pedro Belize Steve Reid, 7min.

Video: Mayan Ruins in Lamanai Belize filmed with XP2 Quadcopter, 2min.

Video: Belize Underwater, 3min.

Video: Shark Feeding Fun, 2min.
SHARKS!!! Thank you David Luxford for the awesome Video! Much appreciation and gratitude.

Video: Travel journey, 5min.
Mexico and Central America - by Adrian

Video: Belize, 2min.
Katie finished the spring break video! Enjoy!

Video: Tikal, 7min.
One of our last activities in Belize last summer was going to Tikal for the day which is where the largest mayan ruins are located! It was so amazing to go there and learn all about the mayans! Afterwards we went zip lining in the rain and it was an absolute blast! :)

Video: Frank Connelly - Sustainability Overview Part 1, min.

May 9, 2014

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, Channel 5 and CTV3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Ready, Set, Race Lagoon Reef Eco-challenge
Everything is set and ready for the 10th Annual Lagoon Reef Eco-challenge. Taking place on Saturday, May 10th and Sunday, May 11th, the challenge will consist of kayakers paddling through San Pedro’s lagoons and sea in hopes of winning a grand cash prize. Organizer of the event, Elito Arceo has stated that this tenth anniversary race may be one of the best ever. Paddlers take off from El Embarcadero, on the lagoon side of the island, on Saturday at 7AM, making into the lagoon area of San Pedro. The first day of the race will take kayakers up to the Basil Jones Area in Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve where they will camp out for the night. The second day of the race kicks off on Sunday at 9AM as kayakers sprint from their campsite to Central Park, along the eastern coast of Ambergris Caye.

San Pedro Tigersharks continue to make waves in the NEBL
The San Pedro Tigersharks continued their winning streak in the National Elite Basketball League after they defeated the Belmopan Bandits in week 12 of the regular season. The Tigersharks gave up their home advantage and took the game to the University of Belize Gymnasium on Friday May 2nd for the rematch. After a tough game, the islanders came out victorious, continuing their lead in the NEBL. On May 10th the Tigersharks will play the DangrigaWarriors ina Mother’s Day visit in week 13 of the NEBL. Game time is set for 8PM at the Ecumenical High School in Dangriga Town. We wish the San Pedro Tigersharks all the best!

Ambergris Today

In Memoriam - Michael Donald Wallace
You would have celebrated your birthday on May 2, but instead you celebrate with the Angels in Heaven. “Even though you are gone to the world, you are forever in our thoughts and hearts.” Rest In peace Mikey From Mom, Dad and Family

First Look At Harper's Bazaar Interiors Full Pictorial on Belize
Here is your first look at Harper’s Bazaar Interiors Magazine’s Travel Issue on Belize featuring the First Lady of Belize Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow. Belize’s First Lady was host to Harper’s Bazaar as she showed off the hidden beauty of our country Belize. “We are ecstatic with the results and with the massive interest it has received on social media in the weeks prior to its release!” stated Luigi Irauzqui, International Style Editor for Harper’s Bazaar Interiors.

Paper Beads Jewelry Workshop Held for Island Schools
Who doesn’t love making arts & crafts? It’s fun for children and adults too! A group of students from the University of North Georgia came to San Pedro to conduct a workshop on how to make jewelry from paper beads. The group consisted of Mrs. Kathy Simmons, Lisseth Keaton, Kristin Xiong, Khanh Tran and Sally Tang. Students from the University of North Georgia have been conducting paper beads workshops since 2007 in Nicaragua and decided to share this art to the community of San Pedro for the first time ever. Workshops were conducted at San Pedro High School and Holy Cross Anglican School. Participants were taught to measure, cut, roll and glaze beautiful beads out of recycled paper. They were even given a short introduction in marketing so that they can have their own business of selling beautiful paper bead jewelry.

Misc Belizean Sources

Mrs. Faith Babb
This week's trailblazer is a little late but here's a look at the accomplishments of Mrs. Faith Babb! Mrs. Faith Babb’s political career is best defined not by the office she once held, but rather the journey that led her to it. She was exposed to politics in her early childhood by attending political meetings with her patriotic grandparents. She became a member the UDP in her teenage years and has worked her way through the ranks of the party from foot soldier to a decision maker in the Party’s Central Executive Committee as National Director of Women. She later, along with other women, formed the UDP – National Organization of Women which certainly helped to propel her to become a candidate for National Election.

Harper's Bazaar (7 photos)
BELIZE is featured in an 11 page spread in this May/June issue of Harper's Bazaar Interior, and the introduction to our beautiful country is undertaken by Special Envoy for Women and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow. The issue which features unique establishments and destinations across Belize includes an interview with Mrs. Barrow about her work as an effective advocate for child protection, cancer awareness and various other causes. The Tourism Industry is such an integral part of our growing economy and we will certainly benefit from the exposure Belize will receive being featured in a magazine with the prestige and audience of Harper’s Bazaar. There are many wonderful people to thank; starting with the hotels who immediately bought into the idea and where thrilled to be featured. Thank you to the management and staff of El Secreto, Victoria House, Cayo Espanto and Turtle Inn. Thanks also to the production team: creative Director - Luigi Irauzqui, photographer - Benny Haddad and cinematographer - Laurent Levy. Francesca Dutton and Kelly Mi Li for Skinny Bikini and hair stylist, Daniel Baseggio, thank you! We are also very proud to say that our very own Belizean makeup artist, Vanessa Awe and Joris Hendrik Design were a part of this Belize feature; thank you both. Thanks, of course, to the Belize Tourism Board and a very special thanks to Rue Kothari – Editor of Harpers Bazaar Interior. Very very special thanks to: Abraham Roffe, Jeff Gram, Martin Krediet, Janet Woolham, Allysa Carnegie, Evan Young, Mick Fleming and Lucy Fleming at The Lodge at Chaa Creek. THANK YOU ALL. Let’s celebrate our beautiful Belize!

BELTRAIDE & McNab Publishing Ltd. are pleased to announce their new partnership for the Invest Belize Magazine.
The Invest Belize Magazine made its debut early last year and BELTRAIDE's 3rd volume is set to be released this coming September. The magazine is Belize's prime business and investment magazine comprised of engaging articles, enlightening statistics and important information on the country's business community. Invest Belize Magazine provides an opportunity for Belizean Businesses to make their mark; with its wide distribution both nationally and internationally, Invest Belize welcomes both local and foreign parties and promotes their investment in our country. McNab Publishing Ltd. is proud to be partnering in this new venture and to be a part of the growth of this useful tool for promoting Belize.

The LIME SQUEEZE IN BELIZE
Lime at the local Corozal fruit market is now 3 limes to one Belize dollar. A few weeks ago this same lime sold for one Belize dollar per lime. Certainly the effects of the increased prices ultimately trickled down to the consumer. In Belize the citrus greening has created the shortage of lime in every district. The Asian Citrus Psyllid insect is blamed for the cause of lime shortage in Belize. This insect is considered a pest with a destructive appetite on citrus plants, especially lime, and is responsible for the citrus greening disease. Experts have stated to the Belize media that the disruption in the lime market in Belize by the citrus greening disease may take as long as two years to improve. This is a long wait for the turn-around in Belize as lime imports from Mexico may have more impact in Belize due to the lime squeeze in that country. Demand for Mexican lime is at a high and has cause a price gouge in that country.

Government of Belize Press Office PRESS RELEASE - EVICTION NOTICE
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture takes this opportunity to advise and inform the General Public and more specifically the residents of the Harmonyville Development Area that it is unlawful to clear and occupy any land designated as a Buffer Zone Area (Reserve).

SMCU Mother's Day Celebration
Saint Martin's Credit Union is having a Mother's Day celebration on Saturday, May 10th, at their office. They'll have live marimba music, and some food and refreshments for everyone. They'll also have a raffle. Thanks, SMCU, and happy Mother's Day!

Ian Anderson’s Adventures in Belize Launches Its First Facebook Photo Contest
Adventures in Belize, located on Mile 41 ½ Hummingbird Highway, Belmopan, Belize, is launching its first Facebook Photo contest. The Facebook contest which begins May 7th, 2014 and ends on June 5th, 2014 will give potential clients a chance to experience Belize in a fun and adventurous way. To enter, contestants are required to go to the “Photo Contest!” tab on the Adventures in Belize Facebook and submit a photo of them vacationing anywhere in the world and explain why they would love to visit Belize. Once their entry is submitted, they can ask friends and loved ones to vote for their photo and try to gather as many votes as possible. At the end of the contest Adventures in Belize will review the top three submissions with the most votes and choose a winner. The winner, along with a friend or loved one, will get to enjoy the prize of a 3 nights complimentary accommodations in a Tropical Villa along with complimentary continental breakfast at El Secreto Resort. El Secreto Resort is located 11 miles north of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. All villas are equipped with a King size bed, a state of the art led lighting system, air conditioning, iPod dock station, LCD, TV, mini bar, safe, hair dryer, Melita coffee maker, 400 thread Egyptian Cotton Vivenda linens and Malin & Goetz amenities.

BCB retirement
BCB Holdings Limited announced that John Searle has decided to retire as a director of the company and its subsidiaries, the Belize Bank Limited and Belize Bank International Limited, with immediate effect. Mr Searle, who is 77 years of age, has been a member of the board of directors of the Company since its incorporation in 1987 and was also an original member of the board of directors of The Belize Bank Limited. Mr Searle has dedicated nearly 30 years of service to the BCB Holdings Limited group of companies.

OAS Culture of Peace Art Project
The Organization of American States is having their Culture of Peace Art Project at the Benque House of Culture. They've posted lots of pictures , and more, from the event. "Engaging and empowering children,youths and adults in artistic expressions for the next 6 months is a task undertaken by the OAS Culture of Peace at the Benque House of Culture. Daily art lessons from 9a.m.to 7:00p.m. Pursue your favorite Art-music or visual arts, lessons and materials are all free of cost."

Cahal Pech Village Resort in Belize Launches New Website
Cahal Pech Village Resort, one of the largest hotels in San Ignacio Belize, has just launched a new website. According to CEO Peter Tonti, the new website redesign is part of the resort’s long term plan of upgrading its facilities and services and will offer guests a unique user experience allowing them to easily navigate via desktop, mobile or tablet devices. The homepage of the website features a potpourri of beautiful images such as the hotel’s fresh water swimming pool, Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave which is one of the most visited caves in western Belize, a cozy palm thatched cabana, a honeymoon couple, and the ancient Maya ruins of Cahal Pech which is just a 5 minute walk from the resort.

A Big Day Out at Big Rock Falls
Your romantic adventure starts as soon as you turn down the dirt road, moving away from civilization and in to the scenic Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve. After a bumpy ride and a short hike down a steep path, you arrive at one of the most secluded destinations in Belize! You can hear the water long before you see it, but the view is what really takes your breath away! One hundred and fifty feet of fresh, tumbling water is the setting for your private day out. After you take in the stunning view (and grab some photos, of course!) it’s time to take off those hiking clothes and jump in to the ice cold water for a refreshing swim!

Adventures in Belize – Searching for the Elusive Manatee
“Do you see it? It’s right there!” our guide, Harry Sr. exclaimed as he pointed out into the translucent waters. We didn’t see anything, but eagerly moved to the front of the boat to search for the elusive Manatee grazing on turtle-grass at the bottom of the sea. There in the shadows of the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, we finally saw the dark formation swimming near our boat. It was our first Manatee sighting! Manatees are gentle herbivores found in the coastal areas and rivers of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Amazon Basin and Western Africa. Sometimes referred to as “sea cows”, these slow moving animals also have a slow metabolism and in order to survive, they’re typically found in shallow, warmer waters.

Attracting investments and growing the economy
“Even though the Statistical Institute of Belize issued a press release in February of this year correctly cautioning that GDP growth, it has no direct correlation with unemployment rate; we still need to ask where new jobs will come from when the economy is growing very little or not at all. Keeping in mind that the September Labour Force Survey gave an official unemployment figure of 14.2% or approximately 21,000 people, how can an economy growing at only 0.7% create jobs for that many unemployed? Bear in mind that the Government of Belize already hires almost 15,000 people at a total annual wage bill -footed by taxpayers- of just over $332 million, so it cannot create 21,000 more jobs within its own ranks. This leaves the private sector to do the needful, but how best to do it? One quick way to create sustainable jobs is to encourage foreign investors to bring new money and business activity into the economy.”— (Kay Menzies, president of Belize Chamber of Commerce).

Channel 7

Southern Regional: How The Embezzlement Went Down
In October of last year, reports surfaced of a massive case of embezzlement at the Southern Regional Hospital. Initial reports said that as much as $300,000 thousand dollars were misappropriated from the hospital's Maternal and Child Health account. The Administrator Nasley Somerville was immediately placed on suspension - and she remains on that tonight, awaiting a hearing form the public services commission. The commission will rely heavily on the completed report from the Auditor General. The 22 page document was submitted a month ago, and tonight, 7News has been leaked a rough copy of 15 of those pages. It paints a picture of massive fraud that went unchecked because of a total absence of internal controls at the Ministry of Health. Here now are the report's major findings. Jules Vasquez reporting "Confidential" - the Audit Report was submitted on April 11th, subject: the suspected embezzlement of 366,468.88 from the Maternal Child Health account at the Southern Regional Hospital by Administrator Nasley Somerville.

City Man Killed In Ladyville
There was a murder yesterday evening in Ladyville. Police say it happened at around 6:30 where a Belize City resident was killed in a very deliberate act. Vince Martinez had gone to a funeral in the village, not knowing that by the end of the day, his family would be preparing for his own. Monica Bodden spoke to the family today:.. Monica Bodden reporting 27 year old Vince Martinez Jr took his last breath under this bus stop in Ladyville - after he was cold-bloodedly gunned down just before 7 last night. The young man had attended a funeral for his grand uncle earlier that evening and was waiting on a bus to return to Belize City. But he never made it home. Instead, his motionless body was picked up by police and put in the pan of a mobile - and taken to the City's morgue where his family was waiting. ASP Chris Noble - Rural Executive Officer "What we know is that the police did get information of a shooting and we came out here. We met one male person with an apparent injury to the head. The person succumb on the scene and we have persons or a person that we may be looking for not from this area. We've establish that the gentleman does not reside in the Ladyville area, buy may have been coming from an event in the Ladyville area."

Raonel Wanted To Go To USA
Raonel Valdez - last night we showed you how he was taken away to Florida - at the very minute that the Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse was saying that his future was in the hands of the Cuban government - and he would remain in jail until they decided. So what went wrong? Did the Immigration Department go behind the Minister's back? Hulse says they didn't. Here's what happened. He explained that indeed that Valdez requested to be turned over to the United States. His country of origin Cuba had no interest in him - as is its standard policy for any citizen who has left the island for the United States. So, Valdez, who had paid his fine for entering Belize illegally was free to choose. Hulse says he didn't know things had reached that point - but the protocol he explained does engender the detained person's freedom to choose their next destination.

Fearing Layoffs, BEL Union Cries Foul
Almost exactly two years ago - the Belize Energy Workers Union at BEL stirred. They were angry because the power company was making layoffs: of linesmen and power plant operators. Things cooled off though when the Labour Commissioner got involved as a mediator - meaning that all plans to proceed with layoffs were frozen. The status quo remained until today when Union leaders came to our office saying that BEL wants to terminate four power plant operators as soon as May 17th. Now, a union exists primarily to make sure its members keep their jobs, so this deadline spurred the energy workers into action. They say they are appealing directly to the board of directors since management is not listening to them:... Marvin Mora, Vice President - BEWU "This time they have given us a date and they have proposed the 17th May to make these guys positions redundant and terminate the guys. Because of the arrangements that we have on our partnership collective agreement the company should have made provisions for those workers to be re-trained and placed somewhere else in the company. They issue has been long in the back burner for over 3 years and still the company has not been able to re-trained not even one employee and relocate an employee elsewhere so that he can keep his longevity service at BEL. The point is that we are past management and now are trying to address this issue with the board of directors to look at what the union side of the issue is and explore all the points that we are bringing to the table before they make a final decision that will ultimately impact all consumers in this country. You see, it is critical to note that the gas turbine is a key element is restoring back power to the country."

BEL Says Plant Workers Resisted Re-Assignment
And so, while that is the position of the Belize Energy Workers Union, this evening the Manager of Corporate Services granted us an interview. She explained that the company is indeed considering that these employees have given 20+ years of service to the company. They've subsequently made attempts to get them trained to fill different positions but these employees refused. Here's how the company representative explained their version of events: Dawn Sampson Nunez - Manager, Corporate Services - BEL "In 2012 the company had given notice to the employees involved that the company would commence remote operations of the gas turbine facility. In giving that information, the company at the same time offered the employees involved the opportunity to be trained so that they would be able to take on job opportunities in the company - trained them and get them prepared for other opportunities within the company. Unfortunately that offer was rejected back in 2012 and you will recall if you go back to your news archives that the matter was escalated to the labor commissioner and thereafter to the minister of labor. Since 2012 up until now we've been in mediation. So instead of using that time for training and getting them ready for this point where we are commencing the remote operations we were dealing with mediation and that's very unfortunate."

CCJ Will Hear Tomlinson's Challenge To Anti-Gay Immigration Law
The Caribbean Court of Justice has ruled that it will hear a case brought by Jamaican Gay Rights Activist Maurice Tomlinson which has implications for the entire Caribbean. He will be allowed to challenge the Immigration Laws of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago on the grounds that it violates the rights of LGBT persons living in the Caribbean to move freely throughout CARICOM. His application for special leave to bring his case was heard in November of last year. He needed special permission to be heard as an individual because his home nation, Jamaica, refused to bring the claim on his behalf. They did so on the grounds that he has travelled to both Belize and Trinidad and Tobago without any problems before, so his right to free movement has not been blocked before.

First Quarter Tourism Figures Are Strong
The latest tourist arrival figures have been released and they show increased in both the overnight and cruise sectors. Cruise tourism had the strongest showing: up 22% from the same period last year - meaning that 322 thousand cruise visitors came in the first three months of the year. March alone was up 39% from the previous year. There was a 10.25% increase in airport arrivals for those first three months, and in line with that arrivals of overnight tourists went up by 9.67%, compared to 2013. The BTB reports that overnight arrivals in the first three months of 2014 have all exceeded 30,000 visitors culminating in a total of 101,982 guests at hotels.

SATIIM To GOB: "Corrupt, inept, despotic and discriminatory"
Last week Tuesday, the Administrator of National Parks and the Chief Forestry Officer officially waived the expiration date on the permit they granted to US Capital Energy to enter the Sarstoon Temash National Park to conduct oil exploration activities. It's been a week since that decision, but yesterday, SATIIM and the buffer communities of Midway, Conejo, Crique Sarco and Graham Creek, voiced their anger at the Government of Belize for that decision. They've interpreted it to mean that Government is ignoring their Mayan Customary Land Rights. And so they describe the waiver as quote, a "historical trademark of a corrupt, inept, despotic and discriminatory government." Strong words, and the communities added that the waiver of the permit is an attempt to circumvent past rulings of the court, including the last one from Justice Michelle Arana delivered on April 3.

SJC Science Students Selected For Cave Hill Camp
There are two 4th Form graduates of Saint John's College who are preparing to participate in a prestigious engineering program at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of Belize. It's called the Caribbean Science Foundation's Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE). It will be a month-long science-based program where Belizean candidates, Mishek Musa and Siian Rancharan will get an educational benefit afforded to 18 other chosen students from the Caribbean. Today, we spoke with Rancharan about the distinction of his representation given the rigorous selection process. He also placed in the context that the Belizean society doesn't place a high value to pursuit of science in higher learning: Siian Rancharan - Selected for Engineering Program "I was hopeful. I wasn't sure if I would get in but it was kind of nerve racking in the sense that they only had limited names on the slots and in terms of the entire Caribbean, you are competing from a lot of different Caribbean countries. I think it's interesting because I know that the program has been for the past I think 2-3 years and we've only had one student from Belize in the very first year and then last year we didn't have any. I was very happy when I found out that my classmate and I would be doing it."

Miss Y, A Healthy Regard For Ageing Gracefully
The Miss Y pageant has become a cultural fixture: a bellyful of laughs intermingled with a healthy regard for ageing gracefully. This year's pageant is no different as the YWCA's flagship fundraiser. We met the contestants today:..

BETEX Shows Off the Best In Tourism
Today, the Belize Tourism Industry Association held the first day of their 2014 Belize Tourism Expo at the Princess Ramada Hotel in Belize City. The expo comes around every 2 years, and brings stakeholders in the industry in location to promote their tourism products. 7News stopped in to see what this year's participants brought to the showcase. The President of the Association explained its importance: Herbert Haylock - President, Belize Tourism Industry Association "It's the Belize Tourism Expo, it's the 2014 event. We do this event every two years, so the last event was in 2012 and then part of that was in 2010. The event is really one that's geared towards getting again the BTIA membership in particular because it's for that particular emphasis and purpose for the association to be able to have those members come to the floor like this at this particular show and offer and present what they have to sell to again, incoming agents and wholesalers who are here basically to do business. So what is going on behind me on the floor is you have business taking place where agents and wholesalers are meeting with particular properties and talking about what they have to offer and how they can be incorporated particularly into those agents and wholesalers itineraries and what they sell and sell onto their clients and customers."

Kim Barrow's 11 Page Spread In Harpers Bazaar
Kim Barrow's 11 page spread in Harper's Bazaar Interiors was launched last night at the opening of BETEX. Wait, did we say Kim Barrow's spread? Sorry, that's our bad! A release from the BTB says the spread, quote, "showcases the beauty of Belize." The official spiel reads thusly: "it gives readers a closer look at the simplistic, yet cultured lifestyle of Belizeans, depicted through the eyes of Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow." Wow, and here we were, thinking (simplistically of course) that self-promotion had somehow magically blended with tourist promotion. The magazine features Victoria House, El Secreto, Cayo Espanto, Turtle Inn, Silk Cayes & Splash Dive Center, Lamanai Archeological Site and Lamanai Outpost.

Channel 5

CCJ rules that gay activist can challenge the immigration act of Belize
A reserved judgment was handed down today via teleconference in the case of gay activist Maurice Tomlinson. The Caribbean Court of Justice which is the highest judicial institution for three [...]

Acting SolGen charts the way forward
Following the CCJ’s decision, Acting Solicitor General Nigel Hawke told the media that the legal victory for Tomlinson is simply the beginning of what will be a protracted argument from [...]

King’s Park resident is executed as he left his uncle’s funeral
On Wednesday afternoon, a Belize City man attended his uncle’s funeral in Ladyville. A little over an hour later, he lay dead in a pool of blood…shot to the head [...]

Motorcycle driver faces 6 charges for death of Holy Redeemer school girl
Today, nineteen year old Visiona Carcamo was slapped with six criminal charges for the death of five year old Akeela Wade on April fourteenth. Wade was on a motorcycle being [...]

2010 P.S.E. Top Scorers accepted into regional SPISE Program
SPISE, the Caribbean Science Foundation’s Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering is a prestigious program offered at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies [...]

Internet rates in Belize are the highest, but the speed is the lowest
The latest stats on regional internet speeds versus cost are in, and Belize is coming in almost dead last, comparatively speaking. The report was submitted by the ICT Pulse, which [...]

BEWU challenges redundancy of 4 B.E.L. employees
The Belize Electricity Workers Union and Belize Electricity Limited are at odds tonight over the fate of four long-standing employees.  Come May seventeenth, a team of plant operators, stationed at [...]

B.E.L. responds to union
In responding to the concerns of the union, B.E.L.’s Manager of Corporate Services, Dawn Sampson-Nunez says that the employees were given a chance to undergo training but when they refused [...]

B.E.L. announces $25Million Series 6 Debentures
There is one more report on Belize Electricity Limited. The company has announced an offering of twenty-five million dollars in series six debentures to shareholders in the government-owned company.  While [...]

Pharmaceutical suppliers support ministry procurement standards
In light of the ongoing debacle within the Ministry of Health, particularly where it concerns the recent appointment of Danini Contreras as Director of Drug Inspectorate, as well as the [...]

Estrada/Jones family acquitted of firearm charges
In July last year, the Gang Suppression Unit arrested a family of six and linked them to the discovery of a firearm, ammunition and week found inside a church adjacent [...]

B.T.I.A. holds its biennial tourism expo
Tourism stakeholders are meeting for the rest of this week in their expo known as BETEX. It is one of the major events hosted by the Belize Tourism Industry Association [...]

Tourism Stats for 1st Quarter of 2014
There is other good news in the industry. The Belize Tourism Board is reporting that arrivals for overnight, cruise and airport visitors went up between January to March 2014, when [...]

UB hosts a math fair for primary school students
The University of Belize through its Primary Education curriculum today put off a math fair. The purpose is to encourage interest in one of the most challenging subject areas in [...]

Second National TVET Conference
The Ministry of Education today hosted the Second National TVET Conference in Belize City. It’s all about showcasing and celebrating education, with a focus on the promotion of technical and [...]

Certified students at ITVET receive National Vocational Qualification
According to Gomez, this is just one prong of an extensive initiative to promote technical and vocational education. There is constant interaction between the Ministry of Education and stakeholders, but [...]

Healthy Living looks at colds and allergies
It’s dry, it’s windy and the mayflowers are in full bloom. Sounds like a beautiful day in the jewel, but for allergy sufferers - it’s anything but. In the United [...]

LOVE FM

Scuba School in Belize Ranks High on Trip Advisor
The Scuba School Belize (SSB) located in San Pedro has been ranked as one of the top attractions within Belize by Trip Advisor. According to an article on the international press, thousands of travelers visit Belize each year to attend classes on scuba diving at the SSB. The institution has made its mark in tourism through the provision of the best diving services to travelers. Following a passion for diving, 33-year-old, Venancio Tillett moved from his hometown in Orange Walk and made his life in San Pedro where he opened the school after seeing a demand for the service. VENANCIO TILLETT “First of all, I have a passion for diving; I have been an instructor for over twelve years, I have been teaching throughout the country at different dive shops and I saw the need of a proper training facility. A lot of dive shops actually have just an instructor on staff, they don’t really work on teaching but if someone comes and wants to learn then the instructor is available for them. I saw that Belize didn’t really have a proper training facility and by seeing that and having the passion for it, it came to where I tried to partner with other instructors but they were too busy and they couldn’t do it and so I started it on my own. We started the business for the first year to see how it was going to go and then we had the second and third year and we are seeing that there is a huge amount of people that are looking to get certified. Since there was not an actual school of diving, Belize was losing business as they were directed to other places that had diving centres and now that there is one in Belize they are now coming to Belize just to get their course. As you know, Belize is one of the top destinations in the world and so Belize is in the top ten place they come.”

Murder Under Bus Shed in Rural Belize
“The victim lay motionless at a bus-stop in front of Puma Gas Station in Ladyville, Belize District. He had been shot once to the head by an unknown gunman who lurked up on him. Ladyville Police quickly responded and scene of crime technicians began processing the scene in an effort to acquire clues.” ASP CHRISTOPHER NOBLE “The police did get information of the shooting and we came out here and we met one male person with an apparent injury to his head; the person succumbed on scene. We have a person that we may be looking for, not from this area. We understand that the victim does not reside in this area but may have been coming from an event in the Ladyville area.” HIPOLITO NOVELO REPORTING “The victim was identified to be 27-year-old, Vince Martinez Jr. of Kings Park, Belize City. His family arrived on the scene a few minutes after in disbelief that he has now become a murder statistic. They hugged each other for support in dealing with the news. Martinez was in Ladyville attending his uncle’s funeral.”

Armed Robbery at Gas Depot in Western Belize
Love news has confirmed that there was a robbery at the Belize Western Energy Limited in San Ignacio Town next to the ITVET compound. Police in that municipality has detained one person. We will have details of this story in our newscast tomorrow.

Lands Department Cautions Residents of Harmonyville
Some residents of the 1300-acre subdivision area, Harmonyville, located at mile forty one on the George Price Highway are being cautioned by the Ministry of Natural Resources, specifically the Lands Department, after it was discovered that the Buffer Zone Area also referred to as ‘reserve’ is being tampered with. Such an act is deemed unlawful and as such the ministry has issued a release to the media and to the residents that those involved should cease and desist from doing so as a continuation of such activities can result in the demolition of any structures being placed on the reserve area. The release noted that on April 29, a letter of eviction and an order to cease and desist any ongoing development in the buffer zone area was issued to individuals of Harmonyville Development Area, informing them that the clearing of lands in the reserve area or the occupation of land designated as reserve in that subdivision is illegal. The notice added that any activity done on the designated reserve area should have the permission of the Lands and Survey Department otherwise the area should be left in its natural state.

CCJ Grants Application for Leave Challenging Belize’s Immigration Laws
The Caribbean Court of Justice in Trinidad and Tobago, today, granted an application for leave that was submitted by Maurice Tomlinson’s, challenging the immigration laws of Belize and Trinidad & Tobago. Tomlinson, who is a gay activist, applied for leave on the matter as a Caricom national. The CCJ says that ‘the mere existence of the provisions is enough to show an arguable case of prejudice as a gay national of a CARICOM country and that it was in the interest of justice that the matter proceeds as it calls into question significant aspects of community law, its relationship with domestic law and the obligation of states.” Section 5 of our Immigration Act forbids, ‘any prostitute or homosexual or any person who may be living on or receiving or may have been living on or receiving the proceeds of prostitution or homosexual behaviour. Love News was out there and we got the reaction of the Acting Solicitor General, Nigel Hawke.

PlusTV

Auditor General’s Report on Southern Regional Hospital Administrator Leaked to the Press
In our newscast yesterday, PlusNews informed that Administrator at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga, Ms. Nasley Sommerville, will soon be appearing before the Public Service Commission. She is currently on suspension and must answer to hundreds of thousands of dollars missing from the Maternal and Child Health Bank...

Belize City Man Murdered in Ladyville
Around 6:00 Wednesday evening, a Belize City man was executed in the village of Ladyville near a popular gas station. According to police, 27 year old Vincent Martinez Jr. of a Kings’ Park address in Belize City was found motionless in a pool of blood with a single gunshot...

Son Asks for Help in Finding Missing Father
56 year old Mark Phillips Sr. a resident of Teakettle village, Cayo District, has been reported missing. According to his son Mark Phillips Jr., a resident of Camalote Village, his father has not been seen for the last four days Mark Philips Jr.-Son of Missing Person “Apparently, for some...

Lands Department Stops BGYEA from Farming in the Harmonyville Buffer Zone
Executive members of BGYEA (Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association) has for a long time been battling it out with squatters settling on the buffer zone of Harmonyville as it was a direct impediment to the development of the Buffer Zone, an investment BGYEA hoped, would bring them revenue. However...

Belize to Face Lawsuit for its Immigration Laws on Homosexuality
Jamaican homosexual activist Maurice Tomlinson is now one step closer to potentially overturning local laws he feels are discriminating against his right to free movement as a homosexual. This morning the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) granted Tomlinson special leave to file an application under the court’s original jurisdiction,...

Healthy Caribbean Coalition in Belize on Working Visit
On Wednesday night the top two officials from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition began a two day working visit to Belize. The organization serves as a link between non-governmental organizations and individuals promoting issues of non-communicable diseases and especially cancer. Adjunct Professor of medicine at the University of the West...

Belize’s Internet: Highest Prices and Lowest Speed
Belize has the slowest internet plan in the Caribbean. This is according to ICT Pulse, which compares internet speeds and pricing across the Caribbean on an annual basis. For 2014, 19 countries in the Caribbean were compared and Belize was at the bottom of the barrel when it came...

Minister Hulse Comments on Cruise Tourism and BTIA Lawsuit
Despite the thunderous opposition to the planned mega-tourism projects at Harvest Caye and Stake Bank, the Government has thrown in its lot with their developers. Even as the Department of the Environment is accused of running roughshod over its own protocols and the Belize Tourism Board is charged with...

Agriculture Show Draws Huge Crowds; Rodeo Remains a Hit
The National Agriculture and Trade Show 2014, one of the most anticipated events of the year, was a complete success; in fact, sources say it was better than last years. Despite the heavy rainfalls experienced in the Capital throughout the weekend, people from all around the country attended the...

The Guardian

Kareem, ask Yu Pa!
Kareem Musa, the attorney for Cola who says he is pursuing a private prosecution case against Elvin Penner appeared on the local television stations once again on Wednesday. His jugular vein was about to burst open as he shouted, ranted and raved about where the prosecution stands at this time. He is leading a charge against Elvin Penner for what he did as it relates to ONE passport which in the end was never issued to anyone. Kareem must have had to use all his energies for him to restrain himself from publicly making the same call that he is making against Penner against his own father. Yes, Said Musa is the father of the very Kareem Musa who has now become the regular shouter on television newscasts. Believe it or not, Said Musa was responsible for the sale of hundreds of passports, millions of dollars of which are unaccounted for and where various protocols were simply bypassed and rammed through the immigration department. We are sure Kareem knows about these. If he does not know about it maybe he should use the very zeal that he is using against Penner to have the Auditor General provide him with the report that states as much.

Belizean killed in Helicopter crash
Helicopter mechanic with the U.S. military, Sgt. Dwight Burn, 27, lost his life after a Ch47 Chinook helicopter he was in crashed on Saturday. Burn was one of 4 persons inside the aircraft and was the crew chief on board the chopper when it went down. He was the only person who died as a result. The chopper went down at around 8:15p.m on Saturday May 3 near Orogrande, New Mexico in the desert training area north of the Fort Bliss Garrison. Burn is Belizean and the son of Romel Perdomo. He lived in Belize City until the age of 4 when he migrated to the U.S. where he studied and joined the military in 2010 rising to the rank of sergeant. He is survived by his two daughters: Violet,7, and Vivian, 4.

Lower Light Bills... AGAIN!
On July 1st, Belizeans will benefit from another decrease in electricity rates. The exact rate reduction is not final as yet but it is certain that the Mean Electricity Rate (MER) will once again be lower than it was at the time of the nationalization of the Belize Electricity Limited (B.E.L.). On April 1st of this year, B.E.L. submitted an application to the Public Utilities Commission (P.U.C.) for an Annual Tariff Review Proceedings (ARP) covering the period July 1st, 2014 to June 30th, 2015. In its application B.E.L. proposed a reduction in the Mean Electricity Rate from 44.65 cents to 43 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). This is the third consecutive tariff review proceedings in which the company has proposed a rate reduction. The P.U.C. reviewed B.E.L.’s proposal and made some adjustments. According to John Avery, Chairman of the P.U.C., “B.E.L. proposed a substantial increase in approved Operational Expenditure which the Commission does not see necessary at this time.” The P.U.C. also approved less for assets addition to the Regulated Assets Value than was proposed by B.E.L. Avery says the company proposed certain investments that are not necessary under this tariff period. Despite the fact that the P.U.C. rejected B.E.L.’s proposed increase in Operational Expenditure and reduced the amount of proposed assets addition, the Commission’s methodology resulted in a necessary Mean Electricity Rate that is higher than that proposed by B.E.L. The P.U.C. has approved a MER of 43.47 cents per kilowatt hour.

Old PUP Mischief Maker
Landy Espat popped out his head, from wherever it was he had it on Tuesday to decry what he and only he is calling a land grab. Just a couple of weeks ago his PUP colleague Landy Habet was on television showing a cup of water that was dark. He claimed that it came from the faucet at his home and it was dirty. Not responding to Habet’s complaint but in an effort to improve water service to the San Ignacio, Santa Elena and surrounding communities, BWSL has been in the process of upgrading the water system in those municipalities. Currently the existing 50 year old system can neither suffice the expanding municipality either in the amount of water that is required or the quality needed. For over a year now discussions have been taking place to see how those improvements can take place and that had the company looking for a new location on which the water system can be expanded on. The most plausible route for expansion was for BWSL to take over the property where the fire station now sits and relocate the fire station elsewhere. With that a new location within the town limits was sought and the only possible location was a parcel of lot which sits behind the current Center for Employment training.

Electricity Consumers should remember Nationalization
Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow announced at a Special Sitting of the National Assembly that “we would never have wanted to take over a BEL that is debt-overburdened and on the brink of operational collapse. But in one of those perfect ironies of life and politics, it is this very state of affairs that obliges us to take it over. And so we will.” A bill was then introduced for the “assumption of control over electricity supply by the Government in the public interest”. At the time BEL owed approximately $27 million- $5.1 million to BELCOGEN, $10 million to Mexico’s Comision Federal de Electricidad(CFE) and $12 million to Fortis’s BECOL. Those were in addition to debts owed to other financial institutions. The company, for all intents and purposes was on the verge of collapse. But more than being on the verge of collapse, it was a company, which under Fortis' management was threatening "rolling blackouts" if it did not get rate increases as stated by Fortis' principal at the time, Stan Marshal. When the Prime Minister decided to nationalize BEL, the bill was passed at 12:20p.m. and low and behold her Majesty’s opposition, the PUP, was absent. They chose to abstain themselves from a singular act that is now proving to be a God-send. It is likely that they opted to not even have an opinion on the matter because they were the ones who sold BEL to Fortis, and they were the ones who would have forced the country into "rolling blackouts" and more than that, into BEL rate increases.

National Agriculture and Trade Show 2014 launched
Belize’s premiere agricultural trade show, the National Agriculture and Trade Show was launched on Friday of last week at the Show Grounds in Belmopan. Present for the launching were members of the Diplomatic Corp, Government Officials and many others who share a stakehold in Agriculture and Development. As part of the ceremonies on Friday, the Governor General Sir Colville Young did an Inspection of the Guard of Honor. This was followed by a welcome address by the Mayor of Belmopan His Worship Mr. Simeon Lopez. Mayor Lopez, took the opportunity to thank Show Ground organizers for the use of the ground facilities for market days on Tuesdays and Fridays, while a more centrally located Belmopan market is being completed within the next few months. Invited as guest speaker was Mr. Alvin Henderson, who along with the Chief Executive Officer within the Ministry of Agriculture, Jose Alpuche, co-chairs the innovative Agriculture and Food Consultative Council. Mr. Alvin Henderson, having previously done work at the Belize Chamber of Commerce now overlooks a successful and enterprising shrimp industry with markets in both Belize and abroad. Thus; it was not surprising that with his experience he would state that “…our local fortunes are many times inextricably tied to exogenous market forces far beyond our shores, which unattended can cause devastating local consequences.”

BTIA continues opposition to Norwegian Harvest Caye development
The Belize Tourism Industry Association has filed an application for Judicial Review Proceedings to challenge the decision of the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) and the Department of Environment when they approved Norwegian Cruise Line’s Harvest Caye Cruise Port project. On Friday, March 28, the BTIA’s attorney, Godfrey Smith, wrote to Martin Allegria, the Chief Environmental Officer, who is also the Chair of NEAC demanding that they rescind their approval of the project citing a lengthy list of environmental regulations that the project violates. The BTIA also demanded that the appraisal committee put the NCL environmental impact assessment to a public hearing, which is different from the public consultation held in Independence Village on January 22. Their reasoning is that by way of a public hearing, they believe that all the scientific environmental concerns would be better documented and considered than if they only submitted their concerns in writing. Another major concern of the BTIA is that there was an appearance of secrecy to try to quell the opposition to the project by failing to publish all relevant information for public consumption in a timely basis, as required when dealing with environmental impact assessments.

Education Showcase 2014
Education Showcase 2014 is being held under the theme ‘Quality Teachers: Nurturing the Inherent Potential of our Children’. Over the next two weeks, students from all levels of education will be using lessons from the classrooms to make public presentations. There will be training workshops, literacy fairs and it will end with a grand celebration of dedicated educators. The focus on the first three days of Education Showcase 2014 was the promotion of financial literacy in Belize. Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) and Peacework International has been holding financial literacy camps in Belize since 2008 and they held their latest on Monday, May 5th, and Tuesday, May 6th. Financial Literacy has been an important component of education for Hon. Patrick Faber’s Ministry of Education. Belize, like many countries in the Caribbean region, is far behind developed countries in the area of financial literacy. The culture is one that does not allow children to be involved in financial discussions. Very few parents speak to their children about bills, budgeting and other financial affairs. Majority of the population is not even exposed to elementary level financial literacy training. It is for this reason that the Ministry of Education takes its partnership with Price Waterhouse Cooper and Peacework very seriously.

Major Resorts Capitalize on Harper’s Bazaar Interior’s Interest in Kim Barrow
Kim Simplis-Barrow’s advocacy for special needs and underprivileged children and her brave public battle with breast cancer has drawn admiration from across the globe. It has resulted in numerous requests for features in international publications. Each time such requests are made, she says yes on one condition- that the feature be more about the country than it is about her. Harper’s Bazaar Interiors is the most recent international publisher to make such a request and once again, upon saying yes, Mrs. Barrow made sure that the wonders of the country would be showcased in the feature. It would have been easy for Mrs. Barrow to simply allow them to do a photo shoot and interview in some studio in Los Angeles. Instead, she insisted that the setting for each shoot be one of Belize’s many tourist destinations. This is not a condition that publishers regularly would accept. The result of such condition would in effect be leaning the article closer to the category of an advertisement and advertisements in such magazines cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of US$40,000 for a full page spread. The magazine accepted Mrs. Barrow’s proposal and changed the angle of its special feature.

King delivers Title to the Promised Land to Gaynair
Belize National Football Team Player, Ian Gaynair was all smiles on Wednesday May 7, when Hon. Mark King handed over to him the title to parcel 394 on block 45 in the St. Martin de Porres Area of Belize City. Gaynair had been dragged into a political back and forth last year when claims were being made that Hon. King had taken his land when the reality was that the land had been taken away during the PUP era. Quick to respond to the matter, Hon. King contacted Gaynair and the process started almost immediately to secure another parcel for him in the Lake I division. Last year, on August 28, Hon. King handed over a lease to the very parcel 394. Nine months later, the title was handed over to the football star. Speaking to the media Gaynair said he was happy that of all promises that had been made to him by various people, this was one which was delivered on. He said he has been saving up some finances and is looking at put up a house on his land. He went further and jokingly asked Hon. King if he could assist him with that as well to which the minister quickly replied, "check the National Bank." (the National Bank offers finances to persons like Gaynair for home construction.) But jokes aside, King had taken up all expenses in acquiring the land and the leg work which it takes to get the lease and finally the title.

Ministry of Health Held Recognition Ceremony for Matron Roberts Polyclinic II
On Wednesday April 30, A special recognition ceremony was held for the administration and staff of the Matron Roberts Polyclinic II in Belize City. The Ministry of Health hosted the ceremony to publicly recognize, honor and showcase the outstanding performance of the polyclinic in obtaining the highest scores as a National Health Insurance (NHI) Primary Care Provider (PCP) facility in the Southside Belize City area for 2013. During the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health Dr. Peter Allen said that the Matron Roberts Polyclinic II has consistently been receiving high scores in their most recent yearly NHI facility evaluation assessments for Southside Belize City. For 2013, Matron Roberts Polyclinic II received a total value of 100% in facility assessment, services, health team and key equipment.

Special Envoy’s Trailblazer of the Week
This week the Special Envoy for Women and Children is recognizing Hon. Faith Babb as the trailblazer of the Week. Mrs. Faith Babb’s political career is best defined not by the office she once held, but rather the journey that led her to it. She was exposed to politics in her early childhood by attending political meetings with her patriotic grandparents. She became a member the UDP in her teenage years and has worked her way through the ranks of the party from foot soldier to a decision maker in the Party’s Central Executive Committee as National Director of Women. She later, along with other women, formed the UDP – National Organization of Women which certainly helped to propel her to become a candidate for National Election. Mrs. Babb is the first UDP woman elected to the National Assembly and the first woman to serve as Area Representative for the Collet Division. She was also the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Development, Women Affairs and Youth in the UDP Administration of 1993-1998. She served as acting Minister, responsible for this portfolio on many occasions, and was eventually upgraded to being a Minister.

Clarifying U.S. Capital Energy’s Permit to enter Sarstoon Temash National Park
The Ministry of Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities (MESTPU), which has oversight of petroleum operations in Belize through its Geology and Petroleum Department, is compelled to clarify the continued misstatements by the media regarding the scope of the permit issued to US Capital Energy Belize Ltd., (US Capital) by the Forest Department on April 30, 2013. The permit issued to US Capital Energy Belize Ltd by the Forestry Department is a permit to enter the Sarstoon-Temash National Park for the purpose of conducting petroleum exploration drilling operations and not a permit to conduct drilling operations. It is the Ministry with responsibility for the Geology and Petroleum Department and not the Forest Department that issues permission, through legally binding Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), for oil exploration in Belize as specified in the Petroleum Act. The Government of Belize signed a PSA with US Capital on January 22, 2001 with two subsequent amendments. It is this PSA that grants permission to US Capital to conduct petroleum explorations throughout its concession area, inlcuding the Sarstoon-Temash National Park.

Cop arrested for stolen Guns
Yannick Wade, 27, a police constable from Belize City attached to the San Pedro Police Station, is currently at prison because he allegedly stole a cache of weapons and ammunition from the police station sometime between Wednesday, April 30, and Friday, May 2. It is being viewed as a betrayal of public trust that these weapons were stolen because it is an accepted practice in the Police Department that licensed weapons are taken to the police stations countrywide for safe keeping when owners are unable to do so. On Wednesday, April 30, the KBH Security company left eight .38 revolvers along with 101 live rounds of .38 ammunition with the San Pedro Police believing that they were in good hands. Reliable reports to the press is that Wade called in sick on Thursday, May 1, and on Friday, May 2, at 7 a.m., it was discovered that the weapons and ammunition were missing. Police investigators immediately activated, and they zeroed in on Wade as a suspect. They conducted an extensive raid at his girlfriend’s house at the corner of Cemetery Road and Johnson Street. After hours of searching, the officers found 2 of the missing guns and 8 rounds of .38 ammunition. The entire family was detained by the officers but on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions, only Wade was charged.

Guatemalan found shot dead in Chiquibul
A Guatemalan has been found shot in Belize. On Saturday of this past weekend, San Ignacio police along with Belize Defense Force personnel and members of the Friends for Conservation and Development FCD visited Valentine Camp in the Mountain Pine Ridge Area, whereupon a search was conducted in a grid at point 70111-58638 or about 3 Km North of the Kaldin Community, Guatemala. This search by the joint team led to the discovery of the body of a Mestizo descent male person dressed in black pants and green T-shirt. Investigators were later able to identify the body being that of Heber de Jesus Tzin Alvarado, 47 years of age, a Guatemalan Farmer of Dolores, Peten, Guatemala. The body was also identified by the son of the deceased, Ebel de Jesus Alvarado, a Guatemalan Farmer of Dolores, Peten. Found on the lifeless body of Heber De Jesus Tzin Alvarado were gunshot wounds to the left side of the ribcage area, one to the left leg, one to the left side of the head and another to the mid portion of the back area. Also found at the scene were two 9 mm expended Luger brand shells, located about three feet away from the body. Initial investigations revealed that the deceased was last seen alive on April 28 of this year at about 10:30 am in the village and was discovered dead on May 1st at about 8:30 am

“Battery” charged for attempted murder against cops
On Wednesday May 7, Brandon Smith, aka “Battery” was remanded to the Belize Central Prison along with 28-year-old Alrick Smith, a Mechanic of #19 Matron Robert Street in Belize City, after they were accused of trying to kill four Belize City Police Officers, on Saturday, March 16, 2013. The incident occurred during a shootout with police on Mahogany Street in Belize City whilst the uniformed men were in the execution of their duties as police officers. On Monday of this week, May 5, both Smiths saw the charge struck out for want of prosecution when the case file was not available in the court room when the matter came up. The prosecutor told the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith that the case file was at the DPP’s office at the time. With that explanation the Chief Magistrate, struck out the matter for want of prosecution warning the men that the charge could be brought back at any time. That happened on Wednesday and the charges were brought back.

Fratricidal Blood letting Brother recharged for murder
On Wednesday May 7, Edward Cabañas appeared in Magistrate’s Court where he was read a single charge of murder against his 19 year old brother Brandon Cabañas. The charge was brought back against Edward after the matter was struck out on March 25. Edward is accused of stabbing Brandon Cabañas twice on Saturday December 29, 2012. The incident took place during an altercation between the two brothers in Sandhill Village. Brandon 19, a father of a 3 year-old boy was stabbed twice, once to the left and right upper thigh he was taken to the KHMH where he died while undergoing treatment.

Drug Bust in Cayo
San Ignacio Police have arrested two persons for marijuana possession. On Thursday of last week, a Quick Response Team was conducting a mobile patrol in San Ignacio Town when their attention was drawn to a brown in color pickup truck, which was coming from the direction of Benque Viejo Town at high speed. As a result the vehicle’s driver was signaled to pull over, but upon seeing that Police officers, the driver drove off at high speed. Police then followed the driver to Stanton Street and then to Buena Vista Street, where the vehicle overturned on Buena Vista Street, just in front of the Police Station.

Accused of Sexual Assault and Wounding
Justin Goff, 26, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was accused of wounding and sexually assaulting a 19-year-old female. Allegations are that on Wednesday, April 21st, 2014, the woman was walking on the street when Goff approached her and touched her breast. She says she was offended and punched him in the mouth. Goff punched her back in the mouth and they began to tussle. She eventually got away and fled the area. The woman made a report to police after which Goff was arrested and charged for assault and wounding.

Executioners caught up with Julian Willoughby
Julian Willoughby, a 24 year-old Antelope Street resident with many enemies, died after a wild shooting incident which left 4 other young people injured on Friday May 5, at around 10:30 p.m. Willoughby was socializing with 21 year-old Chris Reyes, 20 year-old Phillipa Ramirez, a 14 year-old student and 18 year-old Francisco Rivas at an apartment complex on Antelope Street Extension when 2 gunmen ambushed the crowd and opened fire. Reyes was shot to the left arm and left upper chest area, while the minor was shot in the left leg. Ramirez suffered an injury to the left side of the jaw, and Rivas ended up with a bullet in his left upper back. Willoughby, who seemed to be the man that the assailants were targeting however; suffered multiple gunshot injures to the body. He was the only victim who was trapped inside one of the rooms which prevented his escape. In the room, the gunmen executed him after which they immediately retreated and escaped into a waiting vehicle on Pitter Street.

Senior Citizen pleads guilty to Possession of Crack Pipes
On Friday, May 2, 64-year-old Marjorie Pitts appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano and pleaded guilty to a charge of being in possession of metal pipes used to smoke drugs. Police officers were conducting foot patrol on Cemetery Road at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, when upon reaching Taylors Alley they saw a female in the area acting suspiciously. The officers approached and conducted a search on her which resulted in the discovery of two metal pipes. She was arrested and escorted to the police station where she was charged.

52 year old woman guilty of drug trafficking
On Monday May 5, 52-year-old Brenda Mejia was convicted of drug trafficking before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith. While she escaped an immediate jail term, she was fined $10,000. The Chief Magistrate, did not fine and confine but rather ordered her to pay $3,000 forthwith, in default 2 years and the balance must be paid by March 2015, in default 5 more years. Mejia was busted at her home on August 20, 2013. She was found in possession of 113.4 grams of cannabis by Cpl. Gino Peck, and two other officers Deon Welch and Harold Grinage. The bust was made when the officers searched her home and under the house bottom, they found a bag with what appeared to be a leafy like substance suspected to be cannabis and it was shown to her after which she was charged.

San Pedro Tigersharks maintain lead in National Elite Basketball League competition
The National Elite Basketball League competition continued over the last week with four games on the schedule. On Thursday May 1, at the Stann Creek Ecumenical College Auditorium in Dangriga Town, the home team the Dangriga Warriors edged out the visiting Toledo Diplomats by the score of 48-44. The top scorers for the Dangriga Warriors were Jamir Flores with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals, Brandon Flowers with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, Gary Francisco with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal, and Trevaughn Usher with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. For the Toledo Diplomats, their top scorers were Jovannie White with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals, Elbert Arida with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal and Frank Lopez also with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. The competition then continued on Friday May 2, at the Bird’s Isle here in Belize City where the visiting Cayo Western Ballaz won handily over the Belize City based Smart No Limit squad by the score of 77-63. The top scorers for the Cayo Western Ballaz were Kurt Burgess with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Travis Lennan with 18 points, and 5 rebounds, and Farron Louriano with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

FFB President’s Cup Tournament opens
The 2014 Football Federation of Belize (FFB) President Cup Tournament opened on Saturday May 3. On Saturday May 3, at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence Village, the visiting Roaring Creek United defeated Sagitun by the score of 3-2. The goals for Roaring Creek United were scored by Alden Crawford in the 47th minute of play, Michael Lewis in the 54th minute of play and Orin Reneau in the 92nd minute of play. Meanwhile, the goals for Sagitun were scored by Ashley Torres in the 72nd minute of play and Wilbert Rivas in the 13th minute of play. The competition continued on Sunday May 5 with two more games on the schedule. In the game played out at the Ricalde Stadium in Corozal Town, Progresso FC edged out San Antonio FC by the score of 2-1. The goals for Progresso FC were scored by Marlon Miranda in the 42nd minute of play and Eliazar Itza in the 78th minute of play. For the San Antonio FC, the only goal of the game was scored by Russell Casanova in the 55th minute of play.

Police United and Belmopan Bandits wins in playoffs opener
The Semi-final round of Premier League of Belize Belikin Cup Tournament commenced on Saturday May 3, 2014 with 2 games on the schedule. At the Carl Ramos Stadium in Dangriga Town, the league’s top team, Police United edged the host team the Belize Defence Force by the score of 2-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the home and away series. The visiting Police United got on the scoreboard first when Clifton West scored the 1st goal of the game in the 31st minute of play to give his team a 1-0 lead. At the end of the first half of the game, the Police United enjoyed a 1-0 lead. The Police United team took the 1-0 lead well into the second half of the game and it not until the 81st minute of play that Ambrose Thomas scored for the Belize Defence Force to even the game at 1-1. But that was short lived, as Police United offence was able to penetrate the Belize Defence Force’s defence when Danny Jimenez scored the winning goal in the 87th minute of play.

Belize City Primary Schools Volleyball Competition opens
The 2013-2014 Belize City Primary Schools Volleyball competition opened on Wednesday April 30, 2014 at the Bird’s Isle in Belize City. On Wednesday April 30, in the girls’ game played, Holy Redeemer School defeated Hummingbird Elementary School by the score of 25-11, and 25-20. In the boys’ game, it was also Holy Redeemer School winning over Hummingbird Elementary School by the score of 25-13 and 25-18. The competition then continued on Tuesday May 6, with three games on the schedule. In the girls’ game played, St. Ignatius School defeated St. John Vianney School in three sets by the score of 26-24, 20-25 and 15-4. In the first of two games in the boys’ category, Holy Redeemer School defeated All Saints’ School by the score of 25-13 and 25-9.

Belize Book Industry Association celebrates Book Week
The Belize Book Industry Association BBIA continued to celebrate Book Week in San Ignacio Town last Friday at the Cayo Welcome Center. This time Book Week was held with the theme, ‘It’s cool to read.’ The event on Friday saw the outpouring of enthusiasts from High Schools and Primary Schools from the Cayo District; coming out to support their love of books. First form students from the Saint Ignatius High School in Santa Elena were out in force to perform a ‘Flash Mob’. Ms. Terry Ulloa, Senior Library Assistant had come out not only to organize the flash mob but to take a perfect shot at ‘brother Anansi.’ In her welcome address, President of the BBIA Montse Casademunt described the value of writing, as it “...allows us to communicate with persons we will never meet”. The accomplished publisher from Cubola, urged her followers to take on the joy of reading, “While we learn to read during the first few years of attending school, unless the books we are given to read are interesting and fun we will not develop a passion for reading. This is why we find that very often adults stop reading to the point that for lack of practice, they almost forget it and they end up doing it with difficulty and not even truly understanding what they read!”

Ramada is Back in Belize
There are more changes taking place within the Princess Hotel group in Belize; fortunately, these changes are positive for the industry and the company’s employees. The Princess Hotel in Belize City will now be operating under the internationally acclaimed Ramada brand as the Ramada Belize City Princess. Erol Olcan, Princess Hotel General Manager, stresses the fact that there is no change in ownership of the hotel. He says the company still belongs to Turkish owned Princess International Limited but it is a new chapter in the company’s affairs and a partnership agreement has been signed with Ramada. The main purpose of the partnership is for Princess to benefit from the global marketing of the Ramada brand. The Belize City Princess will now be featured on Ramada’s global reservation system which should attract more customers to the hotel (and tourists to Belize).

Cyclists participating in Pan American Cycling Championship
The Cycling Federation of Belize informs the Belizean populace that a contingent of six male cyclists left the country on Tuesday May 6, 2014 enroute to Puebla, Mexico, where it will participate in the Pan American Cycling Road Championship that is scheduled for May 6th -11th, 2014. A total of 22 countries will be participating in this event, from which a total of 18 spots (13 for Road Race and 5 for Time Trial) will be distributed for the Pan American Games scheduled for Toronto, Canada in 2015. The Belize Team is made up of Joel Borland (u-23), Marlon Castillo (Elite), Gregory Lovell (Elite), Giovanni Lovell (u-23), Byron Pope (Elite) and Ron Vasquez (Elite), Perry Gibson (Head Coach) and Orson Butler who is the Central Region President. All six cyclists will be participating in the Road Race, while Marlon Castillo, Byron Pope, Joel Borland and Giovanni Lovell will be participating in the Individual Time Trial.

Patrick Jones

CCJ grants leave to challenge Belize’s Immigration Act
The Caribbean Court of Justice has ruled that Jamaican national Maurice Tomlinson can proceed to challenge the immigrations laws of Belize. Tomlinson went to the Trinidad and Tobago-based CCJ contending that the immigration laws of Belize and of Trinidad and Tobago discriminate his freedom of movement as a CARICOM national under the Treaty of Chaguaramas because he is a gay man. Section 5 of the Immigration Act lists homosexuals or persons living on or receiving proceeds of homosexual behaviour as persons who can be denied entry to Belize.

Belize City man murdered in Ladyville village
Belize City resident twenty seven year old Vince Martinez Junior was shot and killed last night in Ladyville village, Belize District. Police say that when they went to the scene of the homicide, a bus stop in front of the Puma Gas Station, around 6:15 pm on Wednesday, they found Martinez’ body in a pool of blood with a single gunshot wound to the right side of the head. Initial investigations by police reveal that Martinez was sitting under the bus stop when a man of dark complexion came running from the direction of Marage Road and allegedly fired the single fatal gunshot.

Belmopan resident says school girl WAS NOT the victim of a hit-and-run driver
Some family members of a primary school girl from the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan were shocked this afternoon to learn that their pre-teen daughter was the victim of what they originally thought was a traffic accident this morning. The Standard 5 student of a primary school in Belmopan left home for classes this morning, but just before midday, the family received word that she was at the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan. The original report was that the girl was the victim of a hit and run accident but soon after the story was first published, word came that there was no accident.

Police investigate murder of Belize City man in Ladyville
Around 6:00, Wednesday evening, a Belize City man was executed in the village of Ladyville near a popular gas station. According to police, 27 year old Vincent Martinez Jr. of a Kings’ Park address in Belize City was found motionless in a pool of his own blood with a single gunshot wound to the right side of the head at the bus stop in front of Puma gas station located at the corner of the Philip Goldson Highway and Marage Road in Ladyville. He was shirtless and wearing long blue jeans pants. Police say Martinez was sitting at the bus stop when a single gunman, dark-skinned and in white shirt and black long pants, ran at him from the direction of Marage Road and fired once at Martinez, before running back the way he came and escaping in a waiting car.

Maurice Tomlinson wins leave to challenge immigration laws
Jamaican homosexual activist Maurice Tomlinson is now one step closer to potentially overturning local immigration laws he feels are discriminating against his right to free movement as a homosexual. This morning the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) granted Tomlinson special leave to file an application under the court’s original jurisdiction, seeking to have the court declare that the immigration laws of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago are arguably prejudicial to him. Presenting the judgment of the court, CCJ President Sir Dennis Byron said that Tomlinson had met the standard of presenting an arguable case. According to the court, the very existence of the laws amounts to prejudice, the states’ arguments that they do not treat homosexuals that way in practice notwithstanding. It is in the interests of justice that the CCJ is allowing the case to proceed, as they believe that there are significant questions about aspects of community law, the relationship with domestic law and the obligations of states under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which must be answered.

Healthy Caribbean Coalition visits Belize
On Wednesday night the top two officials from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition began a two day working visit to Belize. The organization serves as a link between non-governmental organizations and individuals promoting issues of non-communicable diseases and especially cancer. Adjunct Professor of medicine at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, Barbados, Sir Trevor Hassell, is the President of the Coalition and told us that Belize’s Cancer Society, the local affiliate, has been recognized for its work in bringing awareness to the issue of cervical cancer among women. With funding procured for it from the Australian High Commission Aid Development Office, 600 pap smear tests have been administered to women across the country, many of whom had never been tested before and knew nothing about cervical cancer. Professor Hassell added that it is not only important for individuals to live healthy lifestyles – avoiding foods high in sugar, fat, salt and so on and not drinking, smoking or practicing other harmful behaviours – but for there to be an enabling environment in the country for this to happen.

Cuban fugitive accused of gold heist sent to U.S.
Raonel Valdez-Valhuerdis, with two other men, is accused of masterminding the biggest gold heist in Florida history, robbing the American owner of a Bolivian-based gold exporter of 100 pounds of gold flakes in two suitcases valued at US$2.6 million in October of 2012 before fleeing the country. In February of this year local immigration officials found him in the bushes near the Western border with a Cuban passport but no Belize immigration stamp to show that he had entered. After local courts ordered him to pay a fine for illegal entry, there was a three-way back and forth between Belize, American and Cuban authorities as to what to do with him. Should he be sent back to Cuba, or back to the U.S. authorities who wanted him? Minister of Immigration and Nationality Senator Godwin Hulse discussed the issue with reporters on Wednesday in Belize City emphasizing that even in thorny cases like this one, Belize tries its best to follow the law.

All systems go for Harvest Caye and Stake Bank
Despite opposition to the planned mega-tourism projects at Harvest Caye and Stake Bank, the Government has thrown in its lot with their developers. Even as the Department of the Environment is accused of running roughshod over its own protocols and the Belize Tourism Board is charged with ignoring its own plans for tourism in the area, the Government clings to the hope that development will come sooner rather than later. Senator Godwin Hulse, who chairs the Cabinet’s sub-committee on Investment, re-states the Government’s position. He says that the Government is for development of the South and lifting the residents there out of poverty.

Women’s Cross Country prize doubled
The first prize for the Women’s Cross Country Cycling Classic to be held next Sunday, May 18, has been doubled from $1,500 to $3,000. It came about as part of efforts to promote equality for women in Belize, and the members of a committee consisting of members of the National Women’s Commission and Special Envoy for Women and Children Kim Simplis Barrow, are seeking means of influencing how women are perceived in Belize. Mackeva Westby, Program Coordinator in the Special Envoy’s Office, reports that the grant facilitating the prize came from the Oak Foundation. Following the 20,000 Strong Women’s Empowerment Rally in March, an Action Plan Committee 2014 was formed specifically to look at ways women’s lot could be strengthened.

Stephen Okeke out of door on TV Ramos bust
A few weeks ago he was $5,000 richer as a result of donation for the completed bust of Thomas Vincent Ramos, Garifuna hero. But tonight, sculptor Stephen Okeke has once more run afoul of certain elements that he says are trying to suppress his creativity. Because his deal with key sponsors of the project has apparently fallen through, Okeke is putting up the bust for sale, as he previously did with that of Philip Goldson. Okeke says he will not put up with any more abuse from individuals who question his motive for putting together the bust, especially those who suggest he is a con artist trying to milk the community. If you want to buy the bust contact Okeke at 662-1678.

Major renovations underway at PG Police Station
The Punta Gorda police station is undergoing major renovations. The improvement works started on April 15 and is expected to be completed by July of this year. According to the Deputy Commander of the PG Police Inspector Ernel Dominguez, the building has not had a major renovation for close to two decades and the changes being made will make for a more welcoming atmosphere for members of the general public who seek the services being offered.

Blogs

What’s happening in Belize City and San Pedro
What a whirlwind it has been since I returned home from covering the Agriculture show Belmopan Monday Morning. Right before I was about to have travel related a Skype interview, a bunch of my important files disappeared off my laptop. I managed to remain calm and focus on the task at hand not get too bummed out by it. Thankfully my tech help was able to help me recover some of the files but we have not had time to find the rest. My interview went well and my homework was to make a short video resume in less than 24h and get tacoboy to do a 10 min interview asap. Mission accomplished on both counts – you can see my video below. My focus quickly turned to travel TV shows to travel trade shows as the Belize Tourism Expo (BETEX) was starting and I needed to book our hotel in Belize City and hop on a plane.

I also met an amazing woman who started and really devotes her life to helping the birds of Belize with The Belize Bird Rescue. We are so lucky to live in a country with some many gorgeous birds from the awesomely oafish pelican… There was also a huge need for sick or injured birds – both those who had been kept as pets and mistreated or birds that were found hurt. Nikki got to work…and birds quickly became her passion. And when I followed her on a tour of the enclosures on her property and when I met some of the birdies (some with broken wings, a few blind parrots and others), I could see why… Belize has some GORGEOUS native birds. An amazing climate and country where birds like Harry fly free in the wild.

The 7 Deadly Financial Sins of Small Businesses
This year’s tax season has finally been put to bed. And many people — both small-business owners and consumers — are breathing a collective sigh of relief. However, there is a fundamental difference between business and personal finances when it comes to taxes. While the “average Joe” may not have to worry about taxes again until next year, “Joe the small-business owner” needs to start thinking about his next quarterly tax filing now. Yes, for the small business owner, the taxman cometh four times a year. While this is bound to cause anxiety, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With proper planning and the right financial tools, many business owners can approach each filing with confidence. For the entrepreneur who has achieved this, I applaud you. And for the rest, to start you off on the right track for next year I’ve flagged seven financial faux pas that are commonly overlooked by small businesses.

“Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Sitting on the veranda – the western or lagoon facing one – this morning with my mug of black coffee (no sugar) and the iPad I did what I normally do first and read The Times online. I don’t know why but I nearly always start off by reading the obituaries first. A morbid curiosity on my part? I don’t think so. I actually do enjoy reading the biographies of the famous and not so famous. Sometimes its the achievements of the latter that I find more interesting and (sometimes) more uplifting. The greatest pleasure I get though is being in a position to read them. Life is good and all that … Having finished reading The Times I switched to Facebook and my feeling of joie de vivre was knocked sideways when I read the following comment that had been posted in respect of yesterday’s edition : “If you are going to make the claim that you are a “writer,” be cognizant of your spelling, use of punctuation, and grammar…and most importantly, don’t be a retard!”. My initial reaction was irritation but this was quickly followed and replaced by anger. What had I done to upset someone so much that they felt compelled to make public such views. What could I do in retaliation? But then my mind wandered a little -it’s apt to do that a bit nowadays – back to the days when I worked for News international and I was in attendance at a ‘Sun editorial meeting.

Financial Institutions and Insurance
Many may wonder, why it is important to get insurance when applying for a credit facility (loan) at any financial institution. There are many reasons why it is important and why its commonly requested by financial institutions. One main reason is the fact that it provides security benefits for both the lender and the borrower. It’s used as a security blanket to protect the client’s investments by providing coverage in case of any damages to the collateral, while offering a guarantee of payment to the financial institution. Three types of insurance that are normally offered and requested by the financial institutions are: Works In Progress insurance Building insurance Life insurance Works in Progress Insurance is offered to clients who apply for a loan to build, repair or renovate. The insurance primarily covers properties that are undergoing new construction, repairs, renovations or major rebuilding works. It is only required during the construction phase of the project and it is required to be undertaken by the property owner with the financial institution as beneficiary. This type of insurance is highly recommended to property owners since they are exposed to the possibility of a great loss if the works are damaged by an insured peril such as fire, theft or flood during the building phase.

International Sources

Belize: Fiscal Paradise With High Level of Confidentiality
An IBC is the most popular type of offshore corporation as it is designed for any international business activity, does not pay any taxes in the jurisdiction where is established, provides confidentiality to its owners and is not subject to reporting requirements. "According to different lists of international organizations, there are dozens of countries that can be considered as tax heavens. But these countries are far from providing the same advantages, and each is specialized in hosting one or more types of the simplest to the most complex financial transactions. In this respect, Belize is the no. 1 option for international investors who need the advantages provided only by an IBC established in Belize, where privacy is a state policy", said an ICO Services executive/official.

Indigenous Hondurans unite to preserve culture
Were it not for conscientious documentaries, topical, historic and often under-reported news-worthy issues might never be exposed. Thanks to Ali Allie and Ruben Reyes who wrote, produced and directed the documentary “Garifuna in Peril,” the fast-vanishing Afro-Amerindian culture struggling to survive in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras is now getting some notice. Reportedly the entire community could disappear after the next generation. Since production in 2012, the film has consistently gained momentum with screenings at film festivals throughout the USA, Canada and in every country the culture endures. From Cannes, France, to Zanzibar, the plight of a proud people is slowly being acknowledged as one to save from extinction. In a 99-minute documentary that begins with a mother schooling her two sons about the importance of maintaining the Garifuna language, she lovingly implores -- Ricardo and Miguel -- to speak the tongue of her people. In an environment where Garifuna lags third behind Spanish and English she is of a minority that believes in its salvation. “We went to cast the movie and were shocked that there was almost no one under 18 years old who spoke the language,” director Allie stated.

Explore the world of sharks and rays with Dr. Rachel Graham at the Houston Zoo May 15
Dr. Rachel Graham experienced what she can only describe as her “Aha Moment” when she met a 22-foot long whale shark underwater for the first time. “If that doesn’t make you think about a change of lifestyle and work, nothing will,” she said. Register now to reserve your seat when the Houston Zoo’s Call of the Wild Speaker Series presents “Sea Stories” with Dr. Rachel Graham on Thursday, May 15, 2014. Doors open at the Zoo’s Brown Education Center for this free presentation at 6:30 p.m. Register online at http://www.houstonzoo.org/experiences/wildlife-speakers/. Dr. Graham works to save sharks and rays with the Gulf and Caribbean Sharks and Rays Program. Based in Belize, Dr. Graham has taken her conservation work to Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, Pohnpei (Micronesia), and the Gulf of Mexico’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The Houston Zoo’s Call of the Wild Speaker Series offers a forum for global conservation leaders to share their knowledge, concerns and plans for the future. Proceeds from the Call of the Wild Speaker series benefit the Houston Zoo’s local and global conservation initiatives. The Houston Zoo’s Call of the Wild Speaker series is generously supported by The Tapeats Fund and by United Airlines, the official airline of the Houston Zoo.

Mérida Airport will connect the “Maya World” with regional routes
Executive President of Interjet Miguel Aleman Magani, announced on Wedenesday May 7th, that the Mérida International Airport will become a “Hub” for this airline. Interjet seeks to connect the “Maya World” creating regional routes that will allow faster and better communication with other states, such as Tabasco, Campeche, Chiapas, Veracruz and Oaxaca, among others. “It is a medium term plan” Interjet president Miguel Aleman stated, before the Governor of Yucatan, Rolando Zapata Bello, during the grand opening of the Tianguis Turistico Cancún 2014. Zapata Bello said that “This is not only a commitment in terms of new air routes and connections, but also of investment and promotion of the wide array of cultural and natural attractions that the Peninsula has to offer”. Aleman Magnani confirmed that a Cancun-Palenque flight is about to commence service. The official announcement was made later on by the governors of Chiapas and Quintana Roo. The Hub will allow the airline to operate domestic flights departing from Merida, and then seek to extend the circuit to international destinations, mainly in Central American countries such as as Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, that are also part of the Mayan World. The airline is still in the process of acquiring 40 Airbus A320 aircraft and 20 Superjet 100 airliners, to cover other routes also departing from Merida airport. José Luis Garza, Interjet General Directive Manager, explained that the 100-seat aircraft are ideal for short routes, estimating that it could have an occupancy factor of 60% during the year and up to 80% during high seasons.

SHARKS AND CHICKENS IN BELIZE
I write about travel for a living, and recently that’s kept me from writing about strangers. Which does not make me happy. This also makes me think about travel all the time. In summation: I need to travel. Soon. For now, I’m thinking back to one of my favorite moments in Belize. I was snorkeling in Shark Ray Alley, and getting the chance to actually hold a shark. As you can see, I seem to have the shark in a wrestling move—maybe a modified half nelson or the beginnings of a sleeper hold—but I was really just trying to pet it. I do have one regret from my trip to Belize. I really wish I could have made it to the Chicken Drop while I was there. The Chicken Drop is an organized event where humans watch with great interest as a chicken defecates on a large bingo board. People bet on which number the chicken will choose.

6 of the best Central American journeys
Cross the border into neighbouring Belize and you will discover an equally extraordinary world of jungle-veiled ruins, jaguar preserves and unbroken coral reefs. Most visitors divide their time between the coast, most popularly at the reef protected Ambergris Caye, where we recommend Victoria House, a grand colonial residence located on a quiet stretch of beach, and the jungle, where Chan Chich , part of a privately owned, 250,000-acre nature reserve near Gallon Jug, and Chaa Creek, a secluded riverside lodge in the shadow of the Maya Mountains, are two of the best places to stay.

Videos

Video: tacogirl video resume, 5min.
This video resume shows a small slice of what it is like having traded in Canadian winters to live my dream life on the tropical island of Ambergris Caye.

Video: FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour - Belize, 1min.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy made its way to Belize and lucky fans from all over the country had the opportunity to visit and get their photo taken with the trophy. We had delegates, politicians, football players from the National Team and of course the fans. Bowen & Bowen along with Coca-Cola Belize are happy to be part of this history making event in Belize. Produced by Joanna Popik and Ben Popik of Island Films.

Video: Belize Travel Video, 4min.
With one foot planted in the Central American jungles and the other dipped in the Caribbean Sea, Belize combines the best of both worlds. You've heard that the Belize Barrier Reef is the second longest in the world. But have you heard that this reef is home to more than 100 different kinds of coral and some 500 species of fish? This alluring underwater world is undoubtedly the top attraction in Belize. Snorkelers swim through translucent seas, gazing at a kaleidoscope of coral, fish and turtles; divers go deeper, investigating underwater caves and walls and the world-renowned Blue Hole. The turquoise waters are inviting even for those who choose to remain above the surface. Kayakers glide from one sandy, palm-dotted islet to another; windsurfers and sailors skim across the surf by the power of the breeze; sunbathers lounge on the dock, lulled into relaxation by the gentle lapping; and foodies feast on delectable fresh fish, spiny-tailed lobster and other creatures of the sea.

Video: Belize Ocean Club Beach Front, 1.5min.
The Belize Ocean Club resort comprises of 60 Luxury residences, 30 oceanfront and 30 lagoon front, each being 1,100 sq ft and consisting of two en-suite bedrooms, living room, kitchen and large balcony. The hotel is set on six acres of beautiful landscaped tropical gardens, right on the Caribbean Ocean. Our resort features four hundred feet of private beachfront in Maya Beach, one of the Placencia Peninsula's most sought after areas. The gentle east indies trade winds blowing through the resort at night and the occasional flash of lightning in the distance provide the spectacle as guests drink at the beach bar or have dinner under the palapa restaurant. The other side of the resort faces the resplendent lagoon and mountains, with stunning sunsets and natural wildlife. All rooms face either the sea or lagoon.

Video: Sea2Sky Drone Vision Test Flight: San Pedro, Belize, 6min.
at Chuck and Robbie's dive shop with the DJI Phantom 2 for BIG SUP Belize dock pre-construction.

Video: Belize Snorkeling the Blue Hole Good 1080, 1.5min.
Snorkeling the reef circling the Blue Hole Belize

Video: belize, 4min.
Vacation video!

Video: The Black Hole Drop with Ian Anderson's Caves Branch, 4min.
Belize-Adventure Sports

May 8, 2014

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

2014 Lobster Fest is a go!
With the opening of lobster season fast approaching, dates have been set for the highly anticipated 2014 San Pedro Lobster Fest. The San Pedro Lobster Festival Committee has officially announced that Lobster Fest will be held from June 14th to the 21st. This year the festival will be bigger and better the than ever before. The weeklong festival will see revelers enjoying the tasty treats of the sea- courtesy of the Spiny Lobster- at various establishments on the island. As an added bonus, visitors will also have the opportunity of winning a grand vacation package by using their 2014 Lobster Fest Passport.

San Pedro Fishing Teams do well at the Copa Gobernador 2014
Two Belizean teams took the second and third place spots at the 2014 Copa Gobernador held in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico on the weekend of May 2nd to the 4th. The 23rd edition of the fishing tournament saw 57 vessels from five Mexican states, Belize and the United States of America participating for the big prize. The fishing tournament brings significant economic benefits to the area, and is considered one of the largest tourist attractions for Mahahual. “Real Challenge” of Ambergris Caye took second place with 621,000 points. “Real Challenge” was captained by San Pedrano Enrique Marin, and its crew compromised of Giomar Marin, Jashua Marin, Enrique Marin Jr. and Joe Hemple. They caught two dorados, one white marlin and one wahoo, weighing in at 109.51 pounds. For their efforts, the team received a trophy and a compact car.

Ambergris Today

Princess Hotel and Casino Makes Improvements Under Ramada Brand
Since 2012, the Princess Hotel has done extensive renovations to all the guest rooms and public areas and continues to improve customer service to all our valued clients. Now in the year 2014, we are widening our vision and scope by joining the hotel chain Ramada and establishing the required International standards which brings with it. Ramada operates several brand hotels under the Wyndham Group. The group operates in 53 countries more than 1000 hotels worldwide. Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Travel Lodge, Planet Hollywood, Microtel, Wyndham Garden Hotels are few of them. Mr. Erol Olcan, Princess Hotel General Manager, unveiled the new Ramada Logo and announced the new name of the hotel as Ramada Belize City Princess at the Press Conference which held on the 30th April, 2014 at the hotel.

Mexican Footballer Pavel Pardo Visits San Pedro
Club America fans in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize were more than delighted to bump into Mexican international football player Pavel Pardo. A few local fans caught up with Pavel at Lily’s Treasure Chest and were able to get autographs and take pictures with the famous football player. Pável Pardo Segura is a retired Mexican international footballer who last played with Club América and is the second most capped player in Mexico national team history. Pardo participated in two World Cups (1998 and 2006), won two CONCACAF Gold Cups and won the FIFA Confederations Cup with Mexico in 1999.

Misc Belizean Sources

Corozal Fish Market
Salt Fish or corn fish, as locally known here, is fresh fish that has been salt-cured and dried until all the moisture has been extracted. In order to prepare salt fish for cooking, it needs to be rehydrated and most of the salt removed through a process of overnight soaking in hot water and subsequent boiling. The aim is never to remove all of the salt, enough salt should remain to taste, if not, you can end up with a bland piece of fish. Salt fish, also called dried/corn fish, has been a part of Corozal’s cuisine dating all the way back to the days of colonial rule. Salt fish was first introduced to this area in the 16th century. Vessels from North America - mainly Canada - would come bringing lumber, and pickled and salted cod, they would return with molasses, rum, sugar and salt. Today, most of the salt fish consumed in the Corozal can be bought at the local fish market. In addition to the ever popular barracuda, shad and mullet are also salt cured and dried. Salt fish is primarily made with meaty white fish. Ask your local resident for a recipe of boil up with this fish. Power to the people in the struggle.

Free concert Mothers Day, Corozal
This Saturday May 10th in celebration of Mother's Day, the Corozal Organization Leading Cultural Heritage and Art(COLCHA) will be hosting a free concert with Corozal's best, the Caribbean Roots Band!!! Bring mom out to enjoy and have fun!

Bailey Scholars Volunteer in Cayo
Michigan State University students are back in Cayo, and doing some community service work while enjoying their stay. They are working with Toucan Education Programs, who bring many student groups down to do voluntourism. Thanks, TEP, and MSU! "For several years, the Bailey Service Organization, a student organization of the Bailey Scholars Program, offered a service learning trip in San Ignacio, Belize. This opportunity allowed students to actively engage with members of San Ignacio and work by their side on a variety of projects, largely related to education and social service issues. BSP would like to expand the experience to a wider audience, including BSP alumni and other BSP community members... We will be working Toucan Education Programs, a locally owned, private business in San Ignacio, who not only helps plan trip logistics, but helps foster our relationship with the community partners with whom we work."

Book Week in the Twin Towns
The Institute for Social and Cultural Research got some great pictures from the BBIA Book Fair at the Cayo Welcome Center. "Book Week continued at the San Ignacio Welcome Center on Friday and Saturday with a cultural evening on Friday night and Literary Evening on Saturday night. Here are some shots of the events."

Bandits Host No Limit
The Belmopan Bandits will be hosting the Belize City No Limit today. The bandits are still in the running for 4th place, and the No Limit have 3rd place pretty much locked up. In related news, the Bandits lost to the Tiger Sharks last week 84 - 70. They uploaded some pictures from the event. The Western Ballaz are travelling to PG on Saturday to play the Toledo Diplomats.

Freedom Writers at Screen on the Green
This month's Screen on the Green will be today, Thursday, May 8th, at the Governor Generals Field. The movie will be Freedom Writers.

A little bit of intrigue
The mystery unveiled! A colonial clay pipe with the UK Royal Coat of Arms, silver Garifuna bangle, silver napkin holder, metal napkin holder, silver piece of eight, and a silver snuff box that dates 1852. Museum of Belize!

Visit Castillo's Hardware
and get a chance to win this year's Mother's Day Raffle

Southern Regional Hospital Administrator, Nasley Sommervile to Appear Before Public Service Commission this Thursday
Nasley Sommerville, Administrator at Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga to appear before Public Service Commission tomorrow, Thursday, May 8th, 2014 to answer questions regarding Quarter Million Belize dollars siphoned from the Maternal Child Heallth (NHI) funds from the Southern Regional Hospital. According to details gleaned from an audit report, Sommerville loaned $15 Thousand Dollars to Dr. Francis Morey, with whom she was having an extra marital affair. Sources say that when Morey repaid the money, Sommerville told him to pay it into her personal account. Investigators have reportedly found accounts belonging to Sommerville at St. John’s Credit Union in Dangriga and another at Scotia Bank. The account at St. John’s was recently closed. Sommerville has been on suspension and on half salary since this story broke in early October of last year.

Channel 7

Cuban Fugitive Valdez Gone to America; Minister Didn't Know
Since last week we've been reporting on Cuban Raonel Valdez Valhuerdi. He's wanted in Miami for masterminding a gold heist. But he was caught in Belize in February – trying to cross over illegally from Guatemala. He pleaded guilty and paid his fine, but the Belize government said it would hold him until the Cuban government decided his fate. But, on Friday of last week, the Americans started pushing to get him back to Florida to stand trial. This morning at 11:15, Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse explained what he said is a very clear position: Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Immigration "The law is very clear. You have to deport a person to his country of origin, or to where he wants to go. That is, you can't - the US may want him like they may want so many other people. We can't just pick him up and send him. We're in communication with the Cubans, to try to get a response from them in the first instance, and then in communication with him to get a response from him. After that, we go forward. The US Embassy understands that; they've always been wanting various people, and that is okay, but if it were an American citizen, we couldn't just pick him up and send him to Cuba, or send him somewhere else. We have to follow the law and the protocols."

Borderline Benquenos Say Trigger Happy Contraband Cops Traumatizing Children
Contraband passing through from Melchor to Benque is nothing new – in fact, in the west it is almost a way of life. But, as with any illicit movement, things can get dangerous very quickly and on Monday evening, the community's sense of peace was shattered when gunshots rang out. Benque police were chasing a suspected smuggler, right past a yard where children were playing, which put them right in the line of fire. Our news team went to the town today, to speak with residents about the shooting, and they told us that this latest incident is only a symptom of a bigger problem: Daniel Ortiz Reporting The Churchill Street in Benque Viejo Town is a stone's throw away from the Guatemalan border town of Melchor de Menchos. All you really have to do is walk down this hill - which takes about 5 minutes - cross the Mopan River, you're basically a few minutes away from cheap Guatemalan goods.

COLA Calls Out Auditor General, Ombudsman, Holds Out Hope For DPP
In March, the activist organization COLA brought criminal charges against UDP Cayo Northeast Representative Elvin Penner. Their next court date is May 29th. That's three weeks from today when the private prosecution is required to give disclosure of what evidence it has against Penner. Thing is, they don't have any! COLA and its attorney Kareem Musa launched the prosecution on a prayer in late March because if they waited any later it would be statute barred. Since then they've been trying to gather evidence from official sources: the police, the auditor general and the DPP. So far the results have been nil, while the prospects are mixed. The Police are just flat out ignoring them; the auditor General has said "no," while the DPP Cheryl Lynn Vidal is willing to assist. And so today at a press briefing, they didn't bash the DPP, but they did heap scorn on the office of the Auditor General and the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman Lionel Arzu comes in because COLA appealed to his office to intervene when the Auditor General Dorothy Bradley turned them down – but he upheld her decision. Musa says they asked her for her raw evidence, and she told them they couldn't have her report – two different things:

PM Has Auditor General's Preliminary Report
But before any talk of subpoena, right now the Prime Minister is in possession of the preliminary report from the Auditor General. That was confirmed in her letter to COLA – which she says qualifies it as a exempt document because presumably, he will share it with Cabinet. But, Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse today told us that it hasn't been shared yet: Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Immigration "The preliminary report has been submitted to the Prime Minister and not to the Cabinet yet. And of course, the final report will come to the Cabinet before it gets to the House. Then, it will go to the House, then the Senate, and then it goes to the public." Jules Vasquez "Have you had a chance to look at it?" Hon. Godwin Hulse "No yet."

Preacher-Men Visit The PM
51 weeks ago, on May 16, 2013, the Revised National Gender Policy was launched. On the surface, it seemed harmless enough – but when the churches dug deep, let's just say (and you'll excuse the play on words) they found lots of devils in the details, mainly non-traditional references to sexual orientation. In the year since, the gender policy has become the subject of protests, debates and hours of dialogue between the prime minister and church leaders. That continued today – this time because the Evangelical Association says they came upon an interview Anne Marie Williams the National Women's Commission Director supposedly did at a UN sponsored meeting in New York, where they quote her as saying that Government would not be implementing the report from the Church on the revised Gender Policy. Williams says there's no way she gave any interview to anyone in New York – and we have not seen any news article from a credible source. But the Evangelical Church leaders remained convinced that she said it and concerned at the implications. And that's why they met with the Prime Minister at his Belize City office today – they wanted to hear the official position from his mouth. When they came emerged from a two hour meeting – we had to speak with them through a grilled gate – since the owners of the Withfield Tower have banned the media from the compound. Pastor Crawford was very cautious in his remarks:

Hon. Hulse Holds The Line: Says NCL In It For The Long Haul
Earlier this week we told you about BTIA's lawsuit against the government for approving the Norwegian Cruise Lines Environmental Impact Assessment. No date for hearing has been set yet, but it's one more hurdle for the controversial project. So how long will Norwegian stick around to tough it out? Fact is, the cruise line wants the project active like yesterday – and in the banana republic calculus often employed by wealthy transnationals – nothing should get in the way of it. But, plenty has been getting in the way of this project which made us wonder, how much more can they take? Today, Minister Godwin Hulse who chairs the cabinet subcommittee on investment – held the official line: all is well, and all will end well: Jules Vasquez "From your communication with NCL, are they at a point of frustration, exasperation, because I know that they have certainly become impatient, because they need a front in the Western Caribbean."

Why Stake Bank Hasn't Started
And what about that other mega project – at Stake Bank? That has gotten full environmental clearance, and it even got a bill passed in the house with bi partisan support. Nine months ago developer Mike Feinstein told the media he had the financing to get the project started…so why hasn't it started. Well, you hear all kinds of stories, but what we hear most is that Feinstein doesn't have the full financing and is looking for a strategic investor. Today, he told us that's just plain not true: he says he has a consortium of local banks willing to finance him – and is just waiting for government to stop dragging its feet and sing off on a commercial agreement covering head taxes and other items. Today we asked Investment Committee Chairman Hulse what's the status: Hon. Godwin Hulse – Head of Cabinet Sub-Committee for Investment "It's a straightforward project to develop a berth for 4 ships at a time, and a causeway from Drown Caye, and from there, to the City. There's been one little issue with respect to FSTV and Royal Caribbean Lines' investment therein, which Mr. Feinstein is, as we speak, clearing through. Once that's cleared through, we should be reaching a final agreement, and they should be ready to roll."

Cabanas Re-Arrested For Fratricide
19 year-old Edward Cabanas, who has been out of prison since March 25 when he was freed of a murder charge for killing his own brother, is back on remand after he was arraigned today for a second time. Cabanas reappeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart, where he was read his charge of murder for a second time, and he was remanded to prison once again. As we reported, 21 year-old Brandon Cabanas, who is believed to have been drinking, got into a fight with Edward Cabanas at their Sandhill home on December 29, 2012. That’s when he pulled a knife and stabbed Brandon in the legs, severing an artery causing him to bleed out before he could be rushed to the hospital.

Battery and Alrick Back to Court
2 other men who saw criminal charged brought back against them also are 28 year-old Brandon Smith, a.k.a. "Battery", and 28 year-old Alrick Smith. They were freed on Monday before the Chief Magistrate, who struck 4 attempted murder charges out of court for lack of prosecution, but on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions, they've been rearrested. They were arraigned before Magistrate Stuart for those 4 counts of attempted murder, and they were remanded to prison until June 6. Constables Mark Tzul, Wayne Trapp, Terry Reyes and Abner Pascual all reported that on March 16, 2013, they were processing the murder scene when a blue car, sped past them. They set chase and when they caught up, the car crashed into a drain. The officers said that when Brandon Smith exited the car, he had a gun in his hand, and opened fire on them. They were forced to return fire, and that's when Alrick Smith was shot in the abdomen. Alrick Smith had to be rushed to the KHMH for treatment, but during the shootout Brandon Smith escaped. He was detained a day later, and both were charged for the incident.

Princella To Jail
19 year-old Princella Edwards allegedly stole her friend's laptop, and is in jail tonight for it. According to police, the theft happened at Karema Sanchez's house in Ladyville on April 27. She reported to police that she went home and saw the door of her room opened. She found that her laptop was missing. Her grandmother explained that Edwards stopped by and asked to take the laptop saying that Sanchez supposedly gave her permission. Police tracked Edwards down and recovered the computer from the Fair Brothers Pawnshop in Belize City. They charged her with theft. Edwards was arraigned before Magistrate Dale Cayetano, where she pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of $5,000, which she was not able to meet. She will remain in police custody until she is able to make arrangements for bail, and she must return to court on July 2.

BEL Offers Debentures At Attractive Interest Rate
The fourth annual GIS conference was held today at the Biltmore Best Western in Belize City. GIS means global information systems and it has to do with how satellite imagery can be used for planning everything from disaster responses to housing project to retail strategies. The idea is problem solving with technology and the conference organizer explained how it works: It is a two day event.

Gaynair Gets His Goal: the Promised Land
But footballer Ian Gaynair won't need GIS to find his new titled land. That's because it's two lots away from his father's home. We've been following the story of Gaynair's land since August of last year: first, his lease was cancelled and then his area representative in Lake Independence intervened to get a new lease for a new lot for him. Today, he'll lease no more; King handed over title for the land and 7News was there: King says his land amnesty program will deliver 300 titles in total this year for leases converted to titles.

Alleged Belizean Child Kidnapper Released In Mexico
A week ago, we told you about a report coming out of a small Mexican community on the banks of the Rio Hondo in Quintana Roo, called Sabidos. Resident had taken custody of a 19 year-old Belizean, identified only as Ariel, who allegedly tried to kidnap two 8 year-old girls to smuggle them across Belize. Well, reports out of Quintana Roo say that the 19 year-old Belizean may not be criminally charged because of lack of evidence. Townspeople from Sabidos, Quintana Roo were up in arms denouncing the decision of the Mexican authorities to release the Belizean young man and his accomplice because of lack evidence. It turns out that the 2 young victims told the investigators that the persons detained were not the men who tried to kidnap them. The "Por Esto" newspaper reports that parents and residents of Sabidos were very angry, suggesting that this just one more time that the Mexican authorities dropped the ball on an important case.

A Fair For Finance
The First ever Community Fair, which was organized by the Ministry of Education, Peace Work and Price Waterhouse Coopers, was held at the ITVET Compound Today. It's become an annual occurrence that the international facilitators return to Belize to teach students from primary and High Schools around the country about the importance of business. The community fair gave those students trained in financial literacy an opportunity to show off what they learned, and 7News stopped by. Here's how the Deputy Chief Education Officer explained its importance: Dr. Carol Babb - Deputy Chief Education Officer "It's to build awareness. We have 3 components, a business showcase, where the primary schools were asked to submit a product that is original, that is creative. They must know how to brand it and promote it. Today, we also had that competition, and coming first was Queen Square Anglican School. Second was Ebenezer School, and third was All Saints School. We also have the vendors at the front, where we have organizations in finance health, and education sharing their resources, showcasing what they do on a daily basis. We have already expanded to 3 schools in each district, and for the past 3 days, we've training educators in financial literacy and entrepreneurship. So, we have officials from the Ministry of Education in every district; they were participating in training. So, it was a training of trainers, and they are expected to train teachers, principals, students and parents in their individual district."

Channel 5

Mother’s Day cheer for U.D.P. area reps.
News Five can confirm tonight that seventeen U.D.P. representatives have received fifty thousand Belize dollars each for Mother’s Day programs and activities in their respective constituencies. That’s a whopping eight [...]

Belmopan teacher accused of having sexual relations with 14 year old student
Stories of carnal knowledge and sexual abuse of children are among the hardest to report. But it’s a far too common occurrence in Belize – and far too often, it [...]

Auditor General’s report on immigration scandal submitted to PM and Minister Hulse
Can you say cover-up at the highest levels of government? Well that’s just how it’s looking tonight. Last year, the Auditor-General was brought in to investigate corruption in the Ministry [...]

COLA attempts to prosecute Elvin Penner have been frustrated
The existence of that preliminary report has been kept under wraps, so what’s contained in it is anybody’s guess. As we said, it only came up as a side note [...]

3 weeks before trial date, COLA’s hope is with the D.P.P.
It’s a frustrating development – or maybe we should say lack of development – for COLA. The small grass-roots organization has taken the lead in the Penner fiasco, even as [...]

Is a Cuban Gold fugitive in Belize?
After two months of negotiations between the US and Belize thirty-four year old Cuban national Raonel Valdez is locked down in a Miami jail. The fugitive wanted in connection to [...]

COLA offers reward for evidence in case against Penner
We told you earlier about the significant setbacks Cola is experiencing in the private prosecution of Elvin Penner. But despite the setbacks, COLA is unwilling to relent in the criminal [...]

ComPol comes under fire from COLA
In the latter months of the Elvin Penner debacle, the only man who has come under similar fire is Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie. That’s because widespread public opinion is [...]

Will the Prime Minister also be subpoenaed in Penner case?
And finally where COLA and Elvin Penner are concerned, today it is clear that all legal avenues are being pursued, or at least contemplated. It’s even possible, according to the [...]

SATIIM says G.O.B. is corrupt, inept, despotic and discriminatory
“It is the historical trademark of a corrupt, inept, despotic and discriminatory government.” Stern words coming from the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, in a letter written to Prime [...]

Sand Hill resident is arraigned for a second time for the murder of his brother
Twenty-one year old Edward Cabanas was set free on March twenty-fifth for the stabbing death of his brother, but tonight, is once again on remand at the Belize Central Prison [...]

Brandon ‘Battery’ Smith re-arraigned for attempted murder
Another man was also re-arraigned for charges today. No sooner had twenty-eight year old Brandon ‘Battery’ Smith been freed of attempted murder when he was brought back before the court [...]

Pharmacy Association goes public with a list of bad decisions in health system
The Pharmacy Association of Belize was outraged and went public when the post of Director of Drug Inspectorate was created and Danini Contreras, the daughter of Minister Contreras, was appointed [...]

Council of Churches meet with Prime Minister
The leadership of the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches met today with Prime Minister Dean Barrow at his Belize City office. It came on the heels of a report that [...]

Ladyville Tech wins High School Innovation Challenge
A High School Innovation Challenge was held today as part of activities of education Week. High school teams from throughout the country were challenged to come up with an innovative [...]

Annual financial literacy training culminates with community fair
As we reported earlier, the annual financial literacy training initiative of PricewaterhouseCoopers in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Peace Work culminated today at the ITVET Compound. It gave [...]

4th Annual Belize GIS User Conference
Geographic information systems or GIS, as it is called, is designed to process geographical data of all types.  The technology is driven by location, purpose or application requirements.  Today, the [...]

CTV3

More Problems Brewing At Ranchito Government School
Yesterday we told you about the situation faced by students at the Ranchito Government School who have had to stay at home following the cancelation of classes for the week. This is due to the dilapidated condition of the largest school building at the school compound and the rodent and insect infestation in at least two buildings. The biggest and perhaps the oldest building at the compound has been deemed unsafe and unsanitary by the Belize Central Building Authority following an inspection sometime last week. Officials from the health and Education departments visited the school yesterday while students were out of classes. They were assessing the situation and finding appropriate spaces to relocate the now displaced students. Today, our News Room received a letter from one Mister Mendez who claims to be the president of the school committee at the Ranchito Government School. We attempted to get in contact with Mendez but to no avail. In his e-mail, Mendez says that parents have not heard from the health official. According to Mendez, they held a meeting on April thirtieth which the Health official informed she could not make but promised to meet at a later date. In that meeting, Mendez says 119 parents signed a letter stating that they will not be sending their children to school until the Ministry of Education finds a solution to the problem.

Child Predator And Sex Offender Lives In Belize, Says The U.S
The Department of Law Enforcement in Florida USA has released a picture of a 63 year old child predator and sex offender residing in Belize. According to the report, the predator is known to be Thomas Allen Bloom. In 1997 he was convicted for sexual battery and child coercion in Brevard Florida. He is now registered as a sexual predator in Florida and his given address on the flyer is Belize. When checks were made, indeed it only indicated to be Belize formerly British Honduras.

Residents Of Mexican Community Up In Arms
The Mexican community of Sabidos Quintana Roo located along the banks of the Rio Hondo is up in arms and is speaking out against the authorities of that municipality since they have released a 13 year old female minor and a 19 year old man allegedly of Belizean Nationality accused of trying to kidnap two 8 year old girls from the community. Reports coming out of the community indicate that authorities released both individuals due to lack of evidence. Reports are that the two victims were unable to identify the 13 year old and the 19 year old as the persons who tried to deprive them of their freedom and bring them over to Belize. Community members argue that it is not the first time that authorities arrest and later release alleged criminals in this case believed to belong to a human trafficking ring.

Weekly Crop Review
May 4th 2014 marked the end of week 15 of the 2013/2014 sugar cane crop season. The report, provided by the Belize Sugar Industries Limited, shows that for week 15 the factory milled fifty thousand three hundred and forty tons of cane. To date, the factory has milled a total of seven hundred and sixty four thousand six hundred and forty two tons of cane. Last year the factory milled six hundred and thirteen thousand forty six tons cane during the same time frame. Taking a look at sugar production, five thousand four hundred and ninety one tons of the sweetener was produced for week 15. An overall of eighty two thousand six hundred and thirty five tons of the product has been produced so far. Last year, the factory produced sixty two thousand eight hundred and two tons of sugar during the 15 weeks of crop. This week the factory worked at a grinding rate of seven thousand one hundred and ninety one tons cane per day. Overall, for the 15 weeks of crop, the grinding rate per day stands at seven thousand five hundred and seventy one tons cane. Last crop it was at six thousand seventy tons cane per day.

Caribbean Rum To Be Exported To The U.S
This past weekend the Belize Embassy in Washington DC hosted their third annual open day where they featured and promoted a little of everything that is Belizean. This annual event, Passport DC, is organized by a non-profit organization called Cultural Tourism DC, and it counts with the participation of about seventy Embassies located in Washington, DC. Last year, the Embassy of Belize based its participation on the Belize rainforest with the theme “Special emphasis on the Chiquibul National Park” were over three thousand five hundred visitors came through the premises in one day. In 2012, the theme was the Maya World that attracted over three thousand five hundred visitors. Now this year, the Belize Embassy based there presentation on the Belize Barrier Reef. CTV3 News was made to understand that the Embassy of Belize in Washington DC features annually Belizean DJ’s, cultural presentations, Belizean food, drinks and more. When we talk about drinks, this year Cuello’s Distillery Limited was invited to promote one of Belize's most marketed products, Caribbean Rum.

P.M Meets With Leaders Of Evangelical Churches
The Alliance of Leaders and Ministers of Belize issued a release on Monday in which they gave the Government of Belize a deadline of 30 days (May 31st 2014) to completely retract the Gender Policy and all destructive laws associated with it. Today, the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches issued a release after they met for two hours with the Prime Minister at his Belize City Office. It was the Executive Team of the Association that met with the Prime Minister to discuss a way forward in reference to the Gender Policy. In that release, Reverend Eugene Crawford, President of the Evangelical Association states that the PM clarified remarks that the government was implementing the document without further consultations with the churches.

Project To Rehabilitate Guadalupe Street Moves Forward
Sometime last year a group of concerned residents and business owners saw the need of uplifting Guadalupe Street and based on the necessity a group of them came together and formed the Guadalupe Street Improvement Project Committee. After months of long hours of planning and discussion, the committee submitted a letter to the Ministry of Finance requesting that the General Sales Tax for the overall cost of the rehabilitation of Guadalupe Street be waived, which would ease the committee of an approximately$30,000.00. According to Osmany Salas, member of the GSIP committee, the letter was submitted after the decision was made that Rodla Construction Company Ltd from Ladyville would be awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the street. And today they received some good news.

Pharmacist Association Gives MOH An F In Their Report Card
Tensions continue to grow between the Pharmacists Association of Belize and the Ministry of Health. And root cause of the turmoil is the appointment of Danini Contreras as Director of Drug Inspectorate. The Pharmacists Association believes that Contreras, who is the daughter of Minister Erwin Contreras, is under qualified for the newly created post and the required procedure under the Public Service Act were not followed prior to her appointment. The association has asked that her appointment be withdrawn, but the Ministry of Health has stuck to its guns defending Contreras’ appointment. Contreras, who recently obtained a bachelor’s degree in science from Guatemala, is currently on a six-month contract. The association is also up in arms since Contreras is also authorized to approve the entry of pharmaceuticals through Customs. And that is where the dispute stands today, a dispute that won’t go away anytime soon. Today the Pharmacists Association of Belize sent out a release highlighting the actions taken by the Ministry of Health that have been continuously eroding the practices and profession of pharmacist and the consequences/impact on the Health of the people of Belize and the nation itself.

SATIM Lashes Out At GOB
The Government has waived the expiration date of US Capital’s permit that allows the company to conduct pre-drilling work in the Sarstoon Temash National Park. That was done on April thirtieth. That has not settled well with the Sarstoon Temash Institute of Indigenous Management, SATIIM, especially after the NGO has made numerous attempts to seek audience with the Government officials and after the court rulings that affirm the Maya traditional rights. Immediately following that decision, the representatives of thirty-eight communities gathered at an access point to the operation area of US Capital in Sunday Wood, one of the five buffer communities surrounding the National Park. For years, tensions have been escalating and it appears that this has reached an all-time new high as today, Executive Director of SATIIM, Gregorio Choc, sent a letter to the media. That letter is dated May first and was directed to the Prime Minister of Belize Dean Barrow.

LOVE FM

Marshalleck Defends the Cotton Tree Village Council
Last Friday, the Cotton Tree Village Council filed a suit against the Government of Belize reference a piece of land was subdivided into some two hundred and sixty five lots for the purpose of distributing to Belize City residents. Renee Trujillo has been following the story and brings you this update. RENEE TRUJILLO REPORTING “National land, under Belize’s law is described as being all lands and sea bed, other than reserved forest within the meaning of the Forests Act, including cayes and parts thereof not already located and granted, and excludes any land which has been, or may hereafter become, escheated to or otherwise acquired by the Government of Belize….now that is a definition that will come into play in Belize’s courts as the Cotton Tree Village Council has opt to take the Government to court over 265 lots that are being distributed to residents of Belize City. It is an issue that has been brewing for some time now as close to two months ago, a dispute had erupted outside the confines of the National Assembly building in Belmopan City between stalwarts of both the ruling party, the United Democratic Party and the main opposition, the People’s United Party based on these very same lots in the Cayo District that the current administration had begun surveying with the purpose of distributing to Belize City residents.

BEL Plans Schedules Meeting with PUC
Belize Electricity Limited’s management team will be meeting to review the Public Utilities Commission’s Initial Decision on its 2014 Annual Review Proceeding. It will also review the five schedules approved to determine the possible implications of the PUC’s decision on BEL’s five year investment plan. BEL says it is pleased that the PUC’s Initial Decision also proposes a reduction in electricity rates, which amounts to a one per cent difference from the company’s proposal. BEL says it will submit its written comment to the PUC by May 12.

CEO Jones Discusses Prison Rehabilitation in Jamaica
The Chief Executive Office for the Kolbe Foundation, Earl Jones, is being hosted in Jamaica for a 3-day workshop that will look at rehabilitation programs in prisons. Jones will be sitting in meetings with several government officials up until Thursday, May 8 with the purpose of sharing his experience with rehabilitation programs for Belize’s only prison as well as getting a first-hand look at programs being implemented in Jamaica’s primary penal facilities. Among those that Jones will be meeting with, are the Minister of national Security, Peter Bunting and Commissioner of Corrections, Jevene Bent. The CEO’s trip is being sponsored by the Delegation of the European Union in Jamaica, that has been working with Stand Up Jamaica, UNICEF and Rise Life Management for the last three years with a look at supporting programs in penal facilities including juvenile centres.

Cuban National Suspected of Gold Heist Repatriated to the USA
Belize’s immigration and police officials today repatriated Cuban national, Raonel Valdez Valhuerdi to the United States this morning where he was booked into the Miami Dade County Jail. Valdez was detained on Belizean soil back in February when he was caught at the Guatemala/Belize border. Valdez is being accused, with the assistance of two other men of robbing a Bolivian export company employee near a Coral Gables apartment building in October 2012. The gold that was taken away had an estimated value of two point eight million dollars. At the time of the robber y the gold was being transported to an Opa-Locka refinery. Valdez was arraigned and granted bail of seventy five thousand dollars in March 2013 but he eluded the authorities when they lost track of his GPS monitor.

Teenager Rearrested for the Murder of His Brother
Nineteen year old Edward Cabanas, who was charged with the murder of his brother, Brandon Cabanas and was freed of the charge on March 25, was rearrested last night and brought to court today. Cabanas was arraigned on the charge of murder before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart and he was remanded into custody until June 6. The incident occurred around 9:45 p.m. on Friday, December 29, at the home of the brothers, Located in Sandhill. According to police reports, 21 year old Brandon, who reportedly had been drinking, got into a fight with Edward and Edward pulled a knife and stabbed him in the legs. Apparently the knife severed an artery and Brandon bled to death before he could be taken to the hospital.

Duo Returns To Court After Shooting at Policemen
Two men 28 year old Brandon “Battery” Smith and 28 year old Alrick Smith, who were freed of four counts of attempted murder on Monday, May 5, were brought back to court today and charged with the same offences. The two appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart and they were remanded into custody until June 6. They were charged with the attempted murder of police constables Mark Tzul, Wayne Trapp, Terry Reyes and Abner Pasqual. The charges arose from an incident that occurred on March 16, 2013. The police reported that they were processing a murder scene when they saw a blue car speed past them. The police pursued the car until it crashed into a drain. According to the police, Brandon Smith exited the car with a gun in his hand and he began firing at the police. The police returned fire and that was when Alrick Smith, the alleged driver of the car, was shot in his abdomen. The police reported that Brandon Smith fled from the scene and escaped but he was apprehended later and charged. Alrick Smith was charged after he was released from the hospital.

Girl Steals Laptop From Friend’s Bedroom
Nineteen year old Princella Edwards, a.k.a. “Bella”, an unemployed who allegedly stole a laptop computer from her friend, was charged with theft when she appeared today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Edwards pled not guilty to the charge. She was offered a bail of five thousand dollars and her case was adjourned until July 2 but Edwards was unable to meet bail and therefore was remanded to prison. The theft occurred on April 27. Edwards’ friend, Karema Sanchez, who resides with her grandmother in Ladyville, reported to the police that she went to her residence about 1 p.m. and noticed that the door of her room was opened. She said when she checked she discovered that her laptop computer and the bag for it were missing. She said her grandmother told her that Bella came to the house and said that Karema sent for her things. The police reported that they located Bella in Belize City on May 5 and detained her at Queen Street Police Station the following day. The police also reported that after they informed Bella of the report made against her they recovered the laptop from Fair Brothers Pawnshop.

PlusTV

Belmopan Comprehensive School Teacher is Remanded to Prison, Receives no Bail
Reports were that a male teacher of Belmopan Comprehensive High School allegedly had had an affair with a 14 year old female student of the same high school. Today the former teacher, now identified as Michael Angel Guzman, was arraigned at the Magistrate’s Court in Belmopan. He was charged...

14 Year Old Minor is Sexually Assaulted in Punta Gorda
In another carnal knowledge incident, a 14 year old female minor of Punto Gorda Town has reported to police that she was sexually assaulted by a grown man. According to Punta Gorda Police, the girl, accompanied by her grandmother, reported that on the afternoon of Holy Saturday, a man...

COLA Says, will not Give up on Elvin Penner Prosecution
Last week we showed you an interview with attorney for Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), Kareem Musa, detailing his frustration with the effort to privately prosecute Elvin Penner for breaches of the Passport and Nationality Acts committed while he was Minister of State, specifically with respect to...

Ministry of Health Holds Meeting with Drug Suppliers
Recently we have reported that Danini Contreras, Director of Drug Inspectorate, has been recommended, along with three others, to authorize pharmaceuticals coming into the country, following a rumor that the Chief Pharmacist was on strike. Now we must take this time to remind our viewers that the controversial post...

Sommerville Soon to Answer to PSC Regarding Missing Monies from Hospital
Plus News has been informed that the Administrator at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga, Ms. Nasley Sommerville, will soon be appearing before the Public Service Commission. Sommerville will be answering questions regarding Hundreds of thousands of dollars missing from the Maternal and Child Health Bank account from the Southern Regional...

Evangelical Pastors Meet with Prime Minister
This morning, eight pastors, led by president of the Evangelical Association of Churches, Pastor Eugene Crawford, met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow in his Belize City office for an update on the churches’ recommendations for editing the Revised National Gender Policy. Around this time last year the Policy was...

Attempted Murder and Murder Cases Restarted
Separate charges of murder and attempted murder were re-instituted by Police against three young men today. In the first case, 28 year old Brandon Smith, a.k.a. “Battery”, and 28 year old Alrick Smith, were re-charged for attempted murder of four police constables who were shot at while processing a murder scene. They had been...

Belizean US Army Sergeant Dies During Training in New Mexico
27 year Sgt. Dwight Burn died this weekend in a helicopter crash at Fort Bliss, Texas. Dwight Burn, who lived in Barstow, California up to the time of his death, was a Belizean born national who left Belize years ago to pursue a career with the US Army. According...

Major Changes Expected for Belize City Schools
Wednesday April 31 a meeting was held in Belize city by Ministry of education personnel for teachers from Sadie Vernon High School, Maude Williams High School and Excelsior High; all government educational institutions. According to our sources MOE intends to merge all three schools by this coming August and...

Havana Bridge in Dangriga Town Upgraded
Residents of Dangriga Town can now enjoy a smoother and more comfortable ride when traversing the Havana Bridge which is one of the three main bridges crossing the North Stann Creek river which runs through the town. The Dangriga Town Council invested some $26,500.00 for a much needed upgrade...

Patrick Jones

Approaches to Havana Bridge in Dangriga upgraded
The Dangriga Town Council this week announced the completion of repairs to the approached to the Havana Bridge. According to a press release from the Town Council, some $26,500 were invested in the upgrade to the north and south approaches to the bridge, making for a smoother and more comfortable crossing for motorists and pedestrians alike. The upgrade, according to the Town Council is part of its improvement plan to make the area of the Havan Bridge more user-friendly for residents and visitors and to make the area more aesthetically appealing.

Police detain Teakettle men following car-jacking
There was a car-jacking on Monday night in the Cayo district. Teakettle resident Ricardo Guzman was accosted by two men who forcible entered his vehicle at the junction of the George Price Highway and the Valley of Peace Road around 10:20 pm on Monday. Guzman told police that one of the men who had a firearm, sat next to him and ordered him to continue driving. Police say Guzman was later robbed of his wallet containing $30 and his personal documents.

COLA will not give up Elvin Penner prosecution
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and their attorney, Kareem Musa, have detailed their frustration with the effort to privately prosecute Elvin Penner. The Cayo Northeast representative is on the hot seat for allegedly for breaching the Passport and Nationality Acts while he was Minister of State, specifically with respect to Citizen Kim Won-Hong. Today, the organization met with the press in Belize City to say that they have not given up. COLA President Giovanni Brackett compared their efforts here to previous usages of novel legislation to facilitate change, and warned that if this route were to fail, it would because the Government failed, because the country lives with an administration that is in his words, “conducive to failure.” Brackett also reported that they have secured financial resources for a small reward, of $500, to persons who come forward with material evidence that will help the case.

Evangelical pastors meet with Prime Minister on Gender Policy
This morning, the executive team of the Evangelical Association of Churches of Belize, led by president Eugene Crawford and pastor of Jubilee Ministries Scott Stirm, met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow in his Belize City office for an update on the churches’ recommendations for editing the Revised National Gender Policy. Around this time last year the Policy was released to uproar as it sought to enshrine teaching on multiple genders, abortion, homosexuality, prostitution and the like in public life from schools to businesses, and threatened harsh penalties for opponents. The Government committed to re-revising the Policy, but information suggests that this is being done without benefit of the churches’ recommendations. The meeting concluded around 1:00 pm and Pastor Crawford noted that the tone of the meeting was open and generally good, and the Prime Minister was being receptive to the churches’ position.

Teen girl charged for theft
An adult teenager is tonight behind bars at the Belize Central Prison, having been unable to meet bail on a theft charge. Princella Edwards, 19, aka Bella, is accused of stealing and pawning off her friend’s laptop computer on April 27. According to Karema Sanchez of Ladyville, she came home that day to find her room door open and upon searching the room found that her laptop computer and the bag containing it were missing. Sanchez said that her grandmother, with whom she resides, told her that Edwards had previously come to the house claiming that she, Sanchez, had sent her for the laptop, which of course she had not. Police were called in and located and detained Edwards in Belize City on Monday, and later recovered the item from a popular pawnshop in the Old Capital.

Attempted murder and murder cases restarted
Separate charges of murder and attempted murder were re-instituted by Police against three young men today. In the first case, 28 year old Brandon Smith, a.k.a. “Battery”, and 28 year old Alrick Smith, were re-charged for attempted murder of four police constables who were shot at while processing a murder scene. They had been freed on Monday for unspecified reasons but were brought back to court and charged again before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart and remanded until June 6. On March 16, 2013, Constables Mark Tzul, Wayne Trapp, Terry Reyes and Abner Pasqual were at the scene when a blue car sped past them. The officers pursued the car and caught up with it when it crashed into a drain.

Community fair recognizes thrifty students
The First Annual Community Fair organized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports along with Peacework and Pricewaterhousecoopers took place at the ITVET grounds today. Students from around the City visited displays by vendors and businesses teaching the importance of business. It was also an opportunity to showcase the explosion of teaching about financial literacy, which according to Peacework’s Corporate Program Director Lia Flur, is about more than dollars and cents. She told us that it is more about managing one’s personal life and choices. This week, teachers from around the country were in Belize City to learn about financial literacy.

Belize prepares for its biggest international tourism trade fair
BETEX which is the largest tourism expo in the Belize and is organized by the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) is scheduled to commence tomorrow May 8, 2014 at the Princess Hotel in Belize City. The Expo is a business-to-business event that showcases Belize’s travel destinations, hotels, tour operators, and other tourism service providers and attracts more than 350 local and international tourism professionals and press representatives. The event is an exclusive opportunity for international traveler resellers to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business with local travel suppliers and to learn more about Belize and experience the destination first hand.

GIS conference looks at practical applications
The fourth annual GIS User Conference began in Belize City today at the Biltmore Plaza. While the Conference’s theme refers to enhancing business decisions, a wide variety of presenters over the next two days shows that geographic information systems are the new wave of tools for applications in all sectors. We spoke to Senator Godwin Hulse, who is Minister in charge of many departments that have use for GIS. The Minister says that Ministries from NEMO to Weather Bureau to others have uses for the technology, and it even trickles down to usage of cell phones and IPad’s without which, he told us, he would have been less informed about a recent flood in the Stann Creek District.

Vermin infestation forces cancellation of classes in Corozal
Classes have been cancelled for the Government Primary School in the village of Ranchito, Corozal district. The decision to cancel classes for the remainder of the week stems from what has been described as a vermin infestation. While the Ministry of Education has been tight-lipped about the situation, our Corozal correspondent says that parents say the problem has been persisting for some time now and their calls for help have gone unanswered until now. According to information received, the parents of the two hundred or so students of the school, met with the school’s administration and officials of the Ministry of Education to discuss the situation.

Blogs

A Mayan Site, One Million Birds, Dolphins: A Trip All Around Ambergris Caye, Belize
Though the names San Pedro and Ambergris Caye are often used interchangeably when talking about the “island”, the town proper is actually just a tiny sliver… The caye is about 26 miles long, a few miles thick in parts and to the north? Pretty much jungle where deer and cats like pumas and ocelots live. Most of that area is the Bacalar Chico Reserve. And to the back side, the “lagoon”, there are pretty cayes and even one owned by Leonardo DiCaprio (the very thin – unlike the current Leo – Blackadore Caye west of the Ambergris.) Unless you travel far north and around, you really don’t get much of a sense of the size. Luckily a few tour companies do the trip. Take you all the way up to the northern tip, through the mangrove surrounded cut (some of which was dug by the Maya hundreds of years ago)…

Canoeing in Belize: Summer’s Here and the Time is Right!
OK, summer’s not officially here yet, but it’s always time for canoeing at Belize’s Chaa Creek. And why not? With the pristine Macal River gently flowing past the front door and a fleet of well-maintained canoes at your disposal, canoeing is one of the activities at Chaa Creek that consistently delights guests of all ages. Even people who have never been in a canoe before discover just how enjoyable this age-old pastime is. The Macal River was one of the major aquatic highways of the ancient Maya, passing through the rich agricultural and trade centres, linking ancient cities and ceremonial centres via the various tributaries flowing into it, and, as it joins the old Belize River, still takes people and goods down to the Caribbean Sea, joining up with the Maya sea trade routes that extended all the way from Mexico to Panama and perhaps beyond.

“Who’s Sorry Now” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
My ‘me time’ on the veranda in the early morning with the mug of black coffee and the iPad sometimes does the trick. I found myself racking my brain (OK that didn’t take long did it) but nothing. Or “nada” as they say here. A distinct absence of anything remotely close to stirring me in to action that is until I got demands (OK, a gentle hint) from my readers (OK, one reader -and thank you for that Kristina) that I put an edition out. Inspiration sometimes comes from the most unlikely of places, things or people ! So here goes but don’t blame me. Oh no, blame Kristina ! Had I known that I could be so easily persuaded (read a push-over) I would have got out there and taken some photos of the tried and trusted. You know, a photo of the Palapa Bar, a beach shot looking out at the Caribbean, breakfast on a plate at Estel’s Dine By the Sea (not surprisingly I’ve got loads of those but no recycling for me. Oh no, it’s got to be authentic) or a colourful sign. You know the kind of thing. But I didn’t because it’s normally my will that dictates when I publish an edition, it’s not something that is determined by the will of others. That is until today. The ego is an easily manipulated thing isn’t it!

Spicy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Just in time for Mother's Day a sweet and spicy treat. This cake is easy to make and would be great for you to make for that special someone in life.

“A guaranteed bundle of fun!”
“I have just returned to reality after spending four months with Reef CI. The diving with Reef CI is hands down the best and most amazing thing I have ever done. With the most beautiful reef I have dived on, seeing Dolphins (that swam close by and played with us), Sting Rays, Nurse Sharks, Eagle Ray, Whale Sharks and much more. I completed my Rescue Diver and my Dive Master course during my stay and I can definitely say that Reef CI has the best instructors I have dived with. They are both knowledgeable about the reef and its eco-system and have such a passion for diving that they want to share their extensive experience and knowledge with everyone.

International Sources

La majestuosidad del Quetzal, captada por el ojo fotográfico de Rizzo
Diego Rizzo tiene 29 años y vive en la capital, donde junto a su esposa tiene una pequeña empresa de creatividad y diseño gráfico. Desde hace dos años empezó a aficionarse a la fotografía y su ilusión por este arte se fue transformando paulatinamente en la ilusión de dar a conocer Guatemala a través de imágenes. Este es el objetivo que hace apenas un mes le llevó a visitar el Refugio del Quetzal de San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta, en San Marcos, donde por primera vez pudo apreciar "en vivo y en directo" la majestuosidad del Ave Nacional. "Bajamos por un sendero, donde nos indicaron que había nidos y, pasados unos 10 minutos, vimos a una pareja de Quetzales. Si se puede expresar en palabras lo que sentí, diría que es una experiencia espectacular. Por eso quise dejar constancia de este momento a través de un video", comenta.

Regional Forum meeting warns of risks of climate change
San José, Costa Rica, Thursday 23 April 2014 - Climate change is now seen as “a truly comprehensive risk that affects a wide range of systems: agriculture, energy, infrastructure, water, workplace and many more”, today said the Administrative Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Luis Fernando Salazar. Minister Salazar recalled that last month, the second working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded years of efforts to summarize the state of knowledge on the impact of climate change and how to respond to its challenges. The report was surprising in the sense that climate change is now seen as a truly comprehensive risk that affects a wide range of systems. Overall, the impact of climate change presents a fundamental threat to our national development and an economic and social challenge to governments, said the Deputy Minister. His words came during the inauguration of the Regional Workshop on Climate Vulnerability in Marine Coastal Areas held in Costa Rica that brought together fifty government experts, academics and representatives of civil society in Central America and the Caribbean to address the main risks and impacts of climate change, especially in ecological and socio-economic terms, as well as opportunities for regional cooperation.

Over 1,000 Mayan Codices Discovered in Yucatan Ruins
Uxmal: Deep inside the jungle of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, near the pre-hispanic city of Uxmal, a team of archeologist from the university of Boston in collaboration with local archeologists from the University of Mexico, have uncovered yet another pyramidal structure estimated to be 1,100 years old. But even more surprisingly enough, satellite imagery confirmed the existence of a secret chamber where the team found thousands of mayan codices, a discovery that could shatter previous views and shed a new light on our understanding of mayan culture and the sudden and tragic destruction of their civilization. Professor Jenny Rothsgard from the research team from Boston was in for a huge surprise when she fell first hand on the codices, which only three copies remain in the world today. "Most copies were burned during the Spanish conquest" she concedes. "Most of them were destroyed by Bishop Diego de Landa in July of 1562. They were deemed diabolical at the time by the authorities, who burned all copies. For a long time, archeologists were hoping that a mayan ruler might have hid some from the spaniards. This might just be our luck!" she adds, very enthusiast.

Church Spring Extravaganza to support mission trip to Belize
It’s important to consider the needs of others. And, a mission group from the Powhatan Christian Church has been doing just that since it began traveling to Belize to provide much-needed help to inhabitants of that foreign country. The group’s desire to provide assistance abroad is the motivation behind the second annual Spring Extravaganza that will be held on Saturday, May 10. The celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Powhatan Christian Church’s Powhatan Campus at 4480 Anderson Highway in Powhatan. Proceeds from the event will help to fund the Belize Mission Team’s upcoming excursion. Powhatan Christian Church has two other locations: one in Midlothian and one in Bremo Bluff. Members of each campus will participate in the mission trip.

10 Places We're Meh About And Where To Go Instead
6. We're meh about Costa Rica, but we're loving Belize. Costa Rica was once the "it" place for service trips in a beautiful, tropical place. But Costa Rica's been done and it's time to find another gorgeous Central America location, so we're going to visit Belize, which boasts lush jungle, beautiful beaches, the Belize Barrier Reef, ancient Mayan ruins and plenty of cultural activity. Belize also offers service trips and volunteer opportunities, if that's what you're looking for.

Videos

Video: Resplendent Quetzal, 1min.
The Resplendent Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, its name is given because of its feathers resplendent the light from green to blue colours; its chest is red and its tail is longer than 90 centimetres. In the video it has a little Emerald beetle.

Video: Butterfly House- Belize, 3min.
Butterfly House- Near Sang Ignacio in Belize

Video: Dangriga From the Dock- Belize, 1min.
Trip to Belize

Video: Fly Boarding In Caye Caulker, Belize, 2min.
Fly Boarding is the water sport of the future! Check it out in action at "The Split" in Caye Caulker, Belize

Video: Interview with Horse Whisperer John Carr, 15min.
Jaguars, Birds, Monkeys and Horses join us with John Carr of Banana Bank in Belize- for this exclusive interview of this well renowned horse whisperer and expat in Belize. This is a show from Belize Teve Biography with our Host Macarena Rose. You do not want to miss Sarah ( Producer) up close with the jaguar- this is one of 4 parts.

Video: Aerial Video of Ambergris Caye, Belize, 5min.
Enjoy this video and aerial views of Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Video: DOLPHIN ATTACK!, .5min.
We decided to make a run out to Glovers’s Reef on a friend’s catamaran for a couple of days of SCUBA diving. There wasn’t a lot of planning involved. It was afternoon and the drinks were flowing in anticipation of one of those life-altering sunsets over the water. An idea started a conversation that quickly led to consensus: let’s do it. Gear was gathered; bathing suits and sunscreen were grabbed; an ice chest was filled; and we were off. Conversation on most dive trips centers on past underwater experiences and undersea adventures to come. We were under sail about an hour east of Royal Belize enjoying the sun and the conversation when this happened…

Video: Belize 2014, 7min.

Video: Belize Scuba Diving, 7min.
Scuba Diving at Lighthouse Reef in Belize, including Half Moon Caye Wall, The Aquarium, and Julia's Jungle.

Video: Dolphins in Manatee Sanctuary Belize, 2min.
Male and 2 females playing around

Video: Full Circle Belize, 7min.

Video: Belize Documentary, 10min.

Video: Gale force boat ride back to Ambergris Caye from the mainland Belize, 1min.

Video: Shark encounter snorkeling Lighthouse Reef Belize, 1min.
Whilst shooting a video of a coral head and some fish I swam around behind and what do you know - a shark!

Video: SEARIOUS ADVENTURES tour boat ride into Belize River, 2min.

Video: Blue Tang School Blue Hole Belize Snorkeling, 1min.

Video: Cessna takeoff from the cargo airport (Muni) in Belize, 2min.
Check out Erica's view - ah chooo!

Video: Cessna landing at the Belize cargo airport with dirt runway, 2min.

Video: Multiple Reef Dives - Placencia, Belize April 2014!!!, 4min.
Scuba Diving in Robert's Grove Placencia Belize this past Easter week 2014. Had some great dives with lots of Eels and different fish. Warm water and great Vis, always a great time.

Video: Belize, 3min.

Video: Discover Sanctuary Belize, 3min.
from Buy Belize

May 7, 2014

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Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Gabriela “Gaba” Nuñez places second in Mr. Vigor y Fuerza 2014
In only the second competition of her career, Gabriela “Gaba” Nuñez has placed second in the Bikini Fitness division of the 9th Annual Mr. Vigor y Fuerza 2014. Held on Sunday, May 4th in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, the competition saw participants from across the region join in commemorating the 29th anniversary of the Vigor and Strength Gym located in Merida. The competition included categories for children up to the age of 17 years, beginners, youth, novice, men’s physique, modeling women’s figure for veterans, and bikini fitness. Winners of the Mr. Vigor and Fuerza qualified for Mr. Mexico Youth and Veterans National Tournament to be held on May 16th and 18th in Mexico City. Winners in the female category will participate in an exclusive championship for women to be held in Mexico City on May 10th and 11th.

Team Legends are the Champions!
It was an exciting afternoon on Sunday, May 4th at the Honorable Louis Sylvester Football Arena as the San Pedro Sports Committee Football Tournament final games were played. After weeks of games, it was down to Team Southwind and Team Legends in the finals. Eager football fans came out to see the highly anticipated games, and they were not disappointed. The first game was actually to determine the third place team, Team Dorados or Team Caye Caulker. The team from our neighboring island village came out with all its might, showing no mercy as they scored a goal in the first minutes of the game. Dorados quickly evened the score, but that single goal did not matter in the face of Caye Caulker’s four goals total. With a final score of 4-1, Caye Caulker was awarded the third place trophy and $500 cash.

11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have reduced maternal mortality, new UN data show
A new United Nations report shows that 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have made significant progress in reducing deaths from pregnancy-related causes since 1990. However no country in the region is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing maternal mortality 75% by 2015. The 11 countries that significantly reduced maternal mortality (MMR down 40% or more since 1990) are Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru. Despite this progress, an estimated 9,300 women lost their lives in Latin America and the Caribbean due to pregnancy-related causes in 2013 (down from 17,000 maternal deaths in 1990). The new report, Trends in maternal mortality estimates 1990 to 2013, estimates changes in maternal mortality worldwide and by region and country. It was produced jointly by the World Health Organization

Ambergris Today

Bella Italia Is Doing Something Right
In the short amount of time that we sat waiting for our food at Bella Italia Restaurant, I saw quite a few boxes of pizza come out of the kitchen ready for delivery. And still, in no time, our food was out – two pizzas, lasagna and shrimp pasta. The cook is a fast one at Bella Italia and people are loving this aspect of the restaurant; and their food is great too! Bella Italia offers great new options for pizza lovers in San Pedro, having different pizza styles that are delicious, plus they come out faster than most pizza places in town. Browsing through Bella Italia’s menu you find pizza options like Salsiccia Pizza (tomato, mozzarella & Italian sausage); Carbonara Pizza (mozzarella, parmesan, bacon & eggs); Esotica Pizza (ham, mozzarella, tomato & pineapple) and Margherita Pizza (tomato, mozzarella & oregano), plus the popular favorites like Meat Lovers, Supreme, Shrimp, Veggie and Pepperoni.

Kids Summer Camp at Basil Jones
Learn about our environment in a fun and interactive way! July 7 – August 1 Registration for Summer Camp is now underway. Applications can be picked up from the Ministry of Education office in San Pedro. Camp will include: Overnight stay, Reef Education, Swimming, Hiking, Bird watching, Arts & Crafts. Cost is $150/week. Some scholarship may be available. Choose the week or stay all four weeks. The camp is located in the north part of the island near Bacalar Chico and will be chaperoned by teachers and trained personnel. Ages 11 – 16 years. Register by May 15th. For Additional info please call Miriam Codd at 662-0858 or Mito Paz at 663-2865 or [email protected]

San Pedro Teams Top Mahahual Fishing Tournament
Two fishing teams from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, topped the 23rd annual Copa Gobernador 2014, Fishing Tournament that was held over the weekend in Mahahual, Mexico besting 57 other teams from five different Mexican states, USA and Belize. Fishing crew of the Real Challenge boat managed to secure the second place at the tournament while Team Amigos (Amigos del Mar) placed third, both taking home a new vehicle and trophy. Participants from San Pedro include Team Amigos, Lady Leslie, Real Challenge, Rojo Lara among others. Ambergris Today Congratulates both teams on their excellent performance.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize Tourism Expo 2014
Betex, Belize's Tourism Expo, starts tomorrow, and ends Friday. Many Cayo businesses will be attending the BTIA organized event, which will, take place in Belize City. Cayo's Larry Waight wrote an article about BETEX for commdiginews.com. You can find out more at their website: http://www.betex.bz/ "The Belize Tourism Expo is an initiative of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, Belize’s leading national private sector tourism association. BTIA represents a unified voice, and advocates for issues that benefit its members. BTIA also influences tourism policy, legislation and marketing for the sustainable development of the industry and improved quality of the visitor experience. BETEX was first organized in 1996 and now takes place every two years, attracting approximately 300 - 350 local and international tourism professionals and press representatives."

Western Ballaz Take Down No Limit
The Western Ballaz travelled to Belize City to play the No Limit at the Bird's Isle court. The Western Ballaz won the match 63 - 77, sealing their 2nd place in the NEBL(photos on G+). They travel to PG this Saturday to play the Toledo Diplomats. They host the Belmopan Bandits on Friday, May 16th. Go Ballaz!

FISHING REPORT: Week of April 27 – May 3rd, 2014
Week Summary: It was great having Jason and Dane from the Crested Butte Fly Shop hosting a great group from Texas, 20 in all, and all had a blast! The wind was just relentless until very late in the week so it kept the permit and tarpon number in check.

Phase 2 Solar Panels Installed and working at Holy Cross!!
Thanks to you, our many donors, our Phase 2, second set of solar panels, have now been installed by Baker Renewable Energy (BRE, http://bakerrenewable.com/) at Holy Cross Anglican School in San Mateo, Belize. This second set will produce peak 5KW of power generation -- doubling our capacity from 5KW to 10KW.This past week, two BRE technicians spent the week working at Holy Cross Anglican school to afix the new array on roofing sections above the kitchen and lower division classrooms. As shown in the attached picture, the new array features 10 250W panels that are angled toward the east, and 10 that are angled toward the west. This will even out the power distibution curve. Further, the roof-length is long enough that we can, up to a point, simply add-on additional panels without having to implement additional breaker equipment. Since each panel has its own microinverter, a problem with any one panel will not bring down the entire array.

HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP
WITH WARMER WEATHER COMES MOSQUITOS! WITH SUMMER APPROACHING I THOUGHT I’D SHARE THIS Have you noticed the Mosquitos are already out! Here is a homemade trap to help keep you and the kiddos from being a blood donor!!! HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP: Items needed: 1 cup of water 1/4 cup of brown sugar 1 gram of yeast 1 2-liter bottle HOW: 1. Cut the plastic bottle in half. 2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle. 3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes. 4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired. 5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.) Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control.

Government by default
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez How can we allow Francis to become PM by default? No wonder the country is doing economic summersaults It’s gonna be everyone’s fault For failing to think outside the colonial vault Development is at a screeching halt The minute you sell you vote And take the load of sand and the blue note The citizenry eating five years worth of salt Because of the contract they made under strain It’s youths committing all sorts of assaults The entire country is at fault

Medical SNCO: Helping others makes for happy heart
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Cassandra Glasco says it makes her heart happy whenever she's able to help other people. Helping people is essentially in her job description as a New Horizons Belize 2014 medical technician deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in support of medical readiness training exercises, or MEDRETEs, in the Punta Gorda region in Belize. The 19-year senior NCO is spending the second year in a row on the New Horizons team, sharing her lessons learned from last year and also sharing her compassionate demeanor with Belizeans lining up to receive free medical care. New Horizons is a multi-faceted exercise geared toward providing mutual medical training and advancement opportunities for Belizean medical providers and their Canadian and U.S. military counterparts. "The difference I'm seeing this year is our reach has been a little further," Glasco recalled. "Last year, we stayed closer to the main cities for our MEDRETEs. This year, we are going out into the villages.

SBDC and DOE at Agric
The Small Business Development Center was at Agric, and they got some pictures of their clients' merchandise. The Department of the Environment had an information booth there too. "Proud clients of SBDCBelize"

Romain Virgo Unplugged Concert
Romain Virgo played after Agric at Barrio Fino, and Danny Chung got some wicked shots of the concert. Denise Castillo and Shannelly Sutherland also performed. More great pictures are coming.

Belmopan Sports Wednesday
The Bandits host the Verdes today at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium for the semifinals of the PLB Belikin Cup. The game starts at 7:30pm. The Belmopan Active Youth is having their basketball final at Hilltop Court, starting at 7:00pm. They'll have Above the Influence playing the Ball Hard Live Free.

BEL Reviews PUC’s Initial Decision on Annual Review Proceeding
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is reviewing the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) Initial Decision on the 2014 Annual Review Proceeding (ARP) for BEL. BEL is pleased that the PUC’s Initial Decision also proposes a reduction in electricity rates, which amounts to a 1 per cent deviation from BEL’s proposal. This decision allows BEL to fulfill its Mission to “provide reliable electricity at the lowest sustainable cost…” The Company will be meeting with its Management team to review the PUC’s entire decision, including the five schedules approved, to determine the possible implications of the PUC’s decision on BEL’s Five Year Investment Plan. BEL will submit its written comment to the PUC by May 12, as required under the ARP.

The Belize Road Safety Initiative
Sometimes you've just got to "take the keys" to save lives. Young Ashley Silva lost her life last month in a tragic traffic accident. Her parents, Karim and Melonie, open up their ordeal, reminding us to "buckle up" and "think before you drink". Be sure to like The Belize Road Safety Initiative to listen their story and more. Learn about what the Government of Belize is doing to make Belize's roads safer for all!

Channel 7

Cayo CET Says UDP Chairman Alberto Wants to Quitar School Land
Tonight, the faculty, staff and student body the Center for Employment Training in San Ignacio are upset because a piece of their school land is being allocated for another public purpose. They say that they've been maintaining it for years with hopes of getting a title for it, but now the Chairman of the Belize Water Services, Alberto August - who is also the Chairman of the UDP Party - is hoping to make use of it for the relocation of the San Ignacio Fire Department. 7News went to the Cayo District to speak to the Vice Chairman of the CET Cayo Board of Governors - who is also a prominent PUP in the town. Here's how he explained it: Orlando "Landy" Espat - Vice-Chair, Board of Governors, CET Cayo "It was never maintained by the sports council and we at CET we use to maintain it. It came to a point we heard that this was going to be given away to some private individual and we calculated that it was for speculation purposes, so what we did was to move the board and then we held a meeting with Honorable Francis Fonseca, he was the Minister of Education under the People's United Party government.

Canadian Complains About Street Crime
A Canadian businessman who's been in Belize for just over a week says he might not make it to the end of his stay because he's been robbed twice in eight days. John Lorenz is stating at the Renaissance Towers in Belize City - and walks over to the Radisson Gym for his morning workout. But, twice, on the walk over, he claims two different pairs of men have tried to rob him. Lorenz told us about it today:.. John Lorenz, Canadian businessman "I've been here now since March 26th and I'll be staying for the foreseeable future unless I get killed in the meantime." Daniel Ortiz "Why do you feel that your life and safety is threaten in this country?" John Lorenz, Canadian businessman "I have lived in a lot of different countries in the world like Rio de Janeiro which is a dangerous city and I never felt unsafe there, but I feel very unsafe here in Belize City.

Accused Cop's Family Complains Of Setup
Last night, the big news was about police constable Yannick Wade, accused of masterminding the theft of 8 guns from the San Pedro police station. Wade is assigned to the san Pedro police station and called in sick on Thursday; the guns were discovered missing on Friday morning - but could have gone missing from Wednesday night. Wade is in jail tonight because two of the guns were found on the premises of his girlfriend's house - where he is known to reside. He faces multiple charges of theft for the eight missing guns and for keeping an unlicensed firearm. But while police seem to have a credible case against - what if it is all a setup? That's what his family is alleging. They spoke with Monica Bodden this afternoon:..

Coye Family Money, It's Complicated
Last night we told you about the temporary relief that the Coye family received when Justice Shona Griffith ordered that their bank accounts be unfrozen so that they could get full access to their money. Well, a few hours after that major victory, a Panamanian company, Internet Experts SA, through their local attorney, Lisa Shoman, managed to get an ex-parte injunction from the Supreme Court which restrained the Coyes from accessing their bank accounts. It's a significant setback for the the Coyes, and today, we got a chance to speak by phone with Lisa Shoman, about why her clients believe they had to block the family at the last minute: Lisa Shoman "This was an injunction, an ex parte hearing that was held before Madam Justice Young and it was an application which was made on the 8th of April. When my clients saw that the Coye's were making moves to try and have their funds release the clients instructed that we go ahead and try to get an injunction because going back to 2010 there has been a claim for 4, 8 million dollars by Internet Experts which was file in November of 2010 claiming that the monies were being held among other people were owe to them by Money Exchange International Ltd. Melanie Coye and the late Michael Coye. This was all part and parcel of business that Money Exchange International was doing Internet Experts."

US Child Predator Listed To Be In BZ
A flyer from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement says that a convicted child predator is residing in Belize. 63 year old Thomas Allen Bloom was convicted of sexual battery and child coercion in Brevard Florida in 1997. He is registered as a sexual predator in Florida and his given address on the flyer is Belize. Doesn't say where in Belize but the information was updated to reflect his Belize location in 2013. US sex offenders are not required to register in Belize.

Hon. Boots Says 254 Lots In Cotton Tree Was Private Land Acquisition
Last week Friday on the news - we interviewed the chairman and vice chairman of Cotton Tree Village - who explained why they were suing the government for giving away land within their village boundary. The villagers - bolstered by their PUP Area Representative Julius Espat - have retained attorney Andrew Marshalleck of Barrow and Company to challenge government for overstepping the local authority of the lots committee and the village council to decide who gets land in their village. The challenge comes out of a recently disclosed decision to give city residents 254 lots within Cotton Tree village. In the House of Representatives, it was alleged that all 254 lots are for Anthony Boots Martinez to distribute to his PORT LOYOLA constituents. Well, Martinez tells us that not quite how it works. The 254 lots are to be shared amongst the eight UDP Area Representatives in Belize City - who will get 30 each. Martinez adds that the lands were not national lands but were acquired from a Chinese landowner who owns a large tract in the area. He said his cabinet colleague Wilfred Sedi Elrington negotiated the purchase of the land for a public purpose. He says the landowner has twice that volume of land to sell and he would encourage the villagers, or their sponsor Julius Espat, to speak to him about purchasing it.

Bliss Center Far From Blissful With Broken AC and No $$$ To Fix It
The Bliss Center, it's one of the only air conditioned indoor facilities in the country, and while it should be the National Theater, in reality, it is used for everything from graduations to pre school variety shows to spiritual revivals to rock concerts. But anyone who's been in there recently will know that it's not so air conditioned anymore. NICH President Dianne Haylock confirmed to us today that only one of the three air conditioning units in the main theater is working. The facility has no windows, so when a performance is going, and there's even half of a full house, it starts getting very hot, very quickly. So why don't they just fix it? Well Haylock says it's not that simple. She says the Bliss Center has multiple chronic leakage problems due to poor construction when it was first built in the early two thousand's.

Robber Jailed
29 year-old Lincoln Sabido is at jail tonight after he was taken to court for robbing a Chinese Grocer a week ago. According to police, 37 year-old Desuo Li, the owner of Ying Li Shop, reported that on last week Tuesday, he was unloading items from his vehicle when 2 men entered his shop. One of the men pulled out a gun and the other a knife. At gunpoint, the men ordered him to lie on the ground, and that's when they robbed him of 2 cellular phones and 2 cartons of cigarettes and $700 cash. 2 customers were in the store at the same time and they were also robbed of money and possessions to a total value of $3,500.

BEL Pleased With PUC
BEL sent out a release today basically saying it's not fighting with the Public Utilities Commission - even though the regulator cut its proposed rate decrease by one percent. BEL says it is pleased that the PUC's Initial Decision also proposes a reduction in electricity rates. But will it object to that decision as BWSL recently did? A release says the Company will be meeting with its Management team to review the entire decision…to determine the possible implications…on BEL's Five Year Investment Plan. BEL will submit its written comment to the PUC by May 12th.

Why Was Water Interrupted For Hours?
Yesterday just after midday, approximately 12,000 households along the Northern Highway and in Belize City, which is the largest population centres in the country had no water for a little over 7 hours. It wasn't a planned service interruption; early in the morning they discovered complete break in one of their 24 inch main pipes on the highway, which required them to dig 10 feet into the ground to repair it. Today, the operations officer explained to us why they had no choice but to interrupt service after trying to ensure that those customers had water to use earlier that morning: Dave Pascascio - Operations Manager BWS "We woke up yesterday morning to a break in our main transmission line that supplies Belize City and so what we had to do was to manage the storage we had to last for the duration of the repairs, but cognizant of the fact that we were entering peak morning demand we did not reduce pressures until after peak until about 8am.

It Was A Very Good Year
Last night we told you thirty five thousand people had attended the national agriculture and trade show. Today the Ministry of Agriculture sent out day by day breakdowns: 16000 persons attended on Saturday and 18000 on Sunday. This is an increase over the previous year.

Cyclists To Puebla
Today 6 top male cyclists left Belize for Peubla Mexico to participate in the Pan American Cycling Road Championship form May 6th - 11th. They are Joel Borland and Giovanni Lovell in the Under 23 category, and Marlon Castillo, Greg Lovell, Ron Vasquez and Byron Pope in the elite category. They are accompanied by Head Coach, Perry Gibson and cycling Association official, Orson Butler. A total of 22 countries will be competing for 18 spots in the Pan American Games Toronto 2015. All the riders will be taking part in the Road Race, while Marlon Castillo, Byron Pope, Joel Borland and Giovanni Lovell will be participating in the Individual Time Trial.

Channel 5

Land dispute between BWS and CET in San Ignacio
There is growing discontent in San Ignacio tonight over one acre of land. The land is a portion of a five acre plot on which the Center for Employment Training [...]

PSU says Chief Pharmacist has been victimized by Health C.E.O.
The pharmacy dispute surrounding the appointment of a Minister’s daughter remains on centre stage. Danini Contreras is the daughter of U.D.P. Minister Erwin Contreras. Contreras, who is not registered as [...]

Minister Godwin Hulse has 21 days to resolve Danini Contreras dispute
Those circumstances surrounding the Chief Pharmacist, and arising from the appointment of Danini Contreras, are among the issues which have been taken before the Minister of Labour. As promised, the [...]

Should Danini Contreras be removed as Director of Drug Inspectorate?
And our question for tonight is: Do you believe that Danini Contreras should be removed as Director of Drug Inspectorate? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to [...]

70 year old US businessman attacked twice in 8 days
A seventy year old US national currently in Belize on business is reporting that he has been attacked twice in eight days and in broad daylight. John Larencz has been [...]

Despite a court ruling, Coye family still has no access to their monies
On Monday, the Coye family enjoyed a short-lived legal victory when the Supreme Court ordered that their assets, amounting to millions of dollars in cash, be unfrozen.  The family’s holdings [...]

Attorney speaks on injunction by Panamanian company
According to Bradley, the injunction was filed without their knowledge.   Via Phone: Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, Attorney for Coye Family “So, yesterday the judge gave an order.  Arguments were also [...]

G.O.B. versus Jamaican Gay Activist, Maurice Tomlinson; ruling to be delivered
The Caribbean Court of Justice convenes on Wednesday at its seat in Trinidad where it will hand down a decision in the case of Maurice Tomlinson versus the Government of [...]

Alrick and Brandon Smith acquitted of attempted murder
In March of 2013, police were reportedly engaged in a shootout with two alleged street figures. The incident involved Brandon Smith, aka Battery, a member of the PIV gang located [...]

Accused robber, Lincoln Sabido, is arraigned
A Belize City man from the Berries Street area of Saint Martin’s De Porres is tonight on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was accused of robbing a [...]

Barranco residents speak on oil exploration by US Capital Energy
The village of Barranco is a Garifuna community in the Toledo District; it is also one of five buffer communities on the outskirts of the Sarstoon Temash National Park where [...]

Caye Caulker without a doctor for months
One of the prime tourism islands has been without a doctor, in some instances for months, and the access to timely healthcare on Caye Caulker has become an issue for [...]

17 pharmacies, but only 2 pharmacists in San Pedro
The appointment of the new director of drug inspectorate has brought to the forefront a wide range of shortfalls within the system in respect of imported pharmaceuticals and persons practicing [...]

Belizean is killed in a helicopter accident in the U.S.
A Belizean who left Belize years ago has died in a helicopter crash at Fort Bliss, Texas. He is twenty-seven year old Sergeant Dwight Burn who lived in Barstow, California [...]

PricewaterhouseCoopers hosts financial literacy training
Financial Literacy Training…it not a topic that you often hear about, but it is an initiative that has been ongoing in Belize since 2008.  It targets teachers and students from [...]

Financial training culminates with multiple fairs at ITVET
The two-day training is interactive and includes presentations from various institutions. Deputy Chief Education Officer, Carol Babb, spoke of how the continuous work of the international organization has led up [...]

CTV3

Shots Fired In The Louisiana Area, Bullet Graces Its Target
Residents living in the Louisiana Area of Orange Walk Town had a pretty good scare sometime around 9:00 last night when seven shots rang out in the area. Reports indicate that Victor Luna, who resides on Asuncion Street, was the target. According to our sources the individual was driving his vehicle on Macal River Street when a lone gun man fired seven shots at his direction. One of the bullets found its target but luckily Luna was only grazed on the right foot. Orange Walk Police visited the area and recovered 7 (9mm) expended shells. As for the gunman he was long gone by the time police arrived in the area. But police investigations have led to the detention of a 17 year old minor from Sittee River Street in Orange Walk Town.

Thirteen Year Old Goes Missing
A woman from the Village of Carmelita in the Orange Walk District is tonight desperately looking for her 13 year old daughter who exited the family’s home at around 3:35am Monday to use the outdoor latrine and went missing. According to Angela Martinez, when she saw that her daughter, 13 year old Janet Elsie Daniela Martinez did not return inside, she called out for her but received no response. Checks were made in the area and to Martinez’s surprise Janet was nowhere to be found. Martinez reported to police that when she checked Janet’s room, she discovered a back pack containing her daughter’s clothes and deodorant. Martinez suspects that her daughter left with a twenty three year old man from the same village.

Belizean Soldier Dies In Plane Crash
A Belizean who served with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, in the US Military has died after he and three other soldiers crashed during training exercise in New Mexico. International reports indicate that twenty seven year old Sergeant Dwight W. Burn was the crew chief aboard the CH-47 Chinook helicopter that went down during high altitude mountainous environment training in Fort Bliss' northern training area near Orogrande, New Mexico which is about 45 miles away from the Texas base. There were three other soldiers with Burn and are reportedly listed in stable condition. Their names and the extent of their injuries were not released. The CH-47 Chinook is a heavy-lift transport helicopter that was first used in Vietnam and today is used mainly to move troops, ammunition, large-caliber guns and equipment. The Brigade Burns was attached to and other units from across the military routinely train at Fort Bliss because of its vast desert and mountain terrain, according to the Military officials.

Electricity Rates To Reduce
And amidst all the bad news there is a bit of good news to share with you tonight especially in these hard economic times. Belizeans are to see a reduction in their electricity bill. That announcement was made yesterday by the Public Utilities Commission who has approved a minimal reduction in electricity rates, after carefully following the Annual Review Proceeding submitted by Belize Electricity Limited earlier this year. According to the PUC the rate presently stands at 0.04465 cents per kilowatt per hour. A 0.0165 cents reduction has been applied to the rate, cutting it down to what now consumers will be paying 0.04300 cents per kilowatt per hour. BEL had predicted a little over ninety three million, three hundred thousand in regulating assets value; however the Public Utilities Commission has reduced that figured by approximately seventeen million dollars. After carefully reviewing the annual proceedings by BEL, in a press briefing John Avery, Chairman at the Public Utilities Commission spoke about the corrections of the retroactive formula used from the period of July 1st 2012 to June 30th, 2013.

Muffles High School Receives Much Needed Financial Assistance
Muffles High School is much closer to achieving their dream of constructing their much needed auditorium. Today, during a short assembly at the school grounds, Chairman of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association Committee of Management, Alfredo Ortega, handed over a cheque of one thousand dollars to the Principal of the highs school Margie Johnston. The donation was made under the BSCFA / Fair Trade Educational Program. Alfredo Ortega - Chair Man BSCFA “It’s a program that the farmers throughout the social program that they had approved when we had the meeting for the Orange Walk branch in which they approved for the different schools and at this time it was four schools and one charity group that were approved for this program and the farmers set aside five thousand dollars and it was divided equally so each school will be getting a thousand dollars and today it is Muffles Highs School that will be getting a thousand dollars for the auditorium program that they have.”

Rossana Briceno To Receive Principal Of The Year 2014 Award
The Ministry of Education has selected a Principal of the Year for the year 2014 and the award is going to Rossana Briceno, School Principal at Saint Peter’s Anglican School in Orange Walk Town. Briceno was chosen by the Ministry of Education and the Teacher Education Development Service for her years of service and dedication to her work at the Anglican school. Briceno was selected for the award following an extensive interview session with principals from primary schools across all six districts in the country. We will have more on this story in our subsequent newscast.

Classes Cancelled At Ranchito Government School
An insect infestation has prompted the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Village Council at Ranchito Village in the Corozal District to take action at the Ranchito Government School. While officials at the Ministry of Education would not give an official comment on the matter, our news room has received several phone calls from concerned parents who have told us that classes have been cancelled for the week. Our News Team visited the school today in an effort to find out what the situation is. Dalila Ical reports. Dalila Ical – Reporting Classes have been cancelled for the week at the Ranchito Government School after parents and the school administration complained about serious insect and quite possibly rodent infestations at the school. While Officials at the Ministry of Education refused to give us an official comment, concerned parents have made calls to our news room saying that the situation is one that has been ongoing for a long time now.

58 Immigrants Including One Belizean Detained In Mexico
Over the past weeks Mexican Newspapers have been reporting on a number of cases that are being linked to human trafficking. First it was the alleged kidnapping of two 8 year old girls from Sabidos Quintana Roo, a small Mexican Community located along the banks of the Rio Hondo. The minors were allegedly lured to the river bank by a 13 year old girl who reportedly worked for a 19 year old Belizean man only identified as Ariel who lives in the community. Luckily the kidnapping was foiled after the parents of the minors went searching for them. The girls were allegedly to be brought to Belize. The second report was aired last night. As we mentioned a 16 year old minor reported to Mexican Authorities in Felipe Carrillo Puerto that for the past seven months she has been in a relationship with a man identified as Miguel Angel Manzanero Cocom and all that she wanted was to come back home to Belize since she was being verbally and physically abused by Cocom. We understand that authorities were investigating the matter. And now to tonight’s report.

LOVE FM

Berry Street Residence Charged with Robbery
Twenty-nine year old Lincoln Sabido, a resident of Berry Street who the police believe was one of two persons involved in the robbery of a Chinese shop, was charged with one count of robbery and three counts of aggravated assault when he appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Sabido pled not guilty to the charges. He was remanded into custody until August 8. The incident occurred around 10 a.m. on April 29. Thirty-seven year old Desuo Li, the owner of Ying Li Shop, located on Tibruce Street, reported to the police that he was discharging items from his vehicle to his shop when two persons, one of them armed with a gun and the other with a knife, accosted him and ordered him to lie on the ground. Li said he complied and the person with the knife entered the shop and stole 700 dollars, one laptop computer, two cellular phones and two cartons of cigarettes. Two persons, who were inside the shop, were held at gunpoint while the robbery was in progress. As a result, Sabido was charged with aggravated assault on Li, Garret Casimiro and Randy Smith.

PlusTV

American Fugitive Escapes from Belmopan Police and is Recaptured
American fugitive escapes legal custody and is recaptured in Roaring Creek. On Monday April 28th, we reported to you that an American Fugitive, identified as 52 year old Martin Chapman, wanted in the US for several criminal offences was apprehended in Roaring Creek village, Belmopan. One of the offences for...

High Speed Hijack on the George Price Highway; One Man Hospitalized
Tonight there are reports of a high-speed hijack that resulted in the arrest of three Belizean unemployed men of Teakettle Village. According to the Officer Commanding Belmopan Police, sometime around 10:20 pm last night, Bolivia National Ricardo Guzman, Chief Mechanic of Discoveries Oil Company, and a resident of teakettle...

Two Female Minors, Cousins, Go Missing at the Same Time
Two female minors, cousins to each other, reportedly went missing after leaving their homes towards to go visit their aunt. According to police reports at around 4:30 pm on Sunday, May 4th, 15 year old Jennilee Cassasola, Belizean student, of Zacaranda Street, Belize City and 14 year old Shanda...

Mentally Challenged Man is Missing- Believed to Have Wandered Off
A mentally challenged person has also been reported missing. 21 year old Clifton Clifford Willoughby, known also as “Grizzle”, Belizean unemployed of Iguana Street Extension, Belize City has been mentally challenged for over three years. He is of brown complexion, slim built, about 6 ft. in height with a...

Man Charged for Robbery of Grocery Shop
29 year old Lincoln Sabido was arraigned in court today for the robbery of a Chinese shop last week Tuesday in Belize City. Owner of Ying Li Shop on Tibruce Street, 37 year old Desuo Li, was supervising the removal of items from his vehicle into the store around...

Suspicious Belizean Boy Allegedly Attempts to Kidnap Girls in Mexico
There are troubling reports of attempted kidnapping coming out of Mexican newspaper Por Esto. According to the reports made by Por Esto, the townspeople of Sabido, Quintana Roo captured a Belizean, identified only as 19 year old Ariel, who was trying to kidnap two 8 year old girls and...

Abducted Belizean Girl is Found in the Custody of a Mexican Man
In a completely opposite situation, a 16 year old Belizean girl was found in Carillo Puerto, Mexico in the company of a 53 year old Mexican man who had apparently kidnapped her and was abusing her. According to reports made by Por Esto Newspaper, at around 9:00 pm on...

Coye Family Assets Still Under Lockdown
At news time Monday, PLUS News was informed that contrary to the hopes of their attorneys, the surviving members of the Coye family were not allowed access to their bank accounts following an order lifting the freezing of the accounts by Justice Shona Griffith. This is because according to...

Evangelical Christian Leaders to Meet with the PM over Gender Policy
On Wednesday morning (May 7th) The National Executive Team from Evangelical Association of Churches under the Leadership of President Reverend Eugene Crawford intends to meet with the Prime Minister Dean Barrow. The team requested a meeting with him to discuss comments made by Ann-Marie Williams, Executive Director of the Women’s Commission, to a...

Alliance of Leaders and Ministers Give GOB Deadline to Retract the Gender Policy
Another Christian organization is not as soft spoken in its rejection of the Revised National Gender Policy 2013 is the Alliance of Leaders and Ministers of Belize. The group formed by Patrick Menzies and currently led by President Alejandro Grande is a Belizean organization of Leaders and Ministers from diverse...

Comprehensive High School Teacher is Arrested; Suspected Carnal Knowledge
In last night’s news cast we reported to you of allegations of an indecent nature made against a male teacher at the Belmopan Comprehensive High School. Reports were that the male teacher had had an affair with a 14 year old female student of Belmopan Comprehensive and had recently...

Electricity Rates to Go Down
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has released its initial decision on the Annual Review Proceeding (ARP) for Belize Electricity Limited (BEL). If there are no objections before May 12, on July 1 the utility regulator will reduce the mean electricity rate to 43.47 cents per kilowatt-hour from 44.65 cents,...

New Officer in Command for the Belmopan Police
Sinquest Martinez previously an Assistant Superintendant has been working as the Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police for well over a year now. Recently however, he has been promoted to Superintendant and upholds a new role as the Staff Officer to the Head of National Crime Investigation Branch; taking his...

Amandala

Fisheries employee beaten and robbed on Lakeview Street
An employee of the Fisheries Department on Princess Margaret Drive was beaten and robbed while sitting in his vehicle, which was parked at about 10:00 yesterday morning in front of a store in the high-crime area of Lakeview Street, on the south side of the city. The two robbers got away with the man’s half-inch thick gold chain with a cross medal, designed with eight circular stones on it, hanging from his neck. The value of the chain has not yet been ascertained. The employee, who was the driver of the vehicle, had his window down because he was waiting for a beer that one of his friends had bought from the shop and was bringing to him. The victim reported that while sitting in his vehicle, a man approached, grabbed his chain from around his neck and tried to rip it off.

Clash in Sarstoon Temash!
Unity, solidarity and determination reigned, but tensions were high nonetheless within the confines of the majestic Sarstoon Temash National Park on this Labor Day holiday as a crowd of agitated Maya leaders, village chairmen, alcaldes and concerned villagers from the buffer communities in southern Belize gathered at the entranceway to US Capital Energy’s A1 Drill Site – which is located about 10 meters inside the national park – demanding to be given access to what they reiterated was their communal lands. The Mayan communities were up in arms particularly because yesterday, despite prior court rulings declaring their rights to those same communal lands, Chief Forest Officer Wilber Sabido and National Parks Administrator, Hannah St. Luce-Martinez, signed a waiver on the expiration date of the oil exploration permit which grants the oil company entry into the protected area. A little over a hundred representatives from 38 Mayan communities in the vicinity decided to take a stand and make a statement today by setting foot on what they believe to be their lands in accordance with the court’s rulings.

Bloody Friday on Antelope Street Extension
The seemingly never-ending gun violence has claimed the life of a man who, along with four others, was socializing in a yard in front of a house on Antelope Street Extension, in the city’s Southside, at about 11:30 on Friday, May, 2, when two gunmen approached and fired at them. Julian Willoughby, 24, of Antelope Street Extension, was killed immediately due to multiple gunshots to the head and upper body. Police found him lying on the ground in pools of his blood. Another man, Chris Reyes, 21, had received gunshot wounds in the upper chest and arm; Francisco Rivas, 18, was shot in the left upper back; a male minor, 14, was shot in the left leg; and Philipa Ramirez, 20, was shot in the left jaw. Amandala was told that the bullet is currently lodged in her chest and she has been declared to be in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit of the KHMH.

Cop + stolen guns + ammo = jail!
A Belize City policeman, Yannick Wade, 27, who was posted in San Pedro, gave the Police Department another unneeded black eye just a week after another cop, special constable Jose Haylock, 36, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. On Friday, May 2, a search by police officers, during which Wade and his in-laws were present, recovered two out of eight .38 revolvers that were reportedly stolen from a metal safe inside the San Pedro Police Station, where the security company, KBH, had stored them for safety. Th